Thursday, December 6

Awwwwww, COME ON!!! moments.......

"We are sure that we have a clear conscience and a desire to live honorably in every way." Hebrew 13:18 (NIV)

Part of my past that I've always tried to run from, never realizing that I couldn't ever achieve this particular goal, is that I am my father's son. In physical appearance, mannerisms, and even my voice. Everything I am you can see my father within. And I think that was always why we never got along, this fact I was so much like him and so different.

I've always tried to redeem that image, and I think tried to redeem my father's apparent hatred of me at the same time. Something that this verse touched off inside my soul today. So close on the heels of the marriage retreat and the lessons learned there. I have grown beyond the man I once was, but am so far from the man I know God designed me to be.

But, I know that this verse, in the context of the entire chapter 13 of Hebrews, that this is what God is speaking to me; living with a clear conscience----- always guarding against distorting or misrepresenting the Word of God to those I've been chosen to lead, being a true spiritual brother to those to whom God has blessed me with in the family of His grace, being a good father to my children (a gift that God has blessed me with), and being a faithful steward of that most precious gift of beauty...my wife's heart. And when I stray, become less faithful or conscieous of my relationship with God......conviction and heaviness weigh my heart.

And I wind up having one of those "AWWWW COME ON!!!!!" moments. You know, those times when you feel so convicted that you have to stomp around in a circle with your arms flying up and down in the air in quick motions as you mutter "AWWWW COME ON!! I GET IT!"???? No....well then let me apologize to those motorists along I-96 who were entertained or frightened by the comical rantings of a man having a "Aww Come On" fit. Not only was it frustrating, it was COLD!!!!

Upon the releasing of my ear by the Holy Spirit (reminisent of my dear mother's technique of getting my attention), I returned to my vehicle (which I failed to mention was safely parked well back from the highway) and called my wife. In a voice that reminded me of a child grudgingly giving in to something they still didn't want to, I told her I needed to have a dialogue with her tonight and asked if she would be willing. In reply to her question, I told her (in a better voice, one of repentance) that God pointed out that I wasn't living honorably and I needed to explain to her why, so that we could resolve this issue and I could clear my conscious. That once again, I was living in my father's shadow........

The teaching was concluded on the weekend with this comment, made by the facillating couple as we wrapped ourselves in the loving instruction from the Father above by giving communion to our spouses......."Struggle well."

I have often laughed when I've heard that said, and I've heard it said through many voices in the wilderness since I've started on this journey towards God.....Struggle well........... And when I fall back upon those old, sinful habits of my old self, I lose that struggle and feel the loss.

In the beginning of Hebrews 13, the first verse proclaims....."keep on loving each other as brothers"....... We have always heard of the admonishment of love, it's repeated throughout the Bible; represented by God, by Jesus, and by the disciples that were left to continue the work begun. It's the FIRST commandment that Jesus gives and the sole driving force behind anything as Christians we are led to do. But look at the phrasing of this particular "LOVE" verse............

"Keep on......." As Christians, we don't have the 'luxury' of deenchantment or disengagement. We can't be true to the commandment of love that Jesus gives us in John 13:33-34, where He tells the disciples to love each other as Jesus loved them. Jesus, the one person in the entire world who had the RIGHT to turn away from those He was to save in disappointment and utter despair at their foolishness, had to stay engaged to demonstrate love---- to the point where He hung upon a piece of wood in utter agony and pain, cut off from all that He was and whose He was, bearing the sinful stain of a world that rejected Him----- to utter "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

When your life become something that you just don't engage in anymore, you aren't honoring this loving gift. When your spouse, tarnished from the world's abuse and battered by the events in their life, gives you a glimpse that they haven't achieved "sainthood" yet or even the lesser accolade of "soulmate", you aren't honoring God's admonishment to love your spouse as Christ loved you if you respond unkindly and unfairly------ or even when you do, if it causes them to lose their sense of love.

