You're So Blessed (Song)

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


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Death

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ever Read Ecclesiastes? (Song)

 Meaningless! Everything is meaningless! Does the world ever feel that way? Do you feel driven to despair? Many have felt that way for a long time since things on Earth first fell apart so long ago back in Genesis 3, when sin made everything get hairy. When you get down with these blues and get down to kneel, son- remember to look up to God alone who brings order out of the chaos, adds Life to our days and makes meaning in the midst of mediocrity. Everybody's talking at you saying all kinds of things about how to make your life meaningful. In the middle of all your searching for significance, ever read Ecclesiastes? Listen to what The Lord has to say about life and follow Him and let Him give you eternal meaning and Hope.

"Ever Read Ecclesiastes?" (parody of "Everybody's Talking" by Harry Nilsson; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 10/17/2020)    (book of Ecclesiastes; particularly 1:1-2, 1:9, 1:14, 2:9-11, 2:24-26, 3:1-11, 3:16-22, 4:9-12, 5:1-7, 5:18-20, 6:7-12, 7:1-4, 7:10-13, 8:10-13, 9:7-12, 10:1-4, 10:10-15, 11:1-7, 12:1-8, 12:11-14)

Everything's all vanity

Under sun there's no innovations

Go read Ecclesiastes 1:9

People shopping, striving

I can see they're chasing

Only the wind blows- passes them by

Ongoings have seasons and timing

That The Lord ordains

(We're) going to forever recompose

Breaking's hard for the cord of three strands

So fear God in utter awe please

When living's over we're going by His throne

(Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!)

All toiling under sun- keep smiling

Due to 5:18

Don't call old days better- dude, sin's old!

Banking all on The Lord brings wins

Assails us all- time, whimsy 

Foolishness pours forth but wisdom's a stepping stone 

Ecclesiastes 11:6 reads

Can't know what works- keep sowing 

Only The Lord knows- (so) enjoy Life 

Guys, don't let age leave Lord God behind

'Cause God will judge all deeds

(Whoa!)

Life's found in man's duty- keep God's commands! 

2020 Reasons to Give Thanks (Or At Least 5)

 In response to a challenge to identify 5 positive things from last year, I wrote down 5 reasons to give thanks, in 2020, 2021 and any year really. There are always good things to be thankful for at all times. Thanksgiving is such a great holiday because it focuses in on that attitude of gratitude. And that's something we should remember every day. That said, here are 5 positives for me from 2020.

#1 Above all- The Lord Jesus Christ. He is always my ultimate reason to be thankful and stay positive. By faith in His substitutionary death and Resurrection that paid for all the sins of the world, I know my many sins are forgiven and I'm delivered from the Hell I deserve and instead given the Heaven I don't. God has shown Himself faithful time and again and I am always ultimately thankful for His love and providence.

#2 Nature - I have long enjoyed exploring God's creation and I did a lot more of that last year and I am grateful for that opportunity to commune with Him there. Every so often, I love to get away to a quiet place outside by myself and spend a good length of time reading The Bible and praying, as well as writing down any insights The Spirit might show me. Those times of sweet surrender have always been good for me spiritually as well as physically in some ways too.

#3 Family - I am always thankful for my family and make an effort to keep up with them. I am thankful for the opportunities I had to spend with family throughout last year, whether just spending time at home playing games or going for walks and hikes or going to church in the park throughout the summer. (I would like that last one to be an option even when there's not a pandemic going on. :-)) I constantly pray God would bless and use me and my family for His glory and I praise God for all of them.

#4 Friends - I am blessed to have some wonderful, loving and caring friends who have stuck by me through the years and I hold them very dear, particularly those who are very close to me. As Philippians 1:7 says, I hold them in my heart. And I pray for them regularly. And I am thankful for the time I got to spend with them, whether in person outside at a distance or just on the telephone or video chat. I am also very thankful for the many options for staying in touch with my friends around the world. (It was particularly neat to be able to message friends on three different continents to ask for prayer in the middle of the night since I knew they'd be up- and they are some of my closest friends anyway, even though they are some of the furthest away. And I felt the power of those prayers and again thank God for answering as He did.)

#5 Finances - I am certainly mindful of those around the world who have had their lives so disrupted by C19 and have lost jobs and loved ones. I mourn for them and pray for them. I am very thankful to have maintained a job and had a steady income from that job and had my needs met. In fact, partially because of opportunities opened by the pandemic, I was able to save some money and earn extra money through working extra hours. I was able to accomplish some long-standing goals of paying off a number of debts! I am still not totally clear of all debt but I am in a much better place financially. I have been able to turn around and use money now freed up to increase what I normally give and be more generous in giving towards ministries and charitable causes. I am glad to be able to serve God more through investing in His kingdom more in that way.

 

There are many more things I could say as well, but those are some things I am grateful for about the last year and in every year, really. Praise God for His faithfulness! I look forward to seeing how He will work and use me for His glory in this year. And, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless us- everyone! :-)

A Word of Advice for New Students

(Note: This is the original draft of an article I wrote for my high school magazine as an alumnus, after being asked to give some advice to incoming freshmen. I hope it might be helpful advice for any young students reading this now.)

“Everything is meaningless.”  That’s how King Solomon put it in Ecclesiastes 1:1.  “Nothing is sound.” That’s how Switchfoot puts it on their album of the same name.  (Man, that’s kind of a downer note to start this off on.)  I know, but it’s a necessary one.  Don’t worry; it gets better.

Welcome to Pelion High School, home of the mighty Panthers! I hope you’re ready to have four of the best years of your life! My years at Pelion High School were certainly some of the best times of my life. (There’s that nice, cheery intro!) So here you are at the threshold of a bright academic future and you’re ready to go forth and I sound like I’m giving a commencement speech.  Okay, so you’re ready to go to school with your big brother and no longer with your little sister.  But you want to make a name for yourself too.  You want to have a cool group of friends and know where you belong.  Or maybe you just want to get through with a diploma intact!

