Week 50 2013 Thanksmas

During the last two months of the year we celebrate two of the best family holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Both of these events bring family and friends together like few others.  We eat together, share together, love each other, and at least for one day in each of these months, we get along.  I thoroughly enjoy these times.  Taking time to reflect on what we are thankful for, while knowing that we should be doing this every day, is good.  Sometimes the feeling lingers for awhile.  We might even go to church in order to express our thankfulness toward God.  It gives us a warm, fuzzy feeling.

While we complain about the commercialism of the Christmas season, we take our part in promoting the frenzy.  The joy of giving is alive and well.  It seems we cannot give enough, as we max out our credit cards, spend hours in long lines, and fight holiday traffic.  Many of us will reflect on the greatest gift given and the night of His birth.  Even though the Christmas dinner will be enjoyed, the highlight will be the opening of gifts and the stockings that were hung with care.  Pictures and videos will be snapped and memories made.  It’s all good!

There is no excuse for spurning either of these holidays.  Fortunately, the number of real-life Scrooges are few in number.  Whether one is a believer or not, these holidays are just plain fun.  Aside from the frivolity, and the warmth between family and friends, these point to the end of the year, promising a new beginning with the coming year.  Everyone looks forward to a fresh start, the opportunity to enjoy what a new year has in store.  So, I am thankful for Christmas, following Thanksgiving, hoping that everyone has a Happy New Year!

Week 49 2013 Phil Needs to Duck

Phil Robertson is a dedicated Christian with a college degree who has taken a simple product and turned it into a multi-million dollar business.  Duck Dynasty has become one of the most marketable television shows in recent history.  It is also currently one of the highest rated television shows.  Yet, A&E, the network that airs the show, is actually threatening their future by suspending Phil because of his comments during an interview with GQ, Gentleman Quarterly.  It has caused a firestorm of controversy, with lines being drawn over homosexuality.  And now, grandstanders, like Jessie Jackson, are attempting to bring racism into the forefront.  It is a remarkable fiasco.  It is also an indicator of where the moral compass of our nation is pointing.

There is an old adage that proclaims, “If we don’t learn from history, we are bound to repeat the same errors.”  Throughout history every major world empire embraced sexual immorality shortly before its collapse.  Our current world empire is centered in America and there are multiple indicators pointing to an end.  The unfortunate part is that history also demonstrates that the culture emerging from the collapse always moves the pendulum to the extreme right, oppressing different segments of the population through arbitrary criteria decided by a small minority.  Nobody benefits from such a scenario.

Having said this, it is my conviction that the unredeemed have a difficult time understanding God’s will.  Jesus makes a profound statement in the Sermon on the Mount: “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”  Matthew 7:6 We have witnessed the truth of this statement in recent times over the abortion issue and gay rights.  Rather than projecting the pearls of truth found in scripture to a lost world, we should be proclaiming the gospel, loving the lost with an unconditional love.  Once they obey the gospel and have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, they will be better equipped to understand and embrace these pearls.

Even though I agree with what Brother Phil said, I believe the venue he used was not the best.  He is an intelligent man.  Thus, he should know what the liberal media is going to do with any interview he grants.  They would love to tear this godly man down because he and his family are having such a dramatic impact for Christ.  It is my prayer that everyone will take a step back and consider the love this man has for everyone, including the sexually immoral.

Week 48 2013 Battlegrounds

We visited several battlegrounds this summer, both Revolutionary War and Civil War.  Gettysburg, Antietam, Harpers Ferry, Fredericksburg, Manassas, just to name a few, are sites where thousands of men lost their lives fighting for a cause for which they believed had value, a cause worth sacrifice.  One is humbled by the sheer enormity of life lost on these fields.  In virtually every battle, nearly every soldier believed that God was on his side, believed that He would bless their troops with success.  There were prayers to the same God in every camp site.  Chaplains, serving the same God, held services for troops on both sides of the line.  Churches in both camps held prayer meetings for their boys gone off to war, believing they were fighting for the cause of Christ.

