It Seems to Me – Page 5 – It seems to me . . .

Workforce Blues

By Bob Beanblossom

26 October 2016

It seems to me that we have forgotten the intent of education. The core idea of free primary and secondary education and of post-secondary education, where universities were bastions of legitimate freedom of inquiry and expression, were for two purposes, both of which seem to be lost today:

1. To develop good American citizens–with the cooperative efforts of the family, the community, and the churches: Citizens who were honest and hard working–who loved their country and carried their share of the load; Americans who were ready when the call to arms came, and who were able when the call to Space came.

2. To produce, again with the cooperation of the family, the diverse skill sets that allowed individuals to become productive workers in a society protected by the government, not ruled by it: laborers, artisans, engineers, farmers, scientists, statesmen, and so on.

In my generation the degree became the goal instead of education. An overabundance of these paper tigers flooded the workplace with top-heavy aspirants with worthless degrees who have been taught that productive labor is beneath them

Until we make work a good 4-letter word again, return to an educational system that meets the original intent, and quit paying people not to work, we will see no improvement. This, of course, is part and parcel of the anti-religion (Christian and Jew, of course) movement that teaches our children that the American Work Ethic with all its historically proven benefits is bad, and relativistic Me-ism where I do and say what pleases me, and expect Government to take care of me.

Sin in Our Time

By Bob Beanblossom

With Edward Goodspeed

25 October 2016

It seems to me that this world that claims that science is the basis of all that is real fails to look reality in the face.

“It is in fashion nowadays to belittle sin and represent it as a sort of theological fiction.

“But one does not have to look far about us in the modern world to find plenty of conduct which cannot be called by any less serious name.” (Edward Goodspeed, Introduction to the New Testament, 1937)

We can’t be honest with ourselves and claim that either the world or ourselves is free from evil–from sin. Paul, the Apostle, wrote: For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. (Romans 7:19) If we were honest with ourselves, I think that we would have to admit that that describes us–each of us.

Only through the redeeming grace of Jesus can we rise above the mire of this world. We are too weak to do it by ourselves. We lack even a right concept of what good truly is and how to achieve it. We are mired down in ‘rights’ and hide our wrongs.

When we do finally realize that the consequences of sin far outweigh the pleasures, we have a solution: thru to Jesus. He will take you into His salvation–on His terms: all or nothing. He will not accept a tentative or partial commitment. Jesus’ death on the cross was not a partial death, and the salvation He offers is just as complete and final.

As you think about this, remember that the decision to accept or reject Him has eternal consequences. Have problems believing that He will save you? Here is the prayer of a father that wanted Jesus to heal his child: the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief. (Mark 9:24) He will hear and answer that sincere prayer.

Think on Those Things

By Bob Beanblossom

25 October 2016

It seems to me that a byproduct of today’s bustling world is a sense of despair–sometimes even overwhelming. Health issues. Family problems. Work and finance concerns. Children and school, sports and academics. All competing for our attention.

Consider this, from the Apostle Paul, who had his own problems. He was in a Roman prison when he wrote this:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on those things. (Philippians 4:8) I would encourage you to read the whole section.

Paul didn’t say that we should neglect any of those important issues. He didn’t say that we were to isolate ourselves from the world, but rather to insulate ourselves through Christ from the effects of the world. You know that the ‘power of positive thinking’ just doesn’t work. You cannot just turn your concerns on and off at will.

But there is a solution. It is a growing relationship with your Savior. And salvation is the first step, a necessary step. Accept the saving grace that he offers and you are on your way to inner peace.

Just like so many areas, follow-up is vital. As I mentioned, this is a relationship. You are coming to Him to carry the load: Matthew wrote, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28) As this relationship develops and matures, you will be able to trust Him more and take advantage of the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.

He doesn’t promise utopia on earth–Paul ended up being executed for his Savior. But his witness to us is that throughout the experience he had an inward peace and calm and an outward burden for the lost. His life had aligned with God’s will for him. That combination determined his worldview and his actions.

It will work for you. The world will not change. The bills will still come due. Relationships will still ebb and flow. Babies will be born and folks will die. But you will grow in a relationship with the very Creator that will sustain you and help you develop into the person He wants you to be. It just doesn’t get better than that.

Leader or Follower

By Bob Beanblossom

18 October 2016

It seems to me that as Christians we need to be extra careful to give credit where credit is due. And, to make sure that we are followers of Christ instead of trying to lead Him. If we call ourselves Christians because we have a personal relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ, we know we can walk and witness in the power of the Holy Spirit as we are called to do.

With true American spirit, though, we sometimes get caught up in doing–check list Christianity. After all, we know what has to be done and how to do it. Really? On a scale of now to eternity do you really think we have even a clue?

Here’s a benchmark for our lives. Paul wrote these words to Timothy some two thousand years ago, yet their application for us is as current as the second hand on a fine watch:

Be not thou ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, but be thou partakers of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ before the world began. (2 Timothy: 8-9)

Then comes the plan of action: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

First: Get close to God. Seek Him first. Establish a relationship with Him and discover His unique will for your life. We do that through prayer and personal Bible study. As you do so, and conform to His plan for you, you will be seeking–and finding–His righteousness.

Next: With a direction for your life that clearly conforms to Scripture, you can get to work doing what He wants as He wants when He wants. Sound a bit oppressive? Paul called himself a prisoner of the Lord and found great freedom and joy in that relationship. This relationship and obedience is the source of personal peace and joy, for you are becoming the person you were born to be.

