Don't use a hammer to drive a screw!

    Recently the Supreme Court threw out a court ruling by an Oregon court to force a Christian-owned bakery to pay $135,000 in fines for refusing to bake a wedding cake for gay couple.  Regardless of which side of the gay-marriage issue you stand on; the SCOTUS decision was the right one in my opinion and it will benefit all of us.  The problem stemmed from the Oregon state anti-discrimination law which forced all the people of Oregon to get in line on gay-marriage and ruled that one could be compelled by a government to turn away from their religious faith and to say whatever people want them to say.     The SCOTUS ruling dictates limits on such laws and that the government has no say in such matters.

    This is not just a win for religious freedom but also a for an individual's right to their freedom to speak, or in this case, NOT to speak.   All Americans won with this ruling and not just Christians.

     At the heart of the issue is people using the wrong tool to fix what they perceive as a problem.  Back in the 1960's we had a problem of segregation in the US.  This problem took 2 separate forms.  The first was in the separating of the schools into White-only and Blacks-only schools.   This was enforced by the local governments and the school boards that ran the schools.  It was a government initiated problem and therefore it needed a government-initiated solution to end the problem because government problems are typically immune to free-market responses like boycotts etc.   The famous case of Brown-vs-the-Board-of-Education was brought before SCOTUS which decided that "WE THE PEOPLE" cannot be read as "WE THE WHITE PEOPLE" and "WE THE BLACK PEOPLE" and therefore governments cannot provide segregated services even if they can be assured to be "equal".     This is a case of a hammer driving a nail.  

     At the same time in the 1960's there was segregation occurring at the private institution level.  One of the most prominent was the separation of blacks and whites on public buses.   MLK saw the problem and found the right answer to the problem.  He did not run off to the courts to force the bus companies to end their segregation.   Instead MLK lead one of the most successful boycotts of the bus system to force these companies to end their appalling programs.  It did not take long for the bus companies to realize their dependence on the black community and it hit them where it hurt them the most:  their pocket books!  A free-market-solution solved a free-market problem.  This was an outstanding case of a "screwdriver driving in a screw".  MLK used the right tool for the right problem and all Americans benefited from his wisdom.

 
      Now come 50 years later and we have lost our abilities to distinguish nails from screws anymore.  Today, too many on the left, view everything as a nail and see only a hammer (the government) as the solution to be used.  The case of the Oregon baker's vs the Oregon state government is a perfect example of a hammer being used to drive a screw.  You may not agree with their decision to not bake a case for a gay-wedding but forcing someone to do something their conscience is not right either.   Do we really want a country where people lay in fear for what they believe?   Do we really want a country of people who "turn off their conscience" and do what the government dictates?   A conscience is a terrible thing to waste in my opinion.  I would rather have a country full of people acting on their conscience and analyzing their morals and ethos rather than a country full of mindless, morally bankrupt and soulless beings.

     I believe the real solution would have been for the gay-community and it's protractors to launch a boycott of the bakery.   If enough people stop buying from them then they will go out of business unless those who support their beliefs back them up monetarily.  There was no reason to use the "hammer" in this situation as there was no governmental influence forcing the gay-couple to purchase from this bakery.

    Maybe now, we can get back to using hammer-for-nails and screwdrivers-for-screws and create a more fair, reasonable and moral country again.














 

The dead are better off than the living

In Ecclesiastes 4:1-3 Solomon says,

    I saw the tears of the oppressed and they have no comforter;  power was on the side of their oppressors and they have no comforter. 

    And I declared that the dead who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. 

    Better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.

     I don't know if it's just a product of getting older, but I often feel akin to what Solomon writes in these verses.  How often do we see news-stories of people who are taken advantage of by those in power.  It may be city council person who doesn't want a certain person to speak at a town-hall and has that person physically removed from the premises by "security guards".  It may be a person whose house has been "condemned" by a county who wants to sell their land to a business or owner of a shopping center because they would get more tax money from those uses of the land than from the homeowner.   It could be a high school principal who fires a teacher because they "go off script" and teach what the 1st or 2nd Amendments are really about or maybe a YouTube channel we tune into that has been taken down because some people down like what they say.

    These stories punch us in the gut and we throw up our hands and say "How can this be happening in America?!! How can these people abuse their power and destroy people's lives so carelessly and callously?"   

    Oppression is a subject we all can relate to on some level in our lives.   We have all felt it's effects.  Maybe it was a teacher who didn't like us and made our lives hell.   Maybe it was a boss who played favorites to others who didn't have families to care for.   Whatever the cause, we have all been on the receiving end of oppression.   It's painful and it can feel like you have no options but to leave and try somewhere else.

   Solomon goes on to say that the dead are better off than those living through oppression.

   I had a good friend of mine, Tim, who I had known since the 3rd grade.  Tim and I were fast friends.   He was the first kid to reach out to me when I moved to the new town.  We did everything together.  We graduated high school together and were at each others weddings.   I remember getting the phone call from my brother telling me the news that Tim had just been diagnosed with terminal leukemia and would not live more than 48 hours.   He left behind a wife and 3 kids in the blink of an eye.    At first I was sad for Tim because he was going to miss out on seeing his kids grow up and have kids of their own.  But lately I have felt more like Solomon and in many ways I feel jealous of Tim because he doesn't have to see this country he loved (he served in the Navy) fall apart and politicians abuse their power to destroy those they don't like or agree with. 

    Power is a corrosive force in nature.  It's like salt water which will destroy the strongest of metals given enough exposure and enough time.   Power seeks more power.   Finding people who can withstand it's siren's call is a daunting task.  When King George heard that the famous General Washington, who had defeated his once proud army and navy, had returned to work as a farmer and had not allowed himself to be anointed "king"  he said,

"He must be the greatest man to have ever lived, for it takes great power to say 'no' to power". 

     George Washington showed us how to handle power appropriately by walking away from it.     Sadly, today we have no George Washington's in America anymore.   Instead, we have many lining up for the job as President who see it as a way to control its citizens rather than to give freedom to them.   They want to wield power to put people in line with their views by punishing those who don't.   We are a nation slowly disintegrating by the abuse of power and oppression. 

     May God have mercy on America.

Safe, Legal and ..... RARE?

    Today when people talk about abortion, they often say "We want abortion to be safe, legal and rare".  The comedian, Louis CK, first brought this to my attention in one of his stand-up routines.   He said, 

"Why on earth, if it's safe and legal would you want it to be RARE?  I mean, come on!  If it's safe and legal it should be all over the place?". 

   What Louis CK is point out is that the only reason to make something "rare"  is because at the heart of the activity is something that is inherently wrong and a drain on society in some way.   If there is nothing wrong with it, then it should be common place.  

