Here’s what I think is the problem

Everyone is either screaming BLM or Comply right now, & after listening to one of our ministers sermons yesterday, I’ve come to the conclusion both sides are wrong. Here’s what I think is the problem..

As a society we’ve lost our ability to keep our mouth shut & say or do whatever we want. It started on social media, someone on Facebook posts something, probably a rant or something else they wouldn’t have said in public, & another person decided to leave a commit back they wouldn’t have done face to face either. Overtime we all become immune to it, & have probably done it ourselves… using the arguement it’s just a way to vent frustration.

Unfortunately, it’s become way more than that. We’ve all become cyber bullies or whatever you want to call it, & now it’s bleeding into the real world.

Call it a spirit of rebellion or whatever, but now if anyone questions us or asks us to do something.  We automatically open our mouths up & argue with them. We are seeing it with people arguing with police & the police responding back. I’ve seen it at work, people refusing to do their job. Because they don’t agree with what is asked of them. It’s not a black thing, white thing generation thing it’s all of us.

My wife’s grandma has dementia… and many times she isn’t aware o what she’s saying or how. I describe it as losing her filter of what she would say, because I know if she really knew what she was saying she wouldn’t be saying it. It comes into her mind & she says it. We have a societal dementia, we’ve lost our filter.

Am I making sense? More to follow

Needless Death

Suicide….. This weekend I got a message from a friend asking if something had happened to another friend while I was busy fixing up rental property. Looked a little on Facebook to see what I could find out, couldn’t find anything. So I texted another friend to see if he had heard anything, already expecting the worst. He called me right back, not knowing anything either, but like me was thinking worst. Twenty minutes later he calls back, the pain in his voice says it all, our friend is gone.
Why? Frustration, regret, anger fill my mind. I had several times just talked with my friend at work & even after work helping him work through problems as had our other friend. Then he transferred to another department on an off shift, & while we kept in touch some at first, it dwindled down to practically nothing. A few days before this happened, I saw an update he had posted on his Facebook timeline, & frowned, thinking I really need to give him a call. Now it’s to late.
I’ll be honest, I can’t even comprehend suicide or depression. Yes, I’m an introvert & tend to internalize my problems, but I’ve never even remotely thought of hurting or killing myself. I have blew up on a few people, & never seems like it’s the one that needs it. Kicked a hole in a cabinet door once, which immediately made me stop & think why an I’m doing this. And had a few to many drinks a few times, over people that really in the end weren’t worth it. But to harm myself, I still can’t imagine that. Closest thing I can remotely see myself doing is just completely walking away from everything, & becoming a hermit. And now that I have kids, that ain’t ever going to happen either.

Was also taught that if you commit suicide, your going straight to hell. Now I’m not going to completely say that’s true, but I pretty much believe that. It’s a pretty selfish act, & how can ask for forgiveness for it, if your already dead? Yes, there is mental illness, but there is help for that. Get it. That may be forgivable, if your a believer. But I’m not willing to bet eternity on it. After all we are to caste our cares upon Jesus? And is that casting our cares on Him? Wouldn’t that be a ‘said’ faith, not a real one?

Yeah, I know I’m pretty hard core on this subject. And I have waited almost 8 months to post this. 1 do to it’s content, & 2 because I’ve been slacking. But over the holidays, another coworker lost his son due to this. Now 2 little kids have no father, & a Dad has no son. For what?

So please, if you are thinking of this, get help. Either from a mental health professional, or a minister. Talk to people, let them help you

Fifty Years & still going strong

50 years ago , my parents were wed. Wow, amazing, unfortunately you don’t see that very often anymore. They have had there ups & downs, rough times & good times, but through it all I never of them walked away from the other.

From stories I’ve heard, my Dad was a bit of a scoundrel in his younger days. Not in a bad way, I’m thinking Han Solo kind of guy. Rough around edges, but always doing right thing in the end. Mom, on the other hand, is a saint,kind hearted, always thinking of others first, a woman of virtue, uncompromising in her faith. Some might think they were incompatible, but they are a perfect match.