So now you’re ready for all the dirt, right?  What’re the rumors on all those tough teachers?  (I hear dem English teachers be pretty rough.) Who are the cool people to hang out with?  Where do I sit at lunch?  What’s actually in the stuff they serve you?  What’s the best way to mask some big gas in class?  (I recommend the loud cough method. It’s served me well.)  Which bathroom stalls should I avoid?  How do you open the lockers?  (Got me on that one.)  What’s the best pick-up line to use? (I see we’re taking chemistry together.  It’s meant to be. You’re my density.)  How do I sit through 90 minute classes?  (Be glad you’re not in college yet.)  What’s the best excuse for not doing my homework?  What’s the best way to get out of school for a day?  (You fake a …oh, like I really need to tell you this.)  And most importantly of all:  When are the holidays?

There’re so many things to consider in high school.  And there’s a lot about it to enjoy.  There are lots of great people you can meet and become good friends with.  There are tons of great clubs and sporting teams to be involved with.  And believe it or not, the teachers actually do work their hardest to make their classes fun as well as educational.  And don’t panic now, but apparently you don’t get recess in high school.  (I know- I was quite shocked myself.  This is why you’ve got to make those 27 minutes of lunch last as long as you can.)  But overall the only one who can determine what you’ll get out of high school and what you’ll make of it is you.  So make up your mind now to have a good time and to enjoy it and to be the best you can be in everything.

Take advantage of the school sponsored things you can be a part of.  Get to be a part of the many great clubs at school like the Key Club, Beta Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Future Business Leaders of America, Spanish Club, etc.  And you can always start your own club.  These clubs give you something to be part of with people who share your interests and together you can have great fun together working towards something you believe in.  And of course, it looks great on college applications and resumes!

And don’t forget about school sports.  Be a sport and go out for the team.  If you want to be cool like me, you can run Cross Country and Track and Field and get cut from the basketball team after one day of practice.  Or maybe you’d rather play golf or baseball.  Even if you don’t play a sport, (though again, it is good on college applications and resumes), be sure to go support your school teams at their games.  Whether the Panthers are playing as the reigning champs or the underdogs, be there to cheer them on anyway.  Not only does this give you time to socialize with friends outside of the classroom, it’s also great for taking dates to (not that I have any experience there) and it makes you feel a part of things.  This is your school and you should take pride in it.  

Now I know you’re probably worried about the workload of high school and keeping up with everything, but the best thing to do about that is to take it all in stride.  Don’t get overwhelmed with the work, but manage it sensibly from the start by planning it all out on your calendar.  Find good friends that will help encourage you and that you can work with on school assignments.  And I’ve heard an apple for the teacher never hurts!  (Of course, if it’s getting towards the end of May, you may want to just go in for the boxes of chocolate instead!)

Now, would someone like to summarize for the class what the article is saying?  (The ones sleeping in the back row better wake up or it’ll be four laps around the track after school.)  The main point is to make the most out of the four years (or five as the case may be) of high school (let’s make it four) that you have ahead of you.  Get involved with your school’s sports and clubs and as the Beach Boys sang, “be true to your school”.  And when it comes to choosing friends, choose those who will really like you for yourself, not for what you have or pretend to be.  And here’s a good hint.  Make friends with the weirdos.  Many times you’ll find that the weirdos can turn out to be your truest and best and most loyal friends.  Most of all, be yourself and accept others as they are.  Follow the Golden Rule. (“Silence is golden”?)  Well, that’s one for the classroom, but mainly do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  You avoid so much junk that way.

In the end, when you think about everything happening right now, this is your life.  Are you who you want to be?  Only you can determine what it’s going to be like and what you’re going to make of your life.  And high school is a crucial part of that.  Remember that everything is meaningless; nothing is sound and nothing gold can stay.  So don’t live your life just for now, but keep the long term future in mind.  Take the time to think about what’s most important in your life and decide to live each day keeping your goals intact.  Is a good career the priority?  Is it a good wife and family?  Are you looking to make tons of money? (Don’t go into journalism!)  Where does God figure into things?  Does God figure into your life?  All of these are valid concerns that you’ll structure your life around.  Choose this day who you will serve.  Make the most of every day.  Carpe diem!  And have fun!  And because the Panthers rule and I’m proud to be an American, I have to end with this, if you can imagine a deep, enthusiastic roar at this point.  God bless America and go Panthers!

  Copyright by Nathan Ludwick 3/9/2006

Stayin' Outta the Fire (Plan in Motion) (song)

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

    And I've got one more '80s classic for you. And this one I've definitely been thinking of after hearing the pastor's sermon today in church. Some of the passion for this one was definitely burning hot like a certain fire that the Laodicean church was called to get going- or remain cold. But lukewarm gets you spat out of God's mouth! This one was another one that was just begging for some God-centered lyrics that would really help put His plan in motion when we follow His plan in The Bible. :-)

"Stayin' Outta the Fire (Plan in Motion)" (parody of "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" by John Parr)
(parody copyright by Nathan Ludwick 10/01/09)
(Romans 10:9, 15:20, Psalms 95, Hebrews 12:29, 1 Thessalonians 5:19, 1 Corinthians 3:12-14, Jude 1:22-25, Jeremiah 20:9, Ezekiel 1-2, Acts 2:1-4, Exodus 40:34-38, Revelation 20:14-15, Matthew 3:11-12, Luke 12:49, Matthew 17:20, Philippians 4:13, John 15:5-7, Revelation 3:15-16, Hebrews 9:27, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 6:2, Isaiah 40:28-31, Hebrews 10:19-25, Luke 15, John 3:3 and 3:16, John 14:6, Daniel 5, Philippians 1:6)

Going's tough- You don't see the writing on the wall
Passing by- Knew He'd save you then- you blew it off
But baby, sometime if you call His name
You'll find you're not alone- everything has changed
Stay the same- you know He won't quit on His lost son
Soldier on- only you can do what must be done
You know in some way you're like Six to me
You're just a Prisoner and you're trying to break free

I can see a new hope rising- all I need is faith in Christ
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher
Gonna heed Your plan in Romans- as I read, I repent and kneel
10:9's where my Savior's Christ- I'm staying outta the fire!

