Good evening... At least, it is evening for me while I am writing this blog entry. And, just to warn you, I am dping so on my phone. So, it will probably not be as pretty as it usually is. I hope you don't mind too much.
These last few weeks have been pretty long for me and our family. I have had several flare-ups with back, so that has made things even more challenging. My family also adopted another dog. A puppy, really. So, that brings another set of challenges to the mix.
My work with the Department of Corrections continues. Still see quite a mix of people who are sticking to change and those who are allowing their hearts to become even more hardened. It is both encouraging and depressing. On one hand, I see people seeking to better themselves and to find healing in their lives. But with others, they allow their fear and anger to fester and grow. They are physically alive, but emotionally and spiritully dead, consumed by bitterness.
Think g about this reminded me of an intestine incident that happened. I had to escorts a lawyer so that he could get a signiture. This particles inmate continued to ask questions, make comments, etc, for a good 20 minutes. The attorny finally was finished and we were able to leave.
During our walk back to the front entrance the attorney started apologin for the long, dragged out session that he had. I let him know that I appreciated the apology, but I was just doing my job. After over 8 years, I was used to things like that.
Our conversation eventually drifted to the topic of ethics concerning prison terms, how inmates are treated after being released from prison, etc. I shared with him that one of my favirile seminary classes had been on ethics. This really seemed to perk his interest.
Because of his interest, I told the attorney about an interesting book that I had done a paper on. In this paper, I examined the overall plot from a condensed, abridged view, and one from a well informed perspectives. The attorney really liked that approach and, as he left, stated that he was going to look for that book.
Looking back, I know that was a "God thing." That is, it was a very unique situation that God had set up so that He could touch someone's life through me. An otherwise irritating series of events that morning became a place of encouragement and blessing.
Isn't it amazing how God can take a situation that is negative and turn it into something good? Even though I have experienced it many times, God still surprises me with those experiences.
That has gotten me thinking about current events. There have been numerous terrorust attacks in Europe, brazen attacks on Law Enforcement Officers who are doing their jobs, etc. It is easy to start feeling depressed and hopeless just watching or reading about them. Especially in our information saturated world. But, the Bible Study that I led this evening was an encourager.
In both 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Paul directly addresses Christ''s second coming. Though persecution will grow, Crust will come again. No matter what we may experience, no matter how high of a cost, Christ will one day take us home.
That is the hope that we have. That God came into our world to not just redeem us, but to bring ourselves for His blessing. We will always ge
Monday, July 25, 2016
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Independence Day Thoughts
References:
• Freedom definition
• Independence definition
• Jude 1:1
• John 8:34-44
I have been thinking long and hard about this blog entry. Because we were out until well after supper on July Fourth, I was not able to write anything. Yesterday, I was taking care of the kids and doing typical household chores while my wife worked. Again, I was not able to sit down and write anything. But, I was thinking about what to write throughout the day. Today, because my lower back is really bothering me, I am home resting it, trying to stay on top of the pain. It is never a good day when my back acts up, because it affects all that I do. However, since sitting at a computer for short periods of times is something that I can do. So, I am finally getting a chance to put my thoughts into words.
My wife and I talked quite a bit about what we were going to do in celebration of Independence Day. After several discussions, we decided to visit the Homestead National Monument, just outside of Beatrice, Nebraska. It is not the first time we’ve been there. But, being Independence Day, we figured with would be appropriate. That is, celebrating what our Founding Fathers gave us to inherit, this vast country to settle and live in relative freedom.
But, do we really live ‘in freedom?’ That is a very subjective word. What freedom means to one person will not be the same for someone else. According to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, we freedom of the press, freedom of religious practice, freedom of assembly, freedom to keep and bear arms, etc. Because of the tyranny that our Founding Fathers, like George Washington, Ben Franklin, John Hancock, amongst many others, lived under, they put in many, many checks and balances within the Constitution to help ensure that future generations enjoy the same freedoms. And, to some extent, we are.
The thing is, we are never really ‘free.’ Think about it, we will eventually suffer the consequences of the decisions that we make. If we make positive choices, we should experience positive repercussions. If we make bad decisions, we should experience negative consequences. This is not always the case. One can easily read through crime and political stories and see that many people suffer bad consequences for making good choices or make bad decisions but yet are not held accountable. For those of us who believe in the importance of justice, that is a great heartache.
But, all of that aside, we really are not free. Though we may have more freedoms to speak our minds (though Political Correctness is a hindrance to that), worship how we choose, etc., they are all really limited. We are constrained by what is available to us where we live and work. For example, I am in the Army Nation Guard. Though I can participate in elections, I have to be very careful what I say and do in and out of uniform. I am held to different standard, due to the nature of my work. I am also very much constrained in how I critique my leadership. It’s against the Uniformed Code of Military Justice to speak of my leadership in a negative manner that impacts the morale and welfare of the US Military as a whole.
If I were ordained within a denomination (let’s say, Presbyterian Church USA, since that is the denomination that I grew up in) and challenged decisions that the PC USA leadership had made, they could (depending on what I said and how I said it), take me to court (Judicial hearings) and, could either reprimand me, prevent me from being able to accept a call to another church, revoke my ordination credentials, or even excommunicate me. Believe it or not, the PC USA can excommunicate someone. In a nutshell, the denomination, if it so chooses, will have every church that the excommunicated member attended and have them erase all references of their attendance, having been confirmed and/or being on any ministry boards, etc. Such a person would not be able to transfer their membership to any other church; they would literately have to start all over.