From my Mother, I have learned to trust God, care for others, & love unconditionally. She’s the rock of the family. Family & others may ridicule her faith & her values, but when there is a need or a hurt, she is the first they call. And she is always there, no matter how much that person may have hurt her in the past or the situation. She truly forgives like Christ does, I wish I had could do that.

Dad… What can I say about my Dad. I had the privilege of being baptized with my Dad. When I was a teenager, my Dad accepted Christ as his Savior. Even before that my Dad, taught me the meaning of helping others. The little old lady up the street that would only pay me $10 dollars to mow her yard, & made me use her push mower, that I swear weighed a ton, he made me mow. He did finally, get her to let me use our mower, but I was never allowed to charge her what yard was really worth. That’s okay, she always made sure I had a cold drink on a hot day, & many times I got fresh baked cookies. I remember those snowy days, where Dad would be out not just shoveling our drive, but 1/2 the neighbors, & the cul-de-sac as well. Just recently, him & I, helped my Aunt & Uncle cut dead trees down & did yard work for them. It was a great day with my Dad.

Both have taught me, how to be a great parent. I hope, I can meet the high standard they have set. They always had time for us. Took us camping, & fishing, & spent time with us. I always knew I was loved.

My kids, couldn’t ask for greater grandparents. Nanny & Pappa, as the kids call them. Kids are always excited to see them, & I can’t wait until I can finally talk the wife into letting kids have a weekend at lake with them. They may refuse to come home. I’m actually a little jealous there, I had good grandparents, but as we lived 5 hours away & were 1 of many grand kids, I never had that closeness that my kids have with their grandparents.

I pray that my marriage is as blessed as yours, & my kids can see us same way. I love ya, Mom & Dad. Words cannot express how I feel or what you’ve taught me.

Trust in everything

“Trust in the Lord with all your hear, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3; 5,6 NKJV

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” Philippians 4:4 NKJV

It has been a trial filled month in our home. About 8 months ago we gave a family a second chance & rented our old home to them. First 4 months went great. Then it gradually spiraled into a disaster. As they have departed, I have been threatened, and left with a few thousand dollars worth of damage.

As this reached it’s peak, I got very little sleep, & when I did sleep my mind would race all night about situation. My wife kept telling me I needed to stop worrying about it & be thankful for family & other things. In my heart I knew this, but getting through to my head was another matter.

These 2 verses kept coming to mind, & after a few days my wise mother told me to read the first 4 chapters of Psalms as I went to bed.

I read it, & I finally had a somewhat restful night sleep. The next day, I was resolved to place this in God’s hands completely. Another friend of mine, had a lawyer friend of hers call me that evening, & that night I slept soundly for the first time in a week. Praise the Lord!

I believe this all happened for a purpose. God was teaching me to trust him in everything. For once I gave it to Him, everything just fell into place. Yes, we are still sorting through the ruble of this incident, but God has seen us through it. I’ve even said a few prayers for them, praying that God will help them as well.

I’ve become closer to God & more at peace with the curve balls life can throw your way through this. So if life gives you a lemon, remember God & you can turn it into lemonade

He’s alive

The tomb is empty, Christ is risen. Death is defeated.
I love C.S. Lewis’s ‘The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe’, a modern day parable of Christ sacrifice & victory over sin & the grave. The girls are crying over Aslam & suddenly the alter is broken where Aslam was sacrificed to appease the old magic by taking their brothers place & there he is alive, the sun shining behind him.
That’s Christ on Easter morning, the stone rolled away, Mary frantic thinking they have taken His body away, & there He is. He whispers her name, “Mary” & all her fears vanish.
He payed for all our sins on the cross, then rose victorious from the grave! Thank you, Lord

