Is Change Coming or is always going to be like this

“The more life changes the more things stay the same.”
Archeologist uncovered hieroglyphics apprehensive over the lack of discipline and shame among Egyptian youth. Historians uncover more than once sinister darker sides of famous leaders. Writers continually reveal disgusting evils practiced by legendary business and political personalities.
Yet, we continue today to take serious cries from the political, social and religious arenas that “The sky is falling! This nation is going to hell in a hand basket! We need a return to the good old days and old fashion family values!”
Our world today is not doing anything different than it did two, four or six thousand years ago. It is just being done with different tools and under faster and faster forms of communications.
Those good old days gone by were polluted with greedy business people paying minimum wages and manning sweat shops with illegal immigrant help. At the same time the handful of dishonest politicians accepted tainted money in one hand, while the other hand reached out to citizens with hollow gestures of help.
Everywhere men ruled society and their families with an iron hand. Definition of a  family required two married parents. Single parents, widows and orphans were social outcast in those family values societies. Women and children were objects to be possessed. An individual's color, gender, disabilities, disfigurements, religion, and other such small  differences were legitimate excuses for social rejection and even at times death.
Perhaps these historical perspectives might help us to more clearly see today's social, political, and religious situation. It really isn't any different than those of days gone by. It would read like this, “During the last decades of a roaring twentieth century a powerful nation experienced explosions of knowledge in the fields of communications and physical science. The impact on society was similar to the industrial and transportation explosions in the last decades of the nineteenth.
Numerous political leaders and statesmen are remembered for their honest and efficient leadership. Several of them, including presidents, had illicit extra marital and financial affairs. They were many involved with greedy social and financial elements in the society. Many business people and inventors rode their industrial success to great financial heights. They also established benevolent works in society. Sadly the news media of the day gave more attention to greedy and unethical people than the honest ones. Population also increased dramatically during those decades. Wars dominated the world scene.”
As in days gone by, most of the world quietly goes about living their lives guided by honest values. It is just a few rotten apples that make all the noise. What's new? Nothing! So, what should we do? Take a personal check of our own selves first. If the bottom or foundation of a society is solid, shouldn't those  who stand above be just as good?
First and foremost, do you vote in every election or do you let the handful select the leaders. One Arkansas governor was elected with about 433,000 votes out of a possible two million. Do you give your fair share of money and time to benevolent work? Do you avoid consumer debt? Do you give an honest days work for an honest dollar? Do you study in school to the best of your ability? Are you loyal to family and fiends? Is your word and hand trustworthy?
 Do you associate regular with not only people like yourself but others too? Do you give everyone equal respect? And so forth?
If your answers are a powerful yes to all of the above, you are a social gem. Now if we were to put you in a position of power, fame or fortune would you stay that way? History says, “No!” The point? Don't waste your time concerned about that great world out there until you have made a distinct improvement inside the one you live in. Or until you are ready to step forward and lead. The more life changes the more things stay the same? Not if you make it personal. The more my life changes the more things in my world will change.
 

Aromatic Christians

Almost every week I charge my congregation to be “Aromatic Christians” in the week ahead. Meaning their lives should give evidence of their faith. If you have to tell someone you are a Christian, you probably should keep your mouth shut.
  The label Christian was first used by people of other faiths, who saw the actions of the people and said, “There go the followers (disciples) of Christ.”  This is the basic definition of Christian.
Theologically a Christian, by our definition, is one who has received the Spirit of God and all the authority that entails.
  In this small detail lies the basic problem between most religions (in all religions the believer is touched by the divine spirit). Give authority to some people and they grow; give it to others and they swell. Being a part of creation is an awesome position. It means you represent a force that causes life! It causes things to exist! When you walk in the woods you are walking with your family, for we are related to everything that exist. You are a "little one" of God. The God and power who causes life. You represent the creator of all life!
  This reminds us that all who come as representatives of their Creator God, should be given respect. Do we respect all those things of God? The environment? Society? Other people? Our faith? Perhaps  if we remember that we also are a representative of the creator it might change your approach to others.
  We are each a representative - we only represent God. If we work for a company and they send us to visit a customer we cannot represent something to the customer the company will not do. Ambassadors understand that very well. Another English word for ambassador is apostle. They were/are representatives of Jesus. Jesus was/is a representative of God. We need only to project what/who we represent - the God of life and love.
  There is no room or tolerance for those who come in the name of God and represent death and hate; condemnation and rejection; and self centeredness.  By represent, I mean how we influence others by our words, actions and attitudes. No one can influence others to live on a higher level than that on which they live themselves. Just one act of ours may turn the tide of another person's life.
  When God says to a person, “Well done thou faithful servant,” it signifies that God feels that person represented God well. They gave of the aroma of love, grace, and acceptance; not hate, condemnation, and rejection. They were Christ like.