Last: Keep up the process. It will never end on this side of eternity. The relationship grows in maturity and depth, you are given knowledge, understanding and discernment to deal with the life He has given you. As you grow, you will want to share this good news that you are discovering with others. Go ahead. That is what the witnessing that He called us to do is all about. You give witness–testimony–of what your God is doing for you. You will find that when you put God in the driver’s seat, the world just seems to fall into place.

Pain, suffering, illness, heartache–all the human baggage remains because we are still human. We shouldn’t expect our car not to break down or our bank account to suddenly overflow.

But our perspective on life and our ability to meet and overcome challenges has changed. We couldn’t have a stronger ally and mentor than the very Creator Himself.

Give it a try. Not because I say so, for I am but a pilgrim like you. But, because He says so.

Promise Kept

By Bob Beanblossom

6 October 2016

It seems to me that we are being duped–seriously misled and distracted–and don’t even know it. Or, at least, we don’t seem to know the ramifications of this effort. I am reluctant to post this, but think it could be useful (if anybody takes the time to read it) as a discussion starter. I don’t have any special insights, but tend to be observant.

It will be as short and sweet as I can make it. Just the major points. I will list some salient points, then propose a direction of change. Here goes.

President Obama has kept his campaign promise to “fundamentally change America.” Granted, it is a work in progress, but the progress to date has been substantial and may be irreversible in my lifetime.

He has used existing smoldering differences in our society to escalate them into active blazes of division, often with violent outcomes. He is not the cause of every problem we as a nation have, but he embraces those divisions as tools to achieve his objectives. These include issues such as nationalism, sexual identification, religion, marriage, and race, misusing his executive power to create regulations (pseudo-law), to institute ‘social engineering,’ to place small minority preferences above those of the vast majority (and current law), and to influence these actions across the board of government and society. Very few of these actions are supported by actual law, although the effect is the same.
He has encouraged the formation of minority groups who use illegal means to disrupt the lawful activities of Americans who are simply living their lives. Our Constitution–the rule of law, our flag, our Pledge, our history–have all been desecrated and demonized. Anarchy–the ‘rights’ of the individual at any cost–is accepted as the new norm. Like other movements, the ‘individual’ seeks out and joins with other ‘individuals’ who think alike.
He has willfully failed to recognize and pursue a cure for the predominate causes of domestic crime such as black on black violence, focusing instead on creating new ‘hate crimes’ that place the value of one victim above another. Segregation in the name of equality is still segregation, and breeds mistrust and strong feelings.
He has willfully failed to identify and attack the source of enemy attacks within our borders–terrorist acts. The commonality–the profile–of first line terrorists and of self-identified copycats is unmistakable, even to the casual observer, but is publicly ignored by the administration, leading to continued attacks. Facts strongly suggest a Muslim cause and further Muslim influence. The known affiliations and statements of the terrorists often support this directly. English language Muslim websites confirm this by both promoting and instructing in in the methodology of achieving the destruction of Americans.
He has bowed (literally and figuratively) to Muslim leaders around the world both in action and effect. He has ignored our traditional allies, aligning himself, thus our nation, with those who have avowed to destroy us. He has failed to uphold his oath of office to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Incidentally, that Oath is part of the Constitution (Article II, Section I, Clause 8). This Oath is centered within the limits and duties of the President.
He is doing everything he can to open our borders to immigrants who wish to establish their government and religion IN PLACE OF OURS. The southern border is another distraction. The real issue is the select group of government mandated immigrants. Immigration laws of all civilized nations have traditionally allowed immigrants to enter (in controlled numbers) who offer value in ideas and skills and who wish to become assimilated into that nation’s culture. Not to lose their identity, but to enhance it. No hyphenated nationalities, but American citizens. Wholesale immigration has been prohibited to protect the mainstream identity of those nations including ours.

There is much more, of course, but I hope you will look for those things yourself as you test this message.

My take is this: The fundamental change that President Obama, Ms. Clinton (who will probably succeed him) and other elites in office and behind the scenes, are leading the charge to create a new Muslim state out of the ashes of America. This started with the eroding of the America established by our Founding Fathers that has endured all these years. Not a perfect place. Not without opportunities for improvement. But an amazing example of a government Of, By, and For the People.

Both Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton have surrounded themselves with Muslim advisors and staffed the federal bureaucracies with Muslims often to the exclusion of others. There is nothing wrong with diversity in our leaders and public servants. As long as each is in philosophical harmony with the values of our nation, and not the promotion and adoption of anti-Constitutional activities. The policies and actions of both Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton reflect the influence of these advisers.

Although the Muslim world is not uniform in religion or politics, it is completely united in its holy mandate to wipe out infidels. The holy books of Islam state:

“I have been ordered to fight the people til they say: ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.’ (Bukhari 8:387)

‘I have been commanded to fight against people so long as they do not declare that there is no god but Allah.’ (Muslim 1:30)

‘Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah . . .’ (Quran 4:76)

‘I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them.’ (Quran 8:12)

The one thing the Muslim nations lack is a vast, rich country with resources and infrastructure to use as a base of international rule, for the continued spread of Islam. This country admirably fits that bill.