Turning out, don't know just now where that I should go (just now where to go)
Truth be told, go look just a few miles down the road
I will make it- through God I can
He broke the old in me- so He could make (a) new man

I can see a new hope rising all replete by faith in Christ
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher
Gonna heed Your plan in Romans- in 15:20 there reveals
Take me where witness is lacking- send down Your fire!

I can move the highest mountain- faith of a mustard seed
I can feel the Spirit's fire burning in me, burning in me

Just once in this life a man has to die
When my time comes 'round, I'm covered by Christ!

I can hear the music playing as I read Psalms 95
Kneel before God the King- extol Him on high
Gonna be Your man in motion- as I read Jeremiah's zeal
20:9- my heart's on fire by Consuming Fire!

I can see a new hope rising- all complete by faith in Christ
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher
Gonna be Your man in motion- like Ezekiel's pairs of wheels
Take me there in 2 verse 5 and send down Your fire!

I can move the highest mountain- faith of a mustard seed
I can feel The Spirit's fire burning in me!
Burning, burning in me, I can feel it burning
Ooh- burning inside of me...

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

Christ in a Nutshell (song)

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


    I've been wanting to share a few more parodies I've written recently and they most all deal with some things that have been coming up in church lately actually. And they're all really favorite songs of mine, some of which just struck me as being such a good song already that it would only take a bit of tweaking to bring about a really great song talking about The Lord. So I plunged in to it and God helped me bring the ideas into fruition.
    Here's a song that wraps things up nicely and just states really what Christ is about and what our life is about in Him. I loved the second verse so much and it worked so well that I left it mostly intact. Take some time and a sip out of your 70's-style Coke bottle and enjoy. ;-)

"Christ in a Nutshell" (parody of "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce)
(parody copyright by Nathan Ludwick 10/02/09)
(John 3:3, 3:16, 10:10, 14:6, Romans 8:1-2, 10:9, 2 Corinthians 6:2, 2 Peter 3:9)

If I could state Christ in a nutshell,
The first thing that He'd like to do
Is to save every name for eternity- He just can't wait
Just to spend it with you!

Since Christ can make change last forever
His Word conveys this is for you
Get saved and today
Christ will never condemn
Romans
8 explains- 1 and 2

(Chorus)
But you never seem to think about Christ
You do the things you want to do
But you'll find out
I've looked around enough to know
The only One I want to know is Christ, yes!

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty except for the memory
Of how they were surpassed by You!

(Repeat Chorus)
and fade....

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Missed Moments (poem)

This is a sometimes annual thing of reflection I do around my birthday. It's basically a bit of reminiscing and some lamenting about choices made and consequences that come with them. I have said before that sometimes I regret not being as open to some friendships at younger ages or willing to further pursue possible romantic relationships- but in the end, I have to trust that God allowed things to happen as they did for a reason and He's still worked out His good plan for me moment by moment. This is also a "what if?" musing about spiritual choices, eternity, sin and righteousness.


"Missed Moments"
(Poem copyright by Nathan Ludwick 5/4/2020)
(Philippians 2:14-16, Hebrews 3:7-14, 2 Corinthians 6:2, Philippians 3:7-20, Ecclesiastes 9:11-12, Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 25:11, Proverbs 27:1, Romans 9, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Ecclesiastes 7:10-14, Romans 8:28, 1 Corinthians 3, James 3, Psalms 90 (Especially v. 12), Ecclesiastes 12:11-14)

A word aptly spoken makes golden moments
How quickly a word ineptly spoken turns them to dross
How many scenes of life could have been so different
If only a different door had been chosen?
The road not taken makes all the difference in the world
Memories meander through time and linger longer than we'd ever expect
Except the good ones seem far too fleeting and the bad ones far too abundant
Why did I say that stupid thing then instead of something else?
Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut?
Words have a deadly power of permanence no matter how much
we might want to retract
The scorpion's sting still burns like fire every time the scab's reopened
Why did I do that back then? Why was I so dumb?
Apologies can be made but consequences must always be faced
What if I could slide down Alice's rabbit hole to another world?
What kind of person would I be if I had studied another subject?
What if I had taken up another career instead?
What if I had been more outgoing and taken more chances on friends?
What if I had kissed that girl and she had become my wife?
So many things replay in my mind that a time machine might fix
But lightning never strikes twice and thunder continues to roil in my soul
Sometimes the pain and sadness are so intense when sitting in quiet loneliness
Regrets haunt dreams and reveries with a parasite's tenacity
There's a desperation in lament that yearns to put right what once went wrong
The sins of commission resound like a gong in time with the sins of omission
Why didn't I take action when I knew what to do then?
Why didn't I speak up and say what needed to be said?
Time relentlessly passes and the moments are lost
Are they gone beyond all hope of recovery?
When the corner is turned and opportunities missed
They never come in exactly the same way again
And when eternal choices are made things are bound that can never be unbound.
Though tears flow like Esau's, the blessing is lost and
The time of God's favour comes to an end.
The past is gone and can't be changed but it can pass on its lessons.
The future still looms with possibilities of whatever we make it.
May The Spirit teach me His lessons in the present
so I can live in the light of each tense like Scrooge on Christmas morning.
The joy only found in Christ somehow sifts through
The wreckage of my life to find a rainbow in the silver lining.
The pangs of past pains hurt my heart but also mold it
to be shaped more like the Saviour's heart.
As He still works to work all these things together for good
according to His master plan,
may He use the missed moments to make my life
both now and in the future what He wants it to be.
His cross and empty tomb redeemed my life-
May He use all that I am in the time that is left
to share His truth and love with all around me.
With past faults behind me, the bad memories make me all the more
thankful for the good memories and they all spur me to
live every day for The One who loves me
and make choices of righteousness to redeem the time so
that His light shines- because Jesus makes the only golden moments in my life.
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The Power of Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go

