My Amazing Predictions For 2016

After an exhaustive review of a lot of different sites on the internet I feel confident enough to make the following predictions for what WILL happen in our country next year.

There will be an extremely large eruption of a sunspot directly facing the earth which will cause an EMP strong enough to fry your smart phones, computers, TVs and vehicle wiring.

The stock market will crash, the dollar will be devalued, the government will confiscate 80% of all savings and Hillary will be pictured on the new 37 dollar bill.

A giant meteor/asteroid will impact smack dab in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean creating a huge tsunami over 200 feet high which will strike most of the East Coast of America, wiping out a large part of the population.

The "Big One", actually the "Big Ones" will finally happen, shaking the West Coast and causing parts of California in it's south to fall into the Pacific as well as leveling San Francisco, silicon valley and surrounding areas in it's north.

A new "Super Bug" related to the avian flu and with no known cure will rapidly infect large portions of the South West.

Yellowstone Park will blow, the ash and debris cloud will cover multiple states to the east and then eventually circle the globe. Large areas will experience crop failures.

A series of earthquakes 9.0 and larger will strike near the New Madrid fault lines in Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Illinois, remaking the landscape, rerouting large rivers, destroying most bridges and gas lines, effectively splitting America in two.

Riots will break out all along the Southern border and Texas will secede from the United States.

Black United Nations helicopters will invade the U.S. from the north although in Michigan our National Guard assisted by an armed citizen militia will eventually rise up and drive them out.

The Cubs would have won the World Series if not for the baseball season being canceled due to "unforeseen acts of nature".

Martial law is declared and the National Elections are cancelled. President Obama takes a break from one of the few remaining golf courses to get fitted for his crown although while on the way his limo gets hijacked by a crazed group of Trump supporters and is never seen again.

You should be able to take these predictions to the bank, if any banks remain. Make a hard copy of these warnings for you and your family because, after the EMP, good luck with the internet.

God Makes A Home For The Lonely

 God Makes A Home For The Lonely

Christmas Eve - With Thoughts From Psalm 68

Candles were held
our hearts were bright
with family and friends
singing O Holy Night
on a warm Christmas Eve
in a church by a park
we proclaimed Him who came
to a world that was dark

Waiting at home
in an oven of steel
were nice hot burritos
and a cozy warm feel
more family would travel
then join us to eat
kids loved cheesy pizza
ate all grandma's treat

That night was not presents
fancy clothes pretty shirt
we ate with our loved ones
and laughed till we hurt
watched cousins play close
the dudes walk on air
giggles and sword fights
on carpet and chair

Too soon it was over
time getting late
Christmas morning so early
was each family's fate
except me and Jackie
who cleaned up the mess
then sleep in till nine
just thought it'd be best

We treasure each Christmas
with places to go
and having it home
gives a nice special glow
but like Mary and Joseph
once stayed near an inn
far from our children
to easy come in

Now we are blessed
love our cute little place
where grand kids run wild
receiving our grace
and daughters return
still feeling the pull
lunch with Ben on Wednesday
makes life almost full

Sing praises to God
lift a song to the sky
One who rides through the desert
will always stand by
a Father for the fatherless
makes widows a place
gives a home to the lonely
sets a nice easy pace

He leads out the prisoners
with gifts on their way
so rejoice then with gladness
and join me to pray
I thank You dear Father
You've always been there
forgive my rebellion
and help me to share

The Force Awakens

The initial rush was so big that after watching my first Star Wars movie at the old Park Theater across from Centennial Park in downtown Holland I got into my Ford Bronco, turned on the engine, and actually felt as if I was behind the controls of a fast moving space ship. I needed to use every bit of Dutch mind control to calm me down enough so that I would make it back home safely.

Now, thirty-eight years later, a little older and perhaps a little wiser and now someone who only goes to the movies once every other year or so I think it might be awhile if and when I catch the latest episode. And that's OK. I drive in the Matrix anyway so who knows what is really real.

Science fiction and the rest of the fantasy genre are by definition not real and as movies, TVs, books, comics and such they are created as entertainment, a diversion, sometimes even an escape from the everyday busyness, tensions and sameness that is part of life. Knowing this I want you to understand that my views expressed here are way to the conservative side. Most Christians have little problem with fiction until or unless it crosses for them a certain line. My lines are more sharply drawn than most.

My world view is a heck of a lot more complex than a Star Wars story line. I believe that mankind and the choices we make actually do play a part in an ancient conflict played out before creatures we have not seen and know little about in a universe that is more intricate and varied than what we can imagine. This universe has a Creator who is not only good but also holy, awesome in power, unlimited in what He can do except where for reasons we do not fully understand He limits Himself. He is perfectly just but also perfectly loving.

At a certain point, when we are not told and so we do not know, rebellion entered this universe. Rebellion came from an intelligent created being who enticed other intelligent created beings to rebel with him. For some reason, despite His foreknowledge that it would happen, in His great wisdom the Creator chose not to wipe from existence those rebels and indeed permits some of them to interact with mankind to further the agenda of the first rebel, who is called the father of lies and a murder from the beginning.

These evil beings exist in an unseen spiritual realm but can interact and influence the physical world as well as the people and thus the societies that fill it. The evil beings work to accomplish the will of the first rebel and the result for mankind when we follow that will is always corruption, suffering, fear and death without hope.

Here we need to understand that there are three wills at work in the universe - The will of the Creator, the will of the first rebel and his spiritual followers, and the will of man. While man's will is indeed free and he may decide not to follow the plans of either the Creator or the first rebel (and he thinks by doing so that he is the master of his own universe) in truth when he is outside the will of the Creator he is a rebel himself and part of the rebellion.

The Creator interacts and influences the physical world, it's people and societies through His Son and through the Holy Spirit who were present with the Creator from the beginning. The Son is not a created being and in fact through Him all things were made and so the conflict is not an equal one between the Son and the first rebel. The Holy Spirit has interacted with mankind in various ways ever since man was created and has directed and spoken through man to set in writing everything man would need to know the will of the Creator. The Holy Spirit is active in the understanding of these writings as well.

When man believed the lie of the first rebel and also rebelled the Creator set out a way for mankind not only to be restored to fellowship but also to have a personal relationship with the Creator. This was made possible by the Son becoming man and then as man paying the only price for his sin and rebellion that the Creator would accept.  

As I said previously the conflict between the will of the Creator and the will of the first rebel is not one of equals. One is the Creator and one is the created who exists at the whim of the Creator. There will come a time when the first rebel is bound by a strong angel for 1000 years and all the other rebels both spiritual and physical will have been judged and are also removed. At this time the Son will return to Earth and will reign in a new Jerusalem. Peace will be world wide and healing will be freely available and the nations will stream to New Jerusalem to pay homage to the Son.

Yet think of this. Even though the first rebel has been bound and the Son has been physically present and the Holy Spirit has been active in the lives of mankind, even though there has been world peace and most people are healthy and live long lives, even though history has shown and I'm sure the church has taught what the terrible results have been of rebellion, when the first rebel is released toward the end of those 1000 years he will still be able to raise a great army of men and nations to fight one last battle against the Son and the saints gathered with Him.

At this time the first rebel will again be defeated and then bound for eternity, all other rebels will be judged and the Creator will bring about a new Heaven and a new Earth and there will be a final end to sin and rebellion. Although that is way in the future we must still understand that the Creator even now does not desire suffering, poverty, sickness or wars anymore than you or I. To suggest otherwise is to believe the father of lies who wants you to be a rebel like him.

For some reason the Creator in His mercy does not wipe us out on the first sign of our rebellion. We may not understand and agree with this in a universal sense but when we realize that it applies to us personally we should fall down on our knees in fear and trembling and repentance. For some reason in His wisdom He allows people, even those that are innocent, to suffer and die. And then somehow we believe that instead of Him being wiser, more loving and more merciful than we can ever imagine, He is an angry and vindictive god. Having no fear of God men base morality on the changing tides of human opinion and the ability of man to do something on his own that history shows has never worked. It is a false hope and this false hope is another lie.

The good news is that the world is not held together by a force that like the Ying and Yang has both a dark side and a light side. The Creator who does not have a dark side has made Himself understood to us, not as a force but as a personality who loves and cares for us, whom we can know, and who has a will for us and our lives. He loves us and desires to be fully engaged in our lives. And as the Creator He has designed this to happen as we honestly seek Him and then surrender to His will.

