Musings of a Prodigal Son - God's Absolutes

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. (Isaiah 40:1-8)


Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. (1 Peter 1: 22-25)


For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:18)




I remember as we studied science in grade school covering the subject of absolute zero (the point at which all [total] life ceases). I remember being struck by the word "absolute". If you look that word up in the dictionary, you are given the following meaning as a noun: a value or principle that is regarded as universally valid or that may be viewed without relation to other things. The meaning as an adjective is:  not qualified or diminished in any way; total. As I live in today's relative world, I am reminded of how important absolutes really are. As an "everything goes" philosophy seems to permeate the large portion of our society today, the question of whether or not there are absolutes in our world begs to be answered. Are there real absolutes in the world we live in today? If so what are they? Is everything relative? Does viewpoint determine what is absolute? If absolutes do exist, do they govern those who do not believe in absolutes?


To answer this question, I believe we have to confront a series of falsehoods that may hinder us from knowing the truths about absolutes. The first is the prevailing view that with an increase of information, we become more enlightened. The assumption is that as we become more enlightened, we are able to determine truth with more certainty. The falsehood lies in the belief that more information results in more enlightenment. Implied in this belief is an assumption that the information we receive is true. This is a falsehood because as we have come to have access to more information (through the media, internet, computers, or other mediums of information) much of that information is false. It does not take very much insight to recognize that much of what we hear in the media is biased in one way or another. The information "casters" are master's at putting just a small element of truth in the information so that the hearer can assume that the total of what is shared is truth. It is a fundamental fact that all of us, no matter our race or ethnicity, are affected by the information we see, are exposed to,  and believe. If we believe false information, we are affected in the same way that truth can motivate us to believe certain things. The fact is that much of the information we receive from much of the mediums through which we receive them is false. Let me share a simple example. I read a news article recently from a "reputable" source about a tragedy. In the article, a soldier was involved in a horrific accident and his family had faced the difficult decision of allowing his organs to be harvested so that others might receive the gift of life. The article was very inspirational and elicited emotions in me as I read it. There was only one problem. The only truth in the article was the fact that the soldier had had a horrific accident. His organs had not been harvested to help others. How do I know? I have met him since the accident and he is very much alive. Where did the reporters receive the information that was reported? I have no idea. The article did not seem to have a malicious intent but obviously the "facts" were wrong. My question to each of you reading this is, How often does this happen? Is this an isolated incident? Although the error was easily noticed by those who know this individual, how many other stories with some element of truth are easily manipulated to mean something entirely different than what they are? I know, I know. Some of you are starting to wonder if I am some sort of "conspiracy theorist." I assure you that I am not. I am establishing the ground work of a point that I want to make later in this entry. I remember when I was a small child hearing adults talk about the moon landing in the early 70s. (first landing occurred in 1969). I remember some of the adults in my family stating that they believed it was all a stunt, a fabrication, and man had not really landed on the moon. There was a lot of skepticism even before the "information age" was in full swing. What happened to that cautious viewpoint? As a society, we seem ready and willing to believe almost anything today whether it is true or not. This happens in the social realm, the political realm, and even the realm of faith-based information.


I have heard the oft quoted message that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. This is true of the Roman Empire of long ago. It is believed by many that this civilization collapsed due to it's willingness to embrace all of the ideas of it's conquered territories. These "ideals" resulted in no unified standards throughout the Empire and fostered separation while espousing diversity. Where there is no unified vision, the people perish. In times past, in our great country even when I was a child, there was so much made of the fact that America was a "melting pot" of civilizations who came together for the common goal of identifying themselves as Americans  while sharing the same ideals and values. Now we have become a group of Americans with different ideals and values. Along with this shift, has come a lack of patriotism and commitment to be an American. Hence, we have various groups burning the flag, stating that our president is not "their" president, etc. As colleges, universities, the media, the internet, and other forms of media espouse to being champions of diversity, our national patriotism and adherence to Godly principles is diminishing in kind.  As each successive generation of students leave the training programs and "think" tanks of our society, we shift further from truth as God outlines truth in his Word. It is ironic that so many college graduates cannot find jobs after their time in education but do have a firm grasp on the prevailing world view that truth is relative. This may seem like an over simplification but in our prevailing educational system (which includes the media, internet, and current educational institutions), we as a society have succeeded in moving away from God but have not aided these recent generations in obtaining employment and being successful in this present world . There are, of course, exceptions to this.


On the basis of those things stated above, it becomes imperative that we search for truth in the right place. That place is the Word of God. The Word of God is the Bible.  I will only present one reason why the Bible is THAT place which provides the truth. There is only one reason why it is valid and reliable. God's Word (the Bible) is valid as the absolute truth simply because it comes from God. It is reliable because it comes directly from the mouth of God (Isaiah 40). God spoke His truth. In the same way He spoke the world and it's natural laws into existence, he spoke truth and it became valid and reliable because He spoke it.