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

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

Racism, Hatred, Multiculturalism and God's Love

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


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

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

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


This letter was quite disturbing to read as well as very saddening. :-(
  The takeaway I got from this is that, in the writer's point of view, apparently Mr. Arbery was "asking for it" because he and other African-Americans were getting too "uppity".
   I'm glad he at least noted that it's unfortunate when any American citizen, whether white or black (by the way, there are more than two races in the US and the world but the distinction is understandable for the context of this letter), is murdered unnecessarily. (Evidently, there are times he deems murder to be necessary. Perhaps he meant to say "killed unnecessarily" here.)
    It's ironic he mentions the existence of predominantly black colleges without acknowledging that segregation and racism against African-American people are largely the reasons why they exist.
    Perhaps some overt racism on the part of the government has declined since the 1960s but that does not mean that more subtle systemic forms don't exist. And obviously overt racism on the part of individuals still exists. That was one of the biggest culture shocks for me coming from the country where I grew up as a minority among for the most part very loving and open people to coming to the Southern USA in a small town where I encountered a number of close-minded racist people.(Which is certainly not descriptive of everyone in that town or in the South or USA in general.) Sin still plagues our world and it continues to fill hearts with hate, sadly. That will continue as long as earth endures until Christ's return.
   And I would ask this gentleman what he would do in regards to one of Christ's most famous commands. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31)
   If you and your family were dark-skinned of African descent and you couldn't even trace all your ancestry back past a few generations because your ancestors were not considered to even be full human beings and thus records were not kept for them- and your ancestors had been kidnapped and brutally enslaved in horrific conditions at the hands of white colonialists- and then even after the country your family was brought to nearly split apart fighting a war largely for the right to own your great, great, great grandparents as property- and then after that, your ancestors endured substandard housing and schooling and economic job opportunities, along with a denial by the government of basic rights like voting- and continued to endure numerous taunts and being made to feel as second class citizens and suffered numerous acts of violence and murders at the hands of cowardly bullies who hid their faces behind sheets and twisted The Bible to somehow claim God was on their side- and to this day, you yourself continue to see those deleterious effects of this cumulative history along with the racist attitudes still prevalent in society, often fueled by the President himself, who seems to hold and enable many racist, sexist and xenophobic views and actions- how would you feel if a non-black person, particularly a white one, told you that you should quit whining about it and stop claiming that people are racist when evil acts of cruelty up to and including murder are performed against people of your skin colour, along with other non-white skin tones, still on an all-too-regular basis?
    What would be the most loving thing to do for someone in that position? Instead of denying the reality of racism, we need to repent from it and let God change our hearts. That's precisely why Jesus came to die and rise- so all sins would be paid for and we could be restored by faith in Him to the loving people who He made us to be, who love God with their all and love their neighbours as themselves. You cannot say you love God, Whom you haven't seen, if you hate your brother whom you have seen. (1 John 4:20)
   Remember too, if one is a follower of Christ, that Philippians 2 commands that we think of others before ourselves and as better than ourselves. That is the example Jesus gave when He humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross. That's why God raised Him up and gave Him the Name above all names that at His Name every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
    I have no idea about where this letter writer stands in relation to Christ but I thought it particularly worth noting for one thing because so many have claimed Christ's Name, yet betrayed Him through hateful words and actions that do not reflect His heart in any way at all.
    As Rev. Dr. King, Jr. said, hate cannot drive out hate- only love can do that. I pray God's Love will transform this man's heart and all those in need of His Love that makes enemies to be friends and brothers.
...................................................................................