However, each and every one of us is truly not free. We all have a sinful nature and pushes us to make bad, selfish decisions. We all easily choose to do things that harm ourselves and others. Some people flaunt their sinful passions while others seek to restrain them. But, it is something we all have. We are either slaves to our sinful passions, or we are servants of Christ. That is, we willingly submit ourselves to His Lordship, seeking to be obedient in service to Him. Whether we choose to be servants to our sinful nature or seek to be faithful servants of Christ, we are not ‘kings or queens’ or our own life.
We are never ‘truly free.’ We have to submit ourselves to those that we work for. We have to submit ourselves to the rules and regulations of the local town, state, and even country that we live in, etc. While in school getting an education, we have to submit ourselves to their rules for attending classes, getting good grades, taking the courses we need to graduate, etc. We are always having to submit ourselves to someone or something (organization). We also either submit our choices to our sinful nature, or we prayerfully seek to be led by God via the Holy Spirit. What is our choice?
• Freedom definition
• Independence definition
• Jude 1:1
• John 8:34-44
I have been thinking long and hard about this blog entry. Because we were out until well after supper on July Fourth, I was not able to write anything. Yesterday, I was taking care of the kids and doing typical household chores while my wife worked. Again, I was not able to sit down and write anything. But, I was thinking about what to write throughout the day. Today, because my lower back is really bothering me, I am home resting it, trying to stay on top of the pain. It is never a good day when my back acts up, because it affects all that I do. However, since sitting at a computer for short periods of times is something that I can do. So, I am finally getting a chance to put my thoughts into words.
My wife and I talked quite a bit about what we were going to do in celebration of Independence Day. After several discussions, we decided to visit the Homestead National Monument, just outside of Beatrice, Nebraska. It is not the first time we’ve been there. But, being Independence Day, we figured with would be appropriate. That is, celebrating what our Founding Fathers gave us to inherit, this vast country to settle and live in relative freedom.
But, do we really live ‘in freedom?’ That is a very subjective word. What freedom means to one person will not be the same for someone else. According to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, we freedom of the press, freedom of religious practice, freedom of assembly, freedom to keep and bear arms, etc. Because of the tyranny that our Founding Fathers, like George Washington, Ben Franklin, John Hancock, amongst many others, lived under, they put in many, many checks and balances within the Constitution to help ensure that future generations enjoy the same freedoms. And, to some extent, we are.
The thing is, we are never really ‘free.’ Think about it, we will eventually suffer the consequences of the decisions that we make. If we make positive choices, we should experience positive repercussions. If we make bad decisions, we should experience negative consequences. This is not always the case. One can easily read through crime and political stories and see that many people suffer bad consequences for making good choices or make bad decisions but yet are not held accountable. For those of us who believe in the importance of justice, that is a great heartache.
But, all of that aside, we really are not free. Though we may have more freedoms to speak our minds (though Political Correctness is a hindrance to that), worship how we choose, etc., they are all really limited. We are constrained by what is available to us where we live and work. For example, I am in the Army Nation Guard. Though I can participate in elections, I have to be very careful what I say and do in and out of uniform. I am held to different standard, due to the nature of my work. I am also very much constrained in how I critique my leadership. It’s against the Uniformed Code of Military Justice to speak of my leadership in a negative manner that impacts the morale and welfare of the US Military as a whole.
If I were ordained within a denomination (let’s say, Presbyterian Church USA, since that is the denomination that I grew up in) and challenged decisions that the PC USA leadership had made, they could (depending on what I said and how I said it), take me to court (Judicial hearings) and, could either reprimand me, prevent me from being able to accept a call to another church, revoke my ordination credentials, or even excommunicate me. Believe it or not, the PC USA can excommunicate someone. In a nutshell, the denomination, if it so chooses, will have every church that the excommunicated member attended and have them erase all references of their attendance, having been confirmed and/or being on any ministry boards, etc. Such a person would not be able to transfer their membership to any other church; they would literately have to start all over.
However, each and every one of us is truly not free. We all have a sinful nature and pushes us to make bad, selfish decisions. We all easily choose to do things that harm ourselves and others. Some people flaunt their sinful passions while others seek to restrain them. But, it is something we all have. We are either slaves to our sinful passions, or we are servants of Christ. That is, we willingly submit ourselves to His Lordship, seeking to be obedient in service to Him. Whether we choose to be servants to our sinful nature or seek to be faithful servants of Christ, we are not ‘kings or queens’ or our own life.
We are never ‘truly free.’ We have to submit ourselves to those that we work for. We have to submit ourselves to the rules and regulations of the local town, state, and even country that we live in, etc. While in school getting an education, we have to submit ourselves to their rules for attending classes, getting good grades, taking the courses we need to graduate, etc. We are always having to submit ourselves to someone or something (organization). We also either submit our choices to our sinful nature, or we prayerfully seek to be led by God via the Holy Spirit. What is our choice?
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