There it was, number two news headline May 30th on Yahoo between Pizza delivery guy does the unthinkable and Former child star gives 7 reasons why her peers are so screwed up later in life. When I saw Beaver kills fisherman it sent a cold chill down my spine. I actually put both of my hands to the side of my wide eyed face and yelled - Noooooooooooooooooo!
The story started out innocently enough. A 60 year old fisherman from Belarus wanted to get his picture taken with what he assumed was a friendly though wild beaver. From there it didn't take long for things to get ugly. Beaver takes exception, bites fisherman with teeth that have taken down 24" diameter trees in about a minute, severs at least one important artery and fisherman bleeds to death.
This greatly concerns me on several different levels. Here we have an event that could be a watershed moment in the history of our planet and yet Yahoo decides by it's placement that a pizza story is more important. Now I am both frightened and confused. Civilization as we know it may be coming to an end and our news organizations either don't comprehend what is happening or don't care. Meanwhile we the public are diverted from the real danger by worring about what the pizza guy might be doing.
Listen, I know a little something about beavers. Don't laugh. My ancestors were involved in the fur trade and fortunes have been made and lost with respect to that little beast. I am aware of the dangers of getting too close to one without being fully prepared. Even big brawny mountain men who in the past have trapped them almost out of existence have been known to turn to mush in their presence. Beavers have done what beavers have done for thousands of years. In return we trap them or destroy their annoying dams but to be safe we have tried not to upset the natural order of things.
Yet now the tables may be turning. It all begins with one not wanting to show that big toothy smile while being hugged by a smelly old man. It bites, he bleeds, the antagonist dies and the beaver senses something new. "Power to the beaver" it thinks. And I think - first they came for the fisherman, and I wasn't a fisherman so I did nothing. Then they came for the trapper, and I wasn't a trapper, so I did nothing. Finally they found me, descendant of their ancient nemesis, and I was napping, so I did nothing.
Friends, after me you may be next on the beaver's hit list. ABC, CBS and CNN won't tell you. NBC doesn't want you to know. Fox knows but those gorgeous blonds don't talk beaver. Stewart talks beaver but gets greatly confused. Jay Carney never heard about it. The Huffington Post came up with the pizza story, Yahoo (the internet) picked up the pizza story and gave it top billing and Drudge and Politico think they have better things to expose. That leaves talk radio. Grab your cotton balls and smelling salts and check it out before the beavers shut them down.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
Military Service of Joseph Marie La Barge
I thought this Memorial Day that I would share some passages from that book that relate to the military service of the Captain's father, Joseph Marie, who was the first La Barge in this great country of ours.
Captain La Barge was of the sixth generation from his Norman ancestors. His father, Joseph Marie La Barge, was born at Assumption, Quebec, July 4, 1787. He emigrated to St. Louis about 1808, just as he was arriving of age. He traveled by the usual route, up the Ottawa River and through the intricate system of waterways in northern Ontario which leads to Georgian Bay and to Lake Huron. Thence he went by way of Mackinaw Strait and Lake Michigan to Green Bay, and along the Fox and Wisconsin rivers to the Mississippi, which he descended to St. Louis. He used a single birch-bark canoe all the way, with only eight miles of portage.
At the time when the Sac and Fox Indians were giving the government so much trouble, and endangering human life all along the upper Mississippi, La Barge senior was employed in the perilous business of carrying dispatches to Rock Island, having volunteered for this service when others refused to go. He served in the War of 1812, and was present in the battle of the River Raisin, or Frenchtown, January 22, 1813, and was there shot in the hand, losing two fingers. He also received a tomahawk wound on the head, and carried the scar through life. He became naturalized as a result of this service in the army. Although entitled to a pension under the laws of the United States, he never asked for nor received any.
LaBarge was present in General Ashley's disastrous fight with the Aricara Indians on the Missouri River in 1823, and was the man who cut the cable of one of the keelboats so that it might drift out of range of the fire of the Indians.
This next story really tickles me because I can see that certain personality traits do indeed carry on through the generations.
In the later years of General Harney's life he used to send for Captain La Barge to come and talk over old times. On one of these occasions he gave the Captain the following story; "Your father," he said, "was the only man who ever scared me. We were ascending the Missouri River on a keelboat laden with troops and supplies, he in charge of the boat, and I, a lieutenant, on with the soldiers. In one place the boat had to round a sharp point, where there was an accumulation of driftwood. The current was very strong, and it required the utmost efforts of the men to stem it. When we reached the most difficult place, the Captain stimulated his men by calling out to them (in the French language), 'Hale fort! Hale fort!' (Pull hard! Pull hard!). I didn't understand French, but thought I detected in the Captain's language something like the military command, 'Halt!' As some of the troops were on the line with the voyageurs, and as they might not understand, I thought I could help the Captain by repeating to them his command. This created some confusion, for my men began to slacken while the Captain's were pulling harder than ever. Again he commanded, 'Hale fort!' and again I called to the men to halt. The situation was extremely critical when the Captain thundered a third time, 'HALE FORT!' in a voice and manner not to be misunderstood. The men then bent to the line and finally extricated the boat from it's perilous position. The Captain then came over to where I was standing and told me that if I ever dared interfere again with his management of the boat he would pitch me into the river. I knew he meant what he said, and thereafter confined myself to my military duties."
