What Matters Now?

Gadhafi, Qadafi, Moamer Kadhafi, Muammar Gaddafi,Qaddafi, or the nick-name President Reagan gave him, Mad-Dog.  I read that there were 112 ways to spell the Libyan dictator's name.  The linguistic wonder was even the subject of a Saturday Night skit. 
For over forty years the alphabet-soup ruler of the African nation reigned with absolute power.  His terror reached around the world, to Scotland, Germany, and Syracuse New York.  His palaces were huge, his wardrobe beyond even Elton John's.  In the "end" he was dragged out of a highway culvert and killed.
I put quotation marks around "end" because we know it isn't the end.  Hebrews 9:27 gives us the truth, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."
Gadhafi was known as a "Strong-man" here.  Before God he is weak.  Even at the end of his life he was surrounded by guards and servants.  Before God he will stand totally alone.  The only thing more varied and colorful than the Libyan dictator's name was his wardrobe, but before the Lord nothing will be covered.  Not only the deeds he has done, but the thoughts of his heart will be judged.
About a day yet to come John said, "I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.  
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."  (Revelation 20:12-15)

Some things you just can't avoid, no matter how powerful you are.

It's STTA.

I had just done the final burst on my Airdyne, so it may be that all the blood had gone out of my cranium, but I think I heard the news say that a majority of Americans thought we needed to rally around a hopeful message. "Amen!" says the oxygen deprived one.  But--and that is a big word right here--but, what do we hope for? All across America, right down to the little community where I live, it seems there is agreement on one thing.  We are in a mess.  Once you get beyond that generic observation, though, unity splatters like my wife's china bowl after I drop it on the ceramic floor.   

More laws.

Fewer regulations.

Tighten the borders.

Remember we are a nation of immigrants.

Free Trade!

Impose Tarrifs.

 

Occupy Wall Street or put them all in jail.

 

So for what do we hope?

I'm not encouraging civic lethargy, but if I might be so bold I'd like to give an answer I once heard from Curly Fine, of Three Stooges fame.  When asked if he was a Democrat or a Republican, I believe he answered, "Neither.  I'm a Pedestrian."  Our hope ought to not be based in what the government can do but in the way we walk, 

and that's where God's word comes in.  Scripture frequently gives instructions for walking in such a way that engenders legitimate hope.  Here is one example:  ". . . walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love. . . . just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;" (Ephesians 4:1-4)  

 

Let's rally 'round that hope.

It's STTA.

Here's hope:  http://covingtonbiblechurch.com/lifesmostimportant.html

My wife and I have lived in two houses for our entire 39 years of marriage.  Our first nine months were spent in a trailer between Clarks Summit, where I was finishing college, and Tunkhannock, PA--our church was near there.  I know the more accepted term is "mobile home," or "manufactured housing," but ours was a trailer, with the odd quirks associated with that kind of house.  Since then our home, remodeled almost constantly, has been at 2106 S. Carpenter Drive.  You might think that for folk who have avoided the American urge to move and/or build bigger and better that simplicity would come easily.  You would be wrong.  
My part of the garage is a paradigm for the rest of my life.  If someone had charted the clutter in my "shop" over the years it would probably look like a perfect up and down oscillation.  Clutter, just plain dirt, and disorganization will increase until it gets to be too much.  Then a cleaning, putting away, creating organizational solutions, and just getting rid of stuff binge will begin.  After that there will be a steady state of "Doesn't this look nice?" and "Doesn't this make your shop a more inviting place to work?" that will last for a few days or maybe weeks, before, "I don't have time to clean up." will cause the curve to inch upward again.  
My wife's mottos are "Simplify," and "Eliminate and Concentrate."  As is true about almost everything, I'd be far better off if I listened to her more.  
My head and heart need cleaning as well.  There are times when the clutter--and in my head the clutter doesn't even stay still; it swirls around--gets so great that it prevents regular, more important activity from progressing.
This morning my grandson helped me out.  

"Christianity is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread."  

What an uncluttering thought!
Sharp kid!

It's STTA.