Down with Religion! Up with God!

I once promised to address the question, “Why is wanting to be God-like, a sin?”
Where can we find the first concept of sin? In three great religions it is found in primordial (No eye witnesses!) history, as related in the first eleven chapters of Genesis.
  The matter of sin is defined in a spiritual realm. Sin is concerned with the spiritual relationship that started with “So God created humanity (atham) in God’s own image, in the image of God they (atham) were created; male (ish) and female (isha) God created them.” Two equal parts to make the whole of humanity.
  Sin takes form where we read, “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” God’s knowledge is the focus of spiritual activity. It is why we are called seekers. We spend our lives seeking basic truths of life. From the start God tweaked our curiosity about the ultimate truth, which can give us knowledge of good and evil.  
What happens when we seek this knowledge?    
God said, they are now like one of us, knowing good and evil. They cannot take  from the tree of life and eat and live forever. Are we not now taught that our purpose in life is to be like God and to live forever? Then why was it wrong in the beginning?
  Maybe there is a different perspective. If we are not to be like God, maybe we need to be in a right relationship with God. If so, then we seek not to have God’s light, but to be in God’s light. A humble reversal to being righteous in one’s self.
  Adam and Eve were in a right relationship with God and at peace. Then they sought to be like God. Perhaps the spiritual lesson of the Garden is our need for one’s humility of intellect. We are not God and never will be like God! Knowledge for true condemnation and judgement is in the hands of God and God alone. We are to strive to walk with God and be in a right relationship.
  Cain is our first lesson of why our relationship with God is important. The great sin of Cain? He was not in favor with God. Why? Who knows? Theories abound. Whatever theory, it ultimately ends up that sin is a major force in the world. Humans with no relationship with God are out of favor with God.
   In Noah, primordial history refines the lesson of sin, in the eyes of God. Noah was blameless among the people and walked with God. Our  reputation among people is different than our walk with God. Both are vital! But, Noah was spared because of his relationship with God, not what other people thought of him.
  God blessed Noah and family, but their souls would have to account for the life of their fellow beings. Sin relates to our relationship with others as well as with God.
  Noah was drunk (while in a right relationship with God) and laid uncovered. Ham saw his dad naked and told his brothers outside. They took a coat on their shoulders and walked in backwards to cover him. Their faces were turned, as to not see the father naked. When Noah discovered what Ham had done, he cursed Ham! What did Ham do wrong? Perhaps he saw a problem and did nothing about it? Is his sin passing the buck? He failed to act on the needs of another.
   Finally ancient history ends up at the Tower of Babel. Noah’s decedents spread over the earth and  the world had one language. People begin to build a tower to heaven to make a name for themselves and not be scattered over the earth.
  God saw the tower they were building and said, “If as one people speaking the same language they’ve begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.”
  Primordial ends with this emphatic statement, that God did not intend the people to be like God!  I thought God wanted the world to be in one accord.
  And we are! Various cultures around the world were all created by God. Each is critical to the whole. This truth is a reason for honoring all the children of God, whether they are Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, Buddha, etc.. God makes it clear in these first chapters, that the only thing important is a person’s walk with God. Any other focus is sin. Such as, a focus on self righteousness or being God-like. That is sin and out of harmony with God.
  The ancient lesson is God created humanity to walk with God and be in a right relationship with God. God considers that anyone, who attempts to know everything God knows and attempts to do all things like God, is not walking with God, but trying to be God. It humbles our intellect!

