“WOLF” once—“WOLF” twice—”WOLF” again (and I mean it this time)—but who cares?

 

2008 campaign—sheep’s clothing—what wolf?—fooled once

2012 campaign—shepherd’s clothing—blissfully ignorant—fooled twice

2016 campaign—who cares?—too late—fools forever

And we get eaten alive!

By the way, the 2012/2016 campaign never stopped after the election—it’s just paid for by more tax dollars now.

 

Stimulus—emergency once, emergency twice, dependency . . .  same thing

And we get eaten alive!

 

Fiscal Cliff—once scary, twice scarier, . . . nothing happened—we don’t believe it matters

And we get eaten alive!

 

Debt—$16 trillion going once, $20 trillion going twice, $__ trillion sold out by default of Congress and American voters

And we get eaten alive!

 

Unconstitutional—1962 No God—1973 No Life—2012 No Christianity—2013 No Guns—20?? No Constitution

And we get eaten alive!

And we elected the wolf?  And we re-elected the wolf?

 

Sadly, the wolf threat has been real every time, but the warnings have been weak and unheeded, and now we are really, really REALLY, REALLY in trouble—REAL TROUBLE THIS TIME.  WOLF! WOLF! HELP! SOMEBODY, H H H E E E L L L P P P!!!  (is anybody out there, help)

 

How can I speak with authority on this?  I have a gorgeous white wolf who actually cries “WOLF” just so I will give him attention.  But for him it keeps working every time.  Hmmm.  Let me explain the rest of the story.  My wolf is on a very heavy cable leash with an overhead pulley and cable system.  As long as he is restrained, he is a sweet, lovable, huggable, soft, furry friend that howls sweetly on cue.  But if he gets loose, he acts like he doesn’t even know me, and something usually gets killed before I get him back under control.  See the parallel?  So that is thrown in just for fun—for dead serious lesson.

Balanced budget and balanced life seem to become more elusive every year.  And so does true peace and contentment.  They say that young people growing up today have multiple times more anxiety than young people a few generations ago during the Great Depression.

So how is that for a cheerful Monday morning?

If we just gain the right perspective, does that give us balance?

If we have balance in our personal life, especially our spiritual life, does that make all the imbalance in Washington not affect us?  Hardly.  If you think so, just wait and see.

If we lower our expectations, will that help for peace and balance?  Well, compromise and concessions abound, but that just gives the ominous clouds on the horizon more time to darken before the big storm.

“What will be, will be; we can’t do anything about it”—-equals—-slavery.  That does remove some of the uncertainties, but I’m not in that camp.

Politicians promise, preachers pacify, money manipulates, finances frustrate, imbalanced budgets break the back of America, imbalanced lives break the heart of Americans.

The answer for you and me and America is found in putting our hope in the right things, the truth, and acting accordingly.

Lies are alive and well today—some obvious to all—many mistaken for hope.  Postponing truth is dangerous, costly, painful.

Discernment is rare today—even scoffed at—but available.  Start by evaluating your sources for information, interpretation, and personal application.

News sources that do not give a Biblical perspective become brainwashing for all that is evil.

Likewise, preaching that does not give a Biblical application to the issues today, leave people ineffective and unprepared.

How can you know the truth today, put your hope in the right place, and apply it to make a difference in this messy world?

ONE—–Open your Bible and read, several times a day, from different places—until something He says makes a difference in your life.

TWO—–Kneel and pray, alone, before you do anything else every day—wait, until He touches you inside and takes charge.

THREE—–Turn off the TV.  Consider the following two comments, for thought:  “I can hear God better without any TV in my life.”     “TV is not food for thought.”

FOUR—–Listen to American Family Radio-Inspiration and American Family Radio-Talk (afr.net   and    onenewsnow.com).

FIVE—–If you have a pastor (or someone who gives you advice), share this article and this site with that person.  Their response will shed light on both of your lives.

SIX—–Read “LIFE—BALANCED OR BIPOLAR?” from 9-27-12, here.

SEVEN—–Write and tell me where you’re at and what you’re dealing with.

1)     What if my dad was right, telling his church their money was in the wrong place.  He paid a price for that.

2)     What if Dietrich Bonhoeffer was right, telling the church to stand up against the Hitler.  He paid a price for that.

3)     What if every word of Jesus was right, including what does not fit our finances today.  He paid a price for that.

4)     What if every word of the Bible is right, including what is not tolerant today.  What is the price for that?

 

What if you, the reader, are being called to follow Jesus today.  If so, please note that being a Christian in America will soon have a cost similar to that of Christians in other parts of the world.  It means sacrifice.  And the definition of sacrifice includes suffering, by choice.

If that seems strange to you, it is the historical standard in Christianity, promised from the beginning in the Bible.  “All that live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

Consider the end.  At least one of the Columbine High School students was asked by the shooter if she believed in Jesus.  She answered, “Yes,” and he pulled the trigger.

Many people in China and Muslim countries know they will face immediate threat of similar fate as soon as they follow Jesus.  And yet the number of believers is growing faster there than in America.

