RickRoll! :-) (AKA Asaph's Awakening)

Ever feel like Life has played a RickRoll on you? You thought something was going to be so cool and instead it turned out to be so lame and so not what you wanted. And then to add insult to injury, you start shopping around and comparing and suddenly realize- Hey! Why do the wicked people who don't even follow God seem to have it so good? It's then that we learn what Asaph learned in Psalms 73- their end is eternal destruction, but our end in Christ is eternal life. So, in our walk with Christ Jesus, remember 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 - we may walk a path filled with temporary pain, but it's never in vain- and there is joy in the journey (John 10:10) and eternal joy coming at the end. (Romans 8:18)
"Whom have I in Heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalms 73:25-26) It's so good to know The Lord is good and a refuge for us Who makes a complete end of His adversaries. (Nahum 1:7-8) And as we walk by faith, not sight (Habakkuk 2:4, 2 Corinthians 5:7), we know that the enemy can gloat now if he wants- but we know that when we fall, we rise again through God's help and when we sit in darkness, The Lord is our light. (Micah 7:7-8) We're betrothed unto Him forevermore (Hosea 2:19-20) Because of our faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection, we have a permanent place in God's house as sons and daughters (John 8:31-36, Hebrews 9:11-28) We have a reason to persevere and endure (Philippians 4:13) through it all. It's so good to know The One Who's never gonna give us up (Hosea 11:8-9, John 6:35-40), never gonna let us down (Romans 5:1-5, Psalms 136, 1 Corinthians 13:8, 1 John 4:8), never gonna run around and desert us (Jeremiah 31:3, Isaiah 54:1-8, Isaiah 62:12, Hebrews 13:5-6), never gonna make us cry (Exodus 22:23, Psalms 28:6, Psalms 34:17, Revelation 21:1-5), never gonna say, "Goodbye" (Psalms 136, Revelation 21:1-5, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 2 Corinthians 5:8, Hebrews 13:5-6), never gonna tell a lie and hurt us. (1 Samuel 15:29, Titus 1:2, John 14:6, 1 John 2:21, Hebrews 6:18, John 17:17). God is forever faithful and we are forever loved- Amen.
           

And this post wouldn't be complete if I didn't actually post the song I mentioned here- the classic 1987 hit from Rick Astley- "Never Gonna Give You Up"- a love song that I really think reflects the heart of God in many ways. :-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Scooby (song)

Just for fun because I love Scooby-Doo. :-) Hopefully, this will make you happy for real to enjoy some childhood nostalgia for a while.
Scooby Dooby Doo!!!!!!

"Scooby"
(parody of "Happy" by Pharrell Williams; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 7/19/2014)
Proverbs 15:13

(Verse 1)
Things might seem safe- Guess what?- it's about to change
Moonlight to steer- the van's about to break
There's a haunted old tomb there with a ghost from space
Mist in the air- "Like, Zoinks! I'm scared- let's leave right away!"
(Uh)

(Chorus 1)
Because I'm Shaggy
Come along- ghosts aren't real- I can prove it's all a ruse
Because Velma's brainy!
Come along- you too, Scoob- we'll trap 'em and find the truth
Because he's Freddy
Come along- if you go, Scooby Snacks will be here for you
Because she's Daphne
Come along, Mystery, Inc.- Like, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?

(Verse 2)
Here's Scoob's nephew talking ghosts he'll splat, yeah
Says, "Give me all you got and don't hold it back, yeah"
Well, I should probably warn him he'll be reviled, yeah
No offense to you, (but) don't hate this child
Here's why...

(Chorus 2)
Because he's Scrappy
Post a blog if you feel like first movie stank like poop
That wasn't Scrappy!
Scrappy's long been scene-stealing 'cause Scrappy just gets 'em good!
Power of puppy!
Scrappy's on it- he'll go set traps and catch them some crooks
Because he's Scrappy!
Scrappy's got (almost) no fear- rides with Dusty and Yabba-Doo!