    Before Roe-v-Wade, abortion could be obtained from some physicians willing to perform it.  These doctors were not armed with coat-hangers as many would want you to think.   They were not sitting in some back alley next to a trash dumpster doing the deed.   They could be found for a price, but that price could be high because of its illegality.   After Roe-v-Wade there was an explosion of abortion providers and it has been an epidemic ever since.   It was already safe, it just wasn't legal yet.   

   So, what would it take for abortion to become rare?

   Today we have all the tools imaginable to prevent pregnancy.   We have multiple types of "pills", we have a plethora of condoms to choose from, many different IUDs and foams to reduce the risks.  So it's not that we don't have the means.  What we lack is the responsibility to use them. 

   So what drives a person to take responsibility?

   What drives a person to NOT do one thing and replace that with another thing is always Cost/Value.  A person becomes responsible when they simply recognize the cost involved.  This is what drives the person to become a responsible human being.   My daughter, for example, totaled 3 cars in 3 months’ time of receiving her driver's license.  Two of the cars were ours and the third was the other driver that ran into her when she thought it was her turn to take a left-hand-turn, when in fact it was not.  That night she stopped driving and would not drive for another 3 years.   That night she became a responsible human being because she saw she was not ready to be an automobile driver.  Because she valued her life, our cars, and the lives of other people on the road she stopped driving.  That was the RESPONSIBLE thing to do and it was that VALUE that drove her decision.    

    Value drives responsibility.   Low value yields low responsibility.  High value yields high responsibility.   Any person who as a child ever received a present from Santa will tell you they often took little care of those items as compared to things they had to save their own money for and purchase for themselves.  Think of it like balance scale.  One one side of the scale is YOU and YOUR NEEDS and on the other side is the COST to you (and others).   In the case of my daughter, her need to prove she can drive was outweighed by the cost to her of hurting other people and damaging our cars.  

    In the past, two things influenced young men and women to take their reproduction responsibly: Social-Pressure (value of your reputation) and Risk of Pregnancy (value of the child).   Social-Pressure has been effectively removed from the table in our society.   Hollywood has done a very effective job over the last several decades to turn the tables on social-pressure by making it almost a sin to not have sex before marriage.  For example, just look at how people like Tim Tebow (a self-professed virgin) are treated by the media.  This leaves us with the risk-of-pregnancy one as really the only factor to influence an unmarried persons choices to become responsible.   This leaves us only with the risk of pregnancy as the only real influential force on people to make better choices in regards to their sex lives.

   But therein lies the problem.  Abortion can only be made legal if the baby is treated as "thing" inside the mother’s womb.(Louis CK also pointed that out in his routine as well).  Instead of being treated as a human being, it must be treated as a cluster of cells reminiscent of a cancer growth that has no feeling and  ZERO value.  The null value of the pre-born yields zero driving force for men and woman to take their sexuality seriously and to take the precautions necessary to prevent pregnancy.  As long as this is the case, there will be many unwanted pregnancies.  This is why it's mutually exclusive ( you can't have them both at the same time).  To reduce the abortions, we must RAISE the value of the unborn from a cancerous-growth to a fully-viable-valuable-human-being with intrinsic value.  But doing so requires abortion to be viewed as murder of an unborn child and therefore cannot be made legal. 

 Abortion can only be illegal-and-rare or legal-and-rampant.   

Sometimes you have to get knocked off your horse!

   Luke records in Acts 9:3-4,

As he (Saul)  neared Damascus, on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  He fell off his horse and onto the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?"

   Saul was on his "mission" to destroy the church and head them off at Damascus by bringing all those who belonged to "The Way" back to Jerusalem to be tried and put in prison to die (note that Rome had taken away Israel's right to capital punishment, but leaving a person in a dungeon to die was often used as a way around this limitation).  Many believers I am sure were praying for Saul to be stopped on his travels.   We know that Christians in Damascus were fully aware of Saul's mission and exploits.   Saul thought he was doing God's will.  He saw this branch of Judaism to be a false teaching that needed to be snuffed out by all means necessary.

    Yet God comes and knocks Saul off of his horse and confronts Saul with his actions.   Jesus doesn't say, "Why are you persecuting my followers?"   Instead, he says "Why are you persecuting me?"   So Saul was not guilty of just harming God's people, but harming God himself.  This is not a place anyone wants to find themselves.

   How many of us need to be knocked off of our horses?    We are hell bent on what we see as "our mission" only to find we are working against God himself.   In my own life, I have seen times where God had to knock me down to get my attention.  Too often, when things got tough I retreated to my work as an engineer.  At my work I got accolades for my work.  To many, I was a super-star and was looked up to by others around me.   Several years ago, all that ended.   Things were tough again but this time I could not fall back on my work.  I went through a tough time and I saw my energy level drop dramatically on the treadmill in the gym (used to run 9 mph ... now could barely go 6 mph).  I experienced what I can only describe as "intense brain fog".   I couldn't think.  I couldn't remember how to do things.   It was a terrifying feeling for me as an engineer.   I thought I was experiencing early Alzheimer's (but I was only 44 at the time) and 5 years later I would find out that I had severe-low-Testosterone brought on by stress.   It was during this time, I had to rely more on God than on myself.   I could not run away from my troubles but I had to confront them.   God was stopping me and saying,

"John! John!  Why don't you come to me?"  

    Paul (formerly Saul) looked back at this time as being the best thing that ever happened to him.  But while he was going through it, the experience was not enjoyable.  We read that Saul was made blind after meeting Jesus and he had to be led by the hand to a home in Damascus.    Luke records that he neither ate nor drank anything for 4 days.  He saw his life as being over.  Yet in his anguish Jesus was there and had already planned for Saul's help to come to him.   A disciple of Jesus by the name of Ananias was sent to restore Saul's sight and bring him the good news of Jesus!  He ate something and was baptized.  The murderer of Christians was now it's most ardent advocate and soon it's biggest missionary.

     We may not be in the same place of Saul by persecuting believers, but we may be in a place where we are wrestling with God or causing him pain because of where we are headed in our lives.  Where in your life have you been going on your own?  Where do you need to be knocked down so God can get your attention?

Look in the mirror!!

    Almost never, when someone tells you to "Go look in the mirror!" does it mean good news for you.  Often it means you have some big blotch of dirt or food (or a booger) on your face that has been there for some time.  As you wipe whatever it is off, you ponder to yourself "How long has it been that way?" and "Why didn't anyone else tell me?"

