It Came To Pass

It Came to Pass

12/18/13

Have you ever wondered about some of the phrases that are used in the Bible and what significance those phrases have?  The Old Testament is filled with such phrases and they can become easily ones that are skipped over and sometimes even ignored.  But even these phrases have a definitive meaning and should signal to the reader that a certain process is taking place and should not be overlooked.  We must never forget that each letter of the Bible comes from the mouth and heart of God and has a specific meaning and purpose for each one of us.  This means that even certain unusual phrases that are present are special to someone and will reassure them in some way.

There are many of these phrases that we deem as non specific terms, words and sentences present in the Bible.  In those days, it came to pass and even the word begat are all clumped into this category and many will read these words and phrases but hardly take the time to find out exactly what is transpiring in these verses.  I must confess that I have read these types of passages all of my reading life and have not taken any time to understand exactly what God is trying to convey to me.  If the Word of God is alive then that means every single letter within its contents is alive and has a purpose in its existence, for God is eternally alive and therefore cannot write or produce something that is dead or lacks meaning.

The phrase that I am going to be using for this article is the phrase “it came to pass.”  We see this phrase in many settings within the bible and at different times of people as well, not to mention that it appears at some very unusual points in scripture.  I am not going to pin down any specific reference because a person needs to read this passage and understand for themselves its meaning.  The phrase “it came to pass” refers to a period of time of the individual, couple, group or nation that the passage is describing.  This is a general phrase that points to a specific period of time that is not effectively annotated in detail.  There is nothing wrong with this type of writing nor did God be vague in these passages because they are not important.

My point is this; let us take the life of Adam.  How many years does the Bible say that Adam lived?  He lived a bunch more years that you or I will ever see or want to be around for that matter.  My question to you is this: If a person lives to be just 300 yrs old and is being written about how much information would you think there would be on that person?  According to the Bible Adam lived to be 930 years of age.  His life volume of information would be almost impossible for our human mind to comprehend.  So, now throw into the mix David, Rachel, Eve, Sarah or Jonah and how much information would you have to read about then? 

By God using this phrase He is not saying that the details left out of these people’s lives are unimportant but He is saying that we have the capability to think and to reason with Godly wisdom in order to give a general account of how these people made their choices and decisions.  Humans cannot simply get to one point to another in a matter of seconds, it takes time and since each human is different and unique those patterns, while similar in nature take on their own characteristics.  This is why it is so important that we read and understand human history.  We can learn a lot about life through the life experiences of others who have come and gone before us.  While everything about their lives may not directly apply to us we will receive answers to certain questions about life and our lives if we look in the right places.

There is a new movie coming out entitled something like “Noah.”  It is the story about the days of Noah and how he was called to build the ark and the reasons why he was accomplishing this task.  In the previews it also shows how the people of those days were reacting to what Noah was doing.  It showed large crowds approaching him with clubs, sticks and other instruments of violence in total anger towards his dealings with what God had commanded him to do.  Do you know how long it would take to write about just a few days of that sort of activity?  Instead God leaves this portion of human events to our understanding through the study of our human past.  See, even in the days of Noah humans had a “human past” that they could refer back to when and if they wished.

It came to pass is a logical reference phrase for this usage and it actually brings out the genius in God.  The Bible was written about human and their activities during their lives but as we know not every detail is brought into light either.  This is where God intended for us to have an open, reasonable and Godly perspective about humans as we think about life during those times.  If a person reads a passage and places his own ideas within that context it becomes a biased opinion and interpretation, but if one places the ideologies of the human heart within that content then one can view that Biblical life or event within the confines of how God intended for us to read His word.

The Bible is totally about you and your life yet at the same time the Bible and God’s Word is not about you.  Your life is of the utmost to God for He created you in a way that never can be duplicated, even if you are an identical twin.  But when God was writing His Word for you, He intentionally left out your selfish attitude while He was writing about your life.  It is we who put the selfish attitudes into God’s Word and justify our beliefs accordingly.  If a person reads the Bible with the concept that God loves and created everyone for a specific purpose then your foundational reasoning is sound but when you read His passages with a selfish demeanor you decimate His meaning for your life and the mission that He has set before you.

The phrase “it came to pass” follows suit in that God places those words in that position so that your mind can settle upon the ideas, customs, ways or laws of that day.  It also allows our mind to flow through the person’s day and how they would react to those laws and the appropriate responses to each situation.  In Mary and Joseph’s case they went to their homeland and then began a fleeing process due to the laws of the land.  Take a while to think about how it would have been in those days with such laws being handed down.  How would you respond? 

God understands human history far better than you or I could ever imagine.  But even so He allows us to think about what others have accomplished and completed before we make the same choices.  It is a true blessing that god has allowed us the opportunity to reference our human past in order to make things better for us during this period of time.  Also, what can be better than for God allowing us to read His Word for our lives and to be able to sit and contemplate certain events within His Word and put those conditions into our mindset so that we may have a reference point of how those people acted back then and to serve as a tool for our actions if and when those types of circumstances arise in our lifetime.  What an example of a living Word!!

For those of you who wish to have a secular example, here you go. J “History reveals” would be the secular comparison to the Biblical passage of “it came to pass.”  Studying church history, agricultural history, European history, etc serves as the reference point that any student or person reading about that specific topic.  I have watched many documentaries over my life about numerous subjects and each one of them has a single topic or reference point that they center their investigations around.  This research process takes time and long hours of thinking, imagining, planning and conducting the activities to put on a finished product for others to see takes time, it is not an overnight process.  Even a 30 second television commercial takes at least two days of filming for it to be completed.  All of this and much, much more serves as another example of why God’s Word is relevant in our world today and it also proves to all mankind that God wants us to know everything possible about our lives.

If God would have detailed every aspect of the lives within the Bible then mankind would say that He is a dictator and spies upon us for His eye is on our every move.  People would have justification to warrant this type of belief in God had already written down this information.  It would be a standard that would not allow Him to be called Father and a loving Father at that.  The old reasoning of God sitting on His throne with a pencil with a gigantic eraser on it just waiting for us to mess things up and then erase our names from His book of life would surely then be accepted as truth.  Instead, God has placed this capability within our hearts to carry out making it our choice to read, listen, obey, disobey, clown around, etc with everything choice that has an opportunity to influence us.

One further example that places emphasis on the ability that God gave us to think and to reason things through an objective opinion.  One of these days, hopefully in the very distant future my life on this earth will be over.  And someone in the world will find some of these writings that tell about what God has said to His people.  The person searching my information will eventually find out that I am no longer alive and have gone from this world.  But as they read the material that God has shown me, it will take them time to complete my transcriptions and then they will choose to accept or to deny its contents.  But when they come across this article they will have the opportunity to understand what God means by “it will come to pass” and the very meaning that the phrase was written.  It came to pass means there is an unwritten story there that the reader is free to think about and if they are honest will think about my life as a messenger to others and not some biased religious freak that tried to spread propaganda to others.

God does not want to control a bunch of robots He desires to have a personal relationship with each and every one of us.  In order for Him to have this relationship He has given us the ability to think and to make choices.  God has already stated His desires for our lives and has provided countless examples and reference points to corroborate this fact.  It came to pass is not a meaningless phrase that we should skip over and continue our reading.  It is a phrase in which God wishes for us to stop and to take time to think about all details that the people in those passages were dealing with and going through.  For one day we might be faced with a similar situation or you might hear of a friend who is facing the same situation.  This is when we are to learn about our lives before we actually have to experience things and this is another reason why the Bible is relevant in our world and in our personal lives today.