I just wanted to offer this bit of insight as a white man who grew up as a minority in a country where the white population was about 0.5% who then came to live in the American South.
    I have never thought of any neighbourhood as "belonging" to a particular race. I grew up in a multi-racial neighbourhood. My next door neighbours were of African descent. The neighbours across the street were of Indian descent. The neighbours down the street were of Chinese descent. I remember regularly going by their houses as a kid. All the neighbourhood kids got together on Saturdays for games of tag and "Police and tief". (The Trinidadian equivalent of "cops and robbers". :-))
   Those adult neighbours were as aunty and uncle to me. In fact, that is what we called them, as that was the social, respectful custom there.
   Imagine the culture shock of coming from growing up 10 years there to living in a largely white neighborhood in a small Southern town that unfortunately harbored a lot of racist, redneck attitudes. (No, that's not to say everyone was like that, of course. However, the grand dragon of the KKK did live in that town, so there's that.)
   I have seen and heard a lot of racist attitudes and actions even from and sometimes especially from people in the church who claimed to love The Lord Jesus Whom they haven't seen yet hated their brother whom they have seen. (Check 1 John 4:20. That just doesn't work.)
   I have seen NUMEROUS comments from people online who hold some very racist and xenophobic ideas about non-white people who are not from America originally.
   I am so glad to have been able to serve in rural school districts serving some of the poorer people of the state, with a mixture of racial demographics. I have worked at a predominantly African-American populated school, both in students and faculty and staff. I have a similar balance at my current work place. I live in an apartment complex with many African-American and Indian neighbours, which feels like home to me. (Especially as I can often smell curry in the air in my building! :-))
   Of course there are people who hold hateful views of others based on race, nationality, religion, sex and so forth. It sickens me to see it in the church as that flies in the face of The Gospel! The Bible says that God made all people in His image! Male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)
   Philippians 2 says I am to follow the example of Jesus Who humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross to pay for our sins and then rose again. That passage says I am to think of others as better than myself and to be concerned about their needs above my own!
   I am to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and love my neighbour as myself. I am to do unto others as I would have them do unto me.
   The church should be doing all these things and reaching out in love to all people. The church should also be standing against injustice! That's what Love does and it's what we are commanded to do too. (1 Corinthians 13:6, John 13:35, Isaiah 1:17, Micah 6:8, Amos 5:24)
   In doing these things, we must also recognize the history of racism and pride and hatred and greed that has shaped America's history, along with so many other countries affected by colonialism. To point out the ways racism sure seems to be ingrained in the system of doing things is an acknowledgement of history and the sins of our forefathers.
We can't change what has been done but we can repent of any sin we have done and any sin of racist attitudes that still linger and lament over them.
   If we as Christians are not loving all people of all races, we are not comporting to God's Word. It's fitting that I am scheduled to read Numbers 12 today in my daily quiet time with God, a passage where God punished Miriam and Aaron for defying Moses' authority and particularly for decrying his Cushite wife (i.e. darker skinned)
  We better learn to love seeing a variety of skin colours because Revelation 5:9 says there will be some from every tribe, tongue and nation in Heaven all praising Jesus as one. Racial unity in the body of Christ is the model of Heaven. In fact, as Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11 tell us, there's no Jew or Greek, slave or free, nor male or female- we're all one in Christ Jesus.
   May God truly help us live out that truth.

Life Goals

(Note: With my birthday coming up in about three weeks, this seems fitting for my sometimes annual reflection.)


