L - M - R

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L – M – R

(left, middle, right)

                Another generation is taking center stage.  One is nearly gone; another is fading away; and yet another, younger, is sitting on the sidelines watching.  But, another one, the parents of the sideliners, is taking front and center.  These are the 30-somethings.  They are not only the center of attention, but, every generation defines themselves as the center, in many other ways.

                My parents’ generation, the generation that fought world wars, gave so much of themselves, is disappearing rapidly.  Worse, their values are disappearing even more so!  Then, I look to the generation of my children, and they have seemingly shifted way to the left.  My parents lived in a time of “blue laws” and hard work.  It was “no beer” and “no queers” for them.  My children live in a time of diversity and moderation.  (such nice-sounding ideas)  For them it is “liqueur” and “lesbians”.  Maybe there is less racism, but there is, IMHO, more darkness.

                Sure, there is a fine line between being judicial and being judgmental.  We seemingly swing between lawless, loving, and legalistic.  The song says that you must stand for something, or you will fall for anything.  The Moral Argument (for the existence of God) makes a strong appeal for certainty.  But, we keep moving the boundaries and redefining the rules.  The prophets pronounced woes on landmark-movers; and the rebuked moral-re-definers who called right wrong, and wrong right.

                THE prophet, Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, warned us about specks and logs; and, He contrasted dropping stones and throwing stones.  Yet, he calls us to be “perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.”  Yet, seemingly Jesus was more about scribbling in the sand, than drawing lines.  (but, He then told her to stop?!)  He did not come to destroy the Law, but rather to fulfill it, a law that will not  bring righteousness, anyways!  But, this law should humble us into acknowledgment of sinfulness and into petition for mercy and grace.

                We so easily and quickly rationalize, twisting and distorting to our own destruction.  As quickly, we must tremble (and maybe even squirm/cringe?!) before the Holy One of Israel.  Like Isaiah, we need the angel to fly with the coal-laden tongs!  We need the washing from the fountain filled with the Lamb’s precious blood!

                God, have mercy on us!  Will the next generation move to a further extreme, or pendulum back to the Center?  Thank God for the “middle-man”!

K.O.’d?!

K.O.’d?!

                If you “knock-out game” me but I get up with a .38 and shoot you and your pack of thugs, then who really wins?!  It is a sad day when targeting the elderly becomes a thrill game.  Some punk sucker-punches some innocent senior oblivious to the threat, and feels as if he is something.  What is wrong with us?!  I was researching this cultural phenomenon and ran into a story about a 60-something widow being knocked down, but not out, by such a group, who then rolled over pulling a pistol out of her bag.  She had been mugged one time too many!  She got up and they went down.

                “The last-man-standing” is a WWE contest.  Several wrestlers are put into a caged arena.  They go at it with no rules and no holds barred.  In the end, one man, who refuses to stay down, is declared the winner.  You lose only if stay down.  Bloodied, dizzy warriors keep getting up to their feet and trudging back into the fray.

                There is a scene in the movie, “Gandhi,”  where the local protesters, at a British salt plant, in rows of 4-5, column after column, in determined, passive resistance, get the crap beat out of them; but, the next row steps up to take their beating.  Eventually the guards, in shame and embarrassment, quit caning them.  And, later, the British peacefully left India!

                “Saul, get and go to town… I will tell you what I have for you to do!”  “Peter, do you love me?  Go feed my sheep!”  You fail only if you stay down.

                There has been a cosmic cat fight!  The “roaring lion” and “the Lion of Judah” tied up with fur flying and blood running.  Down went the Lion of Judah.  For three days Hell roared in victory.  But, the L.J. eye opened; his ear perked up; a guttural growl moaned from his cold throat.  Then, he rolled up on his paws, looked around with a contemptuous glare, and let out a roar that sent scrambling for cover all the minions of darkness.

                And, I will get back up!  When I fail, I will get back up.  When my body, at last fails, I will get back up.  Death will not get the last word!  Get back up!

A GLORIOUS GLIMPSE

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A GLORIOUS GLIMPSE …              

                This time of the year, Christmas, when believers celebrate the first advent, the coming of the Christ child, one can almost see another world.  The carol, “…do you see what I see …” fills radio waves and echoes in one’s mind.  There is a heavenly hint, a glorious glimpse of an unseen realm of peace, love, hope, faith … the world He intended for us in the first place.

                In this dark world, The star of Bethlehem still twinkles the hope of a better world.  Like the shepherds, do we hear the angels’ heralding?  Like the wise men, the magi, do we follow the light of the star in the East?!  Do we run to the manger to behold Him?  Do we follow whatever light we can see?  Sadly, we cannot always see it, hear it, seemingly.  When we do, we best get up and follow!