We owe a lot to those that have gone before us, serving their country to protect our freedoms and way of life. My uncle Joseph La Barge died when his plane crashed during WWII and my father was an American army fighter pilot during that same war, surviving several crash landings and a bail out over the Mediterranean.. I have other uncles that served during war time in our military and am grateful that they made it through. During the Viet Nam war I was in college and thankfully it was ending by the time I graduated. Did I want to fight in the jungles of South East Asia? No, but if called I would have gone. Interestingly, if things had turned out different in this last story my father may have flown for the RAF and I would be bidding all of you a pleasant cheerio.
"I can safely recommend him (Joseph Marie La Barge) to any traveler, as the best person in his line I have ever met - intelligent, sober, obliging, and never afraid to encounter any difficulty that may occur." - THREE YEARS IN NORTH AMERICA, by James Stuart, who traveled in the United States, 1828-1830, and employed La Barge to convey him on his journeys in the vicinity of St. Louis and as far east as Vincennes, Ind. He was very anxious to adopt the young child, Joseph La Barge, and take him to England and educate him, but the parents would not consent.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
I'll Be Looking For A Dog
A sweet little 18 year old Hispanic girl by the name of Dora (yes - Dora!) took her driving test with me this week. She was a senior in High School and I asked her when was her last day of classes. She informed me that being a senior she gets out early but her school went until June 7th.
"What are you planning to do this summer?" I ask Dora. She told me that she would be looking for a job although to me it sounded like she said she would be looking for a "dog".
"Do you have any idea what kind you are looking for?"
"Oh I guess I'll take whatever is available.
"Well don't you have any preferences, you know like big with long hair or short and quiet?
"Um, I guess short and quiet would be nice.
"Have you ever taken care of one before?
"Oh yes, I did some baby sitting for my sister."
"And what did she have?
"Two boys and a girl."
"So you had to feed them and get them a bowl of water and make sure to keep their poopie off the floor?"
"They would usually find what they wanted in the fridge or cupboards and were old enough to use the toilet."
"So would you like to get yourself a boy or a girl? With long hair or short? Big or small?
"For what? I'm just getting out of school."
"For your dog."
"My dog? I don't like animals."
"What are you planning to do this summer?" I ask Dora. She told me that she would be looking for a job although to me it sounded like she said she would be looking for a "dog".
"Do you have any idea what kind you are looking for?"
"Oh I guess I'll take whatever is available.
"Well don't you have any preferences, you know like big with long hair or short and quiet?
"Um, I guess short and quiet would be nice.
"Have you ever taken care of one before?
"Oh yes, I did some baby sitting for my sister."
"And what did she have?
"Two boys and a girl."
"So you had to feed them and get them a bowl of water and make sure to keep their poopie off the floor?"
"They would usually find what they wanted in the fridge or cupboards and were old enough to use the toilet."
"So would you like to get yourself a boy or a girl? With long hair or short? Big or small?
"For what? I'm just getting out of school."
"For your dog."
"My dog? I don't like animals."
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Big Two Hearted River
Last week I heard mentioned twice that families were headed up North this summer to visit the Upper Peninsula's Big Two Hearted River. Seems that it is a popular place for canoes and rafts to make their way to an attractive beach on Lake Superior. Just head straight up from the Mackinaw Bridge. The name was known to me from the title of one of Earnest Hemingway's series of books on the adventures of his fictional hero, Jack Adams. I had only read excerpts from that book but I had heard that the actual river and terrain described belonged to another UP river, the Fox I believe.
Thinking about this I am guessing that Hemingway switched names because the idea of two hearted indicated a truth about the wilderness and river that could be applied as well to something about Jack Adams. In the story Adams arrives at a place that once was a lumber or mining boom town but now was deserted because fire had leveled it and blackened the forest around. Thirteen taverns were destroyed and even the foundation stones were cracked from the heat. Here we have the idea that the wilderness gives but it takes as well. The river also provides both sport and bounty but is fickle. One needs to learn to live with the rhythms or all this could be quite frustrating.
Most of my life I have resided near the East shore of Lake Michigan. Prevailing winds come from the West and over time large sand dunes were built up along the shore. Only later did people start building in and on top of those dunes and if you view things from only the perspective of a decade or so nothing seems to change. But sand mixed with winds and winds mixed with the cycles of water levels make for a fragile environment. Just south of us in Saugatuck along the lake shore is the ghost town of Singapore. In the late 1800's it was a vibrant Lake Michigan port but shifting sands eventually buried it.