(Hey, go, uh)

(Bridge)
(Scooby's)
Been around
Since 19
69!
Sesame Street's time
same time now
Keep going
Bring joy now
I said (let me tell you now)
Scoob's around
Can't nothing
Scare him now
Except some bad guys,
ghostly clowns,
and goblins,
Monsters-yow!
He's scared

(Chorus 3)
Because he's Scooby
Come along- ghosts aren't real- I can prove it's all a ruse
Because Velma's brainy!
Come along- you too, Shag- we'll trap 'em and find the truth
Because he's Freddy
Come along- if you go, Scooby Snacks will be here for you
Because she's Daphne
Come along, Mystery, Inc.- Like, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?
(x2)

(Hey, Go, Uh)

(Scooby) (Dooby) (Doo) [repeats]
Bad guys now- would've gotten
Away with it now- those meddling kids
Bad guys now- ain't nothing
But masks now, I said (let me tell you now)

(Chorus 4)
Because I'm Shaggy
Come along- ghosts aren't real- I can prove it- Jinkies! Clues!
Because Velma's brainy!
Come along- you too, Scoob- we'll trap 'em and the bait is you!
Takes lead- that's Freddy!
Come along- watch out though- 'cause Daphne's danger-prone too!
"Jeepers!" says Daphne
Come along- Mystery Machine- Like, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

(Chorus 5)
Chow down, Scoob and Shaggy!
Come along- ghosts aren't real- I can prove it's all a ruse
Because Velma's brainy!
Come along- you two guys- we'll trap 'em and find the truth!
Because he's Freddy!
Come along- if you go, Scooby Snacks will be here for you!
Because she's Daphne!
Come along- Mystery, Inc.- Like, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!)

(Hey, C'mon)

We Built This Country (song)

Yes, the starship has descended once more with yet another parody from yesteryear.
This song is a parody of "We Built This City" by Jefferson Starship. And my parody uses some quotes from guys like Patrick Henry, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson (The Declaration of Independence) and of course, The Bible. Read through the Declaration and the Constitution and you'll see both have clear references to God. Just look at the Preamble to the Constitution.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Look at the definition of "blessing" from dictionary.com

1. the act or words of a person who blesses.
2. a special favor, mercy, or benefit: the blessings of liberty.
3. a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness.
4. the invoking of God's favor upon a person: The son was denied his father's blessing.
5. praise; devotion; worship, esp. grace said before a meal: The children took turns reciting the blessing.
6. approval or good wishes: The proposed law had the blessing of the governor.


Hmm- a blessing is a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness. Someone has to give the blessing- and only God can give true liberty and freedom!

And it's even more obvious in The Declaration of Independence.

"When in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness......"

(And check out how we're gonna pull this Revolutionary War thing off)-

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

Thomas Jefferson acknowledged the sovereignity of God three times here. One of the first things the Pilgrims did when they landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620 was to erect a cross and have a minister say a prayer to God for them. In 1954, by an act of the Supreme Court, the phrase "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance- what we all grew up saying most every day in elementary school. In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower had the phrase "In God We Trust" printed on all American currency- check your money- it's still there!

Check out the full lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner", our country's National Anthem. Especially look at the last verse! http://hjem.get2net.dk/niels_quist/usa.htm

"Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust'. And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."

I love this last verse!!! It's even better than the first (and most familiar) one. That verse just asks the question, "Does the Star-Spangled Banner still wave over America- the land of the free and the home of the brave?" The last verse emphatically answers- "YES, IT DOES!!!!" (Forever may she wave!)

But we must still remember God's Word- "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." (Psalms 33:12)

So here you go........

"We Built This Country"

(parody of "We Built This City" by Jefferson Starship;
copyright Nathan Ludwick 08/15/2007)
Psalms 33:12
Psalms 46:1
Psalms 55:22
Psalms 111:10
Psalms 146
Proverbs 3:33
Proverbs 14:34

Chorus 1: We built this country, we built this country on God alone; Built this country, we built this country on God alone!

