They Gained "Wait" After Christmas Too!

Merry Christmas!
This is the day we celebrate that God came down to earth to become one of us in order to save us!  That's big news.
Who ever heard of the great God above becoming part of His own creation, in fact, coming to the very bottom, in order to raise us all up?  This is the day.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it.  Merry Christmas to you!

We normally think of Christmas as "it."  Christ was born, He came to die to save us from sin.  It's almost like it's all over and done in one day.  It didn't quite go like that.

Think about this:
There were only a few people that knew how important this baby was.  Even counting Simeon, Anna, and Elizabeth, the whole crowd is certainly less than 50.  Suppose you were Mary, or Joseph, one of the shepherds, or one of the wise men.  The anticipation was probably the biggest part of the whole ordeal.  Check this out -- there were a lot of super-natural events that accompanied the birth of Christ.  But He did not start His ministry for thirty years!  I tend to doubt pretty quickly.  I'm sure that in 10 years, I would be wondering if it was true. --  Did it really all happen back then (10 years ago), or was I just caught up in the emotion of the moment?  All those things were pretty random, and everything's been pretty normal since.  Maybe God has changed His mind.  Maybe I was hoping too much.  -- But to wait another 20 years after that?

Do you think the shepherds kept tabs on Jesus?  How often in the next 30 years do you think they thought about that one very strange night?  They went back to their routine lives, and not another thing happened for the next 30 years.  If one was 30 at the time of Jesus' birth, he would be 60 before Jesus started His ministry.  I wonder if any of them were around 30 years later to hear about this Rabbi named "Jesus."  Did they get to hear Him speak?  Were any there to see Him die?  How about the wise men?  They went back home.  How would they ever know when this new king took power?  Did they wonder what happened years later, when they never heard news?
We celebrate Christmas every year.  Did they forget Christmas?

Where will you be in 30 years?  How many "spectacular events" you have seen recently will still be on your mind then?  Will you still be in touch with the people you know and the friends you have now?  It's a long time - a very long time.

What if you knew this child was the Messiah, but then you watched Him grow up for 30 years?  That's what Mary did.  Joseph isn't mentioned much after Jesus started His ministry.  Did he even get to see His son's ministry?  What if you were Mary?  The anticipation of waiting for the Messiah - your Son - to be revealed.  Then, a short miraculous ministry, and an early death.  Bam, it's all over.  You've been waiting 30 years, and this is what you get.

You see, we shorten the story because we know too much of it.  This Christmas, let's go back to Bethlehem and wait -- WAIT -- just like everyone had to that first Christmas.  The Christmas story is so much fuller and richer than we realize.  Think of the anticipation.
We often want God to work fast.  What if we had to wait 30 years?

~700 Years before Christ
Isaiah 7:14, NKJV
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."

Prophecies relating to Christmas:
http://www.jeffkouba.com/SundaySchool/ChristmasProphecies.htm

Chesterton on The Tree

"If a tree falls over in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make any sound?"

This age old scientific/philosophical question has affronted minds for generations.  You see, before the invention of recording devices, there was no scientific way to answer this question.  It became a question of philosophy.

So I wondered how the literary philosopher G.K. Chesterton might answer.  In thinking forward, it might appear like this: (My apologies to this great man, as I am so far stuck in thinking backwards.)

One might think that this tree's fall would produce no sound, and one could be assured in thinking so, because he does not hear it.  But for one to think that all of nature performs its act for our benefit alone is quite presumptuous.  Nature was created before man, and does not need man to exist.  The fact is so well recognized, in fact, that Mr. Wells and many other novelists have all but said that nature is best without man.  No, this tree did not wait for human ears to confirm its glorious downfall.
It fell, with a crack more sharp and a crash more thunderous than any human has ever heard, precisely because it had no reason.

Google Launches Middle East Peace Initiative

The California-based information company known world-wide for innovation and working outside market standard has done it again. Yesterday, Google International announced the release of its global peace initiative -- just in time for Christmas. While the long term scope is to facilitate cooperation and understanding between all world groups, the planned first step will be no easy task. Google spokesperson announced, "We're taking the solution right to the heart of the struggle." First Step? -- The Middle East.
The hotbed of conflict for centuries, the Middle East will be the perfect proving grounds for this daring initiative. If it works here, Google will instantly have a lucrative contract with the United Nations. The world will be watching the Google World Peace Initiative.

Check it out:
http://mideastpeace.google.com

If the site doesn't come up, please be patient, and try back later.
Mideastpeace is still beta, and doesn't work all the time.



Links:
http://jesusislife.net/articles/ChristIsTheAnswer.html
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=world+peace

Related blog:
http://dlorimer.livejournal.com/52509.html

Is The Fellowship Breaking?

Matthew 4:8-10 (New International Version)
"Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me.""

I think Satan still tempts along this same line.  Oh, he's no longer tempting Christ, of course.  Now he is tempting the "little Christs," the Christians.  He still tempts those in leadership; those who are about to face a difficult test.  The words have changed a bit too.  Today, I think he presents this temptation like this:
"Again, the devil took him to a very high position and showed him all the people of the world.  "Your church is small," he said.  "All these people I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me.""

The temptation to big-churchism.  Have we glorified the large church as the image of success?  How many times do we see that disapproving frown when a "big-churcher" finds out we attend a "little church."  Is a big church really successful?  Is a small one quite unsuccessful?  Could it be that the frown we see and the taunts we hear are reflections and echos of the tempter himself?

