Christianity and Freedom

We must always be on guard against the power mongers. Our democracy has a built in balancing dynamic: separation of powers; checks and balances--because our amazing Founding Fathers recognized the perennial, persistent and invasive tendencies of the lust for power.  This is also why they interwove religion in their dialogue, and sought to protect it, recognizing that government for and by the people required a populace that was wise--not just smart. Power mongers are smart. Wise people work for the common good. And the religion they intended to protect was predominately, if not exclusively, Christianity. Our Fathers would have never sought to protect a religion that had as its ultimate aim the bringing of the whole of society into a theocracy, taking precedence over the very Constitution that provided it its rights. The Fathers, being men who knew the Bible, recognized that Christianity was a "leaven" that entered society and enhanced its life, freedom, peace and love for all mankind. Christ never ordained a theocracy. He said "render unto Caesar [the government] what is Caesar's, and unto God that which is God's".  [Mark 12:17].  One effect of the "religious right" is a certain paranoic  fear of theocracy in the United States. And, as is typical when people react in fear, there is the danger of overreacting and, in this case, throwing out the baby with the bath water---of seeing demons where there are none. It's important to remember that the roots of our freedom go deep into Judaeo-Christianity. Every Christian church on the many horizons of America's highways and country roads, if it is teaching the doctrine of its namesake, is teaching people to love their neighbors, be faithful to their spouse, take good care of their children, abstain from addictive vices, to help those in need, and even to love their enemies {Mt 5:44}.  (Where else in our society are these things being encouraged? School? Media?) There is no subversive movement to take over the government or force people to do what God wants them to do. Christians realize that God has set people free; and He does not want anyone to try to take that freedom away. It only requires the right to speak its Truth--the Truth of Christ--and will do this even if the government forbids; something that is evident in the world today in nations where it is illegal to propagate the Gospel, as it was for the first disciples. All these nations or cultures are being governed by tyrants whose power is threatened by the Truth of Christ. They either do not trust that people can be free and maintain a stable and peaceful society, or they are ensnared in the blindness of the lust for power.  America is a test to see if the former conception is valid. A primary threat to our freedom is the persecution of the Church. Wherever the Church is persecuted, freedom is diminished--and not just for Christians. Persecution can be subtle, like racism. Social and other media wield much power in the American psyche, and if the media portrays Christianity primarily as hypocritical, ignorant, and/or regressive, then young people do not want to be associated with it and fail to discover and reap the benefits of the rich storehouse of spiritual maturity Christ offers. Where else, however, in our society will they be encouraged, regularly and zealously, to overcome the love of money and their innate selfishness? To work sincerely and diligently for the common good without thought of earthly gain? To treat others how they want to be treated? To live free from guilt and condemnation? To never hate any human being? Can we trust our government to do this? Our schools? It is wise to encourage and work for the growth of the Christian faith, even if one is not a Christian. I once read that a Jewish Rabbi wanted America to remain a "Christian" nation, because he realized that Judaism is safe within Christianity. Someone has said that Christianity is like the burning fire of the ancient cave man, keeping the beasts of prey at large. As long as the fire burned brightly, he was safe; but the glaring eyes of the beasts of prey reflected in the periphery, waiting for the fire to die down.

Democracy and Wisdom

In order for our democratic government to prevail--or survive--we must have governmental officials who are courageously truthful, free from greed, sincere in working for the common good, and diligently honest. They must be trustworthy. But the best imaginable rulers will not be enough. In a democracy, there must be a general populace that is not only educated, but wise and mature. It is impossible to maintain freedom, as we know it, in a society of hot-headed and hateful citizens. If we lose civility, we lose it all. This is why Christianity, in its purest form, as taught by Christ Himself, is so important. Jesus Christ leads people toward the maturity that enables freedom.

To The Arrogant

Who are you, you ant, crawling around the edge of the Grand Canyon, thinking that you might perceive the breadth and height and depth of it? Crawling around on the surface of this earth like a fungus, destroying the green life, spewing the poisonous breath of your greed into its atmosphere. You think, in your blind arrogance, that you determine Truth? You create with that which you did not create; even your own mind. Yet you think, because of your great accomplishments, the mind that you did not create is the highest intelligence in the universe? Tell me, if you can, what is a thought? How were you conceived, and what happened that your physical body was formed in the womb of a woman? Can you duplicate the process by which you came to be? Starting from nothing?

You did not and can not create or determine Truth! Truth was here before the earth came to be. You are here because of Truth, and you operate, from birth to death, within its domain. But you do not determine it. It would greatly behoove you to go to your knees in humility and ask the God of this universe, Who gave you life and a sustaining earth, to please reveal Himself to you. But if you approach Him without appropriate humility and sincerity, you should not expect to hear the Good News that sets the spirit free. God does not respond to pride and arrogance kindly. It would not be loving to do so. Hell is full of the proud and arrogant, the power mongers and deceitful [and deceived] manipulators; those who get lost in themselves and all the stuff of man. Run from that hell! Run fast and hard! Run toward Truth as if it were the only line trailing behind the mid-ocean cruise ship from which you just fell overboard. Your life depends on it. And if you feel some fear about death and about your own dark side, that is very good. Nourish that fear. “Twas grace that taught my heart to fear” [John Newton, from the hymn "Amazing Grace"].  “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom” [Prov.1:7].  Let that fear drive you toward the Truth that will free you from all fear. Wake up! Wake up!