Verse 1: Say you don't know me or recognize my face
Say you don't care or know from whence came this place
Knee-deep in brouhaha, "Have not begun to fight"
Through Washington's armies, securing us our rights

Pre-Chorus 1: Monroe, he gave the Doctrine- listen to the men of old
Don't you remember? We built this country, we built this country on God alone!

Chorus 2: We built this country, it's on the money- in God alone! Built this country, we built this country on God alone!

Verse 2: Someone always playing revisionistic games
Truth scares- they're always changing historic claims of faith
Are we just going to stand here? Someone stole God's place
They call us all intolerable, write us off the page

Pre-Chorus 2: John Jay, he says November, Christians are the way to vote
Don't you remember? We built this country, we built this country on God alone!

(Repeat Chorus 2)

Verse 3: I'm just another Fundie in a tired old suit
Atheists got the choke hold (Ohhh!) But we've just got to speak!

We count our money and our sacred honor
Our lives all resting on the God of our fathers
Declaring dependence, 'cause we're of Plymouth roots
Looking for America- Creator gives these truths

(Spoken): "I am sure there never was a people who had more reason to acknowledge a Divine Interposition in their affairs than those of the United States"

Don't you remember? (Remember)

(Spoken): I should be pained to believe they've forgotten the omnipotence of that God who is alone able to protect them...."Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord"

Pre-Chorus 3: Proverbs 33 in 3rd. chapter, Listen to God's Holy Word
Don't you remember? We built this country, we built this country on God alone!

(Repeat Chorus 2)
Built this country, (Ohhh!) We built this country on God alone!
Built this country, we built this country on God alone!

(We built, we built this country)
Built this country (we built, we built this country)
(Repeat until fade) x7
[Interchange with "Rebuild, Rebuild this country"]
(Fade on- "Rebuild this country on God alone!")



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

Okay- there you go. And here's the cool music video to watch and sync up with on Youtube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFtW0WKT0Tw

And here's the cool midi to sing along with!!! http://www.midmninfo.com/mobile/midikaraoke/builtthiscity.mid

Red, White and True Blue

Happy Independence Day!!! J

A few Muppet tributes to a great country- America!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BqqYaEM2mA
(“America The Beautiful” by Fozzie Bear J)

and

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDA9NbPAK8o
(“Stars and Stripes Forever” by Animal, Swedish Chef, Beaker, chickens, a penguin, Bobo the Bear- and of course, Sam the American Eagle!)

and

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAVpj_Vo7zk
(The Muppets re-enact the Continental Congress- with some Sesame Street Muppets too! J)

As William Bradford said in “Of Plymouth Plantation”-

The one side [the Reformers] laboured to have ye right worship of God & discipline of Christ established in ye church, according to ye simplicitie of ye gospell, without the mixture of mens inventions, and to have & to be ruled by ye laws of Gods word, dispensed in those offices, & by those officers of Pastors, Teachers, & Elders, &c. according to ye Scripturs.

All great & honourable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and must be both enterprised and overcome with answerable courages. It was granted ye dangers were great, but not desperate; the difficulties were many, but not invincible. For though there were many of them likely, yet they were not cartaine; it might be sundrie of ye things feared might never befale; others by providente care & ye use of good means, might in a great measure be prevented; and all of them, through ye help of God, by fortitude and patience, might either be borne, or overcome.