Where in the Bible are large churches glorified?  Where are they shown as the image of success?  Where are they even recommended?  Ahh, -- "and that day about three thousand souls were added to them." (Acts 2:41)  That's a pretty big church!  But it continues -- "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.  (Acts 2:46-47)   Hmm, pretty big houses to hold 3000+ people.  It seems the model here is smaller fellowships, as would be consistent with Hebrews 10:24-25: 

"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

This appears to place Christianity in a social construct that requires interaction.  But this isn't just a social event.  These people are at the level of challenging and encouraging one another.  This is, by nature of men, a relatively small group.

We don't know the sizes of the churches Paul fathered, visited and wrote to.  Sure, some were quite large.  They were also listed by city.  The actual groups appear to have met in much smaller gatherings.  To write a letter to the church of Lexington would be to address a very large congregation indeed!

Are large churches inherently wrong?  No, I don't think so.  Many large churches have understood and applied the teaching of the Scriptures, working in smaller units that make up the larger church.

Are small churches inherently good?  By no means.  Many have lost their message, their passion, or their Savior, and have dwindled and died.

So what's the problem?  To focus on numbers is to lose focus on God.  I know of many "small" churches that are perfectly Biblical.  They remain small because they are senders!  I know of large churches that are perfectly Biblical.  They are large by remaining a conglomerate group, as well as smaller units.  I have seen all sizes that are not living up to the Good News they have been given.  The issue is not size; the standard is the Savior.

There is a temptation for those of a large church to look down on those of a small church, and say they must not be doing something right, or they would be big.  There is a temptation to make the goal "church growth," because size is the test of the church. 
There is a temptation to accept the offer of the devil, "All these people I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me."

The War of the Worlds

What do The War of the Worlds and W.A.L.-E have in common?
Plenty.

I just finished The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells tonight.  (If you have not read the book, this won't make much sense, and it also contains spoilers)
You may read it here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=-9QfOx1BrBgC&dq=%22war+of+the+worlds%22&pg=PP1&ots=5VA0uMAU78&source=bn&sig=7T-AufxaGzBv1sokzuGg8NvFBms&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result


I can certainly see why his contemporary, GK Chesterton, took him to task.
(http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Gilbert_K_Chesterton/Heretics/Mr_H_G_Wells_and_the_Giants_p1.html) 
He has infused the book with philosophy -- nay, the book is moreso born of philosophy.  He finds space to ridicule Christianity and religion in general, with the depiction of the curate, the ravings of the artilleryman, and the comments of the narrator.  I did find it interesting that he seems to turn religion back into a positive light at the end, though I hardly think it undoes much damage already caused.

More strange to me was his assault on humanism.  What?  Yes, it was shocking to me, living in a secular humanistic society, to hear such blatant denial of the human species.  Wells is certainly not a humanist.
I give him a lot of credit though, for a pure presentation of evolution.  My secular humanistic society has progressed to the place where they really don't believe evolution anymore.  Wells presents it pure and rational.  If it happened, it could happen anywhere, probably did, they could be more intelligent than us, they could attack us, and we could be like ants to them.  Humans are not the highest lifeform, we just happen to be right now.  Please notice that Natural Selection was the key component in the War of the Worlds.

Back to W.A.L.-E.  Why on earth do I say these two have something in common?  Ahh, precisely because of earth.  There has been an idea for years that humans will eventually wear the earth out.  We will need to progress in space, because we need to leave this planet.  After using up the earth, we will move to another planet, and begin to use it up too.   (see C.S. Lewis, The Space Trilogy for a strong reaction to these ideas.)  Now, this idea is very humanistic, for it assumes humans to be "it".  Both C.S. Lewis and H.G. Wells counter the idea, funny enough.  From War of the Worlds to W.A.L.-E so much later, this idea is seen.

Ok, enough philosophy --

--One literary comment: The cliched "happy ending" of this book is almost revolting.  Sure, victory is good, but then all of a sudden, his wife is there ...  What?  Did he run out of paper, or out of inspiration?  That was a little too easy in comparison with the rest of the book, lol.--

-- On to battle commentary.
A couple of problems here:

1.  The main character of the story demonstrates his weakness, as well as his selfishness by constantly working for self-preservation.  Once so near to the martians as he was when trapped in the house, and armed with a hatchet, he ought to have sprung upon the martians and killed as many as possible before losing his own life.  Fate placed him in an ideal situation, and he blew it.  It would have been for the good of humanity (one wonders if Wells believes in the good of humanity).  Without the fighting machines, the martians are relatively weak, and I believe he could have had much more success than anyone else yet in the story.  What about the heat ray, you ask?  Indeed, he was so close, he would have been inside the pit before it could have been fired (probably even before it could be set up.  If it was fired from the fighting machine, it would have also killed the martians around him.

2.  I have a battle plan which would have proved beneficial.  Though I would not normally recommend this plan, it would certainly work here.  Human volunteers loaded with explosives must allow themselves to be caught, and put in the compartments behind the hoods of the fighting machines.  Once there, they would blow themselves up, taking the fighing machines down with them.  A coordinated effort of this type could bring down 3-5 of the fighting machines, before the martians would learn the trick and find a way to counter it.