I will not attempt to assign motive. That in itself can be distracting. But the direction seems clear, and that is what must be addressed. Media attention to bathrooms, Black Lives, and brothel morals all are distractions. The big picture shows a flow from Constitutional rule of law to a growing increase in and acceptance of anti-American Sharia law. Lawlessness and social disruption aided by domestic disturbances mask the real direction we are travelling. As Chicago Mayor (and President Obama’s appointed Chief of Staff and press front man) Rahm Emmanuel stated on 22 September 2016, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” This was preceded by Ms. Clinton, who said essentially the same thing on 6 and 20 March 2009, and again on 16 April 2016.

This is not a doomsday report. I have not seen America in any Bible prophecy of the last days. That is God’s Word and I accept it fully. I do believe that there are some things we can do if we cherish the America that was–with room for real improvement:

1. Pray. There are requirements for His answering, but he will hear you. (See James 5:16 for a start)

2. Vote in the coming election. Vote against Ms. Clinton and her cohorts. Vote against every politician–Republican and Democrat–who has supported this administration’s objectives. Don’t be duped by excuses. Like our own ballots, each vote that a lawmaker casts is ultimately his or her choice and responsibility. (See Exodus 18:21, 25)

3. Contact your elected representatives over every issue. Make them tired of you. Make them know that you are watching. (See Luke 18:1-7 and 2 Peter 2 )

4. Be a healer. Be a proponent and keeper of the law. Be active in the promotion of the rule of law and the original values of a nation built on the precepts of the living God. Be willing to make compromises to achieve incremental improvements. Be willing to admit that you could be (are) wrong now and then. Be part of the solution, not the problem.

The Anger Games

By Bob Beanblossom

3 October 2016

It seems to me that many of us are caught up in the anger games. Mudslinging is the big game in town. Fueled by the ”I’m right–you’re wrong certainty that we have spent years perfecting, personal attacks on the social media seem to predominate the posts, and are the most often shared. All sides of the political spectrum are more active bashing the opponent (and sometimes each other) than in describing and discussing critical issues that affect our country.

Hate expressed is often the characteristic response of a loser who has run out of legitimate arguments. There are enough vital issues out there that need to be addressed that we should have no problem finding them and bringing them to the table. It is asking a lot. We would have to move a bit beyond illustrated one-liners and actually research potentially fake postings and engage in some original research–as in reading well documented sources–to make this happen.

It is counter-culture to even suggest this at the moment, but I wonder if there is one clear-headed activist out there who would open a new venue in campaign talk by discussing important issues and solutions proposed by the candidates or from the masses?

Maybe the dearth of worthwhile discussion is simply because the prime candidates have not identified any issues and proposed any solutions worth discussing? It is a little late in the election cycle to discover this. Maybe We the People are so used to caustic blogging that we don’t consider the issues–only the personality that strikes our fancy.

I’m afraid that the major issues for the prime candidates revolve strictly around their primary goal and objectives: to get elected at any cost so that they can do as they please at any cost (to the taxpayer)–‘Me-ism’ at its finest. Or worst. They play to our lack of depth perception through the highly slanted polls and press. And, they do it well.

As a friend noted on the original Facebook posting of this article, ” ‘We’ have become the culture” that focuses on curb appeal rather than structure. Quoting my favorite cartoonist [Al Capp (1909-1979), creator of Li’l Abner]: “We have met the enemy and they are us.”

My friend summed up the driving attitude well: ” ‘I’ will be fine if ‘you’ change.” We are giving away America so that we can be rugged individualists, so that we can be ‘right’ at any cost. The cost will be great.

Thanks for your comments, Walt. Now for the solution.

Although it is difficult to find honest documentation written or compiled in the last several years, there is still good material available if we look. One place is at the original sources. Read the original instead of what someone wrote about it.

Our Founding Fathers had a very good concept of debate, earned the hard way as they came to consensus after consensus that led to the break with England, the formation of the United States, and that magnificent document we call the Constitution. They were many learned and highly opinionated men who, often forcefully, presented their viewpoints, then worked in common to achieve what none before them had ever done.

The First Amendment was one important link in that process–a monumental legacy to us. That Amendment as written–not as interpreted today–guaranteed citizens freedom of speech, NOT freedom of hearing, or freedom from getting their feelings hurt. As adopted, it guarantees that ideas and ideals could be freely brought to the table and discussed. Today, that is not the case. Interpretation, not content has changed. New Think has decided that that document is organic and changes with the tide, phase of the moon, and orders of those in charge. Our sensitive egos are protected from hearing–and seeing– things that may upset us. Taxpayer dollars fund porn in the name of art, the entertainment industry and social media is rampant with foul language and personal attacks, foreign interests at odds with our national interest wield serious political and financial clout, but the values that are actually written into the Constitution have been decreed as offensive and even ‘illegal.’

Other than this approach being patently wrong according to the rule of law–Constitutional Law–today’s willing partakers who have never read or heard unadulterated history don’t realize that under this relativistic system, what is ‘in’ today will be “out” tomorrow, and that one day they will be the oppressed instead of the oppressor.

The solution is simple and probably unachievable in today’s society: restore freedom of speech, bring real knowledge and clear thinking back to our educational and political systems, and be willing to achieve the greater good through reason and compromise–incremental improvement rather than wholesale destruction.

While I am idealistic, I am also realistic. I do not expect to see honest rational behavior from the populous, and therefore, not from the politicians. They will behave as we direct if we direct with the force of our united voice. Prove me wrong. Please.