DLB

Two Birds with One Stone

Two Birds with One Stone

12/9/13

The usage of a bird is a common animal that houses, territories or nations commonly use on their standards.  What about when a house, territory or nation uses one bird as their symbol but in reality projects another kind of bird towards the rest of the world, especially when these birds of representation are totally opposite of each other’s lifestyles?  Are we blind to what our hearts are portraying to each other or are we just deliberately living a double life from within?  The evidence is present for this double standard but as the title of this article states, the action verb of the phrase is what happens to both birds.  We need to change our ways before someone picks up that stone and uses it to complete the phrase.

I know that I have heard this phrase used many times throughout my life and for various reasons as well.  For the most part the phrase is used in good measures with a person or company taking care of two problems at once during one process.  It would seem that this phrase could only be used in good terms since the streamlining of events is everyone’s goal in life.  It saves time, money and effort when this process is done correctly.  But when one looks at this phrase in a wider stance, the meaning can actually bring a different ringing of our mind’s bells when we put the emphasis on the birds instead of the action of the one taking care of the birds.

Most of us understand that nations, families and other territories and provinces have flags, or standards, that they use to identify themselves to similar representatives.  This is an old custom and I suggest that you pull up some of the countries and territories of the world and study their flags and standards.  Some of the standards and crests that the old European, Asian and African peoples used are beautiful and have so much meaning to the ones that flew these flags for centuries. 

Many of these flags and crests are adorned with birds and represent either the bird of the area or in reference to the status of that family during certain periods of their existence.  Each flag and crest has a specific meaning and definition that the family or nation has followed. These crests and flags do not always go unimpeded with their designs and many times there are groups of people who hate what the flag stands for or even burn the standard as an act of protest against the specific family or nation.  Our own nation’s flag has come into light when it comes to this cowardly act of violence but we all need to keep in mind that it is a choice that a person, group or nation has that feels like they need to publicly demonstrate their disapproval of such standard.

It is never a good scene to watch people intentionally burn a flag of a country.  And when that flag that is set aflame is your country’s symbol it becomes distinctively painful to witness enjoy their destructive behavior against you personally.  Now we all understand that no everyone will agree with every decision that one’s home country makes but it is of an honorable society to correct those wrongs by not repeating them again.  The tables are turned however, when people of one country voluntarily disgrace their own flag or standard.  I must admit that is it very painful to hear and read about people who have issues with their country enough to display acts of violence against their own flag or crest.  This demonstration does not only show others an example of solidarity with their disagreements without country it also provides to others a state of change from within our country concerning the heart of the people.

While our flag does not have a bird on it our country has adopted a bird as its official symbol.  We see this bird on many things including our money, official governmental symbols and crests, and on various private markings that the public looks at every day.  We have pee wee, high school, college and professional teams who have taken the name of this bird as their emblem.  No matter what the team’s season has been we never deny the fact that the eagle is a proud and majestic bird that one should be proud of when people read about the teams’ history.  The eagle has become a recognized symbol that our country uses to identify a government official when they arrive at a foreign dignitary’s place of residence or business. 

When my wife and I went to Alaska to visit one of her friends we spent a great deal of time driving around the city of Juneau just looking at the different scenes of nature.  While we were on one of our excursions my wife noticed something while that was located in a tree.  I peeked over to see what she was referring to and saw the same thing.  At the time I had no idea what the white object was in the pine tree but I found it very beautiful and I found myself staring at it for a few moments before we proceeded down the road.  These white objects were not numerous but would appear every once-in-a-while and they would all of them be in the different trees.

Now most people when they mention that they have been to Alaska others want to know about all of the wildlife that the visitors witnessed.  While we did not see too many large creatures we did get to witness spawning of some of the salmon which I found very interesting to watch.  It was funny yet wise to have “No Fishing” signs around the stream mouth because in all reality it would technically be poaching if one fished here.  There were fish everywhere trying their best to head up from the bay into this small stream. 

Where there is a bunch of fish there is usually birds flying around as well and with the amount of fish literally crawling up each other to enter into the stream it was easy pickings for the numerous birds flying around as well.  I noticed all of the birds coming and going with bits of fish meat dangling from their mouths and talons and it was amazing to watch the steady flow of birds constantly landing and taking off. However, when an eagle approached the area all of the other birds quickly disappeared and the eagle soon was on its way to grab its portion for the day.  The eagle was wonderful to watch, completing it feeding duties and then returning to the trees.

It then hit my wife and me at the same time that the little white golf balls in the trees that we were noticed from the car were actually the heads of the eagles.  It took the action of the eagle and its return to its nest that triggered this thought into our heads.  The eagle was just minding its own business watching all of the activity from its nest and waiting for the right moment to come and get what it needed.

Once we knew what we were looking for it became almost like a game to us to try and find other white golf balls in trees.  After we had located some we did our best to stare at them as long as we could since being from the area that we lived in basically had no bald eagles for us to observe.  There was something about watching the eagle soar above us and then swoop down and grab its food and then leave the immediate area again.  It was a smooth process almost methodical in appearance and then quickly gone home.

I refer to this bird because it is the national symbol of our country and the founders who chose this bird as our symbol couldn’t have picked a more adequate animal for the world’s representation of our country.  The eagle is a majestic bird whose flight patterns have been studied for decades, its feeding patterns photographed and its care for its young plastered all across world magazines for everyone to behold.  It would be hard for a person to argue that this bird is not beautiful to look at and stunning to watch while it completes it everyday activities. The founders did an excellent job in choosing this bird as our national symbol since for almost three centuries now our country has performed its daily activities in this same manner.

The eagle is an ambitious and warrior-like bird, strong and worthy of its stature and it commands a humble respect from all other birds that are around it.  The eagle does not take from its competitors nor does it steal from its own because it would go in contrast to its ethical code.  When times are tough it works hard to find its source of food and energy and pursues this source with a direct authoritative spirit that tends to ward off any enemy present within the area.  The eagle protests its family with a ferociousness not demonstrated by many other avian species and when attacked it finds ways to make sure that its attackers understand that they have made a terrible mistake.

As with our eyes noticing the white golf balls in the green pine trees, the eagle sees its surroundings and it understands every bit of activity that swirls around it.  It plays no games when it comes to the security of its family and neighbors for it knows that if its neighbors are attacked then they too could be next in line, so they sit with their eyes peeled waiting for anything amiss to occur.  What a perfect setting to imagine that our country is doing every day, another reason why the founders could not have chosen a better national symbol.

It makes one wonder if our founders understood just how accurate they were when they choose the eagle as the symbol of our country. As I continue my study of the founders I am becoming more and more convinced that they did understand every possibility that this country could have upon the world and since the national symbol was and still is a popular notification, that the eagle would be the best choice for our nation.

I wish that I could say that every eagle that has ever lived had these same qualities as the eagles that I am referring to in this article.  But in all honesty I must admit that it is very possible and almost probable that there have been some eagles who have demonstrated other characteristics than what I have been describing.  It is logical for me to assume that this is a correct statement because even though the majority of humans could fall into the category of good and decent citizens who love their country, there would be those who did not see this type of belief as being fit.  It is these people who start out few in number yet rise in rank within society and then make enough noise to have their presence noticed by others.

These people have chosen to uphold their portion of the nation differently and while the majority of these people probably do not have anger or hatred within their hearts the progression of what follows them breed discontent and hatred in the form of natural progress of the human spirit.  I understand that this is a huge statement but stop and take a look back at where we have come from and where we are now and then compare the two settings.  Lose the political, emotional and human biases that we carry and look at our past and ten current times and see the differences that are present now.  It is safe to say that we no longer represent an eagle but that of a raven.  And to be fair I am now going to look at the raven and its life patterns so we can all know each side of the story.