When a person believes that the Bible is the Word of God, there is another assault on truth that must be addressed. That attack is that the Bible "contains" the Word of God and a lot of other erroneous information that was added by man. The problem with this approach is a step back to the original problem that I discussed here. If the Bible just contains the Word of God, then if I am intolerant of some truth that God says is Sin, I can at my leisure label that truth as part of the erroneous information that man has added to the Bible. Hence the Bible becomes invalid and unreliable because it is again at the mercy of the prevailing view of truth as defined by man. Truth then comes from the understanding and interpretation of man rather than from the mouth of God. God's Word is Truth even if I don't understand parts of it. My lack of understanding makes it no less the Truth. It is absolute, separate and independent of me or my interpretation. As I change, it does not.
I heard a preacher say one time that without absolutes from God, we are like ships without a compass, floating around with no course to follow. This is true now more that at the time many years ago when I heard this proclamation made. There are now many ships in the water, going many different directions. The danger is that some of these ships will be followed by others into the deep. The blind leading the blind.


There is also the question of whether God's Truth was misinterpreted by man as he penned it (put it to parchment or paper) and diluted through time and by the biases of man. What I would say to that is that if God, who is all powerful, can speak world's into existence from nothing, he can manage giving us a finished product to live by. That finished product is what we have currently. As an example, how many of you reading this are parents? If you are a parent, do you want to communicate to your children in riddles or do you want to communicate to them so that they are clear on their understanding? Of course, you want them to be clear in their understanding. To borrow the words of Jesus, "How much more does your heavenly father want to give good things to His children who ask Him?"


Therefore, on the basis of these things, it is more important than ever for each of us to READ AND STUDY THE WORD OF GOD. Now more than ever, so many forms of media and entertainment are vying for our time. Truth has become more elusive than ever. Confusion is rampant on every side. We should take the advice of the apostle Paul:

"Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.  Be not ye therefore partakers with them. Children of Light. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)  Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5: 6-15) 

Musings of a Prodigal Son - Keeping Perspective

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)


I've had what may seem to be some sobering thoughts this week. I would like to remind us all of some things that we may already know but need to learn again. So often as we live our daily lives in this present world, we get so caught up in its drama and struggles that we lose sight of one very important point. This world is not our final destination. In fact it is only the starting point (and it may not even be that because life begins in the mind of God). It is like the trip to the gas station before the trip of a lifetime. We treat this preparatory trip as if it is the main event. It is sort of like planning a trip to Disney and only focusing on the trip to the gas station BEFORE the real trip. If the car is crowded going to the gas station, we can tolerate it since we know that it is just a short trip before we embark on the long journey. Life is joyous at times but it is also difficult. People that we love pass on and we are left with the pain of separation. Then there is the problem of physical pain due to illness and accidents. The emotional pain due to mental health, grief, and coping issues presents other problems. If we are blessed to live a "long" life, the pain of loss and illness as our transitory bodies decay also generates pain. I heard it said many times that we are in trouble now, we've just come through trouble, or we are headed for trouble. There is some truth to this as life is marked by loses due to its transitory nature. Nothing around us is permanent.


I remember that when I was a teenager, I did yard work to make extra money. I regularly mowed the lawn of an older lady in what used to be called "Carrville, Alabama." This lady had the most immaculate lawn you could imagine. She kept her "mill house" pristine. She always had it freshly painted, the lawn edged, and everything looked almost perfect. She also had an old Chevy Chevelle from the 1960s that was in mint condition that sat in her driveway. My friends literally slowed to almost a stop every time we passed her place to look at that car. After I was married, almost ten years later, I noticed that her home was very run-down and the yard was in disarray. The Chevelle was gone. When I asked my parents if they knew why, they told me that her health had declined and she was now in a nursing home. She has since passed on. Everything that identified her was changed. Her home, which had been the jewel of the community, was no longer the same. I doubt that now the current residents even know her name and that she once lived there. This is just one example of the point that I stated above. This world is NOT our home.


If I asked you what kind of person your great great grandmother was, would you know? Your great great grandfather? What kind of career did he have? Was he happy? Did he struggle with any medical issues? My point is that during the lifetime of your distant elders all those things were of the utmost importance. But now they are not. Those things have passed. The only important thing about them is where they are now and where they will spend eternity (which is a long long time!).


Many atheists have stated that religion is nothing more than man's attempts to create a god to avoid dealing with our mortality. However, everything around us points to the transitory nature of life. We are physical beings but occasionally one of us is allowed to "bridge the gap" between this transitory life and the one to come. John, the Revelator, was allowed to glimpse things indescribable from that realm in the book of Revelation. The reason we have such a hard time understanding much of it is because he was attempting to describe something that we have no point of reference for.


