Convictional Relativism

We live in a perilous age of religion where relativism is a dirty word and everyone has their own ideals as to what is right and what is wrong across the board when it comes to the precepts of Christian liberties. Perhaps it wouldn't be so disturbing if it stopped there, but for most that is simply not an option. For most, cordial dialogue of the ideals of God and what He would for His beloved are simply non negotiable and certainly not up for discussion. Lately I've seen and heard more than my fair share of words that supposedly were meant to edify the body and correct a wayward brother or sister, while they've come across as unwholesome and domineering.

I have and always will reject the idea of relativism, but when used in the context that sets it subservient to Absolute Truth and has it's action based in personal conviction and the calling of the Spirit, I've got to rethink the proposition. Perhaps it's just the definition that needs reworking when used in this manner. After all, relativism is defined as the theory that truth is an ethical relative to the individual or group that holds it. If, when used in the proposed context and keeping in mind that it's conviction rather than truth that's an ethical relative to the individual, than I don't see where there could not exist the idea of a convictional relativism under the unchangeable banner of Absolute Truth.

These words may have seemed foreign to our forefathers, but I can't help but think that the concepts have been there from the beginning. Paul addresses issues such as these in many of his epistles which remain to serve as guidance to us today. Oh that we would have learned from the mistakes of our history rather than stumble in like manner.

4Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God's welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.
5Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience.
6What's important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God's sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you're a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli.

Romans 14:4-6

I've been continually amazed at the ability that some seem to have when it comes to gauging the convictions of conscience of another. It would be one thing if I were speaking of sin or something unlawful, but I'm not. It appears that some would have convictions of conscience be something that is shared by the majority, rather than something that is deeply ingrained into the personal relationship of the individual believer.

On the other hand, if a man is comfortable in his decision for a single life in service to God and it's entirely his own conviction and not imposed on him by others, he ought to stick with it.

I Corinthians 7:37

Paul continues to stress the importance of one's own conviction rather than following the impositions of others. Guilt has been and continues to be one of the most powerful weapons that we've got at our disposal. To use it may be all together tempting, but has got to be gravely immoral.

Discernment continues to be a most valuable commodity within the Christian community and one that is in most desperate need of mining and honing if we're to be the people that God's called us to be. We've wielded the devastating weapon of guilt for far too long. Hold fast to Truth as you seek to honestly discern the true convictions of conscience that allows all the rights and freedoms as slaves to Christ should.

The Ultimate Bachelor

I usually don't watch the stuff. I normally either end up sacking out on the couch with Cam or retiring to another room to read. Not tonight. Tonight I watched.

For those of you who don't know it, my wife is a reality tv junkie. She can't get enough of that crap. I could normally care less about it. As she watched tonight's episode of The Bachelor, I sat in amazement. The amazement to see the depths that some would go to to advance or achieve or win or whatever their end goal is. There were no lines that they wouldn't cross, nor punches that they would pull in this all out race for the attention of this moron.



As the show ended, I sat dejected as I knew that I'd never get that hour back. I think that I even have digressed as a human being for being privy to the whole train wreck. I thought about even having to pray for forgiveness for my backsliding. That was until I had this thought.

It seems to me that The Bachelor may have a lot to say about religion and our seeking for God. The whole human exsistence usually ends up boiling down to man seeking something greater than himself. Religion wants to tell us that its found it. The it is the Ultimate Bachelor.

The rest of the show (life), is then spent in seeking the favor of this Ultimate Bachelor. Some would do this at the expense of all others. The Baptist think they're better looking than the Catholics, the Catholics think that they're personality is better than the Methodist, the Methodist think that they're a better match with the UB than the Lutherans, and on, and on, and on into infinity.

We then spend the rest of the show jockeying for position with the UB by trying to elbow out the others, slamming their character or doing just whatever it takes to get them out of the picture. The tricky thing on this show is that it's not as blatantly obvious & it is a much more subversive thing because we always do or say these things under the pretenses of 'love'.

The thing that blows my mind is that this is not reality tv & as a matter of fact this is not even reality. All who belong to the UB will get their rose. There are none that will be left out, unless they never knew Him to begin with. Unfortunately, at that great rose ceremony there will be some to which He will say to depart, for 'I never knew you'.

So guys, please, please, if you know the UB you've got your rose! Chill! Let's get concerned with those who don't. Let's show that we know Him by reaching down for those that don't. The Rose of Sharon is the only one of worth.

KOTH: Westie Side Story #6

All Jesus did that day was tell stories--a long storytelling afternoon.

Westie Side Story #6 (rank #27) 3/2/1997



Laotians Kahn and Minh Souphanousinphone and their daughter Connie move into the house next door to Hank. Hank and Kahn take a dislike to each other, but Peggy makes Hank go to Kahn's barbecue, for fear that people will think Hank is a racist for not liking Kahn. Meanwhile, Bobby and Connie lose Hank and Kahn's dogs, and when Hank finds that the dogs are missing, he believes that Kahn and Minh used them to make their hamburgers at the barbecue.

Quotes:

"You honor me by giving me gas." --

Khan Souphanousinphone, reluctantly accepting a gift of propane from Hank.

Hank: "So are you Chinese, or Japanese?"
Khan: "I am Laotian."
Hank: ".....so are you Chinese, or Japanese?"
Hank: "Are you Chinese or Japanese?"
Khan: "I lived in California for last 20 years, but I am Laotian."
Bill: "You come from the ocean?"
Khan: "No, stupid. I come from Laos. A small country in Asia. Population 4.8 million."
Hank: "So are you Chinese or Japanese?"

Minh (trying on Peggy's shoes): "Hey, I'm like little girl in Mamma's shoes!"

Hank: "Look at this recipe. It says a quarter pound chopped meat, not chopped dog."
Dale: "Dog is meat."

Hank: "Oh, I get it, just because I'm from Texas I must be a redneck... Chinese and their damn stereotypes."

Minh: "Hello, dog pound?" (Hank looks over) "I'm looking for dog. Sweet, sweet dog. We had big barbecue and dog run out. About 20 to 25 pounds."
Minh: "Hello, dog pound?" (Hank looks over) "I'm looking for dog. Sweet, sweet dog. We had big barbecue and dog run out. About 20 to 25 pounds."

(furious about the jokes Minh made about how big her feet are)
HANK: Oh, she was just kidding, honey.
PEGGY (enraged): It... it doesn't matter. You-you don't go over to a woman's house and insult her feet. You-you just don't.
PEGGY: Do... do you think my feet are too big, Hank?
HANK: Oh no, sweetie. There's... there's just more of you to love.
(Hank takes a step closer and he and Peggy are a good 12 inches apart)
PEGGY: Ow.
(HANK looks down and realizes he stepping on her huge feet)
HANK: Oh, sorry.

