3 John (song)

As Christmas approaches this year, the classic Christmas song that I have thought about a lot that I think really sums up the main point of the holiday so well comes to mind- "Love Came Down at Christmas". Indeed, God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (See John 3:16) There is no greater love than the love God has for us all. He proved that by sending Jesus to die for our sins and rise again. (Romans 5:8) And some of the most verses we have about love in The Bible come from the books of 1st. John, 2nd. John and 3rd. John. I have a trilogy of song parodies I've written about each book and I wanted to post that as a Christmas gift here this year. Funnily enough, I wrote them in reverse order- a song about 3rd. John, then one about 2nd. John and then one about 1st. John. They're all from the 1970s and so there's that theme common to them along with the theme of Love Divine. John writes one more short note in 3rd. John and offers a great model of Christian hospitality in Gaius. There's no greater joy than seeing your spiritual children walking in The Truth! The Holy Spirit uses John to go belting out another letter that hits home in the area of love. This is one of the tests of a true faith in Christ- we will see His love manifested in our lives. That's one way you can tell they're from God. Read- it's in 3rd. John.


3 John
(parody of "Your Song" written by Bernie Taupin and performed by Elton John; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 8/5/2016)
(3 John)

It's a little book, honey- quick read- 15 lines
It's just one of those that can easily slide by
Note sent from Johnny to his boy beloved
To Gaius- shout out! I rejoice at how you live

Hey Gaius, the brothers put in a good word
You're the man! Your devotion to Truth- travels, it shows
Oh, I know of your love- it's a faithful thing you do
Your gift is your home
To workers for Truth

And you can tell they're from God- read. It's in 3 John
Diotrephes' quite sinful- disallows them welcome
You know he's self-minded
He pays us no mind
But I'll put down my foot
If I come there, we'll right this- pearls trampled underfoot

A shout out from Truth- Demetrius
Well, review the 12th. verse, it's where- gave props, he's like a boss!
Like my son's been quite kind
In 1:4 3 John
When you're keeping in Truth, that
Pleases me so much

So refuse imitating
The evil men do
You see good- (then) copy it
By their deeds, we tell who's who
By the way, the verse is 1:11- read
Those who do evil? God- they've never seen

And you can tell they're from God-read; it's in 3 John
Their good deeds quite signify
Now then I'm done
I hope all's well, Guy
Your soul and your life
That I pray for you, dude
How wonderful I feel when you walk in Truth
You know I've much to write
I don't wanna just Skype
Or just put down in words
How wonderful if Christ wills- by your side I'll come...
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Just a Note- 2nd. St. John (song)

As Christmas approaches this year, the classic Christmas song that I have thought about a lot that I think really sums up the main point of the holiday so well comes to mind- "Love Came Down at Christmas". Indeed, God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (See John 3:16) There is no greater love than the love God has for us all. He proved that by sending Jesus to die for our sins and rise again. (Romans 5:8) And some of the most verses we have about love in The Bible come from the books of 1st. John, 2nd. John and 3rd. John. I have a trilogy of song parodies I've written about each book and I wanted to post that as a Christmas gift here this year. Funnily enough, I wrote them in reverse order- a song about 3rd. John, then one about 2nd. John and then one about 1st. John. They're all from the 1970s and so there's that theme common to them along with the theme of Love Divine. The Apostle John gives us just a note that's pretty short in 2nd. John but it speaks volumes about real Christian love and hospitality. It really is just an old fashioned love song as we're reminded that the command to love isn't a new one, but an old one. It's just what Jesus told us- love God with all you've got and love your neighbour as yourself. Then when others can see love right in front of them like that, they're drawn all the more to the Saviour. So read in 2nd. John and listen to this song!


Just a Note- 2nd. St. John
(parody of "An Old Fashioned Love Song" by Paul Williams as performed by Three Dog Night; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 9/19/2016)
(2 John, 1 John 3:23, 1 John 4:18-21, 3 John 1:4-8, John 13:34-35, 2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Corinthians 13)

Just a note fashioned by John
Gave it to the lady- yo!
And wrapped up in 13 verses
It expounds on 1 John's love theme- not new, but old
Look there- you've heard it before
3:23 1 John
Reread then bring it on back
To 1:5-6 2 John

Just an old-fashioned love gong
Read 1 Corinthians in 13
Just an old commandment- Love all
John wrote down a 3-part love treatise

So read in 2 John and listen
How it's pleasing when kids walk in Truth
Obey The Lord- that's love, my dear
'Cause many bad deceivers deny Christ's come in flesh
Take care to win full reward
If any leave teachings and go on
Don't greet or bring 'em inside
'Cause they were never really God's

Just a note- 2nd. St. John
Coming about in late first century
Just a note fashioned by John
One I'm sure God wrote for you and me
Holy Ghost impressed it on John
2 Tim. 3:16 calls it God-breathed
Cool to know- fastest read, son
One that's shortest note in Bible- read!

So read in 2 John and listen to this song

Just an old law- love all now
Like that old song
To be sure, they'll know by our loving
Just like God's Son told us now
13 in John
34- He spoke to you and me

Just a note- 2nd. St. John
So look out! Fakes prey on hospitality
Host an old-fashioned love-in
But be sure they hold to Christ's teachings

Got a whole lot to write on
Don't want now to use paper and ink
Hope to go flesh it out some
Come to your door and make our joy complete
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Read 1st. John (song)

As Christmas approaches this year, the classic Christmas song that I have thought about a lot that I think really sums up the main point of the holiday so well comes to mind- "Love Came Down at Christmas". Indeed, God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (See John 3:16) There is no greater love than the love God has for us all. He proved that by sending Jesus to die for our sins and rise again. (Romans 5:8) And some of the most verses we have about love in The Bible come from the books of 1st. John, 2nd. John and 3rd. John. I have a trilogy of song parodies I've written about each book and I wanted to post that as a Christmas gift here this year. Funnily enough, I wrote them in reverse order- a song about 3rd. John, then one about 2nd. John and then one about 1st. John. They're all from the 1970s and so there's that theme common to them along with the theme of Love Divine. Read 1st. John and listen to this song and may the God Who holds the earth in His hands, moves and works in us like the wind blows where it wants to go and lights a fire in us as the Great Consuming Fire envelop you in His love. Merry Christmas!

Read 1st. John
(parody of "Sing a Song" by Earth, Wind and Fire; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 2/17/2017)
(1 John)

Sin concealed found you out
Read 1st. John 1:9- pray and He forgives- yeah, yeah
If you're in Christ, walk it out
(2:6) 1st. John- liars don't obey
Sometimes it's hard to care
(2:9) 1st. John- brother, hate's not The Way
Desires of world fade here
2 in 1st. John- 17- God's way

3:1 1st. John
See what love!
God gives us!
We're His sons! (and daughters too)

Love's not talk but good deeds then
3 in 1st. John- 18- our lives we lay- yeah, ah
Christ's love showing out's our reassuring
(3:20) 1st. John- condemnations fade
God is love- 4:8 reads
4:1 1st. John- Test spirits- many fakes
Liars hate bros they can see
(4:20) 1st. John- Christians, love all peeps

(5:13) 1st. John
Believe on
Son of God
Know you've got
Eternal long
Life with God
Just like John
Sing and praise God!