I believe that the seed of salvation puts the assurance of something greater in our spirit when we are born again to faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is the first glimpse that death is not the end.


When we are standing next to the gravesite of someone who has passed on, we often quote passages of scripture and sing songs that depict the transitory nature of life and that there is more on the "other side." But then we often return to our lives only to forget this until the next time we are brought face-to-face with the pain of this transitional world.


The true champions of faith, and almost every community has at least one, always seem to live in the transitory reality that they are just passing through. My question to each of us is, if we all lived our daily lives in that sure reality, would our lives change? Would we do things differently? If our answer is yes, maybe we need to change our perspective and ask God for His.

This world is not my home I'm just a passing through

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue

The angels beckon me from heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

Oh lord you know I have no friend like you

If heaven's not my home then lord what will I do

The angels beckon me from heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

I have a loving mother just over in gloryland

And I don't expect to stop until I shake her hand

She's waiting now for me in heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

Oh lord you know I have no friend like you

If heaven's not my home Then lord what will I do

The angels beckon me From heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home In this world anymore

Just over…

Just over in gloryland

We'll live eternally

The Saints on every hand are shouting victory

Their songs of sweetest praise

Drift back from heaven's shore

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

Oh lord, you know I have no friend like you

If heaven's not my home, Then Lord what can I do?

The angels beckon me from heaven's open door

and I can't feel at home in the world anymore

(Jim Reeves)

Musings of a Prodigal Son - God Knows Where You Are

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. ¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. (Revelation 3:14-18)

God Knows Where You Are......He Was There First

In the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God, God asked them this question, "Where are thou?" or as we used to say in the country, "Where you at?" or "Where you be?" Life is a quest for each of us to admit where we are. For us to admit to God where we are , we have to first know where we are. He already knows. He wants us to know. He also wants us to know that he knows. That's alot of knows. Much of my life has been spent with God asking, "Rodney, where are you?" God wanted to remind me that it was important for me to know. If I am far from Him, I need to know that. If I am about to move further away from Him, I need to know that too. He is not there to condemn me for where I am but rather to help me get back to where I need to be. Adam and Eve sinned and it separated them from God. The further we get from God, the less likely we are to know how far we are away from him. The further I am "from the heart of the matter", the less likely I am to feel the pain that my sin is causing God. Don't forget that Sin is "separation" from God. Any act, either by commission or omission, which results in separation from God is Sin. Sin also separates us from God in others. It distances us from the light of God in those around us. It blinds us to the truth. Remember the tragic condition of the church at Laodicea in the new testament. They were neither hot nor cold but luke warm and DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT. The danger of sin is that it blinds us to the truth. It makes us think that everything is ok, when it is not. It gets us used to the darkness so that it doesn't appear as "dark." What I am about to share may appear to be an odd example but it is relevant. I used to drink only "sweet" sodas (cokes, pepsi, dr. pepper, etc.). Several years ago, due to medical history, I began to drink sugar-free soda. Now when I drink even a small amount of "sweet" soda, the taste of the sugar is overwhelming and I am aware that the sugar is there in abundance. When I used to drink sweet soda on a regular basis, it became "normal" and I liked the taste. Now I am repelled by it. The point is, by eliminating or attempting to eliminate something, you become more sensitive to it. When we practice a lifestyle that attempts to follow Christ, we eliminate sin from our lives as a practice (though never completely). It makes us more sensitive to sin when we encounter it. We recognize it better. In other words, we know better where we really are. So God asks me, "Where art thou?" My task is to become aware of who and where I REALLY AM AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE. That means I am not to judge where I am by my experience but by the WORD OF GOD and HIS TRUTH.  The world is constantly giving us messages of where we need to be and what we need to think (the media, television, businesses, motivational speakers, politicians, rights advocates, etc). God wants us to determine where we are according to HIS WILL and HIS WORD.


So many things that are Sin are "normalized" today. Don't be deceived. God's Truth has never changed. No matter how many voices are speaking things contrary to His Truth, the Truth still remains. Let's let HIS TRUTH be our guide so that when He asks, "Where are you?", we will know.

Musings of a Prodigal Son - Denial or Faith???

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

"And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober;
Unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition p. 417 Copyright  1976 A.A.W.S. Inc.