Bobby:So,your name is Kahn Jr.?
Connie:Yeah. My dad wanted a boy.
Bobby:Yeah, my dad did too.

Analysis:

Stereotypes run a muck in this episode. Instead of being able to overcome them & form a friendship with Kahn, Hank succumbs to them & allows them to form hatred out of ignorance. Relationships aren't to be taken lightly & the Bible has much to say about those between neighbors.

"Don't secretly hate your neighbor. If you have something against him, get it out into the open; otherwise you are an accomplice in his guilt.

"Don't seek revenge or carry a grudge against any of your people. "Love your neighbor as yourself. I am GOD.

Anyone who injures his neighbor will get back the same as he gave: 20fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. What he did to hurt that person will be done to him.

Stereotypes lead to labels which become powerful in the grand scope of things. Labels allow us to not only dismiss individuals, but whole people groups. Labels are multi-purposeful as they can cause division between races, cultures, genres & unfortunately believers.

Rather than being the body of Christ that we are called to be, we often lay scattered in pieces, non-functional & unable to serve as we should. The greater good is lost when we aren't able to think transformationally about the seamless garment that we should be. This is not new however.

You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts--limbs, organs, cells--but no matter how many parts you can name, you're still one body. It's exactly the same with Christ. 13By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain--his Spirit--where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves--labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free--are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.
14I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge. It's all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together.

We should be able to draw hope from how the episode ends. Hank & Kahn finally find commonality in the disciplining of their children, albeit serendipitously. Almost at blows the moment before, both men are able to see a little of themselves in the other and part cordially.

We too should be willing to strive with 1 another to find the commonality from which we are able to see ourselves in another. What better commonality than the Lordship of Christ? I know of none.

If You Could Only See

On the way to work tonite I heard a song that I hadn't in a while. A fancied it quite a bit when it 1st came out & enjoyed the ride as those memories associated with this little diddy ran through my soul for old times sake. This time it played was different than the times before when I sung along with the chorus. I don't mean that the song was different, but that I am.

I'd been thinking a lot about love recently and how it's revealed or not in our lifes. There are so many different ways that love is displayed, that it took me a while to discover that what I originally thought was love was not & where I thought love lacked it actually abounded. This wasn't love's fault, but rather mine for being narrow-minded and not willing to think critically.



The song was If You Could Only See by Tonic & I'm not sure if you're familiar with it, but the chorus looks like this:

If you could only see the way she loves me
Then maybe you would understand
Why I feel this way about our love
And what I must do
If you could only see how blue her eyes can be when she says
When she says she loves me

The big difference when I hear this now is that where once I thought of a love based on a human desire for another and how we interpret the relational aspects of it, I see a love based on a human desire for Love and how we interpret the relational aspects of it. I can't help but continue to wonder how we can have so many who claim to love Love & have just about as many different perspectives as to how this Love is to be displayed in 1's life. Or better yet, why some have such an issue with the way another acts in relation to this Love.

It happens on both ends of the spectrum and it seems that there remain very few that aren't critical when it comes to this Love affair. Some are critical, including me from time to time, of those in that sappy kind of reaction to Love. Some get offended by those they consider to be disrespectful of Love, because they don't act/look/talk like them.

To me, that's where the words kick in...

if you could only see the way He loves me
then maybe you would understand
why I feel this way
and what I must do
if you could only see

If we could only see the way He loves us & understand that our reaction to that love is not always the same, yet it's not any less real. I love my wife & I like to call her my old lady. That offends a lot of women that I know, but it doesn't offend the only 1 that matters to me. What is it to another what I call my wife?

The next time you get the urge to call your brother or sister cheesy or lame or rebellious or whatever, don't. Try to think about if you could only see the way that He loves them & not you. They're not the same. Thank God for that.

2 beers

I was a frat boy in college majoring in beer when I first met Chuck. He was pylortes for the ey chapter of TKE's @ Northwestern State U. A fairly private guy, but 1 that was willing to let you in if you wanted. Since our job as plebs was to get the sig of every active on our leather, we naturally all wanted.

Chuck was elusive tho. He would never sign on your 1st request, but instead left you with something to scratch your head & spark your interest. He'd tease at 1st by taking the leather, as if to sign, but would rather flip it over & write "2 beers" on the back.

2 beers?

What in the hell's that supposed to mean?

Chuck would just grin & walk away. After he'd let you wiggle for a bit he'd finally relent & let you in on the plan. He spoke in shadows, making it necessary to lean in tight, just so you could have a chance to hear what came next.

We'll talk tonite...bring 2 beers.

I still didn't get it. I thought I did, but I was wrong. At first I thought that this was just another active ploy to make our life's hell or better yet, Chuck just counted the plebs & knew that this was just an easy way to restock his cooler, 2 beers @ a time.

So there I stood. 2 beers in hand. 1 more sig to be attained, bringing me that much closer to initiation, becoming an active & best of all, the end of this very literal pleb hell.

I won't lie & say that I remember the dialogue, the day or the hour. Matter of fact, I don't remember anything about the encounter at all. Time has seen fit to erode away all of that shore, but I will tell you what I do remember & what makes me write.

Communion.

Pure & simple.

Turns out the beers were for us to share, but that wasn't the only ingestion. We left the pretenses of position behind & spoke without inhibition as we got to know each other. Chuck simply wanted to know me, the real me & hopefully the real reasons that I wanted to be a TKE. I didn't get it then, but just as obvious as the lines on this screen, I do now.

This leads me here, to which begs this question.

If I've got so many brothers, which I do, why don't I know them as well as my heart longs to? Why the awkward fumblings & lack of relevant dialogue? Why all the mental gymnastics of trying to say something clever, yet w/spiritual application in regards to every subject? Or better yet, why the total disregard of the Spirit's call to model something God's way, by transformational thinking, that could make it possible for less unseen snares for the 1's that follow?

I've got a crazy idea for a Christian drinking club. It harkens back to the olden days when men went to the pub to lift a few ales & speak of theology. It's not about thumbing our nose @ the devil by imbibing his products, but simply reclaiming something for God that was unduly abandoned.

I've heard moderation preached, but I don't know if I can honestly say that I've seen it practiced. Imagine the impact that this could have. It would take some time & doing, but I can't help but get excited over the possibilities.

I know some will scream, but I can't help but think that they're merely reacting as those disposed of power by the revealing of their piosity. This weren't the 1st & won't be the last. When the cost of their sacrifice by abstinence is tallied, will they find it equal to the price of the property, or will they lay with Ananias & Sapphira?

I personally don't care. I want to do what's right. I want to model Authenticity for my kids by the pleasing of my Lord.

I don't care to give life to imaginary beings fat on Corinthian meat by my abstaining. My heart tells me that this is luke warm. This denies the powerful stripes that bought my Health.