You need to read 1st. John today
Jesus Christ is The Way

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A Fool for Christ

            Most everyone who has made positive advancements in the world were called fools at some point- Galileo, Edison, Einstein, etc. And this makes sense- people often make fun of and mock what they don't understand. And of course, as a follower of Jesus Christ, I can identify with that. I am a fool, of course. I'm foolish enough to believe in a number of scientific and medical impossibilities simply because I believe in the God big enough to both set down the rules that govern our universe and our lives and exist outside of them Himself and thus perform miracles that we can only stand in awe of when we read about them in The Bible. I'm foolish enough to believe that God loved the world so much that He became one of us, being born at Christmas and growing up to die on the cross and rise again from the dead at Easter.
          And people thought Jesus was a fool too. But Jesus' willingness to identify with us and pay for our sins gave us access back to God. We can have salvation if we trust in Him with faith and trust and love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. But it takes a touch of folly to do that.
As Brennan Manning wrote, "The disciple of Jesus will be made to look and feel like a fool. Yet, fools for Christ formed the early church. And as that tiny band of believers grew, the world witnessed the power in such foolishness."
"I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me!" (2 Corinthians 11:1) (In fact, keep reading verses 16-33 while you're at it, if you want to see Paul's list of accomplishments that he casts aside as foolish because the only thing he can boast in is Jesus Christ.) But God uses the weak and foolish things of the world to confound and put to shame the strong and wise of the world. (See 1 Corinthians 1)
         Heed the cry of wisdom in the Proverbs. (See chapters 1-9 particularly.) Wisdom comes disguised as foolishness. If anyone thinks himself wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. (1 Corinthians 3:18-23)
As Rich Mullins sang, "Let Mercy lead- let Love be the strength in your legs- and in every footprint that you leave there'll be a drop of Grace. If we can reach beyond the wisdom of this age into the foolishness of God- well, that foolishness will save those who believe. Although their foolish hearts may break, they will find peace. And I'll meet you in that place where Mercy leads." ("Let Mercy Lead" by Rich Mullins)
         Of course, I know the natural man doesn't understand the spiritually discerned things, as 1 Corinthians 2:14 attests- for they are folly to him. How ironic that what seems like folly to the world at large is the very thing we must embrace in order to be saved- we must be willing to embrace folly in order to gain true wisdom. "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18) Christ is indeed a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Greeks- but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks [i.e. Gentiles], Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. (see 1 Corinthians 1:21-25. Actually just read the whole chapter.)
          In the end, God's foolishness is still wiser than man's wisdom. What silly creatures we are! How stupid to think that we the created being should somehow know more and know better than the One who created us! We've just got a breath in our nostrils- that God gave to us- quit putting your trust in fallible human beings. (Isaiah 2:22) Put your trust in God, the Giver of all wisdom. (James 1:5) Look how foolish He was willing to be Himself- He was born as a human baby at Christmas, lived under the rule of Mary and Joseph and grew up for 33 years on Earth- experiencing all the joys, pains, sorrows, trials and temptations that come with living on a planet of sinful human beings. And Him the only righteous One in the whole bunch- He who was both God and man at once. And He submitted Himself to a corruption of justice and gave Himself over to the power of Pilate- and thus, the innocent died in the traitor's stead. And He rose victorious and regained His rightful position as fully God, reigning on high forever!
         "When we in our foolishness thought we were wise- He played the fool and He opened our eyes. When we in our weakness believed we were strong, He became helpless to show we were wrong. So we follow God's own fool- for only the foolish can tell. Believe the unbelievable and come be a fool as well." ("God's Own Fool" by Michael Card)
With the foolish abandon of a man who bets all he has to his name on what he thinks is a sure thing, may we also likewise put all our trust and all we have on the One who we know is a sure thing.
           "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
That's what a fool believes, but it do be The Truth, brothers and sisters.

God Plans (Trust and Obey) (song)

Note: Here's another old favourite from the archives. Just like one of my favourite hymns says, "Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey."

The Bible says that we are worth much more than the birds that are sold for a penny- we’re worth much more than a flock of seagulls even! So if God thinks of us and takes care of us (Luke 11)- why would we not just simply trust Him and obey Him? Don’t run away- trust and obey!

God Plans (Trust and Obey)
………………………………………………
(parody of “I Ran (So Far Away)” by A Flock of Seagulls) (copyright by Nathan Ludwick 6/9/2013)
(Genesis 1-3, Numbers 13-14, Jonah 1-4, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalms 33, Proverbs 19:21, Proverbs 16:33, Proverbs 16:25, Proverbs 16:1-3, Proverbs 16:9, Jeremiah 29:11, John 14:1, John 14:23)

I walk alone- Genesis dude
I never thought I’d meet a girl like you
Eve’s the girl I choose
We got ensnared by serpent’s lies
Opened our eyes and realized we’re nude
Heard God striding through

And we scrammed- we panicked and hid away
God just asked- He asked where we were- Hey!
We couldn’t get away

A cloud appears above our heads
And fire by night- both guiding our whole crew
Guides us to subdue
The Lord’s behooving- in Numbers read
The Lord says what is real is Canaan’s through
The Lord will conquer, dudes!

But we ran! We ran from God’s plan- Hey!
Promised Land- we’re banned ‘cause we didn’t obey!
40 year desert stay!

Received command to preach (to) this place
“You go to Nineveh now”- I refused
A big fish stopped my coup
Spat out on land to try again
Been floating in fish three days (and) nights- I’m through
God’s will will come through

When I ran, I ran so far away
I should have just done what’s right- obey!

When God plans, His plans come true always
So don’t run- just go trust and obey!
(Trust and obey!)

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Will You Believe and Ask Him? (song)

Note: Another favourite from the archives. One of my magic references in the song- "The Magician", a short-lived action/adventure show that utilized magic as a means of stopping the bad guys and starred Bill Bixby, recently finally got a DVD release! :-) And that deeper magic of Aslan is finally set to come back to theaters in the near future with things moving along nicely with "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair" movie! We must believe in (deeper) magic! Of course, it's always timely to consider Christ and His claims and what we will do with His offer of salvation. As 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, now is the day of salvation!
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This recounts a specific incident in The Bible. It’s about a certain magician who came face to face with the most powerful magic he’d ever seen. And when he got a lovin’ spoonful of that magic, he just had to have it at any price. But what he didn’t realize was that if you just believe and ask, this magic is totally free! (And yes- bonus points for catching the various magic references I just had to make- especially the one at the end! For Narnia- and The Lion of Judah!) 

“Will You Believe and Ask Him?” 
(parody of “Do You Believe in Magic?” by The Lovin’ Spoonful) 
(copyright by Nathan Ludwick 4/24/2010) 
(Acts 2:38, Acts 8:4-25) 

“Will you believe and ask Him right into your heart?” 
Now then Simon believed that sorcerer upstart 
And his magic- well, it used to be groovy 
Acts 8 reveals Simon’s like an old time news reel 
Philip tells him ‘bout The Master- how He’ll free your soul 
But it’s like Simon now felt a learner in a brave new world 

Yeah, Houdini’s magic- don’t bother to choose 
Earvin Johnson’s Lakers; Orlando and crew 
Bibxy’s “Magician”- or then Merlin beguiles 
They can’t buy off the faith no matter how hard they try 
The peeps start talking- Simon’s not The Divine 
Now they got Christ, so they get baptized 

Then they receive The Spirit- Pete and John laying 
Their hands on them wowing Simon- “Are you selling?” 
“And maybe, if the money is right” 
Well, Pete cuts him off now, stating, “You ain’t right” 
“Your sins- renounce them, baby, then you’ll see” 
“How the magic’s in The Spirit and The Spirit’s in me” 

Yeah, Will you believe and ask Him? 
Yeah, believe in the passion of God’s own Son 
Believe in the power of Resurrection 
Believe deeper magic that can set you free 
Ohh, talking ‘bout Aslan 

Do you believe in Aslan? (Do you believe like I believe?)[background vocal] 
Will you receive Redeemer? (Do you believe like I believe?)[background vocal] 
Will you believe and ask Him? (Do you believe like I believe?)[background vocal] 
(Fade) 
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 

A Dusting of Stargazing

I'm a bit late for All Saints' Day, but I had been thinking on this earlier and thought it fit well. Evolutionary theory says that we are stardust- that we are literally made of the atoms of exploding stars through the Big Bang and evolution. I've seen this explained in movies where it's made to sound all cosmic and romantic because the sense of eternity that we associate with stars, which can last for so many ages. It's like a touch of The Divine, you could say. And The Bible says that's halfway right. The Divine has made us with eternity in our hearts. (Ecclesiastes 3:11) We are made to be eternal beings. We are made of dust alright- but it's dust from the ground, not the stars. (Genesis 2 explains that God made Adam from the dust of the ground and then made Eve from one of his ribs.) The Bible mentions this a couple of times. Psalms 103:14, in detailing the depth of God's compassion, explains that He remembers how we are formed, that we are but dust. From ashes to ashes and from dust to dust- we are made from the dust and to the dust we will return. (Genesis 3:19 and Ecclesiastes 3:20)
Another passage talks about this, but I think it's one that gets buried in the midst of a super famous chapter about the Resurrection of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:35-49
English Standard Version (ESV)

The Resurrection Body
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”;[a] the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall[b] also bear the image of the man of heaven.

The evolutionary theory ascribes a divine composition to our bodies without acknowledging The Divine Being Who "infused us with holy". (To briefly quote Chris Rice's "The Final Move") It is true in that sense that we are made of the Bright Morning Star of Heaven (Revelation 22:16). He made us in His image. He is the only reason we can take wonder at our bodies and our creation. The glory is reflected in us the created but it reflects back to The Creator! When we marvel at the beauty of the moon's shimmering brightness at night, in one sense we are marveling at the moon, but ultimately we're marveling at the source of the moon's light- the sun. In the same way, when we marvel at humanity because we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalms 139:13-14), we are really marvelling at the source of our wonderfully made bodies- The Son.
Psalms 8 asks God, "What is man that You care for him?" We are but dust, yet God made us a little lower than the angels. In our search for wonder and meaning in that wonder, we must wonder as we wander about the wonder around us and within us and it should lead us to the One Whose Name is Wonderful Counselor and Mighty God.
And when we realize we are not as strong as we think we are (that's a Rich Mullins reference), we can acknowledge our need for The God Who created the cosmos and everything in it. He's the only One Who can bring new life to dying stars and planets. He Himself came from Heaven to die to pay for all sins. And because the Eternal One of Heaven rose, we know we will also rise in Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:14) Our faith in Him assures us of our place with Him. And then we become complete in Him- our frail forms of dust from the ground are transformed into Morning Stardust instead as we take our place beside The Ancient of Days in the heavens- in Heaven- forever. :-)
Praise God for His amazing love that fills us with wonder every time. Romans 5:8 is forever wondrous to me- Jesus, You are the Wonder and Mystery I seek to behold. May I ever be captivated by Your awesomeness too great for words.