I grew up spending many summer Sunday's going to Grandpa's Lot, a forested piece of property high above Lake Michigan with hundreds of wood steps heading down to the sandy beach. Later my parents bought a cottage about a mile south from there. This you come to know after 60 years. When the level of Lake Michigan rises and the late season storms rage the extreme power of nature eats away at the dunes. Stairs to the beach have to be rebuilt. Sometimes houses have to be moved back. Sometimes houses, trees and 20 or 30 feet of dune collapse to the beach below. Eventually everything looks nice and normal again but the edge of the dune is not where it use to be. Lake Michigan is doing what it has done for thousands of years. The new normal is not as grand as it was in the past. Something has been lost, never to return.
This Pentecost I think about the ebb and flow of Christian influence in our nation. I'll admit that I get frustrated when I see the ever increasing influence and control of government into every aspect of our lives yet the people that are charged with warning us that we are losing something don't, because they approve of it and like it. They are totally ignorant of the Christian principles incorporated into the founding documents of this great nation and so those principles and documents are subject to change, improved by the wisdom of a godless, wicked age. This is the new normal.
I could add to this the degeneration of attitudes we in the Christian church have had for decades in regards to holiness. The majority watch the same shows, listen to the same music, read the same books and are convinced that sex is something that God hasn't really thought about. The grand dunes are wasting away and who has the guts to stand in the breach. It is easy for me to believe that these trends are unchangeable and irreversible. It is easy for me to think - get me and my family out of here!
But then I think of Pentecost. When Pentecost came 120 anxious souls were filled with the Holy Spirit. The fisherman, Peter, preached that morning and said;
"Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call for Himself." And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation!" So then those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. (Acts 2: 38-41)
May this Pentecost be started a revival in this country. May the Holy Spirit be poured out in our lives, our churches, our commence and our government. May countless souls be added to the eternal rolls of the Heavenly Kingdom. May many millions be healed and delivered and encouraged. And may Jesus be proclaimed Lord throughout our land.
Thinking about this I am guessing that Hemingway switched names because the idea of two hearted indicated a truth about the wilderness and river that could be applied as well to something about Jack Adams. In the story Adams arrives at a place that once was a lumber or mining boom town but now was deserted because fire had leveled it and blackened the forest around. Thirteen taverns were destroyed and even the foundation stones were cracked from the heat. Here we have the idea that the wilderness gives but it takes as well. The river also provides both sport and bounty but is fickle. One needs to learn to live with the rhythms or all this could be quite frustrating.
Most of my life I have resided near the East shore of Lake Michigan. Prevailing winds come from the West and over time large sand dunes were built up along the shore. Only later did people start building in and on top of those dunes and if you view things from only the perspective of a decade or so nothing seems to change. But sand mixed with winds and winds mixed with the cycles of water levels make for a fragile environment. Just south of us in Saugatuck along the lake shore is the ghost town of Singapore. In the late 1800's it was a vibrant Lake Michigan port but shifting sands eventually buried it.
I grew up spending many summer Sunday's going to Grandpa's Lot, a forested piece of property high above Lake Michigan with hundreds of wood steps heading down to the sandy beach. Later my parents bought a cottage about a mile south from there. This you come to know after 60 years. When the level of Lake Michigan rises and the late season storms rage the extreme power of nature eats away at the dunes. Stairs to the beach have to be rebuilt. Sometimes houses have to be moved back. Sometimes houses, trees and 20 or 30 feet of dune collapse to the beach below. Eventually everything looks nice and normal again but the edge of the dune is not where it use to be. Lake Michigan is doing what it has done for thousands of years. The new normal is not as grand as it was in the past. Something has been lost, never to return.
This Pentecost I think about the ebb and flow of Christian influence in our nation. I'll admit that I get frustrated when I see the ever increasing influence and control of government into every aspect of our lives yet the people that are charged with warning us that we are losing something don't, because they approve of it and like it. They are totally ignorant of the Christian principles incorporated into the founding documents of this great nation and so those principles and documents are subject to change, improved by the wisdom of a godless, wicked age. This is the new normal.
I could add to this the degeneration of attitudes we in the Christian church have had for decades in regards to holiness. The majority watch the same shows, listen to the same music, read the same books and are convinced that sex is something that God hasn't really thought about. The grand dunes are wasting away and who has the guts to stand in the breach. It is easy for me to believe that these trends are unchangeable and irreversible. It is easy for me to think - get me and my family out of here!
