THEOLOGY

THEOLOGY

Sometimes I feel like a blind man being escorted through a museum by self-declared, know-it-all experts who are explaining, with unchallenged confidence, the nuance of color and light in the artwork, undetectable to me?! And, in the background I can clearly hear others who are contradicting their conclusions. And, some are even laughing?! Others are just getting angry. Surely, though, there is a master behind these pieces, reproductions, being discussed, since these pieces are only prints of originals!?  

The C's and A's opine endlessly.  The PM's and AM's rant and rave.  "I am of so-and-so; I am of him ..."

An old hymn comes to mind, "Open My Eyes"

https://youtu.be/ZYjr9CsqHvQ

2020 VISION

2020 VISION -- A prayer for the New Year.

(only once, in the history of mankind, will it be 20/20?! if you don't count BC?!)


Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” 
So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, 
the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.  2 Kings 6:17

Lord, in this new year, give us eyes to see, clearly, fully, joyfully ...

to see Your undeserved, unmerited, unconditional, incredible love.

to see Your sovereign power and control over the least detail and the most important.

to see Your care and concern for all, from least to greatest, from closest to farthest, from holiest to vilest.

to see Your "glorious little ones" Your "fiery flaming ones" the mighty myriads on the mountains around us, the charioteers ...

to see Your footsteps in the sand, Your whisper in the calm, Your peace in the storm.

to see the invisible, the joy and hope and love, that surrounds and infuses us.

to see the Babe, the Child in the Temple, the One walking on the sea, the compassionate Healer, ..., the crucified, risen Lord.

to see the Matthew-25 "least of these" ... and see the blessing to respond with a touch, a cup, a kindness.

to see Him who sits at your right hand, ever interceding and pleading for us, sinners saved by His sacrifice.

to see the Place being prepared, far beyond what has been seen or imagined. 

MALL OF CHRISTIANITY

I had a waking dream about the "Mall of Christianity"?!  You know, a shopping center you can walk around in, whether you buy anything, or not.  So, I went into the maze and stumbled around in wonder and confusion!

There were five or six Anchor Stores.  They were the biggest and main part of the mall.
1. Catholics. Oldest franchise in the mall, and proud of it!  Baroque atmosphere, pomp, aristocratic, bluebloods  But, why were they playing "Mother, may I?". Not a lot about Jesus?!   There seemed to be a lot of Mexicans there too?!  I would have expected to see more Italians and Irish.  I guess they were at a different mall.  It is an interesting place.
2. Calvinists. Weird place.  Terminator-Borg-AI atmosphere?! Robots checking to see if they were model E or D?!  Cold as hell in there.  Staff really unfriendly about answering any questions.  A lot about the sovereignty of God, but little about the loving Savior?!  It was kind of stuffy in there?!
3. Charismaniacs.  They had several sections in the store, but they were a lot alike.  House of distorted mirrors with smoke blowing, and with the Joker and the Medusa pastoral couple running around?!  A lot of lip about tongues, and the "Holy Ghost" -- but little about the Head, Jesus the Son of God.  I walked around in there for a while, but left shaking my head.
4. Community-Churches-R-Us.  Loud. Flashy. Avant-garde.  Songs that were "7-11" and little depth.  There were a lot of sheep, but many had been stolen?!  A lot of shoppers in there.

(They all had guards to keep out the others, or maybe to keep in their own?!)

5. Orthodoxs. Not sure about them. Never went in. Foot doctors?! Orthopaedic surgeons?!  Just kidding.  They seemed a lot like the first place I went through?!
6. Copts. Old franchise, but another place not well known to me. Maybe they are "Hellycopts"?! Ha!  I peeked in the door, but walked on by.

Many small shops selling their speciality.  The smaller stores can be quite personal, but often peculiar.
1. Seventh-dayers.
2. KJV-ONLYers
3. End-of-worlders
4. Vegans
5. Essential-oilers
6. ...

Shoppers seemed bewildered.  Some were there just to visit, or exercise. 

Down on one end was an interesting group.  The Salvation Army was feeding homeless folks and running a thrift store?!

Nearly empty parking lot.  Most stores empty.  Food court was busy though!

I got a coffee and sat at the edge of the food court, just watching desperate derelicts walk into the Salvation Army Store looking for a sandwich, I guess.

THE HOWL OR THE HORN

Distracted and distraught, detoured into the darkness, in the distance can be heard a deep, gutteral growl.  They are out there, howling in the night.  One can almost see their fire red, glowing eyes.  When the wind is wrong, if you know what to sense, you can almost smell their foul odor.

Are they tracking me? Or, are they herding me into a dead end alley?  Or, are they baiting me into some pit?  They are hard to predict!  But, they are there!

Some are drawn to their cruel caterwauling.  Many let morbid curiousity lure them away, never to be seen again.  A few come back, mauled and mangled, with fear forever deep in their eyes.

It is bad enough that I have gotten myself into this predicament.  But, there are others following me!  Where did I make a misstep?  Where did I take a wrong turn?  How did we get here?!