3.  On the biggest scale, though, I feel the War of the Worlds was initially lost because of a tactical error on the part of the humans.  After the chance shot that killed the first of the fighting machines, the martians retreated to the pit, vacated the tripods, and set upon repair work.  Any thinking human should know that if the martians can build one, they can repair one too.  But at this moment, the martians left themselves open to destruction.  If batteries were moved forward during this night, completely surrounding the pit, and opened fire simultaneously, they could have destroyed all the fighting machines, and all the martians at once!  Possible?  Yes.  The martians abandoned the machines.  The only weapon they had was the heat ray.  If stationed behind a hill or mound of earth, artillery would be impervious to this line of attack.  All the martian equipment was within a 1 mile radius (probably within a few hundred yards), and it would have been easy to take it out with a mass of shells.  The delay before they could re-man the machines would allow for at least 2 volleys.  The rest of the cylinders could have been blown up before they opened, or the martians could be shot before the exited.  But no, confident of their power, they set up and sat, waiting, all night.

I do commend the HMS Thunder Child for an attack perfectly executed.

I'm done. :)  If you have read the book, I would appreciate your thoughts on it as well. (especially if you have also read Chesterton's Heretics or C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy).

Sunday, December 7

"Yesterday, December 7th, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."
--President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Today is the day/date anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.  It is again, on this 67th anniversary, Sunday, December 7th.

Today, we remember those who lost their lives in an conflict that was all at once a surprise, a military error, a double-cross, a lucky break, and a great tragedy.  The Japanese launched an air and sea raid on Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii.  It was a complete surprise, and they did much damage before we were able to muster a response.  It was the key that brought the United States into World War II.
The casualty reports are staggering, especially for a conflict that occurred on American soil, without much of a fair fight.

Our soldiers were relatively quiet and content on this Sunday, but were soon required to give their lives for their country.  This day, we remember our soldiers, we remember our values, we remember our country.
Pray for our soldiers.  Honor and respect them.  May God bless our troops.

The nation that brought us into WWII by one of the few attacks to our own soil, is now one of our closest allies.  God has granted a victory which could never be accomplished by all the wisdom of man.

Remember Pearl Harbor.

To the Girls

I read part of a girls' romance novel tonight.  Not much, for those of you who were wondering -- a couple of pages.  And just to make things clear, it was a Christian romance novel.

You must understand, for me to read such a book requires a very off-hand mood.  I didn't set out on this as a project or with a notion in my head.  I just picked up a random book, turned to a random page, and read ...

But there was something that disturbed me in my passing perusal of those pages.  I thought to myself, "people actually read this stuff?"  Here's the deal -- the guy in that book was an entirely fictional character!  It was obvious that the book was written by a woman, because it was an image of a perfect male, straight out of pure imagination.  Girls, the guy portrayed in that book does not exist!  I have never in my life met a man who was even close to what was presented in those couple of pages.

So what's the problem?  Expectations.  If you read/ have read books like the one I browsed, and remotely think of relationships in that framework, you are in for a disappointing set of relationships.  It's nice, it's wonderful, it's everything a girl ever wanted ... but it's not true.  Please, oh, please do not live in those books.  I'm not sure how to express the repugnance of what I read.  Please understand, the story was not bad, nothing wrong was happening, it was just a nice, sweet story of love.  But it was almost sickening to me.  It was almost like eating cayenne-flavored cotton candy -- a lot of fluff with a horrid aftertaste!  It wasn't true.  If anyone actually ever believed that book ...

I'm not necessarily saying to stop reading those books.  I wish for all my sisters to keep hope alive.  Much more devastating than believing one of these books is to give up hope.  A impossible ideal may set you up for disappointment and bad relationships (some "games guys play" are based in these false stories), but hopelessness will guarantee you bad relationships and perhaps a horrible life.  If books such as these allow you to dream and hope, then continue in them.  I believe in fairy tales, for they give us a way of looking at the world that is at once refreshing and real.  It is an ideal that creates.  "Where there is no vision, the people perish."  These type of books can serve a very beneficial purpose, or they can destroy your sanity.  Dream, but do not live there.  Hope, but do not float among the stars.  I would suggest that perhaps real life Christian love stories (like Elizabeth Elliot) would be effectual in keeping a balanced view of relationships.

With God, set your standards for what you are looking for in a guy.  Make them pure, true, and based in God.  Then settle for nothing less.  Focus on becoming the person God wants you to be.  As you become more like Christ, God will have freedom in your heart and affections.  Those guys who are seeking Christ themselves will notice.  And God will be allowed to write your love story.

But even Mr. Right will always and forever be ... a guy.

"Every woman has to find out that her husband is a selfish beast, because every man is a selfish beast by the standard of a woman. But let her find out the beast while they are both still in the story of 'Beauty and the Beast.' Every man has to find out that his wife is cross -- that is to say, sensitive to the point of madness: for every woman is mad by the masculine standard. But let him find out that she is mad while her madness is more worth considering than anyone else's sanity."
-- G.K. Chesterton, "Two Stubborn Pieces of Iron" in The Common Man

Can You Hear Me Now?

Do We Hear the Call?

Sometimes I wonder if we have not contributed to our own downfall.
    We have emphasized NOT to preach unless you are called.  I understand the reasons for this, both intellectual and experiential.  But where did this idea come from?  We have strong examples of the call to preach, expressed by Paul, "woe is me if I do not preach the  gospel!" (1 Corinthians 9:16, NKJV)  But where do we find this idea that if you are not called, you should not go into ministry?  On the contrary, the commission of Christ seems to  be the opposite! 

"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to  observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.  (Matthew 28:18-20, NKJV)

   Granted, we make a distinction between "the ministry" as a career and profession and witnessing in general, but perhaps we have dug this  gulf too large.