………………………………………….And as our founding fathers said 238 years ago today-

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

………………….We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

And as we said 227 years ago-

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

And as The Lord inspired David and Solomon to write in ancient days (somewhere from 1000 to 900 something BC):

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance. (Psalms 33:12)

The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,
But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. (Proverbs 3:33)

Amen. May America be such a nation.
God bless you in your celebrations on the 4^th. of July and God bless America! J
(And God bless all the world too. :-))

Seen and Not Heard With a Heart of Gladness

       Have you ever heard that saying we sometimes hear in church- "How close can I get to sin without it actually being sin?" Why do we love getting so close to the wrong? There's something in it that calls to us, of course. Ultimately, we all have a sin nature that draws us to the wrong naturally. And it drives us to do so many wrong and stupid things because we think we find pleasure and fulfillment in them.
      We play blackjack, roulette (and maybe even Russian roulette) and the gambling tables at casinos. We play the lottery faithfully each week. We play the ponies at the racing horse gambling hall. We do stupid (and often wrong) things because someone triple dog dared us or called us chicken for not doing it. And because we want to fit in with the rest of the world, we give in.
       All of us have a desire to be loved and accepted and we'll take them anywhere we can get them. And we find ourselves syncing up with people who lead us down a negative and unholy path so we can get their approval- approval from people who need love and acceptance just as much as if not more so than us. And we walk down a broad path that makes a lot of empty promises that it never fulfills and find ourselves instead in the way of destruction- and ultimately, death.
       So we go ahead and see how much we can smoke without getting lung cancer. How drunk can we get without damaging our liver or crashing our cars? How many drugs can we take without overdosing? How much sex can we have with anyone and everyone without getting any STDs?
        These questions are just some of the more obvious ones that come to mind. There are other probing things to consider that we often don't. How much pornographic material can we consume before we are corrupted in our thinking regarding people? How much violence can we view on television, in movies or video games or read about before we decide to engage in it ourselves? How much vulgar language can we hear before we start to repeat it ourselves? How much can we engage in the world's methods for getting ahead in life before realizing that the ways of Babylon are so anti-Christ? (See Revelation 18.)
       It is really easy to fall into this slippery slope as a Christian quite possibly because of the one reason that should inspire the exact opposite attitude. Our God is a gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in mercy- a long-suffering God. Of course, He is also a jealous God Who will have no rivals for the worship He alone deserves. He is a God who also punishes and will pour our His righteous judgments upon the earth one day- and He already chastises us with judgment when we need it, because every father disciplines his sons and daughters. And God disciplines everyone He accepts as a son or daughter. (Hebrews 12:1-12)
          So, rather than taking on the principles of Ephesians 2:8-10 and Philippians 2:12-13- to go and do the good deeds God created for us in advance to do all along, never in our strength but in God powering us to live like Christ, we instead go and do the opposite. We take the grace that God gave us through Jesus' cruel death on the cross and His glorious Resurrection and turn it into a license to sin. What then? Shall we sin more so that grace may abound more? By no means! (That sounds familiar. ;-) See Romans 6:1) That's just what those dudes in Jude were doing! Read that whole book and see what The Bible says about them- they're like trees without roots, clouds without rain and they're blown about by the wind....and they're also reserved for darkness and gnashing of teeth! Yeah- God's grace doesn't mean we can go and do whatever we want because Jesus is always ready and willing to forgive us! It's kinda like the same abuse some people do with the welfare system when they aren't really going out and looking for work like they're supposed to be doing, but instead just sponging on the system and doing whatever they want to do with the money that the government is supplying. (I say this as someone who has been there before and who God brought through there! Praise The Lord! :-))
          Grace is not meant to be abused the way that it gets abused so often. Since we know that to be true, what should we do then? Well, let's be careful here because we can quickly go the other way too. We can get so nail-biting anxious that we're hurling ourselves down steps and physically punishing our bodies as much as possible like Martin Luther because we are so scared of messing up- and so scared knowing that we still mess up so many times anyway- and maybe the physical wounds can purge the evil in our hearts. Physical pain might certainly help correct our actions to some degree- that's why our parents discipline us in that way, besides the fact that Proverbs commands it a number of times, but it doesn't really speak to the issue of the heart. As has been said before, the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.
        And a heart that is truly set free by Jesus Christ should be so consumed by the amazement and wonder that God would deign to care for this dead dog and save the life of such a worm as I that our souls and entire beings are enraptured with delight in Christ and obeying His Word. Infinitely stronger than Chewbacca's to Han Solo, we owe Jesus a life debt that we can never repay. And the crazy thing is that- though we should feel that indebtedness to Him- He tells us that we don't owe Him a thing. As Romans 6:23 tells us, the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. It's all free- we don't have to pay anything. And that's a really good thing- because we could never pay anything that would make us worthy. (Isaiah 64:6- even what we think are our good deeds are nothing more than filthy rags before the Holy God.)