   Mirrors are wonderful things.  That have been around for thousands of years as a way for us to see who we really are and what we look like to others around us.   Sometimes when we feel really horrible about ourselves we may even find ourselves looking intently into the mirror to stare into our own eyes to tell ourselves to fix what ails us.   In movies, main characters often stare at themselves intently trying to tell themselves to "get with it!" or to motivate themselves to take on some great task by urging them to have some backbone or hold it together as they face some great challenge ahead

  Today our country is deeply divided.  Some say we are more divided today than we were in the days of the Civil War and Slavery.   We all like to point the finger at a small group of people to hold the responsibility.  Maybe you blame Trump or Obama for the mess we are in.  Or maybe you blame more broadly the GOP or DNC as the culprits.  It doesn't matter really because the real person to blame is much closer than that probably.   That person may be, in fact, staring you directly back at you in the mirror.

   I feel that to really see the cause, everyone should take a good look in the mirror and say "I am the cause of our nations division!".  Ask yourself intently

• Have I posted or shared angry articles on Facebook?
• Have I issued snarky Tweets on Twitter?
• Have I gotten into comment wars on websites?
• Have I stopped talking to people I know because of their party affiliation? 
• Have I made jokes about the other sides ideas?

But it's not enough to just look at those questions and say "I have not done any of those!" but to also ask yourself

• Have I offered any kind comments in response to others Facebook articles?
• Have I offered positive Tweets on Twitter when I find agreement?
• Have I tried to be a peacemaker on website comment boards?
• Have I made amends with those I disagree with politically?
• Have I apologized for any rude jokes that others might have not found "funny"?

   Wars only last as long as there are people on BOTH sides willing to fight them.  So also, our country will only come together when BOTH sides stop fighting and antagonizing each other.  This is where it becomes very difficult.  The question is WHO will stop first?   We are shown countless videos of the other side calling US all kinds of names, fighting, hitting, spitting, hurling bricks and other objects at each other.   We want our side to win and by stopping what we would consider our defense of "our values" we view that as "losing".   But understand that even if your side eventually wins, you still lose.

 

The Greatest Act of Valor

   The other night I was channel surfing and was looking for something good on TV.  I came across a movie on TBS called "Act of Valor".  I had seen the movie in the theaters already several years ago and even though the movie was almost over I decided to watch it anyway.

    When I selected the movie, the scene I caught was the final scene where the Navy SEALS are driving into a Mexican stronghold. The terrorists were thought to be planning their entry into the US through a tunnel.  As the men fought there way through the buildings , a man drops a hand-grenade from above them.  The SEAL in the back of the group, a Lt Anglo, sees the grenade and realizes he is the only person to know it's there.  He yells "GRENADE!" and then proceeds to throw himself onto it and prevents the explosion from hurting anyone else.  Because of his selfless act of valor his men were able to continue their mission and prevent the terrorists from fulfilling their plans.

   The scene ends with sight of blood running out from under Lt Anglo's body onto the ground and him shutting his eyes in death.

   In similar fashion, Jesus saw the 'live-grenade' of God's wrath against sin and our love of sin.  We are like those other men who were oblivious to the presence of the explosive waiting to go off.  Jesus, like the soldier in the movie, didn't hesitate and threw himself on that wrath by willfully allowing evil men to condemn him to the cross in our place.   He took the full impact of that wrath on himself and once that wrath was expelled it no longer posed any danger to us who deserved it so much.

   Why did he do this?

    Jesus said,

"No greater LOVE can a man have than to lay down his life for his friends!"

    He loves you right now!
 
    Not after you respond to his love!
    Not after you reach a certain level of goodness! 
    Not after you  can wrap your mind around why or how!

    He simply wants us to receive his love and follow him.

     But unlike the soldier in the story, Jesus story doesn't end here.  We don't follow a dead person.  We follow Jesus who was raised from the grave as "proof" that God has accepted his payment for our sins.  He is with us today as we make our way through this life.  He is with us to help us to complete the mission the Father first sent him and now sends us as well.

Going to war with God

     Sometimes in war countries will use subterfuge and trickery to make it look like they have a larger army than they really do in order scare off would-be invaders.   Take for example in World War II when the Allies were planning the D day invasion.   They needed to keep Hitler guessing as to where they were going to invade from and so they needed to make it look like we were mounting an invasion in the northern part of England.   Because metal was already scarce, the military couldn’t afford to just put tanks and planes out in an open field and not use them.   So the employed the help of Hollywood.  They were able to create inflatable tanks, airplanes, trucks, jeeps, armored personnel carriers and much more that looked very real even when you were standing just a few hundred yards from it.  This fooled Hitlers spies  and reconnaissance planes and helped give us an edge on D day.

     In Luke 14:25-31 Jesus says,

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ 

31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

   Here Jesus uses the example of a king who is being invaded by another king who has twice as many soldiers as he does.   He reasons that if he doesn't think his smaller army can hold down the castle, that he should surrender and come to peace with the other king.    In most modern Bibles today, this story will come under the section of "The Cost of being a Disciple".   These titles were not in the original texts of the authors, but were put in by biblical scholars to help the reader understand what is being said.    While it is true Jesus is being brutally honest with the people around him that being his disciple might cost them their very lives,  I don't think Jesus' words here are directed at those who have decided to follow him.  Instead, I think his words are directed at those who have NOT decided to follow him or were on the fence.   Jesus is reasoning with the people and getting them to take a census of their lives much like the king in his story.    I think he’s giving them a rational look at the situation that they face.  In reality, mankind has joined Satan's war against God.   Jesus is showing them the reality of the situation and the other king (God) has a much larger army than you and it’s not even close.  You’re going to be going up against this king and you better take a good look at your situation and decide whether not you can do it or not.   God is coming with all of your sins in tow behind him to condemn you.  Now take a good look at your so-called good works that you’re so proud of and then match them up against the host of sins.  Do you have it in you to fight that fight?  Jesus presses for them to send an ambassador to negotiate the terms peace before it's too late! 

    But the good news that we have is that our king from the other side already knows that our military is just full of hot air that there’s nothing there.   They’re much like the inflatable trucks, planes and tanks the Allies used in WW2.   He knows our resources are completely decimated and we will lose.   So he sends his own envoy, Jesus Christ, to not just negotiate peace but to win our peace for us. God does not want to be at war with man he wants to be at peace.

Glass half empty or full?

     Most people are familiar with the question about how they view a glass of water filled like that shown below

    Do you see it has half FULL?                                              Or do you see it as half EMPTY?

    The answer to that question dictates whether you are more of an OPTIMIST or a PESSIMIST.

     It's all about how we perceive something.  There is no right or wrong answer here.  Both are simultaneously correct in their own right.   We don't know what makes one person more optimistic than another person.  In our world we need BOTH kinds of people to balance things out.   We need the pessimist to tell us to save our money because we don't know what tomorrow will bring.  Maybe a job loss or an injury/sickness or maybe even death.   We also need the optimist to use and spend our money because what is life if all we do is hoard our money and never enjoy it.