Always darkest before the dawn

Today all the disciples huddled in a small room, waiting for the axe to fall. Their teacher, was dead. Who would be next to be arrested? James, John, & Peter must have wished they could have stayed up for him as he asked & prayed with him just one last time in the garden. Peter was guilt ridden for not only denying he knew him once, but 3 times. Judas was so guilt ridden for betraying him, that he had took his own life.
They had forgotten what His teaching of how He must be sacrificing & rise from the dead for the forgiveness of mankind. How He pointed out that scripture foretold this. Even if the thought of this fear & doubt robbed them of seeing this.
But His enemies didn’t forget what He said, they feared His followers stealing the body of Jesus, so convinced Pilate to seal the tomb & place soldiers to guard the tomb.
What would the rising of the sun bring the next day…. It’s always darkest before the dawn.

Have trouble calling it, Good Friday

Today is Good Friday, & I really have a hard time calling it that. Yes, the end result is awesome & I love to celebrate Easter.
But today is the day, Christ was crucified. The darkest day in history, God in the flesh, killed for our sins. Betrayed by a friend, tried by a kangaroo court, denied & cursed by one of his best friends, sentenced to death, beat & hung on a cross to die.
As a father I can’t imagine what this was like for God, the Father. How great is Gods love for us, for Him to willing allow His only Son to pay the price of our/my sins? I have 2 children, & their is no way I would willing allow harm to come to them. And heaven help anyone, who did harm them. The wrath of this earthly father would come down hard.
If you read the accounts of the gospels, you can see that God showed a little of his wrath for this, but in a merciful way that pointed to the miracle that was about to happen. The Earth shook, darkness covered the land, the dead rose from the grave & gave testimony that the Messiah had come. Wow, I’d have completely leveled Jerusalum, if I had been in Gods position.
Then he ripped the vail that separated the Holy of Holys part of the temple completely in half. This was no gossamer thin vail, this was a heavy huge curtain. The high priest was allowed in here once a year to ask atonement the peoples sins. Even then if he was found unworthy, the power of God that filled that place would strike him dead. This was a sign that no longer was a priest needed to intercede for the peoples sin. Christ had became the one True Sacrifice, & now all had access to God thru Him.
As His final act, he rolled the stone away from the tomb & Christ arose from the grave. The keys of death & hell ripped from the satans hands, victorious over death & the grave.
Today is a day, I reflect on what was done for me that day 2000 plus years ago & look forward to to the empty tomb Sunday morning. Thank you, Jesus!

Reflections on Palm Sunday

As I sat in church this morning, & listened to sermon from our pastor, I started thinking about what may have been going through Christ’s head that morning. Actually, I’ve been thinking about it all week.
The pivotal part for the story for me is where Christ is looking over the Jerusalem weeping over the city. Not the cheering crowds or the grumbles of the religious authorities. Because ya see after 3 years of having Jesus speak to them, the disciples, the people, & the establishment still didn’t get it. They were looking for a conquering hero to sweep away the oppressor or supplant their authority. Instead the got the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the World.
Even today I don’t think many people get it. We either get hung up in all the rules & regulations, like the Pharisees, & try to earn God’s favor, an impossible task. Or half-hearted, go through the motions of religion. Christianity is not sitting in a church pew every Sunday & going through the liturgy of religion. Or pointing a finger at other exposing their faults. It’s seeing your own faults & failures, understanding you need HIS divine intervention, & accepting it wholeheartedly. It’s a relationship not a religion.
I’m not against good works. Faith without works is dead. But works are an outward expression of our faith not the means of earning God’s favor. It’s our way of sharing Christ’s love to the world, & hopefully that love we share brings others to follow Him.
I’m also not saying the rules don’t matter. God clearly has given us a blueprint about how to live our lives. What is right & what is wrong. And I know I’ve broken the majority of the 10 Commandments. Who hasn’t? When asked about them, Jesus said even thinking an evil thought makes you guilty of it. Well, I’m screwed then. Fortunately, His sacrifice on the Cross, wiped all that out. All I have to do is accept His Forgiveness.
Well that’s all my ranting for now. I’ve got a 5 year old demanding my attention.