The same could be said about most every war over the centuries.  So, what shall we conclude?  Was the losing side deluded?  Or, were both sides confused?  Who is to say that one side was closer to God than the other?  I’m not really sure I have the answers to these questions.  Furthermore, I’m not sure that anyone else does either.  I am sure of one thing.  God stands ready to bless any who put their complete faith and trust in Him.  This doesn’t mean that He will fight and win our battles.  It does mean, however, that He will be with us through those battles, regardless of the side we have pledged our allegiance.

These are battlegrounds where flesh and blood are destroyed.  There are other battlegrounds where spirit and soul are sacrificed.  These are battles with eternal consequences.  When engaged in these struggles there is a clear separation of right and wrong, good and evil, God and Satan.  Unfortunately, there are untold millions lost in this war.  Our weapons are those provided by the Lord.  They are powerful and able to take out the evil Satan wields with great expertise.  The battlegrounds are all around us.  We can be fighting these battles on the streets where the homeless and hopeless reside, or in our church buildings where the wheat and tares await the winnowing that will take place in that great judgement day.  The weapons are the same, regardless of the battleground.  The Lord provides these gifts abundantly to any who are willing to use them to His glory.  The Apostle Paul tells us that the greatest of these are faith, hope, and love, with love trumping all of them.  If we will let these be our weapons of choice, refining our ability to wield them, we will be victorious, and we can rest assured that God is truly on our side!

Week 47 2013 Floral Fun

Since we bought a DSLR camera, we take more pictures.  Some of these turn out so well we wonder if there is some way to protect them from other people marketing them.  I must admit that I have absolutely no idea how to do that, and I’m not really sure that I care that much.  However, I do enjoy the pictures.  One of my favorite settings on the camera is the flower setting.  It takes advantage of one of natures most beautiful occurring events.  The variety and depth of color are simply amazing!  I really need to take a course in botany in order to identify the masterpieces God has provided.  Perhaps with that knowledge I could put together a book that could be used by others to share the beauty we have experienced.

As enjoyable as photography can be, the very best pictures can’t be printed, because, the most excellent visions are in my memory banks.  These are those that come so quickly and spontaneously I don’t have the opportunity to shoot them with my Nikon.  They also involve more senses and dimensions than my camera can offer.  Furthermore, these engage the most beautiful of all of God’s creations, people.  People offer an insight into the Creator.  We are made in His image.  The vision we exhibit is deeper than what our eyes can develop.  The best book to view these images was written thousands of years ago.  It is accessible to anyone.  You can pay as little as nothing, or as high a price as you might think is desirable.  The Bible is the best-selling book of all time, and its images are beyond incredible.

Enjoy the creation found in nature.  To use the cliche, take time to smell the roses.  But, don’t limit yourself to these beauties.  Take in the full picture by learning about the One who created nature.

Week 46 2013 Bridges

In our travels we have crossed over many bridges.  Our fascination with these edifices has been evident throughout our lives.  We have seen and photographed several kinds of bridges, including the longest covered bridge still in use.  Each bridge is unique in design, length, height, and character.  Many are architectural wonders.  Unfortunately, there are some people who find bridges to be perfect canvasses for their graffiti.  We find ourselves looking for creative ways to photograph these without the ugliness.  And then there are the crumbling, unsafe structures.  These have a beauty all their own.  However, when they are still being used, one shudders to imagine the disastrous prospects.  For instance, the I-35 bridge collapse in Minnesota in August of 2007.  We had driven our fifth-wheel across that bridge the day before.  One could say that bridges have played a very significant part in our lives.  However, their primary purpose is to connect two sides that are separated by an expanse.

Relationships often require bridges.  The expanse often seems insurmountable.  The bridges needed to overcome the chasm is as varied as the bridges we have experienced in our nationwide travels.  The planning, preparation, and expertise required to make them successful should never be taken lightly.  Because, when one of these bridges collapse, the devastation can be life-changing.  Yet, when done right, these are the most beautiful of all bridges.  They are also the most important.  Overcoming those things that separate us involves creativity, but most importantly, they must come from a caring heart.  In fact, love is the primary material required in the construction of these bridges.  Prayer is excellent for blueprinting, pulling on God’s resources for strength.  Commitment is a factor needed to maintain the integrity of these structures.  When made a priority, these bridges can span divisions in churches, family and friends, and the beauty exceeds any physical structure found on earth.