SCARY

Like a good comedy-musical-fantasy movie?  Then you might set aside December, 2014 when "Into the Woods" opens.

Meryl Streep plays the witch who teaches lessons to assorted characters from children's stories (such as The Wolf from "Little Red Riding Hood", played by Johnny Depp).  The movie says it breaks the witch stereotype and Ms. Strep's character is portrayed as "normal" in a family setting.  There's a mainstreaming leap.

British Professor Owen Davies studies social history and has authored AMERICA BEWITCHED: THE STORY OF WITCHCRAFT AFTER SALEM.  He says in his book "witches and ghosts speak to something fundamental and innate in our psyche.  It's an emotional connection."

If that is so, then Halloween is a windfall of emotional connections.
The marketplace is flooded now with characters associated with manipulating supernatural forces.

Even going to WalMart is like going to that grotesque bar in Star Wars.  Many moms with young kids avoid those aisles.

Yes, Virginia, there is a media blitz (movies, TV, and video games) camping out on the themes of DEATH and the SUPERNATURAL.  Why?  Do people identify because they're in need of an "emotional connection"?

Let's first set aside the fun that kids and adults can have as they creatively dress up.  Adults become like children at this opportunity.  This little boy's Mom gets the prize for her work with 8 Solo cups and an old box.  Except for the redistribution of sugar, Halloween does give the family something fun and creative to do together.

The perennial Halloween favorite may be witches, but these days a zombie outbreak takes center stage.  Maybe you are a fan of the TV program "The Walking Dead".

We do seem to have a magnetic draw to the hellish and hideous.  Let's explore these characters from the dark side.

ZOMBIE.  In Creole culture, a zombie is a dead person thought to be raised by a witch's magical powers to a hypnotized state.  Then Hollywood took the zombie a step farther to have them feed on human flesh, and in particular, brains.  Nice...

This cartoon takes some thought.

ZOMBIE TRUTH.  Nothing comes back from the dead except by the hand of the Nazarene.  Zombies mock God's power and plan.  The "sucking your brains out" is another way to say "mindless" and it is mindless to live without considering truth.

WITCH:  A person with power to cause the natural world to react at their command.

WITCH TRUTH.  The power over the universe belongs to God, but the devil is a wannabe.  We read about the priests of Pharoah making the river run red and turning rods into snakes as Satan did battle with God.  The imitator can be flashy, but God has the final say.  Remember Elijah brought fire down from heaven and made a bonfire with wet wood... while the priests of Baal gave up their efforts to do the same.

So there ARE two sources for supernatural power and Satan is called the ruler of this world.  That's why this statement is comforting: "The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."  1John 4:4

GHOST.  The spirit of a dead person.

GHOST TRUTH.  We are made of body, soul, and spirit.  Ecclesiastes 12:7 says when someone dies, the body returns to the earth as it was (dust to dust), but the spirit will go back to God who gave it.  The part called "soul" is our mind, emotion, and will...and is the part in the believer that has been progressively sanctified unto God while on earth.

Believers may have trepidation about how their death may occur, but God's friends long to see and be with the One whose goodness and mercy followed them.  The unbeliever's spirit is dead to God (by their choice) and lacks confidence about the future.

If you need a ghost buster, don't call Dan Aykroyd because heaven has already sent help.

SO WHY IS THERE ALL THIS DARKNESS?

Most know the origins of Halloween.  Christendom long celebrated the saints on November first, a day called "All Hallows Day" (later, All Saint's Day).  The night before became "All Hallows Eve" (say that fast and it's "Halloween"), a time for the dark side to prance around before the saints were honored.

That prancing is on the rise; last year we spent an average of $79 per person on Halloween.  So tonight, what will God look down and think? Perhaps He will say "I was clear on this issue."  We willingly step into the danger zone when we dabble in His prohibition.

