House Cleaning

         A thought came to mind one day when I was cleaning my new-ish apartment. I was thinking about how we clean our apartments and houses so well when we know company is coming because we want everything to be neat and nice for them. It's interesting to consider how social media becomes that way as well- it's like our house that we want to keep clean for others in some regard. (Thus, the sometimes felt obligation to respond to comments with likes and more comments, etc.) Now we should feel free to be ourselves on our own social media account and be our honest selves- and everyone should be able to listen to each other and experience that honesty and either agree or disagree with it, but still respect and love each other. 
          Of course, just as we take care of our physical houses in anticipation of company and our virtual houses as well, we should take care of our physical bodies, which is our spiritual house, if you will. "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) [This is assuming you have given your heart and life to Jesus and made Him Lord of your life personally.] 
           Jesus uses a house as a spiritual picture in at least two places that came to mind for me. In Matthew 7:24-27, He compares those who hear His words and put them into practice to a wise man who builds his house upon the rock and it stands firm against the floods and rains. (Likewise, He compares those who hear His words and don't put them into practice like a foolish man who builds his house upon the sand and the winds and rain beat it down flat.)
          In Matthew 12:43-45 and Luke 11:24-26, Jesus uses another picture of a house. In this case, He talks about what it's like when an unclean spirit leaves a person and passes through water-less places in search of rest but finding none. Eventually the evil spirit says that it'll return to the house from which it came. When this happens, it finds the house empty, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and finds 7 spirits more evil than itself and they enter and dwell there- and the last state of that person is worse than the first. Jesus says so also it will be with this evil generation. Again, we have the same message here. It's one thing to claim faith in Christ and seemingly try to sweep the house clean and get things in order. But if we don't truly put faith in Him and prove it by putting His words into action, then we're actually worse off (particularly when those eight demons come looking for room and board.)
As Jesus asks in Luke 6:46, "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord' and not do what I tell you?" (If you go on to read Luke 6:47-49, you will see that the parable of the wise and foolish man is repeated here too.) Also check Luke 6:43-45 - Good trees produce good fruit and bad trees produce bad fruit. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks! Of course, none of us are truly good. No one is good but God Himself.
            And that's the whole point of Jesus coming in the first place. None of us are good and none of us can be good. We need the only good One to come and be good for us- which Jesus did by fulfilling all of The Law (Matthew 5:17) and bringing an end to The Law's hold on us (as Romans 10:4 declares) through His sacrificial death on the cross. He paid for all our sins through that. And then He rose again to prove He's God. We can avoid the punishment of sin (which is Hell) when we put our faith in Jesus and follow Him- obey His commands. (I say this to emphasize that salvation entails more than just mental assent to Christ's claims. It involves the surrendering of the heart and life to Christ and putting all faith in His grace given us through the cross of Calvary. Then, we should obey Christ out of gratefulness to Him for the saving work He has already done. But note that the salvation comes through faith alone in His grace alone- it's not by works. However, if we truly have real faith in Christ, the good works should come as a natural outflow of response to Christ- not as a misguided attempt to earn God's forgiveness or pay Him back. We can't and we never have to do so- God loves us all like crazy and He gives us His grace freely! (But to be clear, it cost God plenty- but it is free to us. Therefore, freely you have received, so freely give.)
          Thus, as Jesus told us in John 14:15, if you love Me, you will obey Me. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Praise God for His love! :-) Keep loving Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and loving your neighbor as yourself. And speak the Truth in Love. God bless. 
            To carry the picture even further, 1 Peter 4:17-19 says, "For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the Gospel of God? And 'If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?' Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good."
            Again, the commandment is there to be doing good, but this is not a prerequisite for salvation. We entrust our souls to a faithful Creator who saves us by grace- then empowers us to do the good works He wanted us to do all along. But if He brings judgment first to the house of God, what will happen for the ungodly and the sinner? We must seek to keep the house of God in order and be holy unto The Lord through His power- and lovingly seek to rescue the perishing, so that they may come to know Jesus' love and grace too.            
               In Luke 12:35-48 (and other places), Jesus gives us the picture of servants called to be faithful to their master while he's gone. They know he will return one day and he will come on a day unexpected- and the servant that is not taking care of the house will be cut in piece and put with the unfaithful. Jesus uses this picture a number of times in warning us to stay awake and be ready for the Son of Man's return, for He is coming at an hour we do not expect.           
               "Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and Godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." (2 Peter 3:11-18)(Love how Peter gives a shout out to his brother Paul here. :-))              
               And I love how The Holy Spirit inspired him to write all this down for us and remind us to make every effort to be found without spot or blemish, but at the same time we know that we are growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He's the One who really helps make us with spot or blemish more so every day! (Philippians 1:6) And while we are waiting and watching for Jesus' return, we must continue to be working as well. We seek to keep our houses clean for His glory and out of gratitude to Him, and also so that Christ may be exalted and lifted up in our lives- and Jesus said when that happens, He will draw all men to Himself. It's He who draws us all to Himself to begin with in any case. But He can definitely use us to help draw others to Him. So every day, from here forward to the day of His glorious appearing, we seek to live each day for His glory, loving Him with all we've got and loving our neighbors as ourselves and sharing His love with others, with gentleness and respect. And we trust in His grace always- knowing that His grace saved us, is still saving us and will save us in the end. Praise The Lord!              
               I also wanted to note that a lot of this is inspired at least some by "My Heart- Christ's Home" by Robert Boyd Munger, the basics of which I remember my youth pastor explaining to me in youth group a few scant years ago. That picture still works so well in explaining how Jesus cleans out every single part of us and gives us an extreme makeover because He traded spaces with us on the cross and rose again.  :-)
                I'm so thankful for my youth pastor for the time he took to invest in me and help disciple me in following Christ more. And I'm thankful for all the others God has sent me at times to help expand me in my understanding of what it means to love and follow Jesus and open my eyes to places where perhaps I had turned a blind eye to before. God is really good at making you see all kinds of stuff that you hadn't considered before- probably on account of His thoughts and ways being so much higher than our own (Isaiah 55:8-9)- there is always so much more to learn. That's what the sanctification process takes from here to eternity to complete- but God is faithful and He will do it! He will present us before Himself pure and blameless in Christ one day. He's gonna get us there in His time! (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
           "By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches." (Proverbs 24:3)"Unless The Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." (Psalms 127:1) It's all through The Lord!

:-)
:-)

In The Year of Our Lord (Alpha and Omega) (song)

As we wind down another year and get ready to start another one, it seems a good time to review things and remember some history as we consider the present and how to make a better future. For some, 2016 seems to have felt like a zig zag roller coaster ride that's left some sick with all the twists and turns. Of course, I think it all evens out when we consider the course of human history- where we've been, where we are and where we're going. I'm not a doomsayer. However, I do say we're doomed from the start for Hell because of the sin nature of our hearts. We've all been living under the curse of sin that's infected the entire world since the fall of man when Adam and Eve got kicked out of Eden. When people talk about the "good ol' days" of their earlier years, I like to say that the only "good ol' days" this Earth has ever had was back in Genesis 1-2. We won't have any more truly "good ol' days" until Revelation 21-22. And that's the Hope that I continue to hold to through it all. Because of the one God who came into the world, became one of us, died for us and rose again- I know that I have an eternal Hope. My faith is in Jesus Christ, who has promised to forgive me of all my sins and make me into the man He wants me to be and to give me an eternal Home with Him in Heaven. When my life is terminated, I make my exodus from this world into His eternal world of light and love and peace. (Read Romans 10:9 to see how you can do this too! :-)) He's the Alpha and Omega and the Beginning and the End. He's the only One Who makes existence worthwhile. He makes life and life abundant! Though our world has become horribly broken, Jesus still makes beautiful things out of broken things. He still gives us beauty for ashes. He makes all things new! As it's been said before, history is His story! And one day He will come back to make everything right. Until such time comes, may He help us all to live out the redemption He has brought by shining like stars in a dark world and showing others what His kingdom of love looks like to all.