True Citizen Soldiers defend individual freedom

In the midst of the sad affairs in amongst the extremist around the world who are killing innocent woman and children in the name of religion the first week in June is very significant for me. It is "military week" and a time to remember significant events. Events that have shaped our national image as we know it today.
  June 1,1813 - Captain James Lawrence on the U.S.S. Chesapeake lay dying and uttered, "Don't give up the ship!" Our reputation of being a stubborn fighting machine is well earned. Our Armed Forces have brought many arrogant tyrant’s glorious armies and navies to their knees in humbling defeat. Raw as we may seem, the American fighting men and women can be counted on to "hang in there" till the job is done.
  June 3, 1916 National Defense Act created the civilian-officer concept (Reserve Officer Training Corp). The military academies at West Point and Annapolis had produced the bulk of the officers. Although the idea was met with some misgivings and ridicule, it has been valuable in building the world’s best citizen soldier fighting machine. Today the Reserves are a sizable part of our military.
  June 5, 1947, Secretary of State George Catlett Marshal, a professional officer, who gave up his uniform to serve in the cabinet, gave new meaning to citizen soldier. His "Marshall Plan" exhibited the gentle side of the relentless dogface citizen soldier. That day at Harvard he said, "Our policy is not directed against country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos." Our European Recovery Plan at the close of WW II healed wounds and rebuilt hopes in half the world. We were being good neighbors and our soldiers were battling this mess with the same fighting spirit they had shown during combat. "We stand firm and  we care" might be a motto for our citizen soldiers.
  June 6, 1944, known as D-Day confirmed the stubborn courage and determination of the Captain Lawrence's through out the history of this nation. An effective utilization  of civilian soldiers is important to conserving a true spirit of freedom. The international  blend of Allied Forces expressed our place in the world's neighborhood.
  June 6, 1962, Denny Reimer begins his march that eventually led him to the top position in our unique fighting force.  Along with him were his classmates who are just a few examples of the important concept of soldiers who will fight for the rights of individuals..
  June 7, 2013 celebrates what all this week is about. It is Freedom of the Press Day. Freedom of the press goes hand in hand with free speech. Free speech is what the citizen soldiers fight to defend and bring to others in other lands. Yes a nice touch to end my "military week."

Words can hurt or cure

  Words are written symbols of human understanding. Words can hurt and words can heal! They have divided the world in some of the smallest and unique ways. These divisions have sometimes been destructive in catastrophic proportions.  The great wars of this world were all began over differing views of what particular words meant. At the same time peace was achieved through other words.
  Our Creator knows the importance of words. If humans all spoke the same language with the same meanings nothing will be impossible for them to do.
  Funny isn't it that the Creator does not want us to all speak the same language. At least that was the message of stories like the Tower of Babel. What would happen if we could return to a day when we all spoke the same language?
  First it would reduce the number of divisions in society. We would all have the same concept or belief in Our Common Creator. Hmmm? I wonder, of the present words and symbols which  might be the correct or closes one? Would it be a super human being: Thor? Zeus? Buddha? Confucius? Jesus? Etc. Would it be nature itself? Trees and birds? Breath of Life? Great Spirit? Holy Spirit? Etc.? Would it be the essence of what is good in life? Goodness? Peace? Ying and Yang? Love? Etc.?
  If it comes to a vote, I want to nominate my word Yah to be the accepted and common understanding among all the peoples. Yah cannot be comprehend in worldly terms. Instead it can only describe the personality of Yah as developed from the collected facts since the beginning of time by millions and millions of people.
  While my Yah is the sum total of the opinion of all beings, my Yah still is a distinct essence with known personalities. Yah caused this creation in order to develop we human beings. Humans that when they leave this world will be with Yah beyond our space and time.
   Yah knows it is extremely difficult for humans to really understand Yah’s true essence and the purpose of human life. Therefore Yah communicated these expectations was through specific human being through out the course of human history. This humans all were understood to have fully human and fully divine characteristics. Something common with all persons, who believe in my Yah.  
  All of the followers of Yah are fully human and fully divine. We are members of the kingdom beyond space and time. How we live out our lives will develop our role in that kingdom, where Yah is fully understood. For us this is the only true focus for human beings - to prepare for Yah’s eternal kingdom.
  Yes if the world all had my word and symbol for our Creator we would put Our Creator first in all things and love others as we love ourselves. We would avoid being people who elevate and worship rules and laws. We would avoid condemnation of any human being and demonstrate love, joy and peace in our lives so that others we be drawn to Yah, so they might find Our Creator. Our  actions would speak our faith.
  Yes it would be nice if we all spoke the same language and understood Our Creator in the same way. Oh well, some day we will see all of the Creator’s kingdom and speak the same language. Until then could we learn to translate a little better?