Pre-Fallen (song)

Note: This is another favorite from the archives. I thought it was fitting to pull this one out in tribute to Mr. Tom Petty in light of his recent passing. I hope he truly loved Jesus as he mentions the girl in his "Free Fallin' " song does and I hope he's in Heaven now.

This one is a bit like John Milton’s works. It describes how we got a “Paradise Lost” but it also describes how we can get “Paradise Regained”. Jesus has already done the job! And though we still live in a fallen world, it doesn’t have to be a heartbreaker as the initial outlook was. Rather, Jesus is a heart saver and when we give Him our lives, it’s like we’re pre-fallen!

“Pre-Fallen”

(parody of “Free Fallin’ “ by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)

(parody by Nathan Ludwick 12/31/2010)

(Romans 3, Romans 10, John 7:37-38, John 8:32-36, 1 Peter 1:18-23, Genesis 3, John 1:12, Matthew 11:28, John 14:1-6, Revelation 3:20, Matthew 10:8, Ezekiel 36:25-29)

In a good world, we’d love The Father,

Love Jesus and The Holy Ghost too

In a good world- baby, now sinless

Rejoices- it’s like Eden 2!

(And) it seems long away- living in Laodicea

There’s a tree with flaming sword to guard

What a sad day when we go and eat forbidden

We’ve been bad, boy- it’s breaking God’s heart

(Genesis) 3- the fall of man!

Adam (and) Eve- we’ve all sinned!

And it’s handed all down through Man’s family

Move east now- 1st. Peter 1- read on

And all the bad, oi- it’s planted in the marrow

But The Good Lord can form us brand new hearts

And now, uh- He’s – He’s calling!

Yeah, get a free- overhauling

He’s calling- it’s, uh- Jesus calling and uh,

We’ve fallen, read, uh- 3 Romans and uh,

I want ya right now- read in 10 Romans

In verse 9, get saved by The Christ

We’re gonna be called children of God then

Gonna leave this world far behind

[And we’re free

(Free falling into Jesus’ calling and uh)

We’re all in

(Free falling, I’m really all in and uh)

Yeah, we’re free

(Prefallen- it’s like we’re prefallen and uh)

We’re all in

(Free falling in uh, Matt. Eleven two eight (11:28)) ]

[Repeat above and fade]

(Recall in Matt. 10- free calling and uh)

Yeah, we’re free!

[alternate line for repeats]

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The Standard

Note: This is actually something I wrote for a graduate class. The essay is addressing the question of why schools have standards for curriculum, but in doing so I addressed the idea of standards in the world at large- including the moral standard, which points out to us our need for God because we know there is a standard of right and wrong in the world- and we don't naturally do what's right. We are sinners who need a Saviour- and God has provided the world the only One Who can save us-The Lord Jesus Christ. For further reading, see also
Romans 7:7-25, Romans 1-3 (and particularly verse 2:4), Ecclesiastes 3:11 and Galatians 3 in The Holy Bible.
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          As human beings, we are born into a world of standards that govern our lives and that we must adhere to in order to succeed. We are created to recognize the natural order of laws as well as the moral order. Though people disagree on some moral imperatives there are basic ones that most everyone in the world ascribes to and aspires to achieving. Drawn from these, each country has its own sets of civil laws that govern the citizens. In a world that now tends to sway toward chaos, we as a people generally desire some sense of order in order to not only make sense of the world but also since it helps draw us back to restoration of injustices. As teachers and librarians, we also desire to add to this process through education and thus we develop standards that will help all students reach their highest potential and equip them to help bring the change we want to see in the world.
         To this end, appointed bodies like the AASL, ISTE and Common Core creators have worked to establish the bottom line of learning for all students. Through careful observation and study, these entities have determined skills and knowledge deemed necessary for survival in the world and for contributing to society in a positive manner. Through ages of collected knowledge and observation, we as human beings know that the world is ordered in a certain way to ensure survival. We know that careless acts of litter of waste materials will bring damage to the world and ultimately to ourselves. Thus, encouraged and sobered by such findings, we share with students the scientific findings that have been made and help them learn how to discover still more. This is but one example of skills that help human beings develop into meaningful contributers to improvements in society. There is also social studies and history to be considered so that we may learn from the past and improve the present and help secure a better future. Mathematics are necessary to understand how to measure and order things, which also helps with medicine, which helps preserve human life. And English language arts contribute to our moral and spiritual components as we seek to know the human condition and share with each other our enlightenment and understanding of life and even reach transcendence of the temporal as well.
           Standards themselves are still different from objectives. Whereas the standard for driving on the highway may be to maintain a speed of no less than 45 mph and no greater than 70, individual drivers set their own objectives. The objective might be to reach a certain destination in optimal time and thus this is carried out by driving the maximum speed limit. Other drivers may prefer a leisurely drive for pleasure as they cruise and listen to music. These drivers may hover closer to the minimum speed limit. In either case, the standard is still met. It is much the same for educators. Objectives are developed differently by individual teachers to communicate certain aspects of the standard for the day, but these are distinct from the overarching standard itself. "When those standards are written in terms that are too broad, teachers have to unpack those standards and dissect them until they reach specific statements of the knowledge and skills that should be taught. From those statements, teachers can then develop their lesson objectives." (Tate 44) In presenting these objectives, teachers who start with the end in mind can more easily decipher how best to assess the knowledge of the skills in question as informed by the standards. The standards inform teachers as to the overall general knowledge that must be known in the end and the teacher develops the objectives to get to the nitty-gritty details that teach measurable skills that demonstrate not only knowledge but understanding of it as well. Thus, a teacher tasked with a general standard to teach the nuances of figurative language might make a goal of having students learn a specific example in the form of metaphors and be able to formulate their own to demonstrate knowledge so that the school might spawn its own.
          In our search for meaning and structure in life, the standards of nature, morality and civility are what shape us. They speak to to all of us on every level even if we only may recognize some on particular levels. They drive us to establish mandates that will aid us in aspiring to those standards and thus drive our individual objectives for how best to do this. We utilize the standards to decide how best to determine if we are meeting them and we allow the results to drive us further in this search. And in all these pursuits, we are ever restless as we continuously and tirelessly stretch for the infinite, which may seem so very far away yet it is not far from any one of us.

Work Cited

Tate, Marcia L. Formative Assessment in a Brain-Compatible Classroom. West Palm Beach, FL, Learning Sciences, 2016.

Transcending Transgendering

Note: I have previously addressed this topic and I wanted to talk on some other points with this issue here. As before, I always want to be very careful in discussing topics in general and particularly controversial ones. Thus, I'll reiterate what I said previously as a precursor. This piece is largely based in response to reading an excellent article from Christianity Today addressing this topic.

Yarhouse, Mark. “Understanding the Transgender Phenomenon.” ChristianityToday.com, Christianity Today, 8 June 2015, www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/july-august/understanding-transgender-gender-dysphoria.html. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017
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     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. 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.
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       I think society assigns certain qualities and tasks suited to particular sexes and that may be part of the problem. If a boy is interested in learning how to sew or pursue dance as a career (for example), he may get told those are somehow "feminine" pursuits. If a girl is interested in playing football for her school or working as a barber or car mechanic, she might get told those are somehow "masculine" pursuits. (And girls generally get the label "tomboy". Interesting how there doesn't seem to be a "tomgirl" equivalent- boys just usually get the label of "gay" instead.)

      I personally think boys and girls and men and women should be free to engage in whatever pursuits they are interested in doing. As for the cross-dressing angle, that may come from a natural curiosity about the opposite sex. I have heard some transgender people refer to their feelings as being like in clothes that don't fit- some sort of discomfort with who they are. Of course, I am not sure how those feelings manifest themselves for individual transgender people- I suppose everyone has different experiences though, as the article indicates.
       How does this mesh with Colossians 3:1-4 and Galatians 2:20 and 2 Corinthians 5:17 for a Christian though? If my identity is in Christ and no one else and nothing else- then does anything else matter? If there's no Jew or Greek or slave or free or male or female in Christ- but rather we are all one in Him (Galatians 3:28)- then maybe that is the answer. We focus on our identity in Christ and not in anything else, despite what our feelings may tell us. I know there are numerous times my feelings would have me identifying more with a hellbound sinner than a Heavenbound redeemed child of God, but I don't trust my feelings because I know they're fickle and often lie. I put my faith and trust in the facts of God's Word and His love for me instead and I trust that when I obeyed Romans 10:9 and confessed Christ as Lord and Saviour and decided to follow Him, He is faithful to do what He said He would do.
           And I believe we are all called to endure as followers of Christ. (Philippians 3:14 speaks to this- Yes, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That word "do" there is better translated as "endure"- especially when read in the context of the rest of the chapter- and the context of the letter itself, written from a Philippian prison.)
Hebrews 12:1-3- Let's fix our eyes on Jesus and set aside every sin that so easily entangles us and run the race with endurance. (See also 2 Timothy 2:10-12, 2 Corinthians 1:6, Hebrews 13:12-14, Revelation 14:12)
            We do this even if it means it feels that we have to deny our feelings and yes, even our selves in order to do it. That's exactly what Jesus called us to do- deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Him. (Luke 9:23) And don't forget that in addressing transgender people, we must always greet them with both lenses of integrity and compassion, as the article talked about. Because, as 1 Corinthians 13 tells us, Love endures all things. And Jesus said we must love one another. (John 13:34-35) 

