Jesus' Exclusive Claims

All "truth" claims are by definition exclusive.  Every major religion makes "truth" claims.  And, in America it seems that "truth" has become relative to each individual, rather than any standard for actual TRUTH!  So what can we find out about what Jesus claimed about himself?

John 5:21-23

v21 - Jesus Claimed to be the Giver of Life
this is a direct declaration of DIETY

v22 - Jesus Claimed to be the Judge of the World
Jesus is our JUDGE, not some inhuman alien untouched by our daily struggles

v23 - Jesus Claimed to receive the Honor of God
you can not worship God and not give HONOR to His Son

Given Jesus' claims, each of us must choose carefully - our eternity depends upon that choice!

TMI

So I have been a bit busy trying to get a car running, to no real avail.  Seems whatever I touch, causes something else to disintegrate!  A cosmic conspiracy of the automotive gods.  Ya gotta wonder sometimes....

And, all of this in just the past 24 hours!

But the TMI part is how some people are just willing to dump way too much information on complete strangers.  Such as I went to a pharmacy looking for Slo-Naicin, it seems to be the only one I can take without getting whacked by a bright red rash all over my body.  So this lady decides to help me, which I do not want, and then proceeds to tell me about how she can understand because she get hot flashes all of the time.  I beat a hasty retreat!

Or the Spanish speaker, on his cell the entire process of going through checkout!  His conversation completely revolved around him asking the other side of the conversation, why he should tell them anything!  For 25 minutes!  I wanted to scream, "Because I said so,!", in Spanish, in his ear and hopefully rupture one or more ear drums!  I may have lost a few IQ points during that encounter!

Or trying to get a fish sandwich at McDonalds and am entertained by these two guys discussing vaseline vs KY jelly and each others preferences.  Oh dear Lord save me!  I kept a real close eye that my sandwich did not come from either of them.....

Better still at the gas station, one woman talking with another on the other side of the pump, concerning all of her gynecological experiences.  Oh barf!  Give me a toilet brush and a bar of soap, 'cause that woman is going down!

Even my own son having a rip roaring fight with ex-girlfriend on the phone, standing in the middle of the yard, in the middle of the night!  If I could have found a brick.....

What in the heck is wrong with this American culture that people can not shut their mouths when in public?  Assuming that any of this needs to have been said in the first place, ever......

Not From Our Perspective

Last night was one of those few teachable moments I have ever had with my son.  Of course, it was over girl problems - but by extension we were also addressing the problem of allowing God to work in our lives.

Which brings to mind, John 5:19-20.  Why?

Because we often ask the wrong questions or view our lives from the wrong vantage point.  If we say, "What is God's will for my life?" or "What do You want me to do?", we are asking the wrong questions.  If you ask the wrong questions you will either not find an answer or come up with the wrong answers all on you lonesome.

The question we should be pursuing is, "What is God's will?", period!

God is always there, He is always at work, but we have to be able to know what His work is and then what part we should be playing in this work.

Yeah, I know this goes against the conventional wisdom of the American theological experience, but God's work is His and not ours.  If you are giving him a list of three girls you like and you want to know which of them is the "one" - you never will get the answer you are looking for!  You will however get plenty of wrong answers from your hormones.

As I told my son, if you want to find the girl of your dreams -   STOP LOOKING!  Get involved in what God tells you, you should be doing, for a start by knowing your Bible.  You would be amazed how you will stumble across the "right" person, when you are not looking for them but by becoming involved in God's work.

We can join in God's work because we are loved by Him.
We can join in God's work because it is based on the truth of His Word.
We can join in God's work because it is revealed by His will.
We can join in God's work because it is enabled by His power.

 But, first we must focus our attention on God, to see what He is up to and then see where we belong/should be doing.....

Updates

For those whom commented and sent emails when I recieved my bad news last month, I thought I would give a quick status check.

All of my numbers have stabilized, which is good because that means needed parts of me are not getting worse across the past month.  So maybe dire predictions by the doctor might be off a bit if God wants me around for a little longer.

On the other hand, it means that Kris has to figure out how to live without tea in his life, if the blood pressure is going to remain in the normal range.  Sigh.  Is life worth living without a hot cup of tea?  I guess so, but I am still working on that answer.....