    It is true that there are some who are not a good fit for certain types of ministry.  Sometimes, this is a spiritual problem, and needs the work of God.  But other times, it is simply a personality element.  For these, that area of ministry won't work, but that doesn't mean ministry should be abandoned!  There are so many avenues to serve as a minister of God, that no personality or physique has a good excuse.

How has this idea worked out?
We have emphasized NOT to preach unless you are called.  But unfortunately ... We don't hear the call anymore. 

• We have surrounded ourselves with so much noise that we cannot hear his voice. -- We cannot hear the call.
• We have failed to pay our service charges of prayer and Scripture, and
  the line has been disconnected. -- We cannot hear the call.
• We are always roaming, and are often out of range.  We seem to have "no service." -- We cannot hear the call.
  

"Don't preach if you're not called."  But we do not hear the call.  And we continue to fill the ranks of that great army content to let others do the fighting.  We call ourselves "workers," but in fact, many of us are welfare Christians.

Where are the ministers!?  Where are those who will abandon all for the cause of Christ?

Listen --
I think ministry is one of the best things you can do.  We have been redeemed by the power of God.  We have been set free from our sins.  We have been delivered from the power of the kingdom of darkness.  We have been given the promise of eternal life.  We -- and only we -- have been given the task of letting others know.  How can we be so calloused as to be content to "be good Christians" and not share with others?  Have you been redeemed?  Have you received the Spirit of God and His goodness?  Why don't you tell someone?  Christ commissioned us --every one of us-- to carry the good news to all people.

How shall they hear without a preacher?!

We are commissioned to share.  We have a duty to tell others.  We have a calling to be Christ's ministers.
How can we who know the power of God do anything else?

In Defense of Soft Drinks

In our modern "enlightened years," the poor soft drink has been attacked as the initiator of all social ills. Our nation is fat - because of soft drinks.1 Our nation is diabetic - because of soft drinks.2 Our nation is weak and lazy - because of soft drinks. Our nation has lost its immunity to disease - because of soft drinks.3

Someone may even claim that soft drinks are the cause of our economic crisis!

To counter, we have created a myriad of "corrections" to the soft drink problem. We have diet soft drinks in all shapes and sizes. We have "diet", "low," and "zero" and "absolutely nothing." We have water flavored to taste like our favorite soft drink. We no longer use sugar, but so many other sweeteners.

Regrettably, the problem has only gotten worse. Diet soft drinks are now credited with more obesity that regular soft drinks ever were.4 Somehow, if our eagerness to fix our soft drinks, we created worse poison. We no longer use sugar, and are left with sweeteners that are now claimed to reduce or stop body functions, create toxic poisons, and cause cancer.5
In the midst, the poor soft drink has become the enemy of all societies good and moral. We blame it all of the soft drink, and none upon the amount consumed.6

I, for one, am a supporter of soft drinks. I do not admire them because they are fattening, or even because they are diet. I appreciate soft drinks precisely because they are soft.
Soft drinks are so common in our society that to simply ask someone if they would like a drink is generally recognized as referring to a soft drink. This varies, of course, by the context of location.
Before the days of our ill-fated soft drink, the word "drink" itself had one distinct meaning. It meant an alcoholic drink, or "hard" drink. To ask someone for a drink resulted in alcohol, in one form or another. An option aside from hard drinks, of course, was water. But in many eras of history, water itself was a carrier of more sickness and poison than our poor soft drink ever thought to invent. The alcoholic content of hard drinks was needed to purify the water, so again, your drink contained alcohol.7 Fruit juice was an option, but with lack of refrigeration, all fruit juice soon became "hard."
In various places, the primary exceptions would persist. Teas and coffees became the standard non-alcoholic drinks, but none ever attained to the social status deserving the title "drink." These, of course, became easier as pure water was more available. But now, with the option of purified water, there would soon be another competitor.
In the face of this optionless society, our culprit-of-social-ills, the soft drink, appeared. It was referred to as a soft drink, to clearly distinguish it from the hard drinks that ruled the world. Here, for the first time, one could choose flavors of beverages, without the encumbrances attached with alcohol. Soft drinks have since become widely popular. They have attained the title "drink". And for all their harm, no one has yet called for a prohibition.


1. http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060305/news_1n5soda.html
2. http://xpress.sfsu.edu/archives/news/001739.html
http://www.medfinds.com/healthnotes.php?org=medigrative%2Cmedigrative&page=newswire/newswire_2007_04_12_3.cfm
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/22/health/nutrition/22real.html?_r=1&em&ex=1201410000&en=66790a693871559a&ei=5087%0A
3. http://thetruthaboutsleep.com/soft-drinks-disease-in-a-can/21/
4. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/319258/how_diet_soda_causes_weight_gain.html
5. http://www.docshop.com/2008/10/30/does-diet-soda-truly-lead-to-cancer/
http://www.healthandfitnessnaturally.com/archives/2008/05/entry_52.html
http://cbs2chicago.com/health/benzene.carcinogen.soda.2.328353.html
http://cancernewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2007/01/does-soda-cause-cancer.html
6. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19918336/
http://media.www.thetriangle.org/media/storage/paper689/news/2007/09/28/HealthAndFitness/Study.Diet.Soda.Causes.Problems-2999705.shtml
7. http://logosresourcepages.org/Believers/alcohol.htm

What's it Matter? -- Really?