In the distance, I hear the blare of the herdsman's horn!  We will go that way!  Listen.  There it is again.  Go that way, toward safety and shelter and security!  O, the tone of that ram's horn!  So familiar. So unforgettable.  So faithful!  Run to that saving sound!  Everybody, listen for the shofar!  Mashiach messages!  The Saviour is sounding our salvation!

https://youtu.be/9ht0ailWQf8

BETWEEN APES and ANGELS

Here we are, Lord! Somewhere between the apes and the angels. But even the angels rebelled?! The apes, they are oblivious to their Creator.  What are we to do?

Damn our degeneration; we have decided that we are evolved barely above the apes. And we have forgotten that we were created only a little lower than the angels.  Honestly, it seems to me, that we just want to leave You out of the equation?!

Worse, it really seems that we have slipped in the pecking order!?  We act worse than the monkeys!  It is an insult to them to say "we are behaving like animals".

We are lost in this deep darkness below.  The jungle canopy is so thick, we can't even see the light above. Maybe, if we were to climb up in the trees we could catch a glimpse of the stars?  But, it has been so long and they seem so far away.

I guess we will just roam around here on the jungle floor.  It's a little muddy, but there is plenty to eat.  The bugs are kind of bad though.  Some of us still do howl into the darkness listening for an answer.  But all that is heard is an echo.  Except, sometimes there seems to be a roar way off in the distance?!

DESTINATION END OF THE LINE

Will we like it when we get there?  We are headed to a place very different than where we are leaving.  All will be different.  Landmarks will be upturned and toppled and removed.

The men will be indistinguishable from the women.  The women will be as hard as any vicious man that ever breathed.  Family will die.  Music will be replaced by disharmonious noise.  Joy will disappear.  Anger will be our primary emotion.  We will save the trees but cities will bulge with filth.  Faith will die.  Hope will disappear.

Can we turn back?  Maybe.  But, we are picking up speed in a downhill freefall.  We will stop when we run over the edge or crash at the bottom of the pit.

But, we are laughing and squealing, for now, dancing naked and drunk on the long, black train.

I see faces outside the window, screaming with urgency, "get off!"  Gotta get off this train!  I see some who are struggling up the hillside along the track.  Lord, send angels to show the way out!

The Ides of Jesus

I'd with You always and ever be.

Hide me safely beneath Your wing.

Abide with me even through the valley.

Lied have I, so often, about nearly everything.



Denied You and cursed and sworn "not known".

Cried, did I, weeping over such failure.

Died, on that Cross, despite being left all alone.

Wide, spread they Your arms, Your love is so sure!



Side, was pierced,  life giving blood flowing down.

Tried, did I, to follow, loyal to the death?!

Shyed, away, shrinking, and slipping around.

Spied, piercing glance, me cowardly, holding my breath.



Bride of the Son, all dressed in white?!

Dryed, are all my tears, gone is the "damn".

Fried, would have been, for me, the old Snake's spite.

Vied for my soul, the Shepherd sought this lamb!



Pryed from the grip of all the hissing fiends of Hell.

Ride on to glory; ever let loud praises to His name swell!

MODERN DICTIONARY EDITS

MODERN DICTIONARY EDITS

some changes in our dictionaries need to be made if we are going to continue to evolve.

1.      "NORMAL" -- this word should be removed.  There is no such thing as normal.  It is all about personal preferences.  And, the cognate, "ABNORMAL" must definitely be expunged from daily usage, and from all databases, spellchecks, etc.  One more thing, it is offensive to many; so, there is a town in Illinois that will just have to change its name from "NORMAL" to something less judgmental and more inclusive, maybe "TOLERENT" Illinois?!  And, another thing, “NORMAL INSTITUTE”?!  agh!  Teachers, of all people, should know better!  Furthermore, there may need to be some work done in mathematics and statistics.  Really?  The world is more about “standard deviation” than “normal distribution”.

(below is a preview and sample of more words that need discussion and deletion)

2.      "NEFARIOUS" will definitely have to go.  Also ... "PERVERSION" and other such archaic concepts ... such words are products of an unenlightened age of humanity.  Our words define and deform us.

3.      "SIN" obviously has to go.  It has no place in a modern vocabulary. (and, any cognates, such as "SINFUL" or the verb form "SINNING" ...

4.      "HOLY" in any form ("HOLINESS" or "UNHOLY") absolutely must be stricken from the dictionary.

5.      "GOD" can still be used, but only to strengthen "DAMN" ... but certainly with no real reference to any deity. (oops, another one?)

Somehow, I suspect that others are way ahead of me on this project?!  Maybe I should organize a house to house collection and destruction of unedited dictionaries?

SPINNING

SPINNING

Out of control, whirling from a hydroplaned wet road.
Swirling through time, barely aware of our start or destination?!
Twirling through the air, attempting a flip from the high dive.
This orb, circling, around its center, around its star, within a galaxy spinning within this universe?!
My head is spinning.  Show me the Center, the Source, the End.