My elderly mining partner, whom I visited while in Tucson, is becoming very fragile.  I tried witnessing to him again, but he is just dead set against having any form of a relationship with God.  I just can not figure this out, he grew up in a Christian home, his parents were Christians and fairly easy going people about their faith - but he is adamant that God will play no role in his.  He even goes to church on Sundays!  Well, maybe something will sink in.

Keep him your prayers!

Detached Kids

After church yesterday, I was talking to some friends when suddenly my vision was blurred by a set of hands over my glasses, accompanied by a young voice saying, "Guess who!".

The hands were obviously female, the angle meant she was short, the voice definitely that of a young teenager.  So, it could only be one girl I could think of.  And it was.  Hugs and kisses, she was so excited to see me again.  Well, between my time on the west side of the mountains and her active sports schedule, I have not seen much of her this year.

I thought about her yesterday, as well as, about a dozen other youth whom take time out of their lives to spend with me.  In each case, the role of the parent has been damaged in some way.  Drugs and alcohol playing a large part in many of these parents lives (yes most of them do attend church).  So, could a flawed parental image cause youth to seek "safer" adult attention?  What about situations were the family is shattered through divorce and the activities which preceded and ante-ceded their parents divorces?  A few kids with that situation in their lives as well.  And two of them, well, they live with parents whom are not even their parents!  Yeah, folks break up, get married again, kid is usually mother, then mother dies, step father remarries and now no one is actually related with the kid.  That situation I can almost of understand better.

Once I figured out that I was actually a pseudo-adoptive parent to these kids, I could better figure out why they hang around this old guy.  If so, then I guess I should stay in better touch with them and show more concern over their day to day lives.  Might even be interesting to report back next week what happens.....!  Might even be something God had planned along but then I am a little dense at times.

Now I have to admit that thrice, I can easily think of in my past, there were youth whom took an inordinate interest in my life.  The first two I rebuffed because I was unsure as to what was going on.  One was female and being allergic to such, deflected her to a female in the church, but it appeared in retrospect that she was in need of a father figure in her life and without such - things did not work out well for her across time.  In my spirit still grieves for that girl, especially having seen what became of her.  The other was an elementary student and honestly, I had no clue what to do about him other than to run.  Again in retrospect, I should have shouldered some of the responsibility in providing him with "guy" time but I was clueless.   (You know, "deer in the lights" situation!)

The third though was what would be a junior higher in this country and I now understood what was driving him subconsciously, especially in light of the prior two failed opportunities.  For the next six years, he spent just as much time with me as he did at home.  He did grow into a fine young Christian man and is still in touch with me to this day.  Yes, I do give God all the glory for that one!  Would that my son could do so well in life!


Now I am wondering about you.  Have you been "adopted" in some manner by any of the youth in your church, neighborhood, what ever?  If so, how have you addressed this or balanced the need for strengthening them vs the role their parents should play in their lives?

Question of Commitment

Sunday was interesting because there was to be some football game on, which started at 10 am.  So, I could hardly wait to get to church to see how many would be there.  Yup, you guessed it and I already knew what the result would be.

First service was almost a laugh there were so few there and if there were more than 17 at second service that might have been stretching it.

So, what is the point?

Well, at both services attendance was almost completely female.  Yeah, where could those missing males have been?  Hmmmmmm, (sound of fingers drumming) what could have happened to them?

I guess the males of my church find themselves torn between the freedom we have as Christians and the requirement to gather for fellowship.  No, not football fellowship, gathered around the boob-tube, but Christian - worshiping, praying and learning about things which are eternal.

Yeah, things which are eternal can always be put off for another day, right?  After all, God is not really going to hold us accountable for our choices.  Will He?  What kind of narrow minded god would that be!?!

This is long something I have written about, the lack of discernment within the Western (especially the American) Church.  As a body we can no longer tell right from wrong nor good from evil.  And those whom do have discernment, willing to get into people's faces over whom their gods really are, are ignored if not ostracized from the active Body.  No one wants to hear the truth when it does not serve their own purpose.

And, it is my own personal observation that God does hold you accountable for your choices.  If you bother to notice that things are just not going as well as they used to/could have been.  But, then why bother to take a look, you will just find out what you already know in your heart - if you are filled by the Spirit (ie: a Christian!).