"In The Year of Our Lord (Alpha and Omega)"
(parody of "In The Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus)" by Zager and Evans;
copyright by Nathan Ludwick 7/8/2016)
(Genesis 1-3, Jude 1:20-25, John 13:31-35, Hebrews 10:19-25, 1 John 4:18-21, Philippians 2:13-16, Matthew 5:16, Romans 10:9-13, Esther 4:14, Acts 17:26, 1 John 2:15-17, 1 Peter 5:4-11, 2 Peter 3:1-14, Revelation 1:4-8, Revelation 21-22)

In the year of 1925,
Did man from apes arrive?
Evolution or design?
Monkey trial
And the year of 1939's
When Germany started World War II- took Poland
All bad things- they think Jews to blame
So them they kill- they're dogs, they say

In the year of 1942
Interning Japanese- might be spies, dude
Lot more nice than Nazis did to Jews
Almost Reservations II!

In the year of 1955
Black bodies hanging- lynched by "white pride"
We're segregated in two
Rosa Parks just sparked off a coup

In the year of 1969
Free love don't need 1 husband with just 1 wife
You pick your love, pick your gender too
We're sex objects on a stone walled moon- UFO!

In a year God only knows when
Well, God's a-coming- He's going to make things right then
Baby, you're booked Hellbound if self-sustained
Say yes to Christ- you're from judgment saved!

In the verse 9 in Romans 10
God is gonna save us if we ask Him
We'll either say, "Thy will be done" to Him
Or flip it 'round and hear it from Him
(Whoah!)

Revelation in 21:5
Now God is dwelling with man- New Jerusalem bride
He's making everything that's spoiled new again
And He's made new earth and Heaven
(Whoah!)

When we've been there 10,000 years
No more dying and no more tears
Former things are gone through
Our God reigns always too
And through eternal light
Redeemed kin praise Lord Christ
So, Lord please haste the day
Make me Your instrument today!

In the year right this time, right here then
In Matthew 5:16
Good works done- Light's shining
God's glory sheen!
Like the verse Esther 4:14, guys
Acts 17:26 too- for such a time
Everything we think, do or say
May it be filled with Christ's love and grace

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

God's Child in The Temple (song)

Childhood is such a creative and imaginative time, full of wonder and growth and learning. Children get plenty of nicks and bruises along the way of learning, but eventually they take those experiences and get shaped to be the grown-ups they become in the end. "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways." (1 Corinthians 13:11) In the same way that we grow physically from children to adults, we grow in the faith spiritually from newborn babes to mature believers in Christ. (1 Peter 2:2-3) Just as The Bible tells us through the gilded pages, we must learn to grow more and more like Jesus. And if God's Child's in the temple and in the Scriptures and in prayer, how much more must we be!

"God's Child in The Temple"
(parody of "Hot Child in the City" by Nick Gilder; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 12/7/2015)
(Luke 2, 1 John 1:6, Acts 4:27, 1 Samuel 2:26, 1 Corinthians 13:11, 1 Peter 2:2-3)

Manger- where they laid down God's own Child
Saviour- dressed in swaddling clothes- meek and mild
Go on, bro- Luke 2 is just what this is based on
Mary and Joseph- they gave Him- for presentation

God's Child's in the city
God smiled on ol' Simeon
Saw God's Child- Anna's on (the) scene
Yeah
God's Child got a blessing

So long! He cut loose out on His own
Young Boy! Feast is done, they take off for home
When Jesus is found, the priests all stop and stare
While search is going down, they gawk- tween Jesus schooled 'em there
Yeah

God's Child's in the city
God's Child has gone missing
(They're) runnin' wild and looking for Him
Yeah
God's Child's in Dave's city

When He's found at God's House, baby- they balk at this stunt
"Knowest thou not My place must be (My) Father's House?"
(Dad's on the brain for Jesus) God's Child's on a mission! God's Child's in the city!
God's Child- He went missing! (Found Child) Found God's Child- just look in temple
(Found Child at the temple) God's Child 's in (the) vicinity!
(God's Child left with family) God's Child left with family
(God's Child was submitting) God's Child was submitting
(Grew wise and in favor) Grew wise and in favour
( (So) God's child- grow like Saviour!) - (So) God's child- grow like Saviour! (Oh!)
(God's Child!)
.........................................................................................................................................

The Sunrise Dawns (poem)

Here's a Christmas poem to remember the sacrifice made to save us all- the sacrifice that extended beyond the cross and empty tomb- the sacrifice that started when Thou didst leave Thy throne, Lord Jesus. You stepped down and clothed yourself in human flesh and became a little Baby Boy in Bethlehem. You grew up to be the paragon of human existence, living a perfect life and dying a perfect death on the cross and then having a perfect Resurrection. You are perfection itself. Thank You for loving such imperfect people like me and coming to save us- and make us to be like You.

"The Sunrise Dawns"
(copyright by Nathan Ludwick 12/26/2015)
(Luke 1-2, Matthew 1-2, John 1:1-18, Mark 1:1-11)

The Way in a manger
The Truth in a stable rude
The Life descends on a midnight clear
The Word resounds on a silent night
The Light of the world shines in thy dark streets, O Bethlehem
The Prince of Peace born by a pauper's means
The King of Kings crowned with hay for a wreath
The Lord of Lords with no glory to behold, by animals and shepherds adored
The Mighty God a tiny, helpless Babe
The Wonderful Counselor consoles Israel but not Himself
The Everlasting Father becomes the Only Begotten Son
The Seed of the woman planted for a tree
The Second Adam here to erase the curse of the first Adam
The Door of the sheep found only a door for sheep
The Desire of Nations had no beauty that we should desire Him
The Good Shepherd is The Lamb of God fit for the slaughter
The Holy Child comes to us lowly and mild
The Bright and Morning Star made a new star to shine with hope
The Beloved Son grows up to be a despised Man of Sorrows
The Author of Eternal Salvation writes Himself into our story
The Bread of Life is broken for us
The New Wine is spilled as blood for us
The Creator takes the punishment for His created
The Great High Priest becomes a curse for us
The Messiah comes to be our Passover
We find our rest in the New Sabbath
The Son of God becomes the Son of Man as well
So that the sons of earth might become sons of God too
Hallelujah, for The Saviour is born and we can be born again.
The Sun of Righteousness with healing in His wings lifts us up as eagles
The Resurrection and The Life resurrects our lives with new life.
The Rose of Sharon blooms forevermore
And one day The Witness will see us witness to the great glory
of The Lord of Glory as we praise the Lord of all forever
All thanks to Immanuel who has made God with us our reality once more.
Let the Amen be raised in praise for endless days.

Temptation Lies (song)

[Note: I'm dusting one off from the archives here. I eventually hope to transfer older writings and songs all to one central location on the blog (as I have a lot of songs and poems and devotional pieces, etc. that I've previously posted in other venues). In keeping with my most recent confessional post, I thought it would be appropriate to post this little parody song I wrote a few years back. It's still one of my favorites. :-) Enjoy this one from the grass roots movement I'm trying to do with this blog. ;-)] And this one is a 1960s classic here. Too many times we let temptation slide in and take over- it looks so good for food and it will make us so wise- or so thought Eve anyway. But Hebrews 12:15 says to see to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Jude 1:12 describes some guys who are uprooted because they turned away from the Gospel of grace and turned it into a license for immorality. Should we sin so that grace will abound? By no means! We must hold to Christ who can deliver us from every temptation because His eyes saw it all and yet He resisted each one- and thus gives us the strength to overcome it too. Sin can look fun sometimes- but temptation lies! “Temptation Lies” (parody of “Temptation Eyes” by The Grass Roots; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 1/9/2011) (Romans 8:37, 1 Peter 2:11-12, Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:9-13, Luke 4:1-13, 2 Corinthians 10:4, Romans 12:1-2, Genesis 4, Romans 7, 1 Corinthians 10:13, James 4:7-8, Ephesians 6, Romans 6:14, 1 Peter 5:8-9, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, Hebrews 12:15, Jude 1:12) Secret pet sin That lures my soul And You know- Don’t want to love it And sin lets me down every time Remake my mind In Romans (7:25) seven two five Old me- sin seems so inviting Don’t want to fall- Jesus, help! Chorus ………… Oh, temptation lies Looking for my, my, my soul (Well,) Temptation lies- it’s got me lusting Got to shove it aside (God, please help me escape it- yeah!) Sin’s wide-eyed innocence - A masquerade Cherub’s no saint Instead it’s Satan He’s got a way to keep me compromised It’s just a ride And he’s got Turkish Delight Old me- sin seems so inviting Don’t want to fall- Jesus, help! (Repeat Chorus) (I see it now) It’s right with me Sin and good still fighting Don’t have to fall- Romans 6! (Repeat Chorus) Temptation lies Looking for my, my, my soul (Well,) Temptation lies (1) One Corinthians 10- read 13 tonight ………………………………………………………..

