There are a lot of famous phrases, some cliched, still others with profound wisdom and prophetic implications, that have been uttered throughout history. John F. Kennedy's, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country." Neil Armstrong, probably America's most famous astronaut uttered the historic phrase from the moon, "That's one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind." Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address began, "Four score and seven years ago..." Patrick Henry, one of America's most passionate founding fathers and orators shook his fist in the eye of England's King George and yelled, "Give me liberty or give me death!" Japan's Admiral Yamamoto stated rather prophetically to his celebrating staff of officers after Japan's devastating attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 said, " I am afraid all we've done is awoken a sleeping giant." Martin Luther King's speech on the Mall In Washington D.C. began with this familiar phrase, "I have a dream..."
All of us can recall our favorites that have seared our memories and touched our hearts with endearment for the cause at hand and the brave fights waged by ordinary people made extraordinary in their brief moment in history. Certainly, when debating their impact, it would seem to emphasize the fact that their importance at that particular time period when ours and other countries were at critical crossroads in history was enormous. Be it known however, that a lifetime of noble work and achievement is fine for the chronicles of history books but their words would forever capture us and seal their larger than life status and immortality through time! But all the monumental catch phrases and inspirational quotes pale in comparison to the three words uttered over 2000 years ago on a rugged cross in Calvary. In unspeakable agony, beaten mercilessly and nailed to a crucifixion cross, a carpenter from Nazareth shouted the words that would shatter the bounds of time and limits of mortality for us all. "It is finished!" John 19:30 in the Greek language translates the phrase to "Tellestai!" and no single sentence ever spoken has had the immeasurable timeless impact like this one. Almost all well known famous quotes are linked primarily to a specific time and place or events. But this one short deliberate statement cuts through every single circumstance or event that's ever happened here on earth. It unequivocally, interprets one way and one way only. At that moment as Christ's life was leaving His battered body, His mind was clear and His mission was about to be completed! God's Holy plan of redemption through the sacrifice of His only beloved Son had sent shock waves through the universe! Hallelujah, the price had been paid, albeit at great cost to both the Heavenly father and His Son. Yet today, a significant and growing number of people when hearing this greatest assemblance of words, this short seemingly meaningless sentence, cannot place it. Here we have the single greatest historic and spiritual moment in recorded history and it's often relegated to a back of the book presence in today's Easter Bunny, chocolate egg, superfluous world. Let alone preached about in many of our watered down churches. Yet the powerful impact is still there! Millions of us walk around today completely unaware of the fact that the life given on Golgotha that first Good Friday then resurrected on the first Easter Sunday, paid it all! All!
We can rest assured knowing that Jesus never did it for publicity or fame. He craved neither! He never did it for sympathy or self martyrdom. He died for you and me because He loved us so much that He knew that their was no other way to reconcile our lost and fallen nature to His! No way to heal our brokenness, remove our bondage. Consequently, His marvelous and glorious resurrection confirms and gives hope to the lost and hopeless today. I am changed because of His sacrifice for me. I love Him and try to honor Him in my life. I am encouraged by the glorious reunion and restoration that is to be at His second coming. So in the midst of Easter brunch, little ones gorging on candy, family dinner and fellowship give Him your thanks and heart for the three greatest words ever spoken! Our Lord is an all loving and all inclusive God and this promise is meant for every color, creed, religion or belief. May God bless you all and keep you this Holy and Happy Easter!
John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Monday, April 7, 2014
They Call Me Grandpa!
One of life's great pleasures is the proverbial passing of the torch or the changing of the guard as my father used to say. Melissa and I have recently been blessed with the news that we are going to be grandparents for the first time! When we first heard the news from our daughter, our initial reactions were quite typical for a father and mother. My wife of course, for those of you who know her was born to be a mother but her DNA is inundated with the grandma gene. After all it's been twenty years since we last celebrated the birth of a child, our baby and youngest Rebecca. She has had numerous battles with withdraw over the years and her favorite phrase for reminding me about the blessings of having kids even after our years of fertility is " Blessed is the man who's quiver is full." She would've given the Duggar family a run for their money! That's how much she loves children and being a mom. Alas, God was generous to give us five beautiful and healthy children so we are not lacking! Now the smile hasn't left her face since she heard. She already is looking for cribs, car seats, clothes and planning for baby showers and years of smothering the poor child with so much sweetness, love and affection the baby will have cavities before it's teeth come in!
Me on the other hand reacted as the typical father, as if I was investigating a crime. Alright, how did that happen? I need to speak to him. Well, that changes everything! Ok, let's sort through this for a minute! What? Sort through it? How did that happen? It was almost as if I was in denial! Then reality kicked me in the pants and I came to my senses as I looked at my beautiful daughter and put on my sunglasses to keep me from going blind from the light of my wife's smile. I was going to transition from dad to grandad. I could feel the waves of anxiety come over me. I had passed through the next great portal of life and there was no going back. My hair was thinning, my wrinkles were suddenly more pronounced, my AARP card mysteriously appeared on the table, and I had the sudden desire to buy a Buick. My Lord, what was happening to me! My wife and child were hugging in tears of joy and I suddenly needed to see my chiropractor!