The first rebel was called an angel of light, banned from the presence of the Creator but still residing in the heavens. Prophetically the Son saw this star walker fall like lightning from the sky.

The first rebel who says he is light instructs us to use our wills to overcome the dark impulses of pride, emotion, fear, lust, greed and such, knowing that by nature we are still rebels.

The first rebel if he cannot get us to reject the Creator will always try to bind us to dogma and tradition, substituting religion for relationship.

The first rebel tells us to harness the power that is part of the life force and available to those who will learn from him and to listen to the spirits of those who are no longer in the physical realm. This of course is witchcraft.

Star Wars is just science fiction after all and George Lucas has said that the Force was not a reflection of the (Hollywood style) Buddhism popular in his day but only a way to advance the plots of the various movies. We should be aware though that if Disney can get tens of millions of us simpleminded folks to purchase a billion dollars worth of tickets and merchandise that there will be some appeal to those without a firm foundation but with a spiritual hunger to look further into this mystical nonsense that truly does confuse light and dark. Not as they seem things are.  
 

Why Donald Trump?

Yes indeed, why?

I am not a fan and could give you a list my arm long of reasons why, but that being said I find it both amusing and alarming at the shear quantity of negative attacks and outright hate directed his way.

This is amusing because most of the attacks come from the liberal/progressive/socialist factions in our country who seem unaware that Trump, except for being a capitalist, has always been and probably still is one of them. I've not heard anything from Trump that indicates that he has a constitutional, philosophical or spiritual foundation which would constantly lead him to support conservative values.

Trump is a populist. He understands the frustrations of a large portion of our population who believe that under the current administration our country has been headed in the wrong direction on a multiple of fronts. He is aware that there is outright anger over the fact that Republican leadership has refused to draw a line in the sand and challenge the administration on these issues. He also senses that there is actual fear in the air, fear that extends far beyond the conservative base.

For example, while unfettered and illegal immigration has always been viewed by conservatives as a plot by liberals to expand the voting base for the Democratic party with the ultimate intention of growing the size and necessity of government, recent events have created the worry that we are not making it too difficult for those that want to bring havoc to our shores to do so.

Add this to the fact that a third of our population believes that our president is probably really a Muslim. This view is reinforced with his retreats from the Middle East, his insane deal with Iran and his inability to believe and thus verbalize that although most Muslims may be peaceful there actually are at least a couple of hundred million who would like to see the West including America converted (submitted) to Islam or destroyed.

This opens up an avenue for someone like Trump who is able to channel that anger and voice those fears in the broadest and I would say coarsest manner.

And this is alarming because the liberal/progressive/socialist playbook has not changed one iota - distort, shout down, make fun of, marginalize and try to silence any voice that speaks of conservative principles. If Trump happened to be a conservative Christian the Left's intolerant din would be, if possible, much much worse.

But this time the tables are being turned on the Left and the media which represents them and does much of their dirty work. They are doing their best trying to destroy the man but seeing that only makes Trump's supporters more angry. Plus, when they make fun of Trump they are making fun of the very fears that these people have. They don't like that.

If you distort what Trump says his followers know it and double down on their support. For example, Trump in his bombast says to "temporally" halt all immigration and visits to our country by Muslims until things, i.e.,the threat of bringing in more terrorists, gets sorted out. In truth some portion of that is both legal, reasonable and has precedence. Immediately his statement gets portrayed as - Trump is racist and wants to expel all Muslims, Trump is worse than Hitler, Trump wants to put all Muslims in internment camps like we did to the Japanese during WWII, Trump hates all immigrants, Trump supporters should be shot so they can't go to the polls.

As usual there is no desire for having an exchange of ideas or attempts to be fair and balanced. There is no respect for opposing opinions. And lastly, freedom of speech does not apply if it runs contrary to political correctness. It seems that the Left in their heart of hearts actually believe that not only are they smarter than those on the Right but more compassionate and moral as well. Oddly this extends to the belief that the more conservative one is, and especially the more Christian conservative one is, the stupider and more hateful one gets.

Conservatives believe that the Left does not understand that the founders, even those that were not Christian but deist, understood that our rights and our freedoms come from God, not from government, and that because all men are by nature corrupt and greedy, government and those that are in power must have limits. With freedom and rights come responsibility, both economic and social. As government expands and becomes more powerful we begin to lose some of our freedoms and the responsibility of the individual lessons.

Take for instance the Conservative view of the right to bear arms. Liberals always use the argument that the Second Amendment was only for the ability in Colonial times, before the creation of a national armed force, for states to raise militias to defend themselves. And besides, guns were much less lethal then. Conservatives believe the right to own guns is a necessary God given freedom and that the price for that freedom might sometimes be dear. Debate can and should be had regarding what kind or arms are reasonable and what persons should be denied that right although in that regard the Right believes that the Left's ultimate intention is to take away all private gun ownership, one step at a time.

So let's apply that to the response in our country to the Islamic terrorists attacks in Paris and California. The President does not connect the California shootings to the possibility of a greater increase of Islamic jihad coming to our shores, articulating a logical plan to deal with existing and future Islamic terror cells. He does not present a plan to investigate whether there are some mosques in our country that are helping radicalize and support these individuals (since the Paris attacks France has found a massive amount of heavy arms and has already closed several mosques with perhaps a 100 more coming)

(for a better understanding of radical Islam and their desires, see my post from a year ago: The Meaning Of Isis )

Instead the President uses the shooting to again make his plea for greater gun control. And for a large part the media goes along with what ever the President wants and calls racists any fears that there may exist radical mosques or individuals here.

Funny, this does not ease the fears of the greater population who has responded by buying guns at a record pace.

The President and the Left rightly do not want to see an increase in prejudice toward those who are Muslim. But by denying what is obvious and failing to see or understand radical Islam for what it is and what it desires they do a great disservice for the majority of the Muslim population who want to obey our laws, adopt our values and live peacefully with full freedom to worship as they choose.

Trumps supporters and other Conservatives have been willing to overlook his egotistic, boarish and simplistic rhetoric and his lack of Conservative credentials partly because he is not politically correct. They believe the media's infatuation with him has actually given voice to some of their concerns, especially national security and the President's disregard for law on the immigration issue. They think it's fun to watch him give the press fits knowing that the press can't wait for him to fail so they can headline; Trump, YOU'RE FIRED! But the guy just won't go away. And a good part of the blame I would lay on the Left, who just won't ignore the bugger.

Will Trump do anything to further Conservative social values such as defending the right to life of the unborn? Will he be inclined to reduce in any way the growth and size of government, to pay back any of the 20 trillion in debt, to plan for how to take care of the 200 trillion in unfunded liabilities promised in our social programs? Would he even try to balance the budget? I don't think so. Does he actually believe in building a wall or is this like everything else just bluster, a politician's promise in order to get elected?

Perhaps it will be enough to have someone that will be a friend to Israel. That looks genuine. Perhaps he will have a foreign policy that understands the world wide conflicts between the radical elements of Sunni and Shia Islam and knows enough world history to perceive what the real national desires of Russia and China are. From his comments so far, I doubt it. He might be willing to listen to those that do. Let's pray so if he does get elected.

The next president, if he or she is not far to the Left, should be able to bring back into the country trillions of dollars that have been waiting the last 8 years for a more promising economic climate. If he has a willing congress Trump should be able to do that better than most. And as we all know, if the economy is good the majority of the people in this land are willing to overlook a lot of things.

Not me, just saying.

Rocking Around The Christmas Tree

The first Christmas tree after we got married was a scotch pine 6 footer that we hauled, ice coated and all, up to our 3rd floor apartment. After it thawed and was decorated with the few ornaments Jackie and I had inherited from our parents we spent that night in bed listening to the constant drop of needles to the floor. We actually wondered if any would be left by the time we got up in the morning. Some managed to last through the season and I really don't know where they came from but January 1st when I hauled that old tree through the apartment complex hallway, down the stairs and to the dumpster somehow I managed to leave a thick trail of old pine needles. Do you know how hard it is to get those things out of carpet? Rookie mistake.

Since then we have enjoyed quite the variety of trees and have added a very large collection of ornaments. We eventually switched from pines to firs. Our ornament stash kept growing until the kids started getting married and then they would take all of theirs that had been given to them over the years. At the big house we would get a 12 foot Douglas fir which had more than enough space for everything that we and the kids had and when we moved to the woods we substituted fatness for height and with a few less living with us we could still display everything.