The raven is a scavenger by nature and it sees everything that it can take from its competitors instead of working for its own needs.  The raven flies high as the eagle and its eyesight is just as keen and sharp, yet it uses its natural abilities to fend off others in order to take what has been provided by others’ means.  Ravens have no friends including the other ravens that might be in the area.  Nor do they truly want to make new friends, only use them for superficial gain and when their usage is done throw them to the other scavengers for annihilation, all the while watching them perish as they fly away seeking to locate further friends.  Ravens have been known to scare away younger predators in order to “flex their feathers” to obtain superiority among the local avian population.

Why would a bird actually want to continually live in an area full of desolation with no future of natural change possible, yet rely on other animals’ demise for their own consumption?  With this flight a raven believes in and cares for only itself and it is their right to have what they want, when they want it and it does not matter who they get their wants from either.  Both the eagle and raven expend equal amounts of energy to complete the necessities of the day and even though they may share similar features that each bird has, their hearts are totally different and their pursuant motives definitely can be seen by others.

Some of you may fail to see the comparisons between the two birds and how humans act within our country.  Each bird represents a spirit within in their lives each of which is distinctive to its own species, so does each human.  Now it is feasible to say that both the eagle and the raven cannot change its physical appearances to look like the other and even though humans try and do the same we too cannot totally complete this transformation.  It is also logical to say that both birds have a distinct philosophy about their daily activities and that sometimes an eagle can act like a raven and a raven act like an eagle and do not even get me started about this characteristic about humans. 

It has been said that what counts about a person only comes from within and that we should not take the physical into consideration when addressing a human being.  It is the actions of a person that give others the predetermination of that human, not what the person looks like. But we need to think about what exactly is going on inside the person who demonstrates a scavenger attitude towards his fellow commuters.  While we continue to notice the decent and honorable deeds that many of us do it is the actions of those scavengers who grab all of the attention.  It is the choice of the eagle to act like a raven and vice versa, as it is with the human being to act accordingly to the eagle and raven.  What the difference between the birds and the humans is that we have a choice to which we can pattern our behavior and turn from or go without choice.

It has become apparent that many governments within the world have turned towards the scavenger side of life instead of trying to soar with the majestic eagle.  We in this country have begun this turning as well.  Look at what we are reporting on the news each night and if you look at the inner deeds of these people you will see the scavenger-like beliefs protruding.  In other words, while we may have our common physical features in view for the world to notice it is our inner distinct character that the world is seeing.  Humanity is well beyond just a few of us acting in this manner, it has become a choice of life and a conception of a new way of living that will end in a result of death.

It is very important for us to understand that the founders chose the eagle as our national symbol for a reason.  They saw the integrity and drive of each family of this country displayed against the current belief of despair and the down beaten that the world had to offer.  The ones who braved their journey and risked their lives to seek a better standard for their families are the ones that this country displayed to the world.  The founders understood that some decisions would be hard to make and then to live with but they made those choices out of the goodness of their hearts.  It is this standard that the eagle was adopted by this country. 

But can we honestly say that our country still represents an eagle not only to the world but also to ourselves?  The dishonesty, cheating, stealing, and total corruption of our motivations have now encumbered a dishonorable reputation and are now breeding discontent within our own borders.  We have even lost our sense of humor that has been famous worldwide in favor for a stymied “correct” language that only frustrates everyone who is forced to live within its confines.  When our body’s appearance is more important than our education system, we have lost our way.  When our compassion for those that are less fortunate has been replaced with mandates and demands, our goals have been smashed from within.  When we loft ourselves high into the air and demand that others heed our commands without question then our defining spirit has been replaced by a “ravenistic” ideology.

Now let us do some investigating as to why our great symbol of the eagle is being taken over by the raven.  It is not easy to miss when it is placed into this type of scenery.  Whether one will admit it or not we are still living in pretty good times inside the western world. However, it is visible that this bubble of luxury is beginning to display some major cracks that if we do not band together and fix, will lead to a huge opening that will enable our way of life to disappear when times really become tough.  We have an obligation to see this ravenous state of our heart and to reverse the bloodline that we are providing for our children.

The progression of human self dependence has furthered this ravenous contention between nations.  A question that I have to ask and one that needs to be thought about very seriously is this: how many dead eagles do you see along the side of the road? And the next question would be this: how many dead ravens do you see along side of the road?  I just turned 46 years of age and I have never driven by a dead eagle next to the road, but I have driven by many dead ravens.  There is a difference in the eagle from the raven and in each difference there is a standard that has been bred into their lives.  Remember the old saying of how can you soar with eagles while you work with a bunch of turkeys.  Put the word raven in the turkey slot and then repeat that saying and that is exactly in what direction we are headed.

How does this fit into the title of the article?  Killing two birds with one stone is a great phrase and I hope that we all look at its wording a bit different after this article.  The phrase refers to two birds being killed.  It does not say what kind of birds, just two of them.  It refers to only one stone used to complete the task of killing these birds.  The phrase also refers to something or someone using the stone to strike the two birds that are close enough to each other to complete the task.  And finally the end result is the death of the two birds and the stone falling to the ground and waiting for someone else to pick it up again.

I believe that I have clearly demonstrated the two birds in this article and how they represent the two spirits within this country.  The something or someone who throws the stone represents us, each one of us in this country.  The stone represents our choices that we have picked up off the ground and are going to use against one another.  The verb killing used in this phrase is exactly what we will be doing to our country and to ourselves as soon as we pick up that stone and hurl it towards one another.  That stone will strike us and it will kill our bird.  It kills the eagle because that is not what our country was founded upon and it kills the raven because the raven is just doing its job where carnage has been left.  Both birds are in the same vicinity and are close enough to be killed with this one stone.

This setting is a perfect example of what our lives were meant to be and at the same time what we are allowing our lives to become.  We, humans are the same and have not changed our appearance, nor can we.  It is our hearts that are being changed by the choices that we make and how we deliver them to the world.  There are so many catch phrases that are being thrown at every group in this country and all we are doing is leaving the world without a leader while we transform ourselves into ravens.  Our country was not founded on being a raven, we were created as eagles.  The same goes for humanity overall for we were created to soar or to have dominion over this world instead of becoming its slave. 

Listen carefully to this statement before jumping to conclusions and picking up stones.  Our country was founded to be a light into the world and to show the world that with hard work, that prosperity can be introduced into every nation.  Lowering our standards to another level does not fix this sad situation and is definitely not a characteristic of a leader.  It is evident that there are many nations throughout this world who are spiritually and physically deprived of the high standards that we all desire.  But what we are missing is that the leader of the free world has encompassed itself with a ravenous philosophy that will only hurt the world and not help it and our actions will only shed further division and violence against each other. 

There is only one answer to our raven-like activity and that is by our creator Himself.  In no way can humans alone turn our world in the direction where it can heal itself.  Humans can only produce more raven-like attitudes and hearts which will rip our lives apart both spiritually and physically.  It is easy for us to want an answer to our problems but we must come to the conclusion that it is foolish and deadly to seek this answer by ourselves.  Only God has the answer for our lives and only He can turn our raven hearts around.  Our country was founded on eagle principles and we need to ensure that this foundation is not ripped away.  God is calling all of us to recognize Him once again so that He can restore our majestic flight status once again.  Once again it is our choice in the matter and so does the question in hand, what are you going to do with that stone?

DLB

Crashing into the Amish Buggy

Crashing into the Amish Buggy

12/8/13

Modern technology and all of its wonders can make life so much simpler for everyone.  This is a true fact and one that carries much weight throughout the international community.  Most of the world now enjoys connectivity with other parts of the world due to the availability of the internet.  But what happens when someone devises a plan to sabotage or disrupt these connections.  Will we be totally vulnerable while these systems are down or will we understand how to fend for ourselves in these times of turmoil?  Having the technological capabilities to talk to a friend across the world is a fabulous option, but what happens when that technology crashes into the Amish buggy?