     When we view God's word,  the same optimist/pessimist views are often applied without us even knowing it.  I think that most people who study the Bible already know at some level they are sinners and in need of forgiveness.   We carry this view with us as we read the Bible and sometimes miss out on what God is really telling us.

    Take for example this verse from Leviticus 19:2

‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.    

   How does that make you feel when you read those words?

   Does it strike some level of fear into your hearts?

   Maybe it makes you feel a bit uneasy maybe even angry because it seems to be an achievable demand by God upon you.   Me??  Holy?

    But when we look at these words in context of the Bible these words seem less like a demand and more of a declaration by God on us.    Take for example, Genesis 1:1,  "Let there BE LIGHT, and there was light".    God calls for light to be created and it is.  Another example is when Jesus calms the storm

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves,  

 “Quiet! Be still!”Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” 

     Jesus words to the wind have effect.   When Jesus speaks, things happen.  His words change things immediately.   In another story, Jesus heals a man with leprosy (Luke 5)

12 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.[b] When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

13 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.

     Jesus words of "Be clean!" changes the man immediately.  No fancy incantation or magic words.   Reality is what Jesus says it is!

     Yet Jesus, being the very Word of God, is the same person speaking the words of Leviticus 19:2 to us.  To me, God's words of "Be Holy" are not so much a demand but more of HIM declaring US to be Holy.   What God speaks happens.   We are HOLY because God declares us HOLY.    God can only do this because he will be the one picking up the tab of all of our sins on the cross.

    Prayer: Thank you God for declaring me HOLY in your sight and changing my life forever.

Social-Super-Fluidity

    In Physics there is a phenomenon called "super-fluidity" in which atoms stop behaving like individual particles and start moving in concert with their neighbors.   For this to happen two things must occur:

1. The particles must be super-cooled to their liquid state so to put them near their neighboring particles and stay in their ground state.
2. The particles must be indistinguishable from each other even if they swap  sub-atomic particles.   

    An example of this is liquid Helium.  It is a perfect atom because it has 2 protons, 2 neutrons and 2 electrons with a filled outer shell.   Two atoms of Helium could exchange any particle and no one would know a difference.  When super-cooled to a liquid state their locations become "blurred" and they essentially stop being individual particles but begin to operate in unison.   They essentially lose their individual identity and become entangled with the identity of their neighbors.  Therefore if one particle moves in a certain direction there is a good probability that a neighboring particle will move in that same direction.   If you were to take a little bit of the liquid helium and pull it out of the container the whole container will follow it over the edge and onto the floor.

   In society the same can happen for us as people too.  When we lose our sense of being "individuals" we tend to move in the same direction as those around us.  Our identity becomes entangled with their identity and we stop thinking for ourselves.  We may even think we are moving in the right direction but we can't really tell because we are caught up in the moment and can't see distant future.  This is why you have to be very careful of the movements you allow yourself to be "entangled" in and let other people do the "thinking for you".

   Take for example the school teachers in Nazi Germany.  They were caught up in a movement that were told was "good for Germany".  They stopped thinking for themselves and lost their identity as individuals in exchange for being German.  In their desire to be like everyone else that they merely repeated what they were told and trained school children to think and do the same.  It was their loss of individuality that led them to implementing the atrocious and vile beliefs of Nazism.   When we watch movies today that attempt to show the views taught to children in the German schools we often cringe in horror as we witness teachers programming their students in genocide and racism.  We think to ourselves, "How could they do this?"  ,"What were they thinking?" or "How could they be so blind?"

   Today, in America, much could be said about what is taught in our schools today.  Say what you want, but no one knows the long lasting effects of our education social programs.  We, like the German teachers, are caught up in there moment and the here-and-now.   We can't see that our behavior and views may be caught up in "social-super-fluidity".   We all like to think we are acting on our own accord and as individuals,  but we become entangled with society and lose our perspective.  We let others do the thinking for us.  It could be politicians, leaders, writers, entertainers or even other teachers.

   This is also the error of defining yourself by what class/race/heritage you belong to.  When we identify as belonging to  X-race or Y-race and not the Human-race you exchange some of your own individuality for the racial, sexual, gender or even political sub-class you desire to belong to.  You stop determining your own path and let others dictate your steps for you.  Like those helium atoms that lose their identity you also lose yourself as well and move with the group and do things you as an individual would not do.

   It's like what my mom would tell me about hanging out with my friends late at night.  She would tell me that the IQ of the group goes DOWN as you add more people to the group and the later it gets into the night.   In a way she was right.  As we join ourselves with other people we each think someone else is doing the "thinking" when in fact NO ONE is thinking.  We all hope someone else will hold the group back from doing "stupid stuff"  ( I don't have to list them here... we've all done them) when in fact NO ONE is holding the group back.   Each of you abdicated the ownership of your individuality to the group and as my mother would say, "became group-stupid".

   I, personally, think we should fight ALL social movements in our schools whether they come from the left or the right.   In either case we stand the chance of losing our individuality and run the risk of moving society in a direction we will later regret.    I think this was much what the framers of our Constitution feared would happen.  They saw the atrocities of the  French Revolution and did everything in their power to prevent it from happening here.  They put the highest value on us as individuals and sought to instill in us pride in being such.

Agnosticism makes ZERO sense

   Often Atheists get caught with the absurdity of their views and are forced to concede that there "may be a God" and fall back into a deeper trench called Agnosticism. They concede that the world is too complex to have evolved 100% on its own and that at some point the universe must start with nothing and become something.  But in order to stay on the thrones of their own kingdoms they entrench themselves into an even more absurd view of the universe that God may have created this world but has no care of concern for it at all.

   I am reminded of a doctor named Dr. Amen who is a medical doctor who specializes in neurology and psychiatry.  He was treating a woman who as dealing with depression and was a 60 year-old widow.   She told him, "No one will want to be with a 60-year-old woman like me".  He confronted her assertion, saying "Really?  There are 6 billion people on the planet and not ONE man out there would want to spend their life with you?".   She realized how wrong that assertion was and decided to change her assertion to, "There must be as least ONE person out there who would like to spend their life with a 60-year-old woman".  From there she moved to "There is someone out there for me!".

  You see, the probability of there being ZERO men out there for her was ZERO PERCENT.  It changed her outlook completely.

  The same can be said for the Agnostic.  The agnostic may think they have created a spiritual "safe space" for themselves when in reality they have opened themselves up for God to work in their lives.   Using the same method as Dr. Amen, one must confront the Agnostic with their rational that "God doesn't care at all about his creation".   Really?  God cares ZERO about his creation?  What is the probability that God cares ZERO about his creation?  Answer: ZERO PERCENT.    So God DOES care about the universe... he cares about you therefore since you are part of that creation.  Now the question become "HOW MUCH DOES HE CARE?"

