The Progression of No Thanks

The Progression of No Thanks

11/18/13

Growing up I was taught a few lessons about being appreciative of the things that I received, and over time I learned the deeper meaning of why this courtesy is extended to others.  We are not guaranteed anything in this life but it sure does feel good when we receive some of the added gifts that we do not have in our possession.  If we do not learn to be thankful for those things a part of our inner being dies and weeds grow in its place called selfishness.  Self is a dangerous game that individuals play with and it is time that we once again return to our thankful ways and restore the giving spirit once again.

I have mentioned in the past about the holiday of Thanksgiving and some of the reasons why this holiday should be remembered on a daily basis and not just stuck to one day of the year.  Research has shown that ha happy heart is healthier than a sad heart and if one stops and thinks about this point, it would make sense to them.  Being happy and content with your life is one of the most important issues that we can address and if our heart is not happy then the core of our stability is rendered damaged.  A happy heart gives and it also is gracious in receiving at the same time, you cannot have one portion without the other portion, it cannot operate on one side alone.

Many of you know that my parents were and still are in many ways ministers and they just finished re-opening a church.  Well being a pastor means that you are invited to people’s houses for dinner, parties, gatherings, meetings, etc.  While this is a good thing and it was fun to hang out with my friends at these houses my parents still expected me to be respectful and kind to the hosts and to make sure that my conduct was not detriment to their house in any manner. 

As our family was leaving all of the normal hugs, handshakes, and goodbyes were said.  A round of thank you for everything filled the air and I usually stood by and waited for the procession to begin to exit out the door.  This time of the gathering was my signal to say my personal thank you for everything speech  and for the most part I accomplished this task with flying colors.  However, there were other times that my mind was focused on something else or I was tired and wanted my bed, those words did not even come close to exiting my lips.  When it was apparent to my parents that I was not going to say thank you to the hosts, I received a gentle reminder to say thank you and at this moment I automatically looked up and said thank you to the hosts with a big smile on my face.  This was engrained into my being for my entire stay at home and there were no variations to this rule accepted either.

There was an old commercial on television about Butterball Turkeys and how juicy they were.  The beginning of the commercial had a family pulling up to a relative’s house and then all of the family walking up to the house.  The boy tugged on his mother’s skirt and she bent over.  The boy had one question for the mother and it was as follows: Do I have to eat the turkey if it’s dry?  This was hilarious to me and for many people out there very practical because of the circumstances it might have been a question that they had asked in their past.  The mother politely responded with a “yes” and they proceeded to the door of the house.  While this was a funny commercial, it also taught a valuable lesson to that child and hopefully reached the many viewers of that commercial as well.  No matter what is being served to you, always receive it with a cheerful heart and be thankful for that is set before you.

As I had said above, my parents taught me this courtesy all the while I was growing up and to this day I continue to keep those standards along with trying my best to implant them into my daughters.  I know that there are times I still slip and stumble in this area but I do my best to be as appreciative for everything that I receive.  However, there was a time in my life when I really did not have this concept in the forefront of my head and to this day the story that I am about to tell you haunts me and makes me angry with myself for the way I acted.

Some of you know that I was in the Air Force before I moved to Colorado.  For the most part my attitude was great while I was in the USAF and had no problems with the military itself.  The problems that I had were on a personal note and had nothing really to do with the government.  Times were tough of course because I was not a high ranking person within that organization and there were many issues that stemmed from this circumstance that attributed to my actions during this event.  At one point the car that we had broke down and my family needed some transportation as soon as possible.  If it was just myself I would have had no problems with walking since everything that I supposedly needed was within a short distance from the apartment, but I had a new baby and my wife did not need to be left without a car in case something happened.

I knew of a pastor friend in the area and I used him as a contact during this time period.  I had some help from my parents as well in initiating this process and once the ball got rolling things were completed pretty quickly.  The pastor referred me to a friend of his who was a retired Colonel and was living right up the road from the base.  I called his number and told him who I was and how I came to get his number.  After the initial greetings and questions I then proceeded to tell him of my situation and that I needed a car for a few days until ours was repaired.  The gentleman had no qualms about lending me his extra car and asked for my address, phone number etc for his personal logs.

Within a few hours he pulled up in the parking lot of the apartment complex and got out of the vehicle.  I knew what to look for since he had told me what I was going to be driving for the next few days.  A nice elderly gentleman stepped out of the car and gently shut the car door.  It did not take too long for each of us to make eye contact and we both began the trek towards each other.  We shook hands and formally introduced ourselves to one another.  I told the gentleman a few more details about the car and re-iterated how long the car was going to be out of commission.  He stated that he had no problems with this as he handed over the keys to his car. 

There were no formal documents for me to sign or to fill out, nor were there any preconditions set upon me, the gentleman fully trusted me and my driving abilities with his car.  The gentleman told me about some of the quirks about the car and as it turned out it was just general conversational information because none of it had anything to do with the short amount of time that I was going to use the car.  After a few minutes, we shook hands again and I gave the gentleman one of the wimpiest, meaningless and cowardly “thank you” phrases that had ever protruded from my lips.  It was one of those moments that if my parents had heard me say this they would have been utterly ashamed of my conduct towards the gentleman.

After a few days my car was fixed and ready to go.  It was taken out of the shop and driven home to where it belonged.  I called the gentleman and said that our usage of his car was over and that he could come get it whenever he desired.  I told him that it was in great shape and that no damage had incurred upon his vehicle.  At this point I had felt pretty good about the entire situation and was excited to have the entire process completed.  We met in the same parking lot and once again greeted each other with a handshake.  I promptly handed over the keys to him and said that everything went well.  Our conversation was quite brief for he had another appointment to attend.  We then said our goodbyes and turned and walked away.  This was the extent of our connection with each other and I never saw or spoke to the gentleman ever again.  More importantly, I never stated a true thank you to this gentleman for the usage of his car.

At the time I did not think about this entire situation but as I look back on it now I have to say that it is a great example of how the kids are becoming in today’s society.  See, I did not know that this gentleman some time before had gone up to the pastor and had offered his car to young servicemen and servicewomen that needed real temporary help.  All of the arrangements had been made long before my situation came into existence.  The gentleman was willing to place his car into harm’s way for someone that he had no clue about but needed help.  I do not know if there were any other categories that this gentleman had in place either, for all I know he could have had a food pantry for the same type of situation of others.  My point is that this person opened his life up to me and I stood there and took what he had to offer and had no real gratitude for his generous offer.  We as humans understand and pride ourselves on the fact that changes or choices we make inside start on an individual level and my selfishness started out on this personal level which is the beginning of the progression of no thanks.

A few years back there was another commercial that became popular and it was concerning people being nice to others while they were out just doing their normal activities.  The setting was in a city and as one knows it can be crowded on city streets, whether driving or walking.  One scene had a man walking and reading a newspaper and not really paying attention to things around him as he approached a crosswalk.  The man continued without looking up just as a car was approaching.  Another man beside this gentleman was paying attention and reached out and grabbed the other man and pulled him back onto the curb as the car passed by.  The man that was not paying attention looked at the other man and gave him a gesture of thanks.

The next scene had a lady who was helping an elderly man across the street just making sure that everything went well as he crossed the road, this too prompted a thank you gesture from the man towards the lady.  The point of the commercial was that if one person does something kind for another person it will instill goodwill in others and trigger them to enact these goodwill measures when necessary or for no real reason at all.  When a commercial deals with this subject then that probably means that it has been noticed by some that these types of gestures are not being demonstrated towards others.

