CONTEMPORARY – – – TEMPORARY

Music

Politics

Theology

Fashion

Culture

Opinion

Icons

People

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We do well to observe and remember—the most contemporary, held in highest esteem, may well be temporary.

It takes more than tracking polls of popularity and trends with the most followers, to discern what is going to last.

It takes historical perspective to find and keep a rock foundation for life and family and country, to prevent hysterical perspective from following ‘new’ promises of utopia with old consequences of tyranny.

Sadly, devastatingly, accurate historical perspective is seriously out of fashion today—open opportunity for oppression.

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Is there anything still to be found in today’s contemporary world, that is not temporary?

Yes, it is to be found, but not found in the world.

What about Values?

What about Truth?

What about Family?

What about Marriage?

What about the Bible?

What about God?

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Most of that list is despised in most places now.

But, the Light of Truth will shine brighter even in this present growing darkness, if . . .

. . . if anyone who holds those six foundations holds them high, holds them without compromise, holds them against opposition, holds them “with persecution.”

If you are one of the ‘anyone,’ Mark 10:1-31 gives the rest of the perspective on the title above.

CONTEMPORARY – – – TEMPORARY

PATRIOT’S PRAYER

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

and the WEAPONRY to make the difference.”

RAISED RIGHT

A caller to American Family Radio described his upbringing, with strong values of family and right and wrong.

When he was a teenager, some friends invited him to join them breaking into a house.

He told them “no,” and said to himself:

If I was caught for doing something like that, I would beg the cops to take me to jail—not home!

TRUST ME, I’M HERE TO HELP . . . REALLY?

Trust me, I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.

“Fool me once, you’re a fool.”

Yeah, I’ll trust you—as far as I can throw you.

Trust me, I’m from God (theologian), and I’m here to help.

“Fool me twice, who’s a fool?”

Yeah, I trusted you—me, a fool no more.

Trust Me, I’m God, and I AM here to help you.

Hmmm. Review the facts.

Trust man? “Cursed is everyone who trusts in man.”

Trust ‘man of God’? “But a hireling, who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.”

Trust God? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.”

SENIOR ‘YEAR(S)’

Senior year of high school – or – Senior years of life.

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Best year ever? – or – Best year(s) yet!

Last year? – or – More years?

Eager for end of the year? – or – Live every day, every moment of the year(s).

Cram for finals of the year? – or – Ready for final of the years.

Graduation year? – or – THE graduation year!

Application for job next year? – or – Application accepted in advance, for that year.

BFF? vs year of goodbys? – or – Temporary goodbys and BFF for real for ‘years’ forever.

Senior summary for me:

Old writers never die—they just start a new story.

MY NEAR MURDER EXPERIENCE

It’s been quite a few years, and I can’t say I remember, but it is so real, and I am so thankful to be alive now, every day.

The first part of my life was wonderful and secure, as anyone would expect for a young child.

Then one day something was terribly wrong.

I didn’t understand why my mother took me to the doctor.

I was not sick, and my mother was not sick either.

The doctor did a simple checkup on my mother.

And the doctor did a checkup on me, checking my heartbeat, my size, and how I was growing.

That much was not so terribly wrong—just a feeling that my mother knew something was wrong.

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Then the terrible wrong started happening.

THE DOCTOR TRIED TO KILL ME—RIGHT THERE IN HIS OFFICE ! ! !

AND MY MOTHER LET HIM DO IT ! ! !

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Then another unthinkable happened.

Something went terribly wrong for the doctor.

HE WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL IN TRYING TO KILL ME ! ! !

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According to my mother, the doctor was very shook up, and scared to death, and scrambled to cover up his attempted murder.

And my mother was equally scared, and looked for a way to get out of this terrible situation and get it behind her.

But she couldn’t, and that’s why I can tell you parts of my story.

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One of the nurses who helped the doctor commit numerous murders every day, successfully without incident, saw that I was alive, and couldn’t help herself but try to keep me alive.

SHE WAS SUCCESSFUL ! ! !