A year after Jackie and I moved in with her mother our daughter Ceci gave us our first artificial tree, a slim 5 footer that she got on trade from Van Wieren Hardware, that we found a spot for in the basement. Helen had her real tree in the living room as always but this was ours, keeping us company in our little lounge area. Now it was pick and choose time for the ornaments but you would be surprised how many can fit on a little tree. We brought that with us when we moved back to Holland after mom died and it was that tree that Jackie and I put up and decorated today.

Jackie took it from the bag we store it in and as she was pulling the branches out she said "Hello skinny little tree."  I offered about 5 times to run out and get a real one but she kept saying, "No, this will be good for this year. Next year we can go to Van Wieren's and get a nicer artificial one."

If you are like us when you put your tree up you need to play Christmas music. Songs like Come On Ring Those Bells by Evie were always our Christmas classics. But we didn't have Evie anymore. Jackie found our CD player and the cardboard box with the CD's. Right on top was a collection of 4 Christmas CD's that had not been opened. Thinking there might be something we would like I looked it over. I didn't want the collection of children's Christmas songs. Nor was I interested in the all choir version or the all instrumental one. That left me with the one with selections by famous crooners such as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Bing Crosby.  It was dreadful. Slow, Slow, Slow. And I don't know who has the rights for the good songs but I've bet you've never heard - It's A Marshmallow World - even as background music on the Hallmark channel.

Immediately after Marshmallow World misery I switched over to a Christmas collection done by contemporary Christian artists. That was more like it. 2000 Decembers Ago by Joy Williams was great and then I got a little tug in my heart when I heard Rich Mullins sing You Gotta Get Up. When it got to O Holy Night and Gary Chapman sang Oh night divine I actually fought back a tear. Moved on from that CD to Amy Grant and her version of Jingle Bells goes at about 100 miles an hour and is great.

Our little tree is decorated with all of our favorite stuff. First thing on after the lights and beads was a family picture that came in the shape of an ornament of Missy, Dan and their 5 kids. You know I needed to hang Captain's Kirk and Picard and Santa riding his tractor. Oh, and of course the little Santa with the Groucho Marx glasses and nose. The bulb that Jackie and I got our first year of marriage when we took a special shopping trip to Columbus is there as well as so many other types of angels and stars, next to the 3 kings, glass icicles, snow flakes, snowmen and glass bulbs with bible verses. And of course the green pickle which must be found by each grand kid.

On Jackie and my first Christmas together I had only known Jesus for a month. Like our first tree my frozen self had thawed and I would leave behind a large pile of old, useless needles. New life is forever but as a Christian I am being constantly renewed. Jackie and I have been so blessed wither we celebrate the anniversary of our Lord's birth in an apartment with a tree spray painted green, a home filled with a huge tree looking out at a grand scene, or in a basement far away from our kids and grand kids.

I tear up at O Holy Night because I am so small and One so great humbled Himself, becoming for a little while lower than the angels, born poor into a turbulent world. The kings brought gifts to the One who would be the ultimate gift. When I turn out the lights save for the tree and admire the colors and think of the memories I remember Who has bought me, and kept me, filled my life with a woman I don't deserve and blessed me with kids and grand kids. Praise You Lord!  

Today I Am Thankful For . . .

This was a post I was working on for Thanksgiving. It didn't make it then but now I need to clear out my files.

Today I am thankful for . . . running into a "dead head", i.e., someone who is or was a devoted follower of the hippie/bluegrass music band The Grateful Dead.

Did a road test last week for a guy named Alan. Alan had been living for a long time in California in an area where he didn't need to drive.

Alan grew up in New Hampshire, moved with his family to Grand Rapids, then migrated West as a young man. While there he started to follow a band called The Grateful Dead. I heard of people who were such rabid fans of the Dead that they would actually show up where ever the band was playing and try to attend each concert.  I asked Alan about this and he told me that over a three year period he had seen 120 of their shows. He traveled with other fans and they would often eat with each other, share motel rooms and of course talk about Grateful Dead music and performances.

Alan said he only stopped following the band after Jerry Garcia, the Dead's main guy, passed away.  He always referred to him as "Jerry", like he was talking about a brother or someone very close.

"So you just stopped going to the shows?" said I. - "No need to after Jerry was gone. He was my inspiration. After he died I told myself, well Alan, it's time you get a life."

"Do you play the guitar?" I asked Alan, who answered "Yup. But not as good as Jerry."

"Did people think Jerry was like a god or something?" - "A lot of them did, but Jerry hated that. He would keep to himself."

"Did you ever meet any of the band members?" - "I met the keyboardist in a coffee shop one day. I said, hey, what songs are you guys going to be playing tonight? He wouldn't tell me, but Jerry and the other guys were like that you know."

"Of all the concerts you attended was there one that stood out above the others?" - "Yes. Saratoga, New York."

"And why was that the best?" - "Because they played all my favorite songs. I've got the recording on HD and it's also great on the recording."

Now truth be told, as popular as the Grateful Dead were with their group of fans. before today I could probably not name or even recognize one of their songs. They were going strong way back when I was in college but I don't remember any album covers or people talking about them or playing their music. And after college I became a Christian and from then on listened mostly to contemporary Christian music.

When I got home and did some research I found out two things. The first is that the Grateful Dead only had one tune, "Touch of Gray - I Will Survive", to ever hit the the top10 list on the popular charts. And second, if Alan's hair and beard were a little longer he would have been a "dead" ringer for his soul mate Jerry.

After listening to a selection of what are considered their best songs on i Tunes I've come to the following conclusions - Jerry couldn't sing any better than I can and Grateful Dead songs were probably best appreciated when one is standing stoned in the middle of a large crowd where everyone else is also in the same condition.

Now the other main singer, Bob Weir, although I think I'll just call him Bob, he was a much better singer. However it seems the attraction of the Dead to their fans had less to do with the quality of singing or even the somewhat rebellious spiritual attraction of the lyrics and much more to do with enjoying the music and the long riffs and jams that the Dead were known for.

Well, as Bob might say, there's a train a coming and I gotta get on it. Can't think of a way to end so I'm just going to jam. Jackie's home with some ice cream and it needs to be eaten. No better way to spend with friends and my fam.

I Have Walked Through The Depths

I Have Walked Through The Depths

I have walked through the depths
heard the wind's awesome roar
saw old stones uncovered
on the deep sea's dry floor

We were there, you and I
when they came to that shore
found life in the waters
and power to restore

Is this just a distant memory
do we proclaim and not know
can you picture that together
we have so much to show

When they ask how can we be certain
I will think of the restrained walls
of the wind, and the stones
and our leader's urgent calls

How our arms were raised in victory
how we cheered and shook the ground
how the masses started trembling
filled with worship all around

There are those that do not know
that the One who made the rain
placed the winds and carved those stones
can command it once again

Oh, am I one who is so foolish
not understanding how torrents flow
don't see the games that people think
their fear when it's time to go

There is a promise that is open
waiting there by the tossing sea
of a passage for your safety
with a ticket that is free

But you must make a decision
to leave what's dear behind
trust in Him to see you on
and know that He is kind

Afterwards an army chased us
not knowing we had passed through
a giant host with horse and shield
all died, crushed by the water too

So now I sing a special song
just for me. what can I say
and next to my heart is a small smooth stone
to remind me of that day

On Our First Thanksgiving

On our first Thanksgiving
we stopped at the store
picked up some Pepsi
nothing much more
then got to the Johnson's
parked down the hill
in front of the turkey
with the big plastic bill

Rick was mashing potatoes
Harry carved the turkey
Larry guarded the space
in front of the TV
Janet laid out the dishes
Jill placed knives, forks and spoons
John laughed as I dodged
all those large orange balloons

With Helen's feast on the table
we each found our chair
passed meat and rich stuffing
to everyone there
then beans, rolls, cucumbers
and baked corn, oh yum!
poured ladles of gravy
then waited quite mum

While Harry stood up
and thanked the Good Lord
for family and blessings
both present and stored
Jackie leaned on my shoulder
I squeezed her cute knee
then ate like a prisoner
just recently freed

There was plenty of lemonade
to wash it all down
firsts turned into seconds
then we turned up the sound
to see if the Lions
would make that big sack
it must be the refs
need a new quarterback

When dinner was done
the table was cleared
dishes were washed
the victors were cheered
guys sat at the table
with coffee and pie
others on stools
where the candy dish lie

Gals moved to the couches
with so much to say
kids ran downstairs
with freedom to play
but Jackie and I
found one spot to share
we had plenty of room
on that cozy little chair

Later that night
someone sliced up some bread
heated the gravy
set out a spread
of all that was leftover
including the pie
if Heaven's Thanksgiving
it's a good way to die

53

Who has believed our message?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground.