This has been an interesting week. On Monday of this past week, fresh from a week with my wife on vacation, I returned to work and encountered something that inspired me to write this entry. Many of you may not know but my job consists of working with individuals who have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI). I help them with vocational counseling, whether that consists of helping them accept what they can no longer do or to explore careers that a person who suffers an injury of this type can pursue based on their symptoms and ability post-injury.  I encountered a situation this week that inspired the thoughts that I now "put to paper". I'll give a little information that is general in nature due to confidentiality. I saw someone who was trained for a very high level military job and at the conclusion of their training, before they began their career, they were injured in an accident. This accident resulted in injuries that eliminated the possibility of this individual being able to fulfill their career aspirations and left them with devastating injuries that medical science says will hinder this person from being able to be independent for the rest of his life. This medical opinion was reinforced by many different specialists in many different parts of the country. Injuries of this type keep an individual from completing any complex task (or from multi-tasking). Injuries like this also keep an individual from committing information to short-term memory so that it eventually can be stored in long-term memory. In other words, it limits the ability to learn new information and also the ability to act on old information in a complex way. A person with this type of injury can go from being one of the highest functioning individuals that you can describe to one who is very much like a five year old. Often times, a person who suffers this type of injury must have supervision and a caregiver 24 hours a day. A meeting occurred with the family of one such individual this past week. As we sat in the meeting with various trainied speicialty physicians and specialists from various fields, I listened as each in turned talked about the individual and the fact that medically, everything had been done for the individual that could be completed in a hospital setting. The family needed to look at the reality of taking the person home or to a structured environment where little, if any progress, would be made in the future in regard to improvement. Also in question was this persons ability to find meaning in some type of work if they were able to work at all. Also sitting in the room, and the center of this meeting and the reason for which is was called, were the parents. After each medical professional gave their opinion, the mother and father of this individual stated that they believed that their child will improve and will have a greater purpose than the consensus of opinions around the room. They also stated in no uncertain terms that they would keep "pushing" against the opinion of the medical community that further progress would be made. They would continue to advocate for therapy and treatment of their son, even if the medical community said that he had reached maximum benefit from the treatment. Were they in denial? Many sitting in that room probably thought so. But I venture another opinion. I believe that they illustrate what is means to have faith. They did not deny their son medical treatment in the hopes that God would perform a miracle apart from the normal established God-given abilities of medical treatment. Rather, they availed themselves of every type of medical treatment that modern science offered. In fact, they had searched all over the country for medical alternatives. They were availing themselves of everything that God had placed at their disposal but when the knowledge of those disciplines had reached it's limits, instead of giving up, they continued to push and chose to believe that God was able to push the boundaries of science and do what man cannot do. 

Do I know what the outcome of this situation is going to be? No. Do I believe they are in denial. No. They know what the medical facts are. They are just believing God for something greater, whatever method He chooses to use. Whether it is medical science or the miraculous, God is always bigger than  the circumstance.

I have also spent several years of my career as a Substance Abuse Counselor. The "acceptance paragraph" which is quoted from the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book, is a classic statement and foundation for recovery. It keeps individuals who are struggling with addiction from getting frustrated with themselves and others. It is profound in it's simplicity. However, acceptance is not a substitute for faith. It is the foundation on which faith is built. It is knowing that things are the way they are because that is the way they are. However, faith is believing that God is bigger than the way that things are and can change them. Faith is believing that HE will change them while I am still living in the way that they are. Living is not waiting. It is walking in the midst of. It is accepting but trusting in the God of change.  

I saw faith in action this week. When you see it, don't expect everyone around you to understand it. Only those who are seeking to walk by faith will understand faith when they see it in others. Even then it is a mystery beyond understanding. But don't mistake faith for denial. Denial is the refusal to see things as they are. Faith is the ability to see things as they are but choosing to go beyond to the way that they can be with the God of creation on the scene. FAITH IS SUBSTANCE. FAITH IS THE MATTER. FAITH MAKES WHAT IS UNSEEN MORE REAL THAT WHAT IS SEEN. 

Musings of a Prodigal Son - Not My Life

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

As I was sitting in a great worship service on Sunday Morning, several things began to dawn on me. I'm sure you know the feeling you have when you hear something that you've heard many times but it is as if you are hearing it for the first time. We were worshipping and singing a wonderful warfare chorus that contains the following lines:

There's a breaking in my favor,
there's a shifting in my direction,
there's a breaking in my favor as I praise!
HALLELUJAH!

This is a powerful warfare song and praise does have the power to break walls and change things. That is truth and I do not want to diminish that fact. Praise from an open heart is one of the most powerful tools we have against our enemy (Satan).

However, as I am worshipping God, I am reminded that so much of our focus is on getting God to provide breakthroughs FOR US. Having a breakthrough is a testimony and shows the great power of our God. When things change that the natural world cannot explain and which go against the natural order of things, there can be no doubt that our God is great.