   How do you measure if someone cares for you?  Often we use their behavior as a sign of their feeling for us.  If they want to spend time with us we say they care some for us.  But we know that time alone is not enough.  Just because a person spends time conversing with us does not mean they "care for us" for it may be they like spending time with us because it fills a hole in their lives.  People who work in soup-kitchens often find themselves there because working their makes them feel better about themselves and not because the people they find there are of better communication or enjoyment.  But spending time is a way we can quantify some small level of concern or love for us.

   The next way we measure their concern for us is how far they come to be with us.  If our neighbor next door comes over to say "hi" that has a different value to us than a friend to spends money on a plane ride and the spends 6 hours sitting in cramped conditions and forgoes time spent elsewhere to be with us.  How often have we said, "I can't believe they traveled all the way out here to be with ME!".

  Right after distance we use cost to measure ones concern and love for us.  Granted we do make allowances for those who don't have as much to spend such as relatives who have limited savings to pull from to make the trip to see us.   But we look at how these people compensate for their lack of funds or how they utilize what they have to let us know they love us.  It could be a card, a gift or a simple letter or phone call.   We measure these in cost of not just money but "time" (there's that time factor again) but also "effort".   Those who are poorer use their effort to show their love.  Have you ever received a hand-made-gift?  A gift that took some simple ordinary and inexpensive materials and turned them into something unique and special?

  These then are the measuring sticks for determining if someone cares for you: Time, Effort and Cost.

   So how do we measure God's care and concern for us?

   Let's look at TIME.   God began his journey with Adam several thousand years ago.  He later furthered his time with man through Abraham some 4000 years ago.  From Abraham he worked with prophets and kings to let us know he was there for us and had a plan for us.  Then at the completion of time he sent his son Jesus to spend REAL-TIME with us here on earth.   He has been with us ever since too.  Jesus said, "I will not leave you as orphans but will send the Holy Spirit to be with you and comfort you".   He is still here!

   Next let's look at EFFORT.   Jesus left everything in heaven to be with us.  Like that good friend that leaves everything to take a plane to fly a far distance just to be with you, God left everything behind to be with YOU.   But let's not also forget all the effort God put into place to get Jesus to earth.  He worked through Abraham and the Jewish people through thousands us years of backsliding and unfaithfulness to him by worshiping other gods. He protected them from constant annihilation and destruction both physically (attacks by Assyrians, Philistines, Hittites, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans) and spiritually (inter-marriage with other cultures that would have erased their faith in God and keeping his promises).

   Finally there is COST.  Jesus said, "No greater love is this, that a man should lay his life down for his friends!".  The price God would ultimately pay for us would be his own Son.  Abraham was once tested by God to sacrifice his own son on an alter.  This story was not just to show us Abraham's faith in God to save Isaac (he was promised by God that through Isaac Abraham would be made the father of a large nation) but also as a fore-shadow of the price God was willing to pay for his people.  Jesus allowed himself to suffer immensely to be with you forever.  The purpose of the cross is for God to demonstrate the SIZE of his LOVE for us.  Like the person, who looks at the gift and tries to estimate how much it cost you to buy or to make, we also look at the cross and evaluate it for it's cost and worth.  God reserved the most horrible form of death (a method so cruel it is not used anywhere in the world today) for his Son to show us the full depth and height of his love.

   So given these measurements, what Agnostic can say "God cares nothing for his creation" ?  Like that 60-year-old widow they must relent and acknowledge that there is zero chance God cares zero for them.  From there we must acknowledge the ridiculousness of our arguments and accept the TRUTH that God does love his creation fully. 

No! It's not caused by Global Warming...

   Recently Governor Brown gave a speech at a news conference on the Camp Fire in California.  Here he spent much of his time placing the blame for the fire on Global Warming and used his speech to instill fear into us to get on board his agenda to control the climate.

   But sorry Mr Brown... the disastrous blaze in Northern California know as the "Camp Fire" was not caused by Global Warming.  The problem isn't a mysterious Boogie-man you try to use to push your agenda.

   The problem was caused by 3 main agents:

1)  Environmentalists
2)  Unions
3)  Lawyers

First the Environmentalists.   These people put pressure on California back in the 70's to end the clear-cutting of timber.   This has caused the over-growth of trees in our state and because our forestry service has done it's job of stopping the smaller fires, the uncut timber has become a ticking time-fire-bomb.   Trees do not last forever.   They, like everything else, die naturally and when they do they carpet the forest floor with dead and dry wood.  This wood, if not removed will pile up and become extremely flammable.   Once started, there is no stopping it.

The Unions played their part in this fiasco because over the years PG&E lineman have become overpaid.  Simple linemen can earn over $200K per year and a high voltage lineman can earn over $300K.    They also have large fully-funded pensions that include full medical and dental for life and also a 401K on the side that PG&E matches dollar for dollar.   These unions have forced PG&E to cut back on staff and have made it too expensive for them to replace their dying infrastructure. These power lines (some of which were only meant to be "temporary" ) are now falling apart.   These power line provide the "spark" to light the ticking-fire-bomb in our state.  We are foolish to think that all these high voltage lines can just live on forever.   They will eventually crumble and light more and more dangerous fires.   As proof that PG&E knows this is the problem, they have set up plans to shut off the power during certain conditions of high humidity and WIND.   That is the only solution PG&E has to address the problem.  It is CHEAPER for them to lose money by shutting of the power (can't charge people for power you didn't deliver) than it is to FIX their aging equipment.

Finally we have the lawyers.  All these disasters are followed by huge lawsuits levied against PG&E by the insurance companies.  Because they don't want to be held holding the bag on these burnt homes they go after PG&E to offset the cost.  But in the end, that leaves PG&E with even LESS money to fund fixing the problem.   This becomes a perfect storm in which everyone will be hurt in the end. 

California will continue to see increasing amounts of catastrophic fires in the coming years if this is not addressed.  The answer to the problem is not moving to Solar Panels.  The answer is two pronged.

First we must allow the timber industry to clear cut again.  This will remove the old growth and also provide fire-breaks that will stop future fires from ravaging uncontrolled.   We cannot continue to allow them to grow unchecked.  Before modern fire control, mother nature took care of it by periodically cleaning up the forests.   But now we don't let that happen.   Clear-cutting is our best alternative.  The wood in our forests will be used for something, we might as well put it to some GOOD use.   Right now it's only use is to devastate our citizens and fill our skies with smoke.

Next, we have to get PG&E to improve and update their aging lines.   Because of the current situation and how much it needs to be done quickly, the Governor should call out the National Guard to work along side of PG&E to assist in getting this much needed work done quickly and cheaply.

