vacation 2016

Hello from central Florida.

There I am, playing around at the motel we stayed at in Jacksonville 


That's right. I have been on vacation all week.  Because of personal reasons , my wife and I have not been able to take a vacation for over two years so this was a long time coming.
So we left our chilly home in central Pennsylvania , to head down to a chilly central Florida. Well, chilly by their standards anyway. But later today it will be back in the 80's so complaining is a waste of time.
There are many places one can go on vacation, but these trips to Florida are easy to plan and we needed something like that. Besides, my wife loves it here and as is the case with many North east residents, would not mind moving here some day.
But year round weather comes with its price as well.  I will admit, that price is hard to spot, especially when I am snow blowing a couple of feet of snow, like last winter, but as it is in any case and with any issue , going by what we see is not always the best determining factor .

But we are having a very relaxing time , camping in Florida. We rented a camper trailer for the week and are enjoying the outdoors.

This will be our home for the week. 



Many people tell me I don't know how to relax. This vacation could prove them wrong. It is hard to escape the normal activities of life and in many ways we never do nor could we. But since we live in and were raised in a culture that places more value in what we think as opposed to what actually is , vacations , as well as many issues , take on a new meaning.

Because of the American mindset , we can miss so much of the true blessings we have daily.
Now if anyone needs any solid prove of that , just look at the reaction of people over our past election.  My only comment on that (for now) is , we Christians should be careful for what we wish for.
As any parent knows , the most effective method of punishment , is to give their childeren what they want. Or what they think they want.

But I want to stay with vacation thoughts on this post. If I had to choose one word , to describe our vacation, that word would have to be overwhelming.
We were in this central Fla. area for seven days. We spent a couple days checking out Disney.

My wife and I at Epcot in front of "spaceship Earth." 


This is not our first visit to Disney but with each visit , it becomes more overwhelming. Add to that , that in my own Bible reading , I am in the book of Romans and that book speaks a lot on the flesh and the Spirit.
I can assure you , that there are few places in this country that can rival the sense one feels , as they observe all the things that appeal to the flesh at Disney.

I say that , in a good and not so good way.
It is good , if we remember Who gave mankind the ability to build such a place as Disney. I mean , the buildings and technology and architecture are like nothing I have ever seen.  To think that God has given so many people , the knowledge to construct such a place. I am sure there are people who may think this is a waste of time , not only building places like this, but even visiting places like this.
But no sin has been committed in either of those. Prosperity is not a sin. A wealthy nation is not a sin.  But those things can be and are the seedbed for sin. But that can be said of any state of being we find ourselves in.

I marvel at all the things that can be seen at Disney . So is it any wonder that I was thankful to be reminded this morning , from Romans that ..."hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see , we wait for it with patience"
Now there is a lot more to that thought , but the point is , that while it is ok to marvel at all we see , that man has done , it does have its limits.
I am sure their are those who would have better purposes for the vast amounts of money spent on such places as Disney, but I have found that even thinking this way can cause many people to lose sight of whats important.
But there are times that I wonder if this was completly what Walt Disney had in mind when he had his vision of a future.

Vision is a funny thing. Even the modern church has tapped into the hearts and minds of people , using this "vision" talk.  The reason it is so easy to pull this off is because so many church goers do not know their entire Bible , so fast talking preachers can have a field day with the concept of "vision."  and trust me, they have.

People lose sight of so much in this world when these concepts become confused.
I will admit, it is a daily exercise , keeping my feet on the ground as I juggle all that the world has to offer and the eternal riches God provides.
I think that the most important thing I am learning is that I do not have to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders.
By that I mean , think of all the things we worry about these days.
Whether its my kids or politics or even the mess come to be known as the visible church.
Now the normal reaction from any well seasoned believer is for them to say "well, God is still on the throne and He is in control." 
Most times, when any believer says that, what that means is ..conversation over and they don't want to discuss it any further.
Sadly , phrases like that become mundane cliches , that lack meaning simply because that fact (of God being in control) was never in dispute.

But when a believer truly knows what God being in control really means , that's when clarity truly comes. And the only way to know that is by knowing what God says in His complete Word. Not just bits and pieces. And for that we need to be living in the Spirit. Gods Spirit.

Well, I am not done with this post so please come back later. Disney is not the only thing we are enjoying. I need to get ready to take a drive northwest to take a boat out on the bay to enjoy some of what God made, concerning wildlife. And I can assure you, it beats anything Disney could come up with.
But I wanted to post this early and I will include pics on next post.

BRB

It is Friday now , and we are coming to the end of our vacation tommorow. That's not completly a sad thing because it is not neccessarily "where" one goes on a vacation but "who" they go with.  Now for me, that would be my wife of almost 32 years.  The best way to describe us is by using an old time radio program (before there was tv) called My favorite husband starring Lucille Ball (google it) 
There was a line in the opening of the show that said , after introducing the stars , that they were "two people who live together , and like it."
I am guessing that is before many peoples time. But it describes us. We actually like being married and we like each other still. We remain one anothers best friend. And in this day and age , thats pretty good. 

Yesterday I went snorkeling for the first time. 

That's me, on the left. My first time snorkeling. 


Since I am not to comfortable in water, it took me awhile to get used to it. But it was an enjoyable experience. I saw plenty of fish as well as some manatee. I have always been facinated by those animals but then again, it does not take much to facinate me.

I am going to have to pause here again and finish this post tommorow and include some pics. So till then, keepReadingit ! 

**

Today is going home day. Just some closing random thoughts. That's what this blog is for anyway. 

 Vacations are a funny thing. Since it's been several years in our going on one, we may have forgotten some  things. 
By that I mean, sometimes when we are away from the daily normal routine of life, we tend to let our guard down. 

Whether it's spending money we normally wouldn't have at home, or having our daily personal time with God interrupted, vacations have a way of revealing just how routine life is. 
And you know what? 
Routine is not all that bad. 

It goes without saying, that life has many ways of interrupting our daily routine, but given enough time we manage to find ourselves settling into those interruptions putting us back into a routine. 

So let's hear it for 'routine."
Our vacation was a modest one compared to what we've seen in the Orlando area. 
I personally do not envy those who can stay in the most lavish of resorts, or those with yachts & very large mobile homes. 

My only regret when considering things like that is, people have forgotten what this country is all about. 
People view life thru a "fairness" lens, and that's sad. 
God doesn't even use that lens. Nor is heaven itself under that light. 
But mankind "thinks" they can pull off a society based on "fairness."  Talk about arrogance! 

Some Christians may think it too be a misuse of time to spend a week in such a lavish area dedicated to the extreme side of vacation life, and the Orlando area is just that. 
But this country is filled with areas of extravagance and luxury. 
Luxury living is not a sin. 
But forgetting the poor and elderly is. 

Whenever I travel, I marvel at what God has allowed man to do. 
From is amazing architecture to the amazing technology we have. 
I saw many resorts that would have the ones staying there pay a thousand dollars or more a night. 
No matter how we view that, we sin. 
No way around it. 
That's simply because we have forgotten what America is all about. 
And that's brought on by ignorance of God's complete Word. 
I find it remarkable how everything leads back to that. 

I only have sorrow for today's younger crowd, those 30 and under,  who lack an understanding of God's complete Word.
It's because of that sorrow I even began these blogs. 

For it is them, who are subjected to this all inclusive world, whether it's from the church or not. Both are big in that area,of inclusiveness. 
I know Disney is big on that as well. The main message from there is unity, but that unity is of a global nature. It's everywhere you look, at Disney. 

All I can say is, good luck in trying to tell this Bible illiterate generation, that the unity the world and the church speak of, is as unbiblical as anything we can imagine. 

This younger generation of Christians are armed to the teeth with scripture verses to combat anyone trying to tell them, unity is not God's idea.  
That's all they have. That's all they've been given and that's all they had time for. 
So is it any wonder why they roll their eyes when communicating with a sola scriptura believer. 


I've said it many times on this blog, that the most difficult area of reading & understanding God's complete Word is in its opposing and conflicting answers to life's questions. 
That along with having everything we've trusted growing up come under intense critical judgement (or suspicion) makes Bible reading verse by verse a very unwelcome thing. 