Knowing God

By Bob Beanblossom

8 September 2016

It seems to me that all men know that God is real. Many would deny that in today’s ‘enlightened’ world, but the Scripture and their actions would indicate the lie of that claim.

Since the WORD (Jesus) is the source of our knowledge of God, and the Bible is His select media, let’s look briefly at what it says about the universality of God’s revelation to his creature:

John, the Baptist, “was sent to bear witness of that Light (Jesus). That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” (John 1:8-9)

That is all-encompassing. In some sense satisfactory to God, “every man” who has ever been born, or ever will be born, has received the knowledge, or light, of the knowledge of God.

The inspired writer of Romans continued: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. . . . Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” (Romans 1:20-21, 22)

Jesus called any ‘religion’ that is not centered on the one true God a philosophy.: “Beware lest any man spoil you thru philosophy, and vail deceit, after the tradition of men, after the after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (Colossians 2:8) Philosophy, then, is the opposite end of a continuum from the one true religion–the worship of the triune Godhead: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

This, of course, is not popular thinking in today’s culture of ‘accept everything (except Christianity): all is good; all gods are the same; god is good, there is no (need for) judgement by a righteous god; there is no god of creation–he was born in the immature mind of evolving man in his various primitive forms and exists only as an ancestral memory.’

Let’s back up and take a different look at the subject.

The quest for God is a universal phenomenon, and appears to be pervasive both in man’s pre-history and throughout history. From pre-writing cave drawings and man-made images through the beginning of writing, and continuing into the present time, man has sought a being greater than himself. Even those who militantly deny the existence of God (a comparatively recent development in man’s history) seem obsessed with attacking both Him and His advocates–an illogical activity for a non-believer, a petitio principii begging the question. Why would you attack Someone who does not exist? Why not just ignore us, the poor, deluded people who do believe in and seek fellowship with their God?

Citing individual autonomy and science as their driving force, atheists, also known as humanists, with various prefixes, include in their statements of belief (their philosophies) that there is no god, that there is no scientific proof of god. The latter is, of course, true. Science cannot deal with the issue of God any more than it can deal with issues of philosophy. Both are outside the realm of scientific proof. The question, then, is, why are atheists so adamant about believing what their science cannot prove. It is a logical given that what is not proven is not necessarily false, just not proven. Archeologists and historians for years said the Bible was wrong about the existence of the Hittite Empire. There was no proof outside of the Bible (ignoring some Egyptian documents), so it had never existed. “History” was completely re-written in the late 19th Century when proof of the vast empire was discovered, complete with evidence of very early writing and extensive trade. Silence (or, lack of evidence) is not proof: it is only a lack of evidence, which is subject to change.

Although I have had atheists assert that the god-quest of man is either a recent or non-universal phenomenon, the claims run counter to historical evidence. In fact, I can find no ancient civilization anywhere in time or anywhere in the world that did not have and worship gods.

Why does man seek God? What drives this interest? This investment of energy and resources? We must conclude that the drive is internal. What, then, is the source of our understanding of God? The knowledge of God either comes from God Himself or it is, as the atheist says, a creation of man. If this knowledge comes from God, it is an inherent and necessary truth. It it comes from man, it is sicut deus, that is, man replacing God with himself, and necessarily is untrue. So said Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a series of lectures on the Creation and the Fall. I will be borrowing extensively from him in this section.

I hold that there is one true God, the God of Creation, the God of man the creature. God’s source of information for–of revelation to–man, as noted in the introductory comments, is His written Word, the Bible.

If the truth proposed aligns completely with the Word, it is of God; if not, it is false, it is sicut deus, like God, but not God: it is man attempting to be like God to the point of replacing Him. We see this today in the atheist who denies God, the agnostic who ignores God, and the religionist who redefines God–all to suit their own ends.

Man was created imagio dei, in the image of God, but not sicut deus, like God, for there is nothing created that can be sicut deus. For man, “This is disobedience in the form of obedience, the desire to rule in the semblance of service, the will to be creator in the semblance of being a creature, being dead in the semblance of life.”

Archeology has shown us with a vast pantheon of gods man has created. These gods share many common attributes: 1) They are created in the image of man, 2) They share the most base and vile characteristics of man, 3) Their form is often a grotesque caricature of the spirit of man, 4) Each existed to meet a specific need of man: agricultural plenty, success in battle, 5) A vigorous love life with many male offspring, 6) The sacrifices demanded were costly. Based on the needs of man and his perception of the environment, there were repeated similarities among the gods of all ages and locations. Some, like the Greeks of Paul’s day, recognized an “unknown god” just to be on the safe side and not offend some entity not identified:

“For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an alter with the inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.” (Acts 17:23a)

Paul, however, went a step further, exposing their false gods and at the same time introducing them to the true God:

“Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: for in him we life, and move, and have our being; as certain also of our own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.” (Acts 17:23b-29)

There was more to Paul’s message than that the unknown God he spoke of was Creator:

God “commandeth all men every where to repent: because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, n that he hath raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31)

The response of the Greeks was not unlike that we encounter today:

“And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them. Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed:” (Acts 17:32-34)

So, we have only a god, but The God, the God of creation, the God of our salvation, the Triune God who is one, but three. The God who is infinite in every respect and aspect.