       To clarify my stance on sexual ethics regarding homosexuality, which I mention because it often gets brought up alongside transgenderism even though the two are not necessarily related- yes, I do believe The Bible condemns all homosexual relationships, loving and committed or otherwise. (Genesis 1-3, [particularly Genesis 1:26-27 and Genesis 2:24], Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 1 Timothy 1:8-10, Matthew 5:17-20 and Matthew 5:27-32, Matthew 19, among others.)
One interesting thing to point out with this- "loving and committed" is a phrase often used to describe marriage and well it should be. People argue that same sex unions can be of the same descriptors. However, I don't know that whether a relationship is of a monogamous nature is the only determinant of whether it's right. People can also be loving and committed to worshiping and serving money, but that is the sin of idolatry and Jesus says you can't serve both money and God. (Matthew 6:24) The reason for this relationship being a sin is not about the level of love and commitment; rather, it's about the object of desire. We should have that kind of love for God alone. Indeed, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, as 1 Timothy 6:10 tells us.
Another point to consider is the meaning of the word "love" itself. The Bible defines God as love in 1 John 4:8. He is the One who sets the standard for what love really is- in fact, we only love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) God's nature is complementarian within the Triune Godhead. God The Father, God The Son Jesus Christ and God The Holy Spirit- Three in One. (John 17 and Genesis 1 and others still speak to this.) God made human beings in His image- male and female He created them. Males and females model that image of complementarianism and are made to follow in the pattern He set in place. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24, which Jesus quoted in Matthew 19)
        Of course, 1 Corinthians 13, a passage often quoted at weddings, gives us insight into the nature of love as well. One key verse here tells us that love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with The Truth. (see 1 Corinthians 13:6) Jesus said He is The Way, The Truth and The Life- No man comes to The Father but by Him. (John 14:6) God is Love. (1 John 4:8) There is complete harmony within the Godhead, thus Love rejoices with The Truth. Jesus said if we love Him, we will obey Him. (John 14:15) Jesus upheld the model of human sexuality as one man and one woman united in holy matrimony for life. Any other sexual union outside of that model is sin. Any form of homosexual relationship is sin, as The Bible plainly declares in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. (Note too that this whole chapter and the previous one deals with sexual immorality, so it's keeping in that context.)
           And if nature itself teaches us that it's a shame for men to have long hair (1 Corinthians 11:14), then I think nature can also teach us the order God has designed for sexuality, as procreation only works one way- between a man and a woman united in marriage.
(Which is in keeping with Romans 1, which also tells us that nature reveals the existence of God to us; the heavens declare His glory, as Psalms 19 says.)
         What do we say to those struggling with such things? If they are in Christ, they are a new creature- the old has gone and the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17) Our identity is found solely in Christ- He lives in us now. (Colossians 3:1-4, Galatians 2:20) Though God made us to be perfect and we sinned and went in search of many schemes (Ecclesiastes 7:29), Jesus came to pay for all sins through His death on the cross and Resurrection. When we put faith in Him, we have salvation from sin and hell and instead an eternity with Christ in Heaven! And Jesus came to give us life- and life abundant. (John 10:10) I believe He helps us live that life abundant in the here and now, though this life is surely beset with trials and troubles. That suffering comes with being human because of the curse of sin in the world, but it also comes with being a Christ follower, as it's something Jesus promised we would have when we follow Him. (Just see Matthew 5 for one such reference and John 15:18 and Matthew 10:22)
          Jesus speaks to the plight of eunuchs in Matthew 19 as well, and I think intersex people and all who struggle with gender dysphoria and homosexuality could fall in that category. There is a word there for them too and God loves them as He loves all people and has a good plan in mind for their lives as well. (Psalms 138:8, John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:8-9, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 and 12:1-10, Philippians 4:1-14)
           But we also know that we can take heart because Jesus has overcome the world! (John 16:33) We have the victory in Him! And one day, we will have complete deliverance from these bodies that still stray into sin at times- one day we will be completely healed forever in our new bodies in Heaven! (see 1 Corinthians 15 and Revelation 21-22)
Until that time comes, we must continue to love as Jesus loves- love God first with all we've got and love our neighbours as ourselves and speak The Truth in Love as we preach The Gospel to all people! (Matthew 22:34-40, Ephesians 4:15, Matthew 28:18-20)

Mr. Joel (song)

           The Hebrew name Joel means "Yahweh is God" and the son of Pethuel sure lived up to proclaiming the meaning of his name through the Bible book named after him. A recurring phrase in the book of Joel is "The LORD your God", which does literally translate to "Yahweh is God", as "The LORD" is the Name rendered as Yahweh or Jehovah in Hebrew. And Joel was calling Israel to return to The Lord our God and repent of sin because the day of The Lord was coming to punish Israel as well as all nations that sinned against Him. And in Joel 2, we are given prophecy about the coming of The Holy Spirit at Pentecost, which we see fulfilled in Acts 2. God filled His people with His Spirit to empower them to go out and preach the Gospel. The day of The Lord is coming for us as it did in Joel's time and ravaged the land. While Mr. Jones might be busy counting crows, Joel could have been busy counting locusts as they wreaked destruction on Israel. But God promised that He would restore what the locusts destroyed. Of course, if we don't want to be eating crows, we need to repent of our pride and unfaithfulness as well and return to God Who sent the abundant latter rain to heal Israel just as He does for us through Christ's completed work on the cross and in the empty tomb. So read Ephesians 1-2 for more on the work Jesus did for us, read Acts 2 to see how God's Spirit works through us to share the Good News with others and then turn to Mr. Joel and read!


 Mr. Joel
(parody of "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 5/20/2017)
(The book of Joel, Acts 2)

Sha, la, la, la, la, la, la
Mmm
Uh huh

It is found in the New Testament
There- 2 Acts, this fellow shared Joel
Peter zones in on their declarations
In 2 Acts- there fulfilled Joel chapter 2
Holy Ghost landing- sons and daughters prophesiers
They're suddenly multilingual
"They're all on something-alcohol"
It's 9 AM- not drunk on alcohol

He's enhanced us- The Spirit- down through God's pouring

Shalom, Hola, Bonjour, Hi ya!
Yeah
Uh huh
Yeah

Come on now, Peter
Show us some of that Arabic and Egyptian
Turn in your Bible to (the) book of Joel
(And) get reading
Can you believe this locust scene?
Call a fast and weep- Joel 1- it just pleads
Yeah

Mr. Joel- read
Tell sons and daughters grisly tale
As you stare and view destruction
The locusts have chewed
Now no food! The locusts did eat
Crying 'cause the crops died
Coming through in sackcloth
Lamenting priests of God- dude!
Look, man, it's near- The Lord's Day

Joel is gonna paint a picture
Look yourself in 2- moon's red, sun's black- Great Day!
All of the dutiful dreamers know it's very, very meaningful
Yeah, well The Lord's Day comes with signs and wonders
Literal or symbolic- it'll be plain
Go review Revelation
You would find 6:12 just says much of the same

Mr. Joel- read!
Look into the future
Don't despair at the total destruction
Verse 2:32
Romans 10 quotes
Go look in 13
Acts 2:21 writes
And God Himself will save us all
For all who on His Name call
Call a solemn assembly
Let's all return to The Lord please
Rend our hearts and not our garments- see

Blow the trumpet in Zion
Ah, everybody declare a holy fast
Oh, return to Me with all your heart
Says The Lord God- what locusts've eaten- I'll pay back
Rejoice in Me- 'cause you can believe I'll send the rain
And I- I want all peeps to come to Me and believe
So believe and receive- yeah

Mr. Joel- read! Judging's due- 3rd. chapter- yo!
So prepare for the Doomsday, all nations
Hey Egypt- you're through
Man, you've got to read in Joel 3:19
You're a goner, Edom- called it
In there Joel chapter 3, there's comeuppance all given out swiftly
For every violence you do
Sidon, Tyre- turnabout is fair play- as you will see
Mr. Joel- read! Pay Me back? Thus says The Lord
What are you to Me, Philistia?
If you're paying Me, it's coming right back to thee
Beat your pruning hooks into spears
'Cause we both know why that you folks're going down
And there is nobody like Me
You're gonna see just that now when My people are redeemed
Pictured in Joel- end scenes- (well) God and His peeps are victorious!