There was a tragic news story that came out of Pennsylvania this past week about an Amish horse drawn buggy that was hit by a semi tractor trailer on a rural road.  It was not a very pretty scene since the majority of the occupants inside the buggy were killed almost immediately after the truck struck the carriage.  The driver of the truck had no injuries at all and the huge truck that he was driving sustained very minor damage; however, the buggy was totally demolished along with the wrecked family members of the Amish family.  This is a tragedy that no one ever wants to hear about but it still happens especially when tradition and the old ways collide with modern technology.

The roads that are provided for all of us are open to everyone and we all need to make sure that we understand this concept.  We, personally, do not own the road that we are on, but we are on its pathway that someone else has paved for us.  We also must keep in mind that thousands or even millions of people have travelled this same path before your car, truck, bike or foot ever made its presence felt on that surface.  The one thing that we do have in common with all of the previous travelers is that we are on the same path at some point in time of our life and at any moment our life or the lives of our family members can change in an instant.  And with this example I must say from the beginning, we all need to be ready to meet our Creator at a moment’s notice.

The roads that we travel during our lifetime have been crossed many times before by people who are just like us.  Here are no exceptions to this rule and no one is exempt from having an easy time in life.  When our road becomes our torture chamber we need to remember that our experience has been trodden upon by others just like us and that our paved, straight and smooth road can transform into a curvy dirt road in a blink of an eye.  In some instances this change of settings can be made affordable with the modern conveniences of technology but in some cases all the modern technology in the world cannot save us from the pain of our road. 

I recently travelled to southeast Texas to attend my niece’s college graduation.  It was my first time back in that area in quite some time and as I was trekking through my old stomping grounds I noticed that many of the scenery that I had once witnessed with my eyes had drastically changed. The roads were definitely wider and better and even many of the houses and businesses had been uprooted and been replaced by other civilized ordinances.  With all of the changes to the area I still could not forget the many times that I had travelled this road going back and forth for various reasons and while it had changed in many ways, the road was still considerably long and windy.  Even with the better technological car that I was driving this time, the road was still somewhat difficult to navigate and I knew that if any person, animal or car that would appear as I rounded a curve there would be trouble for everyone.

When a person looks at these types of contexts it would be easy to draw the conclusion that any modern vehicle would have an advantage over a single animal or person if the two ever came into contact with each other while moving.  But as we all know there are certain situations which the person in the vehicle comes out as the loser when this type of contact is made.  This type of scene actually sets the stage for the general idea of this article in which no matter if a person believes that they have the technical advantage in some manner, the grounds are level when contact with any other living being has been made.  This type of framework withholds how our enemy can use what we have presented onto the canvass against us when he sees an opportunity.

It would seem like that humans would always stick to the normal game plan when it comes to trying to create an edge over the opposition.  But any of us who have been involved in any type of friendly competition understands that the opponent will not conform to the everyday rules continuously.  Many times we have witnessed an underdog pull out a trick play to seal an upset over a highly touted team or a smaller business outbid a larger company for a ground breaking building project which catapults that small business into a well known company.  And we cannot forget the old saying that all is fair in love and war, which means that playing dirty, can be presented by either side at any time.  So why do we continue to warrant the idea of having a relaxed atmosphere when there is a potential for danger?  It is because we have become comfortable in our toys that have allowed us to gain access to everyone’s stage with ease.

We then have the audacity to gauge the so called loser of our challenges as lower than us or maybe administer an embarrassment to them by labeling them as backwards, cowards, or any other derogatory name that our society can dream up.  How do we come to grips with ourselves when we place our lives on a pedestal and deliberately step on heads to elevate our egos to this standard?  Even when a team can claim to be the champion of their sport they still had to play someone who reached the same level as they did and so it is in real life. 

No matter what efforts we try to avoid, clashes between humans will occur and someone will have to win and the others involved will draw the short straw.  Having a smaller team or not having the updated quality of gadgets does not make a person inferior to those who have more or better, in fact the ones who have less often are more creative than those who have the more advanced technology because of the skills it takes to think are used more under the technological radar.  But which one of these contestants is wrong for having their respective equipment whether it be advanced or not?  Underneath all of the armor a human being lies within who is as equal as the next person and should be treated as a human being just as a goliath would be.

This issue actually comes to light within the Church and creates more division within the body of Christ than healing to the world.  Each denomination is represented by a human being.  It does not matter which denomination a person is referring to, the bottom line is that in order for a denomination to exist it must contain at least one human being.  There are huge denominations that stretch to the ends of the earth and then there are those that are isolated within a small corner of a country.  Does the size of a denomination make their views and points automatically correct?  No!!  The same goes for a small church organization as well because it does not matter what size a church gathering may be, the damage or growth to another human can be identical.

It is the human being that has the sole capability to penetrate another human being, and then it is the work of God who brings forth light from within.  I do not care if a person is a Catholic or a Methodist, if that person demonstrates the love of Christ to others ten they are identical with me through Jesus.  God has the potential to use everyone that seeks after Him and it does not matter which field of work that you represent either.  God shows me things to write about yet I have no specific clue who each one of my articles are for but I am not going to argue with God about why I am doing this.  Another person may drive a bus on Sunday or preach the Word of God from a pulpit and yes, even custodians are part of the mission of Christ to a dying world.

If a person drives an old beat up car, so be it.  I have known a monk that walked everywhere no matter what the weather conditions were because he chose not to have a car.  On the other hand I know another monk that drives his car all around the state visiting family and friends.  Both monks have different faiths yet I would allow both of them to pray for myself and / or one of my family members without even questioning.  So what if an Amish lady drives in a wooden buggy that arrives at the grocery store before your Cadillac does, does this give you the authority to yell at her and call her names?

Our lives are filled with enough crashes and clashes that will do plenty of damage to our lives without us inflicting similar and intentional wounds from our mouths and actions.  Technology was not created to separate classes of people nor was the Church defined as the intimidating force to gain people access to God through manipulative methods.  God did not create the human race in order to force them to serve His ways; He created us in order to prove to His, and our, immortal enemy that He loves us and that we have the opportunity to choose Him on our own.

Crashing into a wooden buggy should not be the means that defines how we come into contact with those who are lost.  Making fun of those who do not believe in the same manner or see eye to eye as we do falls into the same category.  It does not matter which side of the game one plays the object is to win but to keep the level of play equal enough to ensure no hatred follows.  The goal of humanity is to bring people together but this shall never happen if we voluntarily place labels and blame upon those who we are trying to convert.  We can still have a wonderful relationship with the person or family that rides in a horse drawn buggy, in fact I would absolutely love to ride in one just to see what it is like to travel in that manner. 

We need to understand that each one of us will differ in some manner from others.  Even our closest friend that we can ever have will not believe exactly the same way as you.  God is the only being who can make sure that the divisions that we humans create can be mended and healed.  Living with differences is normal and it is healthy when another sides of the issue politely challenges us to think about what we believe and to scrape up the courage to respond in love about our beliefs.  God loves us in every way possible and it is His desire that we all understand His ways.  Denominational beliefs are just that, divisions that were created by man to hinder the advancement of God’s Kingdom.  Yes, denominations are with us and yes they will serve their grounds but it is those who trust in God more than their denomination that will find God for our utmost. 