KNOWING JESUS

It's the Christmas season and we try to do the best we can amid the hoopla to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Who is Jesus? We probably should not assume that we know the answer to this question in its entirety---that we know Him in His entirety. And if it is possible to know more about Jesus, it will certainly be of supreme advantage to do so, considering that He is God in the flesh. I've known people who were Christians for decades and were still gaining life-changing insights from Him. I'm one of them, thankfully.
How do we know Jesus? I don't think we know exactly what knowing is. Knowing is something of the mind; and we do not know what the mind is. We do not know what a thought is. Sometimes knowing feels more like a thing of the heart; and we do not know, scientifically speaking, what the [metaphorical] heart is. Nevertheless, I think I know my wife of 47 years pretty well; and I sense that she knows me pretty well also; though I would never assume that I know everything about either of us. I'm thankful for this lack of complete knowledge---it keeps life interesting. I know, usually quite accurately, how Lynn, my wife will respond in many circumstances. I know what she will say to me about certain things that I say or do. I can hear her voice in my head frequently. I know her because I live with her and have spent much time with her over the years. I have been with her in joyful and in grief-stricken situations. I have seen her suffer. This is how we get to know someone--being with them, communicating with them. Especially we get to know someone by trying to love them. Loving someone opens the door to understanding them. Jesus encouraged us to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength" [Luke 10:27].  Loving Jesus helps us to know Him, and knowing Him magnifies our love for Him. We love everyone in the world better by loving Jesus first and foremost.  We spend time with Jesus by reading the Holy Word. [We  have great access to the Word now through our technology. I use the BlueLetterBible.com .] We look deeply into His teachings, how He lived His life, how He related to the people He encountered while in the flesh, how He responded to the things that happened to Him. We listen carefully to what those who lived with Him said about Him; how He impacted their lives. We look deeply into the resistance and persecution that He encountered and try to understand the root of it. Did those who opposed Him have a legitimate complaint? What was it that they opposed about Him? Mainly we want to know what His message was.  What was He [is He] saying to the human family that seems so important to so many, to the point that we would demarcate all of history by His time on the earth [2017 A.D., Anno Domini, "In the year of our Lord"]?  We know Jesus by answering these questions. If we have not sought sincerely to answer these questions we cannot rightly call ourselves Christians. To be a Christian means minimally that we are trying to know Jesus, and to walk with Him in spirit. So we study and we meditate on Him, His life and teachings. The Bible says "be still and know that I am  God." [Ps46:10].  Being still is very difficult. But it is very necessary if we are to know God.  We have to take a stand against the noise and impositions of the world; and in our day they are many. We have created an incredibly stimulating world. Sometimes I think that what we label "ADHD" in children is simply their adaptation to the massive amount of stimuli to which they are unavoidably exposed. Perhaps we are all, to some degree, afflicted by attention deficit disorder, our attention being grabbed and pulled into the alluring and interesting and entertaining stimuli that we have surrounded ourselves with. Maybe we are in some way like lemmings, stirred up and excited by our own creations to the extent that we do not see ourselves marching toward the ocean cliffs. I strongly urge you to assertively push it all back, turn off everything, create or find a sanctuary where you can calm and still your soul. Then reach out to [open up to] the God of this universe and thank Him for your life---for food and clothing and a home; for manhood and womanhood, children, beauty, music, a sense of humor. All these are gifts that you did not earn, work for or deserve. Your life is a GIFT! But you can be too busy to be thankful or even take note of how you are living it. God, Whom you approach in your stillness, will help you overcome your pathological busyness, as well as all other problems---ALL of them! He is, after all, God. He keeps us from getting lost in our problems---lost in the world. Jesus warns us about the "worries and cares of the world" and how they choke out life like briers and bushes choke out the fruit of the garden. Jesus keeps us focused on the important aspects of life. He delivers us from being like the man who spent his entire life vigilantly climbing a ladder only to determine that it was leaning against the wrong wall. He saves from being like some of those we see in nursing homes who are bitter or scared of death. We see that those who have walked with Him face death peacefully--even joyfully; and that they continue to bless their loved ones from their death bed. My own mother and father were wonderful examples of this truth. Knowing Jesus brings more blessings into life than we can number. As Isaac Watts penned in the hymn, "We're Marching to Zion": "The hill of Zion yields a thousand sacred treats, before we reach the heavenly fields or walk the golden streets." 
In our stillness before the God of this universe, we ask Him humbly, "What is Truth?" And He brings us to the One Who said "I am the...Truth..." [John 14:6].  We listen carefully and deeply to this One, and we find gifts and blessings that cannot be communicated except by Him to you.