The truth of this song is that God breaks in our favor AS WE LIVE SUBMITTED TO HIS LORDSHIP. If we are submitted to his Lordship, Satan will try to thwart our life at every turn because it is hurting his plan and purpose for the world. We need the  warfare forces of heaven to intervene for us.

But as I am singing this, I realize while I am observing others and thinking about my own life, we often want God to give us the "break through" while we are living life OUR way. When we don't get what WE want, we are prone to think that God is not listening to us.

Praise works when we live a radical life! Radical by the world's standards but a STANDARD life by God's instruction. He said that greater works shall  WE do because He goes to the Father. The forces of darkness led by Satan will do everything they can to prohibit the spread of the Kingdom of God and they will attempt to thwart our life at every turn if we live radically for God. We are not promised a breakthrough in a quest to build our own PERSONAL KINGDOM! If our goals are not Kingdom Goals, we are not promised to have a breakthrough. The life of a radically committed follower of Christ is not limited to this current realm or world. The view from a radically committed life is one that stretches into eternity! Live or Die, my life is Christ. That is the attitude of a true believer who watches spiritual walls fall down like blocks stacked too high!

The old saints knew what they were singing when they sang, "this world is not my home." (they were saying that my home is wherever Christ leads me whether in this realm or the one to come).

When I look back at my own life, the breakthroughs have always come when I didn't care about me. Those rare times when I have just desired to follow him no matter how radical it seemed. This takes me back to a time when I was meeting with a friend in a small room, praying that God's will would be done in my life. I meant it. I made radical decisions as I sought to listen to God. Even though I could have made mistakes in the "hearing from God", it did not deter me from attempting and God gave me breakthroughs. He opened doors. He made things happen. He met my needs and the needs of my family. Can I do it again? That is the thought that kept running through my mind as I worshipped God yesterday. Do I believe strongly enough to be radical in my decisions as God leads? Do I still trust him even though I know "more" than I once did? Has my knowledge decreased my faith? Do I believe what God says despite what I see? Has my ability to see more of this natural world resulted in a decreased ability to discern that which is unseen? Waiting for the "reasonableness" of the hour is never the way of God. Being a true disciple now looks more radical than it has in the past. This is because we are more worldly than we've ever been.

The focus of a life submitted  to Christ is supposed to be one of SACRIFICE. It means giving up my will for His. It means that my life is not supposed to be lived for me to have breakthroughs as I want them but rather to allow my life to be lived so that others may know Christ, however long my life is. Sometimes the breakthrough is a using up of our life so that others may know him. Sometimes people die (leave this present world) so that others may see God. This is a radical view of discipleship but the model set forth by Jesus. Let us not bring Jesus down to our standard but let us raise our standard to live as He lived. He died to give us that capacity. The sole purpose of a life who has Christ is to magnify him in this present world for as long as God sees fit. Period. It is taking the long view. We have lost this perspective in much of western society because living for Christ often does not "cost" us anything. Many who profess to be Christians today are living from a "what's in it for me" mentality. This has nothing to do with true discipleship. A true disciple is only concerned with serving others. What about you and me?

Jesus was never intended to be our "whole life insurance policy" with the benefits being drawn out for OUR benefit while we live. Rather, we are drawn to Christ in order to magnify Him so that others are drawn to him. Our life is truly not our own if we believe what the Bible says.

Remember Jesus' call to some of his early disciples (Luke 9:59). He said, "Come, follow me." At some point, some of them said, "First, let us go bury our father and then we'll come." In other words, "Let us make arrangements first." That's only reasonable right? No. Jesus replied, "Let the dead bury their dead." He was not being insensitive to their familial needs. He was simply saying, "I am calling, follow me NOW." Surrender NOW. Serve NOW. Sacrifice NOW. Change your focus and life goals NOW. True Christianity is not based on logic and what is reasonable. It is based solely on submission and obedience. Power comes when the first make themselves the last and put the last first. When the most anointed and powerful become the humblest servants. If we want to see the power of God manifest in this present realm, this is the type of obedience needed. When David slew the giant Goliath, he did it because he did not look at the reasonableness of obedience. He didn't say, "Man, that is a big dude. There is no way I'm going out there." He said, "How dare someone taunt God like that, I will face him in obedience to my Father God. The outcome is HIS. My business is to obey."

The Word of God often cuts deeply. Will we shield ourselves from the blade of radical obedience?

Musings of a Prodigal Son - The Architect of Evil

"But what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds." (2 Corinthians 11:12-15)

I remember as a child living in Alabama that there were these beautiful red berries that grew in the woods that looked so delicious. However, at an early age, my mother and dad taught me that eating these berries would make me very sick. They looked delicious. In fact they looked even more delicious than the strawberries that we grew in our small strawberry patch. There is a lesson in these berries. Things that can hurt us are not always "ugly" and they don't always "appear" to be bad.