True Terrorist vs True Soldiers

True Terrorist vs True Soldiers
   Someone long time ago said, “A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.” Yes I know it is Proverbs 14:16.
   It is beyond my comprehension how any group of people (nation, race, religion, or whatever) can say they are the only chosen people of God and that they can condemn or harm mentally and physically anyone who doesn’t agree with them.
   In my youth we use to say to people like that, “Who died and made you God?” What right did they have to be judge and jury over events or circumstances?  Especially if they chose to do harm to the persons or groups they deemed had did wrong according to them. “Who died and made them God?”
   Today we are calling them terrorist.  They are not terrorists. They are hotheaded aand reckless cowardly acting bullies. They hide behind covered faces, black masks, white hoods, and a hundred of other different cowardly traits.
   Oh, but Dennis you don’t understand, they are soldiers in a great cause. Baloney! I was a soldier for 31 years and soldiers like wise men do not hide behind masks, hoods and anything else. They stand tall waving their flag and fight their enemy face to face.
  It is time we change our headlines around the world. Their aren’t any such thing as terrorists. There are hotheaded reckless cowards bullying people bringing terror to innocent women and children around the world.
  It is time for every religion to condemn these cowards wether they are wearing ski masks, white hoods, or any other facade to hide behind. True soldiers battle the enemy with honor. These women and baby killers have zero, zilch, no honor.
  It is time we put an end to this form of bullying before they lead us to a war we may never recover from on this beautiful blue planet.

The Devil Made Me Do It

  Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Open up the jails! I have just seen the ultimate solution to tort reform and crowded jails.
  The other day the newspaper reported that a man killed eighteen people, yes eighteen. The man's defense was that he was a crack head, abused by his mother and raped by a social worker when he was a young boy. It wasn't his fault after all. The dealer, his mother and the social worker actually pulled the trigger.
  Like a flash of light, it came to me that we all can claim our problems are the result of the actions of people, who came before us. Following this logic to its ultimate conclusion, we discover we can all blame Adam and Eve for our problems. Cain killed Able because of his upbringing. So bulletin!: we no longer need jails, courts, judges, and lawyers. The common and unbeatable defense is now: Adam and Eve made us do it!
  Of course Adam and Eve's only defense was "the devil made me do it." Somebody made me do it? A six foot burly drunk exclaims, "my wife makes me drink". Now she is five foot two, it takes real mental power to visualize her holding him down on the floor. And it takes even more to see her pouring the drink down his throat as he desperately attempts to struggle free.
  The same struggle surfaces while reflecting back on my youth. Three boys went into a small local store, owned by a little old  and kind lady. Two decided to steal a bottle of Nehi grape soda. The third chose to sneak back and pay her the ten cents. All three lived on the same street and came from similar families. Today we know, by popular demand and acceptance, that the two who snatched the sodas did so because of something negative in their background or families. What on earth caused the third boy to do a good act? Today we aren't sure.
  Sixty some years ago, the little boy who paid the dime did so because he felt sorry for the little old lady. She worked so hard and was kind to all of them many times. From the time he first left the store his conscience wouldn't leave him alone. The other two seem to have no conscience. They got what they wanted and to heck with the old lady. They even made fun of the third boy for going back. In fact they resented him. They were concerned only for themselves, he was concerned for others.
  Who made them that way? The two who stole the Nehi came from families with a father and mother, brothers and sisters, with their own homes and no real trauma in life. The third boy couldn't remember his real father, lived in basement home and was raped by a neighbor at age six. According to what is in the news these days this story is all wrong. This boy made a moral decision and took responsibility in the middle of an immoral setting, where the majority were acting irresponsibly.
  Today he could have gone back and brutally attacked, raped and killed the old lady, before turning on his friends in rage and killing them under stress. A good lawyer and a sympathetic jury would easily see that his father, who abandoned him and his sister, the neighbor who traumatized him and the modest living quarters were more than enough to justify his actions. In fact they probably would award him millions from Nehi Beverages for making sodas that would entice young boys to steal.
  God holds each person responsible for there own actions. The devil cannot make anyone do anything. The only power anyone has over another is the power to influence. History is littered with persons, who have given up their lives rather than act irresponsible or immoral. Successful societies hold people responsible for their own actions.
  Physical and mental cowards shy away from accepting responsibility for their actions. They also allow and encourage others to make immoral and irresponsible decisions. "Real Men and Women" use their past only for understanding themselves and certain influences in their lives. However, "Real Men and Women" then hold themselves accountable to make moral and responsible decisions. They do not tolerate any less from others.
  Aren't you tired of this endless rhetoric that is nothing more than one big excuse for irresponsible behavior? I am! It is my cause to stand up against things irresponsible. I don't want to be buddies with my children, I want to be their father. I don't want to be well liked, I want to be respected for my principles. I am going to say, no to the man who hits a woman; to a child being disrespectful toward an adult; to thief the first time he steals; to a teenager crowding in line at the movies; to the church gossip killing the reputations of others; to sin; and to anyone tolerating immoral and irresponsible behavior.
  Many of you know the basic problem. In my Uncle Tom's words, some chose to do good and some chose to do bad. My grandmother would say some want to go to heaven others to hell. I say their are self centered people, who don't give a damn about anyone or anything, and there are God centered people, who care enough about others enough to act responsibly and morally. Let us call it what it is - Evil (period). And let's start when they are little boys.

