What Ya Gonna Then Plead- Huh? (Song)

 Throughout history, in all parts of the world, there have always been various beliefs held about the world and how it works. We might classify these views under cultures or worldviews. Ultimately, every human being has to decide what he or she will believe about the big question of life, which is death and the hereafter. What does one believe about God? There are numerous religions in the world that all offer different takes on God and what He's like and ultimately how He relates with the world and us His creation. The major world religions are similar in some respects in that most all promote ideas like showing love to others and helping the poor- essentially, doing unto others as you would have done unto you. There is a stark difference between world religions and Christianity though. It's been said this way before. Religion says, "Do" and Christ says, "Done". This song is a quick comparison of some basic tenets of major world religions to the basic message of Christianity. It's not meant to put down anyone or their beliefs, but rather to contrast the works-based push often seen in religions with the grace found in Christ alone. There is no one righteous- no, not one. We all fall short of God's glory. And perfection is the standard for entry into Heaven. In the end, we all fall short because of our many sins and we all deserve Hell. God loves us so much that He gave us grace by sending Jesus to die for our sins and rise again from the dead. We can escape the punishment we deserve by trusting Jesus' payment for our sins and putting faith in Him and following Him. Ultimately, there is a broad way that leads to destruction and a narrow way that leads to life and to get to eternal life with God, we must go through Jesus. He is the Way, Truth, and Life- no man comes to the Father but by Him.

"What Ya Gonna Then Plead- Huh?" 
(Parody of "In A Gadda Da Vida" by Iron Butterfly; parody copyright by Nathan Ludwick 9/15/2022)
(Genesis 3, Romans 5:8, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 8:1, Romans 5:1-2, Romans 5:9-21, Romans 3:10-25)

In the Bhagavad Gita bodies
Recycle souls- karma's up to you
In the path of the Buddha- suffering's
Gone when soul's in nirvana- greed's gone too
Torah, Talmud Jews read
Works-based faith plan
And in Islam you heed
What's taught in Qur'an
Deeds weighed- good or bad

When you go to Lord Jesus- done deal
Died and rose for sin- God loves you!
In the Garden of Eden- we fell
Lord saves souls through faith by grace- Thank You!

My hope in contrasting
Put faiths on stand
No one's enough holy
But Jesus, man!
By grace we stand

LifeBlood (story)

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


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



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

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

I Wish We'd All Been Ready

(Note: I had to use Larry Norman's classic song title for this blog! :-)) 

     I've heard some say that they can't believe in God if such a nice person like so-and-so isn't in Heaven. (And admittedly, there are a number of nice people in the world that did some great, nice things in life- but that doesn't mean they're in Heaven. I had just watched a PBS documentary on John Denver when I wrote this and maybe that's why I was thinking on this. I have some heroes like him and Christopher Reeve and Jim Henson and Karen Carpenter and others that I certainly want to believe they're in Heaven. I love so much of their work, which conveyed some Biblical truths at times. I hope they are there and that everyone will be there, but I know that Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 7 that only a few ever get in, compared to the many on the broad road to destruction.)
     Ephesians 2:8-10 makes it clear that we're not saved by works but rather by grace through faith, both of which are the gifts of God- so no one can boast. Our faith in the completed work of Christ's death and Resurrection to pay for all our sins is what saves us and our obedience is what proves it. If so-and-so isn't in Heaven, it will be very sad indeed- but it will always be Heaven because Jesus is there. Without putting faith in Jesus, we are doomed to Hell. And a Heaven without Jesus is Hell.           God wants all to be in Heaven and I certainly do too (1 Peter 3:8-9, Revelation 7:9). But as Romans 1-3 talks about, everyone has a chance and is without excuse. And God loves us so much, He makes it so easy- just like a child trusting his daddy to catch him coming off the slide- that's the childlike faith we are called to have in Jesus. He's waiting- today's the day of salvation. And when we know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we experience Heaven on earth with an abundant life (John 10:10) until we reach Heaven itself- because Heaven is Jesus. :-)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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A Baby's Cry To The Lord (song)

I'm cutting right to the chase on this one, crew. I had the idea for this parody song a while back and I've waited a while to post it. It actually worked out to be good timing along with my last two devotional posts, as both of those inform the approach I am taking with this song. I want to make sure that I make clear that I offer this as a voice crying in the wilderness, looking to speak truth and life to a controversial issue of our day. Keep in mind that you can't always say everything you want to say in a song, but I hope some things come across very clearly in this piece. For one, we are all sinners in need of the Savior's forgiveness. And secondly, no matter what you've done, Jesus Christ loves you with an unending love- in fact, Jeremiah 31:3 says that God has loved us with an everlasting love! And that eternal Love has restored our relationship to God through Jesus' death and Resurrection if we will only trust Him in faith for it. And though we still deal with the consequences of a sin-fallen world, one day He will ultimately right all wrongs and make everything sad come untrue.

A Baby's Cry To The Lord
(parody of "(I Just) Died In Your Arms" by Cutting Crew; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 3/4/2014)
(Ecclesiastes 11:5, Job 33:8-18, Job 10:8-12, Job 1:20-22, Job 34:10-22, Job 34:31-33, 1 Samuel 24, 1 Samuel 26, Genesis 2, Romans 1, Romans 2:14-16, Hosea 2, Hosea 11, Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17, Isaiah 65:17-25, Psalms 27:10, Genesis 9:1-7, Matthew 19:13-15, Matthew 18:1-14, Matthew 21:15-16, Psalms 116:15, 1 John 1:7-10, Psalms 130, Amos 5:24, Amos 5:14-15, Ecclesiastes 12:7, Ecclesiastes 7:27-29, Proverbs 31:8-9, Colossians 1:13-23, Romans 5, Isaiah 49:13-18, Isaiah 49:1-7, Jeremiah 1:5, Genesis 1:26-27, Psalms 140:12, Isaiah 57:3-6, Psalms 143, Genesis 4:1-18 (especially v. 10), Psalms 139:13-18, Proverbs 6:16-19, Isaiah 5:20-21, Isaiah 66:7-16, Revelation 21:1-5)

(Pre-Chorus)
Oh, I, I just died in your arms tonight
I must have been one of "those kids"
They'll just pry out my skull and spine

(Verse 1)
She kept looking for love but got pregnant
Broken hearts and lies all surround her
Abortion seems an easy way to get out of this

The Bible says- Isaiah 49- hey, ya'll
God forms us in the womb- knows us before the cradle
Who would've thought that our liberty would come to this?

(Chorus 1)
Oh, I, I just died in your arms tonight
I guess my mom had a death wish
Better I go than Mom tonight
"Just a zygote" quells qualms- not child
I guess we get one life to live
Unless you're borne of rape; unless you're their mistake

(Verse 2)
Is there any just cause for choosing life's end?
Job asserted The Lord takes and He gives
Colossians 1:17- by Christ all things exist

Life lost its value- didn't start with Roe v. Wade
(In) 5 Romans, the pox has been given by Fall's stain
So baby's killed from adultery and everyone's fine?

(Chorus 2)
Oh, (but) I, I just died in your arms tonight
Through murder- and yes, it's a sin!
I'll just fly to the arms of Christ
That's why Christ just died for our sins and did rise
I trust you know Christ can forgive
He shouldered all the weight; He's still there offering grace

(Bridge)
It was a long hard fight
Snake made it easy; he made it feel right
And now it's worded as women's choice and bod
The Law's been written on our hearts- we know it is wrong

(Repeat Chorus 2)

Oh, my blood just cries to The Lord
Oh, my blood just cries to The Lord...

-He's still there offering grace... (and fade)

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