Of course, there'll be a 2 drink maximum. Sounds a bit legalistic, but we've got to start somewhere. I've tried to come up with a catchy name too, 'cause that seems to be the trend.

Maybe something like Bible, brats & buds or He-Brews or...hmmm, maybe 2 beers would do.

CheeseWood

I was adopted into a rather large family early on. The vast majority of my siblings were quite a bit older than me, so needless to say I didn't know them all that well growing up. Now that I'm somewhat grown, I'd feel pretty secure in saying that I still don't & probably never will. This may seem sad to you, but I've come to accept it as reality.

Growing up in my house was primarily a formulaic venture, safe for a few exceptions. I say this not to place blame, but to merely state truth. The house is still turning out more of my siblings, but of them I know very vew. I often feel that I can speak with authority when I tell them I know where they're coming from, but it has seemed to do little in the makings of common ground...sadly. Apparently our adoptive Father is the only thing we have to link us together, but we can't even agree on a lot of things about Him.

I've grown close to none but a few of my kindred and have tried not to let it bum me out too much. I just keep reminding myself of this reality I've said to have accepted previously in life, and only 6 sentences ago, in this very post. There really is nothing new under the sun in regards to this I'm afraid.

Why is this?

There are probably too many dynamics here to mention, but I'd be remiss not to try my hand at a few. They are all modeled for me on a daily basis & I don't know why I haven't picked up on it earlier. I've got 3 tutors that work 24-7 to show me this stuff & the least I could do is share.

All of these traits seem to be manipulated on the most basic relational level, regardless if we can see it or not. We all love Dad, we just may vary in big & small ways as to how we express it, act upon it or have allowed it to produce whom we've become. We also are greatly affected by our maturity level, (or lack thereof), station in life and willingness to be a good kid (whether big or small).

Everybody knows that Dad's ga ga over babies! & kids! & in my opinion, rightfully so. I love them too. There's nothing I love more than to spend time with my own. When little Aly climbs up in my lap just to be, I'm in heaven. PERIOD.

Problem is the kids can also be a real pain, demand so much of Dad's time & relate to Him in such an infantile way that it can drive the older 1's crazy, because they want a piece of Dad too. After all, they were here 1st & can engage Dad in so much more of a mature relationship. They've paid their dues too, by the way.

No more baby stuff for me Dad...I'm a big boy, or kid, or guy, or man.

That mushy stuff is ridiculous!

or

That cheesy crap is patronizing & sad!

This may be partially true, but I can't help but wonder if it works for some? It must, because it all too often feels as we're a float in it. Our once proud home is now a fondue pot of melted cheddar...suitable for kids only! (&/or really undiscerning folk)

I tried the analagy with a close brother, that 1 sibling's cheese could be another's pizza. It may be a stretch & I think that it was on him. Point I was trying to make was that we all relate differently and that's tends for us to have different tastes, likes/dislikes, preferences, habits, styles, vernacular, hair styles, fashion sense, etc., etc...

More problems arise out of older siblings when they fail to realize Dad's unique relationship with each & every 1 of us. We're quick to discard the Gamalielian model for what works for us or what we think is best for another by our own experience. We rush with splintered eyes to drag our brethren off the road, rather than see them run as Dad's called them to.

What are we so afraid of?

I for 1 am tired of living in fear & know that you should be too.

I never really cared for family feud either...

KOTH: Hank's Got the Willies #5

All Jesus did that day was tell stories--a long storytelling afternoon.

Hank's Got the Willies #5 (rank #20) 2/9/1997



Hank is worried because Bobby seems to have no goal in life and no role model. He takes Bobby to the golf course, where Bobby accidentally hits Hank's idol, Willie Nelson, with a golf club. Meanwhile, Peggy is upset because Hank pays more attention to his guitar, Betsy, than he does to her, and Luanne is failing braidwork at the beauty academy.

Quotes:

Hank: Why can't Bobby turn all that energy into something positive, like that boy with no legs who ran across Canada?

Bill: "Santa Claus can be the boy's hero. He does travel around once a year in a 24 hour period."

Hank: "Santa Claus is for babies!"

Bill: "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch."

Analysis:

Poor old Hank struggles on 2 fronts in this 1. Peggy & Bobby both suffer from Hank's misplaced priorities. He's placed them both below the worth that he derives from his stuff, namely, Betsy his guitar. It really seems silly to think that something as ridiculous as a guitar could come between people, but we witness it here in this episode. Hank even goes as far as telling Bobby to ride in the middle seat so Betsy can be in front of the airbag. Of course this all sounds asinine, but this is exactly the casual type idolatry that we're warned about in Psalms.

Expose all who drift away from your sayings; their casual idolatry is lethal.

This sets a dangerous precedent for Bobby if he gets the unintentional message that Hank's things are more important than him & Hank's relationship with him.

But they didn't pay any attention. They kept doing what they'd always done. 41As it turned out, all the time these people were putting on a front of worshiping GOD, they were at the same time involved with their local idols. And they're still doing it. Like father, like son.

Hank thinks that Bobby's problem is that he doesn't have goals & that he needs a role model. Unbeknownst to Hank, Bobby just longs to be like his dad through the things that he does, which Hank considers foolish. It takes Willie Nelson of all people to point out the fact that Bobby loves his dad & just wants to be like him. Poor discernment dooms Hank once again.

"Isn't it true that a son honors his father and a worker his master?"

An outside eye is sometimes needed to be able to point out the forest for the trees. This can be sage advice as long as the forest doesn't adorn the eye that attempts to advise.

Thanks Boss

I'm fresh off of watching the broadcast of u2 getting inducted into the rock n roll hall of fame & thought that I'd like to preserve the following before I went to bed. It's some things that the Boss said in his induction speech for the boys & it's resonated within me ever since. These lines were recited along with all the usual accolades that you'd come to expect at such a ceremony, but these continue to stand out.


Some of the lines that Bruce used made me jealous and wish that 1 could/would say the same of my life 1 day. They're application is music, but we mustn't loose site to the audiences that we play in front of everyday. I know for myself that I've been blessed to play some gigs that Bono & the rest will never get to. My medium just so happens to be playing drug dealer over nite at the local hospital.

Then I'm alone to think...could/would the same be said about me & my application/medium?

A great rock band searches for the same kind of combustible force that fueled the expansion of the universe after the big bang. You want the earth to shake and spit fire, you want the sky to split apart and for God to pour out. It’s embarrassing to want so much and to expect so much from music, except sometimes it happens...

U2, with the dark, chiming sound of heaven at their command which, of course, is the sound of unrequited love and longing -- their greatest theme. Their search for God intact, this was a band that wanted to lay claim to not only this world but had their eyes on the next one, too.