There are two types of people in this world (there are actually more but basically we can divide people into two groups. There are those that believe that there is an organizing entity who works in this world toward some end. They believe that things are not random but rather intricately designed by a creator who has a divine purpose. There is also the type of person in the world who believes that everything is random. This person believes that things happen per chance and that  arbitrary circumstances create the world as we know it. These people believe that evolutionary changes in one way or another will continue until some happen stance destroys this world as we know it. This will result in some other form at some distant time in the future. This is some form of the "Big Bang" logic of the universe.

The purpose of this blog is not to discuss the differences of each of these viewpoints. I want to spend time today exploring the first type of belief where an organizing entity works toward some end or purpose. For those of us who call ourselves Christians, we believe that the organizing entity is God and that He is moving His creation toward a specific purpose. Mainly, to create a people who will have eternal fellowship with Him.

Just as God has a purpose for humanity, so does Satan (the fallen one mentioned in scripture many times). His overriding purpose is to destroy humanity and keep us all eternally separated from God. The Bible says that he roams the earth (his domain), seeking whom he may devour.  It would seem that an enemy so cruel would be readily recognizable. However, this is not the case. Make no mistake, just as God's plan for each of our lives is very detailed, so is Satan's. Satan is the master architect of this present world. This is his domain, his stage. This is where he plays his final cards, this is his curtain call. As such, he makes the most of the resources that he has at his disposal.

A tactic of war since the beginning of time has been to blend in with the enemy. This is a very effective tactic as it is impossible to kill an enemy whom you cannot see or distinguish from your allies. This is the reason that spies and traitors, throughout history have met with such stiff punishments when caught. They are very destructive to a nation or people. There is no defense against something that you don't see coming. Name the greatest defensive weapons you can think of and I'll guarantee you that they are ineffective against an unseen foe. Terrorism is such a destructive force not because of its firepower and brute force but rather because of it's potential to remain unseen until a strike is eminent.

I became a Pastor in 1991. At that time, I was a "wet behind the ears" 23 year-old who wanted to conquer the world for God. I didn't have the "big city experience" of some large church in a urban setting but did take my task seriously as a small town pastor of a church of loving people. The world in which I began to pastor was a world that basically got its news from three sources: the TV, the newspaper, and the radio. Anything else was "hearsay" that someone heard from someone else. It wasn't a perfect world, some of the same abuses occurred then as today but good information was easier to gain and people often got their world view and moral underpinning from people that they "knew". The trusted people in the community were the Pastors, the teachers, and the civil authorities, as well as elderly people who had truly "lived" before. Many today would call this an "isolated" existence. They would be mistaken. Many of the same lessons learned by people today were learned by people who lived this type of life. Additionally, the same concerns, the same problems (though the manifestation might have been different) existed then as today. The opportunity to grow as a person existed then as it does today.

I remember studying history in college. There was a period of history called, "The Age of Enlightenment." Sounds good doesn't it. Basically, this was a time period during the 18th century in which people expanded their minds to think in new ways. The Arts and Sciences expanded greatly during this time to include things that were forbidden before. Reason became the guiding force instead of faith. This in turn fostered in an age of discovery in which many inventions and technologies developed. These periods of "evolution" are marked by many good things. New vaccines are developed, new appreciation for various forms of art developed, and many technological advances were gained that allowed for a better quality of life. In a parallel sense, destructive forces also gained a foothold. These included the advent and expansion of forms of destructive arts, music, and man's elevation to the place of God as the determining entity for future success. Various diseases, which did not exist previously also began to manifest. Humanism (man's quest to determine his own destiny) began to take a foothold in the educated world. It seems in the recent past, we, as a nation have had somewhat of another "Age of Enlightenment" as man depends more and more on his own humanistic devices to make the world a better place. With the advent of new and better gadgets, we have also seen a moral decay and lack of accountability to a determining authority and objective truth greater than ourselves. In short, as we became more enlightened as a society, we have moved further away from the truth of God.