Yeah, I had my "AWWWW COME ON!!!!!!" moment this morning out in the coldness of a freezing world, dark and cold in its harshness........ and I realized the truth of the 18th verse of the 13th chapter of a book written far before I was even born, for that moment in time. For it was in my desire to live honorably that my conscious was atuned to the Father's admonishment that I was not being faithful to the heart entrusted to my care.

But then my Father made the sun come out............

Gold, Common sense, and Fur.

A brother of mine in the Lord who works down the row from me sent this to me. Its a bit humorous.

My husband and I had been happily
married (most of the time)
for five years
but hadn't been blessed with a baby.

I decided to do some serious
praying and promised God
that if he would give us a child,
I would be a perfect mother,
love it with all my heart
and raise it with His word
as my guide.

God answered my prayers
and blessed us with a son.

The next year God blessed us
with another son.

The following year,
He blessed us with
yet another son.

The year after that we
were blessed with a daughter.

My husband thought we'd
been blessed right into poverty.
We no w had four children,
and the oldest was only
four years old.

I learned never to ask God
for anything unless I meant it.
As a minister once told me,
'If you pray for rain,
make sure you carry an umbrella.'

I began reading a few ver ses
of the Bible to the children
each day as they lay in their cribs.

I was off to a good start.
God had entrusted me
with four children and
I didn't want to disappoint Him.

I tried to be patient the day
the children smashed
two dozen eggs on
the kitchen floor searching
for baby chicks.

I tried to be understanding...

when they started a hotel for
homeless frogs in the spare bedroom, although it took me nearly two hours
to catch all twenty-three frogs.


When my daughter poured
ketchup all over herself and
rolled up in a blanket to see
how it felt to be a hot dog,
I tried to see the humor
rather than the mess.

In spite of changing over
twenty-five thousand diapers,
never eating a hot meal
and never sleeping for more
than thirty minutes at a time,
I still thank God daily for my children.

While I couldn't keep my promise
to be a perfect mother -
I didn't even come close...
I did keep my promise
to raise them in the Word of God.

I knew I was missing the mark
just a little when I told
my daughter we were going
to church to worship God,
and she wanted to bring
a bar of soap along to
'wash up' Jesus, too.

Something was lost
in the translation when
I explained that
God gave us everlasting life,
and my son thought it was
generous of God to give
us his 'last wife.'

My proudest moment came
during the children's
Christmas pageant.

My daughter was playing Mary,
two of my sons were shepherds
and my youngest son was a wise man.
This was their moment to shine.

My five-year-old shepherd
had practiced his line,
'We found the babe wrapped
in swaddling clothes.'

But he was nervous and said,
'The baby was wrapped
in wrinkled clothes.'

My four-year-old 'Mary' said,
'That's not 'wrinkled clothes,' silly.

That's dirty, rotten clothes.'

A wrestling match broke out
between Mary and the shepherd
and was stopped by an angel,
who bent her halo and lost
her left wing.

I slouched a little lower
in my seat when Mary
dropped the doll representing
Baby Jesus, and it bounced
down the aisle crying,
'Mama-mama.'

Mary grabbed the doll,
wrapped it back up
and held it tightly as
the wise men arrived.

My other son stepped forward
wearing a bathrobe
and a paper crown,
knelt at the manger
and announced,
'We are the three wise men,
and we are bringing gifts
of gold, common sense and fur.'

The congregation
dissolved into laughter,
and the pageant
got a standing ovation.

'I've never enjoyed a Christmas
program as much as t his one,'
laughed the pastor,
wiping tears from his eyes.

'For the rest of my life,
I'll never hear the
Christmas story without
thinking of
gold, common sense and fur.'

'My children are my pride
and my joy and my greatest
blessing,' I said as I dug
through my purse for an aspirin.

Jesus had no servants,
yet they called Him Master.

Had no degree,
yet they called Him Teacher.

Had no medicines,
yet they called Him Healer.

Had no army,
yet kings feared Him.

He won no military battles,
yet He conquered the world.

He committed no crime,
yet they crucified Him.

He was buried in a tomb,
yet He lives today.

Feel honored

to serve such a Leader
who loves us.

An apple isn't a tomato, even if they're both red.