I was awoken from my paralyzing fear by my daughter saying, " Well grandpa what do you think?" It was then the Lord checked my spirit and said quite pronounced, "Rejoice and celebrate this life to come, for I have given it to all of you." It was as if I was becoming a father for the first time. So, I just grabbed her, gave her a hug and told her how truly excited and happy I was. How could I not? One of our own beautiful girls was going to be a mom and experience all the joy and emotion that God puts into our lives through the privilege of being a steward to His most precious creation. This is life's most important task besides our own salvation and relationship to Him. It all makes so much sense to me now. As my life has wound along it's highways, I've lost my way a number of times, made my share of mistakes and not been the best child to my Heavenly Father. However, He was always there. Ready to forgive, love some more, put me back on the right path and reveal His will and blessings for my life. I have had many! They all center around my family. First my beautiful wife of 31 years Melissa, then five great children, DeAnna, Christina, Alicia, Ricky Jr., and Rebecca. Now our grandchild! It's been a marvelous and awesome ride and now it continues. Melissa and I get to pass along our wisdom and love again! God is truly good. So to all my friends and family out there who are or will be graced with grandchildren, embrace the moment. Jesus said, " I have come to give you life, and give it abundantly." Truer words could not have been spoken. Now it's off to the store for some Rogaine and Just For Men hair coloring!
Psalm 105
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Me on the other hand reacted as the typical father, as if I was investigating a crime. Alright, how did that happen? I need to speak to him. Well, that changes everything! Ok, let's sort through this for a minute! What? Sort through it? How did that happen? It was almost as if I was in denial! Then reality kicked me in the pants and I came to my senses as I looked at my beautiful daughter and put on my sunglasses to keep me from going blind from the light of my wife's smile. I was going to transition from dad to grandad. I could feel the waves of anxiety come over me. I had passed through the next great portal of life and there was no going back. My hair was thinning, my wrinkles were suddenly more pronounced, my AARP card mysteriously appeared on the table, and I had the sudden desire to buy a Buick. My Lord, what was happening to me! My wife and child were hugging in tears of joy and I suddenly needed to see my chiropractor!
I was awoken from my paralyzing fear by my daughter saying, " Well grandpa what do you think?" It was then the Lord checked my spirit and said quite pronounced, "Rejoice and celebrate this life to come, for I have given it to all of you." It was as if I was becoming a father for the first time. So, I just grabbed her, gave her a hug and told her how truly excited and happy I was. How could I not? One of our own beautiful girls was going to be a mom and experience all the joy and emotion that God puts into our lives through the privilege of being a steward to His most precious creation. This is life's most important task besides our own salvation and relationship to Him. It all makes so much sense to me now. As my life has wound along it's highways, I've lost my way a number of times, made my share of mistakes and not been the best child to my Heavenly Father. However, He was always there. Ready to forgive, love some more, put me back on the right path and reveal His will and blessings for my life. I have had many! They all center around my family. First my beautiful wife of 31 years Melissa, then five great children, DeAnna, Christina, Alicia, Ricky Jr., and Rebecca. Now our grandchild! It's been a marvelous and awesome ride and now it continues. Melissa and I get to pass along our wisdom and love again! God is truly good. So to all my friends and family out there who are or will be graced with grandchildren, embrace the moment. Jesus said, " I have come to give you life, and give it abundantly." Truer words could not have been spoken. Now it's off to the store for some Rogaine and Just For Men hair coloring!
Psalm 105
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Happy St. Patrick's Day...But Hold the Cornbeef and Cabbage!
Today marks the annual celebratory festival of the Irish. Beloved by millions of people across the country and around the world, it's often marked by wearing green, drinking green beer and subsequently feeling green, parades and of course the gold standard of Emerald Isle cuisine, corned beef and cabbage! That traditional dish with it's pungent aroma of stewed cabbage, potatoes and carrots with slices of pickled beef brisket is everywhere from restaurants to households, but will have no place at my table. Don't get me wrong, I like potatoes, carrots and even cabbage. But the combination of them with the beef is enough to send me reeling with nausea. Maybe it's the Italian in me who's been raised around fresh garlic, olive oil, linguine and clams, traditional spaghetti and meatballs with sausage, I don't know. But I simply will not for the life of me eat or order it, ever.
Now don't get me wrong, I love almost all things that the scenic and beautiful country of my Irish brothers and sisters has to offer. They have great beers and stouts, world renowned whiskeys, Bailey's Irish Cream and awesome Shepherd's Pie, but alas that's about it. But that's ok as they have never laid claim to be the center of the culinary universe! Instead the Irish are proud, fiercely loyal, stoic and brave people who's history has been checkered, and difficult at best, but regardless an exercise in persistence and tenacity that make the Irish people truly embrace life.
Some facts you may or may not know about this great country. Northern Island is well known for the civil war between Catholics and Protestants. The ongoing conflict between England and the IRA still subliminally exists. They invented the tank, modern tractor, the submarine, color photography, the cure for leprosy, ejector seats for planes and of course Guiness Stout. Their national heroes and some famous alumni of the green isle include, actors Liam Neeson, Pierce Brosnan, musicians James Galway and Bono, singers Sinead O'Connor, The Celtic Women, Nobel Prize winning writer and poet, William Butler Yeats, writer Samuel Beckett and many, many more. They have been instrumental in the building of America and have influenced all walks of life in the USA. Famous Irish Americans include, Teddy Roosevelt, John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Gene Tunney, Ben Hogan, Mark McGwire, John McEnroe, Tom Brady and also many, many more. But the most influential and greatest hero of Ireland is without a doubt St. Patrick himself. But do you know his story other than the holiday named after Him? Well, if not, here you go! This biography is from the website Catholic Online.