Exposure to anything over a long period of time creates a desensitization to whatever is exposed. Even nature bears this out. When an antibiotic is used to treat a disease caused by a bacteria, over time, the bacteria develops a mechanism to "live comfortably with" the anti-biotic. The bacteria has become "immune" to the invader. As humans are exposed to various things in the world, we too develop a tolerance for them and learn to "live comfortably with" whatever those things are. If these things contain seeds of destruction, if we are not careful about our exposure, we began to live comfortably with them. Over time we become desensitized to these things and live comfortably with them. These things can be good or bad. How do we determine which is good and bad if we can "live comfortably" with both? This is where God's Word comes into play. I used to think that Pastor's made such a big deal about the Bible being the inerrant Word of God. Why is this so important to believe? Because without a belief in the "guidebook" (Bible), humanity is open to any and every type of deception. We cannot interpret the guidebook by our experience but rather must interpret our experience by the guidebook. Deception does not come at us and "announce himself" as being deception. By its very nature, deception is the act of appearing to be something that it is NOT. An example may be prudent here. If you see pictures of me now, you will clearly recognize that I am overweight. If I used Photoshop to "paste" a well-toned muscular body on to my head and my skill was great enough to make it blend in and I posted a picture of this TOMORROW, you would still recognize it as a "fake" because of the drastic change in my appearance in a very short period of time. If, however, I posted pictures daily of me working out with weights, used Photoshop OVER TIME to doctor my pictures with various stages of muscle, it would not be hard to make you believe that I have a "six pack" abdomen and am in excellent physical condition, although in reality I may still be overweight. The point is I am deceiving you "by degrees" or incrementally. I heard it said many years ago that if you place a frog in water and begin to boil the water, that the frog will stay in the water until it begins to boil and hence meet its demise. However, if you toss a frog in boiling water, it will immediately jump out due to the sudden recognition of the brevity of its situation (never tried it and it would be cruel to). This illustrates my point. Deception always happens in stages when it is deception on a large scale.  As acceptance of the deception becomes the norm, it also becomes the "enlightened" or "reasonable" perspective.

The days when I pastored a church were markedly different than things are today. Not just in the various types of technology we have, but also in the perception of the people that the gospel message has been proclaimed to. Let's go back even further. After the civil war in the United States, there was a marked focus on holiness among God's people. The process of sanctification and being "set apart" was stressed from pulpits across the land. The result was an outpouring of God's power due to a people who did not isolate themselves but DEVOTED (set aside themselves) in service to God. The focus has now shifted from service to God to God serving us. I've heard it said, "Tithe and God will give you blessings." Implied in this statement is the assumption that we are giving so that God serves us! How subtle the change but how dynamic the result! It was stressed that one's life was to be devoted to God! In today's world (I'm speaking to myself also!), to a large extent you cannot tell the difference between God's people and those who do not acknowledge God.

When I talk to my youngest children, the tolerance of things that are not Godly is very scary to me. It's as if the young people of today (even the so-called "millenniums") have been exposed to so much of the world, they espouse that to be Godly is to be accepting of everything and everyone. It is important to note that a lack of acceptance does not always correlate to "judging" another. Just because I don't accept something does not mean that I am judging a person for practicing it. Deception says that it is. Deception says that to take a stand on certain issues that God says are clearly wrong are being intolerant and therefore ungodly. How far from the truth this is! Where did this subtle change take place? How did it occur?

Could it be that we have far more exposure to the things of the world than we do the things of God? This may seem obvious to many but just how drastic is this shift? Look no further than network television. Things that plots are written about today would not have even been approached 40 years ago. Our current president even gave an award recently to one of the "ground-breaking" actors who spearheaded the shift in one of these areas. Dysfunction is touted as heroic on television and in movies. Deception is often masked as diversity in our slip down this slope. The only thing that is not tolerated is the truth, particularly when truth is absolute because it comes from our creator, God. When what we tolerate in our own lives and as a society is clearly contrary to what God says in His Word, we are in DECEPTION and at the mercy of the Architect of Evil, Satan.

I Love Video Games. But I must admit that video games have also taken that gradual shift down the road to deception. They desensitize us to violence (as does TV) and they also use up valuable time that could be spent in better "learning" activities. As I write this, keep in mind that I am not only speaking to others, I am speaking to myself. I play video games. But I must admit that this medium has also been used to take us further down the path to desensitivity. The themes and fantasy world are ripe with elements of the occult and dark arts in many video games. Are we naïve enough to think that these do not have some influence on those who play them?

Social Media (which is the avenue that I am using to get this blog entry out) has also been used as a medium of deception. The benefits have been touted. It does give us contact with those who live far away and allows us to "stay connected" in some way with others with whom we have some prior connection. However, it can also be an avenue to spread subtle forms of deception.

Remember Satan often runs his network of deception along the same lines that God uses to communicate His blessings (the way some pay-by-month phone companies use the networks of Verizon and AT&T). An example of this is the subject of sex. God created sex to be a wonderful form of connection to a person that you are bound to in a relationship of commitment that we call marriage. Satan also uses those same lines of sex for all manner of perversion and immorality.