Don't like how things are in your life?  It would certainly be my first choice to examine one's self to see if God might just have a problem with you and your choices.  And if your choices suck, then maybe step one step back and figure out if you are making those bad choices because, well may be, you need to get straight with God first......

Papa Knows Best

It never ceases to amaze me at how my son will completely disregard all fatherly advice and willing fall flat on his face at times!  At those times it is so hard to say, "I told you so....."

Yes, his great romance is finally at a conclusion and I for one am breathing a huge sigh of relief!  She was a nice enough girl but she was not a Christian and son had no business dating her.  In the end, she just could not take him and even his borderline Christian faith (such as it is at times!).  I do feel sorry for him, but you know the Bible says Christians are not to be unequally yoked - no matter how he wants to interpret that one.

So, this gives me hope that just maybe he will be doing some growing up and next time hunt amongst the Christian girls he knows.  I know of one particularly that he ought to really be taking a strong interest in - but then again we apparently look for something different in the opposite sex.  (Yeah, I know she is not "hot", heaven forbid she actually has a brain!)

So, I will continue to pray for his continued growth in how to treat people, a hedge about his desires (heh, heh, heh) and for God's hand to be heavily on his life and leading of him.

At those teenage years so much fun from the parental perspective?

Barracuda

Back in the college days, we had quite a group that would hang out together to study.  Not like any of us were in the same class, but it seems easier to study with other humans around, rather than locked in your own dorm!

Now, we all had nicknames, and one of the girls we had named Barracuda.  You see Barracuda, in real life, just sort of swim along checking out the menu items.  When they spot something tasty, they will do a drive by, spin and watch to see what happens.  Nothing? Then it makes a head long run in for the kill.

That was how Kathy was, all Barracuda.  Spot guy, zoom in for a quick chat and then "disappear" to watch.  If all looked good - zoom!  Poor guy never saw it coming.

Now back before Christmas I had spotted what appeared to be a barracuda at church.  Sort of a quiet one, single, divorce and Christian was about all anyone knew about her.  She was mingling, but her eyes were searching.  They lit upon a guy in our congregation whom is a real life cowboy.  Now in his middle aged years, and married I might add, she zoomed in for the drive by.  Apparently, she liked what she saw, because when I came back from vacation, they are now close friends.

I know he is married, I am sure others know he is married, I can't believe the gossips in the church did not tell her he was - and yet .......?  Conversely, I wonder if he is flattered to have a younger woman's attention?  From what I know of him, he never struck me as the type to give a female much attention.  Knows his horse and not much else.

Guess it is those quiet ones you have to worry about......

Bundling

Sunday, after church, a bunch of us went out to lunch and had an interesting conversation - where one of the men commented he had been to Switzerland once and really did not like the hotels.  Of course, I had to ask why, and he commented that there were boards down the center of the beds!

 Ah, you were in one of the Roman Catholic areas, I commented.  So, I explained what I knew of "modesty boards", which apparently was the wrong expression on my part - as I was unaware of the term "bundling board".

From there, the conversation became quite laughable and I will not attempt to repeat what had most of the restaurant in tears.  Let us just say that my trying to figure out how modesty equals bundling just did not go well, for me ....

It's said that the precedent for bundling came from the biblical story of Ruth and Boaz, in which Ruth, a young widow, and Boaz, a wealthy landowner, spend a night together on a threshing room floor and go on to become husband and wife.  Of course, they must have had greater self control than we have today, so now we need a bundling board in order to assure a girls honor.  The assumption being that there will be sleepovers!

Bundling, or bed courting, as it was also known as, was introduced to the American colonies by the early flood of European immigrants.  Doubtless, the cold, damp nights of their northern homelands contributed to its popularity.  Bundling under the covers might even have pandered to a certain Scottish thriftiness concerning winter heating bills, as an eighteenth-century ditty goes:

"Since in a bed a man and maid,
May bundle and be chaste,
It does no good to burn out wood,
It is just needless waste."

(Yeah well, I guess my sitting in the room with them, with my shotgun trained on said young man, might be considered a waste too!)

One bishop at the time is documented as having congratulated the devil for promoting bundling because it was "the smartest thing he's done since he put the snake in the garden."  For today's parents, the idea of bundling takes some adjustment.  Mom and Dad may be okay with sleepovers, but bundling adds a dimension this father would not approve of at all!