This type of atmosphere is taking hold within many people of the world today.  The attitudes towards many governments, ideologies and philosophies are now reflecting by many people.  Let us take a moment and look at what made this country great.  This country was founded on many principles all of which may not be agreed upon by everyone but we all understand their reasoning behind their establishment.  These principles have been recognized by millions of people ever since they were created yet today, there are many in this country and others like ours who wish to see that these courtesies ignored or even abolished.  The ideas of the younger generations have been indoctrinated to exclude the people of society and the immediate surroundings that are occurring and focus upon their individual wants and grips.

This is a dangerous societal condition that is being promoted now and we must understand that if it is allowed to continue in this manner western society and freedom that we all know about and live in today will be destroyed.  When we look at a mechanism and have more concerns about what others think about us than making sure that a fellow human being makes it across the street safely then we have reached the point that we do not appreciate society and the freedoms that we use; that is taking advantage of a situation and not using it wisely.  I personally witness this scenario each day as I come to work.  The medical field is constantly inundated with these types of people who demand a service but never pay for what they receive, nor are they appreciative of the care that they receive.

We also have noticed that a large percentage of kids who attend school do not wish to be there.  They would rather be out doing something else than sitting in a classroom and learning how to think and survive out in the real world.  These kids are spending all of their time worrying about who they are dating, or how they look or wanting to make sure they have plans for the weekend.  They care nothing about responsibilities or working to obtain the items and wants that they desire; they want things handed to them.  Just think about what our society and future will be when these kids with the attitude that the world owes them everything become the leaders of mankind.

The kids of western thinking now find nothing wrong with demanding things without even believing that they should work for what they want.  They find it logical to scream at their parents and demand that they give them everything they want, like the parents have an obligation to complete this task.  How will our country fare when this type of attitude rules the government; oh wait, that attitude is already being promoted within our governmental institutions around the world.  I guess it is just a matter of time when these attitudes will have enough of us older folks saying “no” to them and more drastic measures must ensue to get what they want from us.  What these people do not realize is that this last example is a component of the no thanks progression and if it continues to progress, look out!

I take concern in something that our own President said a while back in that he has authorized certain laws that he has no intention of following yet the stipulations of those laws are still on the books.  This means that even though he says he will not enforce them the words are there for someone else who follows him the authority to enforce them.  None of know how each one of our lives will turn out and the same goes for our country, so why would anyone place words into laws or decrees that could cause future panic and havoc among their constituents?  This type of activity is ripe for a societal overthrow and demolition of its way of life.

If the individual comes first and society comes second then there is only one area left that follows along this progression and that is God. Once the individual has been claimed against itself and society has been usurped the only logical step that can be taken is removing God from the equation.  When I was young, I remember my father telling me that somehow things were going to drastically change within our world and that it would set up a total different way of life for everyone who was still alive on the earth.  Biblical passages mention this state of the world but dad understood that man’s progression would voluntarily take us there unless we stopped and realized what we were actually doing to ourselves.  I have held onto this thought that dad had, and still has, and once I got my head back into place I began to take notice that everything that the Bible says and what dad said is coming to pass as each day passes.  We are voluntarily setting up laws and regulations that would make things so easy for one person who has the right ideas and is popular at that moment to come in and to issue those laws that are on the books and actually enforce them.

Each day we see in inclusion of standards, beliefs and laws that are solely directed at destabilizing the foundations of our country.  It is a choice that we are embracing and not thinking about what the consequences shall be.  We have pushed God aside and thumbed our nose at His ways and means.  As we have read in the Bible, read about in ancient history, medieval history and witnessing during current history, He is allowing us to choose our ways.  It pains God greatly that we are choosing this path for He understands that at some point in time He must intervene as a parent and try to guide us back to Him.  Yet, we continue to live in our selfish mannerisms and thrive in our daily decisions of self guided bliss.  We feel great and even our leaders are concurring with our wants, so how could there be anything wrong with our lifestyle?

This decision to live in this manner states that we have progressed enough to rule out God in our overall life within our society.  We are voluntarily saying that we do not need God or even the ones who accept God’s ways.  Society wishes to remove all aspects of God from our lives, and God will allow this because it is our choice to do so.  However, there shall be consequences to these choices that we have made, and everyone will be included in these consequences.  We have lived with our trust in mankind long enough to see dependency upon our made up ways, and then ignore them when those flawed ways come into light. 

We have progressed from an individual loss, to a societal loss and now vastly approaching the voluntary loss of God within our lives.  The people who call themselves progressives, you are getting your wish my friends.  For you see if one area of our lives becomes progressive for selfish reasons ten the remaining parts of the world is fair game in the future.  I heard one of the late night commentators ask the question about the government takeover of the American auto industry of why would it be a big deal if the government accomplished this duty?  Look at what is going on now and one should know that the government did not stop there and they took over other areas of our lives.  Which poses the question, what will be next?  The wording is in place and can be used at any time, so I guess we have given whomever a blank check with our lives.

Progression begins within your individual life and continues from there.  There are millions of causes around the world that flood our eyes each day.  There is nothing wrong with being progressive, in fact the way God designed our hearts and minds is to be progressive but in order to maintain this truthful meaning we must understand that we cannot be successful if God is not a part of our lives.  If we do not include God in our choices we will definitely be left out because of our flawed methods of thinking.  It is not God’s will to control our lives but to be a part of our lives so that our lives can be made continually better. 

We are getting a good glimpse of how humanity can progress if we leave God out of our equation and if one wants other examples read the Bible and read history and it will become quite evident of these situations.  There is a way out of this progression and for true progression to take place; all we have to do is ask the right person.  Once we allow God back into our lives and our societies we will find ourselves being thankful for the blessings that have been given to us.  We will also notice that we will want to do good things for others and expect nothing in return and most importantly we will once again be restored and well on our way of progressing as God meant for our lives.

DLB

Sunlight

Sunlight

11/16/13

We all know that the sun provides the universe with light and depending upon how fast each orbit rotates the amount of light per day corresponds equally.  But some of the finer details about the sun have been the centerpiece of discussions and even persecutions for those who study the entity.  We have learned quite a deal about the sun and its function but we continue to study it to see what else it can provide for each galaxy.  The same must be held true for God as well, we need to make sure of what we know how He operates instead of just assuming general thoughts about Him.

I walked outside this morning from the building that I work and I once again crossed the famous parking lot that I have mentioned so many times in my past articles.  As I walking I tilted my head towards the sky and said thank you God for another day of life.  While I was doing this activity and saying those words my head turned towards the sun and I looked at the one source that was providing the light that allowed me to see every activity around me.  A few minutes later I was back in my cubby and God reminded me that He had given me a topic to write about the sun so I quickly looked it up and this is where this article begins. 

God showed me this topic a while back but sometimes when He does this He says nothing else about it and lets it hang there for a while. That is why I have to write all of these things down or I would be totally lost when He reveals His message for the article.  I get frustrated with myself because I want them to be written as soon as He gives me the topics, but I have to continually remind myself, after a few days of struggling of course, that He is in control of what He shows me and it is His timing that I must follow.  I feel stupid after He shows these topics to me for I know I have acted foolishly once again by not trusting God’s timing and trying to rely on my own words instead of His.