The Bible is filled with opposing answers to questions. Like "yes & no"  or "joy & sorrow"  or "peace & conflict." 
The only place these things don't belong together is in our heads. 

Marriage is a perfect example of this, and I don't say that in a humorous way. 
It's God's idea to unite two opposing people. 
I only post this way because so many people these days find it tough letting go of how they were raised and letting go of what they think. 

Truth is, we don't know as much as we think we do. 
God's complete Word does shine a huge spotlight on all that's wrong with our culture and our way of thinking and it's easy to dwell on that for a time after one reads it through. 

I should know because that happened to me. (just ask my wife :-) 
But I think this vacation has taught me something. 
It has taught me not to dwell so much on cultures turning from God, in every area. 
I only need to obey God in all I do. Only I know what those areas are, for me. 

The mistakes I make, like overspending or overeating, are not the sin areas of my life. Those are consequences of the true sin of not obeying God and all He says to me. Obedience to God will solve much of life's confusion. 

I guess I just needed some time away from my daily routine, too appreciate it more. 
Vacations are fun. And each one my wife and I take is better than the last. 
But true happiness is in what many folks call "the daily grind." 
And what better way is there than that, to describe our Christian walk. 
That walk is an endurance thing, a marathon race and yes, a daily grind. 

Let's never take a vacation from that. Lord, help me to run this race with patience. 

Till next time - blessings to all! 

vacation 2016

Hello from central Florida.
That's right. I have been on vacation all week.  Because of personal reasons , my wife and I have not been able to take a vacation for over two years so this was a long time coming.
So we left our chilly home in central Pennsylvania , to head down to a chilly central Florida. Well, chilly by their standards anyway. But later today it will be back in the 80's so complaining is a waste of time.
There are many places one can go on vacation, but these trips to Florida are easy to plan and we needed something like that. Besides, my wife loves it here and as is the case with many North east residents, would not mind moving here some day.
But year round weather comes with its price as well.  I will admit, that price is hard to spot, especially when I am snow blowing a couple of feet of snow, like last winter, but as it is in any case and with any issue , going by what we see is not always the best determining factor .

But we are having a very relaxing time , camping in Florida. We rented a camper trailer for the week and are enjoying the outdoors.
Many people tell me I don't know how to relax. This vacation could prove them wrong. It is hard to escape the normal activities of life and in many ways we never do nor could we. But since we live in and were raised in a culture that places more value in what we think as opposed to what actually is , vacations , as well as many issues , take on a new meaning.

Because of the American mindset , we can miss so much of the true blessings we have daily.
Now if anyone needs any solid prove of that , just look at the reaction of people over our past election.  My only comment on that (for now) is , we Christians should be careful for what we wish for.
As any parent knows , the most effective method of punishment , is to give their childeren what they want. Or what they think they want.

But I want to stay with vacation thoughts on this post. If I had to choose one word , to describe our vacation, that word would have to be overwhelming.
We were in this central Fla. area for seven days. We spent a couple days checking out Disney. This is not our first visit to Disney but with each visit , it becomes more overwhelming. Add to that , that in my own Bible reading , I am in the book of Romans and that book speaks a lot on the flesh and the Spirit.
I can assure you , that there are few places in this country that can rival the sense one feels , as they observe all the things that appeal to the flesh at Disney.

I say that , in a good and not so good way.
It is good , if we remember Who gave mankind the ability to build such a place as Disney. I mean , the buildings and technology and architecture are like nothing I have ever seen.  To think that God has given so many people , the knowledge to construct such a place. I am sure there are people who may think this is a waste of time , not only building places like this, but even visiting places like this.
But no sin has been committed in either of those. Prosperity is not a sin. A wealthy nation is not a sin.  But those things can be and are the seedbed for sin. But that can be said of any state of being we find ourselves in.

I marvel at all the things that can be seen at Disney . So is it any wonder that I was thankful to be reminded this morning , from Romans that ..."hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see , we wait for it with patience"
Now there is a lot more to that thought , but the point is , that while it is ok to marvel at all we see , that man has done , it does have its limits.
I am sure their are those who would have better purposes for the vast amounts of money spent on such places as Disney, but I have found that even thinking this way can cause many people to lose sight of whats important.
But there are times that I wonder if this was completly what Walt Disney had in mind when he had his vision of a future.

Vision is a funny thing. Even the modern church has tapped into the hearts and minds of people , using this "vision" talk.  The reason it is so easy to pull this off is because so many church goers do not know their entire Bible , so fast talking preachers can have a field day with the concept of "vision."  and trust me, they have.

People lose sight of so much in this world when these concepts become confused.
I will admit, it is a daily exercise , keeping my feet on the ground as I juggle all that the world has to offer and the eternal riches God provides.
I think that the most important thing I am learning is that I do not have to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders.
By that I mean , think of all the things we worry about these days.
Whether its my kids or politics or even the mess come to be known as the visible church.
Now the normal reaction from any well seasoned believer is for them to say "well, God is still on the throne and He is in control." 
Most times, when any believer says that, what that means is ..conversation over and they don't want to discuss it any further.
Sadly , phrases like that become mundane cliches , that lack meaning simply because that fact (of God being in control) was never in dispute.

But when a believer truly knows what God being in control really means , that's when clarity truly comes. And the only way to know that is by knowing what God says in His complete Word. Not just bits and pieces. And for that we need to be living in the Spirit. Gods Spirit.

Well, I am not done with this post so please come back later. Disney is not the only thing we are enjoying. I need to get ready to take a drive northwest to take a boat out on the bay to enjoy some of what God made, concerning wildlife. And I can assure you, it beats anything Disney could come up with.
But I wanted to post this early and I will include pics on next post.

BRB

Good Sunday evening. 10/2 and 10/8
I guess the first thing of note is that it's not raining. May not sound like much, but it's been a wet week around here.
But I got up kinda early and had some quiet time before church.
But I wasn't watching the time, so I got there late.
The worship in song had already begun. Last week someone was asking me some questions about the choruses we sing these days in church. That led to several days of my trying to voice concerns concerning why we need to cautious in this area.
Unfortunatley , so many don't see this as an issue which is regrettable.
But if so many chorus lyrics speak of living and praying and walking in the Spirit , and we sing them with tremendous energy ,  why then do so many people ,(myself included) struggle with that daily?
The answer to that is in how healthy our prayer life is as well as , how much of Gods Word do we really know.
I guess its good we attend a church that reads and teaches it ALL.

And that brings us to Chap 2 of Luke. I for one am glad to hear this chapter when it's not the holiday season. We even sang a holiday song before we started and I love that. Why does Luke 2 only get read on Dec 25th? And not even the whole chap at that? We sometimes hear about Simeon , but we rarley hear about Anna.
We only did vrs 1-38 today, but what a chap.

Something that I am constantly amazed at, and that is , how inadequate the english language is when it comes to having the Word of God translated into English .
Time and time again this becomes so clear.
Something that was noted that I caught was that the english language has only 3 "tenses" to it , when other languages have at least nine.
That is actually a HUGE point, and a good one at that.
If anyone doesn't think that's important , they are in big error.
Even the simplest of verses get treated wrong. The best place to see how verses get mishandled would be with John 3 :16. People will use this vrs to evangelize unbelievers by making them think , if they "believe "something , they can be saved ,  and they can do this because not many pay attention to the "tenses" in the verse.
The english language does a good enough job at giving a good overview of the original gospel  message and it is more than good enough at bringing lost people to Christ.
But most heresy comes from the areas inbetween what the english says and what the original message or intent was.
I guess that is why heresy is sold so easily. Most people haven't read the Bible thru , and many who do don't bother to look at th original Geek/Hebrew  meaning of words and names and titles.
My point is not that we all don't  need to be greek and Hebrew scholars. But if we are going to go around saying "the Bible says this or that" than you'd better have a pretty good handle on what it's saying. If we don't bother to check, its best not to say anthing.

The reason the point was made, that v 6 can be read two ways along with considering  the "tenses" between the Hebrew & English language even came up briefly, was a good one. One I want to focus on in this post simply because this entire blog is built upon.

And that was, when we read v6 where it says - "the days were accomplished that she would be delivered " it was implied that this could be read two ways.