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Re: Gifted

       Have you ever had that experience, usually at Christmas, where you get a present that you honestly don't want? And then the gift winds up being given to someone else who promptly gives it to someone else. (Stereotypically, this item tends to be a fruitcake. ;-) Humorously, this is also a common feeling for a lot of Christian singles regarding what 1 Corinthians 7 refers to as "the gift of singleness". In relation to an earlier post I put regarding the topic of singleness, I wanted to offer this follow-up piece that is a reaction to a discussion with fellow Christian friends and singles who differ on how we regard singleness.
      To begin with, Genesis certainly teaches, through the example of God's own observation that it wasn't good for Adam to be alone (thus the creation of Eve), the general principle that humans are not meant to be alone. And marriage is one avenue for fulfilling that need- but it's not the only one and it shouldn't be the primary one. Ultimately, we should find completeness not in a spouse, but in Christ. That's our first and foremost relationship and that one informs and shapes all our other relationships. We also can find togetherness in community with the body of believers- our brothers and sisters in Christ in the church. And of course we also have our blood families as well and friends. The Eros (romantic) aspect of love is the one that we usually hear about and it generally overshadows the Philia (friendship) part of love. (Along with storge [familial] and agape [selfless; charity] For a good explanation of these ancient Greco-Christian terms, I highly recommend "The Four Loves" by C.S. Lewis. Of course, I also highly recommend everything else he wrote. :-))  
"To the Ancients, Friendship seemed the happiest and most fully human of all loves; the crown of life and the school of virtue. The modern world, in comparison, ignores it". - Lewis in "The Four Loves"
        There are two points others have raised about how to regard singleness that I would disagree with though, at least to some degree. While I can understand where some others are coming from who would argue this view, I'm not sure I would term "singleness" as a consequence of living in a fallen world. In a sense that could be true as the relationship we were meant to have with God is broken and we are cut off from that without the intervention of Jesus. Because of His death and Resurrection and our faith in Him, we can have a renewed relationship with God in the here and now and we will experience that fully as God originally intended at the Wedding Supper of The Lamb in Heaven, as described in Revelation 21-22. However, I would have to staunchly disagree with a notion that singleness is part of the curse of sin in the fall. I believe that would go against Christ's words in Matthew 19, where He says there are to whom being a eunuch is given and some make themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of Heaven. I can't see part of the curse of sin jibing with doing something for the kingdom of Heaven.

                I know for singles we don't really like hearing the oft-repeated phrase that "singleness is a gift". I know it sure doesn't feel like one many times. (See this for proof. :-) http://babylonbee.com/news/local-woman-looking-return-gift-singleness/) To go back to my earlier analogy about Christmas gifts, sometimes it feels like that Christmas gift you've been waiting all year to get- and then in the midst of opening presents, you get that traditional gift of underwear. (At least as a kid, this was a tradition at my house. lol :-)) It's one of those things you never really appreciate much as a kid, but at least as you get older you can say, "Thank you" more and acknowledge that it is a necessary thing and it is still a gift, even if it's not really the fun gift you wanted. (When you get old enough to be on your own, you get really thankful for practical gifts like that because you find out how much stuff costs!)

         If I may, I wanted to offer my take on 1 Corinthians 7:7. When I read the verse in the larger context of the chapter, it reads to me that Paul is describing how some have the gift of marriage and some have the gift of singleness. If we acknowledge that God The Father makes some to be fit for marriage and some for singleness, then this would fit well with James 1:17 that tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from above, from The Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

        Even if we don't particularly desire to be single and don't really see it as much of a gift (like the aforementioned underwear at Christmas gift), we can appreciate it more as we get older sometimes [Both physically and spiritually in The Lord]. And we have to trust God with all of our lives and if that's where He has us for now, we can trust that He has a good plan in mind, even if we don't understand it. (Acts 17:26, Psalms 138 [especially verse 8]) We might also consider it like how some are gifted with different talents- whether it's drawing or singing (two of which I don't feel too gifted on- lol ;-) Not that it stops me from doing either one)- but both are good gifts regardless.

         This all may sound like cold comfort, but I do believe God has a good plan in mind for everyone and He has a purpose for all of us- and that includes our marital status. For me, I've never really been super worried about the whole dating and marriage thing until well into my late 20s or so- and it was around then that I started seeing (seemingly) all my siblings and cousins and friends getting married and so it felt like I should be doing likewise soon enough. But I had to come to a point where I told God that if He wants me to get married- cool. If He doesn't want me to get married- cool. I'm good either way. I still would like to get married if God leads me to the right woman, but I'll be alright if it doesn't happen too. God uses all of His people for His glory and we can bring glory to Him through both our singleness and our marriage- whichever status He brings us to in His time. And I do think there are advantages and drawbacks to both, as the rest of 1 Corinthians 7 outlines. (And don't get me wrong, because marriage is indeed awesome! Plenty of Bible verses attest to that- Proverbs 18:22, Ephesians 5, Proverbs 5:18, Proverbs 12:4, Proverbs 19:14, Ecclesiastes 9:9, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and others.) But marriage is temporary (Mark 12:18-27) and it's not going to solve all your problems and make your life totally happy all the time. There is the idolatry of marriage there we do need to be careful of falling into as well.

        In the end, we must accept whatever lot God has for us and learn to be content in all circumstances, as Philippians 4:10-20 counsels. (We can do [i.e. endure] all things through Christ who strengthens us. - as verse 13 famously says. Thus, let's do this!) And in all things, whether in word or deed, we must do it all for God's glory. (1 Corinthians 10:31) Of course, we can pray and ask God for a spouse and trust that He may choose to give us that heart's desire. (ala Psalms 37:1-4, as we continue to delight in Him first and trust whatever He gives us.) And whether it happens or not, as Jesus consoles us, for everyone who's left house, land, brothers, sisters, father, mother and even wife/husband and children- for His sake and for The Gospel's sake- (see Matthew 19 and Mark 10 in the KJV), they will receive a hundredfold now in this time-with persecutions- and in the age to come eternal life.

          If you have the time, you may enjoy checking out this sermon from David Platt on this topic. It's very powerful and well worth the watch- He speaks a lot of great points on the topic of marriage and singleness (focusing on singleness, by the way). I found it very helpful and encouraging.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVq0mwhu2gQ

          Whatever your marital status may be, I hope you will be encouraged to continue to seek God's glory above all in singleness or marriage and that God would grant you strength to endure the hardships that come with both and the peace to enjoy the benefits that come with both as well. 

The Rapture (song)

Note: (This is another entry from the archives. I do hope to eventually have all my previous writings (as much as possible) archived on this blog. That's still a work in progress.)

Given one of the recent topics of this blog, I thought this parody was only appropriate to post. I hope it doesn’t have a jagged edge for my Anglican friends (and any other Christian denominations that don’t believe in the Rapture as Southern Baptists particularly are famous for holding to.) I have tried to only mention what The Bible says about the end times events here- read the passages for yourself and let the Holy Spirit lead you as you read for understanding. I know some folks believe in pre-tribulation Rapture, some in mid-tribulation Rapture, some in post-tribulation Rapture and some who don’t believe in it at all. Regardless of what people believe regarding the timing of events, here’s what is clear from Scripture. Jesus will return one day! One day we who have put our faith in Christ will enjoy eternity with Him in Heaven. Those who have rejected Him will have to face God’s judgment and wrath in Hell. (And we’ll either get to either location through either our deaths or His return and judgment.) The only way I know to soften the blow of those truths is simply this- God loves us all so much that He sent Jesus to die for us and rise again- to endure God’s wrath for all of us so that we never have to. God wants everyone to trust in Jesus so they can avoid Hell and go to Heaven instead! And we don’t know when we’ll die or when Jesus will return. So don’t waste any time- today is the day of salvation! Trust Jesus in faith today! :-)

“The Rapture”
(parody of “The Rapper” by The Jaggerz)
(parody by Nathan Ludwick 11/8/2013)
(Hebrews 9:27-28, John 3:16-17, Matthew 24-25, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 and 5:23-24, Acts 1:1-11, 2 Peter 3, 2 Corinthians 6:2, Revelation 3:20)

Hey world, Christ left but He’s coming back to get us!
He’ll find you unaware if Jesus has been barred ‘cause you won’t make Him Lord!
You’ll stay excluded, having to live through wrath of The Lord!

(Chorus 1)
Rap-a-rap-a-rap- we call it The Rapture
Rap, rap, rap- caught up to hereafter

So read 1st. Corinthians- Go in 15- translation!
Christ says there’ll be two work companions- one’s gone; one gets left, dude
He waits such (a) long time- He wants no one (to) be lost, dude

(Chorus 2)
Rap-a-rap-a-rap- He calls at The Rapture
Rap, rap, rap- Noah’s days encore

He’s made restitution- with His death and Resurrection
“Come up to My place,” Christ is calling, “By faith- on Me.”
He loves you and He wants you- World, you gotta face reality!

(Chorus 3)
Rap-a-rap-a-rap- Don’t know when’s The Rapture
Rap, rap, rap- nobody but Father!

Rap, rap, rap- Christ calls- what’s your answer?
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Study to Shew Thyself Approved

Season for the Reason: Free At Last (The Scriptures, Slavery and The Saviour)

       The Bible includes passages to govern a number of things that at first glance might seem weird and disconcerting to a modern sense of justice. One such scenario includes a number of Old Testament and New Testament verses where The Bible seems to endorse slavery. Read Exodus 21, Leviticus 25, Deuteronomy 15, 1 Corinthians 7 and others in The Bible and you will find a lot of verses that deal with this topic.  I admit that to a Western mode of thinking, specifically an American mode of thinking, some of those Bible verses might sound indeed like an endorsement of slavery. However, there are some things we should remember in reading those passages.