There are some characteristics of the sun that we notice on a continual basis.  Most of us enjoy a nice summer’s day when the sun is closest to the earth and its rays warm our bodies and grow the necessary crops that supply food on our table.  Most days are filled with a few clouds and a slight breeze which make for ideal conditions for outdoor activities.  Sometimes the sun gets a bit hot and we have to go inside for a while but we live with that oddity and take it in stride.  As clouds increase across the sky the sun becomes blocked out for a bit but as our eyes scan the horizon we can see where the sun’s rays are still penetrating and reaching the ground.  We do not give it much thought when the sun goes behind a cloud for a few moments because we have the assuredness that in just a little while we will once again feel its rays on our bodies.

As storms blow in our direction the clouds roll in and bring moisture with them.  This is a normal thing for our ground needs water as well to grow and to produce their fruits of the season.  There is nothing wrong with this setting and when we look at the different climates of our world we can understand that this type of weather pattern does not harm at all but increases the output of the environment.  On the other hand we do recognize that sometimes Mother Nature creates a storm large enough to do some major damage to the earth.  Hurricanes and tornadoes are great examples of this type of destructive force yet we human cope with them as best as we can when they arise.  However, it might be a tad difficult to remember that the sun is still in its place above those clouds that we see, but we must accept this truth that the sun has not left or gone away.

As with clouds and storms the cold air will arrive at some point in time during the year and we must take into consideration of its affects on our lives even though the day may provide us with not a cloud in the sky.  With this type of setting, along with all of the other conditions that I have mentioned above we must draw the conclusion that no matter what the world’s weather conditions are presenting, the sun will always be there and will continue functioning in its capacity even though we cannot see it all the time.  We place our guarantee that each morning when we rise from our slumber that at almost the exact same time our eyes and bodies will notice the sun.  Ever wonder what would happen to our planet if the sun did not want to get out of its bed because it had a bad hair day?  Stop and think about what the results would be if the sun stopped working for just one day, what state would humanity be in and how would we respond?

At one point in our history mankind believed that the earth rotated and revolved around the sun.  The earth was the center of the universe and everything else in the universe looked towards the earth for its power and constant state.  We find that mankind is usually not fond of people who find evidence that what they believe to be the norm is actually not the norm or can even not be the truth.  Galileo was such a scientist that began to prove through basic mathematical and physics theories that the sun actually was the center of things and that the earth was the object that moved around the sun.  This belief and scientific proof actually caused my gas and discomfort between his fellow scientists and the Church itself.  So much so that Galileo was basically banished from all further scientific communities.  But if one who is learned in these areas will know that even though some of his work was a bit off, the majority of his calculations and conclusions were very accurate which over time granted him the notoriety that he deserved but still produced hatred from those who should have supported his ideas.

No scientist or any other human being has seen directly into the sun.  Its power and might are too great for us to get a real look at its core or even just underneath its surface.  We have satellite technology that will give us a general idea of how the sun operates and what its composition is but to actually understand what and how its function, capacity and image is impossible to ascertain.  Now, sometime in the future man might be able to develop a substance that might be able to change this truth but up until now, we are not even close.  So, we sit and study the sun and all of its functions that have or may have an impact on our lives.  Each year we to learn more about the sun but while our knowledge increase concerning the sun humans know that we may never fully understand every detail of that great source of energy. This truth should also ring in our hearts concerning the complete nature of God and even though we know some things about God we probably will never fully understand every capacity that God fulfills.

Let me spend a few moments talking about the characteristics of God and how man has viewed Him over the millennia.  The Bible says that in the beginning God; that means that as far as human understanding can comprehend God was already around when the beginning was started.  Ask yourself this question: can I remember when I was 1 day old or when I was 2 months old?  We must be honest with ourselves that we cannot even recollect our own personal beginnings much less say that we might even have the capability of completely knowing a being that was already present before the beginning of everything.  So there must be aspects about God that we may never be able to comprehend, even when we are directly in His presence our thinking capacity cannot compare to His.

Ok another question for you; how many of you have ever gone through a rough or hard time in your life?  All of us have experienced this type of living condition and if anyone states anything different, they are lying.  We would like to believe that our lives will be filled with nothing but roses and everything that we touch turns to gold.  It does not take too many minutes in the morning to figure out that that world does not exist and probably never will.  I could list hundreds of different bad things in our lives but there is no need for all of us are remembering those details at this moment.  Each trial and heartache is independent and individual to our own personal life and hey hurt in just as many ways.  But even though we are experiencing these difficult times we as humans look up to the sky and seek God’s help or guidance, or even to ask Him the all important question of “why is this happening to me?”

There are others that do not care to believe in God and anything about Him.  This is another human quality that has been allowed to remain in our lives.  WE cannot single these people out since there have been many times that we have doubted God in certain circumstances within our lives and we must remember this because we are all guilty of this concept, not just the ones who linger in that belief.  It is our choice to overcome the doubts about God just as it is if we totally embrace His Son as our savior.  The point that I am making here is that even though all of us will go through hard times and whether we believe that God exists or not, He is still there above the clouds handing out His grace and love on a level that we can never fully understand.

Remember as kids of how we would get scared when our parents would turn out the lights after we got into bed?  Anyone ever need a nightlight or wait till your eyes dilated enough to look under the bed for some monster?  I went as far as I could not have my feel uncovered because that would be the way that the monsters would get to me.  All of us are afraid of the dark or the unknown for when the light goes out our security goes right along with it.  All of us have watched the moon rise and set and have enjoyed its shapes and brightness during the night.  We know that the moon and its entire splendor cannot erase the darkness and even though we have a small nightlight we still have to navigate in the dark.  Do you think the moon ever questions its role and wonders why it is only effective at night and not during the day as well?  Scientists have learned that the light of the moon actually comes from the sun and that if the sun were not present the moon would never light up at night.  The moon “understands” its place in the universe and it completes its tasks at night so that all other functions at night can continue to be regulated.  In other words, even though there is darkness around, there is a light that still allows the earth to know that it is not forsaken for that period of time.  God functions in the same manner and even though it is dark all around us and we may not see the end turning out the best, God is still there in the dark times as well. 

There are many more examples that I could provide on this topic and show proof to you that God is always around even when times are bad.  The sun is a great example because it shares so many aspects with God and it can help our finite minds understand that even though we can see something we may not always understand it and the opposite is true as well in that even though we might not always see the sun because of the conditions around us, we have the confidence and assuredness that the sun is still above the clouds.  God is the same as the sun; He is always there no matter what we are going through.  He has never left us and it is His desire for us to grasp this concept within our hearts and spirits.  Once we understand this concept, then the direct communication line can be established or reestablished and His light shall eventually shine through us to the entire world.

The sun never moves or changes and God does not move or change either.  The sun is constant and so is God.  He sun rules and gives us light from a distance and so does God.  Yet we can feel the sun’s rays as they hit our bodies and penetrate our skin, and God does the exact same thing.  So if we know this information about the sun why is it so difficult for some to understand God?  The principles are the same.

One quick note and it goes something like this.  Scientists have stated many times that the sun produces an enormous amount of energy and that production is a constant stream.  They have also stated that with their calculations and the given circumference and density of the sun matter, the sun will eventually run out of energy and then cease to exist in its present form.  There is nothing that mankind can do to change this status, no matter how hard we try.  Here are no projected dates or a timeline to accurately support these calculations, but scientist do know that eventually this phenomenon will occur.

It has also been stated in the Bible that one day God will cease to be on this earth and all of the blessings that He has allowed us to incur, will be gone forever.  God will choose a time when He has had enough of the current world and her positioning and will have to make a choice to make things right once again.  In the previous paragraph I said that the sun was going to lose its energy and that man had no choice in the matter.  In this paragraph we see another cataclysmic event that is projected but the tables are a bit different in that man has every choice and chance to keep this catastrophe from occurring.  In this part of our world it is strictly our decision and all we have to do is to voluntarily choose God and His ways and place them back into our lives.  God will restore this light within our lives if we only do this simple thing; turn from ourselves and allow God to penetrate our lives and heart.