The Itch and Ol' Scratch and the Healing Balm

"Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man." (Psalms 12:1) "The Lord tests the righteous, but His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. Let Him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. For The Lord is righteous; He loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold His face." (Psalms 11:5-7) I read these passages today in my daily time with God in His Word and prayer. Sometimes I can really feel the weight of that first verse I quoted there. The godly ones are gone- the faithful are vanished from among man. And it often feels like I'm part of that number. What happened to all those claims of following Christ and trying to live out His Word when you find yourself falling into and even reveling in some of the same sins you struggle with so many times over? And then you really feel like a hypocrite trying to share Christ with someone else who's a seeking skeptic- even though you've repented of those sins and asked for forgiveness. (As you may have figured out, this post is largely an autobiographical one of my day today.) This is not a post to call anyone else out on their sin. (Not that I necessarily try to call anyone specifically out on sin when I post in any case. I just try to speak what God's Word says- and that applies to all of us. We're all called out on sin by God's Word- there's no one righteous, no, not one.(see Romans 3:10-18) Particularly when I post things like this, I'm mainly preaching to myself. Like St. Augustine and Usher said, "These are my confessions." And like Michael Jackson said, "I'm starting with the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways. And no message could have been any clearer. If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change." 'Cause it's me, it's me, it's me, oh Lord- standing in the need of prayer. It's not my brother, not my sister- but it's me, oh, Lord- standing in the need of prayer. It's not my mother, not my father- but it's me, oh Lord- standing in the need of prayer. This is a post to confess my sin before The Lord and before others. This is a post to say that when I get lonely by myself or just distracted or bored, my mind can run the gamut of despicable, wicked thoughts. I can find myself saying things I ought not to say or seeing things I ought not to see. And sometimes I have the audacity to push the Holy Spirit's urges aside and indulge in sinful behavior anyway. And I feel like saying with Peter, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." (Luke 5:8) That point came home to me today when The Lord showed me something. The urge to sin eats away at us at times and though it's crouching at our doors, desiring to have us- we must master it. And we know what it will do when we give in- we know that it will be harmful. But the insatiable urge tugs at us and we give in once again and scratch the itch. But the itch feeds itself with the scratching. The more we scratch, temporary relief may come, but then we find the itching desire all the stronger. And eventually, we end up with blood oozing out. The scratching just leaves us bleeding and then maybe we finally wake up to the harm that we're doing to ourselves. And then we're frantically trying to blot the bleeding and get things back under control again. And vows are made not to do this to ourselves again. And maybe we really mean it this time. But then, not even a hour or more later, we find ourselves doing it again. And we repeat the process. And maybe somewhere during the day, we finally do stop the cycle when we get out and force ourselves to focus on something else. And God finds unique ways to bring Scripture to mind- to give us a run-in with someone- to make us focus back on Him again and remember the One who died a cruel, torturous death for us to pay for all those sins we found ourselves indulging in today. And then we finally get shaken up again and come back to reading in His Word again- praying with fervency- and trusting Him to help us keep our minds focused on Him and thinking on the things we ought, like Philippians 4:8 talks about. Of course, it's comforting to know that just as Jesus spoke kindly to Peter and told him to fear not because he was going to be a fisher of men from then on and be working for Jesus, He still speaks kindly to me and reminds me that I am still eternally loved even when I am busily grieving my Father's heart. (Jeremiah 31:3) In John 2:23-25, we find that Jesus doesn't need anyone to tell Him about man- He knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men. And the Shadow of the Almighty keeps those who have put their trust in The Lord delivered from evil when we let Him. He is always faithful- even when we're not. (2 Timothy 2:11-13) We can't just go on sinning so that grace will abound though! We can't just go on sinning because we're under grace and not under law though! We must count ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. We can't keep presenting ourselves to sin to be used for unrighteousness, but we must present ourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life! We can't be slaves of sin anymore- we're slaves of righteousness! Yet even though I know these things to be true, I still find myself doing what I don't want to do. I don't understand my own actions. I know the good I want to do and I desire to do it- but I don't have the ability to carry it out! Ultimately I delight in the law of God, but too many times I find myself delighting in sin! What a wretched man I am! Thank God for Jesus Christ our Lord who delivers me from this body of death! (Largely based on Romans 6-7 here. Check 6:1-14 particularly, but basically the whole chapter. And particularly 7:15-25, but the whole chapter is incredible.) "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by Whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs- heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him." (Romans 8:1-17) I could basically go on and quote the whole chapter- it's all so good! So we must learn to set our minds not on the flesh but instead on the Spirit! Lord Jesus, please help me to keep my mind set on You! SO many things distract me from the only One I should always be thinking about.Help me to live according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. Thank You for Your adoption that allows me to cry out, "Abba! Father!" Save, O Lord! As a fellow heir with Christ, help me to be ready to suffer with You, Lord, so that I may also be glorified with You in due time. Thank You for Your sacrifice on the cross that makes it possible. Thank You for sympathizing with me in my weaknesses as One who has in every respect been tempted just as I am, yet You are without sin. You bore the full weight of fielding every lie and temptation of the devil for 33 years on Earth- constantly saying, "No" to the devil and self and a resounding, "Yes" to God. "Not My will, but Your will be done," You prayed. Father, please let it be- not my will, but Thine be done. Forgive me for half-hearted promises promptly broken and roaming eyes and a mind that set themselves so quickly onto sin. Forgive me for relinquishing and relishing the sin, even while knowing it sickens and disgusts You and breaks Your heart- so much so that it drove You to take the nails on the cross for me. Thank You that despite Your hatred for sin, You still have a love for me- a covetous old sinner, as Dickens described Scrooge, and You still desire to restore me and reuse me again for Your glory. You amaze me with Your steadfastness and resoluteness. Keep burning away the chaff and let my cries of agony at the pain remind me of the greater pain of not dealing with it. Thank You so much for Your promise to never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5) and to present me faultless before Your throne one day. (Jude 1:24-25) Please take away the itch and help me not to scratch it. But if not, help me to remember that Your grace is sufficient for me and that You are good and a taste of Your sweetness is better than any ill-gotten gravel rock candy I might gorge on otherwise. You alone truly fulfill all my soul's cravings. Keep me near You with my mind stayed upon Jehovah- and may my life be consecrated, Lord, to Thee. O may my little eyes, hands, feet and mind be careful what they do- for The Father above is looking down in love- and I want Him to be pleased with what He sees.