DLB

Consuming What You Produce

Consuming What You Produce

12/7/13

This country was founded on the backs of people willing to sacrifice long days and even longer years of their lives in order to accomplish a dream.  The dream of ambition churned within these people who braved everything to start a new with nothing but uncertainty in front of them.  As we witness new people being brought up with a different standard that what we have previously known, one can only wonder what the future of this country holds.  It is stated in the Bible that if a man does not work he should not eat.  It seems like we have forgotten this work concept; at least, for now that is.

I am going to begin this article with one of my short history lessons about the founders of our country.  I am not going to refer to their religious beliefs, while those played a central role in their lives; however, I am going to focus on their work ethics for this article.  We citizens of today love to break out all of our tools when we are going to complete a project around our house, church, or neighborhood.  While there is nothing wrong with this type of luxury, we tend to forget just how hard it was for the founders of this country to build a simple storage shed much less a house or church building.

There was no electricity in those days so the work totally depended upon the weather and the length of the days.  Doctors were of rare appearance and many times a sickness took weeks to get over instead of a few days with our antibiotic supplies we enjoy today.  The mindset of foreigners and constant threats were a common occurrence since a great percentage of the working force were sent to complete scouting duty instead of being able to help out with building construction.  Breaks and lunch sessions were short and simple with no air conditioned parlors or salons to rest their weary backs.  All of the effort that it took to muster up a building was contributed by every able body within that community for they knew that if they did not complete the building within the appropriate time, death would surly follow the entire estate.

Not many people were left out of the working community in those days simply because there was a job to do for everyone.  If a person was not actually working on the construction site they served as water boys and girls or hand laborers to bring the necessary supplies to the site when they were needed.  There were those who worked in the surrounding woods to cut the timber needed for the buildings and those that moved those pieces of wood to the site must have been mighty strong.  Women were found to be at the site working their bonnets off trying to make sure that everything was being taken care of while the men were occupied with the project.  And we all cannot forget about the ones who kept the young children at bay while the grownups were slaving away.  I know that I have only touched upon a few of the actual jobs that took place at that time of construction but the picture is clear that everyone had a job to do to ensure that the new society and the grown of that society progressed according to its ability.

A step back further in time to the Roman Empire and we can see the same type of lifestyle in play.  If you thought that the pilgrims or pioneers of this country had basic tools take a closer look at what the workers of this era had to deal with on a daily basis.  The working conditions of the Rome had some similar foundational practices but in many other ways their working conditions were grotesquely simpler than in the pilgrim’s day.  Almost every tool that the Romans used were weaker in quality and in number compared to those whit which our founders used.  Yet the human factor was still in demand at this time as well and the Roman society was just as dependent upon human workers as was the founders of this country.  The same human working ethics were in play and needed to be portrayed so that everything could be completed in a timely and efficient manner.

If my reader is familiar with history he / she would recognize that I gave two complete different settings for my examples of human history, yet both of those examples are relevant in our own lives and society today because both are presented within today’s world.  The one obvious portion of these two examples is that humans were involved in both settings.  The living conditions and advancements might have been different but the human and everything that he / she had to offer is a constant.  When a person is asked about how the Romans lived one will automatically think of a Roman citizen lying on their side with a slave fanning them with a huge leaf fan and at the same time feeding themselves with a multitude of fruit by another servant of some kind.  In the other setting when a person is asked to think about the pilgrim or founder of this country the setting is completely different and usually something like: I would not want to live in those types of primitive conditions would be spoken to the person who asked that question.  Why is this and how does the settings affect our decisions?

But the real question that needs to be asked is if these two settings are actually different from each other or are they just different in their timing.  As far back as humanity has kept records the human has had to work for the things that they claim as theirs.  It is not hard for us to realize this concept for if we do not work for something why should we expect to have anything given to us for not pulling our weight.  Go back and read history and you will find that both of these settings will have examples of those who did not pull their weight within their respective communities.  Read how these people were treated and looked upon by the others in the community.  What motivates people to not participate within their community and help to pull their weight when things need to be completed?  I cannot imagine not wanting to pull my own weight for not only my family but in servitude for my county, state or country.  Work is an institution that none of really enjoy but we must remember that this brainchild of an idea is the major source that continues the circle of life for every human around the world.  So what is it about those who refuse to work yet are granted their own elite social status that usually has the same or greater benefits than those who continuously work?

This is the third article that I am featuring a passage from the book entitled “Black Sea” by Neal Ascherson.  Once again God has shown me a couple of things that He desires for His people to understand about the direction that we are heading and if we do not turn our ways of thinking around we could see an overall disaster fill our lives within a few years.  It is very important that we stop and take a hard look at the paths that we are accepting as the “norm” and re-evaluate them before we fall into seriously hard times.

I am returning to the small town of Nedvigovka which is located close to the shore of the Black Sea.  It is a small community that was hit hard by the Communist government and nearly died during this period of time.  After the Communists left, the local area began to rebuild and start over with new financial prospects and a few more resources to aid in the re-development of the community.  A local priest of the area had made an interesting observation about this rebuilding period and even though I do not know if that priest is still alive today, but he actually saw the world in motion for the future by what he told the author of this book.

Here is the excerpt from the book.  “What are we to think about this new Russia?  In this village of ours, people are beginning to come from outside and sell things which they have not made themselves.  To travel in order to stand on the street and sell carrots which you have grown, a toy which you have carved, a kettle which you fashioned in your own workshop – why, yes, that is natural and even good.  But these new people do nothing beyond buying and selling.  They buy an article in one place, and then they come here to sell it for a higher price.  They do not work, they do not make anything!  I have told my congregation that this is wickedness, a sin, to make money out of what you have not produced.”

What a great insight from a person who lives in a very small corner of the planet.  Until I read this passage in this book I had no idea that this little town even existed yet the local priest says words that defines the entire accepted views of the western world today.  One also has to keep in mind that this book was written in 1995 and all of the research for its material completed before this specific point in time, which means that there was no internet for the free access to everyone, especially to the rural area of the Crimea.  So how can this information be documented in this local priest’s heart?  It is because this priest understands what direction that humanity is progressing and it he understands the consequences that it will bring if we as a whole do not wake up and change our ways.  Now, if a local priest, who is a human like everyone else, can figure this image out then why can’t we so called modern folk do the same.

It is easy for one to forget this concept when the trend is to get something for nothing.  Western philosophy glorifies this process and it promotes it through the redistribution of assets to everyone.  Now while there are millions of people who believe in this system of production, it goes totally against the proven theories of work and everything that humans must to in order to claim something as theirs.  The convenience of this process is lucrative since little or no effort is required.  What a waste of existence on the part of humanity if there is no legitimate reason as to why a person should not be competitive in the working world.  However, when the leaders of the world have the same concept and make plays upon the glorification of this way of life for personal gain, the directional turn has already taken hold at all levels of society in which the new definition and standards in place.

Now, in order to be complete, I must interject the Church’s issues concerning this lifestyle.  One might not know that the Church has fallen into the same pattern as the world when it comes to this issue.  For as long as I can remember the Christian world has proclaimed that the process of salvation is easy and it is free of charge based upon the acts of Christ and His entire life including His resurrection.  While this is a very accurate and appropriate statement, we have placed so much emphasis on the word “free” that we have adopted the free for nothing concept.  Now, we also know that everything that God has done for our lives our enemy has a plan to counter.  Therefore, because of our inept and selfish beliefs concerning the mission of Christ and what our working responsibilities are, our enemy has used this non-action belief to his advantage

in the progression of human destruction.