DLB

The Barabas Syndrome

The Barabas Syndrome

11/13/13

Some of us are familiar with the Biblical story of Barabas, but I wonder how many of us really understand what transpired during that story and how it relates to conditions that we face today.  Most of us probably do not even give the people’s side of the story much consideration and to what the local status and cares of these individuals meant.  It is quite a powerful story and it actually has many similarities to current events.  People’s reactions to the popular thing to do have really not changed much from the time that this story occurred until now and once we grasp this concept it should place new ideas into our forethinking about human thinking and actions.

When I was a young man still growing up and learning the ways of the world I tried my best to push some of the boundaries that had been set before me.  Not all of these boundaries were placed there by my family, many were in place by society and the rules that they had deemed important.  There was and still is nothing wrong with rules for even though they are broken sometimes they are put into place for a very good reason. 

When I would break one of these rules my mother and father would almost immediately know these things and to be honest it really frustrated me.  I felt like I could not get away with anything but as I look back on these instances now, I thank God every day that He instilled these parental conditions within my parents, for if He did not place these rules within parents I wonder just how many teenagers would actually make it out of their formidable years.

Mom and dad not only had the guidance of God within them they also understood their children in a very personal manner.  This comes through watching, listening, and hearing what the child does over a course of time.  Parents have this innate ability to sense when their children do not tell the truth, try and cover things up, do what is right, etc yet for some reason, the child never picks up on this setting.  I know I did not until I became a father myself and then I understood what mom and dad meant when they said that they already knew things by the time I got home from my outings.

Now, knowing that I have lived in many places in this country I had the privilege in getting to know many kids and families from different cultures and lifestyles.  While I did not exactly know everything about their habits and ways at the time I can remember many instances where these attributes came from their mouths by some of the things that as kids we did.  This forms a pattern and should pop up things in our minds when we do things or ask certain questions that we already know the answer to.  It may not seem such a deep meaningful answer to the kid asking for a friend to spend the night at a friend’s house on a school night, but the adult society and means should pick up on this pattern of believing; it is just something you do not ask or do.  This represents a pattern that should be taken into consideration of how people are and what society believes.

If a person studies the behavioral patterns of a certain society they will eventually understand how that society thinks, acts believes and operates on a general scale.  I have often stated this fact in my own studies of the younger people that are growing up in our society and when people react in a shocked or stunned manner about certain instances, I ask them why?  They should have known what was going to occur just by the general attitude that they all portray.  It is amazing how many people forget this concept when they are looking at history unfolding before their eyes and we need to stop and understand that this type of human behavior has not changed in a very long time.  Yes, the sides and issues may have changed but the attitudes and general conditions of the human “migratory” positioning of issues has not.

Most people in our society would claim these actions by people as being a part of the democratic process that we all enjoy and support and they are correct.  But it still can be followed and recognized by those who are looking closely at what is transpiring.  There are many controversial issues that are posing and positioning their ideas and concepts within our lives today.  I could list some of them but I believe that we know the major ones that I am referring to.  I am not here to start an argument or raise any red flags over these issues, all I am doing is making note that issues and how humans respond to them have not changed much from the Biblical times until our present day.  It is however, my full intention to make you think about the relevancy of this particular Biblical story and every other Biblical story and how each one is relevant today and how things can develop just as it was back in those olden days.

We continually see all of the passion and hype that our present world is giving to these hot topics that flash across our screens every day. We also see the attitudes that are being displayed on both sides of the issues.  Also, we witness many angered and frustrated people to why others do not see their point of view.  The emotional swings our society is enduring must be taking a toll on its stability, for I can notice the increased tension and hostilities coming from these advocates from my den.  So, if I can feel and understand the emotions from hundreds of miles away, then I know those that are up close and personal to the event can feel this as well.  But their demeanor about such issues is provoking a further division between the ones who stand with them and in opposition to these ideas.

The way that democracy should work is part of this pattern and in theory, should regulate itself and moderate itself accordingly.  However, when excitement and prideful agendas become the norm, all things that are considered to be normal that have been previously accepted as such become threatened.  What is the norm becomes the general question and the extreme legalities of each agenda invade the electorate or other governmental offices and then these opinions take on a higher form of exposure?  In other words, the snowball effect takes hold and progresses in a natural pattern.  So why place our beliefs in something that will just wash away when a storm comes our way?

Now my purpose in this article is not to undermine any political process or ideology but one must have the concern enough to study these activities and then make a rational decision if these changes are good for not only the society but the people as well.  I understand that not everyone will be in agreement with every detail of this progression but we need to stop and consider what may actually begin to occur if we do not.  Some of the laws that have been recently passed in our state and local governments can have considerable consequences to those who use these laws and for those who do not.  All sides must be in agreement to enforce them when they are enacted by any level of the government.  The most important concept and the question that we need to deal with: what will these laws lead to next?

This is where the story of Barabas comes into play and how it is relevant in our personal lives and society today.  When you look at this story one tends to overlook what the people are saying and what part they play in the story.  The concept of the story cannot be denied in that they wanted to release a convicted violent criminal at a time when they had established a policy to do so.  To most of us voluntarily releasing any violent criminal back on the streets would spell out total disaster, but this was the custom.  Ever think about where that custom arose from?

Many of us know that Rome was in control of the entire area at the time when Jesus walked the earth.  Most of us know that the Roman Empire continually flexed its military authority while it was in power.  At this time of the empire, Rome still had enough control over its subjects to mandate this type of authority and many of the people that it subjugated resented this style of living.  So, in order to combat these animosities amongst the people, the Roman government decided to keep a tradition that had been established to release a certain criminal at a certain time of the year, as a “respect” gift to the common people.  In reality, the Roman beliefs about the Jewish people were degrading at best and since the amount of unrest had made its ways beyond the empire’s borders the government gave concessions to such seemingly minor details.

How this act became an established law or policy we may never understand completely but it was one that came into existence for some specific reason and the people came to expect it being enforced at the same time every year.  Kind of interesting when you put into that perspective isn’t it.  It seems to me that the people back in the time when this story unfolded were a very progressive people for if a law existed back then, then one should automatically identify that at one time that law did not exist.

The question remains is if we have reached the Barabas syndrome within our society and in our personal lives.  This question is an important one since our actions drive the needs of the world according to what we dictate.  We read that the people in the Biblical story of Barabas chose his release instead of a wrongly accused and condemned man.  The situation cannot be any clearer, the people spoke and their will was done.  The people chose to allow the death of an innocent man, to whom the religious authority disagreed with because of His exposure of their hypocrisy, and freed a violent criminal.  Talk about a hypocrisy upon another hypocrisy.  Now, one must contend that that is exactly how we live in our societal states today!

This story of Barabas is another testament of how the Bible is relevant in our world today.  We look at this story and if we honestly read its content and think about what was occurring at that time, there are no differences from that specific time and what we are facing today.  We see it on a second by second basis and there is no way possible to deny it.  When will begin to destroy the innocent?  Oh, wait that process has already started and has taken hold in our society with such a death grip that our subjugator has complete control over our future.  As stated before I am not making this into a political article but one that deals with humans and the choices they make.