Dust and a Rib (song)

It happens at some point in all of our lives. Some call it a coming of age experience and some call it a loss of innocence. At some point, we all have an epiphany on some level and realize that life is nothing at all like we thought it once was. All the things we've striven and worked so hard for- they're meaningless glibness. Nothing of our efforts last forever. It all fades and passes away. But just when all seems hopeless, there is still a Light that shines in our darkness. And The Lord Jesus, who is the Light of the world, opens our eyes to the Truth- and if we let Him, He will bring us to salvation through His death and Resurrection when we ask Him in faith. There is a meaning and purpose to it all. Only Christ and His kingdom lasts- that's what really matters. And just like Dorothy's world changed when she let the whirlwind take her to Oz- when we let ourselves ride Elijah's whirlwind that leads to Heaven instead of reaping it, we find that we're not in Kansas anymore. Neither is this song- not exactly, anyway. Like sand in an hourglass, the days of our lives flicker away as dust in the wind. But we're more than just dust and a rib- we're human beings made in God's image- and He says we're priceless. His thoughts for us are more than grains of sand on the beach.We should rejoice in that thought as we marvel at how God loves us- and our eternal gratitude to Him.

"Dust and a Rib"
(parody of "Dust in the Wind" performed by Kansas and written by Kerry Livgren; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 12/17/2015)
(Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2, Luke 12, Philippians 4:4, Psalms 118:24, Colossians 1:11-20, Psalms 8, Isaiah 2:22, James 4:13-17, Ecclesiastes (the whole book- but especially Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and 16-22, Ecclesiastes 1:1, 1:11, 2:1-11, and 7:13, Ecclesiastes 4, Ecclesiastes 6)

Christ holds our lives- we're here for a moment- then the moment's gone
James 4 reads- What is your whole life?- It's there in verse 14
Just but a mist
All we are is just but a mist

8:4 Psalms- Why does God our Father think of little me?
All we do crumbles to the ground- 2 Ecclesiastes
Chasing the wind!
All we do is strive after wind!
Oh, ho, ho

Now, don't hang on- nothing lasts forever but The Lord's kingdom
Life slips away- and all your money won't another minute buy
Dust and a rib
All we are is dust and a rib
(And we go to dust back again)
Just wait a min.!
(Everyone's made in God's image!)
All we need's Jesus for the win-
Heaven!
(Ooooh! Ooohh! Ooohh!)

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

Feels Like The First Line (song)

As I'm posting this with the Christmas season upon us, I feel like it's an appropriate choice, even though it may not seem like a natural one to choose at first. (Of course, as it turns out, it's totally natural- it's the fight between the supernatural and natural that I want to start talking about here.) I've noticed that with most Lessons and Carols services at Christmas time, there is a reading from Genesis 3 to start things off. The fall of man is exactly the reason for the rise of Christ. Jesus had to come and die for us and rise again to bring us salvation in order to redeem His creation to Himself. And God promised back in Genesis 3:15, from the very start of everything going wrong, that One would come to put right what once went wrong. Before all that happened, we had perfect union with The Lord in the Garden of Eden. That's the ideal world that Adam and Eve inhabited and one that we will be brought full circle to when Jesus returns and takes us to Heaven- except that Heaven is infinitely better than Eden. Until that time, we who follow Christ live as foreigners in this land. And this song takes a bit of a humorous look at what it was like to be the first inhabitants of a whole new world and the establishment of dating and courtship and marriage in that world. As it turns out, telling a girl that she's the only one for you might be an older line than you think. ;-) However, when it comes to finding the love and fulfillment we desire marriage to bring us, we know it's only a partial picture that's not really complete without a rich relationship with Jesus first. In the end, He's truly the only One for us. I hope that truth is foremost in your heart, soul, mind and strength- and definitely hits you in the feels. :-)

"Feels Like The First Line"
(parody of "Feels Like The First Time" by Foreigner; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 11/17/2015)
(Song of Songs [or Song of Solomon] 4, 6:4-10 and 7:1-10, Genesis 1-3, Matthew 19:1-12, 1 Samuel 1:5-8, Proverbs 12:4 and 31:10-31, Matthew 25:1-13, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and 9:7-10, 1 Corinthians 7, Proverbs 13:12, 13:19, 17:22, 18:22, 19:14, 19:22, 20:6, 21:9, 21:19, 25:24, 26:9 and 29:20)

(Adam singing:)
I'm alive in the Garden
Made of dust- The Lord made me
And guess what He takes out of me?
He chose a rib while I was asleep

(Flesh) of my flesh- He made the woman of you
And brings her to (the) man- that's me
You're bone of my bones- made of my flesh
You're the only girl for me!

It feels like the first line
It feels like the very first line
It feels like the first line
It feels like the very first line

I have named all wildlife
Couldn't find one suited for me
But now that God formed you
Together we'll make history

And I know you'll just be the mother of all
Living- I'm Adam- You're Eve
I know you're my helpmeet now
You're the girl of my dreams

(Eve singing:)
And it feels like the first line
Like you rehearsed this before
Feels like the first line
Like you're hoping pick up lines work
Feels like the first line
What a precedent for men! Sorry, women.

(It feels like the first line) It feels like the first line
(It feels like the very first line)- I know how he feels
(God leads me to the first guy) Whoa! God leads me to the first guy
(Now there's two of every kind)

(Lead singer singing:)
Open up The Book- Genesis 2:24, yeah

Reveals there in that line
(Christ recites in Matthew 19:5)
Man leaves parents for wife
He cleaves to wife then one flesh's derived
The deal's like us and Christ
Congealed in God's marriage design
(Oh, for real) Eden was the first time
Heaven feels like it revived!
(It feels like Genesis' first lines)
.............................................................................

The Straight and Narrow Road (song)

It's here to beat another path straight to your door. Yes, it's yet another parody song lyric and it's another popular tune with a Christian lens on it. I've seen the illustration before where life is presented as two roads- with our preferred version of events and God's plan of events. (I don't want to put the mic, cart or knee before the horse though [particularly since two of those wouldn't make much sense ;-) unless he's Mr. Ed]- Spoiler alert- God's way always is harder; but it pays off in eternal dividends in the end!) Of course, Jesus talked about two different roads as well in Matthew 7. There's the broad way of self-idolatry that leads to destruction that so many people are sadly bound for Hell upon even now. And then there's the straight and narrow road following Jesus, our crucified and Risen Lord and Saviour that only a few ever find that leads to Life- and Life eternal in Heaven with Jesus! As Robert Frost said in his classic poem, "The Road Not Taken", I took the one less traveled by- and it's made all the difference. And all the way, my Saviour leads me. :-)

"The Straight and Narrow Road"
(parody of "The Long and Winding Road" by The Beatles; parody lyrics copyright by Nathan Ludwick 11/7/2015)
(Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 14:12, Proverbs 16:25, Jeremiah 10:23, John 10:7-18, Proverbs 1:29-33, Proverbs 21:2, Proverbs 19:21, Proverbs 16:2, Matthew 7:12-14 and 21-29, Romans 6, Psalms 23, John 14:1-11, Luke 13:22-30, Luke 6:46-49, Philippians 2:1-11)

The broad and winding road that leads to our doom
Will never get us where
We think that road will go- It always leads us there
Leads us to hell's gloom

And while we're sinning, Christ became as a slave
Played the fool on a hill dying for our sake

Won't leave us stranded here- The Truth, Life and Way!
Then His rise can be our own- Romans 6:5 outlines
Trust in faith- you bet He knows the many ways we've tried, but
Still they lead to death on the broad and winding road
Choose understanding here- Proverbs 1:29- go!
Don't keep debating here- Jesus is The Door!

(do-do-do) (instrumental break)

Matthew 7- read that- Take The Straight and Narrow Road
You led me to walk there a long, long time ago
You lead me walking here- lead me to Your throne!

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

Review of Switchfoot's song "If The House Burns Down Tonight"

"If The House Burns Down Tonight" by Switchfoot

(analysis of Biblical allusions in the lyrics. Lyrics quoted from Switchfoot's 2016 album, "Where The Light Shines Through"- read the full lyrics on the band's site. The Bible verses in parentheses are added by me; these are some verses that came to mind upon hearing the song or are ones that I think add to what the song is saying to me.)
(First- some key theme Bible verses.)