But then I think of Pentecost. When Pentecost came 120 anxious souls were filled with the Holy Spirit. The fisherman, Peter, preached that morning and said;
"Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call for Himself." And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation!" So then those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. (Acts 2: 38-41)
May this Pentecost be started a revival in this country. May the Holy Spirit be poured out in our lives, our churches, our commence and our government. May countless souls be added to the eternal rolls of the Heavenly Kingdom. May many millions be healed and delivered and encouraged. And may Jesus be proclaimed Lord throughout our land.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
That Was Fun
I posted this on FB yesterday. In 14 years of doing driver examinations I have been involved in 7 collisions or one every two years. Praise the Lord no one has been hurt. Given the current rate I should now be good for the next couple of years.
THAT WAS FUN - I was on a road test yesterday, we were on the freeway and Destiny does not see the car merging from the right until it is beside us. Without looking she darts left, sideswiping an 18 wheeler. Destiny screams, mother in the back seat screams, I grab the steering wheel to stop us swearving and tell Destiny to accelarate because she has taken her foot off the gas. We and 18 wheeler exit, no damage to his truck, about a two foot long grouping of scratches on Destiny's van but doesn't matter because it was a beat up vehicle anyway. Destiny fails.
Two tests later 18 yr old Lamar is doing fine but remarks as we are getting on the freeway during 5 pm traffic, "This should be interesting, I've never been on the freeway before." - "Oh crap" I think. But Lamar does fine.
Last test of the day I am giving instructions to 21 year old Donald for the parking manuevars when his mother comes up and says; "Donald has autism so he might just stare at you when you tell him something." Donald gets stuck in the first backup section and can't figure out how to get out. He does just stare at me but then asks, "What should I do?" He fails. Mother, who looks and talks like the nun on Sister Act who had the alarm clock that said, "Get out of bed you sleepy head" tells me that Donald has not driven very much because he does not like to practice. She wants me to tell Donald that he needs to practice driving. Oh dear! PTL the day is over.
Two tests later 18 yr old Lamar is doing fine but remarks as we are getting on the freeway during 5 pm traffic, "This should be interesting, I've never been on the freeway before." - "Oh crap" I think. But Lamar does fine.
Last test of the day I am giving instructions to 21 year old Donald for the parking manuevars when his mother comes up and says; "Donald has autism so he might just stare at you when you tell him something." Donald gets stuck in the first backup section and can't figure out how to get out. He does just stare at me but then asks, "What should I do?" He fails. Mother, who looks and talks like the nun on Sister Act who had the alarm clock that said, "Get out of bed you sleepy head" tells me that Donald has not driven very much because he does not like to practice. She wants me to tell Donald that he needs to practice driving. Oh dear! PTL the day is over.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Combos In A Bowl
One day when we were living in the woods some of our kids came over to visit. The grandchildren tore off to play with each other and the rest of us sat down at the dinning table. Jackie looked for something for us to snack on and she found a bag of combos, those little round pretzel pieces filled with cheddar cheese. She filled a couple of glass bowls with these and placed them in the middle of the group. One of our brainiac offspring looked at the snack and remarked; "Oh look, combos in a bowl!" This remark started everyone laughing. Well, everyone but Jackie. And the more we laughed the harder we laughed. We laughed until our sides hurt. I guess you all may agree with my dear wife that there is nothing funny about a glass bowl filled with combos but the randomness of it all was momentarily hilarious.
I am probably to blame for passing on this randomness gene to my progeny. Things are always popping into my brain and sometimes I verbalize the dysfunction of those synoptic connections. Scientists say that our minds want to make sense of randomness and so we fill in the blanks. Sometimes we realize that this is all nonsense but sometimes with certain people nonsense becomes reality.
Earlier this year Jackie's 93 year old mother started hearing a man singing hymns. This went on all through the night and she became convinced that there was a guy in the apartment complex near us who was doing this. She even had a story about why he sang through the night. His wife told him he had to stop singing, he refused, they had a big argument and to spite her he sings through the night and the day. Helen kept asking everyone; "Don't you hear that guy singing?" Since no one would admit hearing him she actually went out one evening toward the apartments to try to identify exactly where the guy lived.
Finally one of the family found something online identified as Musical Ear Syndrome. This usually occurs with older women who have lost a lot of their hearing. Because the sensory input is no longer there and the brain doesn't like blank spaces it fills in that particular space with something familiar and comforting, usually hymns sung in tenor by a male (although one lady has heard nothing but the Happy Birthday song constantly for 5 years). There is no known cure. This described what Helen was experiencing to a tee.
We printed this information out and showed Helen. Jackie told her this was like when someone loses a limb and they still have sensations of pain. Helen understood this and was greatly releaved that she wasn't going crazy. Now a half of a Xanax pill each night helps her sleep well enough to be able to ignore the music.