The Scientific Model doesn't make MATHEMATICAL sense

    People often don't realize, but there is really only ONE mathematical function in the universe.   and that function is none other than ADDITION.    Addition is the source function (or building block function) for all other functions. 

    Subtraction?        Addition of negative numbers

                                 Example:   4 - 3  =  4 + (-3)  = 1

    Multiplication?   Iterative Addition. 

                                Example:  4x3 = 3 + 3 + 3 + 3   OR  4 + 4 + 4

    Division?           Iterative Addition of negative numbers. 

                                 Example: How many times can you -3 to 12 ?  Answer: 4

    and so forth...

    Everything essentially boils down to to this function.

    And yet, when scientists try to explain why the Universe exists they wants us to believe that

                                                              0 + 0 = 1.  

They implore us to accept that something comes out of nothing.   Of course you can point to a myriad of complex functions that explain HOW the universe works, but that in no way explains WHY it is here at all.

    Science actually follows an ancient faulty method of thinking that was found in Egyptian Mythology.  In the Egyptian story of creation, Ra , the Sun god,  comes out of the Nile because Ra says,  "I knew my own name!".   This is the same faulty view used by scientists today that believe the Universe pulls itself out of nothing because the equations tell it do so.  But like any person who looks at the story of Ra, one cannot call themselves forth unless they first exists to call themselves forth.  The same goes with the scientific view.  The equations that govern the universe (and "create" it), cannot exist if the universe that they govern, does not first exist.  It's much like having automobile traffic laws BEFORE there are automobiles. It is also important to understand that having equations that describe how a universe works does not answer the more pressing question of WHY it works this way.  This is the "slight of hand" that most physicists do when discussing the beginning of the universe.  They say they will can explain why we are here but in the end of their thesis they have only explained how the universe functions and how it may have reached its current state of existence

   Genesis actually makes more logical sense.  It says,

                                  God + 0 = Universe.

   Here the equation can actually be balanced and make some numerical sense (if numbers is your thing).   The laws are created to govern the universe at the same time as the universe is created. Of course many will then ask, "Where does GOD come from?" to which the Christian can only reply, "From Eternity".    This is where none of us humans can possibly understand at any level.   We cannot fathom a world without time.   Even in movies like "Interstellar" which tries to bend our understanding of time, we cannot grasp its powerful hold on our lives.   God is outside that realm and no set of events can hold him or contain him.

Was Jesus a Socialist?

   I heard a story a while back in which a professor at a university made an astonishing statement that Jesus himself was a Socialist.   Granted, socialism didn't come about for about another 1800 years or so after Jesus ascension, but would Jesus have thrown his hat (or tunic) in with the Socialist crowd if he was around today?

   The idea stems from Jesus concern for the poor and downtrodden and that if Jesus was living on earth today he would want to align himself with others who also appear to be concerned with the poor and downtrodden.

But is that the case? 

   Looking at Jesus teachings we might come away with a different view.   Jesus words can be divided into 2 categories:  Parables (teachings) and Conversations (discussions).   Let's take a look at each of these and see if they align with a Socialist view or a Capitalist view.

Parables
   Jesus many parables use different groups of people to illustrate God's relationship to us and how we should relate to him and others.   Here are the different parables and the groups of people used to show our releationship

Lost Sheep :  Shepherd (God) , Sheep (us)
Lost Coin:    Woman (God),  lost coin (us)
Pearl of Great price:  Merchant (God), Pearl (us)
Hidden Treasure in a field:   Seeker (God),  treasure (us)
Workers in the Vineyard:  Owner (God), workers (us)
Vineyard and the renters :   Owner (God) , renters (us)
Prodigal Son : Father (God), sons (us)
The Giving of the Talents:   King (God), servants (us)
The Wedding Feast:   King (God the Father) , Son (God the Son), servants (us) , people (world)

In every case shown above the "owner" is God and he is always shown in a positive light.  The workers are often shown in a negative light as they are often shown to be "grumbling" (dissatisfied) or murderous and treacherous (killing the Son in the Parable of the Vineyard and the renters.  The owner is often shown to be generous and loving.   In the case of the Vineyard and the Workers, he gives the same amount of money to all the workers despite how many hours they worked in the field.   This would be the same as a business owner paying unequal wages to his workers. (not very Socialist).   In the story of the Giving of the Talents, the king gives his wealth to his servants in UNEQUAL amounts.   He gives 5000 to one, 3000 to another and 1000 to the third.  When he comes back the only one who gets chastised is the one who BURIED his wealth and did nothing with it.  If Jesus was a Socialist would he berate a person for not gaining wealth?   Wouldn't he berate the ones who doubled their wealth and not sharing with the guy who didn't do anything?

What about his Parable of the Good Samaritan?  Doesn't that point to Socialism?  Since the man who showed compassion on the injured person ,who was robbed and beaten, picked him and cared for him.  Doesn't that point to Socialism?   Looking closely at the parable, however, we do see somethings that don't line up with this view.  First of all, the Samaritan uses his own wealth to help and care for the man who is near death.   He uses his own oil and wine to clean his wounds, puts him on his own donkey and carries him to an inn and pays for his further care.   He doesn't round up people and go after the people who passed this man buy to get them to pay for his care.   This is where using this story to support "Jesus is a Socialist" view runs off the rails.

So in terms of his Parables, I think we can say that Jesus connection with the Socialist would be a big stretch of the imagination.

Conversations (discussions)
   So one, might argue that his Parables are just spring boards for his teachings and we can't see much into his view of how we ought to be towards each other.  For example, Jesus is asked a question about paying taxes to Caesar.   Jesus says, "Give unto Caesar that which is Caesars and give unto God that which is Gods!".    Here Jesus shows us that as his followers we should "give" to whoever that asks us.  If the government asks for our money we should give it and if God has need of our money then we should give it too. 

Socialism and Capitalism are the same....sort of

    It's interesting how 2 very different ideas can find a common ancestry at their core when you look at them.  On their outsides they operate very differently.   Socialism is about control whereas Capitalism is about no control.   But on their insides, they both operate from the same basic human instinct....

GREED

   Greed is inherent in every human being.  Whether you come from an evolutionary direction or from a religious one.   An evolutionist would tell you that greed is a basic form of self protection and preservation.   The human doesn't know when or where their next meal is coming from, so it's better to "stock up" just in case there is a famine coming.   A religious person will tell you that greed is part of the human sinful condition.  The soul wants more for itself and nothing for their neighbor.  Whichever your view, greed is a common thread in all of us.