         So what can we do? Jesus died and rose to set us free for all eternity! How shall we respond to such amazing lovingkindness? Romans 5:8 has long been one of my favorite Bible verses because it describes the circumstances that this happened in when Jesus did that. It wasn't like Jesus came to die for the righteous who were already seeking Him. No- there's no one righteous- no, not one! But the only Righteous One, God Himself, became man in Jesus Christ. Jesus, the GodMan- fully God and fully Man- He went to the cross for us and died for us when we were sinners. When we hated God, desecrated His laws, mocked His Name and ran from Him. And no matter how much we reject and despise Him and insist we don't want Him- God insists to us- "I have loved you with an everlasting love." Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the House of The Lord forever. (The last part being true for any of us who have decided to make Jesus Lord of our lives, of course.) And that's just it- Love will never leave you alone. He (and Love is a He- because God Himself is Love- 1 John 4:8) keeps following us and desperately calls to us and cajoles us with carols of His amazing love and grace that wants to forgive and accept us- not condemn us. (John 3:16-17)
          It's not about trying to live a pious life of righteousness in an effort to please or placate God. It's not about living life for ourselves and leaning back on that fire insurance policy that we treat Jesus like sometimes. And for those on either end of it, that hellfire insurance policy we hold to doesn't work like that. Jesus really isn't concerned about sacrifices- as Psalms 51 says, that's not really what He's looking for anyway. What He wants is a broken and contrite heart- that He won't despise. Jesus saves anyone who comes to Him sincerely in faith. But The Bible tells us that whatever doesn't proceed from faith is sin. (Romans 14:22-23). If we have faith in Jesus, then we trust Him with all our life and live our life for Him. If we ignore His offer and try to live out a life of righteousness and hope it's good enough to please God, then we live out of fear of God and not from faith in Christ- and we're still in sin. (Remember that Perfect Love casts out all fear. 1 John 4:18) And if we listen to Christ and claim His offer, but choose to ignore His commands and expect His grace to pull us out of the fire in the end, we're living in a false hope that is still self-centered and is not from faith in Christ- and we're still in sin. Real, saving faith in Christ brings us salvation. But salvation means that we are saved from what we used to be- we're saved from the wholly depraved person we used to be- we are now redeemed, bought back with a heavy price (though we don't pay it) and we are called and chosen to be a picture of God's redemption in the world. We are called to show the world God's love through Jesus. And as Colossians 3:1-4 says, we no longer live, but our identity is now totally found in Christ. He lives in us (Galatians 2:20) and we no longer live for ourselves, but rather for Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. What other response is there to this kind of Love but to love others in kind? That is the response we should have- a heart of infinite gratitude that lovingly seeks to obey Jesus and share His truth and love with others. Love God with all we've got and love our neighbor as ourselves. Speak the Truth in Love.
            We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) So go out in the world and show them that love. Not because you're scared to death of going to hell and hoping that enough good deeds will make you good enough for God- because that won't work. And don't brag to the world of all the things you can get away with because you know we have a Savior who loves to forgive us and has set us free from The Law. He forgives those who truly repent. And true repentance requires us to turn away from our sin and seek to obey Christ instead. So that laissez-faire attitude towards Jesus doesn't work either. The way of salvation is through Jesus alone- through giving Him all our fears and pathetic attempts at goodness- through acknowledging to Him that we are miserable sinners who desperately need His love and forgiveness- and trusting Him to do just what He said He would- and following Him as Savior and Lord. And in thankfulness to Him, we seek to obey His every word and love Him more and more each day.
          And yeah- I totally identify with Romans 7. We're still not perfect. We don't get it right every time. We get sucked back into that old world of darkness and shame so many times over. But the difference is now we don't stay there. We get back up and come back to God and move forward again. 1 John 1:9 is there for a reason and it does work. Jesus is always faithful even when we're not. Thank God for His faithfulness. And no matter how we may doubt and perhaps even deny, He is still there loving us and assuring us of His presence and care for us. And The Love that wilt not let us go keeps drawing us back to Himself and keeps us going forward. And then He reminds us that it was never by our might or power anyway- it's always by His Holy Spirit. (Zechariah 4:6) And The Holy Spirit keeps infusing all of our being and driving us to be different in this crazy world and be the bastion of righteousness and faithfulness and truthfulness and love in this place. We not only reflect The Son, we've got a Sontan that replaces our old skin and gives us new skin instead so that we want to please Jesus in all we do. And even when we fall away for a while, He picks us back up when we ask Him for forgiveness and He gets us going right again. And He is faithful to do this all the way to Heaven's gates! (Jude 1:24-25, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
            So we can't just talk the talk and not walk the walk. That's hypocrisy. And we can't just walk the walk and not talk the talk. That's a misguided and futile effort. We must be real and true in all we do and worship in spirit and truth by following Jesus with all we've got. We must let our light shine so that people will see our good works and praise our Father Who is in Heaven. (Matthew 5:16) And lovingly tell them about Jesus, Who loves us all with an undying love. :-) Real Love and Life demands nothing less.

