Last Call Anyone?

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Benghazi-gate, But God, Declaration of Independence, Dr. Benjamin Spock, Dr. Thomas A Harris, fast-furious, freedom, I'm OK; You're OK, LAST DAYS, Osama bin Laden, President Obama, SEAL Team6, secular humanist doctrine

If you haven’t listened to the title song posted here, please do …

This is not an article on the “Last Days,” but it is a post with the intent on drawing our attention to the bizarre flip-flop of good vs bad behaviors in our American culture today. Have you noticed? Have you seen “good” deeds outlawed while “bad” behavior is rewarded? Individual citizens are arrested for having a Bible study in their home while the current administration gets away with … “Fast & Furious” (Border agent Brian Terry slain by FBI weapon in Mexican hands), SEAL Team6 (that targeted Osama Bin Laden) 30 of 38 members of that team are now dead, and “Benghazi-gate” which resulted in 4 dead Americans and unknown numbers of survivors that have disappeared. There are other evidences, but the point is clear.

But this isn’t about politics or even President Obama. It is about the American people. It is about our “evolution!” Who knows what prompted those early adventurers to leave their European homes in search of … what? FREEDOM! If I asked each reader to give a definition of FREEDOM, I’d get as many different answers as there are readers. Our Declaration of Independence declares the purpose of government is to secure for every citizen our unalienable Rights, among which are LIFE, LIBERTY, and the PURSUIT of HAPPINESS.

BUT … “There is a way which seems right to a man but its end is the way of death.” “Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weights the hearts.” Proverbs 16:25; 21:2

Few would deny the human potential for good, but many deny the same humans the potential for bad. let’s clarify good and bad for the purpose of this article as good = constructive and bad = destructive.

Like the Prometheus of Aeschylus, who challenged the Olympian gods, and stole their fire to give to mankind, so our ancestors came to these shores, to bring progress, through science and Classical culture, safely away from the oligarchical pestilence of Europe. Here, ships arrive with Pilgrim settlers in Salem Harbor, 1628.

The early Pilgrims, Puritans, and merchants came to the “new World” to build, or contruct, a new world! The “old” world was fraught with tyranny, political & religious oppression, and affliction – “destructive” conditions. They sought a place to start fresh. Their moral compass dictated their ideals, and while there are always exceptions to the rule, they aspired to a high moral standard as taught by their religious practices. There is no doubt each perceived their obligation to strive for “holiness” in their everyday lives, and did so to the best of their ability and understanding, imperfect though they remained. Still, they sought to better themselves. Do we?

For decades now, students have been taught they are descendants of monkeys, simply another primate, with a somewhat larger brain. Some educators and scientists aren’t even convinced of that much. In the 60’s two radical physicians, Dr. Benjamin Spock and Dr. Thomas A Harris, took center stage with their work. Dr Spock encouraged permissiveness by telling parents they restricted the child’s creative potential when imposing morals. Dr. Harris confirmed this is his thesis: I’m OK; You’re OK Both of these men subscribed to a secular humanist doctrine which, basically says, “If it feels good, do it!”

What do we do, then, when we feel as Paul felt when he wrote:

ROMANS 7: 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.

Psychiatrists and psychologists agree … Shove those guilt feelings down. Ignore them! They’re nonsensical, old-fashioned, and not logical. Heard any of that lately? Maybe in the “contraception” debate?

The TRUTH is that “compromise” has leaked into our American culture. On the Alternatives to Marriage website, I found this information:

“increasingly more children today are living with unmarried parents:

39.7% of all births are to unmarried women (CDC, 2007).

Nearly 40% of different-sex, unmarried American households include children (CPS, 2007).

41% of first births by unmarried women are born to cohabiting partners (Larry Bumpass and Hsien-Hen Lu, 2000).

About two-fifths of children are expected to live in a cohabiting household at some point (Census, 2000).”