So in closing, may I share an expression from my youth, "May your board have a knot....."  Yeah, no one at Sunday's lunch got that one either but it was a knee slapper back home.

Well between the intricacies of early American dating rituals and humor, it seems that Swiss boy is not totally Americanized yet.  :^)

Sanctity of Human Life

“Meine Zeit steht in deinen Händen.”, read the plaque on the wall of my home as I was growing up.  It was a quotation from the book of Psalms, verse 15:31, however, I did not grow up in a religious family so the meaning was completely wasted on me.

This saying, from Luther’s translation of the Bible, simply states that “My time (times or days) are in your Hands.”  A beautiful way to look at the state of man in his relationship to his Creator.

In my godless upbringing, I understood that life was random.  Good things happen, bad things happen and there is not much you can do about it – one way or the other.  Yes, more than a little fatalistic.  But, if you have no understanding of God, then you can not understand the uniqueness of human life nor see God’s hand at work in the world.

Through my early years of discipleship, in a Hutterite Community, I learned:

• We are all created in God’s image
• That human life has a God given value – no longer appreciated by the world
• That all taking of human life is wrong because it debases the value God places on human life
• That God will judge those whom take human life accordingly
• That no one has the right to take the last opportunity for salvation away from another – by killing them

Where am I going with this?  Well, read on as I shift gears and look at a recent example, which affected my life, because I was there, talking and listening to those searching for answers.

**********

In the course of your life, you will find yourself readdressing the same issues repeatedly to see if the same answers apply to the world around you.  At least this will be true if you question, find answers and then meditate on those answers to understand where God fits into the personal theology you either will create or have created for you if you fail to do so thoughtfully.

For me, this past week, has been one of readdressing the question of the value of human life and if God is really in control or not.  Probably not a question you struggle with but by 16 I had encountered so much death and dying that I had lost any sense of value for human life!

So what happened?

Well, I was in Casas Adobes, at the Westward Look Resort, this past week.

Never heard of these places?  Well, that is because this is a bedroom community outside of Tucson and when the shooting news hit the air a week ago – the shootings were now in Tucson – and not Casas Adobes.

In summary:

a mentally ill college student, whom had a drug problem, and a history of violence – was tossed out of college, was turned down by the military, had a fight with his father, was stopped for running a red light by a cop – and he snapped.  He walked up to a political gathering, in front of the only grocery store near us, and opened fire on any and all in attendance.  Six people were killed instantly, one gravely injured and 17 others wounded - though not critically.

What made those six so unique that they died?  What made the 17 whom survived unique?  What made the one whom should have died, but did not, unique?  Indeed, were any of them unique?  Or was their death or survival just a random occurrence?  Where was God in all of this?  These were the questions vocalized within the community this past week.  When almost everyone in this small community knew everyone whom had been killed or wounded and even the family of the shooter – how do you give an answer when evil has struck a blow to the faith of the many, the faith of the weak, and driving further away the unbeliever from God whom they must seek?

And, I would add the question – are our days really in God’s hands when such random tragedies such as this can occur?  Maybe David, whom wrote the original of this verse, which hung on my childhood home’s wall, was really a fruit loop and had no idea what he was saying. 

Maybe we need to chew on this matter a little to find out one way or another.

**********

Human life is sacred; words used in one form or another to explain a pro-life viewpoint on issues like abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment and yes even war.  While respect for the sanctity of human life is the foundation of the pro-life movement, what should this respect look like?  How can we as Christians restore a reverence for human life into our daily lives?

The basis for understanding the sanctity of human life is defined in Genesis 1:27:

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (NKJV)

Being created in the image of God means more than just our appearance, having certain abilities or attributes.  It means that as humans we are the images of God, regardless of what we can or cannot do.  This image of the Creator is an attribute given uniquely to humans.  Nothing else in God’s creation can have the same claim made for it.

In God's eyes, we each are endowed with something of God Himself.  Each human carries within them the eternal, holy breath of God.  Therefore, each human life exists as an expression of God.  We are not soulless masses of flesh and blood, we each are image-bearers of God.  Since we carry God's image, the sacredness of our existence, and the respect it demands, is based on something beyond ourselves – it can only be found in the essence of God Himself.  It is not something you can see, touch, taste or smell.  It is part of the mystery of human life.