"There must never be found among you anyone who... 

practices divination, an omen reader, a soothsayer, a sorcerer, 

one who casts spells, one who conjures up spirits, a practitioner 

of the occult, or one who calls up the dead.  Whoever does these things
 is abhorrent (detestable) to the Lord."  Deuteronomy 18:10-12

"You may not make use of strange arts (witchcraft) 

or go in search of signs and wonders (fortune-telling)."  Leviticus 19:26

"I will put an end to all witchcraft; 

there will be no more fortune-tellers to consult."  Micah 5:12

"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:

sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft;

hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,

dissentions, factions.  Galatians 5:20

"But those who are full of fear and without faith, the unclean and 

takers of life, those who do the sins of the flesh, and those who make use of 

evil powers or who give worship to images, and all those who are false, 

will have their part in the sea of ever-burning fire which is the second death."

Revelation 21:8

NOW WHAT?

Now some might think this is much adoo about nothing because they're just having fun, not endorsing darkness.  But those words (above)...what do we do with His words?  

This power feud has ancient beginnings and we surmise the "home" team doesn't wear the sweatshirt of the "away" team.  God holds blood to be precious, but Halloween is blood-soaked, making blood common.  God said it is appointed for all men to die once and then face judgment (for unbelievers, the second death, the Lake of Fire...which could have been avoided with pre-arrangement); Halloween makes light of that certainty by raising zombies and ghosts and skeletons at will.  

The British professor who says America is bewitched may be right because we do have a fascination with the things that go bump in the night.  But the people in search of an emotional connection might take notice that the ghoulish Halloween is just an adrenaline apparition.  The true emotional connection is with the Lover of your soul.  HIS IS THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOREVER.

"Despite the fact that they knew the one true God, they have failed to show the love, honor, and appreciation due to the One who created them!  Instead, their lives are consumed by vain thoughts that poison (darken) their foolish hearts."  Romans 1:21 The Voice

WEIGHT-BEARING

Several years ago I called my right leg "the soldier".  It took over as my weight-bearing leg when the left knee was replaced.

Legs are not the only weight-bearers.  Whether it be the local president of the Rotary Club or the president of the United States...leadership is weight-bearing.

Think back with me at statements our president has made when things went haywire:

FAST AND FURIOUS:  "There may be a situation here where a serious mistake was made and if that's the case we will find out and we'll hold somebody accountable."

BENGHAZI:  "When it comes to this issue, when I say we are going to find out exactly what happened, everybody will be held accountable."

IRS:  "With respect to the IRS, I spoke to this yesterday and my main concern is fixing the problem."

HEALTHCARE:  "We've had some of the best IT talent join the team.  And we're well into a tech surge to fix the problem.  We are confident that we will get the problem fixed."

This morning's news says that the President didn't know about the NSA listening onto foreign leaders.

For real...how much slack can we keep cutting this president?  You wouldn't keep the Rotary Club prez if this were his track record.

"It's his staff, not him" some might say.  Really?  Here's his staff:

Eric Holder lied to Congress about Fast and Furious.  Susan Rice lied about the Benghazi video.  James Clapper said the NSA doesn't spy on us.  The IRS said they didn't target their enemies.  And Kathleen Sebelious said "shutdown or no shutdown, we are ready to go".

THE TROUBLE WITH LYING IS THAT NO ONE TAKES YOU SERIOUSLY.  When the President assured German Chancellor Angela Merkel that we weren't listening to her calls, do you think she believed it?  We didn't even believe it.

Last night CBS ran a piece by Laura Logan on 60 Minutes about Benghazi.  FINALLY, the media is beginning to tell the story...a year and a month after it happened.  Still, there is more to be told on that outrageous story.

When I trusted my "soldier" leg, it bore my weight.  America wants to be able to trust government; they want to know why are these things happening.  Everyone makes mistakes and everyone has a learning curve.  But in order to move forward, resolution is key.  C'mon, leadership.  Fix something!  Man up.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

When someone says your name, what do others think?

Say the name of Richard Milhous Nixon and many Americans think of the name "Tricky Dick".

Our 37th president did things out of a tortured psyche which made headlines in the early 70's.  His paranoia and vindictiveness cost him the privilege of leadership.

But to FIVE HUNDRED AND NINETY-ONE brave men, President Nixon's reputation is sterling.

To those soldiers, Richard Nixon was the president who brought them out of a Vietnamese POW camp.  Later, the president hosted them at the largest-ever White House dinner.  President Nixon stood and shook every hand.  Bob Hope was the emcee; John Wayne and many stars also attended.