He had no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face.

He was despised,
And we did not esteem Him.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore.

And our sorrows He carried.

He was pierced through for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities,

The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,

And by His scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray.

Each of us has turned to his own way;

But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He did not open His mouth,

Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,

And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,

So He did not open His mouth.

The Lord was pleased to crush Him,

Putting Him to grief

If He would render Himself as a guilt offering.

By His knowledge the Righteous One,

My Servant,

Will justify the many,

And He will bear their iniquities.

Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,

And He will divide the booty with the strong;

Because He poured out Himself to death,

And was numbered with the transgressors;

Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,

And interceded for the transgressors.

selections from Isaiah 53 - NAS translation

It's Nice To Be Alive

It's nice to be alive.

There have been a lot of young people, out of high school types but not yet engaged in a career, who look over at me while we are on a driving test, sitting nice and comfortable and calm with clipboard in hand and an obvious air of contentment on my face, and thinking that this must really be a cool and soft way to make a living ask how one can get a job like mine.

"Looks easy? I say. "Yes" they mutter. "Well, it is." I assure them, "As long as someones not trying to kill you."

I was driving with a client last Thursday who, when arriving at the end of the entry ramp to the freeway, suddenly jerked his van hard to the left, went across two lanes of traffic without looking, lost control of his vehicle and then put his foot on the brake when his translator who was sitting in the back seat of the vehicle yelled at him. I had reached over to grab the steering wheel to try to regain control but can't remember if I was successful.

What I do remember is the BAMM!, then looking at myself sitting there in the passenger seat and realizing that nothing looked or felt injured on my body. I said "Thank you Lord!", looked over at the driver who seemed OK, sitting there next to a deflated air bag, then looking down at all of my papers which were now laying in front of me on the van floor. Traffic was slowly driving past on my right.

The next thing I remember was laying on a gurney being loaded into an ambulance. From then on I think I remember everything. It turns out that the only damage to my body was one broken rib, probably from the seat belt, and a bump on the back of my head which must have caused the concussion which led to my temporary memory lost. I'm told I didn't pass out but my answers to the emergency responders were not making sense. Good thing they didn't know me better.

It seems we were very lucky (although in that sense it should be noted that I do ride with angels). The policeman who visited me in the hospital said that we were rear ended by a semi. The truck driver remarked that it was good that he hit us square from behind because if we were on an angle it might have sent us into another lane or rolled us.

It's nice to be alive.

This was the first time in over 16 years of doing this that I have been injured. I called Jackie with my cell phone from the ambulance and told her where I was going and that I seemed to be fine except for a slight pain in the side of my back. Our boss drove over from Holland to GR and stayed with me for the several hours I was in the hospital. While there they gave me a cat scan (found no cats, just the broken rib), one pain pill with a prescription for more and then something that looked like a plastic toy to suck air out of 10 times an hour to help keep my lungs dry.

My boss drove me home and when I called Jackie to tell her we were on our way I could tell from her voice that she was still pretty shook up. When I arrived home we hugged as much as one can with a broken rib. All my kids phoned to see how I was and later that night my daughter Ceci and her husband Dave, who was going to preaching that next Sunday about the laying on of hands came over to pray and lay hands on me for healing.

Two days later I was back at it with the usual good assortment of mostly adults, many that did not
speak English, needing to get their driver's license. Funny, for the next couple of days only a third made it as far as the Freeway.

Did I tell you? It's nice to be alive.

Although I am doing great and as I write have not needed any pain pills for the last 2 days Jackie is still watching me with an eagle eye. At the end of church Sunday there was a time where people could come forward to be ministered to by the prayer teams. We were also encouraged to pray and lay hands for any around us who requested. Immediately (before I could request it) I was surrounded by my wife and two daughters who wanted not only to pray for me but I think also to soak me with their love.

Um hum. It's nice to be alive.

Cruise Control

be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us  Ephesians 5: 1-2

This Friday I was waiting for my 2 pm customer whose first name interestingly was Santa and whose last name was a hyphenated Hispanic one. A vehicle with a few Hispanics was waiting a ways away and when I approached them and asked if one of them was Santa they said no. "What time is your test scheduled?" I asked and one of them said it was for 2:30, which would have been the time for Jackie's next test. She was currently out on the road with a client.

About 5 minutes later another vehicle with a Hispanic man parks next to them. When he gets out of his car I call over and ask if he is here for a test and is his name Santa. He tells me no but that he has come to translate for the person in the car next to him.

My person does not show up and after they are over 10 minutes late and I don't really have the time to do theirs anymore if they do show up I remove their score sheet from my clip board, write "NO SHOW" on it and file it with my other completed test sheets.

At 2:15 Jackie gets back from her test. Her client's car parks near the Hispanic group's cars and when she walks back to our car she tells me that my client is waiting over there. I get out and yell over, "Is one of you named Santa?" The translator now says, oh ya, she is sitting right here in the car.

At this point I lose my cool. I know I really should do the test because they have been sitting there, even though it is now way late and they have screwed up my schedule big time by not identifying Santa even though I asked twice. And they compounded it all by telling me the wrong time. So I hop out of my car angry and say very loudly; "YOU ARE NOW TOO LATE TO DO THE TEST BUT HUSTLE YOUR CAR OVER HERE RIGHT AWAY!"

By the time Santa gets there I calmed down a little. It is of course a matter of me not having been clear enough or them not understanding my questions because of the language barrier. I treated Santa as calm and pleasant as I could and the test ended up only going half the route because she was driving 5 plus mph over the speed limit after I warned her for going 5 mph over early in the test. She and the translator understood and everything ended quite pleasant although for the rest of the day I was feeling a little upset with myself for my outburst.

Friday night I happened upon a blog written by a guy whose name is John Romaine. From the few posts I read I would guess that he must be someone around my age. He told a story about recently stepping in as a part time minister for a church which was in the process of searching for a new permanent pastor. The head board member asked him to sign a contract which laid out 3 things they wanted him to agree to do.

The first was to have 20 hours of office time. The second was to visit long time members who were no longer attending and the third was to conduct communion in the same way as had been their tradition. He did as they asked and everyone seemed to be very pleased. The fact that he also used the bible quite a bit when he preached was an unexpected bonus. John said that in addition to this he stepped out in faith and started visiting the local nursing home on Tuesday mornings. After a couple of weeks the people there expected him to come every Tuesday.

John told about his first home visit to an ex member. It was an older couple. They talked, sang hymns together, he gave them communion and after he left he realized that he had received as much as he gave. He also had a meeting with a man who had caused some division in the church (reading between the lines maybe he was one of the reasons the other pastor left) and that seemed to have gone well. And now after having preached for 9 weeks there were some new families that were starting to attend.

I thought this was a very nice post and reading on I came upon another one which happened to really prick my conscience.

At a different town where he used to be a minister there was an undertaker who was a Christian. When someone died and there was a shortage of funds to pay for his services the undertaker would provide his services without charge. Knowing that John was also a like minded Christian he asked him if he would help out when needed.

One day a man who was a known drunk fell in a swamp and drowned. The undertaker gave John a call and told him where to meet at the cemetery that the city used to bury poor people like the drunk. It also happened to be located in a swamp. John said that at a normal burial there would be a team of people from a funeral home who would let people out of their cars, lead family and friends inside a canopy, give John the signal when to step in to do his thing, and then arraign for the people to leave and the crew to fill in the grave.

The undertaker said things would be different here. John would be required to stay and wait for the crew to finish their work before he could leave.