As a society, we often tout ourselves as making progress. I have even heard over the past several weeks that we are now REGRESSING from the "progress" we have made over the last 20 years. I sure hope so. The reason I hope so is because I don't think it is progress. Rather, I think it is regression into deception. We may consider ourselves an enlightened people because of our gadgets, technology, and attitudes. However, "Enlightenment" does not always equate with progress. Just ask the first century Romans who suffered the demise of a great civilization after the hand of God was removed from their empire over their deception and condition of sin. Remember, there is a great Architect in this world (Satan) and the world's sense of "progress." Let us follow the Architect (God) whose Kingdom is not of this world. We are supposed to live in this world but not follow the same blueprint of this world. We already have a blueprint (God's Word). It hasn't changed for many centuries.

Musings of a Prodigal Son - Looking at the Forest and Not the Trees

I usually try to stay out of political discussions because, quite frankly, people get upset and a discussion of these things often breeds controversy. I feel that there are some important issues to consider as we vote for the next President of the United States as well as the other elected officials that will be leading us into the future. I have titled this entry, "Looking at the Forest and Not the Trees" because looking at the trees would make most people not even want to vote! Take a longer look at the forest. How is it shaping up? I am challenging myself and each of you to look at the forest through the lens of the Word of God.

I've heard many Christians say of this election "I am just gonna sit this one out." If anyone feels this way, they should reconsider this position. Don't forget, the freedom to elect our leaders is a blessing from God. Many people died to give us that right. If followers of Christ do not vote, we leave the electing of our public officials to those who are not seeking God. Much of the gradual decline of Christian Standards in our society is the direct result of lathargic Christian enclaves that have isolated themselves from the world, thinking that by isolating from the world, we could escape its degradation.

Two important points to consider. The first is that we, as followers of Christ, should align ourselves with what God says is truth. We should always do this to the best of our ability. This includes the process of choosing our leaders. If a prospective leader takes a stand on an issue that is contrary to the Word of God, we should in no circumstances vote for that person. God's Word for the Christian is determined by the Bible. It is God's Word. It doesn't contain God's Word, it is God's Word. Truth as the world sees it may change with the prevailing majority but God's truth has never changed. It is still the same. God's truth is not based on accepted norms, it is based on God's Word spoken through the Bible. Regardless of our opinions, we should see all leaders as human and subject to sin. There is something more important than our opinion of a prospective leader. There is their stance on various issues. Their true platform.

Let me mention one example to illustrate what I am saying. The Sanctity of Life is one of the issues that God is very clear on in His Word. God has always valued life. Any life. Every life. Not just the full-term pregnancy life. Life from its inception. Life begins in the mind of God. He said to the Psalmist, "I knew all of your parts when as yet there was none of them." He said to Jeremiah the prophet, "I knew you in the womb." The value of human life and the Sin of destroying it was truth when Roe vs. Wade was made a precedent by the Supreme Court in the early 1970s. Government sanctioned abortion is still a sin today.  When a candidate for office takes a stand against life, this is a clear indicator that they are not who we should be voting for.

There are other issues that God is very clear about in His Word that particular candidates are taking the opposite stance on. When a person aligns their agenda on the opposing side of God's Truth, they should not be voted for by followers of Christ. This is regardless of their experience and regardless of their personality or gender. Remember, WE ARE NOT VOTING FOR A PERSON, WE ARE VOTING FOR AN AGENDA. Many leaders both worldly and Godly are mentioned in the Bible. It is a rather interesting study to look at various Kings, Emperors, and Leaders throughout the Bible and their stands on things related to God and His Truth. Some of the most worldly leaders still allowed the Truth of God to be proclaimed and protected it as the standard by which other faith beliefs were measured (i.e. see Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel).

Many people vote for who they think can help the economy, who they think will give them the best chance of getting a raise, or even who their labor party or favorite group says to vote for. Many vote along ethnic or racial lines. Many vote along party lines. Christians should always be guided by a higher standard. That standard is the Word of God and Truth as defined by God. We should align with candidates whose agenda falls most in line with God's Truth. When looked at from this perspective, the choice becomes much clearer than trying to follow the "he said, she said" and personal attacks from various candidates. Look at their stance on various issues. Measure the Platforms and Agenda's of various candidate by God's truth

This election is important for many reasons but the foremost reason seems to be the potential of appointing five (5) justices to the United States Supreme Court. These justices are appointed by the acting President. This is indeed one of the most powerful tools in the hand of any acting President due to the fact that United States Supreme Court Justices are appointed for LIFE. They shape policy for sometimes generations. As the Supreme Court goes, so often goes our country. Very few Presidents have had the opportunity to appoint as many Supreme Court Justices as the next President will have.

I've read that no matter who wins this election, God is still on His Throne and Jesus is Lord. Praise God that this is true! However, we should do everything we can to align with the truth of God if we have any hope that God will continue to bless our great nation. The responsibility lies with each of us.

By all means we should:  Study. Look. Pray. Vote. We have to be very careful to "walk circumspectly (looking around), redeeming the time, for the days are evil (Ephesian 5:15-16)