In our creation, God has given us a basis for human dignity.  It is not based on what we think of ourselves, what we can do, have done or even what God thinks of us in judgment.  Interdependence upon each other nor our ability for independence does not lessen or enhance this dignity.  It is not something we can lose or gain - it is the basis of who we are.

However, we live in a culture, which does not recognize the value of human life nor associated worth.  Therefore, we collectively must create recognition and protection for those whom are dependent and/or incapable of having a voice within this culture.  Human dignity is recognized and then strengthened when you, your family, your church and/or community care for those incapable of caring for themselves.  When you care for others during their times of need you declare your recognition of their human dignity and value apart from the tasks they can no longer perform.  Your willingness to serve and be served in time of physical weakness demonstrates your recognition of human dignity.

Our culture’s failure to respect the sanctity of life is shown through the actions of our society.  We live in a time when people would rather die than continue living with less than their definition for "quality of life".  Consider comments such as, "I would rather die than live as a …..".  Just fill in the blank with your worse idea of what life could be like if you were injured, had cancer or just grew old.  This idea is the creation of a society, which only respects those whom exhibit some level of physical ability, control and/or value to others.  It should be of no surprise that dependency is looked upon as the ultimate weakness and worthy of death.  When independence is seen as the basis for human dignity, then solutions such as abortion and euthanasia become the pragmatic solution.

Why has the concept of the sanctity of life been lost in our culture?

For starters, there is a spiritual source of this disrespect for life.  In John 10:10, we learn that Satan’s goal is to steal, kill and destroy those made in the image of God.  Motivated by hatred for those who reflect the image of God, the one who threw him out of heaven, Satan will continue to attack and seek to destroy us.

It is this spiritual context, which allows us to view the examples within our society where Satan has temporarily succeeded in destroying God’s creation:

• abortion
• experimentation on human embryos
• violence towards one another
• physician-assisted suicide
• euthanasia in many countries today

Satan is a ruthless enemy but not a very creative one.  His mission is to "seek, kill and destroy" those created in the image of God and he will be with us until the end of this age.  Our challenge is to reestablish the sanctity of life in our culture, restoring the value and worth of all human life from conception to natural death.

With the loss of Christian values in our society has come the disregard for the value of human life.  Incidents, which have hogged our news reports, include all forms of violence man is capable of in taking the lives of others.  Without an understanding of the sanctity of human life, all life becomes cheap.  Man fails to recognize that each person, whom they are exposed to, bears the image of God.  Since respect for human life is based on recognizing God as the Creator and man as having been created in His likeness, any nation having abandoned God will also abandon respect for God’s likeness.  The sanctity of life is extremely difficult to grasp without God in the culture.  

So, what can you do to help restore the sanctity of life in your life?

Restoration must begin in your own heart.  It is safe to say you are not murdering our neighbors currently.  However, examine your attitudes toward your neighbor, brothers and sisters in the Lord – which sow the seeds of hatred against the sanctity of life.  We all need to struggle against the ways in which we fail to acknowledge the intrinsic worth of each individual through dishonor and/or disrespect.

This appears through our disdain for others based, for example, upon their appearance, negative comments we make behind their backs, gossip or impatience with the driver of the car ahead of us.  Our sin of PRIDE shows itself through projected superiority, contempt for others and slander.  Yet, physical acts of violence such as assault, rape and murder are more commonly associated with violations against the sanctity of life rather than acts of our heart (and tongue!).  How can minor slip ups and our unimportant sins, such as these, be expressions of disrespect for God’s image in our world?  The sins of our heart represent the core of our fallen nature - the very nature that motivates man to violate man, violates the image of God.

Next, as Christians we must teach the next generation to respect human life: parents teaching children by example, Sunday school teachers building up and not tearing down, discipleship programs and individual Bible study.  If those we impact are respected and valued by us, they will grow to have an understanding of the sacredness of human life.  Each of us is a spiritual leader to someone, you might not even realize this or to whom, but we have a duty to model the importance of human life to one another and the world around us.

Finally, we live within a government and culture, which has lost its understanding of the importance of human life.  We must support public policies to protect human life and oppose legislation, which would threaten it.  I am not proposing that you become an activist, but I am suggesting that you have a sphere of people whom you can influence by example, through prayer and discussion.  As an individual, as a family unit, as a church, we must strive to restore to our culture and ourselves the concept of the Sanctity of Human Life.