This LINK is a beautiful retelling of their story in a thought-provoking way that made me want to stand and sing "God Bless America" at the top of my lungs.  The courage of those men makes the heart swell in gratitude for what they did for others...and in particular, what all soldiers are willing to do for their country.

Air Force Lt. Colonel Carlyle "Smitty" Harris had been shot down over North Vietnam and spent almost eight years in the Hanoi Hilton.  How would you have handled eight years of brutality and uncertainty?  Here's what Lt. Col. Harris said:

“With six, seven or eight years to think about the really important things in life, a belief in God and country was strengthened in every POW with whom I had contact,” he said. “Firsthand exposure to a system which made a mockery of religion and where men are unable to know truth made us all appreciate some of the most basic values in ‘God bless America.’”

They called their place "Camp Faith". 

There in Camp Faith, USAF Col. J. Quincy Collins wrote "The POW Hymn" with a fish bone on toilet paper.  The men sang to cheer their spirits when the guards were away.  Here are the words to that hymn:

"Oh God, to Thee we raise this prayer and sing, 

From within these foreign prison walls, 

We're men who wear the gold and silver wings

And proudly heed our nation's call.

Give us strength to withstand all the harm, 

That the hand of our enemy captors can do,

To inflict pain and strife and deprive every life,

Of the rights they know well we are due.

We pledge unswerving faith and loyalty to our cause,

To America and to Thee.  Amen."  

Another POW said:  "Courage is fear that has said its prayers".  There does not seem to be any confusion on the part of those soldiers as to whether it was correct to call on God's name for help.  Perhaps the Air Force Academy should take note before making "so help me God" optional in their cadets' honor oath.

Today men are asked to strap on 80 pounds of gear/body armor and go to 120 degree places where we are not wanted and the hostiles may dress like friendlies.  They are asked to work with hands tied in regulations against an enemy who has been told when they are leaving.  And there's also trouble with  offering the men spiritual support.

The work is distant and not well-paid, but thank God there are those who feel the call.  No wonder it is called "the service".

Two weeks ago we saw the honor flights of WW2 vets remove barricades at their memorial.  In that display, they stood shoulder to shoulder with their brothers who had been denied death benefits, visually stating their outrage to have been made political pawns.  

The military gives Americans a privilege that most of us haven't worked for (except perhaps to exercise voting rights and stay informed).  Americans feel their debt to the military, intrinsically knowing that they could not or would not do what these brave souls are doing.  Serving others unto death is noble and rare... especially when it is done largely in anonymity.  

A soldier's sacrifice is reminiscent of another man who came two millennia ago to serve and give His life a ransom for many.  The courage Christ displayed on my behalf compels my service.  His name is THE cornerstone given so that all might build their Camp Faith on that great and powerful name.  

"Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."  Acts 4:12

"No one has greater love than this - that one lays down his life for his friends."  John 15:13 

GOT ATTITUDE?

How do you get a good attitude?

Is it "mind over matter"...like repeatedly choosing to see a glass half full?  That effort can be an exhausting hamster wheel.  So then, how DO you keep a good attitude in a difficult world?

How about considering the be-attitudes?

Jesus offered a fresh approach to living when He sat down on a rocky hillside in Galilee and people came to Him to hear His ideas.

Consider Jesus' task as He began explaining why their rules-oriented approach would not allow them to see God.  The kind of life Jesus offered was radical and upside down to what they had been taught...it was INSIDE-OUT living.  It was learning how to "be" before you "do".

Had you been in the crowd that day, would you have hurried to sign onto a call to admit spiritual bankruptcy, to grieve, to step out of first place, to hunger for right, to be lenient with someone who has done you wrong, to pursue holiness, to help others find peace with God, and to endure insult for His sake?

Those are Jesus' eight beatitudes (ways to be happy/blessed/joyful/satisfied).  Rather than seeing them as a list, think about their progression:

1.  Jesus says you are happy if you see your spiritual condition and realize you are impoverished or POOR IN SPIRIT.

In 1978, God gracefully showed me how He saw my life.  I had always justified and minimized my sin...sometimes comparing myself to other sinners to feel better (as in, "well, at least I haven't murdered anyone").  Now the Lord's light showed my wrong-headedness and I agreed with Him.