A short caveat and clarification here, if I may.  In the Old Testament, there is a story that states that the people of Israel wanted to be like the other nations, such that they wanted their own physical king.  When the prophet questioned God about this manner concerning the people, God said let them have their king and that their decision was not due to him but their desire to separate themselves from Him.  Fast forward to Jesus and the story of Barabas.  If Jesus had not had the mission to overthrow the decisions of the people then He would have acted in opposite manner that God did in the Old Testament, which would decertify Jesus as being the chosen one to redeem man and to close the gap that we created in the first place.

The progression of our lives reflects on what we set as standards for everyone else around us.  The morals and values of this society have drastically changed and no one can honestly discredit this statement as being an untruth.  Jesus understood the society of His time because He walked in His society; He also understood how far the society had come and how far it still was willing to go.  I also find it interesting that Jesus never argued with the pattern of His society, only with the ones that falsified His Father’s Church, who were responsible for His death, not the entire Jewish community.  On the other hand, one must also comprehend that Jesus came to this earth to bridge the gap between God and man and in order to do this He had the mission of changing human hearts, not their physical government, for God knows that once a man changes his heart he can change his surroundings.

Just as a parent knows their child so does God know our hearts.  It is said by scientists that the complexity of the human body is overwhelming to think about yet a parent knows their child’s heart better than anyone else.  The love that a parent has for their children has been compared to many things but in each example, the moral of the story is that a parent knows and loves their child in a unique and specific manner, even if that parent has multiple children.  God understands our hearts far more than what our physical parents can.  It is true that our parents created us physically but our hearts were spiritually ordained millennia before the first recorded human being walked on this earth.

God allows us to make our own choices in life and that is an enormous challenge that we must face each day.  Most of us do not realize just how big our decisions weigh in other people’s lives or to our society.  But if the people in the Bible were faced with these same types of choices then that means they accepted their opportunities and either went with the flow or stood their ground and fought for what was right.  I know that not every person in that story wished for Jesus to die, even Pilate’s wife disagreed with the decisions that he made concerning Jesus yet her voice was left unheard and ignored.  Still, she made her choice in the matter.

This article is designed to make the reader think about where we are at and how we are reaching new territory within our lives.  The word choice is thrown around like a beach ball in our society and even though we regard this word as a sacred portion of our lives, we must understand its value within the subjects that make up this word.  I hope that I have shed some light on this way of believing and how dangerous it can be to live by.  No, there will never be another Jesus that walks the face of the earth again, but it does say that each decision that we make can group us into this syndrome which will only continue to progress and grow.  The crowds made its choice to release Barabas, a condemned murderer are we ready to continue this acceptance of the Barabas syndrome that we have chosen?

God truly loves His people, for He is the ultimate Creator and parent.  He only wishes to have a relationship with us and to show us the way to true happiness.  There is only one way that this can be achieved and that is to accept His ways.  They are not some randomly made up harsh laws but guides that provide us with a path of less pain and suffering.  They are not rules of control but guidelines to true freedom. Come back to God and allow Him to restore our lives back to the manner for which they were created.

DLB

Vampires Amongst Us

Vampires Amongst Us

11/12/13

Ever wonder why the craze for vampires and why the world is so accepting of their evolutionary trends?  Most of us have noticed that some of the more highly advertised entertainment works have dealt with this topic.  There is a reason for this and it might shed some light on the subject once you have read this article.  God does not see anything good coming from the concept of vampirism nor should anyone who wishes to seek life.  For the two realms cannot coexist no matter how much humans try to project compliance with both, hence the reasons why God views life instead of death.

When I was a young kid growing up many of my friends watched horror movies.  I have to admit that there are some interesting topics that horror movies project to its viewers but for the most part death is the main course of action that drives this genre of film.  While the horror flick will probably never cease to exist it does serve its purpose within the world’s stages and for some people represents the main reason they view its contents with excitement.  I on the other hand view them a tad differently and usually stay away from its presentations solely on the premise that it is not healthy viewing and it opens the mind and heart to many spiritual dangers.

In the good old days of horror films one could count on the fact that goblins, mummies, vampires and other scary monsters represented the dark side of life and had no good content towards the people in the film, book or play.  Over time that concept began to change and by the 80s a couple of movies appeared that reflected a different side of some of these villains.  Ever wonder why this concept changed from its origins and began an entirely new perception of the wicked and dark side?  I am not going to advocate any production on this specific topic but I do have to refer to the places to which bore God to share this topic with you.  I have to admit that they are from some of the things that I have watched over my lifetime and had no idea that their content would be used in this manner.  But as I have stated before God has a sense of humor and will use our findings in order to advance His Kingdom; which is exactly what I wish to do!

If any of you have watched the old horror movies you will understand what I am talking about when there was a defined line between good and bad and that the main characters in a horror film or novel were strictly considered to be on the bad side.  Comedy began to be instilled into horror flicks and the mood towards these villains began to change a bit.  In this redefining moment in horror film history, some level of sympathy was given to the monsters which allowed for the defined good / bad line to be bent a little or thinned out if you wish.  With this thinned line now established the door was opened for good to be represented within a bad character and the enthusiasm for such a genre took off throughout the world.  This article is going to be addressing the vampirism state that we in the world have come to love and to accept as a good thing but it could not be further from the truth because it advocates the true destiny of the world directly into our lives.  This destiny that it offers is a constant drainage of life into the darkness; keep reading and you will understand.

I was watching a movie this morning and it was not a vampire movie at all in fact it was a love story that was set in the 1800s.  However, one scene in the movie referenced the actions of the man of the house and the description that was given was intentionally accredited to the process of vampirism in which over time the father deliberately drained the life out of the entire family due to his methods and standards of living.  This process that the father exhibited slowly infiltrated the entire family and their attitudes towards life itself, which affected every detail and aspect of their personal lives, and it cost them their mother and almost sanctioned their lives into dust as well.  It is this section of the movie that God decided to point some things out about the world and its acceptance within our lives. 

We all know that there is nothing good about death or the process of it reflecting from our lives.  We also are aware that each one of us cannot escape this process and that eventually death will overcome our physical bodies. While none of us are really thrilled about the concept of dying we do have to face this reality at some point in our lives.  But even though there is no escape of death for our physical bodies there is a plan that a being has created for us to bypass this offering of death on the spiritual side of things.  This is where the concept of vampirism comes into play because it deals with the concept of the spiritual draining of the blood that should flow freely through our spiritual veins and arteries.  We all know that there is no such thing as a true vampire in the literal sense but I have to admit there are those out there who try to imitate them as much as possible.

The part that we are familiar with and can accept readily is that the world offers this type of plan to which nothing that it offers is of any long lasting value.  Yet our presence within the confines of the world continually drains us of the life that we have to offer.  As I have stated before the world does not offer a symbiotic relationship but only a parasitic one and if you think about this in this manner it represents the foundations of vampirism.  One can read throughout history and pick this concept up with ease for when it comes to mankind we are all in favor of beating the next guy to the punch and then mock him after the rewards are settled.  The world treats us bad enough we do not need to enhance the amount of suffering by taking pot-shots at our fellow human.  The actions of the world provide the setting for this vampirism due to the choices we make by sharing our lives with the world.

So why do we refuse to understand that if we allow the world to drain our spiritual blood from within our lives and at the same time believe that what it has to offer in return is a reward that is going to be good for our lives?  So we allow the world access to our veins and of course the world does what comes natural while we are continually inquiring about when will begin to feel the rewards that it promised?  The world gets what it wants from us and then detaches itself from us and then immediately turns and leaves, leaving us to yell out the same question that we had while it was draining us.  The world offers no reply as it goes on its way yet we forgive it and when the time comes once again we allow the world to attach itself once again and take our blessings form our inner beings.  We are foolish enough to allow ourselves to become spiritually anemic and still believe that the world is going to give something back to us in return, and in truth it is.  It is giving the only thing that the world can offer us and that is death.