         First of all, there is this question to consider. Did God create slavery or did sin create slavery? In those verses and all the others in The Bible regarding slavery, I don't see any where God is commanding the institution of slavery as Americans know it from the very sad history of American colonialism and the Atlantic slave trade. However, The Lord God does lay out rules to the Israelites regulating how they must operate within the slavery system that already existed. Laying out rules to govern an institution is not the same as instituting it. (A good example for comparison here is when Israel decided they wanted to have a king like other nations, rather than the theocracy already in place with God as their King and Master. It was not God's desire to have this in place- He directly warned them what would happen with an earthly king, but they chose to do it anyway- and so He allowed them to have a king- and they got Saul. And then David and Solomon and then the kingdom split in two. [see 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel and 1 Kings and 2 Kings and 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles for the history on that.] God gave Saul instructions on what to do in his role as king, but this doesn't mean God initiated the kingship rule in Israel- He clearly gave that choice to the people.) Sin led the Israelites to reject God as their ultimate King and choose an earthly ruler instead just as sin led people to take others against their will into slavery.

        Secondly, there are Bible passages that condemn slavery. (see Exodus 21:16 and 1 Timothy 1:8-11 for some.) When we read The Bible, we must take the totality of Scripture into account. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, correcting and rebuking. How does the view of God allowing slavery and even encouraging it square up with all the rest of Scripture where God clearly condemns slave-trading in some verses as I just mentioned and makes clear that we are to "Do unto others as we would have done unto us"? (Jesus says this in Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31) Remember also that God repeatedly reminds Israel how He brought them out of slavery in Egypt. Surely Israelites of all people would know the misery and horrible injustice of unjustly forced servitude and would not look to inflict such pain on someone else. That would go against the command to love our neighbors as ourselves, both those who are of our family and those who are strangers, as Leviticus 19:18 and Leviticus 19:33-34 show.

          Thirdly, we must also consider that The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic and it was written primarily to Jews. Thus, it's important to read The Bible in that context and read it in the mindset of Jewish people from thousands of years back. We need to understand the history, geography and culture of the people the Bible books were written to in contemplating its meaning. And it's important in this case to consider the customs of surrounding pagan nations as well. Israel was a stark contrast to the prevailing ideas and customs of its day in that time. What exactly is meant by the word "slave" in The Bible? The Hebrew word used in the Old Testament passages mentioned at the start of this piece is "eved ivri", which had two categories- a robber paying off his crimes and someone selling himself into slavery out of desperation and destitution.

          The reasons for slavery were different than ones Americans might readily think of, in regards to forced servitude against one's will for reasons of pure cruelty and sin. (Something The Bible condemns in Exodus 21:16) It is also significant to note that there is a continual theme in The Bible, moving from the Old Testament to the New Testament, in pushing for freedom from slavery; however, such movements don't happen overnight, but rather over the course of time. (See Leviticus 25, which outlines The Lord's commands for the Year of Jubilee, when slaves were set free in the seventh year of servitude. For a beautiful spiritual comparison, see Romans 6, which talks about being freed from being slaves to sin and becoming slaves to righteousness- slaves to Christ- instead. And then see the book of Philemon where these two concepts- physical and spiritual- come together in the person of Onesimus and Paul's pleadings to Philemon to accept him as a brother in The Lord and no longer as a bondservant- so that he might be both free spiritually and physically. And of course, as Galatians 3:28 tells us, there is no slave or free [or Jew or Greek or male or female]- but we are all one in Christ.)

        This redemptive story of setting physical slaves free reflects the heart of the Gospel in setting spiritual slaves free. We are either slaves to Jesus or slaves to sin. Jesus Christ Himself became as a slave for us, as Philippians 2 says. Though He was God He made Himself nothing and became a slave and humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death- even death on a cross! (It's significant to note this because Deuteronomy 21:22-23 and Galatians 3 both say that a hanged man on a tree is cursed. Christ became the curse of sin for us- see also 2 Corinthians 5:21.) For this reason, God has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name above all names that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. God raised Jesus back up from the dead, as Romans 10:9 says. And by our faith in His completed work of righteousness, He saves us from all our sins and will raise us up from the dead as well to be forever with Him in Heaven instead of hell as we deserve. Praise God for His love! His love reaches to all and desires to save all us slaves from the hopelessness of our own sins and set us all free instead to be forever in His presence in eternal joy in Heaven praising Him! And, as John 8:36 says, He who the Son sets free is free indeed! :-)

(See also these excellent articles that I drew some of the above points from for this writing. This article offers a Jewish perspective on the topic of slavery in The Old Testament. It's from the "Jewish Bible Quarterly" and authored by Dr. Shimon Bakon, Editor Emeritus of the magazine.

Here is also a Christian perspective on this question from Andrew Schmidt, a writer for "The Bearing", a leading Australian evangelical publication for over 20 years from Matthias Media.)

Signs and Times

            Since the time Jesus ascended into Heaven, people have been thinking His return and the end of time is imminent. Eschatology (the study of end time events) continues to be a hot topic today. It seems every few years or so, I hear various predictions for the end, even in a vague manner. For instance, here is one such article discussing the possibility of signs in the heavens and their meaning for us with the total solar eclipse coming up in August.
            It's certainly very interesting. And I certainly can't deny that it sure looks like a lot of signs of the end times prophecies are being fulfilled. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, people in past generations all the way to the days of the early church believed that the signs of the end times were being fulfilled and that Christ's return was imminent. I understand that we can look at the signs of things happening in the Heavens, but I have a big problem with anyone making predictions of specific dates. Matthew 24:36 states very clearly that no one but God The Father Himself knows the date of The Lord's return. The Bible tells us more than once that Jesus will come like a thief in the night- He will come suddenly at a time when people do not expect Him.
            I'm not denying that we very well may be seeing the fulfillment of some of The Bible's prophecies for the end. But ultimately, all I can say is I don't care to venture a guess because I don't know for sure. God is in control of everything- including the end times- and He will work all those details out in His time. If anything, I hope such speculation would emphasize the need to tell people about Jesus- that should definitely be what eschatology drives us to do more than anything. However, I don't think we need to share with people about these astronomical signs that may or may not be the fulfillment of prophecies. Rather, we need to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with people and let the Holy Spirit work to bring them to salvation. While Jesus does tell us to "watch and pray" in Luke 21:25-36, He also said it is "not for us to know the times and dates The Father has set by His own authority." (see Acts 1:6-8) In that same passage, Jesus tells us what we should do instead. It's not for us to know the times and dates. Jesus then juxtaposes this with saying, "But you will receive power when The Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." There's our mission there- in fact, our Great Commission (as Matthew 28:18-20 issues.)
            Look also at what Titus 3:4-9 says. In verse 8, we are told to stress the Gospel to people- how Jesus saved us through His death and Resurrection. And we are to do it so that those who have trusted in God will be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. Verse 9 tells us what's unprofitable and useless- the first thing on the list is foolish controversies (along with genealogies and arguments and quarrels about The Law.) I would say arguing about when the end times events will take place would count as foolish controversies. Jesus clearly said in Matthew 24 that there would be a number of false prophets saying that "Christ is here" or "Christ is there", etc. He clearly said if they tell you to rush out to the desert because Christ is there- don't believe them! 1 Timothy 6:20-21 also speaks to this. (But of course, Jesus also gave us numerous parables and warning about the end and told us to watch and pray- and we must balance that as well. However, the distinction I'm making here is getting caught up with predictions about the end to the extent that it's causing division in the church [which Titus 3 talks about] or that we become so Heavenly-minded that we're no earthly good, as the saying goes. [The converse is true as well- we can be so earthly-minded that we're no Heavenly good as well.] For further reference on this, just look at 1 Thessalonians 4-5 and 2 Thessalonians 3 in particular. We have clear commands against being idle and on how to live with the knowledge that Jesus will return one day and we must be ready- but even more so- we must make sure others are ready by sharing the Gospel with them! [See also 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 and 7:1 and 2 Peter 3- particularly verse 14. And Romans 13:8-14 and I'm sure there are others still.]
           And of course, Ecclesiastes 3 is also applicable. To everything- including the end times events- there is a season and a time for every purpose under Heaven.) I also like to look at John 21:15-25. Here we have the scene where Jesus reinstates Peter and tells him very clearly, "Follow Me." And Peter notices John following them and asks, "Lord, what about him?" And I love Jesus' answer- in effect, He says, "What about him? If I want to be alive until I return- what's that to you? It's not your concern. I repeat- Follow Me." (my paraphrase there.) I think this passage can apply for us following Jesus now. And it's what I've been trying to get at here. I just think it's funny how much time and effort people put into trying to figure out exactly what Jesus told us we are not going to figure out- in fact, what Jesus told us is not for us to know. And He also told us what our focus should be- yes, keep a watchful eye out for signs of His return. Keep watching and praying. When you see these signs, lift up your head for your redemption draweth nigh! (see Luke 21). Keep meeting together in church, keep spurring one another on toward love and good deeds, keep persevering and living by faith. (see Hebrews 10:19-39). Jude 1:17-25 is another great call to persevere. And of course, 2 Timothy 3 and 4. Wow- that says it really well. Preach The Word- be ready in season and out of season. [Also see 1 Corinthians 9:16]
            So what if it looks like signs are coming together for the end times? They are going to do that just as God has prescribed and we really can't do anything about it other than to pray that God continues to extend His long-suffering and patience as He did for Nineveh, because The Lord's patience means salvation! (Don't forget that Jesus gave the sign of Jonah in Luke 11:29-32. But though the people of Nineveh repented at Jonah's preaching- unfortunately, there is also a sequel to Jonah- the book of Nahum. And Nineveh does get destroyed at that time because they fell back into sin.) God will not stay His hand forever. He will judge everyone in righteousness in His due time. And the Gospel of Christ is the only way of salvation for all who will believe on Him. One last thing I was reminded about today just shortly after seeing this email. "But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God." (Acts 20:24 NLT) And- "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ... Therefore, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!” [see Philippians 3:7-8 and Job 1:20-22- some of my favorite verses.]
            And another quote I've heard says it well, "...there is great security when God is not just number one, but everything in your life." Sometimes I honestly get scared seeing some of the world events and some of these predictions or reading of the horrible judgments the world will face in Revelation. But I also remember one of the most repeated commands in The Bible- "Fear not." I know God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7) And I know that I have (repeatedly :-)) put my faith in Jesus and asked Him to be my Savior and trust that He is faithful to do what He said He would do. I think there is still a human tendency to feel some fright at what we don't know and what we can't control- and the whole idea of experiencing things so different from what we've known. And I know there are a number of verses that talk about longing for the return of The Lord (2 Timothy 4:8; Philippians 1, Revelation 22:16-21 and others). And I remember when I first read Revelation 18 and really understood it- how evil the world system of Babylon is and how much it needs to fall- there are times when I do feel the longing to see Christ return and set right all wrongs. At the same time, there are things I'd like to accomplish in life that I don't know if they will ever happen for me. I'd like to find the right girl and get married and be a husband and a father. I'd like to find myself in the right place where I can do more writing and maybe get something published. I'd like to see more places around the world and continue to visit and connect with old and new friends. And I know all these hopes and dreams are in God's hands too. (Psalms 37:3-11 and Psalms 90:12 and Psalms 139).
           And I know I have to wait on The Lord's timing and trust Him. (Psalms 40). But I also know He must be my greatest desire above all else- as the deer panteth for the water, so my soul pants after Thee, O God. (Psalms 42). I think that's true sometimes- I know it's not true all the time and I know it needs to be true all the time. And that gets me back to the verses I quoted above. Ultimately- for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. That's what my status must be. I know I don't always feel that and I know I don't always live like that- but that's what it must be. Luke 9:23 says that if I want to come after Christ, I must deny myself and take up my cross daily and follow Him. Count the cost! I want my desire to be knowing Christ above all else and counting all else but dung, as Philippians 3:8 says. Because Job 1:21 is also true- naked I came into the world and naked I will depart. I didn't bring anything in and I can't take anything out. May The Name of The Lord be praised!
          Help me, God, to want You and nothing else. Help me to keep trusting You above all else. Even if that means I may never see these things I'd like to see happen come to pass, help me to trust that You have a good plan in mind for me- thoughts of good to prosper me and not to harm me- to give me a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) And to remember that Your thoughts and ways are higher and better than mine. (Isaiah 55:8-11) And help me to remember the truth of Isaiah 57:1-2. Help me to remember that even though no one will marry or be given in marriage at the Resurrection (Matthew 22), no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for You and The Gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields- and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. (see Mark 10:17-31). Like Martha, I'm worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Help me to be like Mary who chose what is better and that will not be taken away from her. Help me to seek Your kingdom first and trust that You will add all that I need unto me. Help me to keep my treasure in Heaven and not on earth. Help me to trust You with everything and let You be my everything. God is in control. All will be done in His time. And He is making all things new! Even so, come Lord Jesus!

