Division


Some people say this world will never end.  They say all we have to do is take care of the planet. 

But it just struck me how many divisions there are in this world.  This is my restaurant, this is my store, this is my state, this is my football team, this is my……

I’m so tired of being witness to such a deluge of divisions.

A house divided cannot stand.

Stability, the Fragrance of Love


Night or day, rain or shine, storm or tranquil afternoon; I carry within me a Spring time born of eternity.  The Love of God in Christ Jesus plays out in my heart and mind without ceasing. 

This love is like a musical waterfall of exquisite emotions, thoughts, doings and experiences.  It’s no more a religion then the beautiful explosion of love between the young man and a woman, his new found lifelong best friend.

God’s love causes me to smell the colors of the world around me.  He shows me the dance of sound in the fabric of air.  Words, all words, become living creatures as the Word of Life comes near to caress with truth.

I am useless to man.   The Living promise has finally caught me in an eternal embrace.  I tried to pay attention to the things that matter most to men, but fail miserably and often .The beautiful patience of God stoked a fire in me to make him blessed with his desire.

All of this, and vastly more, gives me reason to ponder the definition of love among men.  So very much is made of the love between a man and a woman.  Books, songs, poetry, movies, and all the trinkets produced as a celebration of joy and longevity.  All this commotion for something that cannot possibly last.  The hurricane of reality sweeps down from the mountains to devastate the joy of first love between man and wife.  Most marriages disintegrate to a bond of friendship at best.  At worst, they disintegrate to nothing.

The captivating emotions of human love produce something similar to the love of God within his beloved ones.  But people are people.  They are everything but stable.  Greed, impatience, expectations, and everything associated with self begins to ruin first love’s beauty.  Eventually death takes it all away.

But how is it that so much is made of the love of man, which is so transitory, while virtually nothing is celebrated toward the love of God?  The love of God simply becomes a place to cry out for help when everything we wanted falls apart.

Chaos with legs


The terrorist comes not for me. 

He comes to serve his “god”, you see.

With chaos bent t’ward bloody intent

He feeds his soul on Hells strong vent.

For death and destruction he is meant.

But Christ is more!

CHRIST IS MORE!

My sins he bore!

They cannot have my soul!

The Classroom


1971.

Carly Simon released her song “That’s the way I’ve always heard it should be”

1971.
I entered the Air Force at 17 years old.

I learned from the music of that decade just like all my peers.  What chance did we have to lead godly lives?

The music of the seventies was built on a foundation of quicksand.  But that was our classroom; a godless religion of self-indulgence.

That was then.  What is the state of affairs for the young people today?

How much longer, oh Holy Lord, until the quicksand swallows all hope?

Merry Christmas?


Is it ridiculous to say “Merry Christmas” to the rebellious souls of this world?  Someone would answer, “Why would you not put a smile on someone else’s face”?

Isn’t saying Merry Christmas to one who does not have eternal life in Christ, like trying to make a condemned prisoner smile by telling him the world will soon be rid of a murderer?  Do you really expect him to share in your joy?  Are you right to try to give him a hope that does not belong to him?

What does Merry Christmas mean?  Isn’t it that we take joy in the work of Christ within us?  Isn’t it that eternal life IS, because God cannot lie and has sealed his promise with the blood of His Holy and Righteous Son?  And doesn’t the promise from the Holy Spirit give us a quiet joy that is inexpressible to the ears of Man?  Isn’t this what Merry Christmas means?

For those who believe and receive His guidance toward righteousness and purity, indeed Christmas can be merry.  But for those who simply want a smile, a gift, and a good work, Christmas cannot be eternally merry.  It is impossible for such creatures to grasp the meaning of “Merry Christmas”.

I’m not saying we should be cruel.  But I am saying we should think about what tradition tells us to do.  Falsehood can come in a beautiful evening gown, dancing elegantly in a sparkling ballroom.  Do we really desire truth?

How unpopular this message must be for so many.

Formation


With decades ahead of them, praise in their hand,

The young folks will seek the good of the land.

What could they know of what lay ahead;

How sorrows will drench their unkempt bed.

They’ll grow old soon enough when wisdom comes home,

When abandon comes knocking; leaving them all alone.

Everyone’s salted with fire, you know.

Oh, how paleness replaces that once youthful glow.

But who can advise those who simply won’t die,

To replace youthful lust with Eternity’s eye:

Tell them once, tell them twice, tell them three times, why more?

Your words can’t draw pictures of what lay in store.

Pray for them deeply.

Love them through Christ.

Pray they’ll live meekly.

Lest their hearts turn to ice