("You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's." Exodus 20:17
"For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." Psalms 84:10
"And behold, a man came up to Him, saying, 'Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life? And He said to him, 'Why do you ask Me about what is good? There is only One who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.' He said to Him, 'Which ones?' And Jesus said, 'You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and mother, and, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.' The young man said to Him, 'All these I have kept. What do I still lack?' Jesus said to him, 'If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow Me.' When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus said to His disciples, 'Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of Heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.' When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, 'Who then can be saved?' But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' Then Peter said in reply, 'See, we have left everything and followed You. What then will we have?' Jesus said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for My Name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first." Matthew 19:16-30)
"As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life." 1 Timothy 6:17-19)

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

"Ashes from the flames- the Truth is what remains- the Truth is what you save from the fire and you fight for what you love- Don't matter if it hurts- you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn......

(2 Corinthians 13:8- "For we can do nothing against the Truth, but only for the Truth.")
("I am The Way, The Truth and The Life. No man comes to The Father but by Me."- Jesus in John 14:6)

If the house burns down tonight- I've got everything I need when I got You by my side- and let the rest burn....

I've given too much of my heart away- my soul's holding on like a house divided

(Matthew 12:25, Mark 3:25 Luke 11:17- "A house divided against itself cannot stand."- Jesus)

Holding you and the wheel, it occurs to me- we're driving down the edge of eternity...

("He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Put your hand in mine and put your heart in driving

("Ye shall seek Me and ye shall find Me when ye shall seek for Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13)

- we got everything we need, yeah- we got everything we need, yeah.
Left it all behind us- what we need will find us.

("And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19)

And all those lies that mattered most to me
Were draining me dry, making a ghost of me

("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." Ecclesiastes 2:11)

And if the house burns down tonight
I got everything I need, everything I need
There’s a fire coming that we all will go through

("According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw- each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire." 1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

You possess your possessions or they possess you

("And He said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.' And He told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.' " (Luke 12:15-21)

And if the house burns down tonight
I got everything I need when I got You by my side

("I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity." Ecclesiastes 2:18
"There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?" Ecclesiastes 2:24-25
"Whom have I in Heaven by You? And there is nothing on earth than 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

And let the rest burn

("The kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it." Matthew 13:44-46
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." Matthew 6:19-24)

Ashes from the flames- the Truth is what remains"

("And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:17
"And you will know The Truth and The Truth will set you free." John 8:32
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Me."- Jesus Christ in John 14:6
"...Because of the Truth that abides in us and will be with us forever." 2 John 1:2)

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

       I recently saw "Raiders of the Lost Ark" again for the millionth time or so. (I love Indiana Jones! :-)) One line I always find interesting is the way Belloq describes the Ark of the Covenant. "Do you realize what the Ark is, Jones? It's a transmitter! It's a radio for speaking to God!" Of course, while it's true the Ark did house The Lord's presence in the Old Testament during Moses' time, it wasn't really how the Israelites prayed to God. They had to go through the High Priest to make sacrifices on their behalf and they would hear what God said to Moses. It was a much different process than the direct access we have today with God through Jesus Christ! As 1 Timothy 2:5 tells us, there's one God and one mediator between God and man- Christ Jesus.
         I heard a great sermon at church a few weeks back about the power of prayer and God's ability to do anything! In thinking on that, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 came to mind, wherein we are commanded to "pray without ceasing." 
Of course, the question often arises, "How do we practically obey this verse?" While we may not be able to devote 24 hours a day to praying and nothing else, we can devote every second we're alive to be in a continual mode of prayer. I think of it as an ongoing conversation with God- He's always listening and He's always speaking to us when we listen to His Word in The Bible. 
And while we're praying, we should remember that Jesus invites us to ask anything in His Name and He will do it. But there's a caveat to John 14:13- first, it's anything asked in Jesus' Name and also, it's so that The Father may be glorified in The Son. Thus, it must be something that will glorify God and in His Name. (It's not an invitation to bring your Christmas list to Santa Claus or put money into the vending machine to get whatever you desire.)
       And if we do what Jesus said in John 15:7, we'll find our desires matching up to God's desires. So what does a guy like me need to do? The dude abides.  :-)  (And no, I haven't seen the movie that line references- I just knew the line and threw it in for fun.)
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:7)       Probably the number one thing I'd say about prayer- be totally honest with God. Jesus already knows all your thoughts anyway. (Psalms 139). 
One of my favorite quotes on prayer from Jimmy Abegg-
"But what God wants most is honesty, for us to open our hearts and come to Him without pretense or posturing. Some of my most powerful prayers aren't even couched in 'proper' language. Many of them I wouldn't dare pray aloud in church. But they are honest cries from my heart. Sometimes the best prayers are something like this: 'Oh my God, Help.' "         
          So don't be afraid to pray big prayers- God is able to do abundantly more than we can think or imagine! (Like Ephesians 3:20 says) It's interesting that we particularly tend to discard modern day examples of healing. (Probably because of some phony faith healers out there who do run scams, sadly.) But this doesn't mean God can't do it and doesn't still do it as He so chooses. (Check 1 Corinthians 12:9-10 - The Spirit gives some the gifts of healing and some the working of miracles- among many others. The caveat with that is that these gifts are to be used for the glory of God alone, not man's glory- going back to John 14:13.) 
         Jesus told us that with faith the size of a mustard seed (which is quite tiny indeed), we can speak to a tree and tell it to plant itself in the sea and it would obey us. We can make mountains move- by faith in Jesus' power (not our own power). And it's always according to God's will. He reigns sovereign and supreme. (See Matthew 17:14-21, Luke 17:5-6 and Romans 9)
Psalms 103:3 says that The Lord heals all our diseases. God is plenty capable of bringing physical healing- if He chooses. But we must also remember 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, where Paul was tortured with a thorn in his side- three times he pleaded with The Lord to remove it, but God didn't do it. Instead, He said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." (And, as we can see in 1 Corinthians 1 and numerous other places in the Bible- check out Gideon's Thermoplyae-style battle in Judges 7 where 300 Jews fought humanly-impossible odds and won with The Lord's help...plenty of other examples- basically, see the entire history of the Jewish people- God loves to take what the world loves to despise and hate and shame the strong and bring to nothing all the puffed up folks- so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.)
As Job reminded us, The Lord gives and He takes- blessed be the Name of The Lord. Ultimately, we trust His will and His eternal love for us above our own feelings and desires. "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." (Job 13:15)
In Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-13, The Lord Jesus gives what we know as The Lord's Prayer. The disciples asked Him, "Lord, teach us to pray" and He demonstrated a structure for us to follow. In it, we see some important elements of prayer- adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication and intercession.