Patrick was born around 385 AD in Scotland, probably Kilpatrick. His parents were Calpurnius and Conchessa, who were Romans living in Britian in charge of the colonies.
As a boy of fourteen or so, he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans. He learned the language and practices of the people who held him.
During his captivity, he turned to God in prayer. He wrote
"The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same." "I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain."
Patrick's captivity lasted until he was twenty, when he escaped after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast. There he found some sailors who took him back to Britian, where he reunited with his family.
He had another dream in which the people of Ireland were calling out to him "We beg you, holy youth, to come and walk among us once more."
He began his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained by St. Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre, whom he had studied under for years.
Later, Patrick was ordained a bishop, and was sent to take the Gospel to Ireland. He arrived in Ireland March 25, 433, at Slane. One legend says that he met a chieftain of one of the tribes, who tried to kill Patrick. Patrick converted Dichu (the chieftain) after he was unable to move his arm until he became friendly to Patrick.
Patrick began preaching the Gospel throughout Ireland, converting many. He and his disciples preached and converted thousands and began building churches all over the country. Kings, their families, and entire kingdoms converted to Christianity when hearing Patrick's message.
Patrick by now had many disciples, among them Beningnus, Auxilius, Iserninus, and Fiaac, (all later canonized as well).
Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland for 40 years. He worked many miracles and wrote of his love for God in Confessions. After years of living in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering he died March 17, 461.
He died at Saul, where he had built the first church.
You see without St Patrick's faithful service, Ireland would be a pagan nation today. Instead he like St. Valentine, St. Nicholas and St. Joseph spent their lives in service to our loving and almighty Lord. All of them are celebrated through holidays on the calendar and all were devout men of faith who helped paved the way for the spread of modern Christianity. Unfortunately they are usually just footnotes to the raucous and often unchristian like celebrations that are supplanting their noble work and divine service. By the way did you know that the shamrock is famous because St. Patrick used it to describe the Holy Trinity when he taught, not for luck as it's known today. So when you raise that green beer and dig in to that steaming plate of corned beef and cabbage, salute all that God gave us Irish, especially the man who gave his life's service for Ireland's spiritual future! Top of the morning to you all! I'm off to order a pizza!
John 12:26
If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
Now don't get me wrong, I love almost all things that the scenic and beautiful country of my Irish brothers and sisters has to offer. They have great beers and stouts, world renowned whiskeys, Bailey's Irish Cream and awesome Shepherd's Pie, but alas that's about it. But that's ok as they have never laid claim to be the center of the culinary universe! Instead the Irish are proud, fiercely loyal, stoic and brave people who's history has been checkered, and difficult at best, but regardless an exercise in persistence and tenacity that make the Irish people truly embrace life.
Some facts you may or may not know about this great country. Northern Island is well known for the civil war between Catholics and Protestants. The ongoing conflict between England and the IRA still subliminally exists. They invented the tank, modern tractor, the submarine, color photography, the cure for leprosy, ejector seats for planes and of course Guiness Stout. Their national heroes and some famous alumni of the green isle include, actors Liam Neeson, Pierce Brosnan, musicians James Galway and Bono, singers Sinead O'Connor, The Celtic Women, Nobel Prize winning writer and poet, William Butler Yeats, writer Samuel Beckett and many, many more. They have been instrumental in the building of America and have influenced all walks of life in the USA. Famous Irish Americans include, Teddy Roosevelt, John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Gene Tunney, Ben Hogan, Mark McGwire, John McEnroe, Tom Brady and also many, many more. But the most influential and greatest hero of Ireland is without a doubt St. Patrick himself. But do you know his story other than the holiday named after Him? Well, if not, here you go! This biography is from the website Catholic Online.
Patrick was born around 385 AD in Scotland, probably Kilpatrick. His parents were Calpurnius and Conchessa, who were Romans living in Britian in charge of the colonies.
As a boy of fourteen or so, he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans. He learned the language and practices of the people who held him.
During his captivity, he turned to God in prayer. He wrote
"The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same." "I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain."
Patrick's captivity lasted until he was twenty, when he escaped after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast. There he found some sailors who took him back to Britian, where he reunited with his family.
He had another dream in which the people of Ireland were calling out to him "We beg you, holy youth, to come and walk among us once more."
He began his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained by St. Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre, whom he had studied under for years.
Later, Patrick was ordained a bishop, and was sent to take the Gospel to Ireland. He arrived in Ireland March 25, 433, at Slane. One legend says that he met a chieftain of one of the tribes, who tried to kill Patrick. Patrick converted Dichu (the chieftain) after he was unable to move his arm until he became friendly to Patrick.