**********

So what happened in Tucson? 

An angry young man, raised without an awareness of the value of human life, struck back at a society which had rejected him in his estimation.  His crime spree ended quickly when he attempted to reload his Glock’s magazine as a woman he had already shot grabbed both of his hands and blocked any attempt to insert another clip into the gun.  Concurrently, two men in their late 70’s tackled him to the ground and restrained him until the police arrived.

As for the victims?

It is hard to understand that God, being in control, allowed for six lives to be ended so randomly and unexpectedly.  If you hold to the concept that their days were equally in God’s hand, then they could just as easily have gotten whooping cough and died, or been struck by a bread truck.  For those whom were wounded, it may well have been by design that their days were not up just yet and so there is the argument for their survival at this man caused tragedy.

Moreover, for at least one man in that crowd that day, he apparently did understand the sanctity of human life.  When the shooting began, he threw his wife of 50 years to the ground and shielded her body with his.  He died from the three bullets he took on her behalf.

Was God there that day?  Yeah, it would seem random chance would have caused one heck of a bigger mess than it was…..

**********

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is January 23, 2011. 

Take this week and set aside some time to meditate on where you stand in your understanding of the value of human life.  Meditate on what you are willing to do to underscore this understanding in your life, your church, your town, your state.

HBD - To Me!

Yeah, I survived another year, somehow!

Did I ever tell you about how in third grade our teacher sent us home to find out how long we could expect to live?  Well, my parents had no clue (WWII sort of slaughtered my German side and mother left home at 13).

So, I called up my American grandmother and asked her.  She told me that all males were dead by 40!  I reported this back to my class and the teacher reacted real weirdly.  No idea at the time as to why, but, I always kept the fact tucked away in my brain.

As I was growing up, fully well knowing that each day was one day closer to the magical drop dead date, I did everything I could imagine.  No risk was too great - after all, I was not going to be around for long.

So, I awoke at 40 years plus one day and had absolutely no clue what to do for the rest of my life.

I called up my grandmother and told her that she was wrong - I was now older than 40!

There was this long pause after which she said, "Well, I think I might have forgotten to mention one fact.  All of them died from alcoholism....."

I now knew I was royally shafted.  All of those injuries were now going to come back to haunt me as I grew older and older.  Sigh.

So, today, I celebrate the 34th occurrence of my 22nd birthday and my liver is still in pristine condition.....

Teenagers!

It never ceases to amaze me at how certain teenagers can make the most inconvenient of demands and then think nothing of the effort it takes to meet them!

For instance, your son needs a ride, which requires that you get up at 5 am, in order to pick him up and then run him into work.  You have to do this because he can not drive, because he refused to work for the first three years he could have. 

So you show up at 7 am to pick him up, he is still in bed.  Once up he has to talk on the phone with his girl friend for 20 minutes so is not even ready by 7:30, the drop dead time for departure.

Now he gives you attitude because you tell him to get off the phone, make his lunch and get his back end out the door!

Then you remind him that this inconvenience is at his request and he is giving attitude why?  Oh yeah, you are treating him like an irresponsible kid. 

Like duh!

As my Danish uncle always said, "No good deed goes unpunished.....".

Plane Full of Quacks, Obama 'n Stuff

My flight from Tucson to Seattle was very interesting as the majority of the occupants were all returning home from some bowl game in Tucson, where the University of Oregon played.

So on trooped all of these yellow and green dressed people, many with U and O painted on each of their cheeks!  Yeah, I had to have it explained to me; me and organized sports are sort of strangers to one another.

The lady whom sat next to me was one of these and interestingly enough was from Anchorage.  She was also a Christian, single parent of four, her youngest slightly younger than mine and her parents had divorced about the same time as mine.  So it was a very interesting flight as far as chatting went.  Not real sure what she sees in Anchorage though - just saying, 'cause I've been there in winter.....

Of course we had some humor on the flight as no one seemed real interested in staying in their chosen seat and everyone was trying to switch so they could be closer to their new friends from the game (I am just guessing as to why).

Anyone listen to Obama's speech yesterday?  I thought it was quite good.  In fact I would give him an A+!  Now, can he walk the talk?  I wonder.  It would be a blessing if we did have some sanity in this nation and its politics.

