Skeptic and Angels

I am the ultimate skeptic. I hear something that sounds too good to be true in a sermon – I go and research it (occasionally I am wrong…). I hear some fanciful claim about anything to do with the demonic or the spirit world – I dig until I find the truth. My kids tell me they are going to do something – whatever…been there done that a few thousand times…

So, when I stumbled up on this picture in Blog-land, I had to run it down:

Said to be a photo of a protecting angel during a mass, I have to wonder why angels suddenly look for the entire world like Tinker Bell! So here is Tinker Bell isolated and enlarged:

Still looks like Tinker Bell to me.

At first I thought this might be a double exposure but I finally gave up on that idea. I thought perhaps a Photoshop element, but could not find moiré nor other amateurish mistakes. All one can really say is that there is a streak from the upper window that does not form a straight line, nor does the light beam expand as one would expect – perhaps this is a clue to this being a manufactured item? If that is the clue, it is a pretty silly mistake they created! Or another possibility is that when this is reduced to a negative format, the light sheen on the heads of the men can be clearly seen and the light is not consistent nor always in the appropriate place. Again a silly mistake.

In the end you still have two possibilities – it is real or it is Photoshop. If it is real then why would an angel appear looking like Tinkle Bell? Angels are messengers, not fairies. No where does an angel appear in my Bible translation where the humans are not flat on their faces from terror!

However, it could be real and I would point you to the “miracles” of El Zeitoun in Egypt. But, there we would be discussing the demonic – not the godly…..

Son In Law

Last week I took Oldest Daughter and Son In Law out for lunch.  He is finally beginning to relax around me and is far more open in his discussions.  At one point, he commented something about my being a conservative.

Mind you, I maybe Switzerland’s lone conservative, so his comment brought the attention of many within earshot’s attention of our table!  I had to ask why he thought I was a conservative.  Mind you, I am very much a liberal; however, I am not a socialist – which is what liberalism is equated to these days almost in any country.

His answer I found most interesting because he observed that my extremely strong family values were the basis for conservatism!  Of course, he then added that my belief in God also set me apart from the liberals he knew.  As the conversation progress he became rather agitated, so I quiet moved the conversation on to some more mellow topics than politics!  I just did not understand at the time what his brain was working through…..

Wednesday, I took Granddaughter over to see her parents at the hospital and see how all is going over there.  Along the way, I spotted Middle Daughter walking beside the road and was going to pick her up until I saw she was smoking.  Not a good idea for someone with asthma and a real problem for me as I do not handle smoke or even the smell of smoke well.  So, I kept going.

At the hospital, all was well until SIL’s mother showed up right after me.  SIL hauled off and popped her in the face!  Yeah, his anger just exploded and now I understood the conversation from last week – he has been learning what a family is and how love is greater than acceptance or dependence.  His mother was a bit surprised to say the least.  And he certainly has far more guts than I ever had as a youth!

So, it looks like a great deal of angst is being worked through in his heart and spirit – a good sign.  Though, a little hard on his mother!  Be interesting to see if he can be brought to the Lord or not in the near future…..  My hopes are rising.

Sunday School

I think I mentioned before that I am back to teaching teenage Sunday School again.  As with all years, I offer to allow ANYONE to take over but again no one came forward to teach.  Naturally, the only time someone seems to want to take over is when I am in the middle of a series I think is important and they want to take over to play games.  Gees.

In any event, this is setting up to be an interesting year.  The kids are younger this time, mostly 15 and 16.  There are as many girls as there are boys.  They want to know about the Bible and missions!  This is a serious group and I am very surprised.

So, I have been teaching on Genesis, always a good place to start and involve their minds.  We have looked at the textual criticism and how it appears Genesis was put together – which leads to a very interesting discussion as to whom wrote which part!  Currently we are looking at the contrast between Chapter 1 and what man’s sciences teach.  Of course, evolution is not a basis for Swiss schooling but something they do hear about and definitely will when they hit college.  Next we will look at the concept of Eden and of course, the flood.

I am looking forward to a very interesting end of the year……

Signs Of The Times

Joel 2:31

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.

Matthew 24: 4-14

Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you.  For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.  You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of birth pains.  "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.  At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.  Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Luke 21:25

There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves.

Acts 2:20

The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come.

Revelation 6:12

I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;

Hmmmmmmm?

LSD

I was thinking about fads the other day.  I was stopped at a light watching youth, unable to pull their pants up, walk across the road in front of me.  It just cracks me up – all of the little “gangstas” wanting to identify with losers in southern California!  (It really is a problem!)  Guess I just do not understand the “cool” of airing your whitey tighties.

Well, back in my day…..

It was 1969 and my first year of American school, in South Carolina, of all places.  The hot item for being “cool” then was to have a bracelet with your initials engraved on it.  “Everyone” had one, “everyone” wanted one, “everyone” had to have one!

