God Is the World's Biggest Abortionist

Nobody kills more unborn babies than God.

Apparently because of some recent state legislation, the topic of abortion has been trending again. And because of that, I reposted my first blog entry on the subject to my Facebook timeline.

And because of that, I've been involved in a few comment threads of late, one of which brought up the point alluded to by the title of this post and spelled out in the first sentence above.

The argument basically goes like this:

Abortion shouldn't be such a big deal because there are far more miscarriages, including those that happen before a woman even knows she's pregnant, than there are abortions.

My single-point response? There are far more people who die every day from natural causes than there are murders, but it's still illegal to murder.

Truth is...to get a broader scope of my take on this topic, click the "abortion" label to the right, or just click here.

What Did You Become at School Today, Johnny?

So there's no misunderstanding, the title "What Did You Become at School Today, Johnny?" is not meant to imply that this post will be a disparaging diatribe on how the educational system in the United States has turned from teaching skills or knowledge and is more focused on indoctrinating the young in the ways of political correctness and the celebration of all things except traditional, Judaeo-Christian values.

Not that I couldn't spend some time ranting about that.

No. Instead, I'd like to bring to our attention a quote from Oswald Chambers.

"We are apt to think that everything that happens to us is to be turned into useful teaching; it is to be turned into something better than teaching, into character. We shall find that the spheres God brings us into are not meant to teach us something but to make us something." ~ Oswald Chambers, "The Love of God: An Intimate Look at the Father-Heart of God", Discovery House

Truth is...Yahweh has never been a tyrant demanding adherence to a set of ideas or a list of rules. It's always been about relationship and the condition of the inner person. " The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (I Samuel 16:7 NLT)

That No Good, Lying Wizard of Oz

Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure. "Everybody loves The Wizard of Oz." And I admit, it has long held a firm spot in my top five list of favorites.

However...

There is one pronouncement the Wizard himself makes that is exactly the opposite of the truth.

The scene is within the Wizard's chambers. Toto has exposed "the man behind the curtain" and creative alternatives to what Dorothy's companions asked for are being handed out.

Instead of brains, Scarecrow receives a diploma. Instead of courage, the Cowardly Lion gets a medal. Instead of a heart, Tinman is given a testimonial with an accompanying heart-shaped watch.

It's what the Wizard says to conclude his time with Tinman that sets my teeth on edge:

"A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others."

I submit that the exact opposite is true. How much you are loved by others is not a tool of judgment, but a result of judgment. How much you are loved by others is a direct result of how much you love.

I'm speaking in human terms, of course. Our mortal commitment to another's well-being (i.e., our love) is very rarely unconditional. There is almost always something we are reacting or responding to that elicits such a commitment or response.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Truth is...Yahweh may be the only person this doesn't apply to. Paul had it right when he wrote, "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 NIV)

Charlie Brown on New Ideas

With gratitude for the timeless work of Charles Schulz, our story today begins with Lucy bravely approaching Charlie Brown with an idea for improving their baseball team.

She's pretty excited about the possibilities present in her idea, but Charlie Brown is not...how shall we say...receptive to the proposed change.

This sends Lucy back into the outfield where she makes a life decision.

Truth is...I've got an observation and a question.

Observation: "That's what everyone else is doing" does not necessarily make an idea great.

Question: How many great ideas have never seen the light of day because of fear of someone's gut-level/knee-jerk negative reaction?

Rockin' Good News

And now, class, we come to the final song on Randy Stonehill's Welcome to Paradise album, "Good News". It may draw the album to a conclusion, but its true purpose is to draw our attention to the future and fill us with hope.