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE IN A CANDY CANE

THE MESSAGE IN A CANDY CANE

{Teach your children}

The hard candy reminds us that Jesus is our rock. — For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly moved. Psa 62:1-2

Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:

he is like a man building a house, who dug deep, and laid the foundation upon rock; and when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

Luk 6:47-48

The cane shape reminds us of a shepherd’s staff and the shepherds that came to worship Jesus. It also reminds us of how Jesus came into the world to be a shepherd of his people. — And the angel said to [the shepherds], "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; Luke 2:10 and

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11

Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Ps:22

The upside-down candy cane forms the letter “J” and reminds us of the name of Jesus which means “God saves.” — … “do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21

The peppermint flavor reminds us of the gift of spices from the Wise Men. —

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy;

and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Matthew 2:10-11

The white candy reminds us of purity and holiness. It recalls the virgin birth of Christ, the sinless life of Christ and the holy life that Jesus wants his people to live. —

"Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us).Matthew 1:23 and

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,

but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; 1 Peter 1:14-15

The color red reminds us that Jesus became a real flesh and blood man and spilled his blood to save his people. — Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, Hebrews 2:14 and

but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1Jo 1:7

The stripes remind us of the lashes Jesus received when he suffered for us and ultimately bore our sins that we might be healed. — He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. 1 Peter 2:24-25

Grace

Grace is the only Power that enables us to live with our character defects without either morbid guilt or denial. Denial gives a shallow and temporary sense of confidence that can appear quite solid and secure, depending upon how well one is at repressing the Truth. But this confidence will not withstand the fire of Ultimate Truth, which we all will face in due time, and for which we must be prepared today!
" For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known" says Jesus. [Mt. 10:26].  This uncovering will be hell for some; heaven for others.  Grace enables us to come out of denial, receive the unspeakable gift of forgiveness [without just assuming that we already have it and/or taking it for granted--a serious mistake! ] and devote ourselves to Jesus and His Love for humankind. Grace frees us from our unknown encumbrances to Love--receiving and giving it. Shame and an excessive sense of inadequacy dim the Light of Love that Jesus would have shining in and through us. Denial makes us dangerous for the human family--a soul through whom Satan can operate freely. So we see the unspeakable gift and importance of Grace in that it destroys guilt and shame and delivers us from the darkness of denial. We are sinners! We proclaim it loudly. And we know as intimately as we can the specifics of our sinful nature. We keep them in mind because they encumber us in our Love for our people, which is our supreme commitment in obedience to Christ. But we are not guilty or ashamed because we dare not make Christ's sacrifice of no avail to us; which would be disgraceful to Him Who paid such a horrific price for our freedom and Who loves us beyond measure. May His name be praised forever and ever and may His freeing Grace be received into the hearts of many.

Power: The Sexual Harassment Solution?

“Ultimately, the thing that will bring the most to change our culture is the one I’ve been writing and talking about for a long time: having more women with more power,”  Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook executive.

Men tend to be attracted to vulnerability in women. This is the root of pedophilia and sexual harassment in the marketplace. As far as sex alone is concerned, powerful women tend to be a turnoff. There are at least two basic responses a man can make to the vulnerability that he loves in womanhood: He can take advantage of it, or he can protect it--protect her within the context of her vulnerability. If he takes advantage of her vulnerability, she must begin to harden and strengthen; in other words to become more masculine. If he respects her womanhood, she is free to grow in the feminine strength that healthy men love and need. She doesn't have to compete with him or guard herself against him. The paradox of men using power to coerce sexual gratification from women is that it forces those women to become more powerful and therefore less sexually attractive to men.
It is a principle in life that we live by power or we live by love. The less we love, the more that power will ascend. If we do not obey the righteous laws of man, those who enforce the law will arm themselves more powerfully and become more invasive. If we do not use our freedoms responsibly, eventually they will be removed by some powerful force. As Edmund Burke said "It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things that men of intemperate minds can never be free. Their passions forge their fetters."
More power is not the long-term solution. Though it certainly is necessary to protect the vulnerable from forces in society that would abuse their vulnerability. Psycho-spiritual growth toward the Love of Jesus Christ is the only deep and thorough solution. Prayer and submission to the God of this universe, Who is Love, and Who loves His daughters and sons equally, and Who has ordained something as beautiful as manhood and womanhood: this is the only freedom-enhancing solution. 

Socialism and Capitalism

It seems to me that Socialism can only work when people are not generally lazy, dependent, irresponsible or entitled, which makes them parasitical. And Capitalism can only work when people are not generally greedy, which generates hoarding and prevents the "trickle down" effect. But when people are greedy, lazy, irresponsible and entitled, the only economic system that can work is one that is governed by tyranny and driven by fear of a power that forces people to do what works for the system. This points to the importance of Christianity in its purest form, which transforms the heart of greedy, irresponsible humans and militates toward a community of Love characterized by generosity and sincere desire for the common good. When a society is infused with Christian Love any governmental or economic system can work. Without this Love, only tyranny and fear can stabilize a society. Our choice seems to be either that society will be governed by Love, or it will be governed by fear, greed and power.