Bread is Life in many ways

  A man dying in the vast hot dry desert suddenly found a bottle in the sand. It was empty. He rubbed it against his chest. As he did a vapor cloud and a huge genie pop out of the bottle and said, “For three wishes, I am yours to command.”
  Realizing there were only three he thought carefully and said, “My first wish is to have the greatest riches of every kind in the world - food, drink, women, power.”
  “It is done,” said the genie, and with a snap of fingers the man was transported to a magnificent mansion, clothed in rich raiment, surrounded by adoring beauties who served his every need.    “What is your second wish?” asked the genie.
  “To be once more in the prime of life.” Once again the genie snapped his fingers and the man became a magnificent specimen of a man surround by power and beauty.
  “What do you want for your last wish?” asked the genie again.
  The man knew this would be his last so he thought carefully and finally declared, “I have everything I have always wanted but since I have one last wish, there is something I have always wanted - make me a perfect malted milk shake.” And in a snap of his fingers there was the mansion, the women, the money and on the couch in the middle of everything where the young man had been sitting was the world's most perfect malted milk shake.
The moral?
What you eat is always food for thought. How much you eat is food for strength.
  “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” - Savarin in The Physiology of Taste 1825

   During World War II a group of Jewish orphans at a convent could not go to sleep at night. It puzzled the sisters until one realized they were frightened of what each tomorrow would bring. That night each child was given a slice of bread to take to bed. The children all slept through the night. They knew they would have bread in the morning and would not be hungry the next day.
  “All forms of government fall when it comes up to the question to bread - bread for the family, something to eat. Bread to a man with a hungry family comes first - before his union, before his citizenship, before his church affiliation. Bread!” - John L. Lewis
  Bread is central to the Biblical message. In the wilderness they received a bread from heaven - manna. Bread was un-leaven to remind them that they had to leave Egypt in a hurry. Some bread was round, some in loaves and some in heart shape. It was essential to everyday life as well as the farmers and soldiers in the field. It was a gift for strangers. It was used as the spoon, when eating.
  Bread is the focus of many today. We work to make more bread. We break bread together. Bread is and always has been central to life on this planet. The essentials for life are water and bread and clothing and a house to cover one's nakedness, but we cannot live by physical bread alone!
 The Christ declares that he is the bread of life. Do you want a slice or a loaf? Do you want only enough to get you through the night? A slice!
  So many times we take part in Communion and only want a slice. We leave church a malted milk shake. A little peace, some assurance about heaven and a possibility that maybe God loves me.    Today as always The Christ offers each of us the whole loaf. Peace of mind, assurance of an eternal life beyond the grave and knowledge that God loves me - total acceptance by God just as I am today.
   So slice Or loaf? i.e. “do you want the whole thing?” Jesus [his principles or example] is not something you make a sandwich out of in life. We don't take our world and wrap it with a Jesus roll. We make Jesus [his principles and examples] our life support to live in this world. He is our bread and the world is his butter.
  Perspective: Jesus is the bread of life, but God is the giver of life. The next time you take communion please remember we partake of Jesus the bread and worship God the baker.
 Through the bread we learn about the baker. In the bread we find the ingredients of the meaning of life used in the recipe of the Creator.
 A slice allows you to learn about Jesus. The whole loaf gives us knowledge of God. Don't settle for less. Make all your wishes count. Yet the question remains, Slice or Loaf? Part of God or all of God. Live a little of a Godly life or jump in fully feet first that is the question!
  The Bread of Life, Christ Jesus, was prepared by God to be a banquet not a snack tray. It is above all affiliations. It brings peace at night. It sustains and strengthens your every effort. Are you getting enough bread today?