We are creations of the heart and of the earth and of the stations of the cross. There's no getting out of it. He is gifted with an operatic voice and a beautiful falsetto rare among strong rock singers. But most important, his is a voice shot through with self-doubt. That's what makes that big sound work. It is this element of Bono's talent, along with his beautiful lyric writing, that gives the often-celestial music of U2 its fragility and its realness. It is the questioning, the constant questioning in Bono's voice, where the band stakes its claim to its humanity and declares its commonality with us. Now Bono’s voice often sounds like it's shouting not over top of the band but from deep within it: "Here we are, Lord, this mess, in your image." He delivers all of this with great drama and an occasional smirk that says, “Kiss me, I’m Irish.” He’s one of the great front-men of the past 20 years. He is also one of the only musicians to devote his personal faith and the ideals of his band into the real world in a way that remains true to rock's earliest implications of freedom and connection and the possibility of something better.

Now the band's beautiful songwriting -- "Pride (In The Name of Love)," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For," "One," "Where the Streets Have No Name," "Beautiful Day" -- reminds us of the stakes that the band always plays for. It's an incredible songbook. In their music, you hear the spirituality as home and as quest. How do you find God unless he's in your heart, in your desire, in your feet?

May we all be reminded of the stakes that we play for. I long for the sound of my life to resonate to others as spirituality as home and as quest. May He be pleased with this mess that is my life as I strife to live it as His own image.

Thanks Boss...

Miracle Drug

He's 91. She's 88. They've shared 68 years as 1.

He cries just about every time that we leave now. He's by her side now...perhaps for good. It makes leaving just about as hard as going.

They now share room #414 at The Haven of Our Lady of Peace. The stories are always the same. Our talks now seemed scripted.

She's here, but has been gone for some time now. Locked up inside somewhere...where no one else can seem to get to. It breaks his heart & mine for being a witness.

Cam tries to tell her hello & shake her hand. She can give no audible reply. Mom tells Cam that she's telling him hello with her eyes. He believes...so do I.

I read the paper today. One of my heroes took it on the chin yesterday. A parent of a former player that killed himself calls them all cowards. As much as I don't won't to...I know she's right.

I don't care how many millions he made or homers he hit, the time is now to step up to the plate...for real. I'm not for witch hunts either, but how can 1 sit silent knowing what's at stake? Cowardice? No doubt! Criminal? I think so.

Feeling the gravity of temporal lives at stake, how much weightier an issue is the business of spirituality? Every day should be approached with the soberness and seriousness of a congressional hearing when we're called to testify of the 1 who bound us for eternity. We will give an account 1 day and in many ways we give it continually now.

Not all accounts will be audible. Not all testimony will be heard, but all is seen. Cam learned yesterday that seeing can be believing.

God I need your help tonight

Beneath the noise
Below the din
I hear a voice
It's whispering
In science and in medicine
"I was a stranger
You took me in"

The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile

We possess this miracle drug. Ironically it kills too. Fortunately it kills so that we can truly live.

I am you and you are mine
Love makes nonsense of space
And time...will disappear

My memories of Bennett & Rae Marie will never disappear. I can't wait to see them 1 day as they were before. Now only the shells remain. I would that I could continue to hear the songs, & learn to play them with mine.

KOTH: Luanne's Saga #4

All Jesus did that day was tell stories--a long storytelling afternoon.

Luanne's Saga - #4 (rank #43) 2/16/1997



When Luanne is dumped by her boyfriend Buckley, she drives Hank crazy by crying all day and all night. Peggy tells Hank not to interfere, but Hank decides to find a new boyfriend for Luanne. Unfortunately, the all-American guy he picks out for her turns out to be no good, and to Hank's horror, Luanne goes home with Boomhauer.

Quotes:

(Mega Lo Mart Theme Song): At Mega Lo Mart, you're shopping for the rest of your life!

Analysis:

Like most episodes of KOTH, there are themes a many to choose from here. This column is not intended to be all inclusive one, but rather serve as a loose briefing of the show to provide some ideas for dialogue. This episode can be summed up in 1 word...relationship.

Hank is so desperate for Luanne to be "fixed" after her break up with Buckley the he'll stop at nothing to solve her problem. Problem is that Hank attempts to fix Luanne in the same manner he would a carburetor. His approach to teaching about relationships begins with showing Luanne how to swallow her emotions and to keep them inside.

if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face. 9Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. 10Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

Hank's heart is in the right place, it's just that he struggles with what it really means to bear another's burden and what it takes to truly do that. Peggy on the other hand, gives us a glimpse of how to make this happen.

Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law.

Peggy is committed to helping Luanne work through her grieving process. However long it takes, Peggy is right there with her, even spending time daily with her in crying sessions. This is what it is to share the burden. Hank is quick to judge this system Peggy has in helping Luanne as nonsense and a waste of time. Hank is in a bit of a hurry to get Luanne through her woe, and therefore, is unwilling to take the time to invest in the process of healing as it should be done.

In watching this episode, I could not help but wonder how often we do the exact same thing as Hank. To bear one another's burdens is something most of us are unwilling to invest in. We too are wanting the quick fix for those who are in a place of hurting. We want them to get past it and get over it and get back to normal as quick as they can, never mind if they have truly healed or not, just as long as they seem like it on the outside. We always like to think everything is okay and we are fine not knowing the real truth behind the mask of pain.

Ignorance = Bliss

Peggy had it right all along and Hank finally figured that out. This episode made me wonder if we ever will. God help us.

Prodigal

Been trying to organize my thoughts for days now
Fatigue seems to rule, while discovery lingers just outside my grasp
If I could just articulate these wordless sighs & aching groans
All the while the spirit knows & prays within
For I am all too often enslaved to sin

How can I even hope to find
A place of comfort...a place of rest
When underneath the radiance of objective Truth
Lie grey shadows of subjectivity to each wayward son
Fully seeing is only left to when the trek is done

Icharian fantasy calls my name
Taking wing never leaves one the same
I long to take on the sky, to swim in blue
What's needed sometimes isn't so bold
But to seek shelter under silver & gold

I know that I'm fearfully & wonderfully made
I wonder sometimes if it'd been better if I had just stayed
In the place of pre-existence where I was known still
Instead of being imprisoned in this tent just for a while
Culpable of all I've done, continue to do & yet to do, only to be reconciled

Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful as I'm able
It's just that my walk isn't always that stable
My prayer is not to drag others down into the ditch
Blindly seeking the acceptance of Light
Ashamed of my attempted flight, stumbling plight & love of the night

Can I accept His creation on His terms?
Can I truly learn what my very nature attempts to spurn?
Can I even love that which is destined to burn?
Can my heart learn to break as it once did?
Can I ever, save for love, all else rid?