We continue to recognize the repetitive course that the world holds us to but fail to break the stranglehold that we need in order to redeem back our energy, yet we extend our veins to the world once again for our energy sources.  Hope springs eternal goes the saying and we follow that quest to the infinite degree but in some fashion wait to be filled up with the refreshing supplies that the world has told us about, but as soon as the world has received its portions it is gone once again leaving the dying hope of empty lies as our reward.  Humans’ lust for life in the world is just that, lust. This mentality will follow after every lead until it believes that the premium source has been found, only to figure out later that it only offered drainage with no benefits added.  We forget that when we offer our house to anything that represents death every bit of power that we have is rendered useless that is what we will reap as long as we ignore that the “job” of a vampire is to drain blood from people; thus the process of vampirism is alive and well in the world and we are continually lining up and sticking out our necks to be drained.  When we continue to settle for the emptiness that the world has to offer we are in effect allowing the world’s vampires to drain the life giving blood that we so desperately need. 

It is our mixing with the world that poses the greatest possibilities of this scenario to continue repeating itself in our lives.  Ever wonder why the Bible states, come to me and I will give you rest?  There is a reason for this because when this verse was spoken it was referring to a tired and near death person who had been drained of almost every living source from their lives.  It was also referring to a dying and bleeding Church that continues to allow the world to suck her dry of her life giving blood that everyone is so desperately needing.  Without the blood coursing through our spiritual veins we are destined to die and it is the job of the world to make sure that we die as quickly as possible.

We might believe that the world needs the blood that is drained from our spiritual veins and in all honesty it does, but in reality world refuses to accept this blood supply but it will take as much from you as it possibly can in order to render your life useless.  The spirit of the world cares nothing for the everlasting blood and as long as we allow the world to drain our life source from our lives the world will spit it out as it is turning away from its supplier.  So why does the Church continue to supply the world with a product that it refuses to accept?  And how does the world know to reject this life giving blood supply?  Because the ruler of the world is our enemy and it is his job to silence the church and to destroy each of our lives without us finding out the truth of what the world is completing in our lives. 

In the olden golden days of medieval medicine there was a popular technique that was used in people that had a fever, it was leeching.  Doctors would take leaches and attach them to specific parts of the patient’s body and allow them to stay connected for hours at a time.  Also, the doctors would slice a cut across one of the major surface veins of the patient and allow the blood to flow slowly from the arm.  Sometimes the patient would become quite pale due to the lack of blood that was now circulating through their veins.  This process seems like a logical one but over time the body may reach a point where its ability to reproduce red blood cells could falter and the person become permanently anemic.  This is a perfect example of what I am trying to get across to you concerning spiritual vampirism and that if we continue our course we will continue our pathway of spiritual anemia.

It is of the importance that we understand this concept of vampirism and we must also accept the fact that the world acts as a vampire hunting for our spiritual blood.  The world’s vampires are on a mission and they are there to complete their job as efficiently as possible without us even being aware of their presence.  It is not an option that we ignore them for they do not care about who they bleed for each person walking this earth has the potential to advance God’s Kingdom.

It is vital that we ask for forgiveness and seek restoration for every opportunity that we have allowed our spiritual blood to be drained from our spiritual veins.  The Church has no magical garlic sauce that they have around their doors to keep the spiritual vampirism out either; everyone is vulnerable if we do not recognize our enemy.  We need to rend ourselves from the world’s standards and to allow God to restore our spiritual blood according to His divine protection.  Without our spiritual blood there is no way possible for us to grow in Christ and to fulfill our mission that He commanded us to complete.  Once we disconnect ourselves from the world’s vampirism we will begin to feel the effects of God’s blood running through our spiritual veins again.  God is faithful in this department and is eager to help us out as much as possible in order to get us back on our spiritual feet again.

The topic of this article not everyone will agree with but if the reader will take it to heart and place its content in their minds and think about the words, they will grasp the concept that God wants us to understand.  I know that talking about vampires is not a real Christian topic but it does deal with a rapidly growing trend in the world today and it relates to mankind in such a manner to which they can relate.  It is our job as Christians to find ways to reach the people in the world and to warn tem of what our enemy is trying to accomplish within their lives.  We can no longer afford to sit back in our pews and wait for God to return and in my opinion that is a grievous sin by doing nothing.  God loves each person on this earth and He wants everyone to be free from the chains of this world and the only way that this can be possible is for you and me to spread the word to those who are being drained by the world.

DLB

The Value of Idols

The Value of Idols

11/10/13

It is well known that a part of humanity includes titles, gifts, memories, and many other issues that fill up our minds and hearts.  We also are familiar with some of these issues are held in a higher standard than others so much so that we surround ourselves with the issues and use them as a focusing point for our lives.  We must contend that these tightly held issues become a center piece within our hearts and represent a stability and security measure that if left in place for a certain amount of time they become a part of our defensive mechanism and thus an idol.  The question remains if we really understand just how much value we place on these issues effectively places a price tag upon these items and sometimes that price is more precious than gold.

There are many references to idols that mankind can refer to including human figures when we are growing up to the amount of money that we have in our bank account.  I remember when I was a kid we lived in Cleveland, Texas which was just about thirty minutes north of Houston.  This part of my life occurred in the early 80s and was very influential in my mind.  Houston was becoming one of the major cities within the United States and was growing at a rapid pace, even measurable on a weekly basis.  With being a major city, Houston also had a few universities and small community colleges that were present within its city limits and one of the larger universities was named the University of Houston.

The University of Houston was a large school and it was a member of one of the larger university conferences in the country.  For the most part the UH campus and its student population was considered to be a football school, which living in Texas this should come as no surprise.  However, during this period of time the University of Houston became well known for its basketball team which had risen up to the number one spot in the nation.  They even had their own unique and special title for their team and they were on television almost every night in some manner.

The city and surrounding areas quickly fell in love with the team and placed many high expectations upon their heads.  Losing became a thing of the past and it was considered to be just a matter of time before they won the national championship.  During one of these years the basketball team had taken a trip to play the Syracuse University basketball team.  Syracuse had a fairly decent team and should have posed no major problems for Houston.  However, things did not go so well for Houston and they ended up losing the game and were very disappointed with their performance, plus losing to a team that one should have handled easily never settles well with anyone.

I remember the sports casters being in total disbelief that Houston could lose to such a team as Syracuse and how much damage was this going to cause to their reputation and there were so many unanswered questions that many people had as to why they could have let this happen.  Some people were even crying on the footsteps of the basketball arena because of the utter disappointment that was being experienced.  I too was deeply saddened and even though I did not cry when they lost I knew that somehow my insides were shaken a bit.  At the time I had no idea of what this meant to me but over time I began to understand that that team and what they stood for had engrained itself into my life that it had changed how I looked at some things around me, how I looked at myself and a certain amount of pride I had through that image of the basketball team.