   One thing that I think is important spiritually is stopping everything once in a while and taking stock of life. The prudent gives thought to his steps. (See Proverbs 14:8 and 14:15) While running/walking this evening, the thought came to mind for me in thinking about the ongoing struggle with sin and striving to live for Christ, as well as making choices for life's trajectory that are pleasing to Him-
Is my life about me or is it about Jesus? That was a sobering thought to ponder. How many times do I ask that in making a decision? How many times do I center my life around making decisions to do things that bring me pleasure rather than seeking to bring God pleasure and glory?
   If I am crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20) and I have died and my life is now hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-4), and God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever and I desire nothing on earth besides Him (Psalms 73:25-26) and The Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want (Psalms 23) and a day in His courts is better than thousands elsewhere (Psalms 84:10)- then why do I not always live like it?
    Far too often I identify with Ecclesiastes 2:11 "Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun." In the same book, it says in chapter 3 (verses 1-8) that there's a time and season for everything. The book concludes in 12:13-14 by saying that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments. That's also the only place we really derive any meaning in life. As Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 says, apart from God, who can eat or have enjoyment?
    I have often found this with temporary goals on earth. There are things and pursuits that give me much pleasure and I enjoy them. There's nothing wrong with that, provided they are pleasing to The Lord. As Shakespeare said though, all good things must come to an end. I love reading and I can amuse myself with books, but eventually I finish a book series and that pleasure is gone. The same goes for watching every episode of a beloved television show or watching a favourite movie. The same goes for any life pursuit, whether it's marriage and raising children, career building, property acquisition or publishing of some sort. Even altruistic measures can fall into this pattern if the motivation is to make myself feel better and look good. What's the point of me saying something and bragging about something in the hopes that people will remember it and share it in the eulogy at my funeral? I won't even be there to enjoy that! (Which is all the more reason we should say all those nice things to people now rather than save them all up for the wake.)
    As one of my favourite poets, Robert Frost, has said, "Nothing gold can stay." I agree with him to a point. There is one gold thing that can and does stay- the streets of gold. Those are forever. And Heaven is where I want to always have my mindset. As C.S. Lewis has said, it is often those who thought the most of the next life that have done the greatest good in this life. Having a Heavenly mindset should cause me to do more good in this life for the sake of Jesus and others. That's where I find my joy- in The Lord and not in things. I can find fleeting happiness in some things but true joy only in The Lord. This is one reason I periodically do a purge of my belongings, as it helps remove idols from my life and makes sure I am focused on Jesus first.
    There's a certain panic and terror that comes at times when I have a quiet moment by myself to analyze my life. It especially weighs heavily as the clock keeps ticking onward and reminders of its passage come up, particularly birthdays. It feels more so that way to me as a single person. Perhaps this is due to having had an American ideal instilled through movies and TV shows of the American dream that everyone is supposed to have. After you get through school, you're supposed to go to college and get a degree and get a good job that pays a lot and get a house and get married and have children and eventually retire and enjoy your golden years together. I made it through school and got both a bachelor's and master's degree in college and I got a job I enjoy and I have a place of my own to live. But I am nearing the end of my 30s and I still have not gotten married and thus have not had any children.
     It feels bad to say but sometimes it is hard to be happy for the friends and family I have watched get married and have families of their own. I have gone to so many weddings and while I do celebrate with those who are rejoicing, there are twinges of jealousy and regret. I look back at times and think of opportunities for friendships that I pushed away at the time. I think of romantic possibilities not realized that I wish I had pursued more. I was never super interested in dating until my late '20s or so and I wonder if that wasn't partly because of subtle peer pressure when I saw what seemed like everyone around me getting married all of a sudden and it seemed like the thing to do. That's not to say I didn't have romantic thoughts about girls when I was younger and hitting puberty though. There have been a lot of women I have liked but few I have really dated and only one that I feel like I've truly fallen in love with though. And rejection can make you so introspective, desperately reliving every moment and analyzing them to see where a different choice could have been made so that things could have turned out differently and you could still be walking through the city hand in hand with her, feeling an excitement of euphoric exhilaration race through your body!
      Alas, when the relationship doesn't work out as you would like, it's hard to trust that God still has a good plan and knows best. It's hard to let go of that time when everything was right and you both felt like you and she loved each other more than anyone else on earth and that feeling of ecstasy felt so good.
There are moments in time I can flash back to and I just want to stay there for a while. But eventually I get awakened from my reverie by reality and I have to move on. And I wonder if I'll ever love another woman like that again and if I'll ever get married and have children. I do want to have all that for that experience and for the joy of loving someone like that and being loved by her like that and raising my own children. And to be really honest, I want to have sex and experience that beautiful union between husband and wife that is an intimate expression of their love for each other. I want to have that kind of intimacy that is honoured and guarded to the highest degree as my one and only who is my beloved and betrothed to me- and I am fully hers in body and mind and heart.
    It seems cruel at times in having those desires but not being at that place yet and knowing there is no morally correct way of having a release for that sex drive until that time of marriage comes. That's where temptation can hit so hard to give in to sexual fetishes and fantasies and enjoy the erotic pleasures of an erection, which themselves are also fleeting and short-lived, and lead to only shame and guilt afterwards. When I think of those I know who are Christ followers who struggle with homosexual tendencies, I can't imagine what an awful struggle that must be in that same scenario and knowing there is no release on this earth. And if I remain unmarried, then I am in the same place as them in that regard of dealing with the desires of a sex drive that can't be fulfilled. Passages like 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 make this very clear.
    All of this gets back to my original point and question though. Is my life about me or is it about Jesus? If I am to follow Jesus as I say I want to do, then I must lose my life to find it. Jesus says I must take up my cross, deny myself daily and follow Him. (Luke 9:23) I must believe that His lovingkindness is better than life. I must store up my treasures in Heaven because Jesus is my real treasure. Even if I do get married and have children, my real joy can never be found in my wife or kids. Jesus is better than my potential wife and kids. Jesus is better than sex. Jesus is better than possessions. Jesus is better than sin. Jesus is better than anything this world affords today. Would I really rather have Jesus than anything my heart desires? Is Jesus really my number one passion and desire? Is He the ultimate lover of my soul Whom I am so in love with above all others?
I know don't desire God as much as I should but I want to desire Him more. I want to want Jesus and want nothing else. As Rich Mullins wrote, "The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance I owe only to the Giver of all good things." "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ...." (Philippians 3:7-8)
     Matthew 6:33 tells me to seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto me. What things? The things I need- not necessarily all the things I want. As I seek God more, I believe The Spirit will make the things of this earth to grow strangely dim (as the hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" says) in the light of His glory and grace. Psalms 90:12 beseeches The Lord to teach us to number the days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom. To be sure, this of course applies for every follower of Christ. Married couples have to decide how best their union can glorify The Lord. How do the husband and wife help each other grow closer to The Lord and be used more by Him for His glory? There are some advantages for the single person as there is no entanglement with trying to take care of a spouse and children. The time and energy that would be spent in that can be spent in other things. Am I using time just to indulge myself though or am I using it to serve God and others? (See 1 Corinthians 7 for a lot more on this.)
     Jesus gives us the ultimate example. Philippians 2 is such a beautiful picture of how He humbled Himself and put our needs before His own. He gave up His rights and didn't count equality with God something to be grasped but instead took the form of a bondservant in the likeness of men- and humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross! For this reason God raised Him up and gave Him the Name above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We are commanded to have that same mindset. (1 Corinthians 2:16 indeed says that we have the mind of Christ.) We are to do nothing out of selfish ambition and conceit but in humility count others as better than ourselves! As Philippians 2:21 says, too many folks- and too many times we ourselves are in this number- seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. My interests are to be those of Jesus Christ. I am to look to others' interests before my own.
   Just as Jesus said in regards to the most important commandments, I am to love The Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and love my neighbour as myself. (Matthew 22:34-40) I try to keep those two directives constantly in mind, along with Ephesians 4:15's admonition to be "speaking the Truth in Love." Part of loving God and my neighbour is sharing The Gospel with others as Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:18-20. I tell others about God's love that pays for all sins through our faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection and I show others God's love through helping with their physical needs as well. (James 2:15-17, 1 John 3:18)
    What can be said in conclusion then? How is my life demonstrating God's love and grace to others as well as warning about His judgement? How is my life pursuing and displaying the needs and desires of others and ultimately Jesus first? "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of The Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with The Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to The Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God The Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:15-21)
    I must give thanks to God in all things and for everything because it's all His blessings! He has me in exactly the time and place He wants me. (Acts 17:26) His plan for me will come through. (Psalms 138:8)
Thus, I must do all things without grumbling or disputing that I might be a blameless and innocent child of God without blemish, as Philippians 2:14-15 says. As it goes on to say, then I can be shining as a light in the world in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. That is what I want my life to be doing and Jesus is who I want my life to be about always. I quote this next verse often as my writing goal but it's true of life in general: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." (Psalms 19:14) Lord Jesus, may that always be true of me in all I say or do. May I always find my contentment in You because I know godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Timothy 6:6)
"For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21) 
 

 

Candle On A Stand (song)

Note: With tomorrow being the 21st. anniversary of the school shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO that took the lives of 15 people, I thought I would pull out of the archives this tribute I wrote some years ago for one of the victims. My original introduction and thoughts are below.
...................................