It is the true and honorable nature of man to work for things that he / she desires to have in his life.  It is just as honorable for God to take away these benefits to humanity when they do not follow the rules of nature.  God established His works within man in order for man to understand the need for completion.  One cannot complete anything without exhibiting  some kind of equitable result on a personal level, humanity’s problem is that they have become so indoctrinated in their own policies that when they look at the results, society would rather stay at home and do nothing than make an honest living for their families.  Thus, is born the process of laziness where handouts become the income of society.  While I cannot solely blame the Church for promoting this activity, for this type of living was present before the Church was established, I can say that the Church has blossomed this idea due to the fact that we sit on our pews and wait for a future event without doing actual work that Christ commanded us to do.

What one does not understand about this type of belief is that it instills a process within our lives that has an eternal trap.  This eternal trap is a process that grows and overtakes the vital portions of our lives that we need to have in order to live properly.  It is a disease that affects our abilities to accept responsibility for our ways of thinking, looking, acting and working.  If left unchecked it can become so engrossing within our lives that we have no choice but to either remove it or allow it to totally consume our inner being.  If one wishes to compare it to a physical disease then let it be compared to cancer and the process in which this dreaded disease starts slowly and then consumes its host until death has the last word.  So will this process be implemented into our inner cores with the exact same result if we do not turn back to the one who can cure us of this dreaded disease.  It is written in human history and it will be written once again if we do not see the error of our ways and return back to the ways that God had intended for our lives.

In everything that God has ordained for man to do, work has been involved.  The physical laboring aspect need not be the exact meaning of this word for every display, but some explicit force is needed for each study.  The ability of man to create takes the effort of the brain and then steps to produce this creation can eventually be presented when the product is complete.  If one completes a product from its conception to its finale then those who worked on it will understand every detail within that project.  Not understanding even the miniscule details of a plan represents laziness and lack of determination to produce a finished product.  In this instance I can place blame on the Church for she has not adhered to this distinction of what her mission has been.  It is time that we stick our noses back into the Word of God and to see everything that He has for mankind, both the good and the bad.  We can only understand what our progressions will make us if we understand the true meaning of life.

We can try to accomplish this process on our own and from what it looks like we are failing miserably while we continually take steps according to humanistic ways.  God is calling for us to stop and turn back to Him for He does know what will happen to humanity if we do not heed His voice and words.  It is not God’s desire for anyone to miss out on the blessings of life but as long as we are self-centered in our ways, the consumption of our products will eventually run out due to the lack of people willing to honestly create the products.  It is my wish that everyone turns to God and receives His insight on how to restore our self worth through work for if we do not then our choice of selfish gains will produce death itself. 

DLB

Human Government

Human Government

12/3/13

It has been said that humans possess an inner being that makes up the essence of a person.  I find it fitting that this portion of our lives we try to hide as much as possible from the world but somehow end up exhibiting our inner beings to anyone who is passing by at the moment.  We sometimes forget that what we say and how we act to the current situation around us informs others of what exactly is housed within our lives and this expression of ourselves can also portray the characteristics of the human government that controls our mechanical and functional belief systems within.  We are a temple and no matter what or how you believe with this fact, it does dictate how you live your life.

Everyone who reads the Bible knows that it will affect their lives in some manner.  For those of us who believe that it is the true and just Word of God understand that it is a guidebook for our lives.  For those who do not believe in the Bible and all of its content, will pick it apart to justify their physical whims concerning passages that are not human friendly and then ask posted questions with a closed heart as their reference point and then reject all possible answers that the person who was asked the question could possibly give in return.  This is not an uncommon situation that people find themselves in and while the animosity towards the Bible and its standards are ever increasing throughout the world, the Bible’s contents are still talked about on a regular basis.

I fully understand how God would use His Word to direct our lives and to teach us a thing or two about our said lives, but I have been totally blown away of how He had used a secular history book to show me things to write about.  However, when I stop and remember some of the things that I have been shown to write about it should not surprise me at all concerning this method because God uses humans and their experiences within the contents of the Bible so why should He use anything differently today.  I guess I am still learning this process of restoration and direct communication with God and as far as I can tell He has no plans to stop showing me things to write about so I should suppose that I will continue to learn new ways of His gifts for our lives.

I was reading once again in the book entitled “Black Sea” by Neal Ascherson and God showed me a couple of things concerning the Church or more specifically the Church that is inside all of us.  Now some of these concepts are known to many people but there might be a few that others might not have noticed before so hang with me for a while please.  I am honestly not trying to promote this book in any way but to be fair, it is an excellent book about the Black Sea region and a good portion of its history.  I recommend the book if anyone is interested in that area of the world.  Anyway, the couple of paragraphs that I am going to refer to deal with a small town and the church that is located within the town and the condition and uses for the building during the recent past history of the town.

The small town is named Nedvigovka and it is located in the Black Sea region of the Crimea.  The Crimea region has been a highly contested area of the world due to the fact of the usage of the Black Sea.  Many counties and nations have fought over control of this region since its location links Asia and Europe via the Bosporus which eventually leads to the Mediterranean Sea and the rest of the world. This area was part of the Silk Road route and has allowed many different cultures to be represented while the trade industry has flourished.  We also know that when the Soviets were in power this area was a resort area but still under the influence and control of Communism and everything that went along with that concept.

Most of us understand the different types of government that a country can follow and it is not even uncommon that one such government type falls and a totally different style of government takes its place.  When reading about this area and its entire political outcomes one would know that after the fall of Soviet Communism many areas in this part of the world had a lot of reconstruction and restoration processes to endure.  Many villages, towns, areas, and regions had been decimated by the Communist regime which left hundreds of thousands of people in shambles and some of these people are still in the process of recovery today. 

The majority of the population of this area was deeply rooted in the Christian faith with the Orthodox belief very strong in each person’s life.  Orthodoxy had been introduced into these regions centuries before and had remained as the central point of their lives up until the Communists came in and demanded changes take place among the area.  Communism does not advocate any form of Christianity, frowns upon those who stick to their faith and harshly deals with those who refuse to assimilate to the total communistic lifestyle and belief.  I do not have any figures to support this claim but I can almost guarantee that after the Communists moved in with their new philosophies that many Christians who refused to give up their faith simply disappeared and were never heard from again.  This is a sad portion of human history but one that we have witnessed over and over before and if we humans would figure out that this type of national government actually does exist within our personal lives, we might think differently about certain demands we make on others; just a suggestion. J

The Communists closed all of the churches that they did not deem as necessary or as a threat to their way of belief.  It is estimated that thousands of small community churches were boarded-up or razed to the ground in order to make sure that other types of information could be presented to their population.  This act is not unusual for rogue governments to do when they take over a territory or group of people and many articles and books could be written about this process, but what about on the personal level and how this concept of governmental takeover infiltrates our lives and eventually becomes the rule of law.  I am using this national governmental example initially to make my point but this process is completed every day in our own personal lives and we need to understand that what we allow into our belief system I would argue is more deadly than a governmental takeover.

As with a governmental regime so does a personal governance present itself within our lives.  Even though it may be on different levels per population the individual personal government holds just as much power as the national or world governments.  And it is this point that I want to focus on where it concerns the personal church and how things are operated.  Our personal beliefs rule our choices and often make decisions without us even stopping to think about those choices before we have the opportunity to view the entire scope of the argument.  All of us make these types of decisions and choices but do we really understand what these choices are actually doing to us on the inside?

The Bible says that we are a temple and that we should keep this in mind while we are routinely going about our business each day.  Do we blindly read this passage and dismiss what it is actually saying about our lives?  Sure we love to sing about the holy inner place of our lives and we will be the first one to condemn those who display worldly baggage but in my experiences, it is those people who need to examine what is being stored within in their temples as well because to a dying world there is not much difference other than the hypocrite factor.