When the text says "poor in spirit" there are several words Jesus might have used to describe poverty.  There is "penas" (the kind of poor who are just getting by) and there is "ptochos" (the desperate poor who won't eat supper if someone doesn't provide it).  This first beatitude is talking about a spiritually bankrupt beggar who will not have any spiritual richness unless the Father gives it.

Jesus says when they see this, THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

2.  I saw my sin and grieved...and Jesus tells them they are happy if they MOURN OVER SIN.  We don't normally aspire to be sad, but when I was shown how my sin offended a holy God, it was crushing.  The Lord is good to let me see my need of Him.

When we are sorry for our sin, Jesus says MOURNERS WILL BE COMFORTED.

3.  Then God's presence brings more assurance that God is real and you taken a step closer to Him.  Jesus says that you are happy if you are MEEK/SUBMITTED.  Somehow over time "meek" has come to mean "milktoast", but that couldn't be farther from the truth.  Meekness is power under control.  Only a meek Jesus would lay down on a crucifixion cross because He was submitted to the Father's plan.

When I submitted, I gave up being the big dog and my own life wrangler.  I gave up my rights because I know that His plan is far superior to anything that I could come up with.  Sometimes I take it back, but I'm thankful for the slack that my Father cuts me, knowing my frame is just dust.

Those who submit to God WILL INHERIT THE EARTH.  That means the countless souls who have asked God to rescue them will one day help Him rule when He restores the earth.  That's amazing.

4.  Having submitted to the lordship of Christ, Jesus says you are happy when you HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.  You begin to notice things fall away that used to be important and now you feel complete when you have chewed on something that God says.  Light begets more light.

One way I see my life has changed is in Bible study.  At one time the Bible seemed unconnected to reality and hard to understand, but now I have a Translator.  Before I wouldn't be caught dead in a Bible study, but now after 30+ years I'm still learning new things every day.  Before I might hear a sermon with a couple of verses thrown in, but now I want a verse-by-verse teaching.

The book of 1Peter has one of those verses.  It says believers should be like newborn babies who LONG for the milk of the Word.  That's why Jesus said those who hunger and thirst for it WILL BE SATISFIED.

5.  The more you read and understand how much the Lord has forgiven you, the more merciful you get.  Jesus says you are happy when you are MERCIFUL.  Those who have been forgiven much...will forgive much.

Jesus loved mercy because the Father designed and modeled it so we could come to Him.  THE MERCIFUL WILL RECEIVE MERCY.  Priceless.

6.  Being forgiven purifies.  Children often have a lack of guile, so it's no surprise that Jesus says you are happy when your heart is PURE.   Our hearts are heavy because we know too much; much of what we know is unnecessary.  Jesus says to guard your hearts and set aside your hearts for God.  Be careful what worthless thing you put in front of your eyes.  And how does that little children's song go?  "Be careful little ears what you hear."  Why?  You stumble yourself.

Those who ask God to purify their hearts WILL SEE GOD.

7.  The purer the heart, the greater the desire for peace.  Jesus says you are happy when you are PEACEMAKERS.  These are the ones who enjoy shalom in a vertical relationship (man and God) and in a horizontal relationship (man to man).

You've heard it said that the Bible begins with peace in a garden and will end in peace in a garden...but the in-between sure has been full of strife.  God's highest and best for us is to be at peace with Him first, but then those who have felt that settledness want others to feel the same thing.  They take Jesus at His word, become salt and light in their sphere of influence, and share the story of salvation.

The payoff?  Peacemakers WILL BE CALLED THE CHILDREN OF GOD.

8.  But when the gospel is shared, often a rebuff is around the corner.  So why, then, does Jesus say you are happy if you are scorned?  Giving up first place is a tough battle.  The battle seems like it is between you and your friend, but really the friend is fighting with God.

Jesus says you are in good company because they persecuted the prophets and apostles before you.  And He said they hate you because they hated Him first.  It's His fight and you are just the placeholder.