Now you can be sure, my radar is up and waiting to see how that will be explained. This will be difficult, but I often enjoy putting abstract notions that many people say, into words that can be understood. This allows me to do just that so I'm up for the challenge :-)

The Bible is not like any other book.
Take for example, any other book that takes place in any other era. Let's say like the 1800's or something like that.
Many books and novels center around whatever time period it's in.
There are many books that center around a plot of some sort.
Books have a beginning, middle and an end. Since most books are written and read in the English language, the developments of the story are more clear.

The Bible is about Jesus, cover to cover.
It wasn't written in English.
It doesn't follow the beginning, middle, end format.
It's a continuous ongoing story. It's very active,

Keep in mind as I try to convey this, I'm addressing two different ways to read v6. I haven't lost my place.

Many people read Luke 2 as a stand alone chapter. Now if the Holy Spirit is drawing a person, a surface reading of Luke 2 is more than enough to reveal its truth to anyone to the point where, the one who reads it will repent of their sins and put their trust in Jesus.

The hope is, that when someone gets to the point where they do confess their a sinner and acknowledge that Jesus died and rose, to forgive their sin, the hope is that they soon would be reading that Bible, starting from the beginning as it was intended.
In doing so, they will be shown, by God, all that's transpired, over time, to get to the birth of Jesus in Luke 2.
But this takes time, lots of time.

If and when, a new believer does read the Bible straight thru, then maybe, by the time they came to v6 in Luke 2, it might be clearer how, yes indeed..  Everything was in place for God's son to be born. The time was right (accomplished) . Not a detail overlooked. From the cultural advancements made, as to spread the gospel around the world, to the language that was needed to spread it.
Most languages are inadequate to convey the true meaning of God's Word but Hebrew & Greek are more  adequate than many others . With its uses of imagery to the many tenses to various words.

That being said. It seems reasonable that when it says, in v6, that "the days were accomplished" can be viewed as simply stated. Her 9 months of pregnancy were finished.
But it also can be read as, everything was in place for God's son, to be born.
But that second view can ONLY be understood, if the entire Bible is read, starting from the beginning, not skipping anything.

Now, does Luke 2:6 speak of the conditions that the world needed to be in  for God's son being born?
That's debatable.

But be sure of this. God's Word is not filled with mysterious hidden messages.
But it is filled with types & shadows, all pointing to Jesus as risen savior & coming King.
If a church points out any types and shadows, THAT DON'T point us to Jesus only, those are hidden messages, best to be avoided.




I cant do justice, in this post , at conveying all that was said this morning in regards to this chapter.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. A clear and precise gauge anyone can use when discerning the church they attend , is how it is presented to any congregation.
If you have a pastor that brings God's Word to you , week after week with tremendous passion, that truly is a blessing.
But let's not get to carried away there.

Passion can be manufactured.
But a phony kind of passion becomes easier to spot as we come to know our (entire) Bible's better.
For example, if a preacher spends more time, telling YOU what the gospel, can DO for YOU, be careful.  Or if he focuses on YOUR problems and Proof texts his way around the Bible to offer it as solutions to YOUR problems, be careful.
Many church's know that all kinds of people come to

The reason this is important, along with why I'm spending so much time with it, as well as why I started this blog is, new believers are not encouraged to read God's Word straight thru.
Instead, they begin to study God's Word in fragments. Fragments of whole thoughts and concepts. Which then are pieced together with other thought fragments. Bits and pieces. And those bits and pieces come chopped up in verse form, dived up in misplaced chapters.
And all this in an abstract inadequate language. And this could last for years, or in my case, decades.

I'm not saying, toss out all your English version Bible's.
God's Word in America has lasted a long time. It's comforted many in troubled times.
God's Word in any language is powerful.
But so few know it.
We form ideas and beliefs based on verses.
We believe things because we heard it somewhere.
What criteria do we use when believing or not believing what we hear?

I can't tell ya how many times I heard someone use Jn 3:16 to say, if you believe, your saved and a minute later remind me that even the demons believed.
I can assure you, the brain has fun with that one.
But that vrs is not, or partial thought was used improperly. But I heard it this way over and over.
Were those that see it that way trying to deceive me?
I don't believe so but sometimes Christians zeal to win unsaved people can be mis leading.

When it comes to God's Word, someone might  say "isn't it the same Bible that's comforted those who lived thru the depression and two world wars?"
The answer is yes, but people must realize when much of the confusion began (which for us, was early to mid 1900's) and consider what we've grown up with..
The consequences from that takes decades and all that's needed is a generation that forgets.
And we have that.
We need a shallow self absorbed younger generation, and we have that.
We need a Bible illiterate generation, and we have that.
True... societies have always had those things but if you add rapid advancement of technology to the mix, there's something new.
Infants weaned on iPads and cyber toys is definitely new.

These kids will have a difficult time believing what their parents, grandparents & great grandparents taught them.
For example, we told them that when they get saved, all their sins (past , present & future) are forgiven , when God's Word doesn't allow for that.

Fragments of bits & pieces of whole thoughts in the Bible allow for it though.
Reading the Bible as a life application book allows for this.

But God's Word is filled with warnings, but we rarely see it this way.

Nothing in all the universe works in the same way evangelicals have taught scripture in the past hundred years.
So why would God's grace & mercy work this way.

Some say it's a choice, then when you make that choice, you then lose the ability to make further choices.
That's done by teaching all sins are forgiven and we will disappear before major trouble begins.

Some say the choice was already made.
Depending on what we've been told will determine how we read God's Word.

Case in point :
We are told nothing can separate us from God's love and PTL, that's true.
But we ignore language that speaks of being "kept" in Christ, or to "remain" in Christ.

The writer of John encourages us to "remain" in Christ.

Paul says :


1Co 15:1 — 1Co 15:2
The Resurrection of Christ
15​ Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

Wait a minute!  "if"  we hold fast? 

The only way we can account for such things, is with religion. 

I remember asking once, why do we need to ask forgiveness for sins if there all forgiven. 

God wants us to to show faith, sorrow.  they'd say, but it sounded inadequate.
If we note it's inconsistency we're told this is something new.  

I'm thankful for those who went before me and lived and taught scripture as they did. 

But there comes a time when we need to say, some things wrong. 

From where I sit, what's wrong is a century of influences along with an ignorance of God's total Word delivered in fragments, bits & pieces has given a self absorbed culture exactly what they want to hear.

The only prove we need is, ask anybody where God's Word says all future sin is forgiven, and you know what you'll get?

A verse or two.
It's how we were all raised. Meanwhile, nothing anywhere else gets this kind of treatment. Not in the physical world or in the religious world.
Only the Bible gets fragmented up and delivered.
If one chooses to continue such a discussion, arguing will soon pursue.
Because commenting on clearly seen passages that conflict with influences & experiences won't get a person too far.

At this point, I need to remind you that this two part post began with my hearing a verse (Luke 2:6)can be viewed two ways, of which I agreed.
It's clear, that can't be seen unless we understand how our Bible's work.

This post is not concerning salvation of those in times past. We all grew up under hostile conditions, myself also.

I post this way because of a desire to convey God's message to our kids and grandchildren without influences of the past.
If we're not careful, those influences can effect our understanding when we finally do come to the Bible and read it vrs by vrs.

Challenging those influences along with ridding ourselves of them, isn't easy.
Losing all the language that create excuses is also, not easy.
But it's worth it.


So now more than ever, we need to know what God really said in His Word.
Would it make a difference?
I'm gonna answer that with a, yes.
Let's say you have  a friend you've  never spoke to you in 20 years all because you thought they said something, then it was proven, they never said it.
How would you feel?
You'd probably feel like you just wasted 20 years.

Sometimes others wonder, and I wonder also, why I post the way I do. I'm talking about my most recent pages.

It just seems as if in the last six months or so, some intense revelation is occurring and it intensifies daily.

By revelation, I don't mean direct revelation or dreams m
I mean, revelation via common sense.

Something happens to the children of a church climate that more resembles the format of a fast food chain of restaurants.
They raise children who graduate to the drive thru version of what they grew up with.

All that's been happening to me is, I'm treating the symptoms of spiritual food poisoning.

The primary victim of drive by religion is the Bible.
It gets read with sorted and twisted eyes.