Thoughts from some time ago, but I can't say it any better:


So, tonight, a prospective student, Tommy*, told me he's planning to come to KMBC.  He's not growing much where he is, and he really feels that God wants him at KMBC.  I am very very happy to hear this.  I often worry about the youth I get to talk with, and the decisions they are making in their lives.  I have been praying for Tommy.  I am overjoyed that he is wanting to follow the Lord and grow in his spiritual life!

Then, I walked into my closet, and saw the grille for my still-in-the-shop VW Jetta. It has provided several frustrations for my life, and been the opportunity for removing some financial excess.  However, tonight, it meant nothing to me.  The cost, the frustration--all meant nothing.  I would gladly take much more of that, if only it meant more Tommys become strong in God's kingdom.

Take all from me if you will, but use me to bring many sons to glory.  May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering!


*not real name

Muse: Children, Choices, and Growing Up

Recently pondering children, and the process of growing up . . .

    What of children?  Who will they be, and what will they become?  When once they are transformed in body and soul by that dreadful process known as growing up, will they still exist?  Children are  innocent.  But how can you know, and how can you prepare?  How can you ensure they will not die, just as they are becoming an adult?  So many, when once they are granted the power to think abstractly, the emotion to like and to love, and the surging energy driving them to become an adult, have then, at that point, chosen a way I will never understand.  So innocent, so pure; now so vile and wicked.  It is a spiritual thing indeed to look at their pictures from when they were young.  Who were they then?  Were the seeds of rebellion and wantonness already planted?  Or what was it that turned them into that way at that crucial age where we all begin our own paths?  Oh dear God, the lostness of so many-- trying to find a way, and knowing no course.  Trying to understand a world, with only a partially-developed sense of reason.  Forced to make crucial decisions while drowned with emotion that almost controls every thought and action.  How are we to understand?

    Five or ten years later, when emotion has cleared, reason has developed, and youthful passion has passed its crest -- regret.  Stamping down crying in the realization that the course is already set – barring out brooding, because of the overwhelming cataract of “what ifs” and “if I had onlys”.  And yet, the passion is gone.  The trail is not abandoned, the course is not altered.  “Que será, será. -- Fate has now my destiny set.  This is now my lot.  I shall continue in the path I began; I know how to do nothing else.”

    A person can die in so many ways.  I've seen it happen.  So many have died.  The person they once were no longer exists.  Somewhere, back there in those lost years, they died.  Not a murder, no, but a slow starvation, life ebbing away until it is finally gone.  What is left inhabiting the body can be more terrifying than a corpse.  Sometimes you find a monster, sometimes a mouse.  Sometimes there is a hostage in the midst of fierce warfare, sometimes there is nothing at all.

    I fill with anger at this silent killer; this indefatigable stalker and relentless foe.  But the battles are fought so silently, so isolated.  Help is often barred out, and the one who cares, despised.  

Dear God, be with our children, precious, innocent, and pure.
May each ever learn to love and serve you, Father, Guardian, and our Guide.
May your Spirit fill and keep them, ever, always, by your side.
Dear God, I pray thee, keep our children, may each make heaven sure.



This post revisits some ideas from earlier blogs:
http://dlorimer.livejournal.com/49340.html
http://dlorimer.livejournal.com/50911.html
http://dlorimer.livejournal.com/55584.html

Change is in the Air -- Election 08

"Has the wind changed, or did our boat turn?"

How is it that the one nation that could bring about the fall of the Soviet Union could so quickly embrace those very ideals and philosophies that made the Iron Curtain so repugnant to us?


We see in this year's election the results of the choices we have been making as a country.  Our country will not go downhill because of this election.  Our country came to this election because we have already gone downhill.

We have abandoned our dock, we have abandoned our moorings.  We have abandoned our character and principles.  We have abandoned our beliefs that this country was founded upon.  We have abandoned our God.  We have abandoned ourselves.

"The United States stands at this time at the pinnacle of world power. It is a solemn moment for the American democracy. For with this primacy in power is also joined an awe-inspiring accountability to the future. As you look around you, you must feel not only the sense of duty done, but also you must feel anxiety lest you fall below the level of achievement. Opportunity is here now, clear and shining, for both our countries. To reject it or ignore it or fritter it away will bring upon us all the long reproaches of the aftertime."
--Winston Churchill, in his famous "Iron Curtain Speech," 1946
http://www.famousquotes.me.uk/speeches/Winston_Churchill/1.htm

"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
--Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, 1987
http://www.reaganlibrary.com/reagan/speeches/wall.asp

We have gone from "Tear down this wall!" to "Spread the wealth around," in a very short time.

Are we like ancient Israel, who having defeated a pagan nation, immediately began worshipping the gods they had just defeated?

Deuteronomy 8:20, NKJV
    As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 12:29-30, NKJV
     “When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’

2 Kings 21:9, NKJV
    But they paid no attention, and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel.

Have we received that judgment of God where he allows that which we are victorious over to become our own downfall?

Judges 2:12a NetBible
"They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods—the gods of the nations who lived around them."

Perhaps we are simply being allowed to pursue the course we have set for ourselves.

Psalm 81:12 KJV
So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.

In any case, here we are.  This is not the time to give up and go home.  We must continue to serve as citizens of heaven, "praying ... for all who are in authority" (I Tim 2:1-2).  God's work is not hindered by who is in office, and our work as ambassadors of Christ is also unaffected.  Sure, our money, our "security," our culture, and our country may all be changing, but that is all nothingness to a Christian.  Let us strive forward, as foreigners to this land, as citizens of heaven, as ambassadors of Christ.  The message of the gospel has not been "changed"!