How does that affect me? He has a plan for you. But that plan requires a change in you remove the sin that each of us is born with and lives with: “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23)

If I accept that I am a sinner, what can I do about it? The very next verse answers that question: “being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God,” (Romans 3:24-25)

“Being justified” is simply talking to God (yes, He is a loving and communicating God) and admitting to Him that you recognize that you are a sinner–you are not what He wants you to be. Then, accept his saving grace.

“Freely” states without reservation that He does all the work–there is no price you can pay for the forgiveness for your sins that is your salvation.

“By His Grace” is the power behind salvation. It is God’s will and His will alone. There is no other authority in the universe that can accomplish this unmerited act.

“Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” tells us that:

Jesus’ death on the cross paid the entire price for your sins.
The absolute power of God’s authority provided this, the only, path to salvation.
The act of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross completed the transaction, and
YOUR FAITH in His saving grace sealed your salvation.

If you accept his saving grace today, I strongly suggest you immediately find a Bible believing church and become part of it. There is much to be learned, and the ministry of a local church is God’s stated path to that knowledge and understanding.

Respect

By Bob Beanblossom

7 September 2016

It seems to me that ‘everyone’ is demanding respect these days. That in itself shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what respect is.

Respect is like love, and like trust. It can be demanded, but cannot be taken: it can only be received as a gift of the giver.

The gift is completely independent of the receiver. Respect can be reciprocal, but from both sides it is an independent decision, attitude, action of the giver to give and the receiver to take and, in return, to give back.

To a large extent, it must be earned. It has to do with concepts described by

the old Boy Scout Oath and Law:

“On my honor . . .” As I am honorable, so honor I you.

The Scout also promised to be:

Trustworthy
Loyal
Helpful
Friendly
Courteous
Kind
Obedient
Cheerful
Thrifty
Brave
Clean, and
Reverent

These are qualities inherent in earning and giving respect. Some may take some thinking on, but it would be worth the effort–even some looking in the mirror. Together they suggest that respect for others starts with respect for self. Self respect is based upon living up to standards and principles, not living down to animalistic wants and satisfactions.

No amount of wealth, or power, or coercion can require respect. No organization or march or protest will ever earn respect without demonstrating those qualities. You can edit them, add to or take from the list. But you cannot change the intangible called respect.

It is not defined or limited by age, background, or any other socio-economic identifier that the world would like to use to box it in, to limit it, and corrupt it into a tool for self-advancement. It is not secured by social or economic position, or job title, or profession. It has no relationship with the too common, “Do you know who I am . . . !”

We do need more respect in this country–in our schools, in government, on the highways . . . But the best way to get it is to give it first. As individual as it is in giving, it is still a cooperative effort, a matter of give and take, of compromise, of incremental improvements, of recognizing that neither of us approximates perfection. That is not a popular concept in our winner-take-all society where each one of us knows so much more than anyone else, where our way is obviously the best way. If so inclined, check out 1 Corinthians 1:19-20.

Many social problems could be mitigated by the sharing of respect. It replaces demands and threats and ultimatums with cooperation and mutual problem solving. Life is not the Big Game. Life is the only game. It is not something to win at all costs. It is something to savor, to share. It is the attitude of the Greatest Generation, the WW II generation: “We will make a better place for our children–by hard work, by education, by living for God, and by mutual respect.

Respect has a price: The “I” must shrink relative to the “WE.” The “WE-THEY” game must be replaced by the new “US.”

Or, maybe not so new. Maybe this is what those founding fathers meant by “We the People . . . .” The didn’t say “We the Persons . . . ,” did they. And by Ike’s added phrase, “One nation, under God . . .”

Have You Ever Wondered . . . By Charlie Reese

By Charlie Reese

31 August 2016

It seems to me that here is yet another article that I find funny yet all too true. I have titled it in the absence of the original. Hope you find it worthwhile. I have modified the intro but not the content of his column.

This is Charley Reese’s final column. He was a journalist for the Orlando Sentinel and later a syndicated columnist. He was a journalist for over 50 years. Although he passed away on 21 May 2013, this column is being widely revived in this time of political unrest and division.

The article is politically neutral, neither anti-Republican nor anti-Democrat. Mr. Reese has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day. It’s a short but good read. It is worth the time to read and consider!

This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. Many will find it too long to read, and pass over it since it isn’t a video or have glitzy graphics. That’s part of our problem.

I believe that his message boils down to this: Be informed. Make value decisions. Select the best of the best if you can, the best of the worst if you cant, but in any case, VOTE! Hold the politicians responsible for their actions as you, too, are a responsible citizen.

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED

By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes? You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The President does. You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don’t write the tax code, Congress does. You and I don’t set fiscal policy, Congress does. You and I don’t control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.

The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.

Who is the speaker of the House? Paul Ryan. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted — by present facts — of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist. If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it’s because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan . If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it’s because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like “the economy”, “inflation,” or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do. Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses. Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess. Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it is up to you.

This might be funny if it weren’t so true. Be sure to read all the way to the end:

Tax his land, Tax his bed, Tax the table, At which he’s fed.

Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes Are the rule.

Tax his work, Tax his pay, He works for peanuts anyway!

Tax his cow, Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat.

Tax his ties, Tax his shirt, Tax his work, Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, Tax him if he Tries to think.

Tax his cigars, Tax his beers, If he cries Tax his tears.

Tax his car, Tax his gas, Find other ways to Tax all he has.