Patrick began preaching the Gospel throughout Ireland, converting many. He and his disciples preached and converted thousands and began building churches all over the country. Kings, their families, and entire kingdoms converted to Christianity when hearing Patrick's message.
Patrick by now had many disciples, among them Beningnus, Auxilius, Iserninus, and Fiaac, (all later canonized as well).
Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland for 40 years. He worked many miracles and wrote of his love for God in Confessions. After years of living in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering he died March 17, 461.
He died at Saul, where he had built the first church.
You see without St Patrick's faithful service, Ireland would be a pagan nation today. Instead he like St. Valentine, St. Nicholas and St. Joseph spent their lives in service to our loving and almighty Lord. All of them are celebrated through holidays on the calendar and all were devout men of faith who helped paved the way for the spread of modern Christianity. Unfortunately they are usually just footnotes to the raucous and often unchristian like celebrations that are supplanting their noble work and divine service. By the way did you know that the shamrock is famous because St. Patrick used it to describe the Holy Trinity when he taught, not for luck as it's known today. So when you raise that green beer and dig in to that steaming plate of corned beef and cabbage, salute all that God gave us Irish, especially the man who gave his life's service for Ireland's spiritual future! Top of the morning to you all! I'm off to order a pizza!
John 12:26
If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace!
There is an eerie malaise sweeping across and overwhelming America. One that doesn't cause concern with most of us immediately or even seem to affect our daily lives, but it's festering and spreading like an aggressive cancer that will eventually kill it's victim. It's called silence, and it's turning out to be deadly to us. Everywhere that it exists it's opposition flourishes like weeds in a roadside ditch. Since God and the Holy Bible have existed and humanity has been around, there has always been the struggle between good and evil. Triumph and tragedy, victory and defeat, life and death, they all coexist because we can't have one without the other. The stories of good triumphing over bad have given us hope, courage, and new beginnings. There has always been a light at the end of the tunnel and a sun to come up on a new day. But at this moment in time things are changing and darkness is enveloping us.
Whether you know it or not the voices of wrong are not out numbering the voices of good, but instead they are out shouting, out working and out changing our country. Some people call it long overdue progress, or social justice. Others say it's just our ever evolving enlightened society. I call it a reshaping of Morality. It is a large and hardly innocuous seismic event that is breaking apart our country and we must choose to engage or be run over. Whether you are Democrat, Republican or Independent, white, black, Asian, Hispanic or Indian it doesn't matter. Child or adult, rich or poor, it doesn't matter. It has infected us all! We have become so self absorbed and narcissistic, so withdrawn from the concerns of our fellow man that chronic apathy has saturated our lives and turned us into foolish cartoon like caricatures of what were designed to be. Truth be told, not enough of us care! The war of propaganda and governance being waged today is so slanted and biased that it is changing everything from the making and enforcing of laws, to reinterpreting or changing on the fly current laws, that there is no room for the scales of justice to work equally. Respect and obedience to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are under constant assault! Courts and judicial benches are interpreting laws for political gain. Contrary to what you may be thinking, this is not a right or left argument. It's a wrong or right argument! If we are not willing to speak up, get involved, take a stand, or care enough to even vote why should we complain? Americans have always stepped up when called upon or compelled by their beliefs to do so. If courageous African Americans like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks didn't speak up the civil rights movement might not have happened. If America hadn't gotten involved in World War II then how many more innocent people would have died and how many more Jews would have been killed? If pro-life volunteers don't show up at abortion clinics and protest, how many more babies would be killed or young mothers traumatized? Finally, if God hadn't loved us and sent His only Son to die for us what hope would we have? I could go on and on. The fact is we need to battle for what we believe in! We need to speak up and fight for our country. This not about you but us, our children and grand children! What are they inheriting? Look at the list of goodies. Chronic long term job loss, higher and higher tax burdens, unsustainable debt, lower moral relevancy and increased decay, distrust in government, Christian persecution, traditional God given institutional change, decaying personal rights and freedoms. Shall I continue? And where is the church in all this? That in itself is a sad discussion for another day. Whether you like it or don't like it, agree or disagree, these shifts are occurring. A recent poll was taken and asked Americans if they thought their children were better off being born now or 50 years ago. Overwhelmingly the poll indicated 50 years ago. Hmm... I wonder what America was like then?
I for one am willing to forsake anything and everything in my life to wage the good fight! Melissa and I have been immensely blessed in our lives and we have the five greatest children God could give us! So we are and will continue to speak up. Because I would rather be respected than admired, and leave something better than something worse behind when God calls me home. We owe it to ourselves, our children and our country! Because if America's light goes out, so then goes the worlds! The time is now and the stakes couldn't be higher.