"This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure."
--Winston Churchill
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/winston_churchill.html

"Now is not the time to put up the white flag of surrender, but to strengthen our resolve." - Bill Muehlenberg
http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2008/10/10/never-give-up/

"These are not dark days; these are great days - the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race."
Winston Churchill, October 29, 1941.
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=423

Welcome to the Good Ol' Days

Nostalgia -
"a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition."
(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2 November 2008  <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nostalgia>)

Welcome to the good ol' days.  I am glad to be here, and I hope you are too.
As I look back on the good ol' days, with honest face and open reflection, I am struck by a peculiar realization -- they weren't so great.  When I compare this same college with itself when I entered 7 years ago, I am stunned at the change.  These are the best days of our lives!  My class had the numbers; my class had the fanfare.  We were acclaimed, we were held up as examples.  We were carefree and we were sinful.  My class had more problems than any class I've observed over the last several years.  Many of us found our way through, and many of us are faithfully serving God today.  However, many have made shipwreck of the faith.  My heart breaks when I look back now.  I desperately wish I could have done something to help, but I was young and ignorant, and lacking understanding.  Oh, the painful stories of the good ol' days.

As I hear open and honest stories from my elders about the good ol' days, I am struck by a peculiar realization -- they weren't so great.  Oh, to hear of the pain and the trauma, the world of confusion and hurt, the fierce difference of opinion, prompting violence and mistrust!  The anguish that drove people mad.  The criticisms and questions that rendered them desperate and without hope.  Loss of faith, loss of feeling, loss of friends and family.  The years when emotion dried up in the face of stark reality.  The years, gaunt from lack of warmth, faith, and encouragement.  The times that turned our nation on its very foundation, and sent our youth flying every direction, seeking a real and solid place to perch.  The dark years where man, brother, and friend turned arms against each other, the disillusioned years where the One Nation and the people were marching opposing directions, the defying years, where all bases, morals, standards, modes, and values of life were challenged, changed, and carried out anew.
No one cries now.  The emotion has long since sunk into the hard earth of coping and continuing.  But I can hear the tears streaming down their voice as they share with me the painful stories of the good ol' days.


My friends, these are the good ol' days.  As I look at my alma mater today, where I live and work, I am both pleased and amazed with what I see.  I wish so deeply that I could have enjoyed the life these young people are blessed with.  Here, in this place, new classes arrive, more spiritually focused, more loving, and more godly than my class ever was.  They enjoy better surroundings, better instruction, better atmosphere, and better stability than I had the privilege of enjoying.  We have a share of problems and challenges, but none greater than we had in the past.  These are the good ol' days.

I look at life around us, and I do not quite know what I see.  We have great problems facing our nation, and the fear is once again that our nation is about to turn on its very foundation, and this time, fall off.  Some cry, "fear on every side!", while others speak, "peace, peace, in our time."  While we see our challenges and the momentous task that will face our generation, I yet see what may be the best days of our lives.  The whole national economy has corrected, and turned in our favor.  For the first time in years, houses, land, and the beginning of stable life is very affordable.  The housing market is perfect for rising young buyers to get quality homes without selling their life to the bank.  The stock market has corrected, and is currently at 10-year lows!*  What better time for promising young investors, who have long been avoiding the roller coaster market because they knew this was coming!  Our time is now, and it has been handed to us.  These days are not yet great, nor are they yet gruesome, for they are not yet gone.  My friends, these are the good ol' days.  What stories will we tell?

Were there good ol' days in the face of the trials, toils, and tears of the past?  Yes.  Were there good ol' days when life and nature together conspired against our predecessors?  Yes.  Were there good ol' days when brother fought brother, and mankind strove against itself?  Yes.  Were there good ol' days when our nation slipped out of its moorings, adrift in the open sea?  Yes.  Will there be good ol' days today and tomorrow?  Yes.

The good ol' days are made by how you live, who you love, and the God you serve.
My friend, these are the good ol' days.  What will you do with them?



* ~October 7, 2008

God is Faithful

I have been granted over the course of the last few weeks to see the faithfulness of God reaching across timespans and touching so many lives.
I have heard so many stories that cannot be explained.  They don't make any sense to me in my humanness.  They don't make much logical sense.  All I know upon hearing them is that God is faithful.

How is it that in the face of general ignorance, and a world of opposition that a family, though separated from each other, can come through serving God?
How is it that someone, without being a radical "Jesus Freak," can avoid the pressures and expectations of the world, and find their greatest joy studying God's Word?
How is it that one who has turned away from God can ever be redeemed and restored?
How is it that a love and desire for God is instilled?

How is it that any of my family is redeemed?

How is it that someone, after 25 years, can suddenly understand where they have been wrong and find the grace to humbly seek deliverance and restoration?
How is it that one who has lived so close to sin for so many years can come through still shining and serving God?
How is it that God can take a life, full of errors and bitterness, and yet bring such results of goodness and beauty?
How is it that God can keep a person close to Himself, even when they are not fully walking with Him?
How is it that God protects one and keeps them from straying too far, when they are not actively seeking Him?
How is it that a love and desire for God is instilled?
How is it that anyone is redeemed?

God is faithful.  I have seen His hand working.  I have heard story after story of His faithfulness.  I have spent hour after hour marveling, and trying to make sense of all that I have seen and heard.  All I know, held in fathomless wonder, is that God is faithful.