Worlds Apart

I am the only one to blame for this
Somehow it all adds up the same
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride
I flew too high and like Icarus I collide
With a world I try so hard to leave behind
To rid myself of all but love
to give and die

To turn away and not become
Another nail to pierce the skin of one who loves
more deeply than the oceans,more abundant than the tear
Of a world embracing every heartache

Can I be the one to sacrifice
Or grip the spear and watch the blood and water flow

To love you - take my world apart
To need you - I am on my knees
To love you - take my world apart
To need you - broken on my knees

All said and done I stand alone
Amongst remains of a life I should not own
It takes all I am to believe
In the mercy that covers me

Did you really have to die for me?
All I am for all you are
Because what I need and what I believe are worlds apart

I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours
take my world all apart
take it now, take it now
and serve the ones that I despise
speak the words I can't deny
watch the world I used to love
fall to dust and thrown away

I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
so wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
so steal my heart and take the pain
take the selfish, take the weak
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray
take my world apart

KOTH: The Order of the Straight Arrow #3

All Jesus did that day was tell stories--a long storytelling afternoon.

The Order of the Straight Arrow - #3 (rank #14) 2/2/97


Hank and his friends take Bobby's scout troop on a rite of passage journey in the wilderness. The point of "The Order of the Straight Arrow" is for the kids to realize that their parents are ganging up to play jokes on them, and the joke Hank and the guys choose is to put the kids through a series of fake Native American rituals. But Bobby takes the rituals seriously, and things become very serious indeed when, on a "snipe hunt," Bobby accidentally clobbers an endangered whooping crane.

Quotes:

Bill: I'm so depressed, I can't even blink.

Randy: "Wematanye, Texas license plate, wematanye."
Bobby: "Wematanye, it says Texas, wematanye."
Hank: "Will you all shut up?"
Everyone else: "You didn't say Wematanye!"

John Redcorn: The spirit bag is very sacred. You should not make light. Dale: I like how you say everything's sacred. Let's use that!

Analysis:

While there is certainly nothing wrong with having fun & joking around, I've always found that I'm much more vunerable to loose my sense of direction & take things too far just for the sake of silliness. Hank has this happen to him here & it doesn't take things long to escalate way out of control. Under normal circumstances I would think Hank to be very clear-headed & able to make black/white judgment calls, but this episode illustrates what can happen when we loose sight of truth.

5It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
6"Don't be flip with the sacred. Banter and silliness give no honor to God. Don't reduce holy mysteries to slogans. In trying to be relevant, you're only being cute and inviting sacrilege.

When we become flippant with the God of all creation we certainly run the risk of doing Him a grave dishonor. Unfortunately I fear that we are constantly tempted to reduce the holy mystery of His very nature down to slogans & cliches'. Innovation can be as dangerous a mistress as dead tradition & ritual.

25The leaders among you became desperate, like roaring, ravaging lions killing indiscriminately. They grabbed and looted, leaving widows in their wake.
26""Your priests violated my law and desecrated my holy things. They can't tell the difference between sacred and secular. They tell people there's no difference between right and wrong. They're contemptuous of my holy Sabbaths, profaning me by trying to pull me down to their level. 27Your politicians are like wolves prowling and killing and rapaciously taking whatever they want. 28Your preachers cover up for the politicians by pretending to have received visions and special revelations. They say, "This is what GOD, the Master, says . . ." when GOD hasn't said so much as one word. 29Extortion is rife, robbery is epidemic, the poor and needy are abused, outsiders are kicked around at will, with no access to justice.'
30"I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn't have to destroy it. I couldn't find anyone. Not one.

Will you be the one who dares to stand in the gap during times of desperation? Will you seek the earnest discernment of shades of gray? Will you be able to tell the difference between sacred & secular when the lines blur...can you now?

Constituional Deception

The following was written by my good friend Joe. Check it out...I posted it here, 'cause that was the simplest way for me to get this up for him...

I'll pass all comments along to Joe...

I'm sure they would be much appreciated, considering the great effort he's put forth here...

thanks...

Constitutional Deception: The "Separation of Church and State"

Introduction

The phrase, "separation of church and state" is frequently identified as a concept defined in the United States Constitution. The fact is, nowhere in the Constitution is the phrase mentioned, discussed, or defined. Often the battle cry of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other groups, the expression is actually an interpretation of Amendment I of the Constitution’s Bill of Rights.

Amendment I contains two important guarantees of religious freedom: (1) "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…" ("Establishment Clause") and (2) "or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" ("Free Exercise Clause"). The due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment made these guarantees of religious liberty applicable to the states and their subdivisions (including school districts) as well as to Congress.
The "Establishment Clause" is the one today's courts almost always focus on. If simply interpreted as it is written, the clause merely forbids the federal government from "establishing" a national church.

Herein lies the importance of this issue. Even though the "separation of church and state" is not addressed in the First Amendment or anywhere else in the Constitution, it has become accepted, implemented, and enforced as Constitutional law. Consequently, this contrived and misconstrued phrase has been repeatedly misused by the courts under the guise of enforcing the law of the land.

The ACLU is a leading advocate for the "separation of church and state" groups who are also largely opposed to any reference of Christianity in the public arena. Other groups who echo this same sentiment include: Americans United for Separation of Church and State; The Interfaith Alliance; Godless Americans Political Action Committee; and the American Atheists (founded by Madelyn Murray O’Hair).

All of these groups (and others) have been successful in pressuring lawmakers to enforce the "separation of church and state" issue. However, it was a precedent-setting Supreme Court ruling that opened the doors for these groups to flourish and integrate their anti-Christian agendas into public policy.

Background

For approximately the first 175 years of America’s history, our judicial system interpreted the First Amendment in accordance with how it was actually written. That is, "…prohibiting the establishment of a single national denomination. Court rulings and public policies reflected that common understanding."

So how did the First Amendment’s "Establishment Clause" go from, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…" to the "separation of church and state"? The "separation of church and state" concept originated from a letter President Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptists of Danbury Connecticut on January 1, 1802. Jefferson was responding to a letter he had received from them expressing concern that another denomination — the Congregationalists — was going to be selected as the national religion. As a minority denomination, the Danbury Baptists were alarmed by this rumor for they knew full well the persecutions that had existed in England under the state established church. They wrote to Jefferson asking for the President’s assurance that there would be no state established religion.
Jefferson wanted to eliminate the Danbury Baptists’ fear that the government would institute a state religion. In so doing, Jefferson replied in part:

I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.
Jefferson used the "separation between church and state" phrase because it was one used by Roger Williams, a prominent Baptist preacher. Jefferson belonged to another denomination and simply wanted to establish a common ground with the Baptists. By referencing Williams in his letter he believed he could more easily convince them he was sincere about the government having no intention of establishing a state religion.

The "wall of separation between church and state" that Jefferson referred to was not intended to be used as legal precedence by anti-Christian organizations perpetuating their agendas. He was only echoing Williams’ belief that God protected those who lived according to His will with a "wall of separation between…the Church and the wilderness of the World."