********Experiences?

Something I've just been thinking about. 
Has anyone but me ever notice how people, during any conversation can, if they want to, toss out a phrase or two that completely deflects one from the subject you were trying to convey.

 Of the endless ways this is done one of my favorites is , when someone wants to hold up ones experiences as a measuring stick to Guage any success or failure of whatever it is they are discussing at the time.

 Such an individual  thinks they have the upper hand in communication like this, but do they?


Some folks would call this blog,  my "experience" but they'd be wrong. Saying things like that is a popular deflection tactic that keeps people at odds.
Also , talking about ones experiences is a Christians way of not committing to anything. Chances are, my experience wont be your experience and since, these days, we guage things off the results rather than what brought us there, or the sum (of an equation) rather than the problem, we have odd sounding language m

(besides, our experiences shouldn't be the same  or that's kinda creepy)

All that matters is what God said plainly in His Word.

I once had someone tell me " you can argue an argument but you can't argue an experience" to which I would say "who says!?" 

The church is filled with this thinking, along with "connecting"  with someone  or something.

 Ever hear, 'we gotta connect with God' or.  'come to our church, a great place to connect with God '

Btw, what does that mean "connect with God?"  

I know what their trying to say but doesn't it imply at times I'm not connected with God? 

Ah, now enter "feelings."  See how this works? 

I'm sure all this connecting with God will yield to many experiences and I'm guessing that is the point. I'm all for listening to and sharing ones experiences but so often I'm told I must have one.. an experience that is, with God. 

Funny, I thought I was having one,daily that begins when my feet hit the floor in the morning and ends when I close my eyes at night then begins all over the next day. 

Oh, but that's not good enough for many. 

So many times, since reading God's Word as me not being the main subject, I've asked things like

 "how would we know"  to things of this nature.

If we need to attend church to connect with God, how will we know if we did? Are there any rules for this connecting, do some people connect and some people don't? Is having an experience evidence of connecting and what of the intensity of the experience? Maybe there's levels of experience /connecting. 

I'm basically having fun here but the point is, the language used creates something weird that can't be truly defined which leaves the one not having experiences the way others might deem them to have, scratching their heads. 

I know I could get myself in trouble here because one just doesn't mess with someone's experiences and truthfully, one's experiences are of the utmost highest, vital  importance and should not be messed with.

 Our experiences often times define us but as with everything else, the language used by many churches concerning experiences quite often creates something weird. Something where christian  young people are told to go out and have them before their ever shown what it means to be daily repenting  of there sins they commit  each day. 

 This new odd abstract, subjective understanding of experience has them accessing life via  these experiences rather than the completed work of the cross. I'm not just making that up and it's not my experience. 

Way to often, the real things that are taking place in our lives get shoved into the "experience bag" just by saying "well, that's just YOUR experience" placing the whole discussion in a subjective realm

 and before to long we can't discern between real & experience, (sadly) to the delight of many, I might add.

 At the end of my life, I do not want to be taking inventory of the experiences of my life and trying to determine if the good ones outweighed the bad ones. 

If my daily walk with God is not enough to sing praises to Him daily with whatever good, or not so good, comes along, maybe I'm not doing something right. 

 And if I'm so blessed to have an extraordinarily amazing over the top, out of the ordinary experience, praise God for that too. If People can be blessed from it, all the better. In every situation God be praised. 

I've heard it taught that James 1 indicates being joyful in all experiences but if my house burns down (bad experience for sure) should I do a happy dance. 

No.. It's the testing of our faith (faith in what?) faith in Christ that eventually brings a joy (note : God's joy, not ours) 
So much of Bible gets turned around in many ways.

I ended this post this way because if I made light of experiences, forgive me. Not the intent. 

My only point is, applying human wisdom to anything, even experiences, messes things up. 

Think about that the next time someone asks if you ever had an experience with God... And you can't think of one. Kinda sad needing too. Unless our daily service for God done out of a growing love for Jesus loving us when we were not so lovely isn't enough. 
 The Bible does have much to say concerning experiences that's for sure. My suggestion :

TryreadNit! 

********At the risk of sounding redundant, every so often I  wonder why I started blogging. 
After 9 yrs of keeping God's Word in context, the effects of that are nothing less than amazing. 
Maybe I find it therapeutic to share how everyday occurrences, develop a clearer and sharper perspective simple because God's Word is back where it belongs. 

I mentioned before, that quite often, Sunday morning sets the stage for the week. 
Believers all know that come Monday, we will spend a majority of the next six days, being influenced by a hostile (to God's truths) world. 

From news media to pop culture, it never ends. 
With each passing day, it becomes clearer and clearer that I've lost the ability to just jump into some popular subject, whether it's Christian or not, but jumping into these subjects, absent any context, makes conclusions many come too concerning, whatever is they are discussing, very confusing. 

Since Noone has time for adding context to any issue, well you can see, communication is challenging. 
I love small talk and I respect people's views and as long things are fine. as you don't ask why they believe what they do. 

I'm truly not crazy. But I have to watch pop culture lead our Christian kids, to unimaginable, heart breaking situations only to come back years later, and chase after MORE of what led to them astray, in the first place? 
Can't help but ask "will we ever learn?" 

The reasons for that become clearer as one examines the "free for all"  atmosphere of the visible church. 

It's only Tuesday and I've already considered two difficult issues. 
1)persecution of the church. I listened to an extreme position and a contextual one. What i came away with is a deeper desire to pray for persecuted Christians. 
And 2nd was, I was reminded from a brother in Christ I respect, Jesus words about "what we bind on earth....... bind in heaven" verses in Matthew. 

Prayer has been something I've been focusing on and that's why that came up. 
So many times, I'm reminded of of my not considering the consequences of no longer understanding christian language. 
Case in point, this brother in Christ asked if I had a, face to face, nose to nose, eye to eye type relationship with Jesus. 
If I had been quicker on my feet, I would have said "no, and neither do you." 

Look, I get what it means to have a relationship with Jesus. 
I just don't get the language we use to describe it. 

I am usually ok with biblical issues that are more dividing than others. 
Where I jump ship at, is when selected verses are used to support ones divided  view. 

Whether it's the rapture, the Millennium, Israel, the church, our faith, what we can bind, and so many christian beliefs that divide, I myself need time to sort through it. 

Since the time I first read the Bible , I've noticed that when it comes to dividing views, that contain many many interpretations, I'm more prone to adopt the view that's most consistent with all of scripture. 

Take for example,that subject that came up with a friend this week. 
Those verses about what we bind here on earth. 
Now I respect this friend so it was worth my time to re educate myself. 

Why would Jesus interrupt His line of thinking to inform us, in this apostate culture, that we can bind demons? 
That's a first question. 
Who was He talking to? Where were they? What was He talking about? 
What's the theme of the entire Bible? What keys is He talking about? 

That's not even a scratch on the surface of this subject. Point is, if someone is reading their Bible straight thru, beginning at Genesis, and if by the time you get to Matthew you think your gonna tackle satan, in any fashion, you might wanna check your hermeneutics. 

Man, I can just imagine the disgust that some might have over what they  "think" I just said. 


Key word there is "think"  because something else I've noticed, about communication, since reading vrs by vrs,in context is, that in most discussions, the first couple things that come to mind as I try to share what God's been doing..

That ain't it! Those initial things that come to ones minds are the things that need to be plowed thru, when seeking to get to the truth. 

Those initial things that comes to ones mind are the very things I no longer consider. 
In doing so, this has given proper insight (only God can give) to the Bible. 

God help us - part 1

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/07/07/chaffetz-claims-double-standard-in-clinton-case-as-comey-testifies.html





-*What happens, when we as a society look reason straight in the face, as is with the case with compromised emails, and with both hands, give it the bird?
True, that's a vulgar description.

If I had to choose the most frustrating thing , to the views I am about to share , it would have to be others labeling me as heartless and un caring. There are worse labels applied, such as bigoted and hateful. These labels are the consequences of putting things back into context. That is done by listening , asking questions and researching my beliefs.

I make no apologies for belonging to  an ever growing smaller segment of society that can still reason and interpret life  as it is, without having emotions and or past influences blur my opinions.

After all this time, we still don't understand liberals. The chief end to the liberal mindset is to wipe out that which they "feel" is destructive.