The Real Clowns of God

  A favorite book is "The Clowns of God" by Morris West, author of  "The Shoes of the Fisherman".  A favorite song is "Where are the Clowns" by Barbara Streis, especially the closing line, "bring on the clowns. (pause) don't bother they're here". In my office is a bust of the famous  clown Emmett Kelly.
  Clowns have an important place in my life. They catch me when I take myself or life to seriously. Times when a person’s remark lifts me to the mountain top or plunges me to the valley floor. Whether I am going up or going down the frowning smile on Emmett's face reminds me there are downs after ups and ups after downs, or "Relax! This too shall pass."
  Periodically, I have been known to mutter things like, "Mmmm just once I would like to have access to the clowns, who allow all the Congressional waste.”  Or even closer to home, " Lord,  I’d like a long talk with the clowns who let the church fall into the hands of those bunch of clowns." Then a lovely voice whispers in my ear, "don't bother they are here." My own ignorance and apathy allows them, the clowns, to remain in power. The song ministers to me, as it seemingly says, "Relax! All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
  The active pastoral ministry has been a great joy as well as a great sadness. Joy because people are always searching for God and the truth about God. Sadness because within the denominations of Christianity we still bicker amongst ourselves while the world drifts farther away. Heaven forbid, in just our little area alone, we have divided so much we now have about six Methodist Churches, five Presbyterian, five Assembly of God, twenty-eight Baptist, three Christian, thirteen Church of Christ and about thirty assorted others, and still dividing and multiplying.
  Who is causes these divisions among the people of God? In "The Clowns of God" the main character discovers the culprits are the petty church leaders, pushed by a thirst for power and hunger for financial security. They habitually do peculiar and selfish things contrary what to is good for the whole body of believers in God's kingdom.
  These little power centered creatures, who by selective reading reject the whole of the gospel of God to worship their petty little religious corner of the world, are called "the clowns of God". Morris West seemingly is saying, "Relax! Different gifts and workings, but the same Spirit and Lord."
  Clowns can be funny or sad. Clowns can be out there or in here. Clowns can be me or you. My guess is, God probably sees us all as clowns in life's circus.
  When our God says, "This too shall pass", is it said with light humor or with profound sincerity? I have heard it both ways. At times the message is "don't sweat the small stuff, look at the big picture." Other times, while in the depths of despair, the arm of God seems to slip around my shoulders with a comfort that says, "Hang in there, there is nothing in life that you and I can't handle together." Do you think Emmett taught that to God or God to Emmett?
  Did you ever suspect that when God informs us, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," there follows at times a "heavenly chuckle"? For certain there is a chuckle when a clown of God, who thinks he or she has a direct link to the truth, is informed they are also sinners! History of God's people has demonstrated over and over that the holier than thou people were usually the first ones who yelled, "Crucify Him!"  They are the true terrorists.
  Sad but true, some clowns wear smiles on their faces and frowns in their hearts. A funny word here might be hypocrite, phoney or pharisee. God just laughs a belly laugh at self righteousness.
  When God declares, "Different gifts and workings, but the same Spirit and Lord." It is not funny to oppose or alter that principle. The clowns who put denomination or theology or practice above the whole people of God are not funny. They wear frowns on their faces and frowns in their hearts. God definitely frowns on their behavior. These clowns of God drive away the followers of God and replace them with clown followers. No it is not funny! It's a cult of clowns.
  So, Dennis, quit clowning around and get to the point. You got it! First, life is too short to take yourself too serious. Put on a happy face and a happy heart. Loosen up, God loves you! Second, we are all the same, we want love and freedom from death. Relax with the knowledge that in God's eyes you are normal! Finally, the clowns were allowed to divide the church universal (body of Christ). God wants us to stop clowning around and bring the people of God together again. God wants a family reunion. So bring on all the clowns,(pause) don't bother we are all here.
 