Evolution and Economics (Evolution 2)

Evolution and Economics (Evolution 2)
Survival of the Fittest in Everyday Life

The theory of evolution is based on a few primary tenets.
1) There is no God, and everything that is is a result of natural processes.
2) Mutations occur that introduce new beneficial information.
3) Natural selection weeds out the lower species.

This is a very simplistic synopsis, of course. But this is the basic starting ground for a description of the so-called evolutionary process.

What I have observed is that there are very few people who really truly believe in evolution. In fact, many of the strongest opponents of evolution do not really believe it in a way that affects their entire life. More specifically, I see evolution missing from modern economics.


Let us expand on the principle we observe called natural selection. Natural selection is the process whereby better-equipped life forms are separated from the less-equipped. It is nature at work, and we see it everywhere. Collies do not survive in the arctic because they are not well equipped for such an environment. Polar Bears, on the other hand, survive quite well.

According to the theory of evolution, it was this natural process, also called “The Survival of the Fittest,” that isolated and solidified the beneficial mutations into new creatures. These new life forms were better-equipped than the former, and thus survived in a superior manner. Any negative mutations or poorly-equipped life forms were eliminated.

Now, one who truly believes in evolution understands this process to be good. And not merely good, but absolutely essential to life itself. For the progress of species to continue (and it must), Natural Selection must be constantly eliminating the poorer life forms. This insures that negative mutations are not perpetuated.

However, none of us really believes in evolution.


In recent months, the USA has been faced with economic crisis. We have seen a major decline in our stock market, in our housing industry, and more specifically, the crash of several major banks. Much of this revolves around our addiction to credit. Mortgages, double mortgages, and debt-collateralized loans have thrown us into a mess.
Our government recently decided to “bail-out” two major companies who were faced with bankruptcy.

We gave money to those who could not pay their mortgages. What about those people who HAVE paid their mortgages? We have bailed out the companies who have been in bad business and it has come back to bite them. What about those companies that are soundly operated? What have we done?

We do not believe in evolution. We do not really believe in the continued progression of our own species. Natural Selection would have bankrupted the companies who were ill-equipped; it would have killed those unable to pay their mortgages; it would have broken the country that lives on money it doesn't have. Natural Selection would have advanced those better-equipped. It would have weeded out the weakest of our species and retained the more fit. Survival of the Fittest would have insured our continued evolution.

But evolution is not true. None of us believes it. We like to talk about it, for it allows us to ignore God. But when the press comes, deep down, we all know that man is not the result of a natural process. Man is special, completely unique and different from all other creation. The survival of mankind is not a step of the evolutionary process; it is the act of God. We have a responsibility to our own kind, not because we happen to be the highest life form right now, but because we are spiritual beings, made in the image of God.

Family Reunion

This weekend was my Grandma Lorimer's 90th birthday, and with it, the largest family reunion in 30 years.  It was solely immediate and immediate extended family (no 2nd cousins, etc).  I saw many of my cousins for the first time in about 5 years, several for the first time in 10 years, and one uncle whom I had never met at all!  It was very exciting and enjoyable.  The cousins have all become young adults, and are now connecting in much deeper ways than our previous years of playing in the backyard.  Our parents were all together again, for the first time in 30 years, talking and laughing, and happy to all be together. 

I love my family.  I love the heritage given to me.  It was commented that we are a noisy family.  Indeed, we may like to talk.  However, I noted that there was no shouting the entire time.  There were many opinions, for each member of the family carries first-born traits.  But there were no disagreements.  There was no arguing; there was no yelling.  There was no losing of temper, temperance, or propriety.  It was beautiful.  I am blessed with a wonderful family.

I love our spiritual heritage.  A love for Christ is a common element in our family.  We desire to love, serve, and learn more about God.

I know not what it is like to be the matriarch of such a family.  I cannot begin to imagine the thoughts and feelings of my grandmother.  She has reason to be proud.  She must have done something right.  Her children rise up, and call her blessed.

There is something strange and inexplicable about a family reunion.  Deep down, you know that somehow, this person that you hardly know has somehow, someway, made a part of who you are.

You are not quite sure how to interact, since the last time you talked with this person was over a half-decade past.  And yet, the traits of family allow you to talk and interact in a way that picks up right where you left off.  Even those whom you have never met share many traits and thought patterns with you, and you can communicate as though you're old friends.

I was very happy to meet my uncle whom I had never met.  I have heard so many stories.  I have prayed for him.  I know, that in some way, he is a part of my life.  He has influenced me, though we have never met.

The cousins have changed.  We are no longer children, innocent and carefree.  Now, we have each been faced with life.  Our ideals and whims have been challenged.  For several of us, we have tired of wild oats, and have returned to the strength and stability we knew in our home.  We have grown up, and we appreciate each other much more deeply.  We were children; we are now adults.  We were innocent and free; now we have faced the burdens and trials of life.  But we have become, in a much greater and deeper way, family.

Family is a mysterious, wonderful thing.  We are independent families, and yet, all one.  These have influenced me; they are my family.  Family is a tie that joins and often superceeds other ties.  We cannot explain how people whom we otherwise may never have chosen to hang out with are so close to us.  We do not understand how we can feel such a strong connection to someone we have never met.  We cannot comprehend the care and concern for those we have not seen in a decade.  Friends come, and friends go, and when you do not speak for years, you grow apart.  But there is something deeper and greater in family, a connection that years cannot fade nor destroy.  There is an invisible tie in spirit and soul, a mystery of God.  A mystery called family.