Jefferson knew this was a language the Baptists understood. In this instance, the purpose of the "wall" was to protect the church from the state — not necessarily isolate it from the state. The world and/or the state were not to corrupt the church (by establishing a national religion), yet the church was free to teach the people Biblical values (free exercise thereof).

As a matter of fact, Jefferson never proposed that religious expression should be banned from the public arena. However, the ACLU, Americans United, American Atheists, and other anti-Christian groups have taken his words out of context as a means to force their agendas on the American people. In light of their fifty years of propagandizing and touting Jefferson’s views as the basis for their "separation of church and state" lie, it is interesting to note that Jefferson was anything but anti-religious. In fact, the following items will illustrate just how religious he was:
In 1774, while serving in the Virginia Assembly, Jefferson personally introduced a resolution calling for a Day of Fasting and Prayer.

In 1779, as Governor of Virginia, Jefferson decreed a day of "Public and solemn thanksgiving and prayer to Almighty God."

As president, Jefferson signed bills that appropriated financial support for chaplains in Congress and the armed services.

On March 4, 1805, President Jefferson offered "National Prayer for Peace" asking "Almighty God" to "Bless our land with honorable ministry,…Defend our liberties,…Endow with thy spirit of wisdom those to whom in Thy Name we entrust the authority of government,…all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen."

The U.S. Constitution was founded on Christian principles and was a collaboration of 55 men. Fifty-two of those men were evangelical Christians. The Founding Fathers incorporated Biblical concepts to form the text of the Constitution, thus forming our government. Would they have done this if their intention was to separate church from state?

One example of how the core structure of our government was designed based on Biblical principles is in the book of Isaiah. Chapter 33, verse 22 reads, "For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king…". Hence, the basis for our three major branches of government: the judicial, the legislative, and the executive were formed.

From Misapplication to Constitutional Deception

Regardless of how historical revisionists twist the truth and alter the facts, America’s Founding Fathers were Godly men who incorporated Christian and Biblical principles into the writing of the Constitution. This view was never in question, never disputed, never denied, and never refuted until 1947 when the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in Everson v. Board of Education. Justice Hugo Black, in writing for the majority introduced a new interpretation of the "Establishment Clause" of the First Amendment when he wrote, "The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach."

The Everson v. Board of Education ruling — which had no precedence to back it up — entirely changed the way the judicial system began to rule in cases involving the First Amendment’s "Establishment Clause". Since then Supreme Court rulings have consistently favored the anti-Christian movement and have, "…relentlessly aimed at removing every vestige of Christian words, imagery or symbolism from public property."

The following examples are illustrative of how that landmark 1947 ruling has affected the outcome of subsequent cases involving the "Establishment Clause" of the First Amendment:
In 1962 prayer was removed from public schools.

In1963 the Bible was removed from public schools because the court said it could cause psychological damage to schoolchildren.

In 1965 the court ruled it was unconstitutional for a student to pray aloud.

In 1967 a nursery rhyme was ruled unconstitutional because it might cause someone to think about God, violating the "separation of church and state".

In 1980 a Supreme Court case in Kentucky (Stone v. Graham) mandated that the Ten Commandments be removed in the public arena including public schools.

A 1992 decision Lee v. Weisman by the U.S. Supreme Court prohibited "prayer, benediction, or invocation at any graduation ceremonies" if they were directly conducted or sponsored by a public school board.

During 1997, the Charleston County Council voted to display the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments) in its chambers. Three local residents, with the help of Americans United for Separation of Church and State sued the county. State judge R. Marley Dennis, Jr., ruled in March of 1999 that the plaque had to be removed.

These examples — which only scratch the surface — show that the Supreme Court has had a total shift in direction since the Everson v. Board of Education decision. In fact, the injustices continue as atheist/attorney/physician Michael Newdow plans to file lawsuits around the country in his effort to have the phrase, "Under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance.
Newdow’s first case was filed on behalf of his five-year-old daughter in 2002. California’s 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 in Newdow's favor, declaring that the Constitution guarantees people in public places protection from state-sponsored religious declarations. The school board appealed the decision and Newdow eventually lost with the Supreme Court ruling that because Newdow did not have legal custody of his daughter, he did not have standing to bring the case.

The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791. For the next 160 years, the First Amendment was enforced by the courts using the Founding Fathers’ original intent as their guiding light. However, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Everson v. Board of Education in 1947, darkened the way. As a result, a continual deterioration of the American school system, the American family, and American culture has occurred.

Alternatives

The Supreme Court’s decision to enforce the "Establishment Clause" by injecting it with Jefferson’s "separation of church and state" comments to the Danbury Baptists was counterproductive, divisive, legally inappropriate and morally wrong. In addition, the hypocrisy that exists in implementing the concept is widespread. For example, if the litmus test for upholding the First Amendment is enforcing the "separation of church and state,"
Why are polling places set up in churches?

Why can the Ten Commandments be displayed in the United States Supreme Court but not in the Supreme Court of the State of Alabama and other courtrooms?

Why is it illegal for public schoolteachers to offer a voluntary classroom prayer, but when a prayer is offered to open sessions of Congress, state legislative sessions, and meetings of local governments it is okay?

Why is it illegal to set up nativity scenes on public property but Christmas is observed as a national holiday by government at all levels?

Why is prayer in public schools illegal but teachers, students, and all public school staff members go on vacation for two weeks in observance of the Christmas holiday each year?
The point is, if "separation of church and state" is law, then it should be enforced as such. How can we have it both ways? If the separationists, activist judges, and atheists want to remove religion from the public arena, then remove it. Keep the teachers in school over the holidays, remove the Ten Commandments from the U.S. Supreme Court, keep Congress and the Supreme Court in session during Christmas, and remove all of the voting machines from church grounds during election time. To do anything less demonstrates a double standard and a hypocritical, selective application of the law.

Another alternative would be to reverse every court decision that has chipped away at religious freedom since 1947. Allow prayer back in schools, allow the post offices to display nativities, give Judge Roy Moore from the Alabama Supreme Court back his Ten Commandment display (and his job), and start upholding the First Amendment as it was intended — without any reference to the "separation of church and state".

If either of these alternatives were adopted, one side would be extremely pleased while the other side would be extremely dissatisfied. Typically, whenever a church-state issue is decided by the courts this is the usual outcome.

However, another alternative does exist. That alternative is neutrality. Neutrality deals with the effect (or lack thereof) that government action has on people. In other words, if government action neither encourages nor discourages religious belief or action it is neutral. It is also neutral if it offers no incentive nor disincentive to practice a faith.