It was so good to be home last night and to sleep in my own bed!  I just do not like to sleep in beds that are not as hard as a rock, and most hotels are plenty soft bed-wise.  I thought I would never wake up this morning - but 6am pulled up earlier than I expected.

On today's list is bills, Christmas thank you's, kitchen cleaning and, yes, I will have to look at the car situation ..... sigh .....  Bills are now done and in the mail drop, everything else awaits me!

Want Your Input

Is life sacred?

Does God control your life expectancy?

When someone is killed, would they have died anyway that day, possibly through another means?

Just wondering what the view is of the readers.....

Somber Service

So, as I mentioned last time, I am a block away from the site of yesterday's shooting.  The church I go to, when in Tucson over the past 30 years, is the UCC of Casas Adobes.  Yep, across the street from the shooting and intersection from me.

The entire Safeway parking lot is barricaded, police and news crews everywhere.

In the church, it was a somber audience.  Many there had relatives, friends, business partners lost the day before.  I thought to myself, "What can you say to a group whom has experienced sudden loss?"  And that loss includes those lost due to surgical facilities being taken up due to the shooting, whom had be scheduled for surgeries, in one case it was life or death but the shootings came first. 

The new pastor gave one of the best sermons I have ever heard on the sactity of life and why it is important.  If I can get a transcript, I will post it.  It was that good.

What A Day!

Yes, Kris is still alive - though given what the day was like, one might wonder at how my number did not come up today.

If you were watching the national news this evening, then you would know a few places around the Tucson area: Westward Look Resort, Safeway, Junction of Oracle and Ina roads.

Yep, yours truly is staying at Westward Look, was at Safeway when all hell broke loose and was completely obvious as to what really was going on.  (I ignore all things politico!)  Yeah, I did not even know what happend until 45 minutes later when I was in a shop with the tv on in Tubac.  Then I understood - that wasn't some weird tv stunt - that was reality!

Then try and get back to the resort - the entire area was in lock down for most of the day.....

Please keep in prayer the families of those shot and killed, for healing for those whom have not died yet and for the Congresswoman whom is suffering greatly.

Words Unsaid

Yesterday I helped the lady whom used to live upstairs repair and re-dye her leather coat as she is leaving for Texas to live with her oldest daughter.  It was sort of a bummer because we had been through a great deal together as she fought her cancers and then had to recover enough for surgery last year.  Then my little heart incident in August and the tables were turned for two months!  She is a dear sister and will continue to be missed greatly.  We both had our 'brave' faces on; we both know she may well beat me home.

Yesterday was also send off day for Italian missionary girl, whom is now headed for South Carolina to attend college.  That girl's life is so disjointed, I have no idea if she is coming or going most of the time!  At least, I do know she is flying out today, Lord help whomever is going to be watching over her in Columbia!  I taught her what living by faith meant - and that is exactly what she is now doing.  Though it sure would be helpful to my spirit to know she is - well - but then that is where faith comes in.  The Lord will keep her.  I feel as though one of my daughter's is heading out into the big world; so many things I wish I could tell her or help her with.....

With my signing off, I am heading for Tucson to see my almost lifelong mining partners and friends.  In particular, one whom showed me what being a man and a father meant.  Now if only he would make peace with his creator!  Probably my last chance to see him - so I really want this trip to be the one to once more speak with him concerning this!  Many of his children and his wife are Christians but he just is unconvinced concerning this.  So your prayers are desired!

So we will see how available internet will be to my little netbook, in a few short hours!

2011 - Want To Change Your Life?

Thoughts from reading John 5:1 - 6.

1.  Do you need change in your life?
     Do you need the change that Jesus offers?

(v 5:3) We  all have our problems and we all have our pools to lay beside.  We may even have friends and family whom are willing to enable us in our misery.

We all have our mats of comfort or self pity that we lay upon.  We hope that something different is going to happen everyday; something which will change us or our circumstance.

Who needs to be touched by Jesus this year?  We ALL do!

2.  Do you really want change in your life?

(v5:5, 6) One might be tempted to wonder if Jesus was asking this invalid a dumb question.  After all, this man had been unable to walk for 38 years.  But, Jesus was not asking a dumb question, he was asking if the man really wanted change in his life.