To my family, I love you all.  I appreciate you.  May God bless and keep you, and may He smile upon the descendants of Frank and Linda Lorimer.  May God bless my family.

The 4 Dimensional God

I was thinking today that perhaps we often see God as one might see a 4-dimensional object passing through our 3-dimensional reality. I'm sure it is an utterly inferior illustration, but it was somewhat helpful to me.

So often, we learn something about God, and apply it to Him as though He has no other traits. For example, our modern church in the US has learned that God is love, but paint God over with love so much that they forget He is also just. It is the nature of our finite minds to learn in this way, but it is unfair to the God we serve. We may learn that God abhors sin, but we must not begin applying that knowledge without understanding his mercy!

I see it very much like a 4-dimensional object passing through a 3-dimensional universe. We see odd glimpses and shapes that wrack our poor little 3d minds. We draw conclusions about this odd object we see, but in an instant, it has changed again. We are stuck trying to understand, while we are missing a whole dimension. We form conclusions, and they are correct, but they do not apply to the whole. We have no complete understanding of the multi-faceted, grand, mysterious shape that we are actually seeing!

In much the same way, God is so much greater than we understand. We see Him work in various ways in our world and in our life, but each is only such a small part of the great God He really is! We see one small misshapen object, and conclude the whole object looks the same. We also see one attribute of God, and assume this is the only way He works. God is so much bigger; so much greater! Somehow, we must try to comprehend the great God who is the completely permeated aggregate of all His traits. God is awesome!


... sometimes I think of God as a 5-dimensional object passing through a 3d world ...


In case you are not familiar with 4d theory:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/7997/hypercube.html
http://dogfeathers.com/java/hyprcube.html

The Great Danger of "Not-Conservatives"

I was particularly struck by a self-designation a youth used recently.  In describing their spiritual life, they described themself as "Not-conservative."  A few clarifying remarks following make it clear that they were setting themselves as opposite to the Conservative Holiness Movement(CHM).  They were not liberal.  They were simply NOT conservative.
    I sense a great danger in this position of belief, or not-belief, whichever form it may take.  There has been, and is now, a great movement of "NOT-Conservatives."  It is made up of those people coming out of the Conservative Holiness Movement.  Most others would not even understand the term, not know why it should be so adamantly used.  I have heard preachers in this movement take pains to use examples that set their teaching against the more disagreeable parts of the CHM.  I have seen people in this movement distinguish themselves not by who they are, but by who they are not.  And the whole great thing can take on the appearance of an exodus.
    What is so horrible as to leave it behind, and to be so vocal about opposition to it?  It is a cult?  Is it a sinful group that must be abandoned?  Is it a  horrible influence, which has corrupted for generations?  NO!  It is none of these.  In fact, it is absolutely 90% right, and perhaps only 1% wrong.  The disagreeable elements are minor, and not earth-shaking.  The CHM is still solidly Christian and definitely holiness.  They simply have some extremities, that while not usually sinful, are not always necessary either.  This is the Conservative that this new movement is "not."
    What is the danger in the new movement?  Is it a complete abandonment of all beliefs and practices?  Is it a rebellion or a heresy?  Is it a war, set out to destroy the CHM, to proselytize or destroy all opposing members?  NO!  It is none of these.  The new movement is in fact, 90% correct, and perhaps only 1% wrong.  They are solidly Christian and definitely holiness.  What then, is ever so wrong or so dangerous?
    The danger that I see and fear, is that this group has referred to themselves as "Not-conservative."  Many have chosen to describe themselves according to what they are NOT, instead of who they ARE.  This leaves the focus of the movement still completely on the CHM, which they claim to NOT be.  I fear that if the movement continues with this designation, the next generation will complete it for them.  Follow with me, if you will.  This first generation still believes nearly all the same as the CHM, but with a few minor differences.  However, they use the designation "NOT-Conservative" to distinguish where they have come from, and where they are not going back.  The next generation, however, does not know history.  All they know is that they are NOT conservative.  As they look at their parents, they see their parents did a poor job at not being conservative.  In order to not be conservative, they look at all the aspects of the CHM, and reject them ALL.  In their effort to be "NOT-Conservative," they may in fact, become NOT-Christian.
    The danger is the pendulum effect, which has been observed through generation after generation.  Once something starts swinging away, it doesn't usually stop in the balance area of middle.  It continues swinging, often straight into the opposite vice.  This group is not correcting the course, or steering for the center.  They are moving AWAY.  The words opposite and away are key here.  If they continue to base who they are by being NOT something else, there is nowhere to stop, no target to shoot at.  Like escaping from a prison, there is nothing but running away from where one has been.
    My recommendation to this group, which I greatly admire, is that their next inquisition is to remove all traces of "NOT-conservatism."  By this, I do not mean to change any beliefs or practices.  I simply mean to completely destroy all terminology, illustrations, and above all, attitudes that declare "We are NOT CHM!"  That attitude is the seed of destruction.  I urge that they discover who they are, and declare it strongly.  Leave off defining yourself as who you are not.  Stop making distinctions so clear.  Stop focusing on where you have been.  Point directly at who you are and where you are going.  May there be no one who would write any more, "I am NOT conservative."  But instead, may they write, "I am a holiness Christian."  or "I am a middle-holiness Christian."  Discover who you are.  Define where you are going.  Deliver the message to your people.  Develop a new movement, which does not need to be declared "NOT-Conservative".