A time is coming (soon) where our ideas of conservative & liberal will only be found in museums ,  That is, until those museums are  they  themselves, destroyed.

A key element to liberal mindset is living in  a cultural climate  where concepts are forgotten.
That climate can't be created. It needs to be waited on patiently.
Mankind will inevitably develop an attitude of not caring.
When that happens, it's the perfect opportunity for liberals to enforce there destructive ideology.
And what better place to do that then our schools.
Colleges will eventually give way to the kids of the not caring parents. Harvard is a good example of that. Most people don't know the history of that place.
In order for them to forget history, these kids need to think , what they grew up with was bad. Create a problem where there is none thereby requiring a solution where none is needed. Call this "progress" and deception gets easy.

So many word meanings get lost. Add the word "progress" to that list.

After creating a problem where there was none, make these kids in college  believe , they can make it better.
Then they will come out of these colleges ready to get into the public schools as teachers.
And over time we will have a generation completely ignorant of all that is going on around them.

The worst thing for any young person to do today is to put back , whatever they are passionate about, put that back in its context. To do that would take research and would require them to go back to the beginning of the issue.

Since that is possible to do these days ( it's as simple as if it were in the palm of your hand) the best way to get young people to ignore context is to make them  "think" he/she is busy. Very busy.
Truth is, they wouldn't know busy if it wacked em in the head over and over.

And whats the fun of thinking your  busy , if no one knows about it. So they will need a place to post their lives .  They will think others care. Since each one posting is trying to out do the other, seeing that no one cares , will be missed.

Is it any wonder , that those who really were busy, building this country, would be indignant to this younger crowd.
Because the older never knew how to deal with the younger, they raised these kids thinking there was something called a generation gap. That concept only grew worse as time went on.

The truth about this thing called a generation gap was in reality,  good ideas, long forgotten.
Time is a liberals best friend.

Where liberals excel in patience, they lack in foresight.

Their visions of the the future are driven by exaggerated expectations of mankind's abilities.
Because of that, they are unaware of the third elephant in the room. That third elephant is currently something our whitehouse refuses to acknowledge.

Consider for a moment, what if this liberal delusional thinking had a public stage, to promote this abstract confusing way of life?

Well, it does.
The media.
And it doesn't matter if the media is for or against whatever they are espousing.
The time honored technique is to wear down any accusers.
The link below lays out, in a pretty good way. The link depicts a time honored strategy of the liberal mindset.

I do post links from these round the clock outlets but I'm no fan of them.
If a person sees a headline, indicating they will see graphic footage, and they click on the link to see it, which is worse?
The ones who made it available or the ones intentionally viewing it?
My best guess is, both.
They both have Deceived themselves.
The media, by thinking they are providing a service & the viewer, by thinking, he needs to know.

The delusion that has sprung forth from round the clock media, is so vast, I wonder if it's even worth addressing.
We all love it so much. It permeates every aspect of our being, prying it loose is impossible.

Since I won't score any points being honest, concerning the sacred cow known as 24 hr media, I'll just say, whatever "nobel"  intentions they may have had in the beginning, those very intentions are now working in reverse when it comes to affecting culture.

 'Absolutes'  are presented to a culture as, something they can "decide."
Before too long we are confronted with situations ,such as the link above , describes.
Situations that permit a seemingly intelligent man stare into the camera, in front of hundreds of thousands of people , and declare to them, that what they saw and heard was not what they saw or heard...and get away with it.

Don't our Bible's get presented the same way from the visible church?
Absolutes being presented as something we need to decide.
Beginning with salvation, to all the teachings of it, the Bible is presented to us in a same manner as conservative news.
They preach, we decide.

Decisions are being made by us non stop throughout the course of any day.
 Whether there are decisions being made or not..is not the point.



The point is, how things are presented.

If absolutes were to be  presented as they are (absolute) then, by nature, a decision will be made.
First is , the absolute needs to be presented.
Then  second, by nature and by definition,  a decision is made.
 If a person doesn't like the absolute, they leave it or dismiss it.
No harm, no foul, culturally speaking anyway. Decision made.
Pretty simple huh.

But we've flipped that.
We present  the absolute as a decision first, which has a person deciding if absolutes exist.
And we wonder about, how could a situation (as in link above) occurs.
I'm gonna share how I believe that happens  in part two,  of this post.

I have been working on these posts for some time now.
Trying to stay focused is the challenge.
The seriousness of it can't be missed.
When a culture exists that no longer can trust what they clearly see & hear, conveying to them God's Truth, to the next generation becomes nearly impossible.

As the landscape of this country changes , by the doing away with the current structure we have , as this gives way to a more "tolerant" way of life ( one that is anything but tolerant) Christian young people will not know how to respond because they "think" the Bible teaches and promotes tolerance. They think it teaches us to find our purpose in life. They confuse unity and tolerance by thinking they are the same.
Telling them the Bible teaches none of this, will fall on deaf ears.

As their children face inevitable persecution , they will think this is bad. They will seek to avoid it as best as possible. They fail to see the purpose of persecution. No one ever told them that persecution is Gods method of church growth. Since they never read their Bibles , how would they know what God actually thinks of all this.
Church history is not a concern of many so following their examples are not an option.

Even now, today, the makeup of this country is changing.
To most of us, the changing that is occurring is just some news story thats happening some place else.
Unless something happens on the street we live on, it seems to us, a far off.

Its kinda like hearing about a tornado thats wiped out a town. We see the pictures and know it happened. But unless you have actually lived through one, how would you know.
We tend to look at all of life like that.

Sadly, the fact that something is happening at all, isnt good enough.
Since there is little we can do about it, the next best thing is to get people to "think" they can do something.

Democrats and Republicans will soon be a thing of the past.
This system is all but dead.
Christians should be rejoicing . Not that we are gonna change the world. But in the fact that we won't change the world.
The world is the world.
It is what it is.
Are we not told, we are gonna have trouble in this world?
So what are we gonna change it too?
Not having trouble? C'mon people.

That is a fact that can be proven by scripture over and over. But Church's do not read from those passages. Those passages do not fit this cultures way of thinking. We think if we just tell people what Jesus did on the cross, that this will change the world.
I have seen churchs websites say in their mission statement , that Jesus died , to change the world.
Sorry charlie. No, He didn't.
Good luck trying to convey that to the modern church. They will just say "wont telling others about Jesus change the world?"

Do ya see how the slightest of change can effect something?
Its no longer, just telling others about Jesus. Now we gotta change the world too.
And when that doesn't happen, people scratch their heads and wonder..what went wrong.

Since we have a culture now of believing that what we see and hear, is not what we are seeing or hearing, getting christians too think the world is changing is easy.
We often hear stories of how Christian influences have changed a community or a culture. Lets face it, if, for example, Christians donate money to a community to have a well dug for them, we have definately changed their world.
But thats not what I am talking about here , and most people know that.

Its not in what we are saying, but how we are saying it.
Its a matter of law and Gospel.
We need to be telling a lost world , repent (law) and then tell of the cross (gospel)
Instead, we tell of the cross (gospel) and then go change the world (law)
Anything associated with doing something, is law.
If believers could just preach as Jesus taught us , and leave the changing to God, our Bibles make more sense.
The culture still stinks, but the Bible becomes clear.

Besides, all this "changing the world" stuff. The world is gonna change all right. But not in the way we are talking. But again, Gods changes do not fit todays christian thinking.
So Gods changes become the subject of hollywood future films, you know, those end of the world flicks that bring in tons of money at the box office.
And we wonder why we are screwed up.

And what about those who try to  warn others? They are labeled as crazy extremists. Discerning those who are to those who are false  has become a weary challenge due to, no one reads the Bible anymore so they don't have anything to compare whats being taught.
The criteria I use is, if someone is warning us as they use the entire council of God, I tend to believe them over some preacher who uses dozens and dozens of various verses.

These two types are easy to spot.
One leaves the person hopeful.
One leaves a person afraid. Or at least, confused.
People have bought the lie that no one can know. That lie is propelled by them hearing countless times.."that's just your opinion."
Which brings us back to where we started. Living in a world where absolutes no longer exist.