                I suppose all of us, as followers of the Christ, experience mountain tops and also valleys, heights and depths, highs and lows; sometimes, even dark caverns.  But, rarely, far too seldom, we soar to the heights and catch a gleam of glory bright.  Those hallelujah moments, to me, are rare and precious.  Maybe this is because more would blind one’s eyes or melt one’s wings?!  But, with blinded eyes we can truly see and clipped wings keep us home.

                To attempt to reduce this to pen and paper is futile, IMHO.  It cannot be captured, seemingly.  It can only be enjoyed, like a sunset, too soon darkened.  So, I suppose, I will just hum to myself, “O, holy night …”  and wait, expectantly,  for the indiscernible insights.  Merry Christmas.

Dumbledore’s Wink

Dumbledore’s Wink

(re-watching Harry Potter with the wife…)

                Harry avoided Slytherin and was sorted to Gryffindor.  As he sat down beside Ron, and across from Hermione, he received a warm welcome from upperclassmen.  Then he looked up at the table on the stage, and smiled as Dumbledore affirmingly and affectionately nodded and winked in his direction.  And, the story begins.

                As I walked across the podium, after three long years of toil, study, research, prayer, and meditation, I reached with my left hand for the diploma, and with my right hand to accept congratulations from the Dean, Harold Hazelip, my mentor and favorite professor.  He shook my hand and hugged my neck as he handed me the paper so long desired.  But, he whispered, “Jerry, I did not think I’d ever see you here…”  I pulled back in shock; and, he just grinned.  (I have sometimes wondered if Hazelip often said such things, or if I was just special?!)

                One day, soon enough, we will all stand before the Throne for the sorting ceremony.  Will we be sorted with the Slitherings?  Will the head-table smile, or sadly turn away?  Or, will the Lamb whisper, “… thought you’d never make it…”?!

Be warned,

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’   (Matthew 7:21-23- NIV)

But, also know that …

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 1:6 - NIV)

And,

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”  (Matthew 25:34 - NIV)

THE DOUGHBOYS -- or, a Biscuit Parable

THE DOUGHBOYS

Or,  a Biscuit Parable

                His kids jumped into the pile of biscuits and squealed with delight!  It was such fun to leap from the second floor into the large pile of leftovers.  It seemed like such a waste; but, the birds enjoyed the crumbs later.  Surely it was a good idea to help feed the birds?!  After all, “God feeds the birds …”

                Unknown to the children, at least the younger, naïve ones, outside their world rolling in dough, there existed so many who would gladly have eaten the crumbs.  There never seemed to be enough to eat in their homes.  There always seemed to be ten at the table and only nine biscuits.  Mama just creatively cut up the biscuits, or made them a little smaller.  But, the biscuit collector insisted that his biscuit be no less than four inches in diameter and one inch thick.  You really did not want to make him mad.  He might take two!

                Occasionally, his children would grow bored with jumping in the biscuits and would throw them at each other, instead.  It was sort of like dodge doughball.  It seemed like a fun game; but, sometimes they would accidentally throw a biscuit, errantly, over the fence.  He would be furious.  What if the outsiders were to find one of the biscuits and investigate?  He had heard of biscuit rebellions.

                He would sometimes think about the biscuit inequity; but, would reason to himself that giving back the biscuits would accomplish little.  It would mean that each family only got one extra bite of biscuit.  They waste more than that, surely?!  And, his kids so enjoyed the biscuit games.  It is just the way that it is.  He certainly did not want them to be unhappy, or go without.

                Every once in a while, he would have a biscuit give-away.  It made him immensely popular with the outsiders.  It made him look so generous.  And, it kept the outsiders from thinking ill of the insiders.  After all, they would give them extra biscuits that they would not have otherwise.  Any talk of problems with the biscuit-collectors was quickly hushed by the biscuit-munching hoards.  They did not want to upset the biscuit give-away.

                The insiders even started a club where they promised to give away half of their excess biscuits.  Outsiders were giving them so many extra biscuits, that it only seemed right to give half of them back, somehow, someway.  It is a good thing that the outsiders are giving away so many biscuits so that they can join the doughboy club.  It is just another good reason for the way things are.

                So, tonight, many will sit down and enjoy almost enough biscuit.  They are thankful for almost enough.  And, what is enough, anyways?  And, we do not want to get too fat.  Maybe we need to take a biscuit to the little old man next door?

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?” (Matthew 25:37 - NIV)