Then let him know That you won’t be done Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers; Then tax him some more,

Tax him till He’s good and sore.

Then tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in Which he’s laid . . .

Put these words Upon his tomb, Taxes drove me to my doom . . .’

When he’s gone, Do not relax, It’s time to apply The inheritance tax.

Accounts Receivable Tax Building Permit Tax,

CDL license Tax, Cigarette Tax, Corporate Income Tax,

Dog License Tax, Excise Taxes, Federal Income Tax,

Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA), Fishing License Tax,

Food License Tax, Fuel Permit Tax, Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon),

Gross Receipts Tax, Hunting License Tax, Inheritance Tax,

Inventory Tax, IRS Interest Charges, IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax),

Liquor Tax, Luxury Taxes, Marriage License Tax,

Medicare Tax, Personal Property Tax, Property Tax, Real Estate Tax,

Service Charge Tax ‘Social Security Tax’ Road Usage Tax,

Recreational Vehicle Tax, Sales Tax, School Tax, State Income Tax,

State Unemployment Tax (SUTA), Telephone Federal Excise Tax,

Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax,

Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes,

Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax,

Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax,

Telephone State and Local Tax Telephone Usage Charge Tax,

Utility Taxes, Vehicle License Registration Tax, Vehicle Sales Tax,

Watercraft Registration Tax, Well Permit Tax,

Workers Compensation Tax.

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt & had the largest middle class in the world. What in the heck happened?

Can you spell ‘politicians?’

I hope this goes around THE USA at least 545 times! YOU can help it get there!!!

GO AHEAD. . . BE AN AMERICAN. “In *God* We Trust”

Creation Light

By Bob Beanblossom

29 August 2016

It seems to me that we Christians get caught up in nuts and bolts when we look at creation, and lose God’s message for us.

Christians spend an inordinate amount of energy trying to understand and explain Genesis 1 and 2 in scientific terms to answer the questions and attacks of non-Christians and the doubts of confused Christians—often including ourselves.

This is not what God intended for us to do with His story of creation. The Bible is nowhere a science text book. It is never in conflict with any scientific fact (as opposed to prevailing scientific theory), nor is any scientific fact ever in conflict with it. If you can remain objective and discriminating as you watch scientific developments, you will see every field of science (again, fact, not theory) aligning more and more closely with the Word. The same goes for history as archeologists and their associated fields dig up the past and refine readings and interpretations of recovered items. But that’s another story. This is not what the popular press will relate, but that is to be expected.

The substance of God’s intent is captured in the opening statement: “In the beginning God created . . .” It speaks of three things: 1) the beginning—the first meeting point of God’s eternity with the time and space He created for man, 2) the moving and controlling force–God, and 3) the action—the creation and formation of the universe for man. It goes further back than science can conceive—a time when matter and energy began from nothing. There is no scientific discipline that can deal with ‘The Beginning.’ The limits of His statement are that the story encompasses all of “the heaven and the earth.” In other words, it is all-inclusive. There are ‘scientific’ theories about the first moments of creation—the Big Bang is the most popular at the moment—but they are really philosophy, not science. They are beyond the criteria of scientific proof. The ‘proofs’ offered are various conflicting computer simulations. Before you put your trust in them, remember that the daily weather forecasts are computer simulations.

While scientific principle is imbedded in this opening statement and those that follow, it is neither about protons, neutrons, and electrons, nor is it about suns, moons, and planets. Revelation 4:11b tells us what it is about: “Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” God the Creator has created all things for His pleasure. To that extent, creation is for us (but not about us) so that both we and the rest of creation can please Him. Our failure—the original sin of Adam, the first man, and the continual sins of every human since Adam—do not change the purpose or perfection of His creation.

Creation is the beginning of God’s revelation of Himself to His creation. Genesis 1 and 2 are His initial revelation. It is an Intro-level course, followed by increasing depth and breadth as we move through the Bible. Even so, the finite creature can only begin to understand the infinite Creator. The post-grad work will be on the other side of this life, and the coursework will last thru eternity future. Every Christian is being prepared here for that course. Like our early schooling, we don’t choose the courses, we just follow the curriculum laid out for us. As we mature and grow we realize that every course we have completed has prepared us for the next. Again, that preparation and growth cycle will continue thru eternity.

Some of the primary lessons are these:

1) God is in complete control. Creation is not a mandate to Him or a necessity, but a choice. He is the incomprehensible triune godhead, one in three, and three in one: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. No part of this godhead is created; all are eternally eternal in every way. This godhead has no peers. He is not the chief god. He is not one among many gods. He is Master of all—everything, everywhere, always, from eternity past thru eternity future. Beyond our comprehension. Beyond our imaginations. Beyond our ability to quantify and package.

2) God is a communicating God. He reveals Himself thru His written Word and thru our observation and understanding of nature—of the nature of nature, the essence of His power and order. His revealing Light has touched all men:

Jesus, the Word, “was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” (John 1:9)

He is available to us thru prayer, the always-open channel of personal communication with man the creature. While He hears and answers our prayers, He cannot be used to meet our desires. Our meeting point is His will. It is not just paramount, it is absolute.