It was raining heavy when John got there. The undertaker and the mother of the drunk got out of the hearse and stood by the graveside under the undertaker's umbrella. Meanwhile John was getting soaked to the bone. John says he read a psalm by David who recounts when he was running for his life and thought there was no hope but then remembered that he could still call upon the Lord who could deliver him even from the pit. John said that the mother pressed her head into the undertakers chest and cried, the undertaker cried and even he cried. After the short service was over the mother and undertaker get back into the hearse and John had to wait there still in the heavy rain waiting for the crew to finish putting the wet soil into the water soaked grave. The crew told him he should go sit in his pickup and they would tell him when he could go.

That was the story. Short and sweet. No great teaching to go with it. And yet it tore me apart. Here was a man who was living as Christ would want him to, loving and serving others even when it surely wasn't easy. And me? Do people see Christ in me? Am I on cruise control, sitting high and dry in my comfort zone?

Today for my tests I had a mixture of Asians, Hispanics and Africans for clients, bringing with them all the odd and unusual behaviors that sometimes makes testing a challenge. One of the Vietnamese translators out of the blue asked me if I was a Christian.

Thank you Father for reminding me whom I should look like and for hearing my cry last night.  

Pray For The Persecuted Church

If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. If one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.  1 Corinthians 12: 26

Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those that are ill treated, since you yourselves are in the body.  Hebrews 13: 3

Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. At church this morning we prayed in small groups with those closest to us specifically for Christians that are currently suffering extreme and unimaginable distress in the countries of North Korea, Somalia, Iraq and Syria.

Those happen to be at the top of the list for countries where everyday Christians lose their property, are arrested, beaten, abducted, raped and in the Islamic countries brought into forced marriages, just because someone confesses faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

There are some good organizations that keep tract of what is happening to the persecuted Christian. My daughter Becky has followed Voice of the Martyrs for many years and Open Doors is another one to follow. Today with what is happening with ISIS the statistics are off the chart but according to Open Doors on a normal month 322 Christians are killed, 722 experience severe abuse and 214 Christian churches and dwellings are destroyed.

These organizations have a list of the top 100 countries where this is happening. Yes, that's right, 100! At the top of the list, apart from North Korea, are most of the Islamic countries of the Mid East, Northern and Eastern Africa, lower Central Asia and then other countries with large Islamic populations such as Indonesia, Pakistan and India.

Right now there is a huge migration of peoples trying to escape from the horrors of ISIS. Most of those are Muslims but there is also quite a number of Christians as well. I have heard that for some reason our State Department does not favor visa and asylum requests from those Christians. There are Christian groups here in the United States that have been working very hard to present their case but so far to no avail. Don't you just love politics?

It is estimated that over 100 million Christians are currently at risk. For you and I this must seem like a bad fairy tale that we can shove to the back of our minds as we enjoy the blessings of religious freedom that relatively few of us have actually shed our blood for. Few of us as well understand the principles that made our freedom possible. The same enemy that is at work in the world is here as well and so we need to be proactive, doing what we can to help those in the body currently under distress and doing what we can to keep it from happening here as well.

The results of this is not all negative for the body of Christ. Pastor Saeed Abedini is an Iranian Christian, 35 years old, who has been imprisoned there quite some time solely because of his faith. Even though his cause is well known our government would not even include his release as part of their nuclear give away deal with Iran. While imprisoned Saeed led those jailed with him to faith in Jesus. The authorities then placed him with the toughest and meanest inmates and he led them to Christ as well. That is his heavenly reward. His earthly reward has been to be tortured for talking about Jesus.

However, just as in the early centuries, the persecuted church is a growing church. The underground Church in Iran is rapidly growing as it is elsewhere throughout the Mid East and other regions as well. Decisions there for Jesus can often mean rejection by family and society and yet The Heavenly Father can still provide everything one needs, on any level.

Almighty Father,

Show us what part we should play in your overall plan for the growth and health of the Church, the body of Christ. We want our hearts to be tender to the moving of your Holy Spirit to let us know when and how to pray for those in the body that are suffering right now. Release Pastor Saeed to his family soon, in good physical and mental health. Raise up mature spiritual leaders in every country, town and village empowering them with the mighty gifts of the Holy Spirit. Let us be aware of the enemies plans in such a way that we can petition You to overcome them. We ask that new political leaders would be raised up in those countries whose hearts are soft to You. And we ask for the same thing here as well.

All these we pray in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus.  Amen.

Random Thoughts

One of my grown nieces swears she can't cook and has taken the last couple of years to posting photos on Face Book of her burnt grilled cheese sandwiches. What worries me is not that Tanya shows burnt grilled cheese pics but that I have started to see people's faces in them. When she posts one that looks like the Last Supper I guess it will be time for one of us to get professional help.

Speaking of posting food photos on Face Book I have a cousin who would everyday show us what she had for breakfast that morning. Apart from always including a mixture of healthy and tasty cuisine, some of which came from her garden the presentations were always so beautiful that they almost looked like works of art. If Gretel had prints made of these for sale perhaps the local art gallery would not soon be closing.

Inspired by Gretel I wanted to snap a shot of a can of Dr. Pepper and a bag of Doritos with the tag - Bob's lunch today, UMMM! I feared however that Gretel would see it and take it wrong so the shot was never taken.

Speaking of cousins I grew up with one male and six female cousins. I do have two brothers and two sisters but one brother is five years older so we never played together. Cousin Benny was several years younger, the same age as my other brother and those two boys would pair off when families got together.

That left me with the little women. Did we play football or baseball, chase each other with sticks and pound our fists into one another shoulders. NO. Were we cowboys fighting Indians or generals over our miniature soldiers. Not a chance.

I do remember summer tea parties under the grape arbor, making up and preforming plays for our parents and other fun guy stuff like closing our eyes and pretending that we were in a fairy castle being chased by chipmunks and rabbits. Scary!

Now as adults my girl cousins are very close. Even though they are spread out all over the country they have been getting together lately to spend quality girl cousin time. The last time they happened to stay at my sister's home in Oak Park. I'm not sure if brother-in-law Ed is scared of chipmunks but I'm sure he managed.

When The Towers Fall Down

When The Towers Fall Down

On every lofty mountain and on every high hill there will be streams running with water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall down.  Isaiah 30:25

Who will fight your battles
tear the towers down
give you rivers from the hilltops
fountains in the ground

make the moon shine extra bright
even magnify the sun
hear the anguished midnight cry
show you He's the one

Your eyes will see the Teacher
who whispers from behind
this is the way go left or right
the territories mine

and you will scatter unclean things
tell them to be gone
so much for silver, gold or jewels
they couldn't buy your song

Instead He'll give you rain and seed
for planting in the ground
which He will grow and magnify
with blessings all around

On high He longs to show compassion
but cares for justice too
He surely will be sweet and gracious
if longing comes from you

So when the things that are most trusted
go burning up in fire
and His anger shakes the very ground
everything that you desire

All the gods are merely rubble
your armies have run away
cloudburst, downpour, hailstorms
and yet you're still OK

There will be gladness in the heart
and parties in the night
praise God the towers are torn down
and you don't have to fight

But Who Do You Say That I Am?

When Jesus came into the district of Caesrea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 

And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

He said to them, "But who do YOU say that I am?" (Matthew 16: 13-15)

There are 2 questions here. The first one asks the disciples about a term that Jesus often applied to Himself, "Son of Man". It is a messianic term that comes from the 7th chapter of Daniel. Beginning in verse 13 Daniel describes a vision.

I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him.

And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that ALL the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away.

These Jewish disciples must have understood what the term meant but their answer reveals a certain hesitation to believe it. The Jewish people who were flocking to Jesus because of the wonders and miracles and the power of His preaching thought that perhaps Jesus was the return of the great prophet Elijah, taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot but prophesied to come just prior to the revealing of Messiah.

Or perhaps Jesus was the return of another one of their prophets like Jeremiah. It had been hundreds of years since Israel had seen a true prophet with signs and wonders, until the coming in their day of John the Baptist, who had been murdered by Herod. Maybe Jesus was the return of John the Baptist.

Jesus then asks the 2nd question; But who do you say that I am?.

This is the question of the ages.

Today many think of Jesus only as a historical figure, perhaps not even real at that. The most common description I hear is from those outside the Church who proclaim that Jesus was "a great teacher", albeit one of many "great teachers".  A religion formed around his personality and teachings and the myth of the resurrection.