"I do not speak for my Church on public matters--- and the Church does not speak for me. Whatever issue may come before me as President------ I will make my decision in accordance with these views, in accordance with what my conscience tells me to be in the national interest, and without regard to outside religious pressures or dictates. And no power or threat of punishment could cause me to decide otherwise."

The Economist wrote recently in a special report that "religion will play a big role in this century's politics." No doubt, it has galvanized voters that would have never participated in the pre-election process. Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney has faced severe criticisms from the 'evangelical conservatives' about his Mormonism and the fact that he had held office in the Church itself, a far cry from just being a subscriber to such religious ideology. Romney isn't the only one who has faced opposition to his religious tendencies in a bid for the highest office in the land, but he is the only candidate that is a member of a controversial cult.

No, he didn't make the quote above, though he most likely will reflect that in his upcoming "Faith in America" speech that will be given to the conservative audience at the George Bush Presidential Library at College Station, Texas.

The above quote was made by another Presidential hopeful, a Democrat instead of a Republican, who was being criticized by his faith that was just as controversial as Romney’s faith during his pursuit for the highest office. President John F. Kennedy (then a Senator from Massachusetts) was speaking before the Greater Houston Ministerial Association at the Rice Hotel in Texas in regards to his faith in 1960.

There are those "Christian" leaders who support Romney in his comments that his religious beliefs shouldn't be a major impediment to attaining the Republican nod for the Presidential run, much like there are those who support Giuliani for the same reasons.

Reverend Lou Sheldon, co-chair of Romney's faith and values committee, says, "Romney [is] a strong Christian who shares pro-family values with social conservatives" according to an article Romney's Mormonism Not a Big Problem, Christian Leaders Say on CNSNews.com.

Sheldon, chairman and founder of the Traditional Values Coalition, brings up the fact that there was fear over a Muslim Congressman who 'might' swear his oath upon the Koran. For some reason, the staff writer for the article, Kevin Mooney, seems to forget that this event indeed happened. It wasn’t just a ‘maybe’ event, as Sheldon would have you believe.

At his swearing in ceremony, Congressman Keith Ellison, the first democratically elected jihadi for Minnesota's 5th Congressional District, placed his hand upon an eighteenth century translation (Arabic to English) purportedly to be from Thomas Jefferson's library. Detractors suggested that this shows Ellison's allegiance was made to the Quran, the holy script of the violent Islamic faith. Most of those who were offended by Ellison's act point to the fact that this shows a servitude to Islam and the Khalifate, and not the American people that elected him.

If Romney is successful in his bid to be nominated to the Republican choice for the White House, he will indeed have a lot more in common with Congressman Ellison than Kennedy, if we go beyond the rhetoric that he seems to have ‘borrowed’ from the President past.

Mooney feels that Romney betting that he can get prospective voters on his side by directing their attention away from "theological differences" between the "Mormons, Catholics, and Protestants" and embracing "shared common values" , what should be "key policy questions." At first sight, many Mormon beliefs sound like traditional Christian values, which is what Romney and leaders like Rev. Sheldon would hope you believe. But, as Sir Richard Burton noted in his visit to this ‘new cult’ in 1961 (ironic, ain’t it?), the Mormon faith is “essentially an agglomeration of Jewish mysticism, millennialism, transcendentalism, freemasonry, and Islamic practices.” Of course, the leadership of the Mormons were clear; their religion embraced all truths! The same thing can be said of the Islamic founder, Muhammad! Ellison and Romney are distant cousins in the terms of faith.

Sheldon is quoted further by Mooney in the article, "If his address emulates the faith in God and religious liberty and justice for all, with the relationship being he is accountable to God for what he says and does, then I don't think you will see Christian voters moving away from him because he is Mormon." This seems to be the common point that Romney actually has with both his republican and democrat presidential opponents in the race, the hope that ‘key social issues’ will sway the voters into his camp:

"While the so-called religious issue is necessarily and properly the chief topic here tonight, I want to emphasize from the onset that we have far more critical issues to face.....These are the real issues which should decide this campaign. And they are not religious issues--for war and hunger and ignorance and despair know no religious barriers."