I will finish this in part 2.
The link below lays out the liberal methods used. I regret the program it appears on.
As long as I remember that this program, even though it calls itself news, is anything but news. I can glean the things that are true from it, as long as I call it what it is. Entertainment.


http://video.foxnews.com/v/5024081311001/how-the-clinton-campaign-responds-to-scandal/


as always
tryreadNit!

God help us - part 2

Last week has  been a week of senseless violence around the country with much talk on the violence in Dallas TX.

When reporting this violence, the common denominator that defines modern media  is severe delusion with intense blindness brought to us by a dominant liberal mindset.

Plz note, I am no longer concerned over the possibility I could offend a liberal minded believer or non believer.
I am becoming more and more convinced every day, that of all the things a liberal fears most, a mirror tops the list.
In other words, people simply do not desire seeing themselves as they truly are.

That's why the Bible these days
Is not welcome. It reveals who we are.
Besides us not being as wonderful as we think we are, the things we attempt to do, in solving the problem of violence, have zero effect on this culture.

Looking at life, this life and this culture, after having seen ourselves as we truly are, is a risky endeavor.

Those apart from the absolutes set forth by God, are completely clueless as to how to account for a culture  such as this.
In utter vain, they scramble their brains trying to give account for these violent acts of terror /murder.
We "think" our backgrounds have something to do with it.
We "think" maybe it's physical and  it could be medicines that might help.
Maybe less of this (guns) or more of that (love) , might be the answer.
Maybe if we were more tolerant?
Maybe if we stopped letting people in (our country)
And on and mercilessly on it goes.


Even Christians,  ignorant of God's complete Word,  struggle to fit this culture into the soundbites  they heard on some radio sermon or Sunday message.
These Christians don't even believe, what they think that Bible says.
 When someone asks them "how  can a loving God allow these things to occur"  , they have no answer.
The best they can do is to say God loves everyone and then invite them to church.

I am of the mindset that if a person could just see and hear for themselves, how easily we are Deceived, they will want to search more on there own, how that happened. I even began blogging thinking that.
But I'm beginning to see clearly, blind is blind.

Whether we like it or not (and most don't) there is no "fixing" this culture.
Try telling that to a pie in the sky younger  generation, one which thinks everything they do will make the world better. Try telling them that they won't be raising there kids in a similar culture that their parents and grandparents  had.
After telling that, try telling them, that's not a bad thing.
Trust me, they won't  believe you.

And why should they?
Those 30 and under were weaned (under the "watchful" eye of their parents) with a joystick in one hand and an iPad in the the other, leaving no room to pick up that Bible to get the truth.

Us parents "thought" we were giving them a better life than we had. After all, isn't that what our parents gave us?
By the time we figured it out, when junior wouldn't leave home, the thrill of getting to the next level has dominated there minds not to mention, the thrill of watching actual violence play out live, on their smart phone.


When it comes to explaining the violence in this country to christian young people, trying to undo the damage from a liberal media along with an emergent church, is an ever growing painful experience.

They both (church & media) preach the same thing, in different ways.
That were just a couple of laws away from, getting it right.
How long has it been, having each generation think they can do things better than the last?

How can christian parents (who've read God's Word) tell their kids that God's Word is against their Facebook posts.
Those (painful to read) posts are feelings deep inside them.

How can we tell them, that the church they love has its reasons for withholding massive parts of scripture from them.
Reasons they would find impossible to believe now.

Looking back now, the main thing that was missing, from churches from my upbringing, was passion in regards to God's Word. Even God Himself.
Passion.
That's what was missing.
I guess that's why the charismatic church grew.
Hey.. Drummed up passion is better than no passion, right?
But even passion can deceive a believer so letting down our guards for even a moment (or taking our eyes off Jesus)  can take a person far from the truth.


How I got this passion and love, for God's Word at the age of 54 is beyond me. I don't take this lightly. For God to bring me to this point, He had to trudge me through an unbelievable blessed & affluent society.
God reached thru all the effects a blessed society and has and rescued me from its deception.
If He did that for my wife and myself, He can do that for our kids.
Trusting in God while being raised in a blessed culture must be the most challenging ways to find God,simply due to the fact, most people fool themselves into believing everything is OK.
We interpret life thru circumstances and experiences.  Ever hear some Christian say "you must experience God?"
Of course we have.
Life was so amazingly good for us that my children had to invent their problems. Now thats an affluent society to be sure.

For as long as I can remember, I've thanked God for the most mundane of things we daily have. I've come into a land (by birth) that had in place, extraordinary blessings. From jam packed cereal isles to warm in the winter /cool in the summer cars to drive.
I, as many, never took that for granted.
But is that enough?
Yes & no.

Yes, if we know where all things come from..
and no, if we think we either had something to do with it or that we somehow deserve it.

People walk around all day, every day, enjoying God's nature, breathing God's air, using God's resources, marveling at God's wonders, they see the sun come up and the rain come down.

The number one reason that would keep anyone from seeing the truth , is the notion that we are all accountable to the One who provides it all.
Just think of marriages you know, where one spouse didn't see the worth of being accountable to the other,and watch how long it lasts.

I began this post considering the past weeks acts of violence around the country. From MN to LA to TX.
My intent was to convey that finding reasons for such acts are nearly impossible to find.
Explaining the truth to young believers is just as impossible. So whats the real problem?

Sin.

There. That's the reason. Now was that so hard to say?
Actually, yes. That's the toughest thing to say. Just ask any emergent church growth leader whose afraid to tell their congregation what sin is in fear they might mention something they are doing, and they would leave the church.
News flash : these people usually leave anyway.
It's even tougher for believers because they think they are exempt from these horrendous acts of violence they hear daily.

Today's believer takes on a notion of one standing outside the box (of culture) and wagging a finger at all the nasty stuff that takes place.
We kind of look at these things from afar.

Non believers deceive themselves into thinking it's there own will that keeps them off the headline news.
That's actually worse, in many ways.

So what do we have?
We have believers who think they couldn't be like those they see on the news..
and non believers who think they've kept themselves from being like those they see on the news.

So then..who the heck are these people , showing up on the news all the time, killing people.
Haven't people figured out yet, that its the news that determines whats important in most peoples heads?
They pick the stories that they think will create the most interest.
I mean, one person killed, thats nothing. But 5 people killed.
Ever wonder how, out of countless abductings that take place in this country , what criteria the news uses to report the ones they do? We say , they can't report them all. True. Thats why we have local news.
I'm talking mainstream news,cnn,fox.
Im guessing, the ones that get aired resemble CSI tv. But a missing child always brings in the viewers.
Add to that some bad guy (you know,those who the one watching could never be) and what people have is the same feeling generated after watching a batman movie. Where the good guy usually wins.

Its not the news that creates these nuts that kill people.
But the news goes a long ways as to shaping a cultures perspectives of it.
It makes me ill , every time I hear a reporter ask "what was the guy thinking , just before he killed 20 people."
I can just imagine that viewer whose watching this say.."yeah, what was he thinking" as if that would make any difference.
The only difference it makes is , it causes the one watching  (as well as the one reporting it) to ask themselves if they ever thought what that killer has thought.
If not, they are good.

If I sound cynical ,thats because I am. If I sound like I have no joy , you'd be right.
That joy, as defined by the christian and non christian culture , few have. That joy is a virtual kind of joy.

The Joy the Bible speaks of , I praise God I underservingly have.

So many believers  fail to see, that if not for God's Spirit living in them, they too have the potential being far from God. They too could be on fox news as a top story.

It's only by God's grace they are who they are in Christ.When that's seen clearly, Joy and passion for God, is not far behind.


My desire when posting this way, will always be the same.
We as Christians , need to be telling these young Christians behind us , to get into Gods complete Word.
They will need this , conflicting with cultures message , to have real answers to todays issues.
They will need this to teach their children ( our grandkids) the truth because they will wittness so much more then their parents ever did.
In these troubling days, we need [ and have ] something solid to be standing on.
My suggestion :
tryreadNit!

"I can't see, I can't see!" why not?

... "i got my eyes closed" 

I couldn't have said it any better.


This kinda speaks for itself. What we used to call treason we now call extreme carelessness.