One other comment I wanted to make on spiritual matters here. This thought kinda came to me a while back and it just reminded me of 1 Corinthians 1:25. I LOVE this verse! I love how God’s kingdom is so backwards to this messed-up world. And I got to thinking- If beauty is all in the eye of the beholder, then so is ugliness. What God calls ugly, the world calls beautiful. What the world calls ugly, God calls beautiful.
I think one person who really exemplified this concept to me was someone who has recently been added to my pantheon of Christian heroes and heroines.
The first victim of the Columbine High School shootings on April 20, 1999- Rachel Joy Scott.  I read a book recently called “Rachel’s Tears” that her parents wrote about her life and spiritual lessons we can take from her life and the Columbine tragedy. I love that not only was Rachel committed to Christ to the very end, she was just such a great example of His love to so many people throughout her high school years especially. She just had such a great perspective- that it’s not about us at all but it’s about Christ. This is why she consistently put others’ needs ahead of her own and talked about losing self-esteem to find Christ-esteem instead. I love some of her quotes- “I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, it will start a chain reaction.” And another great one- “I will not defend my faith to them. I will not apologize for speaking the name of Jesus and I will not hide the light God has put in me. If I have to sacrifice everything, I will.” Wow- may we all be willing to say that.  Along with others like the people in The Bible of course and Jesus Himself- she’s among a group of people (Rich Mullins, Larry Norman, Keith Green, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Eric Liddle, Hudson Taylor, Lottie Moon, Dietrich Boenhoffer, Jim Elliot, Mister Rogers and others) I definitely can’t wait to meet in Heaven one day.
 So this is my little tribute to Rachel and the Lord Jesus that she so well exemplified.


“Candle on a Stand” (parody of “Candle in the Wind” by Elton John and Bernie Taupin; copyright Nathan Ludwick 7/26/2009)
(John 11:25, John 16:22, Matthew 5:1-16, John 12:24, Hebrews 11:1 and 32-40, Revelation 6:9-11)

Goodbye Rachel Joy
Though I never knew you at all
You had the faith to hold your stead
While knowing you’d be mauled
You called out to do God’s work
And you filtered into their pain
They said you were an angel
And your faith lived out your name

(Chorus 1)
(And) it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle on a stand
Ever glowing- 5 in Matthew
Then 15 says it
(And) I would have liked to have known you-
But I was just distant
Your candle burned out only for
Millions to begin

Loneliness was tough
The toughest role you ever played
Columbine greeted with a “New here?” smile
The pained saw The Christ you claimed
Even when you shined
Oh, your friends still turned on you
Oh, your faith just would not sway
‘Cause your Best Friend you’d found to be true

(Repeat Chorus 1)

Goodbye Rachel Joy
Though I never knew you at all
You had the faith to hold your stead
While knowing you’d be mauled
Goodbye Rachel Joy
Your compassion made a chain reaction and
Whose seeds you have sown like John 12:24 (two four)
Well done, good and faithful lamb

(Repeat Chorus 1)

(And) I would have liked to have known you-
But we’ll meet in Heaven
Your candle burned out only for
Millions to begin
……………………………………………………………..

My Only Good (poem)

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


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


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

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

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

LifeBlood (story)

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


This is a story I wrote a few years ago for a flash fiction contest where I had to use no more than 100 words. This is sort of a sci-fi dystopian kind of story with a spiritual message that I hope will be evident enough, particularly on Holy Saturday. We know that blood leaving the body often is a precursor to the end of life, as in hemorrhaging; however, blood leaving the body can also be a precursor to the beginning of new life, as in a transfusion.
The Life is in The Blood.



"LifeBlood" 
(copyright Nathan Ludwick 11/10/2017)
(Leviticus 17:11)

Blood. It oozes and swirls as bodies descend. Every language utters its last gasp. Throats tighten and pulses stop. Consciousness ebbs.  Death reigns everywhere. The stench overwhelms. Awash in red, flesh melts. Bones bathe beneath. Everywhere it seeps. The surge never stops. Veins' vessels vanquish vitality. Streams rush down in an inexorable pull. A planet bleeds from the inside. Darkness envelopes and consumes. Everything reaches a full stop.  Luminosity looms large. The edge of beyond beckons. Infinity and mortality implode. Paradox proffers paragon. Mysteries combine and confound. The bleeding begins anew. A planet bleeds on the outside. Life flows. Blood.

God In Every Language (poem)

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

This is a poem I wrote inspired by the 2010 Taste of Heaven missions conference at my church. The love of God goes out clearly in every language through the sacrifice Jesus made by dying for us on the cross. As Isaiah 53:6 and Romans 5:8 tell us, all of us went astray like sheep and God laid all our sins on Christ- and demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us! Thank You, Lord for Your great love demonstrated to us on Good Friday.


"God in Every Language"
(original poem; copyright Nathan Ludwick 10/3/2010)
(John 3:16, Philippians 2:1-11, 2 Peter 3:8-9, Acts 1:8, Revelation 7:9)

A baby's cry sounds the same in every language
No matter what race or ethnicity, a mother's instincts always kick in.
Though our characters and letters may be different, this is one way we all speak the same tongue.
From the drum beats on the plains of Africa to the sitar's charms in Indian halls,
To the bagpipes on Scotland's hills and the sweet steel pan rhythms of Trinidad's streets-
Music is everywhere.
It is the universal language that binds us together in our thoughts and emotions.
Like the melodies that set us at peace or stir us to action,
Sometimes when we can't say it in words, we really can say it in a song.
It's amazing how just a ball to play with can join us together in sport and competition.
The fellowship and comradery transcend our nationalities if but for a brief moment and unity rings loudly.
But of all the universal languages, the greatest of these is still love.
The acts of true love deliver an unmistakable message in every corner of the world.
The act of kindness for a stranger makes a Good Samaritan out of all of us.
And the Greatest One of all has left an indelible mark when He stopped to help us prodigals home.
Real love demands actions and manifests itself in selfless kindness.
And what kindness was sent to us when Jesus emptied Himself of all but love.
The Saviour spoke the cry heard 'round the world when He said, "It is finished."
This is the one true love that every heart can hear and know.
This is because death still plagues every mortal soul.
But death's Master took it on and won to live forevermore.
This love cries out in every language beckoning all those who will listen and understand
To join the global eternal feast inside Heaven's door.
.................................................................................................................