But now back to my random gene. I was walking through our little run down mall today on the way to the office and I noticed all these tables being set up. They had those little folded placards on top with names like Blodget Hospital, Spectrum Health and Forest Hills. It turns out that the mall was sponsoring something called a mental health festival although the girl working in our office told me it was a mental health carnival. I suppose to her there would be no difference but to me carnival means rides! Mental health type rides! I could start describing what those would be but I'll let your imagination take care of it.
Earlier this week it was in the mid 80's and I was out on a driving test with still 15 year old Samantha. Sam was dressed in black boots, heavy black nylons, a black leather mini skirt, a black blouse covered by a black leather vest. The only bright spot she showed was the little pink rosettes between each of her teeth on her braces. We are driving along and I remark; "We use to have an examiner who worked for us that wore all black, just like you - (pause) - He died of a heat stroke - (pause) - It was awful - (pause) - I wanted to help but I was afraid that I might burn my hands on all of those little studs." Sam's father sitting in the back was cracking up. Sam just drove on. For me, combos in a bowl.
I am probably to blame for passing on this randomness gene to my progeny. Things are always popping into my brain and sometimes I verbalize the dysfunction of those synoptic connections. Scientists say that our minds want to make sense of randomness and so we fill in the blanks. Sometimes we realize that this is all nonsense but sometimes with certain people nonsense becomes reality.
Earlier this year Jackie's 93 year old mother started hearing a man singing hymns. This went on all through the night and she became convinced that there was a guy in the apartment complex near us who was doing this. She even had a story about why he sang through the night. His wife told him he had to stop singing, he refused, they had a big argument and to spite her he sings through the night and the day. Helen kept asking everyone; "Don't you hear that guy singing?" Since no one would admit hearing him she actually went out one evening toward the apartments to try to identify exactly where the guy lived.
Finally one of the family found something online identified as Musical Ear Syndrome. This usually occurs with older women who have lost a lot of their hearing. Because the sensory input is no longer there and the brain doesn't like blank spaces it fills in that particular space with something familiar and comforting, usually hymns sung in tenor by a male (although one lady has heard nothing but the Happy Birthday song constantly for 5 years). There is no known cure. This described what Helen was experiencing to a tee.
We printed this information out and showed Helen. Jackie told her this was like when someone loses a limb and they still have sensations of pain. Helen understood this and was greatly releaved that she wasn't going crazy. Now a half of a Xanax pill each night helps her sleep well enough to be able to ignore the music.
But now back to my random gene. I was walking through our little run down mall today on the way to the office and I noticed all these tables being set up. They had those little folded placards on top with names like Blodget Hospital, Spectrum Health and Forest Hills. It turns out that the mall was sponsoring something called a mental health festival although the girl working in our office told me it was a mental health carnival. I suppose to her there would be no difference but to me carnival means rides! Mental health type rides! I could start describing what those would be but I'll let your imagination take care of it.
Earlier this week it was in the mid 80's and I was out on a driving test with still 15 year old Samantha. Sam was dressed in black boots, heavy black nylons, a black leather mini skirt, a black blouse covered by a black leather vest. The only bright spot she showed was the little pink rosettes between each of her teeth on her braces. We are driving along and I remark; "We use to have an examiner who worked for us that wore all black, just like you - (pause) - He died of a heat stroke - (pause) - It was awful - (pause) - I wanted to help but I was afraid that I might burn my hands on all of those little studs." Sam's father sitting in the back was cracking up. Sam just drove on. For me, combos in a bowl.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Great Jumping Jehoshaphat
I'm going to tell you the story of one of the greatest miracles described in the Bible and how it applies to us today. This miracle came about through the prayers of an entire nation, was seen by them as they gathered together in obedience to God's word and everyone shared in the added blessings resulting from the miracle.
But first - We need to look at the back story.
After the death of King Solomon the Jewish nation was split in two. The Northern kingdom included the territories of 10 of the 12 tribes and was called Israel. They forsook the worship of the true God, established their own priesthood and all of their kings were described as being wicked in the Biblical accounts.
The Southern kingdom consisted of the tribes of Benjamin and Judah and was called Judah. God had promised that his Kingdom would come through the lineage of the House of David which came from the tribe of Judah. The inhabitants of Judah were not just from 2 tribes however. There were many Levites (the priestly tribe) and people from all of the other tribes who, desiring to worship the true God, settled in the territory of the Southern kingdom.
Most of the kings in the history of the Southern kingdom were also described as being wicked but every now and they got one who was considered righteous. The main problem God had with Judah throughout it's history was that most of the people, even if they worshiped the true God, also worshiped the local deities. There were household idols, altars and shrines, sacred poles that the people worshiped called the Asheroth, and sacred high places. People who dealt in various occult activities were also commonplace.
The righteous kings would do away with some or most of these, trust in the Lord God Almighty and their nation would have peace and prosperity during those times. But then the good king would die, his son comes to power who doesn't fear or trust in God, marries women from outside the nation to form alliances, these women bring with them their household idols and everything goes back to square one. The nation has wars and famine and is worse off than before the reign of the last righteous king.