(And for those wondering, yes- I was totally inspired by this classic Petra song, "Seen and Not Heard", for the title of the blog. One of my favorites. :-))
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZUdLCE6EIg

Another one of my all time favorite Petra songs- "St. Augustine's Pears"- also speaks to a lot of what I've been trying to say here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yCP1gOpvpc )

Some Are (story)

* I wrote this in response to a prompt for a writing contest.... (that I didn't actually enter, but I thought someone might enjoy reading this anyway. :-))



Some Are

               A somber silence settled on the school room as the bell chimed the students’ dreaded death knell. It was now 8 AM on another Monday morning and the fall term had begun. As the teacher began writing the first assignment on the board, the children stared in numb shock and listlessness. Once the ominous omen had been read, the odiferous pungency of its directives consumed the olfactory senses of the slaves now firmly refastened to their stocks for another grueling seven hours of torture. A collective groan escaped from the lungs now tainted with the putrid air of forced education. Yet amidst the gasps of horror and despair, on the back row of the Coliseum of death, two small grins emerged.
                It had been a wide open world of wonder at first in the golden days. The sweet release of freedom rang loudly in the air with the rush of a thousand voices singing with glee. This is what real living was meant to be- a walk in the park or a day on the beach with none, no-never, nary a care. The possibilities were endless and so were the days it seemed. Oh, the expeditions to be mounted- the explorations to be endeavored! The pursuits of a myriad of activities lay stretched before all the willing participants of the intoxicating allure of such holiday pleasures. Time was a loyal and trusted ally then.
                Somewhere between the fanciful flights of the crimson marred streaks of light and the subtle creeping of the nomenclature of learning’s renewed siren call, a change came over the terrestrial ball and its congregants. It came with its share of hints- a rustle in the breeze, a purple haze at close of days and a baleful rooster’s crow in the morning. Somehow the signs were missed by many and the adrenaline rush drenched the world with energy but not perspicacity. “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,” came the old refrain from which many did indeed refrain. The days left unseized by unseasoned had been seized by another.
                Then it was that distant doldrums came, beating out their rhythm of quiet despair and gathering gloom. Whence came the mourning mist that envelopes everyone everywhere in the midst of halcyon heights marked by a barefoot blazed trail? The gleam of gold wanes as a maze of gazes questions the questions in the malaise that travails upon their travels. Oh, the eternal paradox of the vernal equinox! All the time in the world available for the asking but nothing to do in the days passing! The strawberry fields are ripe for but a short stretch of Father Time’s arms. The fields are plentiful in harvest, but those who would be workers work hard in flittering frivolous pursuits.
                So the story begins as it ends. No matter how tenuous its hold amid enchantments of warm star-lit nights, the clarion call rings true in the end with the experiment house in session once again. Oh, the cruel tests of inhumanity to be wrought upon an unsuspecting class of young pupils- it’s too much for the eyes to take in. Look and see, hear and be amazed! Yonder light still shines from golden shores in those who boldly face the entrenching entrapment with a lion’s roar. No vanity in the lion’s pride, but an informed hope that spans the ages enraptures each soul with an unthinkable delight. Through conniptions aroused at the cavalcade of crosses and bars set forth from the teacher, the cavalcade becomes the calvary that keeps the summer sun rays glowing with the joyous thought of the glory coming.