“Everyone” that is, except for me and a young lady named, Linda Sue Dorsey.  Yeah, 1969 was a bad year to have the initials of LSD and wanting the all powerfully cool, initials bracelet.

Reason I even remember this is how devastated she was because the company had sent back her money and told her they would not do a bracelet with those initials.  How the tears flowed down those young cheeks.

Back to today and our belt challenged youth, how devastated would they be if they had to pull up their pants because they are not Californians?  Can you just see these young men sobbing and crying because they have to pull their panties up?  Oh heavens, how I laughed at the thought of this!  Of course, they thought I was laughing at them and each offered to show me some of their fingers…  Being young can be so hysterically traumatic.

As for Linda Sue Dorsey, I wonder what ever happened to her.  Did she ever get her bracelet?  Or become an ax murderer, from having been denied her all important bracelet!  Hmmm, a damaged ID from having no id bracelet….hee, hee, hee!

THE QUESTION that CHANGED MY LIFE

-by David Ryser.

A number of years ago, I had the privilege of teaching at a school of ministry. My students were hungry for God, and I was constantly searching for ways to challenge them to fall more in love with Jesus and to become voices for revival in the Church. I came across a quote attributed most often to Rev. Sam Pascoe. It is a short version of the history of Christianity, and it goes like this:

Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise.

Some of the students were only 18 or 19 years old--barely out of diapers--and I wanted them to understand and appreciate the import of the last line, so I clarified it by adding, "An enterprise. That's a business." After a few moments Martha, the youngest student in the class, raised her hand. I could not imagine what her question might be. I thought the little vignette was self-explanatory, and that I had performed it brilliantly. Nevertheless, I acknowledged Martha's raised hand, "Yes, Martha." She asked such a simple question, "A business? But isn't it supposed to be a body?" I could not envision where this line of questioning was going, and the only response I could think of was, "Yes." She continued, "But when a body becomes a business, isn't that a prostitute?"

The room went dead silent. For several seconds no one moved or spoke. We were stunned, afraid to make a sound because the presence of God had flooded into the room, and we knew we were on holy ground. All I could think in those sacred moments was, "Wow, I wish I'd thought of that." I didn't dare express that thought aloud. God had taken over the class.

Martha's question changed my life. For six months, I thought about her question at least once every day. "When a body becomes a business, isn't that a prostitute?" There is only one answer to her question. The answer is "Yes." The American Church, tragically, is heavily populated by people who do not love God. How can we love Him? We don't even know Him; and I mean really know Him.

... I stand by my statement that most American Christians do not know God--much less love Him. The root of this condition originates in how we came to God. Most of us came to Him because of what we were told He would do for us. We were promised that He would bless us in life and take us to heaven after death. We married Him for His money, and we don't care if He lives or dies as long as we can get His stuff. We have made the Kingdom of God into a business, merchandising His anointing. This should not be. We are commanded to love God, and are called to be the Bride of Christ--that's pretty intimate stuff. We are supposed to be His lovers. How can we love someone we don't even know? And even if we do know someone, is that a guarantee that we truly love them? Are we lovers or prostitutes?

I was pondering Martha's question again one day, and considered the question, "What's the difference between a lover and a prostitute?"  I realized that both do many of the same things, but a lover does what she does because she loves. A prostitute pretends to love, but only as long as you pay. Then I asked the question, "What would happen if God stopped paying me?"

For the next several months, I allowed God to search me to uncover my motives for loving and serving Him. Was I really a true lover of God? What would happen if He stopped blessing me? What if He never did another thing for me? Would I still love Him? Please understand, I believe in the promises and blessings of God. The issue here is not whether God blesses His children; the issue is the condition of my heart. Why do I serve Him? Are His blessings in my life the gifts of a loving Father, or are they a wage that I have earned or a bribe/payment to love Him? Do I love God without any conditions? It took several months to work through these questions. Even now I wonder if my desire to love God is always matched by my attitude and behavior. I still catch myself being disappointed with God and angry that He has not met some perceived need in my life. I suspect this is something which is never fully resolved, but I want more than anything else to be a true lover of God.

So what is it going to be? Which are we, lover or prostitute? There are no prostitutes in heaven, or in the Kingdom of God for that matter, but there are plenty of former prostitutes in both places. Take it from a recovering prostitute when I say there is no substitute or unconditional, intimate relationship with God. And I mean there is no palatable substitute available to us (take another look at Matthew 7:21-23 sometime). We must choose.

Heading Home

You are almost guaranteed you are going to die at some point.  Outside of Enoch, Elijah and believers during the end of the age, no one leaves this world alive.  Given that death is a given, we can know a few things from 2 Corinthians 5:5-10.

• You are going to die
• Your spirit will leave your body
• You will come immediately into the presence of the Lord
• You will receive an eternal body
• You will, even as a Christian, face the judgment of God (for rewards)

Knowing where you are headed should change the way you are living here!

• You are to live with courage (v 6-8)
• You only have one goal – to please God (v9)
• This is your chance to prepare for your court appearance! (v10)