One can see quite quickly what a person carries within their life and even though this is not a form of judgment our reactions and openness towards that person is affected.  We have a tendency to store stuff that we have received from the world in our hearts and we carry these things by our choice and not because we are forced.  It is these things, whether it is of a good or bad nature that the people of the world see and react to accordingly.  And if we continue to accept the trash of the world into our lives then what we will provide to others will be reflective of what we are housing.  We are a human storage shelter and we need to correctly choose what we place into our lives, for whatever we do allow inside will be manifested at some point down the road.

For those of you who have boarded up your temple because life has dealt you a hard hand, that is your own choice to allow so legally and correctly you have no authority to blame God.  You can question God about your circumstances and ask Him to show you how to make amends or restoration but it was your own personal inner government who made those choices after the act.  I know that some of these issues could be tough and one might be placed into a very difficult situation when dealing with the consequences but we must remember that it is what we have been allowing into our personal government that will predict and dictate the responses that we have towards others. In other words, it is your personal government who chooses to have abortion, after abortion after abortion as a means of freedom of choice and it is also your own personal government who chooses to take in a lady who is suffering from the effects of having an abortion.  The question then begs, which personal government example is more progressive? 

God works on an individual level, one-on-one if you choose to view it that way.  This is exactly the type of atmosphere that God desires because He understands that each of us are different and only He can help us if we allow His presence in our lives, and He also knows that if one person opens up to Him then it is very possible that another person will do the same and the pattern will continue until the national governments can change.  Don’t believe me?  Take a good look at how our national, state and local governments are being controlled and manipulated.  Forget about who is right and wrong for a moment and look at what is being pushed upon our society.  Take notes on what you find and then at some point in the near future, compile them and then read over them.  And when you complete this survey, do the same with your personal government and see exactly what your personal government has done to your temple.

Have you bashed the correct way of doing things with correctness?  Have you pushed aside the good of humanity for minding your own business?  Have you closed your blinds on your inner windows so that you can hide from what the world is offering to its inhabitants?  Are your personal temple doors nailed shut because it is cheaper to keep your interior hidden rather than clean it?  All of these issues and thousands more like them are present within each one of us and as long as we display these conditions our temples are voluntarily defiled and are no better than the boarded-up church in Nedvigovka.

It is your personal government that shuts down your temple’s potential to a dying world.  This is when your personal government becomes more powerful than a national government because while national governments have people who oppose it, a personal government has 100% support of its inhabitant all the time, there are no split decisions or divided votes.

To continue the story about the little boarded-up church in Nedvigovka; after the Communist government was overtaken the people of the small town began to clean the old church building again and to begin a restoration process.  It was their change of government which initiated this restoration process and according to the paragraphs inside this book, the church now is one of the more popular and beautiful buildings within the town itself.  The author of the book writes that there are still some more renovations to be completed, but the restoration process is almost complete.

What a beautiful site that old church must be to behold.  One can only imagine the memories and hope that it brings to the people of that town.  I am glad that the old regime did not tear the church down but even if they did the new building would be as strong as ever after its rebuilding.  Our lives are the exact same way in that our own personal governments control so much of how we operate on a daily basis. This is why the Bible talks about our bodies as being a temple and how important it is for us to maintain our temples as holy as possible. Our temples are permanent and cannot be removed until we leave this earth, but what we place into our temples can be replaced, upgraded and restored.

We cannot do this restoration process alone, only the One who created us has the capability to complete this restoration process.  The Creator will not overthrow our personal government it is our choice to change our personal government so that His ways can once again flow through our lives.  It is strictly up to us to allow this process to occur, not God’s.  Our temples are precious in every way known to man and in even more ways that man cannot comprehend.  Change your human government and when you do your personal government will be free to open its doors and windows and offer to the world true life once again.

DLB

The Deigning of Christ

The Deigning of Christ

12/2/13

When we think of Christ and how He lived His life here on earth, our thoughts turn to meekness and servitude for the people that He encountered.  We know that Jesus’ mission here on earth was to bring a closure to the gap that we had created so long ago with God.  But have we thought about the time that Jesus became the heal that crushed His and our enemy and what it meant to our enemy when this event was fulfilled?  The completion of the events in the Garden of Eden and upon the cross do have relevance with each other and need to be spoken about since one could not have occurred without the other, which means that the life, death and resurrection of Christ is the crowning achievement over our enemy or in this case God’s deigning moment over His and our eternal enemy.

In the early 1900s there was a tragic event that took place that was called the Odessa Pogrom.  I am only going to reference this one event for this article but keep in mind that this type of activity occurred in 1821, 1859, 1871, 1881, and in 1886 as well; however, in keeping with human tradition the pogrom of 1905 was the largest and bloodiest of the years listed above.  For those that are not familiar with what a pogrom is, it is a process in which the methodical destruction and devastation of a people or group is completed by another group, mainly directed towards the Jewish population of an area and in this case it does refer to the Jewish population of Odessa.  The city of Odessa that I am referring to in this article is the port city that sits on the Black Sea and historically has been known as a multi-cultural city which invited many different trades to secure their financial stability throughout the ages. While this event only took place in a matter of 5 days, over 400 Jews were murdered and over 1600 Jewish businesses and other properties were either severely damaged or totally destroyed.

When familiarizing myself with this event I found that this type of activity towards the Jews was actually a precursor to what the Nazi Party did to the Jews during the mid 1930s all the way until 1945.  Many of the ways that the Jews were killed and tortured during the Odessa pogrom the Nazis continued and then progressed into massive amounts of dead bodies that they could not get rid of before the advancing allied army forced the German soldiers from their posts.  It fascinates me to see how humans can perform these types of atrocities and then future generations fail to recognize directional motives that others provide for the public and then sit back and deliberately ignore the reports when they appear. Not understanding the human mind and heart through human history and allowing such activities to re-occur, in my opinion, is just as grave of a crime as the act itself and those who did nothing should be held accountable on the same level as the guilty parties of the accused.  My fascination quickly succumbs to the darkening blinds that our enemy offers us and we in turn voluntarily place them around our spiritual eyes so that we may pass over the scene without being witness to the horrors that mankind is doling out on itself.

One specific setting that I read in the book entitled “The Black Sea” was during this 1905 Odessa pogrom and it had to do with the telling of what occurred to a Jewish interviewee concerning his father’s store.  The person who was being interviewed said that his father did not come home that night when all the violent actions of the local people were taking place.  He and his mother were worried of course but could not do anything since if they left their house then they would have put their lives in immediate danger.  After the events had calmed down, he went to where his father’s store was and saw his father outside looking at all of the damage that had been done to the store.

He reached his father and asked if he was ok and his father stated that he was physically fine but the store had been damaged greatly and viewing the damage to the front glass window it seems like it probably would be a while before the store could re-open again.  A few moments later a Cossack officer on horseback turned the corner and began to approach their positions.  The father then took a couple of steps towards the path of the horse and officer and then fell to his knees and cupped his hands to form a begging for help type of setting.  The officer continued his path and did not even look at the father who was obviously begging for help.  As the officer passed the interviewer’s father on his knees the officer deigned his cap but did not set eyes upon the father; not once did he even acknowledge that the father was there besides the fact of the action with his cap. 

I was not familiar with the term deigning so I had to look things up to find out what the word meant.  It is an interesting word that has very distinct undertones of dignity and how one feels that a certain culture is of a higher standard than another.  I found the word to be of Latin origin and could easily be referenced to racial or communal standards.  With our history and knowledge of how other cultures have portrayed the Jewish culture and then applying it to this story it is not hard for a person to arrive at the conclusion that this type of violence against the Jewish population was deemed “justified” according to the local people of Odessa.