Ephesians 4:25
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
Whether you know it or not the voices of wrong are not out numbering the voices of good, but instead they are out shouting, out working and out changing our country. Some people call it long overdue progress, or social justice. Others say it's just our ever evolving enlightened society. I call it a reshaping of Morality. It is a large and hardly innocuous seismic event that is breaking apart our country and we must choose to engage or be run over. Whether you are Democrat, Republican or Independent, white, black, Asian, Hispanic or Indian it doesn't matter. Child or adult, rich or poor, it doesn't matter. It has infected us all! We have become so self absorbed and narcissistic, so withdrawn from the concerns of our fellow man that chronic apathy has saturated our lives and turned us into foolish cartoon like caricatures of what were designed to be. Truth be told, not enough of us care! The war of propaganda and governance being waged today is so slanted and biased that it is changing everything from the making and enforcing of laws, to reinterpreting or changing on the fly current laws, that there is no room for the scales of justice to work equally. Respect and obedience to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are under constant assault! Courts and judicial benches are interpreting laws for political gain. Contrary to what you may be thinking, this is not a right or left argument. It's a wrong or right argument! If we are not willing to speak up, get involved, take a stand, or care enough to even vote why should we complain? Americans have always stepped up when called upon or compelled by their beliefs to do so. If courageous African Americans like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks didn't speak up the civil rights movement might not have happened. If America hadn't gotten involved in World War II then how many more innocent people would have died and how many more Jews would have been killed? If pro-life volunteers don't show up at abortion clinics and protest, how many more babies would be killed or young mothers traumatized? Finally, if God hadn't loved us and sent His only Son to die for us what hope would we have? I could go on and on. The fact is we need to battle for what we believe in! We need to speak up and fight for our country. This not about you but us, our children and grand children! What are they inheriting? Look at the list of goodies. Chronic long term job loss, higher and higher tax burdens, unsustainable debt, lower moral relevancy and increased decay, distrust in government, Christian persecution, traditional God given institutional change, decaying personal rights and freedoms. Shall I continue? And where is the church in all this? That in itself is a sad discussion for another day. Whether you like it or don't like it, agree or disagree, these shifts are occurring. A recent poll was taken and asked Americans if they thought their children were better off being born now or 50 years ago. Overwhelmingly the poll indicated 50 years ago. Hmm... I wonder what America was like then?
I for one am willing to forsake anything and everything in my life to wage the good fight! Melissa and I have been immensely blessed in our lives and we have the five greatest children God could give us! So we are and will continue to speak up. Because I would rather be respected than admired, and leave something better than something worse behind when God calls me home. We owe it to ourselves, our children and our country! Because if America's light goes out, so then goes the worlds! The time is now and the stakes couldn't be higher.
Ephesians 4:25
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
If Love Is Fleeting, Common Sense Is Long Gone!
For those of you who had the privilege to know my father he was a man who was known to put a unique perspective on the travails of life. Often times it was humorous, with words we never knew were in the English language before, and others more often, simple, straight to the point and profound in their application and meaning. I remember one of his more common phrases, usually when I or one of my siblings would screw up and do something amazingly stupid. He would just shake his head and say, " You know, common sense is a course that they should teach in high school and you must pass it to graduate and be allowed to go on in life!" I would think, whoa thanks dad! Nothing like parental support at a time of one of my more egregious episodes of prolonged boneheadedness. But after rectifying my mistake and learning my lesson, it gave me pause to understand the clarity and simplistic truth of his statement. We could often sidestep a whole lot of pitfalls and prevent dining on our own feet if we would just use our God given gift of common sense. Yes, that's right God given! He so wisely gave it to us and life's road along with loving parental guidance, a good set of ears and a mouth twice as small as the one we often use, refines it's application. At least in practical theory, it should. But alas, as we see everyday in our world the opposite is often true.
Just listen to a speech or quote by almost any politician regarding current policy or legislation, almost anything that pours out of an entertainers mouth, notable interviews from famous athletes, news anchors and commentators or opinion editorial journalists in many papers. How about some of our neighbors and family members? Or most certainly ourselves! Even worse yet, how about our biblically educated and supposedly enlightened clergy, who from the place of the pulpit are supposed to speak the Truth and quite often are a test case in contradictory evidence for true Christianity. How about many of our young people today? At least the young folks have the partial excuse of inexperience and ignorance to blame. The rest of us should not be accorded such grace. There just seems to be an overall lacking in thinking before we speak or act period. It's becoming more hurtful, candid and even unthinkably worse, tolerated. Frankly, it's an epidemic and I think I know why. We have a breakdown in moral absolution and reasoning.
As the family unit suffers in an age of redefining and our societies morals change, so does our ability to reason effectively and cope with situations. The foundational structures and teachers of such principles that used to be there such as a strong family along with moral,spiritual and educational supports are eroding. Where we used to draw on good advice from mom and dad, older siblings, trusted teachers, our local priest or pastor, lifelong friends we trust, or our own good conscience, we now feel both external and self imposed internal pressure to make snap decisions or judgments without consulting anyone other than Facebook or Google or slowing down Too often they hurt us or others because we didn't take the time to think, pray, seek help or just wait a bit. So out it comes raw and unfiltered instead of smooth and tempered. Or we take hasty action and cause further harm to an already delicate circumstance thereby making it worse. Sometimes we blurt out something so preposterously stupid it leaves everyone speechless and us mortified. How many times have you said to yourself, "What was I thinking?" Sound familiar?
The solution is simple and the same it always has been. Seek Him who is and teaches patience, compassion, knowledge and the peace that surpasses all understanding. Read and meditate on His perfect word. Be wise enough to seek and listen to good counsel from those people He puts in your life's pathway. Tell the truth, no matter what and remember that our words and actions are no longer our property when they leave us. Finally, understand that you are not here to be all the world wants you to be but rather what God wants you to be. After all it's better to be part of the solution than all of the problem!
Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Just listen to a speech or quote by almost any politician regarding current policy or legislation, almost anything that pours out of an entertainers mouth, notable interviews from famous athletes, news anchors and commentators or opinion editorial journalists in many papers. How about some of our neighbors and family members? Or most certainly ourselves! Even worse yet, how about our biblically educated and supposedly enlightened clergy, who from the place of the pulpit are supposed to speak the Truth and quite often are a test case in contradictory evidence for true Christianity. How about many of our young people today? At least the young folks have the partial excuse of inexperience and ignorance to blame. The rest of us should not be accorded such grace. There just seems to be an overall lacking in thinking before we speak or act period. It's becoming more hurtful, candid and even unthinkably worse, tolerated. Frankly, it's an epidemic and I think I know why. We have a breakdown in moral absolution and reasoning.
As the family unit suffers in an age of redefining and our societies morals change, so does our ability to reason effectively and cope with situations. The foundational structures and teachers of such principles that used to be there such as a strong family along with moral,spiritual and educational supports are eroding. Where we used to draw on good advice from mom and dad, older siblings, trusted teachers, our local priest or pastor, lifelong friends we trust, or our own good conscience, we now feel both external and self imposed internal pressure to make snap decisions or judgments without consulting anyone other than Facebook or Google or slowing down Too often they hurt us or others because we didn't take the time to think, pray, seek help or just wait a bit. So out it comes raw and unfiltered instead of smooth and tempered. Or we take hasty action and cause further harm to an already delicate circumstance thereby making it worse. Sometimes we blurt out something so preposterously stupid it leaves everyone speechless and us mortified. How many times have you said to yourself, "What was I thinking?" Sound familiar?
The solution is simple and the same it always has been. Seek Him who is and teaches patience, compassion, knowledge and the peace that surpasses all understanding. Read and meditate on His perfect word. Be wise enough to seek and listen to good counsel from those people He puts in your life's pathway. Tell the truth, no matter what and remember that our words and actions are no longer our property when they leave us. Finally, understand that you are not here to be all the world wants you to be but rather what God wants you to be. After all it's better to be part of the solution than all of the problem!
Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Monday, February 3, 2014
The Tragedy Of Fame
Seeing the news that one of the great actors of our generation, Philip Seymour Hoffman had passed yesterday was truly saddening. Not only was he immensely gifted in his profession and enormously successful by the world's standards, but he was admired and loved by many peers and fans. It is always shocking to lose someone we know or care about before their time, but the incidental rate of these tragedies is seemingly and needlessly rising. It seems fame has a cost and potentially a very high one at that. Inside the fishbowl that comes with international stardom and fame comes immense scrutiny and a lack of respect for a person's privacy. But that's one of the sordid byproducts. Since Hollywood has been around and as long as I can remember the famous of the world have had no fewer problems than us regular folks. Money and multiple houses won't buy happiness, peace and contentment. Often as we read or see in the news, on the internet or on the numerous tabloid television programs more and more celebrities are spiraling out of control. In some ways how could they not? Look at the recent cases of Justin Bieber and Lindsey Lohan. Both are young, rich, talented and surrounded by parasitical entourages and money grabbing publicists and promoters. They are in essence expendable cash cows, racehorses to be exact. Both are nothing short of tragic and their lives unfold to us in a daily dose of wild unruly antics, drug and alcohol excess, shoddy behavior and a total disregard for laws and people. Because actors and performers are relied upon for the generating of revenues of the multibillion dollar entertainment and music industries they are in essence trapped inside a gilded castle. Isolated, coddled, nurtured in many wrong ways and idolized to ridiculous degrees, they can become demigods who think they can do no wrong and are somehow immune to the constraints of life itself. By the way, both Justin and Lindsey are from broken homes with enabling divorced parents who also are regular tabloid fodder. But that is a discussion for another day.
Because we glorify the altar of celebrity worship, we in essence have created the monster. It is the general public's insatiable demand for entertainment in both it's forms public and private, that there is no rest for these people. They become ticking time bombs and often tragic one's at that. In the past two decades numerous promising actors, singers and musicians have died mostly unnecessarily before their time. They have left a huge void for all of us and especially their loved ones because of the God given enormous talent they squandered and the fame that they succumbed to the pressure of. Actors such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Corey Monteith, Brittany Murphy, River Phoenix, Corey Haim, Chris Farley, Lisa Kelly, Heath Ledger. Singers and musicians like Chris Kelly, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston. The list goes on and on and the common denominator being by far, drug and or alcohol abuse. Why? Because they often are overwhelmed and unprepared emotionally, physically and most definitely spiritually for the 24/7 demand of their profession. They become commodities instead of precious human beings who have insecurities, feelings and needs. Everybody wants them or a piece of them. Quite often the circles of friends or advisers become like a malignant cancer eating away at them till there is nothing left. So they often self medicate to escape with tragic results. In the case of Philip Seymour Hoffman, he leaves behind three beautiful children and a grieving girlfriend. Let me be clear, I'm not formulating an indictment of the the entertainment industry itself, as there are many successful actors and actresses, singers and musicians who are great role models, philanthropists and decent moral human beings. But the propensity of ungodly amounts of wealth, ego driven fame and an insatiably demanding public fan base is a toxic combination in the right circumstances. Unfortunately those circumstances are becoming all to common. We need to hold our society and it's industries of entertainment to a higher standard and reset the moral compass. Drug and alcohol addiction are cancers throughout all aspects of our society but are especially high amongst the rich and famous. But poor choices are without prejudice and certainly these celebrities made them. If we don't seek help or relief from the pressures of this world we will continue to become victims of the merciless pressure of it. God offers us that rest! He offers a place to retreat to. A retreat for the renewing of the mind and soul. We all need rest, love and healthy support. But Hollywood proves over and over that the world offers the wrong kind of solutions. That without Christ we are truly alone! Maybe some of these celebrities could have been saved. Maybe a few of their lights would still be burning brightly! Don't let the world's offerings be the source of your happiness, choose the Water that gives life and doesn't take it.