In the year 873 BC Jehoshaphat becomes king. His father King Asa had established some earlier reforms and although he screwed up big time by not trusting God when push came to shove he was way better than the earlier kings of Judah. King Jehoshaphat extends the reforms of his father and he also sends out officials and priests throughout the kingdom to teach the people from the book of the law. The dread of the Lord was on all the kingdoms around Judah.
But then Jehoshaphat makes a treaty with the wicked king Ahab of the Northern kingdom of Israel. Ahab wants to go to war against Ramoth-gilead and asks Jehoshaphat to help which he agrees to do on the condition that Ahab inquire first on the word of the Lord for it. Ahab has 400 prophets which are yes men and one that he hates (Micaiah) because his word is always opposite. The yes prophets say go go go but Micaiah predicts that the affair will be a disaster.
We get an amazing little side view here into something that happened in heaven. Micaiah relates:
I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left. The Lord said, "Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?" And one said this while another said that. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, "I will entice him." And the Lord said to him, "How?"
He said, "I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets." Then He said, "You are to entice him and prevail also. Go and do so." ( Chron: 18: 19-21)
Ahab and Jehoshaphat listen to the word of the 400 yes prophets. Disaster does come costing Ahab his life and Jehoshaphat escapes back to Judah with his, A true prophet chides him after he returns and then we read of all that Jehoshaphat does to reform the nation, including the establishment of righteous judges and priests to settle disputes.
The thing here I want you to notice is that the nation had been prepared for what was to come by the removal of the false gods and their symbols and by the setting up of honest and fair governance based on the fear of the Lord. He said to the judges, "Consider what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the Lord who is with you when you render judgment. Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; be very careful what you do, for the Lord our God will have no part in unrighteousness or partiality or the taking of a bribe." (2 Cor: 19: 6-7)
Then arrives the time when 3 nations come to make war against Judah. These were Moab, Ammon and Edom, or the Meunites. (I always thought, who better to war against the people of God than the Me Unites?.) Jehoshaphat was afraid and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. The nation gathers together in Jerusalem (All Judah was standing before the Lord, with their infants, their wives and their children) and Jehoshaphat prays for deliverance, acknowledging God's power, sovereignty and purpose for the nation.
Then the Spirit of the Lord comes upon one of the Levites and he proclaims to the assembly these specific instructions from God:
Thus says the Lord to you, Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours by God's. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel. You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them for the Lord is with you. (2 Chron. 20: 15-17)
The people and the king are in awe of this word and they fall down to worship. The next morning they rise early and go to where God directed them. Jehoshaphat sends out people ahead of his army to sing, to worship and to thank the Lord, and when they began to worship God started to do His thing. For what ever reason, we are not told but think of the deceiving spirit sent to the 400 yes prophets earlier, the armies of two of the nations ambush the third nations army, destroying them completely. They then turn on themselves and wipe each other out. All this in view of the people of Judah.
There is so much loot available that it takes the people of Judah 3 days to carry it back with them. Needless to say the dread of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies.
How does this apply to us today as a nation? If the Lord is to come back soon, and He may, than this discussion is moot. But if He delays then ask yourself:
How long can we as a nation survive without the fear of the Lord as our guide? We have churches that look the other way or even endorse all sorts of sexual sins because of their own yes prophets. Fifty million unborn (or mistakenly born) infants have been slaughtered since 1973. The occult and all of it's side branches are alive and thriving through popular books and other entertainment avenues. We have our own high places which no one (just like in Judah) dares to challenge. And the people we elect cannot take any serious steps to make sound financial decisions because they love money and power and fear the loss of their positions.
I don't know how to change the big picture. However I am charged with fearing the Lord on what I can control. Perhaps it starts there. Pray for revival. For yourself. For your family. For your city. Start there. See what God can do.
Here is a great song about Jehoshaphat sung by Don Francisco. Years ago he came to town for a concert and we were able to meet him and his band over at Ceci's apartment. Ceci's charge was to provide dinner for the group. I'll never forget what he said; "Great Lasagna!"
http://youtu.be/psfMp46GDs8
But first - We need to look at the back story.
After the death of King Solomon the Jewish nation was split in two. The Northern kingdom included the territories of 10 of the 12 tribes and was called Israel. They forsook the worship of the true God, established their own priesthood and all of their kings were described as being wicked in the Biblical accounts.
The Southern kingdom consisted of the tribes of Benjamin and Judah and was called Judah. God had promised that his Kingdom would come through the lineage of the House of David which came from the tribe of Judah. The inhabitants of Judah were not just from 2 tribes however. There were many Levites (the priestly tribe) and people from all of the other tribes who, desiring to worship the true God, settled in the territory of the Southern kingdom.