Can You Tell Me How to Get to Heavenly Streets?

       [Note: This is a favorite entry from the archives. It's a treatise of Sesame Street theology! (And yes, Sesame Street is still one of the best shows on television today. :-) There are a lot of things from childhood that still resonate with us and that are common in our experience, no matter the age level. I try to explore that in this blog. As one of my Christian heroes said, "The child is in me still and sometimes not so still." (That's a Mister Rogers quote! :-)) May you enjoy some sunny days where everything's A-okay this week as the Son shines in your life.]

       And because, as I’ve heard it said before, “Everything is theology”, I wanted to share some musings about an unusual place to find theology perhaps- but it’s definitely a great place to learn new things- like ABCs and 123s. You still know how to get there, don’t you?
Nonetheless, lest we forget, can you tell me how to get- how to get to Sesame Street? :-)
       I was thinking on this a while back- there are a number of songs on Sesame Street that may speak to simple themes, but also in some ways point to a much bigger picture. The name of the show itself is taken from a phrase from the “Arabian Nights”- “Open Sesame” is the phrase Ali Baba learns that the 40 thieves use to open the door to their cave of (stolen) treasures. Sesame Street as a TV show strives to be an open cave full of treasure as well- the treasure of knowledge; the path of wisdom. And is that not the longing we hear expressed even in the very theme song- “Sunny days- sweeping the clouds away; on my way to where the air is sweet- Can you tell me how to get- how to get to Sesame Street? Come and play- everything’s A-okay. Family, neighbors, friends- that’s where we meet. Can you tell me how to get- to get to Sesame Street? It’s a magic carpet ride- every door will open wide for happy people like you. Happy people like… What a glorious- Sunny day sweeping the clouds away- on my way to where the air is sweet- can you tell me how to get- how to get to Sesame Street?”……… Sunny days- where the air is sweet and where the clouds are swept away- that description sounds fairly similar to Heaven where God gives us endless happy days with Him for those who trust Him as Savior- and He wipes away all our tears.  And we meet family, neighbors and friends who have trusted Christ as Savior too. It is certainly glorious there- (Revelation 21-22) And isn’t this the end goal everyone wants to get to- yet everyone is asking everyone else, “Can you tell me how to get there?” And of course, as we seek this wisdom- we seek the right path to God- The Bible tells us that we could never know the way on our own- and that’s why God revealed it to us through Jesus- He is The Way, The Truth and The Life- No man comes to The Father but by Him. Proverbs 8 gives us a whole chapter of Wisdom crying out to us and imploring us to seek her and find her. And Proverbs 9:10 tells us, “The fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of The Holy One is understanding.” And as we are on this quest, God has given us knowledge of Himself through revelation both in creation and in His Word- and in The Living Word- Jesus Himself. (John 1:1-14) Some of the other songs on the show reveal to me some other theological themes, whether intended or not. These are metaphors that talk of some of the simplest childhood desires and pleasures- but they also reveal something of the “eternity in our hearts” that God has placed in all of us. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
        One of my favorite songs on the show really drives this point home- “Somebody Come and Play”. What a simple invitation but isn’t this the longing we all have within us, both as children and teenagers and adults? “Somebody come and play, somebody come and play today- Somebody come and smile the smiles and sing the songs- it won’t take long. Somebody come and play today. Somebody come and play; somebody come and play my way- Somebody come and rhyme the rhymes and laugh the laughs- it won’t take time. Somebody come and play today. Somebody come with me and see the pleasure in the wind- Somebody see the time is getting late to begin. Somebody come and play, somebody come and play today- Somebody come and be my friend- and watch the sun until it rains again. Somebody come and play today. (La la la la la la……..etc.) Somebody come with me and see the pleasure in the wind- Somebody see the time is getting late to begin. Somebody come and play, somebody come and play today- Somebody come and be my friend- and watch the sun until it rains again. Somebody come and play today.” I hear this song and just think of Ecclesiastes 2:17-26, which talks of how meaningless toil on this earth is and how a man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. But of course, this too is from the hand of God- we really find no enjoyment without Him. As Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 tells us, even when Solomon denied himself no pleasure, he still found that in all that he had done and toiled to achieve- it was all meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Of course, while Ecclesiastes 3 speaks of a time and place for everything, the entire book reminds us of how futile our efforts at pleasure and work and all that we do on Earth really are- outside of God. The full duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments- He’s the only One who brings any fulfillment in life. We all desire somebody to come and play and be our friend because we all have a longing for companionship. Adam felt it in the Garden of Eden when he realized that none of the trees and plants or animals would do it- thus, God created Eve for Adam because He saw it was not good for man to be alone. (Genesis 1:18)
          And while The Bible definitely tells us that he who finds a wife finds a good thing and a blessing from The Lord- and this is certainly a great way that God has provided for that need in our lives- but we also can’t find full satisfaction in any human being. We are all fallible and we all let each other down. God Himself is the only One who never does that and who is always faithful, loving us with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3) And ultimately, He is the One we must look to first and foremost to be our faithful, forever Friend and Father. (Psalms 73:24-28)
           What about yet another simple statement that also carries such profound ideas behind it? As Cookie Monster famously sang, “C is for Cookie”- and that’s good enough for me.
Yes, “C” is for cookie. “C” is also for Calvary’s cross and covenant and ultimately Christ- and that’s good enough for me. And He’s good enough for me. Christ is my only righteousness, as I have none of my own. (Which numerous passages make clear- Romans 3:10, Psalms 14:3, Psalms 53:3, Romans 3:23, Isaiah 64:6). This is another incredible idea in God’s Word that we can’t fully understand- but we trust and rest in it- and that is good enough for us. Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us that we are saved by grace alone. Hebrews 9:12-14 says that through Christ’s death and Resurrection, our consciences are cleared when we trust in Him. His righteousness is imputed to us! God no longer sees our sin when He then looks at us- He sees the righteousness of Christ instead! (Romans 5:12-21 explains this beautifully!)
         And then when we realize that gift that God has given us in Jesus and we recognize the life that He has called us to- He should truly become our magnificent obsession, much as Cookie Monster has for cookies. As Colossians 3:1-4 tells us, we have died and our lives are now hidden with Christ in God. Therefore, we must set our minds on things above, not on things below. Ultimately, we must set our minds on Christ and let Him become our only gain- and count everything else a loss. (Philippians 3- particularly verse 8.) This is a picture of the desire and love we should have for Jesus Christ. As Cookie Monster says- who cares about anything else? C is for Christ- and He’s good enough for me. And what should follow next but naturally a song of praise and thanks to God for being “my very Best Friend- it’s true.” And I can’t think of a song that better espouses this on Sesame Street than Ernie’s classic ode to “Rubber Duckie”. Indeed, Lord Jesus- You’re The One. You make everything so much fun. You are The Meaning and The Inspiration and The Only One who makes something out of my life and life in general. Thank You for giving us life eternal and life abundant. (John 10:10) I’m awfully fond of You, to say the least. (Psalms 73)- Lord, sometimes You aren’t the most overwhelming desire in my life as You should be. Forgive me for those times. Help me to keep You on a pedestal above all else- nothing else in life matters more than You. How could I ever settle for the emptiness of life apart from You? I can’t do anything without You (John 15:5)- I need You, Lord Jesus- every hour I need You, most gracious Lord. Thank You for always being there. But sometimes in this life of faith, that old ugly man of sin rears his head again. It’s a sobering thing when I realize “The Monster in the Mirror” is me. I’m starting with the man in the mirror- I’m asking him to change his ways. But, much as I appreciate Michael Jackson’s directive to start with myself and work on my own plankeye before I try to get the speck out of my brother’s eye, I can’t do it on my own. It is me, oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer. (Of course, we all are, really though- but before I look to criticize my brother and sister in The Lord- I’m going to ask You to cleanse me first.) (Psalms 139:23-24).