Why wouldn't the man want to be healed?  Well, change is hard and many consider change to be down right evil!  We take great comfort in the familiarity of our surroundings and circumstance.  Change is not comfortable to almost anyone!

We read this passage and we can see that Jesus is actually being the perfect gentleman - He is not going to act unless the man was willing to ASK Him to!  In our lives, Jesus stills seems to work the same way - if we do not ask, He does not act!  (Ok, there are those situations where He seems to use a baseball bat on me to get me where He wants me!)

Do you want change in your life in 2011?  Then choose healing over hurt in your life.  Physical, Spiritual and/or Emotional healing in our lives is all easily within the abilities of God - but we do need to ASK.

*****************************************************

(As if a validation last night, as I wrote this, my heart began to give up as it had in August.  I have been almost fatalistic these past two weeks knowing this was going to happen - and yet with this note on my mind I prayed for my heart to recover - and it did.  The first responder had my initial blood pressure at 211/121 (gag! my pulse was also off the charts) and after I prayed it dropped to 143/85 with a pulse of 70!  Yeah, asking works.....  And apparently my number is not quite up yet.)

:^)

Tagged

Wholly Cow!  You will not believe this one!

I was at the first church of the fresh meat and there is this little old lady whom runs the prayer ministry.  Before service began, she came up and asked if I would be willing to pray at the end of the service.  They have volunteers stand over on the side at the end just in case anyone wants prayer.  Now I have know this lady for many years through my visits here and perhaps she is just used to seeing me.  So, I thought why not?

End of service, I walk out and cut over to the far door and walk down the far aisle and stop up front.  She joins me shortly thereafter.  The pastor tells the church that prayer teams are at the front and turns to my side and goes, "Over here, we have ------------- Kris," but there was utter confusion in his eyes.  I was just smiling.

Only one person came up on my side, a young blond girl - mind you not as pretty as my blond daughters, but a looker none the less!  She asked for prayer as she returns to school, explaining that life was a little difficult there and she did not seem to have good fellowship.  Seemed reasonable, we prayed and then broke up as the church emptied.

Well, except for her, whom wanted to talk more to me!  I was instantly on my defense but answered her questions, which only seemed to make her more interested.  And, then I was realizing she came up for prayer because she wanted to know me!  What the heck!

I quickly calculated that it would not have been hard at all to be her grandfather if I had married around 21!  Excusing myself I FLED the scene. 

Now I will be the first that to admit that as a middle age guy it is down right encouraging to even get a look (such as I got from her!) from a girl that soft on the eyes.  And, I imagine a normal one would have her name, address and phone number (which she offered!) by now.  But, ya know, I exorcised those demons years ago.

Spontaneous Outbreak Of Stupidity

I was in line at the check out, with the usual hum of peoples voices.  A cashier said, "Have a Happy New Year!".

"This is New Years'?"

"No tomorrow is."

"When?"

"January first."

"Is it always on the first or does it change, like the first Thursday of January or something?"

Now there were five people involved in the discussion, all in their mid-thirties and not a one of them had a clue concerning the subject as to when New Years is.

The cashier panned the crowd with one of the best wounded Jack Benny looks I have ever seen not on Jack Benny!

I rolled my eyes and slowly walked out wondering which high school they must have graduated from.....

Happy Years my readers, friends and family!

Musical Saturday Morning

I took some flak for having music videos on my older blogs, but hey I am not a one dimensional person!  I do like some music, but no one in particular.  I like the 1980's genre, but not everything.  I am a child or 60's with no musical talent of my own, however, I do get applause whenever my shower is over.  Children are such critics!

So, I am going to start up my Saturday morning videos again, but just one a month for now.  First up is one which I lost readership over.  Back To The Beach, remains one of the worse films of all time!  I would rather be bound to a chair and forced to sit through Scarey Movie 1 through whatever than watch Frankie Avalon and Annette Mouse Ears.  Ok, freeze frame Annette and I can concentrate on a childhood crush!

But, this movie does have Stevie Ray Vaughn and my favorite - Dick Dale as battling guitars.  Oh lest I forget - Pee Wee Herman (the disappoint as a man that you are!) but was embarrassingly funny.....

From Back to the Beach, Pipeline.....


(link repaired)`