OXYMORONS OF CHRISTMAS

December 23, 2023 By Leave a Comment

+ Made the universe in a week – – – Formed in a human womb nine months

+ Almighty God – – – Helpless newborn baby

+ Nobody knew – – – Magnificent angel announced—multitude of angels “glory to God”

+ Born in poor family – – – Worshipped by rich

+ Small town, silent night birth – – – In a few months, refugees on hour notice, babies killed

+ Born – – – To die

+ Uncomfortable birthplace – – – Comfortable with the creatures He made

+ Sinless Son of God – – – Took on my sin—“became sin for us”

+ “Peace on earth, goodwill toward man” – – – “set for the rising and fall of many”

+ “Peace I leave with you” – – – “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword”

+ Jesus came – – – We can’t “comprehend it”

+ Christmas celebration – – – Jesus left out—[Christ]mas

+ Jesus’ birthday party – – – Who gets presents ?

+ Jesus’ birthday party – – – Who sings “Happy Birthday” ?

+ Big deal everywhere months before – – – Day after . . .

+ Christmas—just the beginning – – – Then it’s all over for most

+ Wonderful time of year – – – Don’t know why, really

+ Merry Christmas – – – Many are not

+ Joy at Christmas – – – Fragile, elusive for some

+ Family together – – – Some missing

+ All about family – – – Doesn’t feel like it ?

+ All about family – – – Not like it used to be ?

+ All about family – – – Not like it should be

+ ‘Everybody’ is celebrating – – – Somebody is alone

+ Happy – – – Not this time

+ Delighted – – – Depressed

+ Somebody “Made someone’s Christmas Day ! ! !” – – – Someone got missed

– – –

Wherever you’re at—whatever you feel—you feel it more at Christmas.

Care about somebody this Christmas.

Ask God who that would be.

Show and Tell—
—Show someone Jesus loves them.
—Tell someone Jesus loves them.

Filed Under: Faith Based, Family, Fun, Inspirational, Political---Cultural, Time

BE SURE THEY KNOW

December 21, 2023 By Leave a Comment

Gary DeSalvo was a long-time pastor of Temple Bible Church, where I went for nearly a couple decades.
He often made this emphatic point to parents:

“Be sure your children know your testimony of coming to a solid walk with Jesus. If I find out they don’t know, I’ll thump your head in the casket.”

Filed Under: Faith Based, Family, Inspirational, Time

“I CAN EXPLAIN” ?

December 21, 2023 By Leave a Comment

I CAN EXPLAIN

On a tombstone—ridiculous.
In life—a waste of time, most of the time.

Filed Under: Inspirational, Time

“I CAN COMPLAIN” ?

December 21, 2023 By Leave a Comment

I can—but will it make me feel better ?
I can—but will it make me better ?
I can—but will it do any good ?
I can—but will anybody listen ?
I can—but would I want to listen ?
I can—but does anybody care ?
I can—but maybe I don’t have to ?
I can—but do I have something better to do ?

Filed Under: Fun, Health, Inspirational, Time

COMPELLED TO WRITE

December 21, 2023 By Leave a Comment

When God reveals insights into life, history, theology, I must speak up and record, with or without an audience or a response.

I often imagine what a reaction might be someday, but until then I think and write without catering to anyone.

Perhaps that is good, because I tend to be too sensitive about what other people think.
Yet, that very sensitivity drives me to scrutinize my editing for the best communication possible.

And, since my writing also includes volatile subjects, some in real life, I use the following commentary to assuage as well as heighten the seriousness:
“Perhaps the smaller my audience, the longer I’ll live.”

Filed Under: Faith Based, Inspirational, Political---Cultural, Time

WILL GOD JUDGE AMERICA ?

December 21, 2023 By Leave a Comment

WILL GOD JUDGE AMERICA ?

No.
“WILL” is about the future.
God is judging America NOW !
As a nation, we have “refused to retain God in our knowledge”, so “God gave us up”, already.
If you read that whole chapter in the Bible, how can it not apply to America, literally, now ?

The full consequences of America “forgetting God” have only begun—the rest will be frightening.
“The wicked will be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”

– – –

Pause that for a moment to make a distinction between nations and individuals.
No individual can turn so far from God, so far to evil, that he cannot turn to God and repent and be saved.
So it is with any person living, even today, even in America.
In fact, there may be greater opportunity, greater motivation, to seek God when it gets really bad, close to home.

Desperate prayer works when comfortable prayer fails.

So, for individuals—yes, the day of salvation is open.

– – –

Not so likely for nations, when viewed through history.
Not so likely for this nation, at this time, with such widespread bent on rejecting the ways of God, and overdosed prescriptions to invent and consume new evils continually.

No signs of it stopping . . .
. . . BECAUSE we are experiencing, in real time, as a nation, that “God gave us up . . . to vile affections . . .”—they’re listed in the Bible, and they’re listed in the news headlines today (same list).

Filed Under: Educational, Faith Based, Political---Cultural, Time

. . . BUT GOD . . .

December 13, 2023 By Leave a Comment

Spend some time, unhurried, with the Bible verses that say, “But God”.

Filed Under: Faith Based, Inspirational, Time

NOBODY KNOWS, BUT . . .

December 13, 2023 By Leave a Comment

Got trouble ?
Do you instinctively think of what to say to tell someone about your trouble ?
I do.
– – –
+Somebody has to hear about my trouble and understand and help me—at least sympathize with me.
+Sometimes nobody could possibly understand my trouble—so I’m wasting my time and theirs.
+Sometimes there just isn’t anybody there—so NOBODY KNOWS my trouble !