(As written in Matthew 6:9-13 ESV)
"Pray then like this:
 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.' "
     
         And of course, we have powerful pictures from The Lord Jesus about the way God answers our prayers. No good parent gives their son a snake when he asks for a fish or a scorpion when he wants an egg. If we who are evil know how to give good gifts to our kids, how much more will our good Father give good gifts- like the Holy Spirit- to those who ask Him? Be bold and persistent in prayer- knowing that we can be confident in God's goodness. Ask, seek and knock- it will be given, you will find and the door will be opened to you. Persistence pays off, whether it's a friend coming at midnight begging for a loaf of bread or a widow pleading with a wicked judge to grant her justice in a case. Seek the Lord in the prayer closet- not making a big show of it for a reward, so that someone thinks we're oh-so-holy- but in secret where God sees what's done in secret and meets us there. (See all of Matthew 6 and Luke 18.) We have an audience with the God of the universe who is eager to bless us with things we need and answer our prayers according to His will- we only need to come to Him!         
        So, how do we keep praying to Jesus and trusting Him without ceasing? Well, we do sometimes falter in trust and faith and obedience and God is willing to forgive us when we truly repent. (Luke 17:4, 1 John 1:9) But with every breath He lends, we breathe in and keep focusing our mindset on Him (Colossians 3:1-4, Romans 8:1-11 [particularly verses 5-8]. As Genesis 2:7 says, The Lord formed us and breathed the breath of life into us. We keep breathing that borrowed air and breathe in both life and New Life- physically and spiritually. (Also check Job 33:4 and Isaiah 42:5 and Acts 17:25) "As long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit." (Job 27:3-4) "In Him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28) 
"By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." (1 John 4:13) The Spirit of His power strengthens us in our inner being (see Ephesians 3:16) when we let Him. 
Our every breath is a prayer to God- we keep the phone line open and never hang up- we keep a running text message or instant message chain with Him going- we can even communicate telepathically because He knows all our thoughts- and His Spirit brings to mind His Scripture (when we know it and listen to His voice). (Psalms 139, Psalms 94:10-11, 1 Corinthians 2:11-16, John 16:13-15 and John 17:17 and John 14:6)
"It is The Spirit Who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." - Jesus Christ in John 6:63

Physical and Spiritual Transformation

     I wanted to offer my thoughts here on a topic that has become of great public scrutiny and debate in America in recent years. It is one that (pun intended) engenders strong emotions on either side of things. As always, I hope to be gracious in talking about sensitive matters and always remember that there are always sinners behind the sin and I am just as sinful and in need of grace as anyone else. I also want to be very clear about what I am discussing here and what I am not saying here. I want to talk about the subject of transgenderism and a Christian response to it, particularly in regards to bathroom usage. One of the clearest verses in The Bible about this issue is found in Deuteronomy 22:5, wherein The Lord forbids men from wearing women's clothing and women from wearing men's clothing. I think any Christian struggling with these sexual identity questions must consider this verse, along with Jesus' words in Matthew 19, wherein He reiterates Genesis 1:26-27, wherein God made people male and female. God has put His design in place and I don't think it is our place to tamper with it.
Also, regarding bathroom usage, I generally feel that those who have a penis should use the men's room and those who have a vagina should use the women's room. However, this still poses a question for those who feel they should have either a penis or vagina. I tend to think that, while it would be preferable for them to have had the surgery performed before they entered the restroom that corresponds to their intended genitalia, they should probably use the restroom they identify with best, provided they clearly present themselves as that gender.
A similar solution would be in place for intersex people since most identify as one or the other gender.
It would probably also be helpful to have more family bathrooms established to eliminate this issue if possible.
And of course, no one should perform acts of rape, sexual abuse, assault and/or invasion of privacy, particularly as aided by the usage of cameras and surveillance devices in any bathroom.
This debate is a thorny issue to be sure, but one that I feel society will continue to address and one that I think Christians should be prepared to speak the truth to in love. God loves everyone and made everyone. I think that, as Romans 3:9-26 talks about, everyone has become corrupt with a sin nature because of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden (as Genesis 3 talks about.) This fall not only separated people from God spiritually (and brought about spiritual death just as God said it would) but that sin also corrupted the entire planet- thorns and thistles grew out of the earth to torment Adam in his work and pain in childbearing grew to torture Eve- both man and woman suffered pain because of sin.
It also caused an imbalance in relations between men and women, as Genesis 3:16 says that the woman's desire will be for her husband and he will rule over her. I believe this set in motion the battle of the sexes that we still see fought to this day. (Note the contrast that we have when we are restored from the corruption through Christ in Galatians 3:28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.)
I think this corruption is also why we have people born with deformities and diseases. I think it's why some people are born with tendencies to particular sins, as we are all born with tendencies to sin in general, due to our sin nature. For some though, it's heightened in particular areas, whether it's alcoholism (as evidenced by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome), stealing (as evidenced by kleptomania), lying (as evidenced by habitual liars), homosexuality (as evidenced by same sex attractions) or rebellion against God's design (as evidenced by transgender attractions).
The tendencies in themselves can be regarded as temptations; I do not believe they in themselves are sin. However, the reactions to them certainly can be sin. No matter how much a person may struggle with alcoholism, they always make the choice to pick up the bottle, imbibe and get drunk. The same follows for kleptomaniacs and habitual liars, etc. Yes, it does feel near impossible for some with these struggles to resist and with good reason- it is impossible to resist these temptations without the intervention and power of The Holy Spirit, who helps us say "No" to these temptations and choose to follow God instead. That is what the power of Jesus Christ can do. It doesn't mean He will necessarily take away the temptations (though He can do so if He chooses, perhaps in miraculous fashion), but He does promise to not give us more than we can bear and provide the way out so we can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
I sometimes hear people make the argument that God made them in a particular way to be of a particular sexual orientation outside of the boundaries He has established (male and female sexual relationships held only within the bonds of holy matrimony and that only between one man and one woman for life- see Genesis 2:24 and Matthew 19). However, God is not a cruel and vindictive God to where He would make someone helpless to keep from sin and then turn around and condemn them for it. That is to say- I don't believe He made anyone to be a murderer and thus give them an excuse for murdering. Someone on death row may well argue that God created them as a murderer and thus they had to satisfy the need to take other peoples' lives, but they would be dead wrong (pun intended). God condemns and punishes that person rightfully for their sin; it is the same with any other sin. It is not that He made us to be sinners- it is that we chose to be sinners and we must face the consequence of that choice. I think too many people confuse the consequences of the freedom of choice that come with our free will that God gave us (see Genesis 1-2) with God's active will. God has both an active and permissive will. God creating the universe was born out of His active will. His permissive will is for us to suffer the consequences of our sin. He certainly didn't create Adam and Eve with the intention of having them choose to sin by taking of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil- He wanted them to do right and obey Him and enjoy eternal fellowship with Him. But He also wanted them to do that willingly and not because He forced them to do so. Thus, He gave human beings free will- and we've willfully chosen to free ourselves from God with it by choosing sin. Death- eternal separation- is the consequence, the wages of sin.
But thanks be to God! He loves us all so much that He didn't let that be the ending point. He demonstrates His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us! (Romans 5:8)
The power of the cross frees us from the penalty of sin! (see Romans 6:7-11) And because Jesus rose, we who put our faith and trust in Him for salvation shall rise with Him too. Our faith must be demonstrated by works though, as Jesus makes clear in Matthew 7 and James 2. Jesus Himself said that if we love Him, we will obey Him. The one who obeys Him (not perfectly, as we all still sin and mess up- but Jesus has grace that never ends! And His grace is still greater than all our sins- see 1 John 1:7)- he is the one who truly is Jesus' disciple. (Basically just read John 13-17. But specifically John 15:7-17 for sure.) And to be Jesus' disciple, we must take up our cross, deny ourselves and follow Him. (Luke 9:23) We are no longer identified by our sinful natures (Romans 6:14-23) but we are now identified by Christ in us (Colossians 3:1-3). And we must walk accordingly to our new nature. (Romans 8:1-11, Ephesians 5:8-9, Galatians 5:16-26)

Good Friday (It Is Done) (song)

I'm posting this on "Black Friday", the day after Thanksgiving in America and the day that is so named because many businesses are in the black due to what's essentially the kick-off to the Christmas shopping season. I thought it'd be appropriate to post a song about the blackest Friday of all- when Jesus Christ died a cruel, torturous death for undeserving sinners like you and me. It's also interesting that God finished all His creating work on a Friday and saw that it was good. And just like businesses get out of the red and into good standing in the black on Black Friday, because of the red blood of Jesus, we can get into good standing with God through our faith in what He accomplished in the blackness of death and the light of Resurrection! For that, we can always give thanksgiving. God finished the work needing to be done on this Friday as well, as Jesus testified. And as Isaiah 53:10 tells us, it pleased The Lord to crush His Son for our sake- but He didn't leave Him in the grave, but rose Him up again. Our sins are forgiven through Jesus when we put faith in Him. He is the cure for all our evils. He's in love with us and He proved it on Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Resurrection Sunday! It's good to know that the work is completed- it is done.