Forever Loved (song)

I just very recently completed this song and it's become very fitting for this next post. A dear friend that I've known since childhood succumbed to a battle with cancer and died just the other day. It was interesting to me that it happened I was celebrating my day of birth on that day- and then I also found myself mourning her day of death on the same day. It reminds me of Ecclesiastes 7:2 "It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart." A sober reminder indeed.
      But I take heart in knowing that as a follower of Christ, I mourn with hope. I know that my Redeemer lives and He will stand upon the earth at last. He died to pay for all sins and defeated death when He rose again. And because He lives, I know that those who put faith in Him will live too. And I know I will see my friend in Heaven again one day because we both put our faith in Jesus as Savior. Thank You, Lord!
        Thank You for Your eternal love that takes us out of Alphaville or whatever other town we live in and at the end of the ride of life takes us by Your side forever in Heaven. Hallelujah! :-)

Forever Loved
(parody of "Forever Young" by Alphaville; copyright by Nathan Ludwick June 2014)
(Acts 26:14-19, Jude 1:24-25, Philippians 1:6, Hebrews 9:27-28, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, James 4:13-17, Psalms 8, 1 John 4:10, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:8-13, Jeremiah 31:3, John 10 [especially verse 10], Zechariah 1:1-6, 1 Peter 1:23-25, Psalms 103, Psalms 136, 1 Corinthians 15:50-58, John 3:16-17)

Life's dance is wild- we dance for a while
Heaven is waiting- we are watching the skies
Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst
When they go and drop the bomb, we're gone
We all die once but want to live forever
We don't have the power but we think science delivers
Flitting away like mist, life is a short trip
The funeral's where the ride ends
Can you but fathom when this race is done
Through the Pearly Gates into Heaven
Praising my Jesus He's getting me in too
My dues are paid by His cross, man

So there with God, I'm going to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever? John 3 verse, 16 yeah!
For God so loved, He sent us Jesus for our wrongs
If you believe- going to live forever
Forever, son!

Mother and father, brother and sister (and) me
We fade to memories and on goes the beat
Sooner or later we all will be gone
It don't take that long
It's so hard to kick goads without our God
You don't have to perish while you fade to dust
New life abundant (in) 10:10 John
Abundant now and forever
Eternity's adventures- more than we can say
As we read on- better than the last page
So trust in Jesus- He's taking all of our blues
In Heaven, they're untrue

Jeremiah- Love! 31:3- Forever loved!
Did you read it? You are loved forever by God the Good Shepherd
So there with God, we can all be forever young
Do you really want to live forever, and ever, in Heaven?
Go there now, bud- You need to read in Romans 10
If you believe Jesus rose by Father, confess Him as Lord, yeah!
Forever God's- you then are saved forever!

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