A good opening for Romney’s speech, that is possible. It seems the Republicans are taking lessons from their democratic opponents who have won in the past, namely President John F. Kennedy, who faced similar problems in his run to the White House.

I wonder if Romney's oath would reflect the same disregard Ellison has for the faith of the majority of his constituents, according to recent polls. In the book Ellison claims contains "the scripture I read every day ---it is the book that inspires me", we find the views that reflect un-American values:

"And fight for the religion of GOD against all those who fight against you....And kill them wherever ye find them........They desire that ye should become infidels, as they are infidels, and that ye should be equally wicked with themselves. Therefore take not friends from among them, until they fly their country for the religion of GOD; and if they turn their back from the faith, take them, and kill them."

Of course, Romney and all of the other presidential hopefuls from both parties would have you believe:

"It is apparently necessary for me to state once again---- not what kind of church I believe in, for that should be important only to me---- but what kind of America I believe in."

Something’s never change and something’s aren’t what they seem. The Democratic Party continues to distort their own records and party lines, suckering in those who don’t look beyond the words issued forth from the mouth of those who would deceive you. Kennedy did it, distorting a little thought of phrase in a personal letter from a government figure to a congregation and claiming total understanding of the concept. And Republicans continue to think they can just ride the democratic threat long enough to overcome any conservative objection. Romney has at least picked the right cult to belong to, unlike his democratic opponent, Barrack Obama. Mormons are, according to one government regulator, “very social. They communicate with one another and trust each other very much. If someone in the church believes something’s right, he can sell it to the others.”

Romney would have you believe that his faith, Mormonism, is on par with the Christian faith and that he can represent your values well. Giuliani would have you believe that you can overlook his blatant disregard for his Catholic non-values and hold him accountable to what “he says, he does.” Hillary and Obama would have you believe that their faith, while stopping at the door of the White House, is a valuable part of their lives, and yet their congressional records show otherwise……that their faith doesn’t even reach their consciousness.

When the dust settles from the floorboards of the hall where Romney launches his attempt to reconcile the evangelical conservative base with his Mormonistic views, I think we will wind up with an exchange similar to the one that took place between Senator Kennedy and B.E. Howard, a minister of the Church of Christ.

“I would be glad to state to you that no one can direct me in the fulfillment of my duties as a public official under the United States Constitution. That I am directed to do to the people of the United States, sworn to do, to an oath to God……”

B.E. Howard’s reply is what I think a conservative evangelical follower of Christ will be left saying to Romney’s “Faith in America” speech…………..

“I understand you didn’t explain anything.”

Matt Friedeman- Guest Columnist on One News Now, wrote in his Perspectives column, The vital role of Faith in a nation, evangelicals must realize that American "seems much of the time to be decomposing in front of our eyes." But, Friedeman reminds us, "We nonetheless stand in a long line of reforming and redeeming movements that were able to 'put the toothpaste back into the tube,' so to speak."

It is time for evangelicals to stand, with a joyful and righteousness that comes from being aligned in God's purpose to defeat the evilness of inaction, resignation, and general acceptance of the decaying morality of our public officials. This is not just a liberal sin, but a collective sin of a nation, either in active pursuit of an anti-God agenda or through the inaction of holding those so engaged to a higher moral and ethical standard.

There is absolutes in our Christian faith. There are standards and accountability that exceed a humanistic expectation. It is time that we hold ourselves, our officials, and our nation to those standards. Then, and only then, can this nation repent and restore its moralistic integrity.

As Friedeman says, "A fourth Great Awakening can come, but not if we see others dismissing God and His ways and in our sadness…………
Abandon hope."

US Congressman the Honorable Thaddeus G. McCotter, R-Michigan, said recently, "No good government denies God's presence."

But no government can be 'good' if the people don't demand such standards from their elected officials. Can Romney live up to that standard is the question we should ask. Moralistically, Spiritually, and Ethically.

As we should ask of each of the contenders for the White House. And, if they can't, we need to vote for those who can.