Most of the kings in the history of the Southern kingdom were also described as being wicked but every now and they got one who was considered righteous. The main problem God had with Judah throughout it's history was that most of the people, even if they worshiped the true God, also worshiped the local deities. There were household idols, altars and shrines, sacred poles that the people worshiped called the Asheroth, and sacred high places. People who dealt in various occult activities were also commonplace.
The righteous kings would do away with some or most of these, trust in the Lord God Almighty and their nation would have peace and prosperity during those times. But then the good king would die, his son comes to power who doesn't fear or trust in God, marries women from outside the nation to form alliances, these women bring with them their household idols and everything goes back to square one. The nation has wars and famine and is worse off than before the reign of the last righteous king.
In the year 873 BC Jehoshaphat becomes king. His father King Asa had established some earlier reforms and although he screwed up big time by not trusting God when push came to shove he was way better than the earlier kings of Judah. King Jehoshaphat extends the reforms of his father and he also sends out officials and priests throughout the kingdom to teach the people from the book of the law. The dread of the Lord was on all the kingdoms around Judah.
But then Jehoshaphat makes a treaty with the wicked king Ahab of the Northern kingdom of Israel. Ahab wants to go to war against Ramoth-gilead and asks Jehoshaphat to help which he agrees to do on the condition that Ahab inquire first on the word of the Lord for it. Ahab has 400 prophets which are yes men and one that he hates (Micaiah) because his word is always opposite. The yes prophets say go go go but Micaiah predicts that the affair will be a disaster.
We get an amazing little side view here into something that happened in heaven. Micaiah relates:
I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left. The Lord said, "Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?" And one said this while another said that. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, "I will entice him." And the Lord said to him, "How?"
He said, "I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets." Then He said, "You are to entice him and prevail also. Go and do so." ( Chron: 18: 19-21)
Ahab and Jehoshaphat listen to the word of the 400 yes prophets. Disaster does come costing Ahab his life and Jehoshaphat escapes back to Judah with his, A true prophet chides him after he returns and then we read of all that Jehoshaphat does to reform the nation, including the establishment of righteous judges and priests to settle disputes.
The thing here I want you to notice is that the nation had been prepared for what was to come by the removal of the false gods and their symbols and by the setting up of honest and fair governance based on the fear of the Lord. He said to the judges, "Consider what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the Lord who is with you when you render judgment. Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; be very careful what you do, for the Lord our God will have no part in unrighteousness or partiality or the taking of a bribe." (2 Cor: 19: 6-7)
Then arrives the time when 3 nations come to make war against Judah. These were Moab, Ammon and Edom, or the Meunites. (I always thought, who better to war against the people of God than the Me Unites?.) Jehoshaphat was afraid and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. The nation gathers together in Jerusalem (All Judah was standing before the Lord, with their infants, their wives and their children) and Jehoshaphat prays for deliverance, acknowledging God's power, sovereignty and purpose for the nation.
Then the Spirit of the Lord comes upon one of the Levites and he proclaims to the assembly these specific instructions from God:
Thus says the Lord to you, Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours by God's. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel. You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them for the Lord is with you. (2 Chron. 20: 15-17)
The people and the king are in awe of this word and they fall down to worship. The next morning they rise early and go to where God directed them. Jehoshaphat sends out people ahead of his army to sing, to worship and to thank the Lord, and when they began to worship God started to do His thing. For what ever reason, we are not told but think of the deceiving spirit sent to the 400 yes prophets earlier, the armies of two of the nations ambush the third nations army, destroying them completely. They then turn on themselves and wipe each other out. All this in view of the people of Judah.
There is so much loot available that it takes the people of Judah 3 days to carry it back with them. Needless to say the dread of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies.
How does this apply to us today as a nation? If the Lord is to come back soon, and He may, than this discussion is moot. But if He delays then ask yourself:
How long can we as a nation survive without the fear of the Lord as our guide? We have churches that look the other way or even endorse all sorts of sexual sins because of their own yes prophets. Fifty million unborn (or mistakenly born) infants have been slaughtered since 1973. The occult and all of it's side branches are alive and thriving through popular books and other entertainment avenues. We have our own high places which no one (just like in Judah) dares to challenge. And the people we elect cannot take any serious steps to make sound financial decisions because they love money and power and fear the loss of their positions.
I don't know how to change the big picture. However I am charged with fearing the Lord on what I can control. Perhaps it starts there. Pray for revival. For yourself. For your family. For your city. Start there. See what God can do.
Here is a great song about Jehoshaphat sung by Don Francisco. Years ago he came to town for a concert and we were able to meet him and his band over at Ceci's apartment. Ceci's charge was to provide dinner for the group. I'll never forget what he said; "Great Lasagna!"
http://youtu.be/psfMp46GDs8
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Consideration
con sid er a tion
(definition from an online dictionary)
Perry and I were in a busy urban area
on his driving test with a bunch of other autos in line ahead of us.