Colossians 2:8
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
Because we glorify the altar of celebrity worship, we in essence have created the monster. It is the general public's insatiable demand for entertainment in both it's forms public and private, that there is no rest for these people. They become ticking time bombs and often tragic one's at that. In the past two decades numerous promising actors, singers and musicians have died mostly unnecessarily before their time. They have left a huge void for all of us and especially their loved ones because of the God given enormous talent they squandered and the fame that they succumbed to the pressure of. Actors such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Corey Monteith, Brittany Murphy, River Phoenix, Corey Haim, Chris Farley, Lisa Kelly, Heath Ledger. Singers and musicians like Chris Kelly, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston. The list goes on and on and the common denominator being by far, drug and or alcohol abuse. Why? Because they often are overwhelmed and unprepared emotionally, physically and most definitely spiritually for the 24/7 demand of their profession. They become commodities instead of precious human beings who have insecurities, feelings and needs. Everybody wants them or a piece of them. Quite often the circles of friends or advisers become like a malignant cancer eating away at them till there is nothing left. So they often self medicate to escape with tragic results. In the case of Philip Seymour Hoffman, he leaves behind three beautiful children and a grieving girlfriend. Let me be clear, I'm not formulating an indictment of the the entertainment industry itself, as there are many successful actors and actresses, singers and musicians who are great role models, philanthropists and decent moral human beings. But the propensity of ungodly amounts of wealth, ego driven fame and an insatiably demanding public fan base is a toxic combination in the right circumstances. Unfortunately those circumstances are becoming all to common. We need to hold our society and it's industries of entertainment to a higher standard and reset the moral compass. Drug and alcohol addiction are cancers throughout all aspects of our society but are especially high amongst the rich and famous. But poor choices are without prejudice and certainly these celebrities made them. If we don't seek help or relief from the pressures of this world we will continue to become victims of the merciless pressure of it. God offers us that rest! He offers a place to retreat to. A retreat for the renewing of the mind and soul. We all need rest, love and healthy support. But Hollywood proves over and over that the world offers the wrong kind of solutions. That without Christ we are truly alone! Maybe some of these celebrities could have been saved. Maybe a few of their lights would still be burning brightly! Don't let the world's offerings be the source of your happiness, choose the Water that gives life and doesn't take it.
Colossians 2:8
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
55 Million and Counting... The Silent Genocide!
I was reading my news reports today and one of my websites was reporting on a rather ominous anniversary. This one often flies under the radar because of the polarizing feelings and heated emotional battles it causes just in the mention of it's name. That along with the liberal bias in most of the American media, methodically works to sweep it under the carpet. Forty one years ago today seven supreme court justices decided to legalize the practice of abortions in the USA, via the landmark Roe vs.Wade case. Now I know that some of you may be cringing at the mere mention of this case and it's historic implications, but the staggering amount of aborted children senselessly murdered, that's right I said murdered, in the USA each year has averaged 1,375,000 unimaginable acts of infanticide. Most legal, all shameful and incredibly barbaric. To give you an idea of the amount of loss, that equates to over 166,000 more deaths each year than the total of 1,209,000 brave American military men and women who have lost their lives in all the wars in the history of this nation up to this point. We eclipse that on a an annual basis and you almost never hear about it! It's not until the most egregious and horrific cases come to light, such as the Dr. Gosnell case in Philadelphia last year that you would ever be privy to the horror. But in essence, is there any difference when it comes to the inhumane procedure whether it's performed in the best of medical conditions with the most accommodating of doctors and pristine clinical atmospheres or in a filthy and sordid clinic in West Philadelphia? The results are startlingly the same. A child, an innocent child dies.