The greatest fear of separationists is that without the protection of "separation of church and state", our government will become a nation that rules by Christian or possibly some other type of religious doctrine. Without separation, "…our schools may be returned to the days of prayers prescribed by state legislatures; evolution may be banished from the classroom and replaced by ’creation science’; and religious minorities may be at the mercy of intolerant majorities".

For a clearer understanding of neutrality, consider the following example. When the federal government offers the same remedial instruction to children attending a religious school as they do children attending a secular school, it is being neutral. The government is not enticing the parents to send a child to a parochial school for remedial training, since the same program is available at the public school.

Separation on the other hand, is not neutral. From the separationist’s perspective, the child could only obtain remedial help by forgoing the religious education. To the separationists, any involvement between the government and the church violates "separation of church and state" — no exception. Consequently, separation becomes a compelling reason to abandon a religious practice.

Neutrality does not mean that religion is being endorsed or being given preferential treatment by the state. If religious organizations are performing services the government is supportive of, they should be eligible to participate on equal terms with non-religious organizations. A truly neutral government will direct its support neither favoring nor disfavoring organizations with a religious affiliation.

Recommendation

In 1947 the U.S. Supreme Court erred when it applied the "separation of church and state" concept to the interpretation of the "Establishment Clause" of the First Amendment. The decision firmly seeded the separationists’ views as precedent-setting public policy and shaped the future landscape of Supreme Court rulings on church-state issues. Over fifty years have passed and the courts are still making the same mistake.

It is imperative that court decisions uphold the "Establishment Clause" of the First Amendment. Additionally, equal consideration and enforcement must be given to the First Amendment’s "Freedom of Expression" clause (the importance of which has been diminished by the church-state issue). This is why we have a Constitution. This is why we have the Bill of Rights. This is why we have the First Amendment. This is what the Founding Fathers intended and this is what they fought for.

Neutrality is the only alternative that achieves the proper enforcement of the First Amendment. Neutrality upholds the First Amendment as it was originally intended — that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…".
The First Amendment allows the government to accommodate religion to the extent that "…they simply facilitate a religious choice freely made by the individual, do not invade the religious freedom of others, and do not discriminate among different religions." In other words, the government should not put incentives in place for religious organizations, sanction religious practices that are intrusive on the religious rights of others, or extend assistance to one religion without doing the same for others with similar needs or problems. Although these guidelines are in direct conflict with strict separation, they are in full compliance with the First Amendment.

Hard line separationism promotes secularism. The Constitution promotes religious pluralism and diversity, which is echoed in the First Amendment. In order to preserve the integrity of the Constitution and the intent under which our Founding Fathers created it, the courts must enforce its mandates with common sense and practicality. The most effective way to succeed in this endeavor is for the courts to adopt a position of neutrality.

The survival of America — now more than ever — depends not only on our government and our courts getting it right, but also on our citizens getting it right. The alternative if we don’t could be deadly. Alternatives? Americans are blessed with more alternatives than any other group of people in the world. President Jefferson left us with a quote that makes one wonder if he didn’t foresee that America’s freedom and greatness would someday be challenged. In 1781 he stated:

God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.


Works Cited
Anderson, James E. Public Policy Making, 5th ed. Boston, New York, Houghton Mifflin Company. 2003.
Barton, David. Has America Rejected the Christian Principles That Made it Great. <http://www.users.mis.net/~dcgay/principles.htm>.
Dye, Thomas R. Understanding Public Policy. 11th ed. 2005. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, Prentice Hall.
Everson v. Board of Education of Ewing TP. No. 52. Supreme Ct. of the US. 10 Feb. 1947. Findlaw for Legal Professionals. <http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=330&invol=1>.
Kupelian, David. Buying the ‘Big Lie’ of Church-State Separation. WorldNetDaily 7 January 2005. 5-6. <http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42268>. Feb 19 2005.
McConnell, Michael W. Why "Separation" is Not the Key to Church-State Relations. Christian Century. <http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=804>.
The Myth of the Separation of Church and State. <http://www.noapathy.org/tracts/mythofseparation.html>.
Rast, Ben. Separation of Church and State? Don’t Blame Thomas Jefferson. Contender Ministries. 26 may, 2002. <http://www.contenderministries.org/articles/separationmyth.php>.
Reaves, Jessica Time Online Edition.. Person of the Week: Michael Newdow. 28 June 2002. <http://www.time.com/time/pow/article/0,8599,266658,00.html >.
Religious Tolerance.org. Recent Court Rulings on the Separation of Church and State in the U.S. <http://www.religioustolerance.org/sep_c_st.htm>.
Smith, Brandon Jurist Legal News and Research. Pledge Challenger Promises New Suits Across the Country. 01 Sept. 2004. < http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2004/09/pledge-challenger-promises-new-suits_01.htm>.
Thomas Jefferson on Separation of Church and State. AAA Resources for Information and Entertainment. <http://www.information-entertainment.com/Politics/separate.html>.

Is This Heaven?

I've found heaven. It's not where I thought that it'd be. I'm sure that it'll be somewhere else for me later in life, but for right now, I'm just happy to be there.

I get to go there a couple of times a week now. There's nothing like it. When I'm out there, everything else just fades away. The outside world just serves as an elaborate backdrop when concentrating on form, technique & fundamentals.

My heaven of the moment is a t-ball field.

It didn't happen all at once. I never even felt a tinge of a vested interest in any of the other ballers save for my Cam. That changed yesterday.

Yesterday, I got to work the outfield with a bunch of kids that aren't even mine. Most of them looked like they've never even seen a baseball before, much less learned how to stay in front of it, field it cleanly, shuffle their feet & fire it back into the infield. Needless to say it wasn't a pretty sight to behold.

Then it happened.

I could hardly believe my chest.

My heart actually broke with every passed ball & every throw that was off-line. It wasn't because I knew that this would spell doom for the Pace T-ball Redsox & their chances for a successful season, but rather that I wanted these kids to succeed. These kids that I've known for only a few hours at the ballfield have got me wrapped. I want them to have fun, learn the game, improve their skills & become as successful as they can. I feel as if they fail in some way that it's my fault.

I study the faces and I see the frustration, the elation, the agony, the indifference.

It moves me.

I can't help but think about our Father. He longs for us to work the field with Him. To take proper instruction, have fun, learn the game, improve our skills & become as successful as we can...

I just can't reconcile why some would rather hang in the dugout. That's not a viable option to me...to Him. His heart is burning for us.

How can ours not burn for Him?

Become incarnate...

work the field...

have fun...

Brother Benny

I've always heard that you've got to be careful what you let your kids watch on tv & after last nite I know this to be true. What were the vile, mind-warping acts of perversion that invaded our home via the idiot box you ask? Could it have been a pg-13, or heaven forbid, r-rated piece of garbage produced by the very capable hands of hollyweird? Or maybe it was some filth from those MTV people, who all good God-fearing people know are sent straight from the bowels of hell to drag as many as will watch down with them...