I am a sold-out follower of Jesus, and I expect to pay a price.  But He paid a bigger price for me.  I pray that I will be faithful to Him.

The batter did not consider the first pitch to be very important.  He had a good batting average and even a good number of home runs.  His team had a winning record.  He was instrumental in defeating teams like this one in the past.  He knew you don’t win or lose on the first pitch.  And sometimes letting the first one go by can help you size up the pitcher.

After the first pitch was called a strike by the umpire, only a couple fans criticized the batter for passing up a perfect home run opportunity. But he heard them and knew they were right.

Then, a strange thing happened for the batter, something foreign to his professional career.  He seemed to lose his edge, his confidence, his composure.  He stepped out of the box for a moment to clear his head.  He felt a surge of determination return, and stepped up to the plate ready to knock it out of the park.

He swung his bat with all his power and — strike two.

Now, more fans criticized the batter for passing up the first pitch.  Yet, most everyone still counted on him to take care of business and save the day.  It was the last inning, and the game was in his two hands holding the bat.

Then, the unbelievable happened for the batter.  He realized he had swung too hard (tried too hard) on the second pitch, and because he missed, he re-injured his shoulder.  No one else noticed, and he couldn’t bring himself to admit he was in trouble.  What would people think?

He didn’t stop to think or pray, and he was too proud to call for a time-out.  So, he stepped up to the plate for the third time.  Like many other professional athletes, he figured the medical folks could again deal with the injury after the game.

Then, the unthinkable happened for the batter.  Just as the pitcher wound up and delivered, and the batter started his swing, unbearable pain shot through his shoulder, and he dropped the bat and dropped to his knees.

Game over.  It was strike three.

 

Lessons in the All-American Game:*

The batter is the church in America.

The game is the World Series for America.

The umpire is God, calling it straight for America.

The other team is not for America—– take your pick (Islam, Satan, terrorists, foreign dictatorships, domestic dictatorship, sin, abortion, gay agenda, double-minded diluted message, culture comforts, materialism mindset, pacifism, lukewarm love, intimidation, empty form of godliness).

 

The church in America has an awesome track record—instrumental in inspiring and winning the Revolutionary War and many since—eternal vigilance that paid for our freedom—creating a stable and moral culture to foster prosperity and charity—worldwide leadership in meeting needs and defeating evils with no return—the very reason America is exceptional.

But the church in America didn’t even swing when God was ruled out of our schools, and killing babies was ruled in as the law of the land.  STRIKE ONE—just standing there.  And very few raised alarm then.  After all, you let some things go by and save your swing for the real mission of the gospel.  In fact, the church uncharacteristically backed off even further from involvement in the culture.  It was like inverse culture shock—comfortable compatibility won out over risky confrontation.

Then, thankfully, many more raised the alarm and mobilized the church to step up to the plate again.  So, some of the church realized we had missed it, and tried to make up for it.  We got some God-fearing Presidents and others into office.  Pro-life gained, defense of marriage is law, lots of people are talking about Christians.

So what happened with STRIKE TWO and the injury?  The church in America tried to make a difference again, and parts of the church were successful in getting attention.  If they all voted, they could clean up the game and win the Series.  But a recurring and debilitating weakness that has plagued God’s people periodically from day one, unexpectedly shot through the church’s influence like an arrow.

The church thought they could be effective again, but found themselves impotent and immobilized.  Something was seriously wrong, but the church could not afford to admit it.  There was too much at stake.  So they tried harder, especially since many were counting on the church to save the country.  And the church was filled with counselors to take care of the problem after the game.

But then it happened.  Or shall I say, it will happen.  The church will come crashing to its knees with this painful reality:  unable to “turn from their wicked way” means the money stored up on earth, invested in the world’s kingdom, has cost the church everything.

We’ve been told to save for retirement, invest for more income, insure everything so we can’t lose it, buy guaranteed income, get advice to outsmart recession, track the markets, focus on the economy.

BUT GOD SAID:

“DO NOT lay up treasures on earth, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break in and steal.”

“DO lay up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupts, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

“For where your treasure is, there your heart WILL BE also.”

The church today has forgotten the vulnerable weak spot that has again cost a game-breaking injury.  History repeats itself, even in the church.

The Scribes and Pharisees in Jesus’ day had their money and prestige and power, and Jesus blasted them.  Later the church had its popes and cathedrals and indulgences, and the Reformation tried to fix it.  Now the church has everything the world has to offer today—buildings and budgets, insurance and pensions, advice for investments, positive teaching about your stuff, all the best of both worlds, plans for your right to retirement, financial security.

And most of what Jesus taught doesn’t fit, literally, without some modern modifications.  The church has been cooked by the culture, as surely as the frog in the pot of water, and it doesn’t want to hear about it.

No one is sounding this alarm.  No one believes it.  But they will when the excruciating pain hits and the church’s investment in the world’s system comes crashing to the ground with it.

In the meantime, the world is going to hell around us because our money is not laid up (spent, given away) in heaven.

*The All-American Game is materialism.