Plz note the actual admissions made here.
That thought is for those who still care about facts.


https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/07/05/politics/fbi-director-doesnt-recommend-charges-against-hillary-clinton/index.html#


Sometimes I'm not sure what I'm more amazed at.
The things politicians get away with or, that there are still those trying to hold them accountable.

The ratio from those who don't give a rip to those that do care has to be hovering around 1000 /1.

When that kind of imbalance occurs in any culture, making that 1 who cares look like a bumbling bafoon isn't that tough.

Just put them in a three way news  box on TV  with a moderator in the middle and watch em slug it out.

That's what happens when a popular news outlet adopts the slogans
 - "we report, you decide"

I miss the days of when it was simply, "we report" (period)

Bible believing Christians should be taking notes here.
Lines are being drawn between those who view God's Word as absolute and the visible church and if anyone thinks those are the same, they've already been sipping at the Kool-aid and they may want to step back.

This next link points to the gathering clouds of a storm on the horizon


http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/07/05/iowa-some-churches-must-comply-with-transgender-bathroom-laws.html


To those who hold to God's Word, are you ready to take that stand even if it means opposing family & friends?

Christians think this is a joke. The Christian I'm talking about here are the ones who really have no clue what the Bible says.  They just know what someone says it says.


We can apply that same ratio I used earlier to - those who don't see the  visible church departing from biblical absolutes to those who do.
Again, those who see this will be easily recognized.

If someone asks you what ur problem is with transgender issues and you have no other   answer than, God loves us all, that could be a problem.
Or if they asked "how can a loving God allow a little boy be killed at a Disney resort" and your not sure, ya might wanna carve out some time in your busy life to read God's Word.

This is a nutty culture but it's not a time to be fearful.
It's a time to get grounded on something solid.
Best way to do that is by grabbing that Bible and

...Tryreadnit

So, what is the real issue here?

Of all the issues we tend to debate, abortion remains high on the curiosity level.
The most frightening of all things, to anyone on either side is  for that person to examine their own reasons for the very things they believe.
I've stated quite often  on this blog, that something happens when we begin asking others, or even ourselves, why we believe what we believe.
I and constantly amazed at the lengths we will go, to avoid doing just that.
Whether we're christian or not, liberal or not, makes no difference.
It's in our nature to allow a variety of influences effect what we believe or don't believe.
Am I the only one that finds it odd that in this ever growing information age we live in, 'information' rarely shows up, as a factor when discerning things.
Those who gather information, to create and support their opinion on social issues are labeled as nuts.

I'll tell ya, when a person gets to the point I, and many others, are at, which is a point of asking questions and slowing things down, crazy things happen.

Stop to ponder, just a brief moment, if you dare, how abortion even became a federal issue, in the first place.
Pondering how the Supreme Court got its hands on the issue of abortion could either cause that person to spiral into an abyss of utter lunacy or it could be the spark that ignites a curiosity that seeks answers.
I'm familiar with that "spark."  For me, the spark was upon learning how scripture became so twisted. Once that spark was lit, it grew and spread into all areas.
I haven't discovered some new thing here. It's just, people who ask questions don't belong in this culture. People believe what they want.  All they have to do is call it freedom an that's it. Done.
Amazing.
Asking questions takes that person (eventually) to the beginning of any issue. This frightens most in this culture because they know this  has the possibility to get them to consider that there is something that is greater than themselves and that something is in control. But that's not the scary part for them. The scary part is that maybe, just maybe, they are accountable to that 'something.'
Mankind simply can't abide by that so they wind up believing anything & everything.

The way this manifests itself in the visible church is, people will consider something greater than themselves, but they are gonna approach that their way.
Needless to say, that creates it's own mess.

We just love to complicate the simple. It's what we do, best.
I guess I needed to take that little detour of thought to introduce this link.
All it is, is common language used, that we all bought into, concerning yet another issue placed in an area it was not meant for. This happens when men in robes think they can decide things that's already been decided.
I'm thankful for our judicial system of laws and courts and judges as well as being innocent until proven guilty.
The real issue in this article about the Supreme Courts decision, isn't abortion.

It's, overreach.
We no longer understand the power Congress  has. We've lost site of the courts limitations.


This issue of abortion isn't the same criteria as robbery or murder.
Seeing how misconceptions, via word deconstruction,  happens to be a running theme to this blog.
Language deconstruction. There's your culprit. And we've allowed it. Here's the article :

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/06/27/supreme-court-strikes-down-texas-abortion-law.html


Seeing the trickery to language isn't so easily spotted here. It takes time to recognize it but when you see it in one place, spotting it in others gets easier. Look at these sentences.

Phrases like :
-->"these restrictions harm women's health "

This tactic alarms the reader. We create this alarm where there is none.
If it wasn't so destructive, it would be quite ingenious.


-->" place an unconstitutional obstacle in the path of a woman's reproductive freedom,"

If we can get people to be alarmed over things that are not alarming, getting that person to think freedom is at stake is a snap. Just redefine freedom and you got em.


-->"We remain strongly committed to the protection of women's health, "

Here again, set the premise based on being alarmed over nothing. Again, ingenious.

~>" her right to determine her own future."

~>"a victory for women"

~>"Women won't be 'punished' for exercising their basic rights. "

If it wasn't so painfully sad, this might be funny.
People believing things based on criteria established long before, many who believe it, were born.
Influences become a standard for our beliefs (whether we like it or not)



So, what is it that has everyone in a panic?

 ~>The Texas law required all clinics performing abortions in the state to operate as certified “ambulatory surgical centers,” which would be regulated under the same standards as hospitals.

Only those who favor terminology such as 'illegal immigrant" would object to such a proposal.

 ~>Doctors who performed abortions were also required to first obtain admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. 
Proponents of the law argued it would improve patient care and safety, though abortion rights groups contended the law made it nearly impossible to operate a clinic in Texas.

If your reading this article to fast, you might miss the double standard set in place here.



A dissenting judge said :

~>"When we decide cases on particularly controversial issues,"

How is it  that an uninformed person who ignores science & reason, can disagree with something thereby creating controversy?


That judge also said :

~>"we should take special care to apply settled procedural rules in a neutral manner," Alito wrote in his dissent. "The Court has not done that here."

Now here is a classic. Sentences like this are the reasons why those who properly see this issue as it truly is, object to the courts thinking.
People think those who hold to absolutes, object this thinking
 because of their claim to some higher moral ground.
But when your up against such logic like this (and from our "side" supposedly) how can one objectively counter it?
How does one apply "rules" to something that's "neutral?"


Everything this blog is about is wrapped up in this.
There is no neutrality to the issue of abortion.
The language deconstruction is needed so as to allow the one seeking this procedure a softer view of themselves.

Everyone (deep down) knows the truth. We just don't want to face it.
This country was formed as to allow anyone to do what they want. That fact has been established.
We can choose. Right or wrong.

The struggle isn't with some issue or with those with opposing views.

The struggle is in each person. The battle ground is right & wrong.

The greatest foe in this, is themselves.

Any "victory" in this battle is when one can reconcile their beliefs.

Simply put, there is no attack on woman, women did not have any victory from this court decision.
All we have gained is more cowardly people afraid to see themselves as they really are.
So when someone comes along wanting to apply "rules" to neutral matters, we buy it  hook, line and sinker. Never mind  it makes no sense.

The visible church has perfected the art of not calling things what they are.
This is the sole purpose for change definitions to words,in this culture.

The best way to hide that, is too get people arguing over the issue itself. This has been going on a long long time and many of us grew up under it and have given birth to those now believing it and or, enforcing it.

It's like the tale - the emperor has no clothes.
In this culture, the boy who pointed out the king was naked, is not welcome.
The boy didn't do anything wrong.

This culture is famous for avoiding themselves.
That's why Facebook is so popular. There, they can create a whole new world.

The reason people who see themselves as they are, will never win an argument with a liberal, shows up in this next quote from article.

~>Thomas wrote that the decision "exemplifies the court's troubling tendency `to bend the rules when any effort to limit abortion, or even to speak in opposition to abortion, is at issue."'

Liberals don't even apply to themselves, the so called standards they" believe. "
They can change direction within the debate they are having, concerning any issue.
That happens when they sense getting to close to seeing who they really are. Facts and figures mean nothing to them.