But there's a wonderful promise attached to the eighth beatitude:  YOUR REWARD WILL BE GREAT IN HEAVEN.

The Lord is good and kind.  Every beatitude comes with an awesome promise, motivating us to be salty and shiny.  We want to have a good attitude and we don't want to have to TRY to have it...but that it would come from our innermost being.

The beatitudes can be found in Matthew, Chapter 5...where they call us to first BE, then DO.

 

WHAT RIGHTS?

We are not talking here about whether the EBT cardholders had a right to plunder the Louisiana WalMart during that recent glitch.

It's pretty obvious that opportunity became license to steal from WalMart.  To their credit, the much-maligned corporation allowed the "purchases", knowing what was afoot in the frenzy.

Instead, let's talk about citizen's RIGHTS.  What are those rights?

The Declaration of Independence guarantees some rights based on the whole unwieldy/diverse bunch of us submitting to the common good.  Out of the many comes one, glued together by our common purpose.

Government is an administrator of that purpose; citizens have to understand government's purpose.  Part of the purpose is to protect us from enemies and promote the general welfare (such as our interstate highway system, monetary system, etc.).

Within that fence of promoting, what is government's obligation to her people?  How far does "promote" go?

Should government buy me a house?  A car?  Should government provide my healthcare?  My education?  

Do we go by the "deserving" sliding scale?  Isn't everyone "deserving" of a roof over their head...proper healthcare... and an education?  What IS a sensible expectation of our benevolent Uncle Sam?  

Surely it would be nice for us all to have an all-expense-paid ride, but is that reasonable?

I can remember during the election cycle of 2008 when I first heard a lady say what seemed to me as far-fetched.  She said "Barack Obama is getting elected and I won't have to worry about my mortgage or my groceries or anything."  LINK  That woman clearly wanted a provider, but is it government's role to underwrite her?  

There has always been a sliver of society who are unable to provide for themselves because of circumstances beyond their control.  Part of our sense of decency and compassion is that we would underwrite such individuals.  But I have been in a housing project when "crazy checks" (their definition) came in.  That is just one example of how people claimed ADD or other issues which allowed them to file for disability benefits for themselves and for each of their children. Voila!  Income.

And within the last five years, the welfare rolls have soared with just such recipients.  Now what?  Already there are more in the wagon than are pulling the wagon.  Will this end well?

Government largess has taken dignity, personal integrity, and a sense of worth from many of her recipients.  Some at the housing project might laugh about how easy it is to just get money in the mail, but that laughter will fade and be replaced by anger and then bitterness.

Scripture says if a man will not work, then he should not eat.  That means God takes our productivity seriously; He loves us unconditionally, but He does expect us to cooperate with our best interests.  We are here to work for God's glory wherever that work takes us.  It doesn't end well when government operates contrary to Scripture.

Here's another way government has slapped Scripture in the face.  The Book calls for men to be the provider for his family.  Can a family be built in alternate ways?  Of course.  As well?  No.  God's principles are like the law of gravity.  You can come up with an alternate plan, but it is like shooting yourself in the foot.

Are there many women who through no fault of their own have been left with children to raise?  Yes!  In that case, God grieves with them.  That's why He promises to be their husband...and instructs the church to step up to be male role models for the children, as well as helpers for her.  We were in a church that had a Community Group formed around one purpose: to help single mothers.  They had Saturday morning car clinics once a month to change the oil and do small (but large to the Moms) maintenance.  But shall the government set out to be the husband/provider?  That has destroyed the family unit in some communities...as evidenced in 75% of black babies born out of wedlock. Such destruction could have been prevented had our idea of compassion not superseded what God set out.

What other way is government running contrary to Scripture?  God said the poor we would have with us forever.  Does that mean we quit helping the poor?  Of course not.  It means our ministry to the poor will never end.  That's why thirty years of the War on Poverty has not moved the needle.

I heard something neat the other day.  NAMES NOWHERE BUT FOOTPRINTS EVERYWHERE.  Isn't that the way giving should be?  That philosophy has feet engaged in an outreach to the homeless here in Fayetteville.  With winter coming on, sleeping bags and tents are provided while other ministries provide food and clothing.  Local people know the needs of their community.  And in those communities are churches (structures already in place) to match up needs and providers.