   But what makes the 2 "-isms" so different, is what you combine it with.   Like in chemistry where

         Sodium (Na)   + Chlorine (Cl) = SALT (NaCl) which the body needs to function.
         Hydrogen (H) + Chlorine (Cl) = Hydochloric Acid (HCl) which is a poison.

So also, it's not the GREED that is necessarily wrong but instead it's what you combine it with. 

  Capitalism combines greed + industriousness = a better world.    Under capitalism you get computers, phones, car, airplanes,  new materials, different kinds of food, and the list goes on..

   Socialism, on the other hand, combines  greed + laziness = theft.    Rather than creating new products and services it merely takes from those who are perceived to have too much and gives it to others it perceives as being more in need of it. 

  Socialism cannot  ever exist on its own.   It must live on the back of the Capitalist in order to survive.   Like a "sucker-fish" that lives its entire life stuck to the side of shark so also Socialism merely rides along taking what it wants without earning it.   Time and time again, we have seen socialist societies die after their parent organism stops providing for it.

What about Democratic Socialism?

  Is Democratic Theft more acceptable than plain old regular Theft?   What if we all voted to have your house ransacked?  Would that make you feel better about having your house broken into?  Democratic Socialism is really nothing new and has already been tried many times before.   The famous Greek philosopher, Plato, once said,  "Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner!".     This could not better illustrate the GREED + LAZINESS factors in Socialism.   The 2 wolves will undoubtedly be wanting more food for themselves (greed) and will want to gain that food using the least amount of energy to do it (laziness).   The same holds true today.  In my opinion, nothing can be more lazy than casting a ballot saying "I WANT MORE!" for a party that will promise you "MORE". 

But don't some people have too much?

   Yes, that may seem to be so.   That is the one danger of Capitalism.   But there is one corrective force in the world that limits this behavior.    That force is of course "death".   It corrects the distribution in 2 major ways.   First of all, none of us is "taking it with us".    Accumulated wealth is often redistributed shared because of death.  Even before the person dies, often they are engaging in lots of philanthropy to either quiet a bothered conscience or to some how insure their name will not be forgotten when they leave this earth.  Whatever the cause, the wealth gets broken down and shared with those who didn't earn it.   Buildings are built, parks are erected, foundations are created, research is funded and scholarships are awarded. 

   But this is not just something that the Uber-rich can afford to do either.   Even my wife and I have had many opportunities to benefit the poor from our "excess".   In recent years, my wife and I have decided to downsize our living arrangement now that our kids are living on their own.   I have made countless trips to Good Will and Salvation Army to unload the many items we have purchased over the years that we no longer have any need of in our lives.   We have given away, beds, dressers, bikes, computers, TVs, tons of cloths, shoes, coats, chairs, and the list goes on.   I estimate that if I had held on to all those items, my 3 car garage would be filled to the ceiling.  Right now, there are countless people out there using items we purchased at full price and are now using free of charge.   Right now those people are benefiting from our "excess". 

Separating the HOLY from the PROFANE

   You have probably seen the news articles about how the Catholic Church ignored problems regarding pedophile priests who preyed upon countless children over several decades.   It has even been reported that there is even a group of homosexual priests who have helped cover each others tracks that have infiltrated the church as well.   The church chose to ignore complaints about these men and are now paying the price.   Why did they choose to ignore?  Only God knows!   Maybe because in the modern era it's hard to recruit men to stay celibate for their entire life and they felt forced to take any and all applicants.  Maybe it was because they couldn't come to grips that leaders in their church could be so vile and the resulting court cases it might bring about on them.  Maybe it was a little of both.  What ever the cause, the effect is destructive none the less.

   Previously I wrote a blog called "Bowling for Sinners!" in which I show how Satan uses leaders to take out a whole host of sinners in one swoop.  Jesus told the disciples before he was to be crucified, "It is written, Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter!".   While he was speaking of his own death to come, I think he was also sending a message to his disciples to be on guard as well.   Their actions can cause the scattering of many of God's flock that they have been entrusted with.  He was informing them that they will have a big target on their backs by Satan to do the most damage....so BEWARE!

   We have all said (or heard it said), "How can a person who claims to be a Christian do such a thing?"   Usually this is followed with, "IF that is what it means to be a Christian then I don't want to have anything to do with it!".   Our problem is that as humans we have a problem of separating the holy from the profane.  We forget that we has humans are all sinners and we seriously mess things up no matter how holy it is.   It's like the GEICO commercial with the sloth playing Pictionary.   The tag line is , "If you're a sloth, you move slowly.   It's what you do!".  In the same manner we might say,

"If you are human, you mess things up.  It's what you do!".

   Let's take the US Constitution for example.   Most would say it was the greatest document ever devised by man.  It promotes the right to speak, the right to assemble, the right to believe, the right to print, the right to not be detained without a warrant or to have your possessions taken from you.  All of these are great ideals, but too often we fall short.   Take for example what President Roosevelt did during WWII.  FDR imprisoned citizens with Japanese ancestry unlawfully during the war because we had a fear they would not be loyal to our country.  Does this mean that the Constitution is flawed?  Of course not!   In fact, these problems only enhance it's need in our lives.  It shows us to be flawed humans who need to be reigned in and held accountable.   It's not the Constitution that needs to be changed, but our hearts and minds.  We later paid the survivors reparations for our misdeeds.

   Likewise, the issue of the pedophiles in the Catholic church should not take away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but in the eyes of those who are outside of the church it does.   Satan does quite a number on those judge God's truth by our actions or in-actions. It's been said that a little knowledge can be dangerous.  In this case, it is eternally dangerous for many have only a "little knowledge" of our faith and so judge it's "truth" as "falsehood" based on our sinful being.  They do not understand that God's GRACE is not changed by inability to conform 100% to his LOVE. 

  God knows this weakness in our nature.   He knows that people will judge HIM by OUR deeds or misdeeds.   It is WHY we should as Christ's Ambassadors "try" to live lives worth of our calling.  It's not to become more worthy in HIS eyes, but instead to not be a distraction to those who are yet to be called by his grace or a stumbling block to those who are "weak in faith".  At the same time we must always point to our own sinfulness and our own need of a savior and not make our lives the centerpiece of our faith.    It is truly a narrow road we must walk.

Saving the children

Most of us recently were paying close attention to what was happening in a cave in Thailand.   12 boys and a coach had gone into a cave and were forced to move further into the cave to escape the rising water from a Monsoon that had come through.  After several days, divers were able to locate them in a chamber that was several miles back.   How those boys must have felt being in that dark chamber thinking no one would ever be able to find them... let alone save them.   They must have felt completely hopeless and alone as they sat on that muddy cave slope.   As a kid, I used to go canoeing on the Current River in southern Missouri.   Every year my friends and I went to the same spots to have freeze-out competitions, cliff jumping, raft wars and then going into a large cave at the end.   This cave would go back almost a quarter mile (there was only one path so no fear of getting lost).   We would go back to the farthest chamber and then turn our flashlights off for 10 seconds.   To this day, that is the blackest darkness I have ever experienced (I still use that memory as a way to thwart a "sneeze" I don't want to come out).   Those 10 seconds seemed like an eternity to me. 