One can quickly see how a loving God who forgives might present a problem to them.
America has become a land where much time, money & energy is devoted to keeping us in denial.

This is why I post like this  and have this blog.
To illustrate how words can be manipulated to create exaggerated abstract viewpoints.
I also want to encourage  believers to read God's Word.
A day will come in all of us, when the "light comes on" and we see ourselves as we truly are.
When that happens, the deciding factor as to which way one will go depends on what we are standing on.



I just now had a disturbing thought come to mind, as I finished that last paragraph.
Since I'm currently listening to the book of Job, in the Bible, the thought comes from that.
I might post on this later.

The thought I had just now was..

Do I think I'm Elihu?

Read Job. He was the arrogant friend who thought he knew it all and was always right and never wrong.
No!  I'm not an Elihu. I need to stay ever mindful why I post like this and why I blog.

The reason is, my frustration concerning how so many dismiss absolutes.
The sin is, my not trusting God more.
My prayer is, these thoughts, on this blog  might cause one to think.

Till next time,. Tryreadnit! 

Yeah... Context matters

It has always been my attempt to illustrate context and I try to illustrate the importance of context. 
I found a clear example but in an unusual place. 

My wife shared with me, a clip of our president saying that people are small minded and can't think for themselves. This clip has made its rounds on social media. 
She was angry at this. 
Just one minor problem with this clip. 
It's not true. 
Well, leave it too me to look for the entire speech, not just a sound bite.

As you listen to the video in the link below, pay close attention to how your "feeling" after you hear the first telling of this and compare that with what your thinking at the end of the video   

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2014/jun/23/chain-email/video-barack-obama-speech-circulating-internet-was/


Now if anyone thinks that these methods are not seen regularly from our pulpits, they are sadly mistaken.
That method being ,tell half a verse or half a chapter and proof text your way into a sermon.

Btw  just think of all those who saw that clip on FB and Didn't check out its context.
They still believe the lie.

And that's the same concerning the Bible.
tryreadnit!

Sun morning 6/19 wedding.

Last Saturday was our sons wedding.
I've been wondering why I'd have difficulty posting about it.
Since this blog is about perspectives before & after the understanding of God's Word in context, what better way to convey that, than marriage.

The relationship between marriage & God's Word is vital. Marriage is second in my thinking. Only the gospel is more important. Reading God's Word thru showed me that
and I love discussing it.
It was our oldest son so I should be eager to post thoughts.
The fact that everything went perfect and these two should be together should be plenty to rejoice about.

But it's not the first wedding our family has had.
No matter what anyone says, a daughters wedding is different than a sons. It's just a fact.

All marriages are formed under a dark cloud, it's just some more so than others.

Oh, but wait. Did I say "marriages, formed under a dark cloud."
I can hear it now - "that's not nice, that's not romantic"
Maybe, but it is realistic.

The differences between the two wedding, of my oldest son and my daughter, are as polar opposite as anyone could imagine.
But the similarities these, and all marriages are formed under, in this culture, can not be ignored.

Both (similarities & differences) breed delusion, if not careful and if not in constant prayer & communication thru God's entire Word.

I know what it's like, to hand over clear obvious signs of disaster to wishful & hopeful thinking.
I know what it's like, to set aside God's clear direction, in favor of cultural standards.

Given the fact that all marriages, again, some more so than others, begin way out of the bounds God intended, by us not knowing that can very well be the starting place for intense delusion.

Practically every marriage I know, my own included, began this way (out God's bounds)

I have stated countless times on this blog, that ignorance of God's complete Word has done more than one can imagine, to deceive todays post modern believer.
If we think marriage has escaped that deception, then there's your prove of that.

For today's believers, this deception comes cleverly wrapped.
It's wrapped in a "falling in love" mindset that's tied with an "ignorance of God's Word "string.

(gee, that doesn't sound nice)

Folks today don't see marriage as a design. One that begins long before two people meet.
It begins when we put our trust in Jesus that first time.
That is, if the new believer develops a life of prayer & reading God's Word (thru)

Instead, today's believers are made to adapt and adjust to every new concept and different situations, which has them putting a positive ("christian ")  spin on whatever comes along.

Since it" looks "so good, most don't question it. We just go along with the flow.

I myself grew up during the early stages of a diluting the gospel, so I liken myself to that frog, in a pot of water while the heat gets slowly turned up (the frog never senses it, till he's cooked)

This would set the stage for our children's view of marriage, but only more intense in the delusional aspects of it.
Is it any wonder, half of all marriages fail.
And it all begins in the Christian home. Amazing.

For the believer in this culture, to begin a marriage without an understanding of God's Word in context is like a one arm, one leg blind guy,trying to build a skyscraper, without any blueprints.

I'm tempted to say, I wish someone had told me that prior to getting married, but knowing me. I probably wouldn't have listened.

My reasons for posting this way is, we tend to guage the success or failure to marriage on the wrong outward signs.

I credit the twisted way our Bible's get read, for this.
Seems everything eventually begins there.
Add too that, endless books given over to finding the formula for a good marriage.

What gets left behind is the fallen state we're all in.
By not keeping that ever before us places marriage in the same light everything else gets in this culture (including the Bible) and that light consists of a bunch of "do this & don't do that's"

Interpreting life this way leaves us frustrated. Also depressed.
So many people "do" what they think they should and when it doesn't yield what they thought, they wonder what they did wrong.

Except for not understanding marriage in our fallen state, a person wondering that didn't "do" anything wrong.
We can even learn God's truth from failed marriages.
Just consider what is needed to keep the marriage intact and know that whatever you come up with,God does that and more, for the believer everyday.

I pray that christian young couples get there heads out of culture and into God's Word. That's the only place the truth resides.

All that said, I must make note, before ending this post, that if I were to choose one word to describe my son's wedding, the word would have to be 'perfect.'
And that's not just because he happens to be my son either (but that's a big factor though :-)

From the ceremony to the reception, from the brides family to even the weather - perfect.
That's not to say this will be an easy road for these two. But with solid biblical mindsets along with not one, but two families praying for them, I'd say they are off to a good start.
I've never been more proud of my son than on that day.
It hasn't been easy. We're not promised "easy."

So what makes a strong marriage?
Building on the absolutes of God's Word.

You say you don't know them.. My suggestion..

tryreadnit!

Random

... "i got my eyes closed" 

I couldn't have said it any better.


This kinda speaks for itself. What we used to call treason we now call extreme carelessness.

Plz note the actual admissions made here.
That thought is for those who still care about facts.


https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/07/05/politics/fbi-director-doesnt-recommend-charges-against-hillary-clinton/index.html#


Sometimes I'm not sure what I'm more amazed at.
The things politicians get away with or, that there are still those trying to hold them accountable.

The ratio from those who don't give a rip to those that do care has to be hovering around 1000 /1.

When that kind of imbalance occurs in any culture, making that 1 who cares look like a bumbling bafoon isn't that tough.

Just put them in a three way news  box on TV  with a moderator in the middle and watch em slug it out.

That's what happens when a popular news outlet adopts the slogans
 - "we report, you decide"

I miss the days of when it was simply, "we report" (period)

Bible believing Christians should be taking notes here.
Lines are being drawn between those who view God's Word as absolute and the visible church and if anyone thinks those are the same, they've already been sipping at the Kool-aid and they may want to step back.

This next link points to the gathering clouds of a storm on the horizon


http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/07/05/iowa-some-churches-must-comply-with-transgender-bathroom-laws.html


To those who hold to God's Word, are you ready to take that stand even if it means opposing family & friends?

Christians think this is a joke. The Christian I'm talking about here are the ones who really have no clue what the Bible says.  They just know what someone says it says.


We can apply that same ratio I used earlier to - those who don't see the  visible church departing from biblical absolutes to those who do.
Again, those who see this will be easily recognized.

If someone asks you what ur problem is with transgender issues and you have no other   answer than, God loves us all, that could be a problem.
Or if they asked "how can a loving God allow a little boy be killed at a Disney resort" and your not sure, ya might wanna carve out some time in your busy life to read God's Word.

This is a nutty culture but it's not a time to be fearful.
It's a time to get grounded on something solid.
Best way to do that is by grabbing that Bible and

...Tryreadnit