Government is not the only answer for the poor.  I would argue that when we stand before the throne to answer for our deeds, one piece of that stewardship will be how we have provided for the poor.  Will that include any God-credit for contributing to the government?  I'm not sure.  Government now is waging war against the church, so we pay taxes to Caesar and try to restore our government with new leadership.  But in the end, when the wood, hay, and stubble is burned off...I'll be surprised to get credit for programs that proved contrary to Scripture or demonstrated such poor stewardship that it was money thrown down a hole.

Local activism on behalf of the poor is more effective than a one-size-fits-all approach from the top.  People on the ground locally can more likely tailor help to the needs and locals are more likely to be careful with the funds.

But to assume the poor won't get help apart from government..is a judgment that assumes the worst in individuals.

IMPASSE

In a recent poll, hemorrhoids scored higher than Congress.  And in the latest AP poll, the President is down to about 37%, too.

Our country has reason for concern about big things like terrorism and the debt.  And we want the best healthcare possible.  Regarding healthcare, about half the country seems to lean toward Obamacare while the other half leans away.

The wad of folks leaning left...think Obamacare is all about taking care of people.  So if you're against the Affordable Care Act, they think you're anti-compassion.  The wad of people leaning to the right think Obamacare is about impossible math...they think the other side must be pie-in-the-sky/numbers-challenged.  LINK

Impasse.

May I say to the caring side that you're going to "care" us to the poorhouse, in which case no one will get help.  And may I say to the logical side that your numbers may be completely true, but without the other half of the country, you're nowhere.

People are more frustrated than ever with leadership because terrorists and the default are real...and we're all in the healthcare kettle.  It doesn't take a political science degree to understand big concepts like these:

1.  Everyone knows we spend too much money and cannot continue to just print money.  When Ben Bernake came to the microphone back in September, "everyone" expected him to say we were finally propped up enough to stop printing dollars.  He didn't.  Bernake said we couldn't AFFORD to quit propping our economy up.  That can't be good, but no one will cut or quit spending.

2.  Everyone knows the job market stinks and part-time work is on the rise.  The only encouraging numbers are artificial; joblessness is at a very modest increase, but that's only because people have given up looking for work.  If those who have given up looking were factored back in, the joblessness would be over 15%.  And many of the jobs that have been created are not career jobs...but fast food part-time jobs.  Obamacare is causing the jobs numbers and the part-time jobs increase.  Notice the chart above (loss of 800,000 jobs) is not from a "right wing" organization, but from the government CBO.

3.  Everyone thinks closing nature was a bit much.  Besides, how DOES one shut the ocean off?  Or the Grand Canyon?  The cones around the pull-overs at Rushmore were ridiculous...the couple that couldn't go home @Lake Mead was sad...the poor Asian travelers who thought they were under arrest in Yellowstone was shameful...and government trying to close Mt. Vernon's parking lot (when it wasn't theirs to close) was telling.

For government to pay all that staff to play KEEP OUT...seemed to most reasonable people counterproductive.

When we got to the closing of the open-air WW2 monuments, things began to get really get asinine.  Then the mother of all punitive measures, cutting off military death benefits, just broke the camel's back.  Why?

Before the shutdown, Congress UNANIMOUSLY voted for the "Pay our Troops Act" and the President had signed it. So Congress thought everything was hunky dory.  Then lawyers over at DOJ reinterpreted and funding was stopped.  Still, the President sat on that freeze for 7-10 days when only a stroke of his well-used executive order pen could have changed the situation in a flash.  He did nothing until just today.

When we put two and two together, it equals an inexperienced community organizer out of his league and drunk on power.  All the statements about refusing to negotiate seemed wildly out-of-place in the context of our system of checks and balances.  It seemed as if Mr. "You Bring a Knife and I'll Bring a Gun" had outgrown his constitutional britches.

America has watched as healthcare promise after healthcare promise bit the dust.  No keeping your doc (mine pulled out of the system).  No keeping your healthcare plan
(insurance companies have dropped out).  No premium costs lowered by $2,500.  The only promise that "stuck" was the one about covering pre-existing conditions.  Still with that claim, the number of children said to have pre-existing conditions was 17 million.  In reality, the number was somewhere between 160,000 and 1.1 million.  We could have given each of those uninsured a chunk of change for what this new system is costing.