Bread (poem)

Note: This is a piece I have pulled out of the archives. I thought it might be fun to post this during this week as a way to celebrate both National Poetry Month (which is in April) and Holy Week. I will plan to do poetry readings videos for the rest of week, if anyone's interested (These are specifically available for my family and friends on Facebook.) (I'll still do them to amuse myself even if no one's interested- lol. :-)) The text of the poem and a little introduction is below. Enjoy! Happy Easter! In honour of Holy Week and The Lord Jesus, I also wanted to read poems reflecting on the sacrifice Jesus made for all of us when He died and rose to pay for all sins for all time. We can have forgiveness of sins and salvation from the hell we deserve and entry into the Heaven we don't deserve all through our faith in the love God has for us and the salvation He has provided through Christ! (Romans 10:9-13) ................................................................................
I thought this poem would be appropriate for Maundy Thursday, the day Jesus had The Last Supper, also known as The Lord's Supper, with His disciples. Jesus uses the imagery of broken bread and wine poured out to represent the breaking of His own body and the spilling of His own blood that He would soon freely offer to pay for the sins of the world. In John 6, Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life and He promises that whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood will never hunger or thirst again and they will have eternal life! As I like to explain it, it's like being spiritual cannibals and vampires. That may seem like a grotesque picture but the point is very clear. In the same way that they must depend on their preferred diets for sustenance, we must hold on to Jesus for sustenance, as He is the only One who truly gives us life and life abundant. (John 10:10)        This poem is largely based on that, along with the account of the lepers in 2 Kings 7:9, who would have likely also been beggars in that age and culture, who had discovered where to find food and knew it was not right for them not to share this good news with a city in a famine. That's infinitely more true on the spiritual level- we must share the Good News of Jesus to a world famished for the Life that is truly Life.


"Bread"
(original poem copyright Nathan Ludwick 7/14/1998)
(John 6, John 10:10, 2 Kings 7:9)

Two beggars sitting in the village,
They cry for alms to no avail.
And they feel a longing in their souls,
A deep hunger for bread to eat.
Yet this hunger goes unfilled.
They hunger more than physically,
This hunger reaches to the soul.
Who can feed their souls?
And then a stranger walks up,
And he says he knows where to get bread.
Two beggars go together for a bite,
A bite to eat of this bread.
They find the Bread of Life,
Who was broken for us.
---------------------------------------
Someone said, "Witnessing is one beggar
telling another beggar where to find bread."
Jesus said, "I am the Bread of Life."
.........................................................................

(Note: I am grateful this poem was published in the 2000 Pendulum, my high school journal. :-))

What meaning is meaning what? (poem)

Note: This is a piece I have pulled out of the archives. I thought it might be fun to post this during this week as a way to celebrate both National Poetry Month (which is in April) and Holy Week. I will plan to do poetry readings videos for the rest of week, if anyone's interested (These are specifically available for my family and friends on Facebook.) (I'll still do them to amuse myself even if no one's interested- lol. :-)) 
The text of the poem and a little introduction is below. Enjoy! Happy Easter!
In honour of Holy Week and The Lord Jesus, I also wanted to read poems reflecting on the sacrifice Jesus made for all of us when He died and rose to pay for all sins for all time. We can have forgiveness of sins and salvation from the hell we deserve and entry into the Heaven we don't deserve all through our faith in the love God has for us and the salvation He has provided through Christ! (Romans 10:9-13)
................................................................................
This poem employs the language of language itself to make a spiritual point. English major nerds should appreciate this. ;-) (Of which I would totally consider myself part of that number. I minored in English myself.) It's largely inspired by one of my favourite Bible books- Ecclesiastes- and the wisdom found there about The Lord Jesus who truly brings meaning to our life, both here and eternally.


What meaning is meaning what?

(original poem copyright Nathan Ludwick 2/27/2010) 

(Proverbs 25:11, John 10:10, Ecclesiastes 1:1, Ecclesiastes 2:10-11)

Every sentence has a verb for proper meaning.
It seems every sentience has a verb in the meaning of meaning.
Are the well to do the ones who have done well?
Well, to do is what we all seem to strive for.
We're not content to simply just be because
It's not enough of an action word.
The amazing paradox of the vernal equinox
Is having all the time in the world yet nothing to do.
We can mask the panic in our eyes with layers
Of activities and tasks for responsible adult lives.
But when we give ourselves a moment to breathe and not think
We realize we don't know how to do nothing and not sleep.
Boredom and laziness may be bosom buddies
But the problem Is in our bosom beneath that cushion.
We have plans, goals and dreams mapped out for life
But the list of things to do before kicking the bucket
When all accomplished is still just a drop in the bucket
And it's never enough to wash our car, much less our heart.
Love of self is the bacteria that lines the inside
And man's search for meaning makes but a poor bandage
Our verbs still serve only to propel our own renown
We need a modifier to change our life sentence
And the aptly spoken Word sets us back on the street
With a joyous adverb as we narrowly tread from dross to gold.

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

Paradise By The Passion Of Christ (song)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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