Disclaimers

Every website needs a great slogan and theirs is awesome:

Issuing The Truth International, Inc.
Where the Truth Gets Published

That sounds like something I'd be interested in, how about you? I mean really, isn't truth what we're interested in? Finally, as close as my computer, and the word 'Truth' is even in their name, couldn't be more simple! Wonder what truth they have for me? "Eliminate Disease in 92 days"...I'm all in for that...Hmmm, "doctors are killing more people in the US than all diseases combined"...really? Now that's news, someone should warn Oprah about Dr. Oz...Must read on...wait, here is a real nugget, all the way down at the bottom of the page, in small, grayed out text, I find this sentence:

"Truth International assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material."

What?!? But the name of your website is 'Truth'?!? Just in case you're not sure, that means: "Don't Blame Us". If you do what our anti-A.M.A., alternative medical advice website tells you to do, and it hurts you or you die, it's not our fault...you should have known better. We told you it wouldn't be our fault if you followed our advice.

Now be honest, does that surprise you? Me neither, and that's a shame. Our society is so, completely full of the "Don't blame me" mentality. It's not new, or just Truth International Inc. Watch a little late night TV and you'll see the psychics who will "guide" you in your future, your love life, and your career choices for only $1.99 per minute. "For Entertainment Purposes Only."

So, does saying "Don't blame me" actually relieve me of blame? Well, of course not, it's just a legal maneuver to defend ourselves against frivolous lawsuits, right? Yes, in a litigious society like ours, people write disclaimers to protect themselves against lawsuits, but I'm more interested in the concept than Truth International Inc. We hear it from our kids, "he hit me first", "I didn't mean to"; from our spouses, "Yes I did, but You make me so mad"; from our politicians "the previous guy messed it up much worse than we knew, so there is no way I can keep my campaign promises...this term..."; and from ourselves too, eh? "They needed to be taken down a notch or two", "Any jerk who drives like that deserves it...", "you don't expect me to just sit there and take that?"

Disclaimers have been around almost as long as people. Remember Adam & Eve? God says "Eve did you eat the fruit I told you not to eat?" "Well Lord, here is what happened, that snake, he deceived me. He told me you were holding out on me and that I would be as wise as you are if I ate the fruit" [Read here: Don't blame me, it's not my fault, it's the snake's fault].

"Adam, did you eat that fruit?" Well, yes, Lord, but if you're really interested in justice here, I only did it because of her. That woman, that you gave me. She said "it's what's for supper". [Read here: Don't blame me, it's not my fault, it's Eve's fault] "And if you really want to be technical about it Lord, you do remember where that woman came from anyway don't you? That woman, that you gave me. I do believe it was YOU who put her here, so before you go slinging around accusations, just remember who started this mess..." [Read here: Don't blame me, it's not my fault, it's your fault]

I submit to you that Christianity is the antithesis of disclaimers. I suggest that Christianity has nothing to do with how they treat you, what they did to you, what they said about you, what circumstances you were in, who else would've done the same thing, or who said it was okay. On the contrary, Christianity has everything to do with you.

Did you come from a dysfunctional family? Welcome to the human race. Were they unfair to you? I feel your pain. Now let's talk about you. Did you lie? Were you dishonest? Did you just put it in your pocket and walk out? Are you lazy? Are you irritable, rude, or just plain mean when you don't get your way? Did you cheat on your spouse? Did you just take it, knowing it wasn't yours? Was that you who gossiped at work about her? Just to give them a head's up? Oh yes, it is about you. It's all about you.

I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you...

Matthew 5:44

Quit blaming others. Take personal responsibility for your life and your behavior. It's not someone else's fault you do what you do. Oddly, there is tremendous freedom in just taking responsibility for yourself. Read David's 51st Psalm. Did you sin? Yes. Whose fault is it? Yours of course. No blaming, no excuses, no more disclaimers! Just a broken and contrite heart. That God will not despise.

Remember February?