If we think there will not be “fallout” from this, we’re only kidding ourselves. And, as always, it is the children who pay the price. The really pathetic part is there is no distinction in the organized church. We, as free but corrupt humans have chosen destruction … destruction of our own lives and those of our children. We have chosen destruction of our nation’s character and the liberties our predecessors fought and died to achieve. We have squandered our “birthright!” But God … God has a better way, if we will make the necessary adjustments.

I want to leave you with a few wise words … no, not mine! I ask you only to consider them while I do the same, and make the necessary corrections.

• “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.” Proverbs 4:23
• “There is a way which seems right to a man but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 16: 25
• “You may believe you are doing right, but the Lord judges your reasons.” Proverbs 21: 2
• “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah 17: 9-10

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Is This the END?

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attitudes, behaviors, END TIMES, Go ... Give ... LOVE, LAST DAYS, lawlessness

Is this the END so many of us have heard about, the Last Days, the End of the World? Maybe … maybe not. No one knows. NO ONE! Since the beginning of time, with each generation there have been those who believed the End was nigh, and we’re still here. The End will come one day, for sure, but is it now? Are the “signs” pointing toward the “Great Tribulation?” Again, there are those among us that believe that is so, and I know no differently, but for one seemingly insignificant thing. The Church.

Suppose, just for a minute, the End is near. If our illustrious media (cough, cough) began to query, hypothesize and investigate the various “signs of the times” as they appear to line up today, how would it affect you? Would your behavior change? Would your relationships change? Would your daily routine change?

Like many of you, I grew up in a family that frequently attended a local church. The message from the pulpit changed depending on the one speaking. There was the pious deep voice of academic theology resonating through the crystal chandeliers about this and that; the young, passionate, if whiny voice of social consciousness; and the dispassionate, weary voice of the occasional missionary reporting in and seeking more funds. Honestly, it was nothing to inspire Godly pursuit. Still God spoke to me (and you?) in the quiet of my childhood wanderings, not in words as you and I know them, but in quiet assurances.

Now that I’m a grown up, it is sometimes hard to “hear” those quiet assurances amidst the daily banter of work, family, and survival. Yet God speaks always, if we dare to listen, and His “word” is always “Go … Give … LOVE!” I did not learn this, I’m sad to say, where we went to worship. I learned it from a man who ran a sport camp. I don’t think he ever actually spoke the words either, he simply lived them.

There’s no point in a fear-driven life. If we are in the Last Days, there is nothing we can do about it, right? Neither is there much point in struggling to determine if we are in the “Last Days.” That struggle will only distract us from our purpose. We cannot change time. We cannot change people. We are who and what we are. Ah, but we CAN change our own attitudes and behaviors.

We probably agree that the world, the USA, our states and communities have become more violent, more hateful, and even more … despondent over the last few decades. We can theorize and brainstorm till the cows come home and still be uncertain about WHY, still pointless drive-by shootings, gang violence, senseless bigotry increase in number and intensity.

Lawlessness, like a swelling ocean, threatens to engulf us. Silently, liberties and choices are being replaced with mandates and “security measures.” It may or may not mean the END, but the question is: What can I do about it? Can I make a positive difference? Do I WANT to make a positive difference?

• Do I fall on my knees and pray and wait?
• Do I lock myself behind closed doors and hide?
• Do I procure a weapon of some sort?
• Do I become a political activist and work to revive Biblical morality?
• Do I put the responsibility on the government to take care of the problem(s)?
• Do I point fingers at my neighbors and recount their offenses?
• Do I make an extra casserole and share it with my neighbor?
• Do I walk across the street and talk to my neighbor for the first time in 5 years?
• Do I take self-defense classes and learn how to protect myself?
• Do I … “Go … Give … LOVE?”

Each of us, I believe, is on this earth with a purpose born(e) within. Our mission, should we accept it, is to uncover that purpose and pursue it. It is a life-long pursuit! If we can do this, it honestly will not matter whether we are approaching the END or not. We will be satisfied in the pursuit of our purpose. It is the “higher call” that will draw us, use our talents and abilities, and reward us with an abundance of memories and love. “Go … Give … LOVE!”