3) God is the Creator, not the created. He is not in, or a part of, or the essence of anything. He remains above creation as “the author and finisher” of His works as well as our faith to believe in Him. (Hebrews 12:2) A vital concept is that ‘Neither is nature in God, nor God in nature.’ Commonalities in ancient names for God (such as the Hebrew el) with man-made gods throughout the ancient world in various languages are phenomena of human language, not an indication that He is one with the false gods. We might consider that issue some other time.

4) God creates (Hebrew bara) from nothing by His spoken word, and further makes (“Let there be . . .” and variations) from the substance of that creation. Bara interpreted as ‘create’ is always and only associated with the action of God in the Bible. Man never creates.

5) God sustains His creation as He chooses. Some things He continues to sustain, while others He allows to pass from existence. Creation in some sense is ongoing. Today we see evidence of change as some plants and animals have come and gone, even as He has given us a glimpse into the future when He will “make all things new.” (Revelation 21:5) Some of His change is cyclic: night and day, summer and winter, life and death. Some is catastrophic: species die out and are replaced, volcanoes erupt changing the landscape and weather, the earth quakes and land sinks, slides, and rises to new heights. This is God’s work. Man is His steward, not the commander, of the process. God’s will prevails in spite of man, not because of him. It is not dependent on the will or work of man.

6) Creation serves Him. As creation progressed, God commented that “it was good.” This is independent of the state of creation—with the fall of man and curse upon nature just ahead—and in sight for God—He declared it good, culminating in the observation that it was very good. Man is incidental to creation, an object of creation. We should take this into account as we attempt to ‘create’ life and alter lifeforms in our laboratories.

Here we will look very briefly at just the first day of creation to flesh out some of these concepts. Neither time nor space allow more. We will do this to align our understanding and application of the creation story with God’s purpose. As noted above, the creation story does include highlights of the nuts and bolts of the process, but only as the fabric in which the true story is woven, and only to the extent that He chose. It is the vehicle rather than the trip.

God made light on the first day, but there is far more here than we often understand. We are short-sighted by the magnificence of the physical, the concept of creation by His spoken word, the beginning of light, the first night and day. We wonder where the light came from, and why He seems to make the heavenly bodies later, on the fourth day. We want to understand the physical, to explain it for God. But let’s read what He really told us:

³And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. ⁴And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. ⁵And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:3-5)

Attempting to understand and explain these statements, we often go to science to ‘prove’ various untenable theories and show what God ‘really meant.’ We are caught in the snare of those who are enemies of God and His Word. We become tools for those very enemies as we leave God’s will, and push forward—with good intent, but poor choice—into the trap set before us. We have forgotten that God needs no defense or explanation. He said:

“I am the Lord and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I the Lord have created it.” (Isaiah 45:6,7a, 8c)

This approach requires that we take what He gave his people several thousand years ago for their use and our application, and translate it to current scientific data, not even recognizing that science is in perpetual change while His Word has never changed, nor will it ever change. We attempt to find, then create, ‘facts’ to make the Bible a scientific textbook that provides identifiable, quantifiable, and testable ‘facts’ and sequences of the development of the earth and life. Then we face the need to integrate the Fourth Day of creation:

¹⁴And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: ¹⁵and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. ¹⁶And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. ¹⁷And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, ¹⁸and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. ¹⁹And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.” (Genesis 1:14-19)

What did those refugees from Egypt know? The Patriarch Abraham came from Ur of the Chaldees in the land of Sumer (south Iraq, today), according to scripture. That was the birthplace—long before him—of writing, astronomy, advanced mathematics including quadratic equations (before the Greek Euclid, who is still credited with its development), a calendar, and a numbering system on base 60 which gives us the division of a circle (360 degrees), the number pi, and so much more. That base is essential for calculations of circles and spheres. Egypt credited its math and science excellence to Ur and its close city-states, as the early Greeks credited theirs to Egypt. So, science and math were known to the Israelites of Moses’ day—if not to the common man, then at least to the educated. Remember that Moses was educated in the court of the Pharaoh, the seat of power and education. If God had intended to describe His creation in scientific terms, the target audience would have had some understanding of the details. But that is not what He chose to do. We try to interpret it on a scientific basis. They did not. Moses’ books—the Pentateuch—were their history and law as revealed to them by God.

Our attempts to extract, create, and manipulate data satisfies no one. As the cartoonist Al Capp had a character say many years ago, “We have met the enemy, and they are us.”

Gone is the miraculous creation of an all-powerful God, the God of our salvation. Gone is the all-powerful God of creation who spoke and everything came from nothing. Gone is the need for faith. Gone is the opportunity so share God’s faith, replaced by man’s faulty science. Gone is our holding to the divine inspiration of the Word.

But it doesn’t work. It never will. The only thing we succeed in doing is adding fuel to the atheistic fire attempting to torch God and His Word into oblivion. Miracles cannot be explained in scientific terms: not only creation, but all of them, including our own salvation. Dissatisfied and disillusioned, nominal Christians who rely on what others say instead of God’s Word and prayer fall by the wayside.

Let’s go back to Day 1 and take God’s approach. On that day, He established order. He used light and time to do this.