When the Cossack officer deigned his cap to the Jewish business owner it was a physical sign to the Jewish man that the people of that area, including the military of the area, thought that the violent actions that had been taken against the Jewish community of Odessa was justified since their race and culture were a substandard form of life.  And, that there was nothing wrong with the destruction of Jewish businesses and the murder of innocent Jewish people.  The other local communities of Odessa singled out one group of people and categorized them in order to justify their actions towards someone else.  It seems like that every time a group becomes singled out for whatever reason it is that specific group that is going to bear the brunt of the other groups’ actions.  We have read about this in history and we are seeing it occur today.

So, how in the world do this event and specifically the word deigning have to relate to Jesus and His mission on earth?  It does seem rather odd to compare the two situations with one demoralizing word but continue reading and you will understand that the origins of the comparison actually begins in the Garden of Eden and then reaches its pinnacle at the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.  This is another example of the relevance of the Bible in our world today and just how it ties into our lives due to the fact that we chose to do things on our own and not to obey God’s one simple command.

In Genesis we see that the choice has been made by humanity to go about things on its own and to ignore what God has put into place. So when God confronts the participants of the event He includes everyone in His laying out of the ground rules for the future of all parties involved.  An interesting portion of Genesis Chapter 3 states this: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.”  Generally we refer to this as Jesus versus Satan and the events that transpire between the two Kingdoms.  While this is a true statement, with reasoning one must look at the fact that the word “crush” that is used here is a violent term.  If anything is to be crushed the form, shape, looks, stance, belief, etc of that object must have its foundations and structure totally changed by another force that has mastered it.

This is a turning point in the war between the two kingdoms since the humans are now in play and are still the focal point of both kingdoms.  At the same time, these proceedings set the tone for all future altercations between the two kingdoms and this tone has not changed in any manner ever since.  Our enemy has had the privilege of using this anger and torture against mankind ever since this event took place in the garden, plus he has allowed our emotions and our human thoughts to be used against other people as well. As I have mentioned many times before, human history is filled with all sorts of ingenious ways and methods for humans to torture, maim and kill other humans.  Therefore, if the human is the center battling point of the two kingdoms and that the sides have been allowed to form against one another, then the One who said that a human would crush the enemy of the human will be of a violent nature because if violence is of the common core of the battle for humanity then that is the way that God must win the hearts of the human over the ways of the world.

So, where does Jesus fit into all of this you ask?  Well, it is kind of interesting but one should not have too hard of a time understanding it, but probably most of us have not thought about the reality of it before.  All of us would agree that Jesus is the meekest and humblest man that ever has walked on the earth.  We also would agree that even with this type of demeanor, He demonstrated at times anger towards those who defiled the Temple from the activities that should have been ongoing there.  It is not unknown that Jesus faced violent people and forces every day, take for example the possessed person or when the news reached Jesus about the beheading of John.  All of these things about Jesus and what He experienced are true, so the result of the consequences of the garden scene He witnessed.

This means that when God set into motion the conditions of humanity, everyone would have to experience this test at some point in their lives.  Jesus, being a human was not exempt from this experience so why would our lives be any different than what He experienced? Jesus’ life represented everything that is good and gave us a perfect example of how we should live our lives towards others.  This is easily accepted by many believers and nonbelievers throughout history but we are forgetting one aspect of His life that represents the most crucial for our spiritual survival.  There is no doubt that there were people who had the same philosophy of deigning when Jesus was alive and walking the earth, as do humans have that same spirit manifesting through their lives today.

Now, if God has set something in motion and Jesus was the one who came to close the gap that separated humanity from God, along with performing great miracles, teaching the ways of forgiveness and repentance, then this is a true example of Him defeating what has already been established on this earth.  But when God sets something into motion and uses specific words in setting them into motion, which means that the final act must include the pinnacle of battles.  Naturally Satan would use his investments and pour them into the fight against humanity while God would use His investments and continue to push back the darkness through His Son that walked on the earth.

Throughout Church history there have been many who place the Jews as the ones responsible for the Death of Jesus.  While this may be true in certain terms the mission of Jesus was actually being fulfilled and it does not really matter who set Jesus u for His death.   What many of us forget is that Jesus was born to die.  His mission was to die.  His entire presence on this earth and His ministry was for Him to die and if anyone doubts this claim then you are in deep trouble because God ordained it while He was laying out the consequences for man’s choices in the Garden of Eden.  God has a purpose for everything that He does.  It may not fit into your plans or ideas but His plans are perfect and complete in every way, a function that we humans have difficulty in conceiving.  It was not Jesus’ human life that was the pinnacle of His ministry.  It was not the miracles that he performed that completed God’s plan for our enemy.  It was the death and resurrection of Jesus that fulfilled the crushing blow to Satan and his dominion that God had in mind as the deigning moment in human history.

It is not just a physical aspect that Jesus died as a human being; everyone dies.  Yes, God recognized and approved that His only Son should die and it actually made God proud that this event occurred.  Why?  Yes, God hurt that His Son hung on a cross, was beaten beyond human recognition, betrayed by His peers, mocked and ridiculed and spat upon.  But God understood that these things had to be in order due to the fact of the progression that man had come from the garden’s sin and it had to be manifested to our enemy and for the entire world that the only way to God was through this pathway.

It is difficult for us to comprehend this action of sacrifice but as soon as Jesus dropped His head in death our enemy was reminded once again that he had no of what was about to happen.  I can imagine that his mind began to tremble a bit as soon as the earthquake occurred and the veil to the temple began to tear.  Satan knew at this point that God was actually in control of this situation, and the revelation of what occurred next would shake the spiritual world wide open.  The direct communication lines from God to man was once again opened as it was in the initial days of the Garden of Eden.  Satan knew exactly what the veil inside the Temple meant and he also realized exactly what it meant when the veil ripped from top to bottom.

Satan also understood exactly that God had completed His mission, through His Son, to inform every spiritual being and spiritual force that this was His party and that His plan of restoration had been initiated and completed.  This act of death and resurrection b Jesus in no way shows anything but obedience and love for humanity.  The act that god allows might seem cruel on the physical side of things but when one understands that the spiritual side of our lives are directly affected by this event, we can see that it was the greatest progression of love that any form of creation can obtain.  While the life, death and resurrection of Jesus means everything to us today as Christians, it also serves as the spiritual deigning of God towards his former wanna be in that he has no choice but to accept certain and crushing defeat.

Is this a haughty attitude that God displays?  It can be construed as such and is by billions of people around the world.  But we must understand that God has a plan for each of our lives and in order for God to allow this plan to flow through our lives we must have the knowledge that there is a war going on for our eternal being.  God could not claim victory over death if He did not choose the plan that He had for His son.  Even though God knows and our enemy knows that there is no power comparison between the two entities that if He did not display this type of control and command of the situation our enemy would have grounds to claim that God was a liar.  Haughty?  I do not think so. I do believe that God had everything set into motion hundreds, thousands or billions of years in the past and I also believe that while He was placing the beginnings of the universe into place you and I were on His mind.

Our enemy does not deserve to even have access to God’s perfect creation, yet we allowed this access by our own choice.  Our enemy hates us with an eternal hatred and will try everything to destroy our lives with little or no effort what-so-ever.  God has proven Himself time and time again throughout history that He loves us so much and even though we continue to thumb our noses in the air towards Him, He has promised to love us no matter what.  God is a proving God and He proved Himself while His Son was dying on the cross.  He proved Himself to our enemy that he holds no place in our lives and that he does not even deserve the attention of us as we pass by him.  This act of love is the deigning of God through Christ to our enemy and it is a message that everyone needs to understand about what actually took place that day in Jerusalem and it was all to signify to us that we are so much better than what our enemy portrays us as and that we as God’s creation do not even have to even tip our hats to his presence.

DLB