I can't imagine how they must have felt when that first scuba diver appeared.   The shear JOY they must have felt could not be replicated by the most seasoned Hollywood actor I am sure.  The cheers echoing off those cave walls must have been deafening. 

Their plight was not much different from our as humans on this earth.   We were trapped in our sins with no way out and a feeling that no one cared.    We, like these kids, wandered away from God and went places we should not have gone.   We were warned, but we felt we knew better.   Like those rescuers, God went searching for us and risking everything.   Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep and how the shepherd "leaves the 99 and goes searching for the 1 lost sheep".  For these lost kids, the rescuers had to risk it all as well.   I am sure many of the divers who endured the treacherous 3 hour swim to their chamber had their own children to think of too.   The kids trapped in the cave were worth as much, if not more, than their own children sleeping safely in their own beds.   God risked it all too when he sent his son to come and save us.

 Do you think the scuba divers chastised them for being so foolish and stupid?    Do you think the first words out of their mouth was: "You stupid foolish boys!! Look what you put me through!  I could be home with my kids right now, but instead I have to endure 3 hours underwater and difficult conditions to come looking for the likes of you!  I should just leave you here!  You deserve what you get!  But I guess I will take it easy on you and tell others where you are at anyway!"

I doubt that was what he said to them.   I am sure he was calming with them and told them how happy he was to have found them.   He must have reassured them that they will get them out of the cave in due time and all we will okay.

Jesus, too, came and reassured us of what was to come.   He told us, "The Son of Man did not come into the world to condemn the world but to SAVE the world!".   In another verse Jesus says, "I have come that you might have LIFE and have it to the FULL!". 

Jesus, like those divers, just tells us to trust him.   The divers had to teach the boys how to scuba dive and take them though some of the most dangerous and dark water they would ever experience.   This dive was so difficult that even a seasoned Thai Navy SEAL died in the process.   Now they would need to help get 11-16 year boys through the same water.   One person said that in the most treacherous part, the water is like swimming through black coffee.   They needed the boys to trust that they would lead them out.  Jesus too asks us to trust him to lead us out of this world.   He, like the diver, has already "swam through death" for us and we can know for sure we are in good hands and like those boys, joined with our waiting families on the other side.

The divers must have told the boys right before they left the chamber what they would be facing.  They must have reminded them that even in the darkest water, they would be right there with them  and they would be connected to them with a tether-line at all times.    Right before Jesus ascended he said, "Truly I am with you ALWAYS!  Even unto the end of the world!".   In another verse he says, "My Father holds on to his children and nothing can take them from his hand!".    We are baptized in Christ Jesus and we are tethered to him now and into eternity.   

Jesus is with us though the blackest black that life can throw at us.  Failed marriages, lost jobs, cancer, addiction, loss of loved ones, hatred, scorn, loneliness, not being understood, fear.   Through all of these he is tethered to us and can lead us out.

He just bids us to "Come follow me!"

In the long term Hedonism cannot survive

   My wife and I love to watch "Wheel of Fortune" (we almost don't miss an episode).   At the beginning Pat Sajak goes around and interviews each contestant to find out where they are from, what they do, who they are married to, etc..   I personally use this information to choose who to root for.  We don't bet on it but it makes it more interesting.   I have a few deciding factors that help me decide.  If they are from the Chicago area, a government employee or a lawyer I automatically put them in the "don't root for" category.   One thing that used to put them in the don't-root-for list was if they said they were "proud parents of 2 (or more) fur-babies" (cat's, dog's, rabbits etc).   This phase is being used more and more by the Millennial generation.  In fact, research is showing married couples under 35 are more likely to have pets than children.

    This used to bother me but now I see it as a blessing.   I see our country divided differently today.   It's heathen verses non-heathen.   In a hedonistic society everything is about YOU.  It's all about YOUR pleasure.  It's all about YOUR life.  It's all about YOUR career.  It's all about YOUR experiences.  For non-believers the world is a very scary and short-lived place.   It's all about sucking all the marrow out of life that you can before you are turned back into dirt.   This fear guides all your decisions.   You feel you have to get all your ducks in a row before you can even BEGIN to think about kids.  You need your career in place.  You need to get your 401k fully-funded.  You need to get your McMansion set up and see all the major sites in the world because kids take that away from you.  First they date for 5 years, then they live together for 5 years, then they get married and live another 5 years before they start to the process of making babies.   But then you find your 38 years old and your eggs aren't worth crap or his sperm count is diminished to almost nothing because of all the "stress" you endured working for the McMansion and the career.   For many young couples today pets replace children.  They dote on them, train them, feed them, take pictures of them and show them off to others.  They are cheaper too.   No clothes to buy (unless you feel you need to), no college to save for, no piano lessons or dance recitals to go to.   No nasty notes from the teacher that require you to have meetings with them.   If you need to run off to Bora Bora then it's off to the kennel for them.   Easy Peasy!

    I looked around me and made an interesting observation.   The only young couples around me that I saw having kids were Christian couples.    You see, they are not living in fear of the future.  God has their back and their children.   He is with them all the way.   The Bible says, "Perfect love drives out fear!".  That is what God does in our lives.  He drives out fear much like Jesus drove the money changers from the temple who were making God's house a den of thieves.   They are not living in fear of death for they know there is much more that awaits them after death.  God has promised and has made it known to us by the resurrection of Jesus from the grave.

   But that observation showed me that there in lies the answer to hedonism.  Ultimately hedonism is it's own worst enemy.  The heathens encourage their side to not have children.  They tell them that they can have it all without children and the world will be better off too.   But this means that the heathen eventually will die off and it will be the non-heathen (the Christians) who will repopulate society.    It may take 2 generations but eventually things will change.   Currently our country is still dealing with the most Hedonistic generation to have ever lived: the baby-boomer generation.  This generation is now moving into their end-years and are now in it's final convulsions of trying to accomplish all they can before they take their last breath.  Baby Boomer 1.0 gave birth to Baby-Boomer 2.0 which felt families should only have 1 or 2 children.   Now Baby-Boomer 3.0 is being taught to have 0 or 1 child or not get married at all (most 20 year old are living together instead of getting married).   Eventually the hedonist generation and their ill-thought-views will be wiped from the face of the earth like a nightmare that is soon forgotten. 

    Hedonism is really the source of it's own destruction.