Others believe that Jesus came to start an organized religion. He appointed apostles as the head of a new liturgical priesthood that would replace the Jewish priestly system and which would administer the 7 sacraments that Jesus instituted while on the earth. Peter and his successors would be the leaders of those baptized into this church and that one man would be the visible representation of Jesus in this world.

Still others have only an intellectual belief that Jesus is God. They believe that if they are part of an organized religion, go to church and don't behave any worse than their fellow man that maybe when they die they will go to heaven.

But the prophecy in Daniel says something very interesting. It declares that to the Son of Man was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom that ALL the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him.

When Jesus asks His disciples who they say He is it is Peter who answers; You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. By this statement Peter recognizes that Jesus, who he has been walking and talking and eating with for a couple of years, is truly the One who was spoken of by Daniel.

His verbal statement was more than just an intellectual understanding. Jesus responds by saying;

Blessed are you Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

It was the Father (The Ancient of Days) through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who gave revelation to Peter as to who Jesus truly was - a man, born of a woman, but preexisting as the promised Messiah or Christ before His earthly birth. The Son of Man was also the Son of God.

Jesus then make this statement to Simon Barjona, calling him by a name which represents who he would be in Christ;

I also say to you that you are Peter (the word in Hebrew means a little stone, a pebble), and upon this rock (not Peter as a man but Peter's confession of faith in Jesus as the Christ) I will build my church (the Church would be comprised of all who like Peter believe in Jesus as the Christ, with Jesus as the chief cornerstone), and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

Jesus goes on to say;

I will give you (not exclusively Peter but corporately the Church) the keys of the kingdom of heaven (the same kingdom as given to the Son of Man in Daniel's vision); and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

The kingdom of heaven is all about souls being saved from their sin and rebellion by man's confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of both Jews and Gentiles, who by His death on the cross paid the price demanded by the Father for that sin and rebellion. The kingdom is also about what we do here on earth through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.

The most important question that Jesus will ask us will not be how we treated the poor, although that is an important thing to do. It will not be what we did for social justice, or how we managed the resources of the earth, or how religious we were or any other thing we could have done to benefit our fellow man. Those actions should be the result of the moving of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

When Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost and addressed the large crowd gathered it is recorded in Acts 2 that he speaks of the move of the Holy Spirit as prophesied by prophet Joel, the end of which says:

And it shall be that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

He then goes on to quote other scriptures pointing to how Jesus was sent by God and that He was to die and be resurrected and ends with;

Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ - this Jesus whom you crucified.

That day 3000 were added to the Church. Despite persecutions, trials and hardships the Church, those who were saved by calling on the name of the Lord, continued to grow. Society was changed because hearts were reborn and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit who motivated men to do the will of God and to proclaim that Jesus was the one true light of the world.

As a believer, one who confesses Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I present my needs and the needs of my family to God and should represent who God is to my family and to the world. That makes me a priest. I'm not a high priest. That is and can only be Jesus. But as a priest I am also called out to present Jesus to the world and to present the world's needs to the Father through Jesus.

If I were to travel as a representative of the Church, and preach before crowds both great and small, in order to build up the Church and bind those forces that oppose the kingdom and loose those people that are bound by tradition and unbelief and sins and the enemy, I would not present programs or earthly philosophy sprinkled with proof texts. I would not ask for the blessing of Jesus's earthly mother to accomplish what is properly in the realm of the Holy Spirit to do. For real change to happen it must come through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit will only move in power when our focus moves away from a man, any man, and towards God. The glory must always be the Lord's.

Peter preached to the crowd that Jesus whom they crucified was Lord and Christ. Peter was the first (although reluctantly) to bring the good news about Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (and while he was still speaking the Holy Spirit descended and the entire family believed). There is no record that Peter ever presided over the assembly of apostles, or wore vestments or a miter or carried a staff with a crucifix or had a big ring for people to kiss. When the lame beggar asked Peter and John for alms they responded that they didn't have any money but what they did have they would give to him. They then declared that in the name of Jesus that man should stand up and walk. And he did, leaping, shouting and praising God.

That is what the world desperately needs. That power is what the Church desperately needs. The message that Jesus is Lord and Savior and that He is the only way for man to come to the Father is what the UN desperately needs. If I were to travel as a representative of the Church I don't think I would be too popular in the world of celebrity and political correctness. But oh, what an opportunity to declare that Jesus is the Christ!

Who do you say that Jesus is?

Peace

This poem can be sung to the Stuart Townsend song/hymn - How Deep The Father's Love For Us


Of all the wars that ever fought

and all the deaths so tragic

they added none to those that passed

death is the way of mankind


Come walk with me upon a path

this morning through the flowers

we felt the chill brush past our checks

our shoes were damp but willing


Ahead in mist made clear a fence

with rusty gate confining

this was our way and no where else

too late to change our anthem


As we approached it opened wide

sweet sunshine on the meadow

but then a fusillade was spent

tore searing through a body


You lay there on that rolling hill

eyes opened but in anguish

a wordless plea with each heartbeat

I couldn't stop the bleeding


Who are the ones that never hear

when battles are a raging

you run but are you going straight

away from sweet plantation


There is this cross upon a rise

where hate and death did perish

I held the hammer in my hands

my hands that were not worthy


Then looking up I saw a man

him striding toward my station

he beckoned me with outstretched arms

then opened up the cavern


A table set before our foes

a feast all so amazing

it was a place of tranquil peace

except those singing angels

Meltdown

Jackie and I worked at the same test location Friday. As it turned out Jackie was able to be finished with her last client just before I was to start mine so she positioned my last client at the proper spot and did the vehicle inspection for me.

While working on sweet little Daijanae's paperwork I noticed that this eighteen year old was dressed with big healed black boots that had black straps winding around her legs all the way up to her very short skirt which matched her skimpy low cut top and big hair. Her left arm was completely covered with an interesting tattoo. Later on I mentioned to my dear wife that she was dressed "interestingly". Jackie had a different adjective. I think it was something like "slutty".

After her mother gets out of the car and sits in a chair that sets next to our shed I give Daijanae the instructions for the parking lot portion of the test. On the forward stop she is only about an inch short so I do not deduct any points. When Daijanae begins the first backup section she starts turning too early and then trys working me to begin again.

"Can I go back to the line and start again?" she asks. "Sure" I say. "Just remember that each time you go forward after reverse it will be a point against you." Daijanae then points to the first cone she will have to back around and acts like she didn't understand where she was supposed to go. I give her the instructions again for that portion of the test and Daijanae actually makes the right adjustment and squeezes around the cone missing it by perhaps by the width of a piece of paper. No points there but she backs too far into the space and the rear of her car goes past the back line and she gets a couple of points for that.

One can get up to six points and still pass the parking lot portion so Daijanae has a lot of space to work with while doing the parallel park exercise. She positions her car in a good position but backs in to shallow. She asks me if she can start over. I tell her "Sure, just remember that each time you go forward after reverse if will be a point against you."

Instead of going out of the space and trying to back in further Daijanae turns her wheel right, pulls forward, getting the front end of her car in the space but leaving the back of her car outside. This is usually a fatal mistake and sure enough she does not recover from it. Three times she repeats the maneuver, backing up, going forward at a slightly greater angle, each time leaving the back of her car farther outside the space, a couple of times hitting the cones that mark the lines.

While Daijanae keeps doing this I walk over to her mom to help her understand that this will not end up well for her daughter. Little did I guess what would happen next.

Daijanae jams her car in reverse, plows over the back line of cones, jams her car into drive and Dukes of Hazzard style squeals out of the parallel parking space, does a 360 around the test area, sets herself up again for the parallel park, jams her car in reverse, plows over the back set of cones again which are now lying flat, jams her car into drive, squeals out of the space again, does another 360 at lightning speed and then heads toward where I am standing with her mother and parks the car next to us.

She then lets out a bloodcurdling scream, gets out of her car, slams the door and while still screaming at the top of her lungs punches our shed a couple of time. Apparently not yet satisfied Daijanae then walks around her car, screaming and kicking her auto with those black big healed boots - 6 times!

All of this does not seem to faze her mama one bit. I explain to the mom through the incredible din that the test is now over, what her daughter could do better the next time and what they need to do to reschedule. At this point I walk over and start to put the cones and poles on our dolly. Daijanae, who is now sitting all fore lorn on the asphalt next to her car looks up and asks if she can PLEASE start over.

I calmly inform her that the State does not allow restarts but the thought actually runs through my brain that no man in his right mind would right now want to be any where near that lady and her car.