Everything had to be secretive, because no one had to know in the doctor’s office that I was alive, and the nurse depended on this job to provide for her family.

So she told the doctor she would find a place for me, without telling anyone what happened.

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But my mother knew.

So the nurse talked to my mother privately in recovery.

My mother told the nurse of a place someone told her she could have taken me after I was born, with people who could take me as their child.

The nurse called, and in a matter of minutes someone came for me and gave me the emergency medical help I needed.

I recovered from most of the injuries from my attempted murder, and in a few weeks I was in a loving home with a devoted mother and father, who gave me the life I now have.

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And, the rest of the story, so far . . .

The nurse and my mother agreed to stay in touch, and I am thankful for that.

And my new mother and father agreed to their request to make contact after a time, and I’m thankful for that.

My parents openly talked about my early life a little at a time, and when I was ten, we met with my mother and with the nurse who saved my life.

I was ready, because my new parents had raised me to be thankful to God for life, and put my trust in Jesus for everything.

So, not only was the meeting, the reunion, a blessing beyond measure, I was able to let my love for Jesus bless my mother and start the healing she so desperately needed, with her own new relationship with Jesus.

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And that is just the beginning—my story, now, and how it started a couple decades ago.

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You’ve heard stories with a turning point from evil to good, with the phrase, “But God . . .”

YES ! YES ! YES !

That’s my story—But God . . . did not want me to die.

I am determined to live every day of my life to the glory of God, to the best of my ability.

I am determined to live every day of my life to do everything I can to prevent others from such a near murder experience, knowing that for most it does not include “near.”

And I am determined to make a difference in any lives affected by such experiences, just like the nurse, my mother, my new parents, were blessed—and you the reader, can be blessed with Jesus.

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The nurse who saved my life could not continue ending the life of others like me by assisting the doctor. She quit that job, and got a job with blessings at the center that found my new parents.

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When I started writing this, I had no idea I would get so involved. You see, I’m sharing it on behalf of someone else—in fact, someone I don’t know. The intensity is so strong, like it was my own story. I pray it will impact someone with an untold story—a child, a mother, a father, a nurse, a doctor, a volunteer for life.

PRAY – – – or – – – WORRY

Prayer matters.

Worry doesn’t matter.

Prayer makes a difference.

Worry does not.

“Worry for nothing.”

“Pray for everything.”

“Be thankful for everything.”

“Don’t worry about tomorrow.”

Worry tomorrow.

“Today has enough . . .”

“As your days—so will your strength be.”

First we get another day—then we get what we need for the day.

Sometimes a phrase or a line can help make the difference in a moment, for a day, especially if it is a word from His Word.

All the short quotes above are from the Bible. Keep yours open, and turn to it often.

IS GOD’S WORD ENOUGH ?

Starting with Eve in the garden, people expect someone to tell them what God really says.

And learned theologians, and some not so learned, have been quick to oblige, consistently and persistently giving their explanation of what the Bible says—as though the Bible is not clear, to speak for itself.

Read your Bible first.

Read your Bible every day.

ALL GOD, OR NOTHING ?

When you’ve come to the end of your rope and turn the matter over to God for real, you may have said, “It’s all God, or nothing.”

Actually, if I am obeying God’s call, there is no longer any reason to say, “. . . or nothing.”

IT’S ALL GOD, PERIOD. !

BEWARE, THEOLOGIANS

Two biggest, universal, prevalent pitfalls in theology:

1-Quoting man and man-made terms in place of the the Bible.

2-Quoting Bible verses most of the time to back up man-made statements.

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Solutions:

1-Skip man-made terms of theology, not in the Bible.

(The Bible itself has plenty of words to describe God and explain His Word, without elevating our words to doctrinal status.)

2-Let the Bible speak for itself.

Let the Bible speak first.

Get doctrines and beliefs directly from the Bible, not from man.

(“Trust Me” can be as dangerous from a theologian as from a politician.)

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The above title—dual meaning:

Beware of theologians at work.

and

Theologians beware.