We approach a red light and when Perry stops he leaves a couple of
car lengths open because we are next to the drive of the Family Fare
on Michael Street. Perry, who is about 50 years old and has been
without his driver's license for 10 feels compelled to explain to me
why he stopped where he did. “I likes to give people
consideration.”
The idea of “thoughtful or
sympathetic regard or respect; thoughtfulness for others” is
something that is becoming quite rare in the driving arena and I
suspect in the wider world of human interaction as well. People step
up quite remarkably when tragedies such as the recent Boston bombings
happen and there are numerous other events that seem to bring out the
best in us. But in the day to day hustle and bustle of life it can
be every man for himself.
Here is a typical thing that happens on
a driving test. We are stopped at a red light and waiting for it to
change. When it does the person taking their test checks both ways
before accelerating and in that brief fraction of a second the auto
behind us will lay on their horn, upset that we didn't gun it
immediately. “Friendly folks we have around here” I sometimes
remark to a young driver.
What happens next is utterly predictable if we are turning into multiple lanes. The horn blower will blast past us on the outside, sometimes saluting us with their driving IQ. I give a big toothy smile back. There have been times when the person behind us has, in my opinion, gone overboard with the length or number of horn toots. In the past I have been known to tell my driver to put the vehicle in park. Getting out our car I walk to the back of it and inspect our brake lights and turn signals. Finding nothing wrong I give an inquisitive look at the vehicle behind us while extending my arms, palms up.
So far I have not been shot by the now later than ever to the next red light occupants, but I am no longer going to take the chance. Even though I know these are the same people who don't think they need to merge left entering construction zones, cutting in front of a hundred cars because their time is so much more important than mine, I still need to practice what I preach and show them consideration.
This my friends is not easy.
I have a brother-in-law who did not really get turned on to Jesus until several years ago when he had a huge situation in his life that he couldn't cope with. It was wrecking him emotionally, hurting his marriage and affecting his health. He started going to church, studying the Bible and reading as many books on living the Christian life as possible. He never thought he was very smart but was determined to learn the basics as best he could. Step by step the Holy Spirit led him and he grew, not only in knowledge but with great maturity as well.
One day he thought he would check out one of the small groups that met at his church. It turned out to his great surprise that there were a couple of men in that group that he had always hated. They were coaches that had always done his sons wrong and here they were, regular guys who welcomed him with open arms. They had no idea of his years of animosity toward them. It hadn't affected them one bit. He was able to forgive them and this cut out one of the roots of bitterness hiding deep in his heart. He learned what one of my preachers used to say: Hating someone is like you drinking poison and expecting the other guy to die. It only hurts you.
My brother-in-law started late but he is thrilled to be where he is now in life. He is happy, strong in his relationships, has peace and really trusts that God is in control. And having to work everything through step by step he is able to witness to his life in Christ quite ably.
A lot of the behavior we see in this world stems from selfishness. We can overcome that by being respectful, thoughtful and sympathetic. Consideration is not the road to holiness but it should be a fruit of our relationship with a loving God. He has all the time in the world. Let's ride with Him.
So far I have not been shot by the now later than ever to the next red light occupants, but I am no longer going to take the chance. Even though I know these are the same people who don't think they need to merge left entering construction zones, cutting in front of a hundred cars because their time is so much more important than mine, I still need to practice what I preach and show them consideration.
This my friends is not easy.
I have a brother-in-law who did not really get turned on to Jesus until several years ago when he had a huge situation in his life that he couldn't cope with. It was wrecking him emotionally, hurting his marriage and affecting his health. He started going to church, studying the Bible and reading as many books on living the Christian life as possible. He never thought he was very smart but was determined to learn the basics as best he could. Step by step the Holy Spirit led him and he grew, not only in knowledge but with great maturity as well.
One day he thought he would check out one of the small groups that met at his church. It turned out to his great surprise that there were a couple of men in that group that he had always hated. They were coaches that had always done his sons wrong and here they were, regular guys who welcomed him with open arms. They had no idea of his years of animosity toward them. It hadn't affected them one bit. He was able to forgive them and this cut out one of the roots of bitterness hiding deep in his heart. He learned what one of my preachers used to say: Hating someone is like you drinking poison and expecting the other guy to die. It only hurts you.
My brother-in-law started late but he is thrilled to be where he is now in life. He is happy, strong in his relationships, has peace and really trusts that God is in control. And having to work everything through step by step he is able to witness to his life in Christ quite ably.
A lot of the behavior we see in this world stems from selfishness. We can overcome that by being respectful, thoughtful and sympathetic. Consideration is not the road to holiness but it should be a fruit of our relationship with a loving God. He has all the time in the world. Let's ride with Him.
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