This whole scene did not go unnoticed. A guy riding a bike pulls up next to me and says; "I take it she didn't pass?" And I respond; "You think?" He tells me I'm lucky we did not get to go out driving.

Then I notice that there is a large group of the various minority factions from around the world that come to practice their parking skills after we leave. There are Hispanics, men and woman from Burma, Nepal and gosh knows where else. When I look their way they all break out laughing.

Daijanah and her moma drive off, I finish putting the cones, poles and chair away and get into the car with Jackie. We just look at each other before she smiles and says; "Glad that was your test!"

Highway Shoe

Hello little white lonely sneaker
lying on the road
once so full of hope and vigor
now you're like a toad
no one cares while passing by
from whom or where you came
with people to see and places to go
we all share equal blame
so did they toss you out a window
while you were fast asleep
victim of of fellow prankster
smirks but not a peep
were you laid on top a roof
all to easy forgotten
is your partner in a ditch
smelling oh so rotten
perhaps you rode a teenage bus
and someone made a dare
you whacked a team mate in the head
and then you wasn't there
or maybe in a bag you traveled
placed just so on top
someone rushed across the street
and didn't hear the plop
I want to know I need to know
I care about your story
and even though your toes now black
I'm sure you had your glory
bye now little white lonely sneaker
lying on the road
I think I see a glove out there
who needs it's story told

That Foolish Cross

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those that are perishing, but to us that are being saved it is the power of God.  (1 Corinthians 1: 18)

This week I had an interesting dream. Not that I am a prophet mind you and the dream did stem from a photo I saw the evening before but it's theme resonates in my heart and so I will share it with you.

Over the Labor Day weekend my family spent a few days with each other at a place called Camp Geneva. Everyone had a wonderful time and there were a lot of activities that keep anyone as busy or as laid back as they wanted. One of my daughters put together a scavenger hunt where we divided the family up into different groups to go through the camp ground and then take selfies of our little group with the items we found.

Some of the more interesting or fun photos were posted on our family group section on FB a day or two after we returned home and one showed our group standing in front of a wooden cross in a little outdoor prayer spot overlooking beautiful Lake Michigan. We had just seen another group getting their picture taken at that spot and not having looked through the whole scavenger list we thought that we might as well do the same. But then someone (maybe me) said that one of the items needed was showing our group with crazy faces. This we did.

It was only when my daughter posted the resulting picture did we humbly realize that, (to use the common exclamation which I always avoid but it works well here, OMG!) we WERE making crazy faces standing IN FRONT OF A CROSS.

So that night I had a dream and in the dream was the same cross. I was in the back of a church sanctuary and sitting there was a single wide bed. A plain wooden cross was lying just above the bed, the top resting on and between the spindles at the head of the bed, the bottom resting on and between the spindles at the base, the arms extending beyond each side.

A priest in vestments approached the cross and bed from the base and he was going to bless the cross. I thought perhaps he was going to use holy water and pour it on the cross but instead he got out a small vial of anointing oil, put a little on his fingers and then squeezed out a few drops upon the cross.

I then put my hand on the oil and began spreading it upon the rest of the cross. Someone from the crowd standing at the other side of the bed/cross did the same and as we were spreading the oil out there was more than enough to cover the entire thing. I remember that I was in tears while doing so. Then the dream ended.

Perhaps this dream was only a reaction of my subconscious from just seeing myself in a picture making a funny face in front of the cross. Perhaps the picture and the dream were a God thing where He puts together for me different things that then have a certain message He wants me to understand. If the later is so, and I believe it is here, then the question is if the message is for me personally, for someone else in particular, or for another reason. My feeling is that it was a word from the Lord and that it was not just for me personally.

To me the symbolism seems pretty clear. I have been writing a bit lately about revival and very recently had a post called The Next Great Awakening and I believe the picture and dream point to what will be the driving focus of the next great revival in our land.

If I could say in one sentence what I think God is saying to me through this it would be:

The next great move of God will focus on the cross.

Here is how I interpret the symbolism. The photo shows how the message of the cross is pretty much being mocked today (Ouch!)

The cross on the bed in the back of the church represents the church and society in general where the message of the cross is asleep. What does that mean? What message is forgotten, glossed over or even mocked in many churches today? I believe it is this -  

At a particular point in time Jesus was beaten, whipped, mocked and then nailed to a wooden beam and the shedding of His blood and His death on that cross was to pay the penalty for our sins that we as sinful men and women could not pay. The message of the cross is that there is no other way for mankind as a whole or for each of us as individuals to be justified before the Father except through what Jesus did for us on that cross. It is just like the refrain from the song that was always sung at the end of a Billy Graham crusade; "Just as I am, without a plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me."

The oil represents the anointing of the Holy Spirit and the anointing will spread as the message of the cross is spread, bringing tears of repentance and many souls into the kingdom of God.

Will the revival somehow start with the Holy Spirit bringing a fresh revelation of the message of the cross to Catholics? That part, as does the rest I guess, remains to be seen.

Here are some verses from the 1st and 2nd chapters of 1 Corinthians. Paul is addressing divisions in the early church concerning both personalities and theology. When Paul ministered he did so in the power of the Holy Spirit with both signs and wonders but he says his message was always very simple and direct. This was because he did not want followers of Paul. He wanted to make followers of Jesus Christ. It is only through Jesus and his death on the cross that man could have eternal life.

Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech so that the cross of Christ would be made void. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those that are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

For indeed, Jews ask for signs and Greeks seek for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness. But to those that are called, both Jews and Greeks, (the cross is) the power of God and the wisdom of God.

God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong . . . so that no man may boast before God.

But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, so that just as it is written, "Let him who boast, boast in the Lord."

When I came to you brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I was determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

The message of the cross is that through death comes life. It is through the death of Jesus on the cross and our desire and confession that Jesus death on the cross provides forgiveness for our sins that He becomes our Savior and we then gain eternal life.

The message of the cross is also that we identify with what Jesus did by denying ourselves the lordship of our lives. On the cross Jesus surrendered to the will of the Father. We surrender to the will of the Father by then surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus. This is on the one hand not easy because we need to trust by faith that He loves us and thus His will, even if goes against our desires or what is taught by the world is truly best for us. Yet on the other hand, when we step out in faith, when we carry the cross of Christ in obedience, there is nothing more freeing.

I think the power of the next great revival will be in the simplicity of the message, the redeeming power of the cross. May all who run toward it be blessed.

Family Camp

A cyclopes only has one eye
a two-headed monster four
the bear might eat you if you cry
so slash him if he roars
and be careful of those robot arms
they'll knock you if you're slow
so many monsters in the way
the pirates have to go

I head they gathered on a boat
and sang a pirates ditty
some said aaaarg or yo ho ho
some thought they were so pretty
the capt'ns had a treasure map
and led their troops away
then from behind a near by tree
they saw the cyclopes sway

It had no chance that one eyed dear
and neither did the bear
two heads might be better than one
but this fight wasn't fair
the robots seemed a bit confused
perhaps it was their foe
who circled fast and cut them down
there's treasure to get you know

They found the booty buried deep
beneath Geneva's sand
it was a long march to get there
across that rolling land
they had their sabers in the air
some flint locks by the side
and terrorized our sweet neighbors
(it made me filled with pride)

Now pirates come in many shapes
perhaps a dozen sizes
each one loves to find that loot
and divide all those prizes
but at the end of such a day
with smores by the fire
you'd think a pirate would wear out
I know the mommies tire

We sat around those glowing logs
with kiddies tucked in bed
some might have even been asleep
but whispering instead
we talked about the pirate's quest
the day beneath the sun
pool and surf and happy faces
family camp is fun

Back Story To My Poem

My daughter Becky stopped over this week and while we were talking she mentioned that she liked the poem from my last post. After I told her what was going on in my mind she said it might be a good idea to post those thoughts as well. So here it is.

Sometimes things churn around in my brain, an idea pops out, and then it becomes a poem. This is what was going on leading to my last post - The Next Great Awakening

Some of the first books I read after my conversion were by M.R.D. DeHaan, M.D., a medical doctor and a minister who for 27 years had a half hour radio program. His - The Chemistry of the Blood - and - Portraits of Christ in Genesis - helped provide for me a terrific scriptural foundation showing that the Bible, from the very beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation talks about Jesus and God's plan of salvation.