Good news, Christ is returning

Good news, now the world is learning

Good news, Christ is returning

And Jesus gonna bring us on home

Good news well I feel alright

Good news He'll come like a thief in the night

Good news he's gonna take us in flight

Jesus gonna bring us on home

Oh yeah, ain't that real good news

Oh yeah, ain't that real good news

Go on hang up your blues

Good news we're gonna live forever

Good news floating light as a feather

Good news we can all be together

When Jesus comes to bring us on home

Oh yeah, ain't that real, real good news

Ain't that real

Oh yeah, ain't that real good news

Go on hang up your blues

Good news, Christ is returning

Good news, now the world is learning

Good news, Christ is returning

And Jesus gonna bring us on home

Come down make you feel alright

Like a thief in the middle of the night

Come down make you feel alright

Like a thief in the middle of the
Middle of the night

©1976 King of Hearts Publishing

https://youtu.be/a0DIYzgP4QU?si=WMbPTSg0zuOOxX8o

Truth is...whether Jesus comes to take us on home or comes bringing the New Jerusalem with Him, the strong hope and firm assurance that He will make all things right is reason enough to sing, shout, and let it all out. GOOD NEWS!

A Tuesday Confrontation

It's the Tuesday before Passover, c.33 AD.

Jerusalem's population has multiplied as Passover pilgrims flock to the spiritual center of the nation.

A sizable portion of the crowd has come to the temple early in the morning in hopes of hearing Jesus teach or at least to see what he might do today.

On Sunday, his entrance into the city turned into a praise-filled parade that got the religious leaders all on edge. Then on Monday, Jesus ran all the shady businesses out of the temple courtyard...which also ruffled the feathers of the Sanhedrin.

What's going to happen today?

Almost as soon as Jesus arrives, a committee of chief priests, scribes, and elders confronts him and basically asks "Who in the world do you think you are? Who gives you the authority to do stuff like this?"

Jesus' response immediately puts the religious leaders over a barrel:

     “I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human? Answer me!”
     They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. But do we dare say it was merely human?” For they were afraid of what the people would do, because everyone believed that John was a prophet. So they finally replied, “We don’t know.”
     And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.” (Mark 11:29-33 NLT)

Truth is...people have been trying to back Jesus into a corner for thousands of years with exactly the same amount of success.

Dating the Gospel

Have you ever been socially/romantically involved with someone and then not been involved and not really know why either the involvement or non-involvement happened?

As part of my personal faith journey toward Easter, I am reading a book by Brant Pitre, The Case for Jesus. I'm only five chapters in, and I'm already pleased with the thoroughness of Pitre's examination of evidence and honesty in saying what can and cannot be concluded from the evidence at hand.

But that's not what this post is about.

What this post is about is where my train of thought went when I saw the title of an upcoming chapter in Pitre's book: "The Dating of the Gospels".

I'm certain the chapter is about determining when the four gospels in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) were written. And that's important because it helps a person make judgments about their trustworthiness.

But my train of thought? Well, it immediately dropped the "s" from "Gospels" and got me to thinking about the concept of dating the Gospel...being socially/romantically involved with the Good News that Jesus is God-in-the-flesh and his death and resurrection paid the debt of our sins and freed us to a new kind of life where we are no longer slaves to the sin nature.

What does it mean to "date" someone? What's going on in a dating relationship?

• There's definitely an attraction, but not really a commitment.
• It's kind of trying on the idea of monogamy. "What would it be like to be with this person and nobody else for the rest of my life? Would I enjoy that?"
• Depending on a person's moral convictions about sexuality, there might even be physical involvement that is associated with a marriage commitment.
• Breaking off the relationship if it gets difficult or doesn't go the way you thought it would is always an option.

Methinks that some of us actually do relate to the Gospel in the same ways.

• We like the idea of not being condemned and that Jesus loves us, but not all that sure about having anything expected of us.
• We toy with the concept of dedication and allowing Jesus to call the shots. "How will my life improve if I decide to follow Jesus?"
• We maybe even attend church services if we like the musical style and the sermons aren't too long.
• Spirituality is something we practice or something we do; not necessarily the core of who we are. We can put it on or take it off however the mood strikes us.

Truth is...I have personally found marriage to be far more deeply satisfying than dating ever was.