         That struggle between the old nature of sin and new nature in Christ rages on- and I am no one to judge anyone else because I do the same things! (Romans 2 and Romans 14). As Romans 7 says, what a wretched man I am! Who will save me from this cycle of sin I keep getting caught in? Thanks be to God- He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
           And before we judge others, let’s seek to do unto them as we would have them do unto us. (Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31). Remember the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25- Those that we are quick, like Grover, to “wubba” because they “wubba”ed us first- we must learn to love and learn to do good things unto them. We must love our enemies and pray for those who mistreat us. And maybe we’ll come to realize that the people of low position we look down on in life- all the ones we would never want to associate with- the ones perhaps we would think of as monsters…. We are no better than them- we are the same- all in the same boat. (James 2:10) We’ve all fallen and are in no place to judge. (Matthew 7:1-3) Rather, speak the Truth in Love (Ephesians 4:15) and love God with all we’ve got and love our neighbor as ourselves. Paul was one of the greatest missionaries ever and a powerful man of God- but he never forgot his past as a murderous enemy of God and persecutor of Jesus- just see 1 Timothy 1:15-17 for evidence. But God redeemed even the chief of sinners- and He can redeem any who come to trust in Him. And He has the power to keep us from stumbling (Jude 1:24-25) and keep us from temptation and deliver us from the evil one- we have to trust Him for that and let Him pick us back up when we do fall down. (Matthew 9:6-15 and 1 Corinthians 10:13) The saints are just the sinners who fall down- and God picks back up.
      And perhaps one of the most poignant songs ever recorded on Sesame Street (and of course, it has been performed on The Muppet Show and numerous other places)- Kermit’s swan song. (okay- frog song, I guess. :-)). No, it’s not easy “Bein’ Green”- sometimes I do think it might be nicer being red or yellow or gold- or something colorful like that. It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things and people tend to pass you over ‘cause you’re not standing out from everyone else…. But green’s the color of spring- and green can be cool and friendly-like. And green can be big like a mountain or important like a river or tall like a tree. When green is all there is to be- it could make you wonder why- but why wonder? Why wonder? I’m green- and it’ll do fine. It’s beautiful- and I think it’s what I want to be.
       Ultimately, this song speaks to me about being the person that God made us to be. We are all made in His image (Genesis 1:26)- every man and woman. And we are all made to be exactly the person God made us to be. When we can learn to be happy with who God has made us to be, we can learn how to love others better. It is then that we are not comparing ourselves with others and making ourselves jealous and envious of others- rather, we learn to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. (Romans 12:9-21). We learn to see The Divine in each other (by this, I don’t mean in a New Age sense). Rather, I mean like what Matthew 25:40 says- when we’ve done any kindness unto the least of Christ’s brethren- we’ve done it unto Him. Feed the poor, give water to the thirsty, clothe the naked, invite in the stranger, care for the sick and visit the imprisoned. When we can accept ourselves as wonderfully and fearfully made in God’s image (Psalms 139) and know that we are eternally loved by Him (Jeremiah 31:3, Hosea 11, Hosea 2:19-20, John 3:16-17, Romans 5:8) – we are set free to love others with that same kind of Yahweh love that Isaiah 53 demonstrates.
            And even if we do get lonely in loving and serving Jesus, we know that first of all- He said we would get ostracized by the world because we don’t belong to the world- we will be hated by the world; but remember- it hated Him first. (John 15:18-27, Matthew 24:9) And those who reject us aren’t really rejecting us anyway- we’re just the messengers. It’s Christ they’re rejecting ultimately. But God has called us to be separate in Christ.
(1 Peter 1:13-21 and 1 Peter 2:9, Hebrews 13:11-14, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, 2 Corinthians 7:1) He’s also called us to let our light shine before men so that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in Heaven. (Matthew 5:16)
And of course, the color green is the color of growth- and we are continually growing in The Lord until the day of completion and perfection in Heaven. (Philippians 1:6) Be praised for all Your tenderness, Lord, by these works of Your hands. Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless and bring to life Your land. Look down upon this winter wheat and be glad that You have made blue for the sky and the color green that fills these fields with praise! I’m happy to be who You made me to be. Keep making me the person You want me to be. Thank You for always working in me and never giving up on me and never leaving me. (Hebrews 13:5)
        And another one of my all time favorite Sesame Street songs really wraps up the ultimate longing we all have inside of us- the longing for Home. And of course, for those who know Christ as Savior, our citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20) and we eagerly await the Savior from there to come back for us- The Lord Jesus Christ. One day He will return and will restore all things to what they should be. “Behold, I make all things new!” (Revelation 21:5) And I think this tender lullaby from Ernie brings out this idea well- ultimately, I want to be Home- and that’s in Heaven with God. No matter where else I might go to try to fill this longing- it doesn’t really satisfy. And that’s why “I Don’t Want To Live On The Moon”.
As C.S. Lewis once wrote (and I’m paraphrasing some here)- If I discover a longing inside myself that can’t be filled by anything in this world, the most probable and logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”
      Sure, I’d like to visit the moon and dance on a moonbeam there- I’d like to travel under the sea and meet all the fish everywhere… I’d like to visit the jungle and hear the lions roar- I’d like to go back and time and meet a dinosaur….there are so many strange places I’d like to be, but none of them permanently…. But ultimately, I’d miss all the people and places I love- none of these places are really Home…….. So if I should visit the moon, I’ll dance on a moonbeam and then- I will make a wish on a star (The Bright and Morning Star- Revelation 22:16)- and I’ll wish I was Home once again.
       This is the longing that Christ will fulfill for all eternity in Revelation 21-22. And that truly is the end of all the stories- the term is over and the holidays have begun. The dream is over- this is the morning! :-) And that’s where The Story truly begins- The One that goes on for eternity- and every page is better than the one before!
         And until we reach Heaven’s gates, the most appropriate response I can think of, in gratitude to Jesus for all He’s done for us and continues to do for us and will do for us- is the simple exhortation to “Sing”. Sing. Sing a song-sing out loud, sing out strong. Sing of good things- not bad. Sing of happy- not sad. Sing- sing a song. Make it simple to last your whole life long. Don’t worry that it’s not good enough for anyone else to hear-sing- sing a song! La la la la la la! :-)
Sing a song of praise to God! (Psalms 95:1-2, Psalms 100, Psalms 101:1)
My life will be a song of praise to You, Lord Jesus. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalms 19:14)
(And one other cool thing to note about this song- it’s sung in both English and Spanish. What a cool reminder that one day we who know Christ as Savior will be among a great cloud of witnesses- a multitude from every tribe, language, race and tongue and all praising God together forever in eternity! – Revelation 7:9-17 gives us this beautiful picture.) Amen! Praise The Lord! Soli Deo Gloria!