One of my favorite books by DeHaan was - The Tabernacle. It shows that each detail of the tabernacle, the material, the colors, the furniture and their placement, the names and position of the encamped tribes, every dimension points to the person and the work of Jesus as well as to who we are as a believer and how all that fits into what salvation is.

In church Sunday I saw a pastor who was broken. He had to work hard to keep from crying as he was preaching. It was the 3rd anniversary of his father's death but there seemed to me that more was going on in his heart. He has been preaching for a couple of months from the Book of Exodus and Sunday's theme had to do with God giving the plans for the wilderness tabernacle to Moses as well as how God had etched His commandments on tablets of stone and as soon as those tablets were brought to the people they became broken because the people were in the process of violating the very first one.

He talked a little about the most holy place in the tabernacle. Outside is where the sacrifices are offered. Just inside the tent is an area called the holy place where sits the candlestick, the table of shewbread and the altar of incense. There is a thick veil that separates the holy place from a second room which is called the most holy place, or the holy of holies.

In the most holy place is the ark of the covenant which has on top of it a gold lid. This is called the mercy seat. On each side of the mercy seat which covered the ark, inside of which were the broken tablets of the law given to Moses, were the golden cherubim. Above the ark, above the mercy seat, above the cherubim in this wilderness tabernacle resided the cloud of the Presence, the shekina glory of God. It was into this place, into the cloud of glory but only once a year, that the high priest would enter to make sacrifice for the sins of the nation.

Our pastor was broken and I believe he was broken for souls. When you talk about the awesome glory of God and you realize just a portion of who He is and what He has planned and what He has done it can be overwhelming. When you realize that through Jesus death on the cross the veil in the tabernacle that separated mankind from the awesome glory was torn in two one can feel anxious and in despair for those that remain blinded by this world.

There are so many that need to know Jesus, whose lives could be brought into the glory and the presence and yet are deceived by unbelief, or the world or even by religious works. The numbers are so large and we are so weak. I myself often want to grab people by the shoulders, shake them and yell, "Forget your stupid arguments and excuses. Even though I have seen only just a little of the presence of the glory of God I have experienced it and can testify that you have no idea what you are talking about and what you are missing!"

When I woke up and showered Tuesday morning a song started running through my brain (that's happens quite often) and the song was about an angel bringing a burning coal to touch my lips. I am currently in Isaiah and a few days before I had read the verse in chapter 6 which talks about an angel bringing a burning coal to touch Isaiah's mouth.

So that night I thought it might be a good theme for a poem but I felt I needed to do a little research about Isaiah 6:7. Here it is beginning with verse 1:

I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.

Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory."

And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.

Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts."

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.

He touched my mouth with it and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven."

Other readings for that day were some articles about it being the 20th anniversary of the Toronto Airport revival which continues on even to today and an account from Dutch Sheets about visiting the location of the Cane Ridge revival which led to the second great awakening and then getting on an airplane and being part of a dedication for a bible school and church in Wales that was recently restored.

The church was where Evan Roberts preached and from which began the great Welsh revival and the bible school was where Roberts and then his son had a prayer room which went on for years interceding for the church and against the forces of darkness active in the world

A similar comment was made about ministers from both Toronto and Wales. They were men broken before the Lord who realized they could do nothing in their own power.

There were interesting things I noticed about Isaiah from the commentaries. Isaiah was looking into the heavenly tabernacle which was the pattern for the earthly tabernacle. The work of the cheribum was the same, to guard the presence and the holiness of the Lord. The burning coal would have come from the altar of incense, incense representing the prayers of the people placed on the burning coal.

One commentary brought this all forward to the account in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit first descended upon the church. In what form did He come?  It was not a burning coal placed on the lips but it was pretty close - tongues of fire! What was the immediate result? The disciples who had gathered there waiting for the promise spoke out in other languages, speaking of the mighty deeds of God. And then Peter, who only weeks before had denied Christ 3 times stood up and addressed the large crowd that had gathered and with great boldness proclaimed to them what was written by the prophet Joel.

What was the result?  The Holy Spirit used both the testimony and the praise of those gathered. That day 3 thousand souls were added to the kingdom.

When the seraphim spoke "the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke." May we see a great shaking!

The Next Great Awakening

The Next Great Awakening

The angel
brought
a burning
coal
and placed
it on
my lips

and said
proclaim
the word of
God
sweet as
the honey
drips

it was
the start
of something
new
revival
in the
land

a fire
started
burning
bright
and forests
couldn't
stand

we fell
down weeping
at His
feet
our arms
extended
wide

and broken
hearts
were filled with
hope
He buried
all our
pride

we then
exclaimed
the wonder
of
the power
in His
blood

and people
started
rushing
in
swept up
into the
flood

large crowds
were waiting
hours
long
while some
had tarried
days

the blind
got sight
the lame
could walk
the cleansed
all offered
praise

a million
spirits
born
again
next week
a million
more

lives were
changed
family's
healed
prayer opened
prison's
doors

and we
are those
of unclean
lips
fearful
of what
men say

while
mankind dies
a thousand
deaths
they need
someone
to pray

but coming
soon
while we're still
weak
an angel
with a
coal

it's burning
hot
onto your
mouth
empowering
your
soul

the Holy
Spirit
is our
strength
He'll give
us all
we need

so step
right in
surrender
now
to see
our nation
freed

Our Eternal Home

For the majority of the Christian world it may not really be necessary to understand exactly how salvation works, only that we are saved through the atoning work of Jesus. The gospel message is laid out this simply.

God loves us. He really does.

However there is a problem. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That means that even though God loves us we cannot have fellowship with Him because He is a holy God and we are born sinners.

God provided the solution. He sent His only Son Jesus into the world to pay the price for us which as sinners we could not do ourselves. Jesus paid the price by His suffering and death on the cross, and because God raised Him from the dead that atonement can become ours.

This becomes real to us when we confess our sins to God and promise to try to do better, when we believe that Jesus death on the cross has paid the price that God demands for our sins, and when we then publicly proclaim Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

This basic outline with the supporting scriptures behind them have been presented to many hundreds of millions of people and many have come to a saving and life changing experience because of it. It is not the intellectual argument that makes the outline work so well. Rather it seems to be a framework through which the Holy Spirit can move to open up hearts to the truth.

The following post I wrote about 8 years ago goes into a little more detail on how I see salvation working. I wrote it because I believe that many in Christianity have a very limited view on what salvation really is. Not everyone will agree because (1) they have been taught different and that's a tall hill to climb (2) salvation by works has such a strong appeal to man and (3) it has been accused as being gnostic by making all Christians into "little gods" (that by a former pastor of mine).

Obviously I don't agree and hopefully, if you read it carefully, my viewpoint will help give a little more depth to your understanding of salvation.

What is not in this post and what really should be is a discussion on the difference between the body, soul and spirit of man and how the Holy Spirit works in and through each area. Perhaps another day.

Link to - Our Eternal Home

One Hundred Churches

one hundred churches
one thousand pews
ten hundred thousand
different views

sunday morning
saturday night
wednesday meeting
at first light

grand wooden doors
great walls of stone
or folding chairs
to praise or moan

a father's vestments
a reverend's suits
a doctor's robes
no substitute

young preacher's sandals
and faded jeans
loose fitting shirts
and modern themes

felt baskets brought
by usher's rows
plastic tubs passed
so no one knows

age old hymns
with numbered scenes
overhead stanzas
on video screens

chorus are sung
eyes are closed
some bring tears
just blow your nose

old men and women
to the organ sway
young guys and gals
hear the guitar's play

the word is read
from a big black book
or on the face
of a hand held nook

a booming voice
a keen whisper
where truth proclaimed
for hearts to stir

we sit we stand
some will kneel
even raising hands
has great appeal

we meet we greet
we get to know
sometimes it's fast
sometimes it's slow

walk the aisle
take the bread
drink the wine
or juice instead

some kids stay
some kids go
bible stories
colored so

babies crying
candies passed
hope they've learned
to make em last

visions shared
hearts are stirred
the word proclaimed
hope assured

decision time
altar call
no difference seen
for great or small

blessing given
before we leave
prayers are offered
for those that grieve

small groups gather
strong in prayer
to help and heal
the people there

do not forsake
that common tether
He is present when
we gather together