I’m working on changing that default compulsion to tell someone my trouble—to play the speech in my mind—changing that, to this:
(And maybe this will help someone else.)
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble . . .”—practice doing that every time, every trouble, every troubled thought, F I R S T, along with “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Identify the trouble, specifically, in words, to God, and stop there.
WAIT for God, and do what He has given me to do while waiting—without figuring out or second-guessing His solution.

A major fallacy most of us encounter (in our thinking and in others’ expectations) is praying and trying to take care of it ourselves, or just trying to take care of it ourselves.
We miss the experience of God answering our prayer so He gets all the credit, all the glory, not us.
ALL THE GLORY belongs to Him, and He wants us to say so.
And He gets the most glory when we say it out loud to anyone with us, anyone, every time.
Perhaps now we can fully appreciate and practice the command, the promise, the responsibility of this verse (which I am trying to wear out daily):

THE COMMAND
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble . . .”

THE PROMISE
“. . . I will deliver you . . .”

THE RESPONSIBILITY
“. . . and you will glorify Me.”

– – –

A followup question here:
Why the day of trouble in the first place ?
Answer in footnote.*

– – –

“Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen;
Nobody knows but Jesus.”

– – –

“There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one ! No, not one !
None else could heal our soul’s diseases,
No, not one ! No, not one !

Jesus knows all about our struggles.
He will guide till the day is done.
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one ! No, not one !”

Find over 300 inspiring testimonies on this hymn, many from Nigeria (hotbed of Christian persecution).
Follow this sequence on the internet:

hymnal.net
classic
first lines
J
“Jesus knows all about . . .”
testimonies follow after the lyrics

– – –

“Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail;
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.”

*You have to admit, God gets our attention in the day of trouble.
Then He has a question,
“Now that I have your attention—how long will I have your attention?”

Filed Under: Educational, Faith Based, Health, Inspirational, Time

LIVE _ _ _ _ FREE OR DIE

December 13, 2023 By Leave a Comment

I have recently added to the state motto “Live Free Or Die” for my personal life.

LIVE CARE-FREE OR DIE

I realize there are more things I have to let go—less to worry, and less to think.
The analogy is helpful to compare the mind and emotions to a computer.
There are limitations to multiple files open simultaneously, with hardware and memory upgrades not optional.
Adjusting is not easy, but necessary for survival.

Two back-to-back Bible verses have the secret.
“Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
Casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you.”

How do we humble ourselves ?
By turning everything over to God.
This becomes more vital with increasing age and decreasing ability.

Never too old to learn ?—let go of what I think I have to do, what I think I can do, what just isn’t going to happen (at least not today).
I’ve known “casting all may cares on Him” all my life—now I have to do it in real life if I want to live.

So, carefree—is that what it means—is it possible ?

Not a care in the world—
Just a God-given job/task to do right now.

Read—FAITHFULNESS—on this site.

Filed Under: Educational, Faith Based, Health, Inspirational, Time

END TIMES – – – WHAT’S YOUR POSITION ?

December 12, 2023 By Leave a Comment

Looks like a sports analogy to be made here—
—If you’re a sports fan, you think everybody must be (ought to be) a sports fan.
Obviously any conversation starts with,
“What’s your favorite team ?”
No, “What’s ‘your team’?”
You’ll talk about ‘your team’, hope ‘your team’ wins, stay loyal to ‘your team’.
You know there are other teams out there, but you don’t really like to talk much about how they might win, because ‘your team’ is ‘your team’.
It’s all about the future, next year—talking about ‘your team’ is it.

If you’re not a sports fan, you know how emphatically, fanatically, sports fans follow ‘their team’ and talk about it (and talk about it . . .).
They may ask you what’s ‘your team’.
You may even be prepared to answer with one, just to humor them, or so they’ll think you’re at least in the group.

That’s how it is in the sports world.
Sports has become phenomenally all-consuming in our country and culture.
It is big entertainment, big business, and big worship.

– – –

Is it fair to make the analogy between sports and end times teaching, talking about sacred teachings from the Bible in the same article with secular sports ?
Or is it sacrilegious ?

Here is where I find myself, on both subjects, prompted to write.
One is far more important, and the other has become far too important.
One matters in the end, and the other is fleeting just like the ‘longevity’ of career and fame.

The assorted views of sacred teachings has become like secular competition between interpretations.
The debate even gets heated like competition.
If you’re right—if you’re the best—you’re obligated to prove how obviously you must come out on top.

A test for end times teaching getting into sports-like competition—
—Does time and emphasis on end times teaching in any way draw away from the Gospel message of urging people to confess their sin and turn to Jesus for salvation ?
Even the teachers that graciously offer the various interpretations of the end times must be careful how much time is spent—and more important, how listeners might feel pressure to pick one.
Conviction for my sin, to make me want to get saved from the fires of hell, must not be compromised by fear of tribulation, to make me want to avoid suffering here. (And that is, if their interpretation is right)

– – –

SPORTS
I used to have ‘my team’—America’s Team—The Dallas Cowboys.
I greatly admired Tom Landry !
I even quote him, after he won two Superbowls in a row, and someone asked what he was going to work on for the next year.
“Consistency.”
Sounds like what’s required of all Christians as stewards.
“Faithfulness.”
You see, I know what it’s like to be inspired by sports—just ask my kids, when they were in it ! ! !
But now . . .

– – –

END TIMES TEACHING
I believe everything in the Bible is for us to read and study.
I’m working on it—want to do better.
I do not believe anyone has a corner on explaining everything the Bible says.
I do not have enough intelligence or claim enough wisdom or feel enough devotion to any teacher to guarantee how things will go down at the end.
The most important things are clear, settled.
As Ed Vitagliano said on afr:
“. . . I know two things—He’s coming, and I’m going.”

Filed Under: Educational, Faith Based, Inspirational, Political---Cultural, Time
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