Actually, it was none of the above. The guilty party here was dateline, although I don't blame them, for their role was one of educator/investigator of sorts. The effect was still the same.

I really didn't think much of it at first. That is until Cam decided to show me what he'd learned from watching. Now I sit & type & pray that this isn't 1 of those things that decides to stick, as odd things remembered often due, and that he hasn't been permanently warped.

He got my attention and told me that this was to show how much he loved Jesus. He placed his little arms by his sides, closed his eyes and fell back on the sofa as if he were dead. I know that this idea was originally placed in his head from an exercise in s.s., but it was reinforced in a totally unrelated way to the original meaning & context by what he saw on the tube this nite.

I may be over reacting, but I wasn't too thrilled at the display. It's really got my head spinning & I fear for my kids future enough without this element being introduced. The task of raising good kids was daunting enough without this new subversive threat.

I've never allowed my kids to watch too much stuff unsupervised, so this point may be moot, but I'm not so sure that I wouldn't rather them watching MTV now than TBN. For some reason, it just seems to me that it's easier to change wrong thinking on just about anything/everything else save for God. I may be wrong about this, but for some reason, I don't think so.

My ideals of God have seem to be entrenched deep, rooted within my very being, and whether they be right or wrong, these have been the last/hardest for me to even think about changing or at least to be unbiased about. This is why I feel so adamant about my kids receiving proper teaching and seeing God as honestly as they can understand Him. Whatever they see God as from me is paramount to the God they see throughout the rest of their life...this is heavy...millstone heavy!

I guess regardless of what they see or hear, the important aspect is for Amy & I to be there with them. So break out the grease-corn, MTV & let 'er rip...& for those of you still wondering...




Better to wear a millstone necklace and take a swim in the deep blue sea than give even one of these dear little ones a hard time!

Televac

Who would've know it? All this time I've spent kicking myself and the answer was here the whole time. I just found it today and couldn't help but smile.

I was in the girl's room when looking for clothes for Aly that I came across it. A couple of slips of paper from the past that have some bearing on my future as well as today. If I had only found them earlier in the week...

I unfolded the yellowed paper with great interest into what it held. I didn't readily recognize them, but upon their discovery I am flooded with memories gone by. Memories of a simpler time filled with taffy, ag exhibits, rides and all the magic that is the state fair.

The paper read:

YOUR HANDWRITING ANALYSIS BY TELEVAC

YOU ARE SENSITIVE AND EASILY HURT BY CRITICISM
YOU LIVE BY YOUR OWN STANDARDS REGARDLESS OF CUSTOM
YOU TEND TO RELY ON INTUITION TO MAKE DECISIONS
YOU HAVE A TENDENCY TO MAKE MOUNTAINS OUT OF MOLE HILLS
YOUR METHODS AND OPINIONS ARE ADMIRED BY OTHERS
YOU ARE KEENLY COMPETITIVE AND WELL DISCIPLINED
YOU ARE SELDOM ABLE TO HIDE YOUR FEELINGS

I'm not so sure that these words made much sense when I first read them at 11 or 12 or whenever I actually weighed 122.0lbs, according to the complimentary tag from the Louisiana Dept. of Agriculture, but I would suppose that they do now. I'm not so sure that all of these statements are valid one's, but some seem dead on. If so, I guess that I've got to tip my hat to the people of Televac and their ingenious analysis.

Maybe the better that I know myself and am reminded of it, the better I am able to function and know/help others. Hopefully this leads to less time analyzing why I'm down or out or up or down and I can fulfill more fully the role that I'm called to as father, husband, coach, brother, son, co-worker, teacher, friend, etc., etc...

Maybe it's our nature to forget these things...

I'm just glad that it's not His...

He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail--even numbering the hairs on your head!

Attempting to be Round

The call isn't an easy one to hear & has proven to be an even harder one to follow. What's the difference between my desire and His? What's an earnest longing of my heart and what isn't? What's been put there by the Almighty or by myself?

I dunno.

I wish that I did.

Do I fall on my sword or risk lopping the ear off of another with it? There always seems to be pain involved either way, wether it be my own or that of another, perceived or otherwise.

I'm desperate.

I want security...safety...serenity...but at what price? Even that that I don't do & know is right is wrong for me.

This decision weighs heavily upon me. I don't want to make it more than what it is, but this is my reality. Valid points abound on either side, none of which seem to dominate the others.

I often feel like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole. No matter how I try to hammer away at myself, I've progressed no further in than when I first began. The pain of trying to fit is the only thing that remains.

Pain...splinters of a square peg attempting to be round...

Maybe there's a square hole for me to fit into?

Maybe...just maybe...

I dunno...

KOTH: Square Peg - #2

All Jesus did that day was tell stories--a long storytelling afternoon.

Square Peg - #2 (rank #64) 1/19/97



Peggy is assigned to teach a sexual education class. She has to teach herself to overcome her crippling sense of shame and call body parts by their right names -- but her newfound sexual frankness makes Hank so uncomfortable that he pulls Bobby out of the class.

Quotes:

Hank: "Nobody likes a know-it-all who sits around talking about their genitalia!"

Hank: "Stay tuned for the X-Files. I thought it was some kind of porno because of the name, but it turns out it's about two young people who don't have sex. Now that's entertainment."

Analysis:

Ignorance leads to the very tempting practice of allowing the status quo to remain. Hank, as well as the rest of the parents of kids attending Tom Landry Middle School in Arlen, have a hard time accepting the path of proper instruction of their kids when it comes to sex. Hank argues correctly that it's the place of the parent to ultimately instruct their children, but proves totally inept at doing so. A large part of this is because of a vast paradigm shift that usually occurs from 1 generation to the next and the unwillingness for us to even attempt to span it.

In many ways, the adults in this episode seek the safety of the way that it's always been at the cost of their own kids ignorance of important issues. They doom their own to the same failures that they made or didn't make because of this. This reminds me of the responsibilities that we carry as Christians when we are called to walk in a new way.

17And so I insist--and God backs me up on this--that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. 18They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. 19They can't think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.
20But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! 21My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. 22Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything--and I do mean everything--connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life--a God-fashioned life, 23a life renewed from the inside 24and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.
25What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ's body we're all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.
26Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry--but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't go to bed angry. 27Don't give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.
28Did you used to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can't work.
29Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.
30Don't grieve God. Don't break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't take such a gift for granted.

Ignorance is not an excuse & definitely not an option. It only divides us from truth which in our case is absolute. Allow us to embrace our most prized possession through the knowledge that He longs for us. May we shine it as He calls us into the darkness that we encounter.

It started when God said, "Light up the darkness!" and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.

But I did see that it's better to be smart than stupid, just as light is better than darkness.

The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out.