BTW, you can find that bread here: http://covingtonbiblechurch.com/lifesmostimportant.html

Sure Could Use Some Good--even sensible--News:

As I often do, I started this morning by watching some news.  As usual, it was mostly bad.  This morning, though, a particular kind of badness struck me.  Country singer Hank Williams Jr. seemed more ready for football than to answer questions about the current political scene.  His answers were mostly mono-syllables, barely above grunts, though he did manage to link our president to Adolph Hitler.  Then we were given the benefit of Roseann Barr's careful analysis of the economy.  Everyone who earns more than $100 million--no doubt, a number arrived at after careful study--should give back the excess, or go to Cambodian style re-education camps, or, failing said re-education, be beheaded.  Is "demouthed" a word?
Then there was an enlightening series of interviews with the residents of a tent-village, who want to "take over Wall Street."  As near as I can tell none of them have any idea what they will do with the financial capital of our nation if they manage to seize it.  Perhaps watch Roseanne reruns, hang out with Rowdy Friends, and broadcast old Michael Moore movies?
I was about to despair of hearing not only good news, but any that actually made any sense, when the story of Josh Ripley helping a cross-country competitor came up.  

Lord, help me to live so as to help those in need, and to encourage those who search for good news like a thirsty man in the desert looks for water.  
Amen

It's STTA.

Can I really claim to be "Christian"?

Downs and Ups:

The conventional wisdom is that though the stock market may go down, it will come back up--eventually.  I heard that most folk who just left their money in stocks through the Great-Depression actually made money.  I'm in my Sixties.  My retirement funds, like many of yours, are in "funds" i.e. stocks.  I'm wondering if I'll live long enough to see the upturn.  With the Greeks threatening to have a "Going out of Business Sale" and pay creditors fifty-cents on the dollar, I heard that even gold was down this morning.  Since I don't personally have any gold to sell it really doesn't affect my fortune--or lack thereof--but it is another downer.  

Maybe it's just complacency, but I figure I can't really do anything about it, so I don't pay much attention.  I talked to a really sharp guy, recently, someone who was paying attention to markets and such.  Through shrewd investment he was able to grow a few hundred-thousand dollar nest-egg into something like nine hundred dollars and change.  That's right, less than $1K.  So, I'm hangin' on hopin' this rickitey roller-coaster bottoms out soon.

Something I do spend a good bit of time looking into--not near enough, but a lot.  Is God's grace.  It is up.  The prospects are great.  

I just read & reread, & read again, this about the Apostle Paul.  ". . . when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased [He]. . . reveal[ed] His Son in me."  (Galatians 1:15-16) 

I only claim kinship with the great Apostle in that both of us owe our eternal prospects to the same resource--God's grace.  God's grace is never in default, shortage, recession--single, double, or triple dip--or depression.  It is neither inflated, quantitatively eased, not deflated.  It's abundant supply in described by another commodity that is prolific, ". . . where sin increased, grace abounded all the more."  (Romans 5:20). 

As an old hymn puts it, "Grace that is greater than all my sin."

It's STTA.

Thoughts on 9/11, #5, Change that lasts:

Ten years ago in a well-planned series of terrorist attacks three-thousand people died.  Many others were wounded, widowed, or orphaned.  Still more gave their lives or had their lives drastically changed as a result of what took place as a result of those attacks.  The terrorism iss indefensible, and the carnage rightly moved Al Qaeda, and its leader Osama bin Laden, to the top of the "most-wanted list."

Still, in spite of all of that horror, as many of us look back from our vantage point a decade away, we see some good things that happened as a result of 9/11.  I've reviewed some of those positive responses over the past week and a half.  Unfortunately, the willingness to turn to God for answers, recognition of the reality and presence of evil, and the unity that that came after 9/11 were mostly gone by 10/11.  In my four decades of ministry I've observed the same phenomena many times.  Life will smack us hard--perhaps knock us to our knees--as a result we will make promises, vow to change, and even begin to walk a new path.  Generally, though, such "conversions" are temporary.  The speed with which we abandon these new ways is almost as great as the rapidity with which adopted the news way.

Peter makes a couple of very unflattering comparisons when talking about those who soon repent of their repentance:  "It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT," and, "A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire."  (2 Peter 2:22)  A dog does doggish things because it is a dog, and hog does hoggish things because it is a hog.  No amount of merely external activity, no matter how well-intentioned can change that.  On the other hand 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."
The difference has to do with whether anything has taken place at a heart-level, "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death." (2 Corinthians 7:10)  

If the circumstances of life drive you to change that change will likely be short-lived, but if you flee to Christ. . . .

It's STTA.