The trip home for the basketball team was very hard and very long.  Coming off of a game that hardly anyone expected to lose, the attitudes of the players and coaches was grim at best.  The flight home was late at night and the entire team had flown on one flight, took up a great portion of the plane’s seating.  How do I know this about the team?  Well, my dad had just returned from a trip overseas and was on the same connecting flight with the basketball team from Houston.  Dad said it was a miserable flight because the atmosphere in the plane was dim.  He knew who he was flying with but really did not say much because he had heard that they had lost their game so he kept to himself.  The funny part of this story is that if you know my dad you will remember that he is pretty tall and can stand up for himself if needed; however, the star player for the team sat right behind him on the plane and kicked his seat all the way home but dad never had the guts to stand up and say something to him, he just let him kick his eat for the next three hours or so.  So, you can imagine the look on my face when I recognized each one of them as they exited the plane into the airport terminal.  In fact, my dad had been gone for almost two weeks and the first thing I said to him was “do you know who you were flying with?”

As I look back on those years the value of that team and what it meant to the city of Houston was almost invaluable.  The newspapers were filled with articles concerning each minute of every game.  The sports commentators would continually talk about on and off campus coming and goings of each basketball player, even their grades were a public issue that almost everyone knew about.  Billboards lined the streets and highways with the team logo and their adopted group’s name.  The city had gone nuts for this team and everywhere you turned the city’s love and idolization of the team was apparent; there was nothing that the city wouldn’t do for them.

Gold is the most valued commodity in the world.  It is considered the most precious and stabile element that humans can place their trust upon.  Its value for the most part is steady and can withstand many fluctuations within any country’s economy if needed.  It is an impure element that must be heated in order to get rid of its impurities and once this process is complete its worth skyrockets and can secure a nation’s finances for a long time to come.

Over the past few decades we have learned of gold’s mining and have discovered that many people’s lives have been affected by this process.  The will to dig for gold and to bring up its ore has infected thousands of businesses all in the name of having more than the person down the street.  This process has angered some and for others it is of no concern to them, but it does affect each of our lives in a peculiar way.  Gold has become the threshold of our economy and has even been backed by this brown yellowish clump.  One can imagine what it will do to the human ego when scads of it are adorned on and upon our bodies.  It serves as a status symbol to others and can speak volumes about our lives without even verbally communicating with one another. 

We place huge insurance policies on is worth just in case someone has the idea of trying or succeeding in taking it from our personal storage place.  We even have jewelers mold gold into a specific shape or pattern in order to please our wants and desires and many people throughout the world use gold as a symbol of covenant between two people when they become one.  Countries use gold to give gifts to visiting dignitaries or gestures of forgiveness for hard occurrences between nations.  My parents went to Russia many years ago and danced in St Catherine’s Palace where gold once lined the entire walls.  Humans can use gold for almost anything they wish, so of course it is precious.

The process in which we obtain this precious metal from the ground is just as hard as it is to part with it when it no longer serves its purpose.  Drilling processes far deep into the ground proves to be the only way to bring to the surface this mass of element we all crave to have and it costs many lives each year in order to provide a certain ounce of security into our lives.  But at what price do we pay for such a luxury or contentment?  To what lengths will we travel to obtain this valued element and to hold it within the confines of our houses?  Will we hold its value to an unprecedented level in our hearts that once we obtain a few ounces that our desires to have more increase far greater than what we expected?  For it is not too long that we find ourselves obsessing about how much we have and how much was might have this time next year or ten years from now.

We find ways of trying to acquire more gold within our possessions and base our happiness on our new found ways of living.  We join groups that share the same ideas about gold as we do and our life’s focus becomes centered on pleasing our desire for this element.  Our faith turns from a solid foundation into a quest for more, more, more.  Gold becomes the topic of our conversations and we eat, sleep and breathe of its meaning within our lives.  It consumes inch of our being and yet if another person looks at us they might even know what our obsession has become, but that part of our life will noticeably change within a scripted amount of time.

We have watched movies and read books about how a rich person suddenly becomes broke and has nothing to claim as their own any longer.  The work projects them being heavily distraught and almost violent in tone and manner.  Now even though this is portrayed in a movie or in a book, the reactions are real and we have witnessed some of these actions on the news recently.  This type of situation should wake us up enough to realize what is actually at stake in our lives and how much damage any idol can become if we allow it to take hold.

I have used gold and a basketball team as examples in this article.  But what one needs to do is to realize that anything can become an idol within our life.  It does not matter what the object is, it can gain access to your heart and spirit and our enemy will cause that item to become an idol within your life.  Once it has a foothold in your life it can grow and eventually take the focus of your spiritual and physical eyes away from the world around you.  This is when our enemy will then persuade you to grab a hold of your habit even more so that it becomes fully intertwined within your life to the point where you believe that you have to have it in order to survive.  It does not matter what substance or element we are talking about, it can even be a sports team.

There is a reason that God said that He was a jealous God and not to have any other gods before Him.  Having a habit or idol so heavily engrained into your life that it actually takes control of your daily activities may seem like a harmless idea but in reality it is a very destructive pattern that if allowed to thrive within you it will destroy everything around you that means something to your life.  There is no sacred ground when it comes to competing with an idol in your life, it demands everything from you and give others nothing in return.  An idol does not represent a symbiotic relationship it only provides a parasitic one.  Now, do you understand why our Creator deems Himself to be a jealous God?  It is not for His selfish reasons but for us to understand what type of separation idols cause between Him and us.

It is true that the value of an idol within our lives is priceless and cannot be measured.  On every level an idol can represent the life and death of that individual, yet we continue to allow them to rule our lives.  You do not have to be a rich person to have idols you can have absolutely nothing of monetary value and still be filled with idols within your life and be in the same situation as anyone else in this world.  It is common for us to hold our likes and dislikes close to our heart but look at the potential for idols and the walls that each one of those concepts brings to our inner sanctum.  We play a dangerous game when it comes to the concept of idols and they are present on every level in our society.  Idols are bought and sold continuously and are available to anyone who wishes to purchase them and for a cheap price when one stops and thinks about it.  There is nothing wrong with wanting things or even obtaining them, but when they become the center of our attention it is at this time when we need to recognize their destructive powers.

God recognizes when we allow potential items to become idols within our lives.  It is the job of our enemy to shade our views on this matter and to try and get us to ignore the impending crisis.  Idols serve nothing but to provide a separation from our Creator.  They wrap themselves within our hearts and hide our hearts from the one who can protect us from all harm.  We need to hold tight to the values of those things that close the separation gap between man and God for when we complete this truth then the treasure of God’s love for mankind can be spread amongst each person who walks the face of the earth.  Take the time to examine your heart and allow God to show you what idols are present within your life.  Restoration of your heart’s true capability will be the reward of the loss of idolatry along with peace and contentment through God.

DLB

Right Next to the Ball

Right Next to the Ball

11/4/13

Ever wonder how come some people never see the light when a subject or issue is being presented to them?  I have found many ways to deny the truth in my life and I know how foolish I have felt when that light actually has turned on.  But what I forget is how people have tried their best to present me with the facts and I still refused to believe what they were saying to be the truth, so I denied myself what I was looking for in the first place due to my own closed heart.  How many times have we done this when God is being presented to our lives and have refused to listen to what He was telling us for our lives?  It is probably more common than one realizes.

It is almost the end of football season here in Colorado and some of the popular rivalry games are beginning to come around and of course our family, mainly myself if I am being honest, was involved in another one of those games that we really had no connection with, but wanted to witness anyway.  As one knows there are two sides to most stadiums and usually the visiting team has a section in which they are “welcome” to sit.  And for this game one of the teams was a local team and the visiting team was from out of the area, so the setting was just as one would suppose it to be.  However, our family being a little bit different decided to sit on the visitor’s side due to the fact that it was easier to park in proximity to the stadium than if we parked on the home side; thus is the justification of our seating arrangements for this particular game.