"AFFORDABLE" Care Act, my hind leg.

And the latest news?  We're told the President is still not negotiating, but IS talking.  Go figure that nomenclature.

TUMPED OVER

Homeowners can be upside down in their mortgages, but did you know that words can be turned upside down, too?

There is some serious redefinition going on across the American landscape as words take on new meaning.

INSURANCE.
Say I'm from Colorado and last month my house was swept away in the flood.  So today I made a call to buy flood insurance.  Would it be "insurance" that I wanted?  No, I would be looking for reimbursement.

On the other hand, "insurance" is buying into a pool of people against the day of disaster.  Companies who cover that possibility calculate their risk and figure a mathematical model that works.  That's business.

Now the word "insurance" means something else when you order companies to cover pre-existing conditions.  No matter how worthy the intent, it is no longer "insurance", but rather an unprofitable gamble.  Surely everyone realizes this will drive insurance companies out of business and therefore complete the goal of making Uncle Sam the single payer.  Is that the nirvana that we want?

EXTREMISTS.
There was a time when extremists were enemies whose destructive ideology was reason-prohibitive.  There was therefore no point in talking, but now apparently we can reason with Iranians...just not Republicans.

Neville Chamberlain tried to reason with Hitler and we know how that ended.  In a swell of arrogance, we think we can visit with the "softer" Iranian President and just by the strength of our charisma, he will drop all that he believes and act nice.  Decades of barbarity will fall away like snow in the sun.

Well, extremists come in lots of flavors, but they are NOT countrymen whose opposition is born of a conviction that our country is being taken to the abyss by spending, dissolution of capitalism, and making nice with REAL extremists.

CONSTITUTIONALITY.

Some may think the Supremes said Obamacare was a constitutional healthcare plan that allowed government to require adherence.  Nope.  The high court said it was ONLY constitutional if we redefine it as a tax.

But we had read the proponent's lips.  All along he said it WASN'T a tax.
So when the high court says we can be ordered to comply as long as it's a tax, we cheered "HOORAY!  We get to tax ourselves!"

And constitutionality takes it on the chin.

LAW OF THE LAND.
This term is a piece of cake to tump over.  Don't like the law?  Ignore it.  What do you do with DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act)?  We just don't defend it or enforce it.  Immigration law?  Just order agents to ignore/release illegals.  What about sending guns to Mexican drug cartels...or prosecuting voter abuse...or any number of issues?  No worries.  But on the other hand, be sure to sue individual states like Arizona (immigration) and North Carolina (voter registration).

Laws aren't effective if you don't keep 'em.  Executive orders come in handy.

TERRORISM.
No brainer.  We already know that's not really terrorism, but really an Overseas Contingency Operation.

RACIST.
Here's the grand PooPah of all redefinitions.  It lassos half the country to call the other half "racist" if they don't align with the administration.  Gather together the height of this illogical thinking that says Republicans are racist:

The Republican Party was founded on an anti-slavery plank to FREE the slaves. 

Republicans initiated, supported, and accomplished the repeal of slavery.

Republicans then wrote/passed legislation to give rights to black citizens... 

the 13th (abolishing slavery), 14th (due process/equal protection under law), 

and 15th (voting rights) amendment.  Democrats fought these.

Republican Abraham Lincoln fought a war to free slaves.  But between the time 

Lincoln was elected/inaugurated, seven Southern Democratic states seceded 

because they knew slavery was about to be over.

Lincoln was killed by John Wilkes Booth, a Democratic activist.

After the war when two black Republicans were elected, it was Democrats 

who founded the KKK and then Democrats who wrote the "Jim Crow" laws.

All the water hoses turned on black peaceful protestors in the South in the 60's 

were Democrats like Lester Maddox, George Wallace, and Bull Connor.

I looked up "sheet anchor".  It means "a source of aid in time of emergency or danger".  This LINK  is to an 8 minute video which articulates this irony of party definition.  

So if word meanings have been turned upside down, is this helpful to the country?