 

The True Judgement Seat

Tired of reading about what is bad with people? Did you know God only judges us on our holiness (goodness)? There are no heavenly scales that weigh our good acts against our bad. God addresses solely the goodness in our lives at the judgement seat.
  This seat as identified in Scripture in the Book of  Revelation is solely for those people, who have successfully finished a race. They come and stand in front of the judgement seat to receive their awards for performance.
  In the Christian faith and most all other faiths the only people, who finish the race are the ones, who have somehow gained eternal life and citizenship in the Kingdom of Light (Kingdom of God). In the Christian gospels, they are the ones, who have been born from above (“born again” is an inappropriate translation). They are the ones, according to Jesus, who love God above all things and their neighbor as themselves. Jesus understood the Holy Spirit is needed to do those two things.  The same Spirit that gives eternal life.
  At judgement, God will judge us as to how much of our lives we have turned over to the control of the Spirit. In other words, how holy are we?  Which is truly good news, when compared with the works concept which balances good against the bad. Oh, I know there are people, who believe their good works out weigh their bad works. In the Spiritual realm they are immature beings, who actually believe they can gain eternal life on their own faith. They totally ignore the essential place of God’s Spirit in the great scheme of things.
   Whenever we pray believing and ask God to forgive us, God is just and forgives us. Now comes the tremendous news of God’s grace. When God forgives a person, it is forgotten about for all eternity. It is gone! It is out of my life! This constant cleansing allows God’s people to work more on their goodness, instead of agonizing over their badness. That’s the basic good news I find in Christ Jesus, who God used to make this extra-ordinary formula work.
   For this reason God challenges us to love one another. By this God means not judge, which means no evaluation or concern for my negative side, because that is between me and God. Instead we accept people for the goodness they have, no matter what level it has obtained.
  What a wonderful world! A place where we only see good in people! Children will no longer tease others for their imperfections. Adults will not go to war to prove others wrong.  People of God will join hands and let their light outshine all the darkness of this world. Yeah, I like that idea.  We only deal with the good, just like God does it.

Father Abraham's Children (all of them)

  Each day I awake and think, "I don't have a clue!" A clue to what it really takes to be a child of God in this life. Each day I awake and wish I had enough faith to be a disciple of the Christ. You know a follower, one who tries to discipline themselves after the teachings of Christ Jesus. Historically they have been called Christians and God's people.
  Paul taught that a person is justified before God by faith,  independent from any obedience to the law. Baptism of any type, works, and any religious practices are only responses to our salvation. It is faith alone that saves us. For no one can confess Jesus as Lord except through the gift of faith from God's Holy Spirit.
  If we want such a faith, one that relies fully on God (like Abraham) and frees us from the pressure of trying to justify and save ourselves (religious law), we begin by admitting openly and honestly that none of us has enough faith (at least all the time) to either justify or save ourselves.  Our daily prayers are, "I believe. Help me in my unbelief." If we truly have faith we are praying each day to receive faith.
  Such a faith (trust in God's love) becomes possible when we put ourselves in a situation or position in which we hear and experience God's love over and over again. Such a place is in the middle of God's children, who are descendants of Father Abraham. They are the historical community of faith. Today we call it the church universal or people of God.
  In short each of us, who don't have a clue, admit our faith comes totally from God. It, not works, keeps us in the universal community of faith.
A community that includes all children of Abraham: Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, as well as their descendants.
  Christ Jesus acknowledged he came to fulfill the covenant of Abraham. Christians believe he was the worlds Passover lamb. As that lamb of God, Jesus made salvation by faith a reality for the people of Abraham. He was the Christ or Messiah in Jewish history.
  Do you acknowledge you do not have enough faith? Not a clue? If so you are on the first leg of being a descendant of Abraham. Do you accept the gift of faith from God, since on your own you have none? If yes, do you understand you now belong to the community of faith and are a member of the covenant people of God as was  promised to Father Abraham?
  If you so will you now put yourself into a position in that community where you must have faith? Where God can use you as a member of his covenant people. Those who totally rely on God to fulfill their call or purpose in life. Our Father Abraham did.
  Admitting you don't have a clue is the first act of humility. Humility is required if God is to ever use you, like he used Father Abraham. Even Jesus recognized this shining example of the faith God seeks in people. His life fulfilled this covenant relationship. As disciples we are to follow his example. So growth begins with, "I don't have a clue!"