The light of that first day of creation is much more than lumens or foot candles of visible radiation reaching Earth’s surface. It is the Light of the world, Light that brings order and symmetry to the Hebrew “tohouw” and “bohouw” (“without form and void.”) Note that God said “Let there be . . .” rather than ‘God created.’ Before the tohouw and bohouw the Light already existed. It was at this point that the God the Son was given the go-ahead to prepare the world for man and man for God:

¹God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, ²hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; ³who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, (Hebrews 1:1-3a)

We simply cannot grasp the concept of light without a physical source any more than we can understand time—including infinity—outside of our God-given reference. To us, form and numbers are as much a part of our sense of reality as words are. Without them we are adrift. Only faith in the Word make sense out of them. Both exist because both are necessary. We can quantify light and measure it, giving it values such as the amount from a source or striking an object, the quality of the light in terms of how ‘real’ colors and textures appear, and so on. Sort of. Another interesting aspect of light is that there is no standard for these measurements. Every measure of light is based upon relative, assumed, and more or less agreed upon standards. There are precise standards for electrical energy—volts, amps, resistance, power—but none for light. It simply is not quantifiable in absolute terms. You notice this when you try to specify a color, a function of light. You find that even ‘simple’ problems such as finding a white or black to match is mind boggling. Digging deeper, scientists have noticed that light has both the characteristics of waves of energy, and the characteristics of particles of matter. To understand light, we must go to the source: the Creator.

Man can make light through chemical, electrical, and mechanical means. But man cannot make dark. There is no source of dark. He can only remove light or cast a shadow and call that dark. God, in Genesis 1:2b told us that in the beginning the world was dark. He created that. He retains the key to making darkness.

The light of Day 1 is the Light of God, Himself. In Him and thru Him and on His authority, God the Son, the Living Word—who would one day be born Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah of fallen man–was made the Agent of God the Father. See Hebrews 1:1-3, and John 1:1-5. This was not a point source of light in ‘outer space,’ nor was it a chemical or physical glow from a cooling planet. It was the Light of God the Creator. Man has been privileged to see very small manifestations of this Light: Moses on the mountain (Exodus 24:15-18), the three disciples at Jesus transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-2). But only the world transitioning from chaos to order on that first day has ever seen that Light in that level of intensity. Creation reacted, as it must: it was forever changed from formless and void to order, subject to ‘laws of nature’ established by the Creator as both the necessary foundation for the creature, but also as an example of God’s will for that creature: in tune with His laws, acknowledging absolute dependence upon Him, and worshiping the Master of the universe.

As the Light shone on God’s command, He saw “that it was good.”(Genesis 1:4a) As He “divided the light from the darkness,” (Genesis 1:4b), He began to create order from the formless void. The undefinable non-order of darkness became the order of light and time.

Time was required. God created the stars, including our sun, the planets and the moons as spheres. They could have been any shape He chose, but the sphere works as no other shape to produce regular and symmetrical days and seasons as the planets and moons rotate on their axis and at the same time circle their master. Natural laws—hierarchical laws–established by Him create stable days, months, and years while slight variations produce seasons and ages. The Earth’s rotation approximates a 24-hour day, the Moon’s path produces about a 30-day month, and the earth’s circuit of the Sun gives us just over a 365-day year. The differences challenge man’s creativity. Still, time is a mystery. Based upon experimental evidence, we have defined in earth-terms the distance light travels in a year as about 186 thousand miles or 300 million meters. Einstein’s famous formula of Relativity holds the speed of light as a constant—a number that does not change. But more recent experiments show that the speed of light—that is time—is variable. We already knew that light changes with speed. This, even as Einstein’s theory holds in its own sphere of calculations. The theory of time exists—in verifiable terms—in two separate contradictory realms. I believe that our God enjoys the consternation of man as he makes one ‘final’ determination after another, each in turn falling down like dominoes in a row. Again, man’s ego falls before the God of the Universe.

For common purposes—when we accept and understand the parameters–time is a constant with very precise parameters. Our clocks and watches are accurate to amazing tolerances today. The precision and repetition of the factors that are time are essential for modern computers to function. One factor often overlooked is that our measure of time is based solely on the relationship between Earth, our Sun, and our Moon. Outside of Earth, our time has absolutely no meaning. The relationships are not valid. Time on Mercury, Venus, Mars, and the further reaches of the universe is different. God established our time for us on this world and this world alone. In space, our fixed time becomes relative, even a convention instead of an absolute.

The combination of light and time completed the requirements for Day and the other cycles to follow on subsequent days. Here, if you will allow, we can see the first glimpse of the marriage relationship as time and light are united. Rising out of darkness and chaos, God was beginning the preparations for man, the creature intended to please and worship God, to supervise and husband creation, to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth with others who would do the same.

But it was not to be. The perfect creation would not long last in the hands of man. The will to choose given to man would allow his failure to honor the Creator. Ego would override servitude. Man, like Lucifer before him, would choose self as his god. As we attempt to explain the miraculous, Adam attempted to put self above his Creator. Both are sin. God knew it already. The plan to provide a Savior was already completed. Man would fail his Maker, but his Maker would never fail him. Jesus the Creator would become Jesus the Savior, but at great cost.

Day One of creation. A day like none other ever was or will be. It was the day that God created order out of chaos so that man might have order in his life, that he might praise and worship his Creator, and man might take the Light of that very first day and:

“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

There was a warning, too:

“Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.” (Luke 1:35)

We have been given the written Word that we might always remember the source of our Light, which is of Him, not ourselves:

Jesus “was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” (John 1:9)

Yet, not every man will receive the Light:

“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)

The first day of creation. The day that God set the world in order. The beginning of the process that led to the creation of man. The day that started all days. God said of it, “It was good.” Can he say that of us?