1O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.

3When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

5Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.

6You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under his feet,

7all sheep and oxen,

and also the beasts of the field,

8the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,

whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

(Psalm 8)

THE WALK TO SCHOOL

THE WALK TO SCHOOL

School is a very good place,
but it's a bit of a walk to get there.
I look straight ahead, just in case.
Been warned,  "of side streets, beware..."

Some of my friends like to "skip"!?
Not sure why or where they all go.
Again, " straight there" was my Dad's tip.
But, friends whisper, "you just don't know!"

What's down those side streets, dark alleys?
My friends seem happy, and none the worse?!
The mountains are nice, but what's in the valleys?
I'm growing tired of "book, chapter and verse"

I glance, only seldom, down the detours.
But, lately it seems to be more often.
The sights and the sounds have their allures.
"Just once will not hurt, but never again"?!

Where did the time go, slipping away?!
I have learned so much that I'd like to forget!
I just dropped out, sometime back in the day.
Now I cannot even remember what I regret?!

The school bells now no longer ever ring.
Some kids may be home schooled, I guess?!
The side streets have not taught me one good thing.
Unless, it's that I have been on a fool's quest.

God, wake me up, from this nightmare!
How else will I ever escape from dark despair? 

THE WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY -- Part 2

THE WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY -- Part 2

You know this story!  Judgemental hypocrites mercilessly using a trashy woman to trap the "prophet of love, grace and mercy." 

Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her."  And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"  She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."  John 8:2‭-‬12 ESV

What you may NOT know is "the rest of the story" -- what happened after Jesus told the woman that He did not condemn her, but she should "sin no more..."

Unbelievably, the woman jumped up from the ground, and got nose to nose with Jesus, furious.

"What do you mean by that?!  Who do even think you are?!  You must think you are God himself?!"

Jesus just calmly looked at her, lovingly stretching out his hand to her shoulder, to calm her.

"No!  Don't you touch me!  You are no better than that group that dragged me out here.  There's absolutely NOTHING wrong with me!  I love everybody.  Those men have wives who are cold bitches!  They come to me for warmth, understanding, sympathy, love -- all those things that you preach!  You are just a self-righteous bigot, just like them!  You people, cold and demanding, are the "sinners" who need to stop.  Stop your demanding, legalistic, sexaphobic self-righteousness!  There is nothing wrong with my loving lifestyle!  Any synagogue that bars me is not of God.  You people can take me the way that I am, the way God made me, or you can just kiss me goodbye; and that is putting it politely!"

And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Jesus turned, sadly, and walked away, mumbling, "Father, forgive them.  They do not know what they are doing..."

Holiness.  Contrition.  Repentance

God, have mercy on us!

THE MUCK

THE MUCK

Stuck.
Yuk!
Bad luck?!

Or, a swan digging in the mud like a duck?
An eagle, now scratching with a "cluck, cluck"?!
What lures you into the " muck"?
Some, it is just their next f***.
Others, it is betting on Lady Luck.
It might be a shiny new boat or new truck.
A needle, a snort, or some other dope you snuck.
Whatever it is, now you are stuck!
That sinking hopelessness really does suck?!
Those demons are laughing and squealing and running amok!

O, Jesus, come down, from this misery me pluck!
Raise me up to the place from where I was struck.
Restore in my heart the joy lost in the muck.

REJECTED AND IGNORED

REJECTED AND IGNORED

Ever been rejected by a sweetheart? 

Remember the burn, the crush, the rejection, the humiliation, the dejection, the frustration?

It happens on many levels:
"Get some coffee?"   "No."
"Date?"   "No."
"Go steady?"   "No."
"Marry me?"    "No."
"Stay?"    "No."
"Come back?"    "No."

Jesus is choosing you.

Rejection hurts.
Breaking His heart?!

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20 ESV

https://youtu.be/sfLZGMKLhqs

just a footnote --

Other suitors will come along.

https://youtu.be/wZmiou7BI3I

THE PAIN

Impunity is an illusion.
Elusion is a delusion.
Wild oats will sprout.
One reaps what is sown.
Blood will cry from the ground.
Mercy!
May my heart never harden beyond sensitivity to Your touch.
May my conscience never scar beyond recognition of Your voice calling me home.
Thank You for pain.
Praise You for the nauseous gut.
Never let me go.
Show yourself to be merciful and mighty!
Forgive me!
Overwhelm me with the peace of your presence.
The devouring horde has done its due.
Restore the beauty; replace the squandered.
Rise up and show us your glory!

DIFFICULTY

DIFFICULTY

With difficulty there is deliverance.
With difficulty there is discipline.
With difficulty there is design!
God is doing something, good!

Praise Him?!
Curse Him?!
Thank Him?
Doubt Him?

BOWL OF BEANS

BOWL OF BEANS

Fornication
Porn
Sports
Outdoors
Toys
Drugs
Alcohol
Travel
Hobbies
Power
Position

...

29Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) 31Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” 32Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.  (Genesis 25)

12Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.  (Hebrews 11)