"Good Friday (It is Done)"
(parody of "Friday I'm in Love" by The Cure; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 3/27/2016) (song finished on Easter Day 2016)
(Genesis 1-3, Romans 1-3, Colossians 1:11-20, Romans 10:9, Joshua 24:15, Revelation 13:8, Isaiah 1:18, Isaiah 53, John 3:16-17, John 6, John 14:6, Romans 5:8)

Christ's there ere Day One, you dudes
Choose this day Whom you will serve
Yahweh or the highway, buster
Christ's The Way- I'm with God

Sunday- God split light and dark
Monday, Tuesday- water, earth, plants
Wednesday- the sun, moon and stars
Fish Thursday- birds above

Next day God creates
All sundry beasts and man in His image
On Friday- then rest Saturday

Sin got there and cursed all that
Calvary- God already countered that
13:8 Rev., Gen. 3- check that!
On Friday- God is done!

Sunday- Jesus crushed his head
Lucifer's end- Hell burning
But Friday- he bruised Your heel- Christ said
On Friday- "It is done!"

Saturday- grave
But Sunday's Resurrection Day
Good Friday- yes, sir- what a name!

(We) messed up God's design
It's a wonder we're alive
You see, He chooses to spare our lives
(We) could be in Hell now
And just writhing in flames bound
Eternally gnashing teeth
(For) sin, His grace abounds!

All was lost with one bite
Sin gushed- 3 Genesis plight
The tree they ate left us riddled with this blight
Eat from Christ's tree to get it off
And drink of His blood
Good Friday
-Read 6 John!

Christ rides in Palm Sunday- cool!
Palms wave- praise- folks change their tune
Friday- they don't care about You
Crucified Son of God

Sunday- tomb saw You depart
Truth, Life, The Way- saved my heart
Sin's stains- Blood washes them out
Good Friday- it is done!
Ohh! Whoa!

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

Ruth Clung to Naomi (song)

This song is a summary of the book of Ruth- one of the most beautiful stories of tenacious love and redemption in The Bible. When Naomi's husband and sons died, it was like her whole world fell apart- like God had dropped a bomb on her and rocked her world. There was a huge gap left in her heart- so much so that she preferred to be called "Mara" (meaning bitter) from then on. But Ruth and Naomi banded together because Ruth pledged to leave her home and people and follow with Naomi, her mother-in-law, and adopt her people and her God as her own. And God blessed Ruth by taking this Moabite girl, adopting her into His family through Boaz, the kinsman-redeemer for Naomi's family- and allowing Ruth's line to bring about His own Son who is the kinsman-redeemer for the world!

"Ruth Clung to Naomi"
(parody of "You Dropped A Bomb on Me" by The Gap Band; copyright Nathan Ludwick 11/22/2016) (originally written circa October 2015)
(Ruth 1-4 [particularly Ruth 1:14-18, 2:17-23, 3:6-15, 3:18, 4:7-12 and 4:13-22], Matthew 1 [particularly Matthew 1:5-6], Luke 3 [particularly Luke 3:31-32], 2 Corinthians 6:2, Titus 2:14, Revelation 5:9, Galatians 3:13 and 4:5)

Ruth was the girl who changed my world
Yeah, when my world went wrong
They bit the dust- sons and husband
Ruth then I urged to leave
But you turned me down, Ruthie

Chilion, Mahlon- my babies!
They're gone like Elimelech (So I'll turn back home, ladies)
That brought calamity, baby
So drop the "Naomi"

I went out full- Came back with nil
God dropped a bomb on me
Return there now- return back home
Orpah cut loose, but Ruth turned me down

"You've got me, Mom," said she- baby!
(Where) you lodge- I'll lodge with thee
(So don't urge me out, Mom- please!)
"Your God my God will be," said she.

Let's rock! Ruth 1:16
Back through Adam and Eve- came the woman's seed
And look on down the line- right there- Obed's the guy
Luke 3 reveals- yeah, it's for real
His line brought Hope, baby- but hold the phone
Let's drop back on Ruth's pages

Ruth's from Moab, you see- baby!
She dropped her gods and peeps
(And Ruth turned to The Lord, baby!)
Adopted Israeli as family
Ruth and her Mom journeyed (Back to Bethlehem, baby!)

Won't drop me, Naomi- hey hey! (Mmm)
Ruth worked for grain to glean
(She brought food to Mom-in-law, baby)
She stopped in Boaz's field, baby
They formed a bond quickly

Things were in motion- Help's right there open
Ruth is the girl he needs
Ruth works with his protection- turned out there's a connection
He's their kinsman redeemer
And he's turning out, baby

To be the one for me, says Ruthie
You knocked me off my feet (Swept off- oh, oh, baby)
Won't get the drop on me- reapers
You are the bomb, Boaz!
(I won't forget what you've done for me, babe)

I talked with Mom-in-law - hey, hey
At stop of barley reap
I dropped down at your feet, Boaz
(When) you'd nodded off to (uh) sleep

I-I-I
I-I-I woke you up- yeah
I-I-I
I-I-I hope for assistance

Ruth dropped a bomb on me- Boaz
You're blessed by God, lady
You've got a closer redeemer, baby
If he drops out, I'll redeem

Bye-Bye-Bye
Ruth you should- go, it's morning!
Fly-fly-fly
Fly on home- now in secret

Let's hash it out- Naomi's home
Elimelech's land's on sale now
(Do) you opt or not to redeem?

Agreed for now- but hold the scroll
And when you opt in, included now
Ruth comes along with the deal
He's backing out- he turned me down
And then we swapped out sandals now
I bought them back- redeemed

It's turning out to be Day Awesome!
(For) Ruth, Boaz and Naomi!
Peeps heard Boaz and elders signed off
He bought from Naomi

They witnessed now- the new transaction
He bought back Mahlon's things,
Elmelech's, all of Chilion's
He got a bonzo deal!

Return for now to lines earlier on
The part about woman's seed
Ruth married Boaz- God gave conception
Ruth had Obed baby!

It panned all out when all had gone wrong
God brought Boaz to redeem
Seek Matthew out and Ruth's in Chapter One
Her line brought Christ to redeem!

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

God is Good All the Time (And All The Time God is Good)! (Bless The Lord at ALL Times) :-)

We're not quite to the end of the year, but I've seen a lot of people write 2016 off as a loss. (I know it may be in jest at times or it may be a statement of true frustration and exasperation with the outcome of events.) And it's okay to express honest feelings at times, in polite terms.

And we should be honest with the course of events- a lot of bad things have happened in the world- natural disasters, refugee crises, warring conflicts, the sad loss of life for so many- and many other things. (Of course, on a side note with that- I notice that a lot of people mourn for celebrities they've never met and don't really know- which is by no means wrong; it's very sad to hear of their deaths. However, it's weird that we don't mourn for the deaths in every single one of the obituaries in all the newspapers of the world that are published every day as well. Everyone's equally important and it's sad when anyone dies.)

It's really sad to me to see the hopelessness in so many people- especially after the 2016 US election. (And as a qualifier here, let me reiterate again that I did vote, but not for either of the major candidates- and I'm not particularly happy or upset with the outcome. I just have faith that God is in control as always and He will take care of me as always. He allows people to be in power and He also takes them down. His will will be done. "Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?.... The Lord in Heaven laughs at their plans. Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve The Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him." (see Psalms 2))

I was rather surprised at the election results and as I said- wasn't particularly happy with them or particularly sad- but I was hopeful and trusting that God knows what He's doing. And since I've been in a mood to listen to a lot of Rich Mullins lately (okay- that's pretty much all the time :-))- I had a time of worship playing some of his classics- "Sing Your Praise To The Lord", "Awesome God" and "Sometimes by Step". It wasn't because I was particularly happy with the results- it was because praising The Lord is always the appropriate response. It's because He is God and He reigns forever and He has done good things and my soul will bless the Lord and forget not all His benefits. He loves me enough to send Jesus to die and pay for all my sins and rise again! He has forgiven me through my faith in Him and He continues to make me more like Him as I seek to follow Him. He has promised me eternity in Heaven with Him! I have every reason to always be optimistic- yes, even in times when I may feel anything but.