All this CHANGE is sucking the HOPE right out of our future and we are cooperating in our own demise.  America, your country is not your nanny and it cannot provide everything you have a "right" to have...no matter how righteous such a proposition might seem.  In a perfect world people would have healthcare and a bigscreen and truffles to go around, but this is not a perfect world.  And we are NOT all looking to go into Assisted Living...are we?

The ultimate irony is that NO socialistic society has ever been a friend to the poor.  And capitalism (with all her flaws) is still the best way to help the most people advance in a society.

BIRTHDAY THOUGHTS

Someone had a birthday last Sunday (moi) and the odometer turned over double sixes.  If age is just a number, then maturity must be relative, too.

All the kind wishes from Facebook, emails, messages and cards...were a spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down.   I did appreciate the thoughtfulness of friends.

But birthdays aren't really so bad.  In fact, when you pass 60, you start being proud of having them.  And FOR REAL it doesn't take much to make a celebration.

For instance, I got to ride to church in the backseat with Mr. Brown Bibs.  Just looking at that profile makes my day.

And speaking of "looking"...recently my glasses went missing for a week.  I found the old pair the day after I bought new ones, but that's OK.  My prescription had changed anyway on this downhill slide.

The choice of glasses was between a stock pair that were reasonably priced and a pair with sparkly temples for an enlarged price.  My feet shuffled, but I made an executive decision that Mike wanted me to have birthday bling.

Another ordinary delight came Sunday afternoon when Mike came in with a McDonald's mocha frappe.  We both are addicted to those puppies and trying to quit, but...birthdays are made for exceptions.

Sunday night we went to hear a report from some folks who are home from a tough outpost.  Hearing of their perseverance in dealing with a tall language fence, an inhospitable culture, plus literal physical danger...left me weak.  God, bless those faithful ones!  The coalition of the willing for this particular post is not crowded, but their service is born of a compassionate desire to explain Isa.  That path (in my humble opinion) will get them a front row seat one day.

You know, we all bear the responsibility for the stewardship of our gifting.  Surely by my age, I should know my gifting and know how the Lord would use it.  I can tell you that when I write, big chunks of time fly by.  And people comment on it.  Those are two practical markers for knowing your gifting... you feel His pleasure and people confirm it.

HERE'S A LINK to a five-minute BBC video of a fascinating (abeit a little creepy) automaton.  He's a 240-year-old robot writer who must be viewed by our complex computers as an ancient cousin.  A Swiss clockmaker in the 1770's created this mechanical boy.  He would be amazing in any age, but especially since he's from the 18th century!

The automaton and I have something in common.  We just put down what we are programmed to say.  My friend Marilyn used to say the Lord was the ventriloquist and she was just the dummy.  Same principle.  

Of course, sometimes my sin can cause my words to come from me alone.  But if WORDS COME OUT AS PURE TRUTH, I know someOne else is at work on the keyboard.  

Has God told you to do something?  Inspiration from the Holy Spirit used to be a good thing because it is said to indicate sonship (Romans 8:14).  Now you may get a looney net thrown over you for saying God speaks to you. 

Here are some things the Bible says about how God the Holy Spirit interacts with people:

A heart that has embraced the claims of Christ gains the Holy Spirit.
(1John 3:23,24)

We are sons of God because of our adoption

and the Spirit bears witness to our spirit of that relationship.  (Romans 8:16)

The Holy Spirit convicts and leads to repentance
as He brings Christ's words to our minds.   (John 16)

The Holy Spirit restrains evil.  (2 Thessalonians 2:7)

God gave us the Holy Spirit to be our Guide, Comforter,
Teacher, Advocate, and Help.   (John 14)

So the Holy Spirit's job is to inspire, instruct, empower, and to translate God's words.  Then our job is to listen and cooperate.

If you hear something and you're wondering if somebody's inspiration is true, run it through that great truth colander, the Bible.

In this sixty-sixth year, my favorite Bible truth now is about Christ's return when we get new bodies; this old tent is ready for the trade-in.

My sparkly new specs are stylin', but I won't even need them one day.

Now THERE'S a thought to dwell on!

"Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."  Romans 5:5