Lent is a different view

  Tradition! Tradition! Sings the Fiddler on the Roof. And no season holds more tradition for the majority of Christians than the period from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. There are five main traditions within this period: Ash Wednesday (which is Wednesday February 13th this year); Lent (40 days till Easter not counting Sundays); Palm Sunday (Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem); Holy Week (includes Maundy Thursday [Last Supper] and Good Friday [Crucifixion] ending with Easter (Resurrection).
   Ash Wednesday : The ashes remind us at the beginning of Lent that none of us have ever done a great work in the church. If the world applauds you for your Christian work, humility helps us to remember that it was work was done by God.  We just happen to be the instrument of choice at that particular moment. The ultimate humility of the ashes is a gentle reminder that we are not Gods and therefore we do not know what is best for others. We leave that to be between them and their God. The final sign of humility associated with the ashes is the words ashes to ashes spoken at most funerals. They remind us that no matter what we think about how great we are, it doesn’t mean a thing at death. Only God controls that part of our lives.
   Lent: Lent is the only path to Easter. It is a special time for prayer, meditation and confession.  During this period many people will fast in some fashion or another during the forty days till Easter. Sundays are not included in Lenten practices. By the way Lent comes from a Middle English term “Lente” or “Springtime.” Hence this is a period of spiritual renewal.
  Palm Sunday: This is a day when we remember in humility how Jesus made a triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The same people, who later cried “Crucify Him!” were standing on the sides of the rode waving palm branches. The waved palm branches to honor royalty. The shouted Hosanna, which means God save us!
  Holy Week: We remember the last week of Jesus on Earth. On Maundy or Whits Thursday we remember the last supper in the upper room and Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. Friday is remembered as God’s Friday or Good Friday when Jesus was crucified. We believe he was the Passover Lamb for the whole world.
  Easter: This important season of tradition ends with celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, whom we declare to be the Christ.
  In summary we begin with humility, practice repentance and a renewal of our spiritual nature, experience the work and sufferings of Jesus, and end with a victory over death! It is a unique time and yes it is something we should do all year long. However, we are human and it is good to have special days during the year.

What is an inauguration?

January 20 has an interesting history to a word always used on that day - inauguration. This history might help you understand what is said at any inauguration in our nation's capital. It has helped me better understand some of my favorite inauguration remarks. We'll look at those after scanning the history of the word inauguration.
  In ancient Rome, an "augur" foretold the future by observing the flight of birds. The augur's method of forecasting reflected the root of the word, which at that time meant literally "One who performs with birds." It evolved into the verb "inaugurare" or "foretell the future from the flight of birds." This verb was applied to the installation of someone in office after the appropriate omens had been determined. Since then we have lost the association of this action with forecast or birds.
  But let me suggest that the original intent of those ancients is quite appropriate today. Words spoken by several of our Presidents have seem to be for the birds (sometimes eagles, other times Dodo birds) and indicators of where our nation was headed at the time. It also in retrospect forecasted what our nation was about to face.
  The one closes to my heart was John F Kennedy, even though he kept the Corps of Cadets standing in freezing weather for two hours before he made his belated entrance. Once he found his position on the podium he uttered his famous eagle words, "Ask not what you country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." JFK seem to recognize that our nation was heading toward being a society in which individuals expected the government to take care of them. He was saying look to serve, not to be serve.
  Other birds (turkeys) of our nation were outraged at JFK's remarks as an "augur" and before his term was up they silenced his voice. Since then we have become a nation heavily influenced with me first people. Industrial leaders are me first when the give or receive huge incomes and bonuses for being fired or doing an average job. Poor people are me first people when the lose all incentive to pull themselves up by their own boot straps. The average citizen is a me first person, when they say to heck with being evolved in life and curl up on the couch with their remote control.
  Inauguration day can be a day when we forecast the future by watching the birds. Remember the words of Harry S Truman? "The supreme need of our time is for men to learn to live together in peace and harmony." Dwight D. Eisenhower reminded us that, "whatever America hopes to pass into the world must first come to pass in the heart of America." Eagles speaking at a time when this nation was seeking to be eagles, a nation of self sustained people.
  Today let us hope that the President from Hawaii sees a bright future for us after observing our flight in life. Does this President see us as a nation seeking to soar to new and greater heights? Does he see us concerned with not only other people, but the preservation and development of our resources. Resources that stretch from what we find in the ground to what we find in the people and from industry to education and from service to technology.
  If President Obama sees this in our nation, then we must fly with him to new heights far above any self centered political agendas promoted by the turkeys in our society. You know the ones, they say things like "Me, me, me, me, me," and could care less about "you, you, you, you, you." If our augur can see the eagles, it will be a great four years. If not it will be four years of turkey baloney.
  As a patriot who believes in Duty, Honor, Country I pray the Republican and Democratic eagles take us to new heights and don’t let the any of the Republican or Democratic turkeys drag us down. Let this inauguration lift us as a nation, so we can again soar with wings of eagles in the future!