The Home Place on February 11, 2010

A bit of flowerbed color peeking out of the snow

The obvious thing for an 8 year old boy to do...

The obvious response from the 16 year old sister...

Beautiful daughter #3

Jasmine the bunny wasn't sure what to do in this stuff

The way sisters are supposed to be [at least in pictures...]

Beautiful Daughter #2

Beautiful Daughter #1

A blanket of snow...

Beautiful Wife and the girls

He's still at it...

Dad teaches the young whipper-snapper how it's done

Hope you enjoyed the reminder...

An Evil Speed

Is there 'an evil speed'?
What do you mean "an evil speed"?
I mean a speed that is inherently evil? I mean, is driving 75 mph an evil speed?
No, you say, I do it all the time.
What about 80? 90? 100? 65? 37?
no, no, no, no and no you say.
Then why can I get a traffic ticket for driving any of those speeds?
Well, it's because of the law.

Right, the law! When I got my driver's license, the speed limit on an interstate highway was 55mph. I remember discussing it with a fellow student who was arguing that it should be 60 because 60 is in harmony with nature [60 sec. in a minute, 60 min. in an hour...] During that time I got a ticket for driving 62mph...on a highway. But, when I was in college, they changed the speed limit from 55 to 70 on those same highways. So again I ask about evil speed. Did they change the law because 62, which used to be evil, is no longer evil? Is 72 now evil?
no, that's silly. A speed is not evil.
Exactly! you see, there is no evil speed. It's not a matter of numbers, or physics, or training, or mechanics, it's not even a matter of speed, it is a matter of law, and of obedience to that law.
The question is simple. Will you, or will you not obey?

"Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake"
1 Peter 2:13

Tornado Season

When driving down the road, on a clear sunny day, my windshield was suddenly covered with mist which blobbed and streaked in the dust. Rain from a clear sky? no. Sprinklers watering the median? no. It was Overspray from the windshield washer on the Mercedes C230 in front of me. You know those things can be adjusted so they don't spray everyone else on the road.

That got me to thinking. Sometimes our overspray gets on people too doesn't it? Even when we don't mean for it to. Like when someone has 'one too many' and kills a young mother and daughter with his car. "He didn't mean to" may be true, but it doesn't bring anyone back to life does it? Actually, just like ripples that cover an entire pond when you toss in a pebble, the "overspray" from a maladjusted life gets on lots of people, often people we don't even know. For example: [Names and details have been changed to protect those identified in this story]
Several years ago I got a frantic phone call from a man whose wife, we'll call her Donna, had just been arrested for embezzling $150,000 from the company she was an accountant for. This wife and mother of three had cooked up the idea of taking the money and fleeing to the Caribbean with her son's baseball coach. Now she was sitting in jail, refusing to talk to her husband or anyone from the family or church. He was in shock and the children were devastated. This family had been friends of mine for many years and he believed that she would talk with me. Would I come? Of course. I asked my wife to throw a few clothes in a suitcase for me while I called the airlines and bought a plane ticket. I headed out to the airport, and arrived just in time to board the plane for my five hour flight. [pause]

Are you getting the picture here that this was a serious crisis, brought on by the bad choices of primarily one person? Do you see how her actions did not just affect her, but they also directly injured her husband, and their three children? Not to mention her fellow employees, her company, the reputation of her congregation, her parents, her friends, and now, dare I say it, even me? ahhh, but we are not yet done with the story.... [resume]
About 30 minutes after my plane takes off, my wife and children, who are home on a Stormy North Texas evening, hear an unusual noise. Almost a whistle, faint in the distance, hard to really make it out in the rain, then, suddenly the wind and rain stop, and in the almost echoing silence, the sound is perfectly clear...it is the tornado siren...warning to take cover immediately, there is a tornado...somewhere...coming here...quick, turn on the TV...channel 8...