The visiting team was behind for most of the game and the situation for this team was the same when the events that I am about to speak of occurred.  By all accounts the home team should have been far ahead due to the fact that they were a higher class in population but in this case the lower populated school actually had the better record, so one could understand that their fans were a tad upset with what was transpiring before their eyes.  At this point of the game the visiting team made a string of errors, or penalties that gave the home team a couple of automatic first downs.  These penalties really got the visiting team’s supporters in an upheaval state and began to yell at their players.

At this moment the home team had the ball and the visitors were on the defensive side of the ball.  The play was called and the teams lined up to face to face with each other and at this time both teams were on their respective sides of the imaginary line that separated them.  As the quarterback approached his position he began to bark out numbers and reinforcing the play that had been called to his players.  Everything was going according to plan and everyone on both sides of the ball was anxiously awaited for the center to snap the ball.  The defensive line had four players that were lined up across the imaginary line from the offensive line players.  One of the defensive line players had taken his place almost immediately in front of the center that had control of the snapping duties.  This defensive player was the closest player to the ball on the defensive side and had the perfect view of the ball.

The quarterback then gave one designed loud command and the offensive line stood still without motion.  However, when this command was given the defensive person almost directly over the ball jumped and broke the plane of the imaginary line which immediately demanded that action take place from the officials.  The yellow flag flew high up into the air and the play was stopped even before it had begun.  The penalty was called and the yardage assessed and the two teams were about ready to begin again.  There was no question about what had just occurred and even though there was more than one player that jumped over the imaginary line when the quarterback gave the loud shout, the frustration from the crowd was mainly directed towards only one player.

The player that the crowd was the angriest at was the one who was almost directly over the ball.  They were not angry at the quarterback for he had done his job in tricking the defensive line to jump off sides and they were not even too upset at the other players away from the ball that crossed the line either.  A gentleman that was sitting directly behind me stood up and began to yell at this player and asked him about his level of discipline of the guilty player.  What I found most interesting was that the gentleman who began this rant asked the player, or yelled towards the player, “how could you do something like that you were right next to the ball?”  “Can’t you see what the ball is doing?”  These two questions proved very intriguing to me and they both caught my attention as all of my family continued to sit in silence watching the penalty yardage be marked off.  The visiting crowd continued their displeasure of the call and the questions about their level of play murmured until it was time for the next play.

At this point God decided to take control of the situation and present a concept to me about His people.  Yes, God is even with people at a football game in Grand Junction, Colorado and will give a person something to write about in order to advance His Kingdom and shed light on His and our enemy.  Within a few seconds of the gentleman’s statement God dropped a thought into my head concerning the evidence of God’s existence and His relationship with us.  It is a simple thought but it has a huge question attached to it.

The objective for each team is to advance the ball down the field and then to score points against the opposing team and then not allow the opposing team to score against us.  Let me try and put this into Kingdom terms so that the point of the article can be reached.  As we know there are only two kingdoms represented and it is each other’s responsibility to advance against the other kingdom.  Our enemy has his players and God has His players and whether we know it or not every human being ever to walk on this earth is a player and will represent the advancing or retreating kingdom.

My focus here is not on the side of the ball but the players themselves, or if I wish to be more specific each player represents you and I.  The above example that I used occurred when the defense player jumped offsides but if all is to be understood, the offensive player could have performed the same infraction and cost the offensive team a penalty as well.  My point is how our individual actions can quell a potential huge advancement for the Kingdom of God and provide the enemy with an advantage against our lives. 

Of course the players represent human beings and that is really not hard to understand.  There are players all around and at any time can enter the game and participate in all of the activities that are required.  The rules of the game are known and have been studied for a few years if not a couple of decades yet due to the anxiousness of making a positive play and thriving upon the emotions and adrenaline of the game, plus having the human portion about us an obvious error is committee and one becomes the goat for a few minutes.  There is nothing wrong with being ambitious and wanting to be a part of the upcoming play but when one makes an error it throws us off and forces us to play cautious once again.  Being human does not stop others from letting us know about the faults that we commit, which this process can prove to be more brutal than the error itself.  We must keep our eyes and ears focused upon what our coach has placed into our heads about the opposing team and then execute the appropriate play when needed.

We can reference the specific play as what occurs in our lives each day as we deal with the deeds of the day which have been set into motion by our Creator.  The day has been drawn out according to Hi perfect plan and if we listen to His instructions and execute His ways as we have been taught everything should work out for the good of our side.  Still, we continue to take matters into our own hands and try to go about things on our own terms which most of the time there is no major fallout of our actions but once we “get away” with doing things on our own it is like a conveyed freedom that we use in order to satisfy our willingness to excel and to get noticed.  Eventually, we do get noticed by bringing the humanness out and doing something wrong so the coach must sit us down and talk to us and teach us a lesson according to the true guidelines.

How many times have we jumped the gun with our over anxious desires and actually harmed a potential play that will push back the darkness?  I understand that it is easy for us to try and do things on our own, but we need to remember that God has the timing all wrapped up within the perfect setting and if we do not wait for His timing, we stand a large chance of messing things up for His Kingdom.  Kingdom advancement is all about timing and how to be in the right place at the right time.  Where is that you ask?  The time is now and the place is everywhere that you occupy a step, or a chair, or a room.  It does not matter if you are right close to the action or on the sidelines, you have a part in each play and the timing of your actions will result in a forward or reverse movement of either side.

If we keep silent about our Lord and not be a witness for Him, then we are creating an advantage, or penalty that gives the enemy’s kingdom an upper hand against the world.  It has been stated that even tough friends that are close and have known each other all of their lives can be the worst enemies when they are playing against each other.  The same philosophy is true here, our enemy and our King were once friends but now are eternal enemies and it is the desire for our enemy to destroy everything that we know as life and we really do not need to help him out any if at all possible.

Who is the crowd and what do they represent in this example?  They represent all of the other people who have their eyes trained upon us and what we are doing at each moment.  It is very important that we understand that while we are trying our best to make a play on the field there are those that are accomplishing the exact same feat who are watching from the sidelines.  We need to remember that our actions will be scrutinized if we make a mistake or do harm for our cause, for this is the job of our enemy as well to cheer as we allow our opponent take advantage of us in any way.  There is no way that we cannot ever make a mistake for we are human, but we can limit our jumping offsides by understanding and listening to our coach for personal instructions for each play.

It is hard to believe that God has only us to use to advance His kingdom.  When you look at this group called humans we are nothing but a bunch of clowns trying to get a job done.  But when we spend time with our coach and learn the ways that He wants us to play then we come together as a team and understand the overall goal of His plan.  We cannot function as individuals on the field we must be a one team and so should it be when we are walking with God against this world.  We cannot afford to do any harm for God’s Kingdom by our selfish ambitions we must act together.  And as I strive to better my life and to advance His Kingdom and then you do the exact same thing, then our Coach will bring us together and we will see that our understanding of our opponent will increase and our mistakes will eventually grow fewer.

Our enemy will do his best to try and trick us to create a penalty for God’s Kingdom.  For centuries he has done a pretty good job in creating animosity in the world by abuses of all kinds.  It is time for us to get back into God’s playbook and to understand every meaning He has for our lives.  His playbook is about people and how they lived their lives and if a book is written about people that means that as long as humans walk this planet we can learn from them.  God wants us to win and win strong over our opponent but it is your choice.  You want to understand the game and everything that is happening on and off the field read God’s playbook and understand His plan for our opponent and you will surely win.

DLB