There are no small white caskets, or grieving family members, or touching church eulogies with pictures and stories of a life tragically cut short. Just a bag labeled medical waste and a trash bin as the final resting place for someone who will never have a name, or mother and father to raise and love them. I am passionate about this subject because as a father of five beautiful children, the lives of my wife and I have been equal parts blessed and enriched by the greatest gift our loving God gives us , life! We simply could not imagine our lives without our children and the joy and light they bring to us and the world they interact in each day. According to a lengthy study in the British Journal of Psychiatry, 85% of women suffer from serious or periodic episodes of depression, regret and overwhelming sadness after abortion procedures. Not to mention the guilt associated with the dis- attachment from the life they carried inside of them. I respect all political views of reasonable adults, friends and family but do not always agree with them, but this subject I have zero tolerance for! You simply cannot convince me that this abhorrent practice honors anything that God has intended for us! Nowhere in scripture does it regard the sanctity of human life with such callous disregard. It is a crime we are already under indictment for. The most serious kind of indictment, God's! A few years back I was having a lively discussion with a family member at Christmas regarding politics and namely a woman's right to choose. This particular relative is pro choice. To make a long story short they were going on about how unfair it is to intrude on a woman's personal choices regarding their bodies. I looked at this person and said, "Aren't you glad your mom wasn't pro choice?" Dead silence engulfed the table and a look of conviction rushed over her face and the subject was abruptly changed. Point made I thought to myself. Another opponent to my position said to me, "If your God is so merciful how come there's no cure for cancer or other crippling and fatal diseases, or peace in our world, or people are allowed to starve to death? I simply said, "How do you know that the doctor who finds the cure for cancer, or the next great president, or scientist who solves world food shortages, was one of the aborted children never given a chance to use their God given destiny and talents?" Maybe God had them ready to enter into this world and we so selfishly decided their life wasn't worth it or precious enough. I won't go on without stating that I do sincerely empathize and feel for women who have contemplated this life altering act. Or to pretend to know the circumstances in their lives. There are many post abortive ministriestoday that effectively help women to regain their lives and seek forgiveness from the Lord for the oppressive guilt that they carry. Thank God our Lord is merciful and there is healing for them and their lives! But that doesn't excuse the cruel fate that awaits a child who is innocent our our irresponsible choices. They did nothing! Right now in America, we are not having enough children to replace and reestablish generations of future workers and citizen's to keep this economy and country going, both economically and socially. We are in essence depleting our species by both refusing to have children or aborting them. I urge you to reeducate yourselves on this heartbreaking tragedy before we are too late. God will not be mocked and our children deserve to know that the safest place they have when God releases them to our earthly stewardship is in their mother's womb. Pray for the unborn and the mother's who carry them! Hold the father's feet to the fire of honor and responsibility. Let's all reach out to show compassion to help those women in need and restore the utmost in regard for the most innocent of us.
Psalm 139: 13-16
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
There are no small white caskets, or grieving family members, or touching church eulogies with pictures and stories of a life tragically cut short. Just a bag labeled medical waste and a trash bin as the final resting place for someone who will never have a name, or mother and father to raise and love them. I am passionate about this subject because as a father of five beautiful children, the lives of my wife and I have been equal parts blessed and enriched by the greatest gift our loving God gives us , life! We simply could not imagine our lives without our children and the joy and light they bring to us and the world they interact in each day. According to a lengthy study in the British Journal of Psychiatry, 85% of women suffer from serious or periodic episodes of depression, regret and overwhelming sadness after abortion procedures. Not to mention the guilt associated with the dis- attachment from the life they carried inside of them. I respect all political views of reasonable adults, friends and family but do not always agree with them, but this subject I have zero tolerance for! You simply cannot convince me that this abhorrent practice honors anything that God has intended for us! Nowhere in scripture does it regard the sanctity of human life with such callous disregard. It is a crime we are already under indictment for. The most serious kind of indictment, God's! A few years back I was having a lively discussion with a family member at Christmas regarding politics and namely a woman's right to choose. This particular relative is pro choice. To make a long story short they were going on about how unfair it is to intrude on a woman's personal choices regarding their bodies. I looked at this person and said, "Aren't you glad your mom wasn't pro choice?" Dead silence engulfed the table and a look of conviction rushed over her face and the subject was abruptly changed. Point made I thought to myself. Another opponent to my position said to me, "If your God is so merciful how come there's no cure for cancer or other crippling and fatal diseases, or peace in our world, or people are allowed to starve to death? I simply said, "How do you know that the doctor who finds the cure for cancer, or the next great president, or scientist who solves world food shortages, was one of the aborted children never given a chance to use their God given destiny and talents?" Maybe God had them ready to enter into this world and we so selfishly decided their life wasn't worth it or precious enough. I won't go on without stating that I do sincerely empathize and feel for women who have contemplated this life altering act. Or to pretend to know the circumstances in their lives. There are many post abortive ministriestoday that effectively help women to regain their lives and seek forgiveness from the Lord for the oppressive guilt that they carry. Thank God our Lord is merciful and there is healing for them and their lives! But that doesn't excuse the cruel fate that awaits a child who is innocent our our irresponsible choices. They did nothing! Right now in America, we are not having enough children to replace and reestablish generations of future workers and citizen's to keep this economy and country going, both economically and socially. We are in essence depleting our species by both refusing to have children or aborting them. I urge you to reeducate yourselves on this heartbreaking tragedy before we are too late. God will not be mocked and our children deserve to know that the safest place they have when God releases them to our earthly stewardship is in their mother's womb. Pray for the unborn and the mother's who carry them! Hold the father's feet to the fire of honor and responsibility. Let's all reach out to show compassion to help those women in need and restore the utmost in regard for the most innocent of us.
Psalm 139: 13-16
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
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