"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in The Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, The Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer's; He makes me tread on my high places. (To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.)" (Habakkuk 3:17-19) (i.e. Yo! Strike up the music, bro! Let's get some praise on for The Lord Almighty! :-))

Note the verses don't say, "Because all these bad things are happening." They say, "In spite of these bad things, I'm still going to praise God." Just like Job's response- hey, Job- you've just lost all your cattle (i.e. food and wealth), and all your kids- what are you going to do now? "Naked I came from the womb and naked I will depart- may the Name of The Lord be praised!" Do what? You mean you don't want to go with the flow like your wife said and just curse God and die? "Nah, bro- shall we receive good from God and not receive evil?" Even after you just got these awful sores all over you? Yep- even so, it is well with my soul. (Now, to be fair- Job did get pretty bummed (to say the least- he was near suicidal at some points, arguably)- but at the end of the book, God restores all of Job had lost- he has more kids and he gets his cattle and wealth back. In fact, he gets twice as much as he had before. And God points out that Job spoke rightly of Him (versus his three friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar).

Especially with the time of Thanksgiving coming up in the USA- it seems really appropriate to take time to thank Jesus for all He's done and praise Him! :-) 2016 has been a hard year in some ways for my family personally- but that could be true every year. God has also done some awesome things this year for my family- He provided my dad with a new job! He provided my brother and his wife with a new house they recently bought! He provided my other brother a new job! My sister's daughter got baptized this year and my dad was able to perform the baptism! :-) He provided my grandmother with better health. He provided one of my aunts a new job! He provided a new house for my other aunt and uncle! He provided me with a chance to visit some of my dearest friends in the world this summer! And He's provided me opportunities to have medical work done in the last few years and that's been a blessing. He provides for me financially all the time and just in general in life all the time. (As my mom says, He must have like a multitude of guardian angels working overtime with me. ;-))

So yeah- no matter what the situation is- my response is this: "Give thanks to The Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for His steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His steadfast love endures forever." (Psalms 136:1-3- by the way, that refrain is stated 26 times in that chapter- and usually that happens in The Bible because God really wants us to remember it! :-))

To the One Who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love- the One who doesn't deal with us as our sins deserve and repay us according to our iniquities- the One Whose love is as great for us as the heavens are high above the earth- the One who removes our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west- the One who shows compassion to those who fear Him- Whose steadfast love is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him- all praise, honor, glory and power be given! "The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all." (Psalms 103:19- just read the whole thing.)

I will bless The Lord at ALL times- His praise shall CONTINUALLY be in my mouth! (Psalms 34:1)

So yes- 2016 has had its sad moments- but it's also had its awesome moments! Praise The Lord for 2016 and all other moments of life He allows me to have! I call this to mind and therefore I have hope always:

"The steadfast love of The Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of The Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust- there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. For The Lord will not cast off forever, but, though He cause grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love; for He does not afflict from His heart or grieve the children of men. To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth, to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High, to subvert a man in his lawsuit, The Lord does not approve. Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless The Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins? Let us test and examine our ways, and return to The Lord! Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in Heaven..." (see Lamentations 3:21-41- better yet, just read the whole chapter and the whole book.)

(Keep in mind that the context of this chapter is of Jeremiah lamenting over the destruction of Jerusalem, which happened as punishment for the people's sins. And there is a time when we need to test and examine ourselves and let God examine us- see if there be any wicked way in us- and repent and let God cleanse us! [see Psalms 139] But there are also times that calamity comes because we live in a fallen world- but even when God might cause grief, He doesn't do it from His heart! He doesn't do it to grieve people! He isn't a sadist! In the midst of it, He has compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love! As Jesus said in John 9, sometimes bad things happen so that the glory of God can be seen in our lives- just like what happened with the blind dude in that chapter that Jesus made see again!)

So yeah- even when things feel like a nightmare and it's like I'm locked in prison- I'll make like Paul and Silas did while in jail in Acts 16:25 and be praying and singing hymns to God! I'll make like Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and say, "Lord, not my will, but Thine be done." And The Lord's will might be that I need to go through some suffering. Even so- I'll count it all joy because I know the testing of my faith is going to produce steadfastness! And boy- do I need steadfastness to be full in effect in my life. And what great joy it is to know that I've got steadfast Love that never ceases that keeps following me everywhere I go! :-) (Seriously- you just can't shake it. Surely goodness and mercy- (or as other translations render it)- steadfast love- shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of The Lord forever. (see Psalms 23:6)

So wait- what was I complaining about again? "The joy of The Lord is my strength." (according to Nehemiah 8:10) It's God's will in Christ Jesus for me to be rejoicing always and praying without ceasing and giving thanks in ALL circumstances. (Word up! 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) (Again- not necessarily for them, but definitely in them- and in the long run, I may even wind up being glad for them because they helped me get somewhere that I needed to be that I wouldn't have been otherwise. It's like the "DuckTales" theme song- "The worst of messes become successes. DuckTales- Woohoo!") And like Romans 8:28 says, "We know that all things work together for good, to the good of those who love God and who are called according to His purpose." So I best be busting out those spiritual songs and psalms and hymns and sing and make some melody to The Lord with my heart- and give Him thanks for everything- just like The Holy Spirit led my man Paul to say over in Ephesians 5:19-20. (Dude man reiterated this whole attitude of being joyful and the command to rejoice in The Lord always- and again I say, rejoice- over in Philippians 4:4. And don't forget that he was doing the jailhouse rock while writing those lines down.)

Check out how back in the day the walls of Jericho came down- when Joshua and his Israelite peeps obeyed The Lord and marched around the town for 7 days (7 times on the last day- and ended things with a shout to The Lord! :-) I daresay they were getting some praise chants on there.)

Jumping Jehoshaphat! He was probably doing some of that and getting down in 2 Chronicles 20, when Jahaziel laid out the game plan for battle and let him know that the battle wasn't his, but rather God's. And so Jehoshaphat put the singers first before the army- and they went out singing and praising The Lord and The Lord brought victory!

What more can I say? If God is for us, who can be against us? (It's a rhetorical question, but the answer is, "No one!") (see Romans 8:31- and read the whole chapter while you're at it and read about the amazing grace and love of God for us that nothing can ever separate us from!)

As Psalms 137 talks about, how can we sing God's praise in a foreign land? ('Cause we are foreigners in this land, but nonetheless- as Rich Mullins called it- it's the land of my sojourn and I will sing His song in the land of my sojourn!) So may my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth like peanut butter if I forget New Jerusalem- if I forget The Lord- and don't make Him my highest joy and praise! How can I keep from singing? Praise God for all His many blessings- the Giver of all good things! (James 1:17) Praise The Lord with singing and dancing! (see Psalms 149)
Let everything that hath breath praise The Lord! (Psalms 150) Our God is an awesome God! :-) (see Deuteronomy 7:21)

"Whom have I in Heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that 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) "Make a joyful noise to The Lord, all the earth! Serve The Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! Know that The Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! For The Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations." (Psalms 100) "Praise The Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens! Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp! Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe! Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise The Lord! Praise The Lord!" (Psalms 150) (Sounds like a heavy metal concert going on there! :-) Or any style music- it doesn't really matter. Just praise The Lord! :-) Praise Him with singing and dancing and with how you live. :-))

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1:24-25)

The little heading in my ESV Bible calls these verses the "Doxology" section of Jude. So, to reference one of my favorite singers ever again once more, as Rich Mullins was fond of doing at the end of his concerts, let's end this off with the Doxology song-

"Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye Heavenly host. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen." :-)