A tornado has been confirmed, I repeat, a tornado has been confirmed, if you are in the path of this storm, take shelter immediately. If you do not have a storm shelter, move to an interior room of your...zzzt...zzzzttt...blackness...who turned off the TV?...and who turned off the lights?...and who turned off...oh, the power has gone off!...kids begin to cry, the only light now is from the almost constant strobe of lightening...

do you know that feeling? When the air is heavy with apprehension? When the prickles stand up tall on your forearm? When you just know that things aren't right, but you also know there is nothing you can do about it, and you're pretty sure it's gonna get worse before it gets better? That moment when your first thought is of that someone you think you can always turn to because you know you can count on them in times of trouble? This was that moment. Think frightened wife realizing that she, and she alone, is responsible for the safety of her children, right now...what to do? no storm shelter, no lights, no panic room, no news, "QUICK, COME WITH ME, GET YOUR SISTER..." think terrified kids hiding under the stairs, I wish daddy was here...think sound of a freight train coming through the front yard, "mommie, where is daddy?"
Well, actually, daddy was on an airplane, with his cell phone on "airplane mode", out of reach, out of touch, and totally unavailable to those in crisis at home. If you stop and noticed you'll see that what we're talking about is merely another layer of ripples from the impact of Donna's sinful 'pebble tossing'? My children were hiding under the stairs, terrified of a tornado, when the one person they counted on most to provide stability, confidence, and calm in a crisis was simply not there. Why? Because Donna decided to embezzle $150,000, that's why. Now, as I said before, Donna was my friend, and had been for years. I had stayed in their home many times. She wouldn't hurt or frighten my children for anything in the world...but she did. Her windshield overspray, cloudied the windshields of my children for that oh so brief, but intense few minutes.
The good things we do impact others, right? [Thankfully] And likewise the evil we do impacts others also. Don't believe, and for goodness sake don't ever give, excuses like "we are two consenting adults, what we do is our business, it doesn't hurt anyone else", [because it does] or "it's my life/body, I can do what I want with it, what I do doesn't affect you", [because it does] or "As long as they don't bother me", or "you leave me alone and I'll leave you alone". You see, I am made just a little bit better when those around me, feed the hungry, stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves, speak up boldly for God's truth, take responsibility for themselves and their families. And I am made just a little bit the worse for wear when my president lies, or my child cheats on a test, or my church trades truth for full pews.
What you do affects others, likely even people you don't know, and likely people you will never meet. Your life, like ripples in a pond, will affect many who will live years from now, maybe long after your death. Use your time, and your life, wisely. Leave a Godly Heritage for those who follow. Blaze a noble path, so those who come after will see more clearly to seek after righteousness.

May all your ripples move people in the right direction, and for goodness sake, don't embezzle from your company... it's tornado season.

The problem with a blog

"better to keep your mouth shut and appear to be a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"

I can win every time on The Price is Right. I can win because when I'm sitting at home playing, it's always my turn, even when my bid wouldn't have won, I get to go on stage with the winner and try again, and again, and again. When it's always your turn, you start thinking you're pretty good when really you may not be good at all. A lot of life is like that to me.

The problem with a blog is that you think you have all these insightful things to say and all your friends and even total strangers are going to read your blog and think "wow, that's cool, I never thought about it that way before" and they will be inspired or motivated to some higher level in their life. Then you start writing and the things you have to say sound really good to you, after all they are your opinions, you'll never find anyone you agree with more. Click "Publish Post".

What's weird is how, even though you are reading them on the same computer screen, at the same corner table, in the same Starbucks, when they're published, your opinions aren't nearly as insightful or clever as you thought they were while they remained unspoken...at least that's how I see it now.

Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent,
and discerning if he holds his tongue.
Proverbs 17:28

Remember that time...

A couple of years ago I met a former Heisman trophy winner. He was kind and polite to us, and my son has a picture of himself being held by this man, along with an autographed "Heisman Pose" photo. In visiting with him guess what he talked about? His "biggest day" scoring several touchdowns in one football game some 20 odd years ago. What has he done since then? Squandered the millions he made playing football, filed bankruptcy, divorced his wife, spent time in jail as a dead-beat dad, been convicted of domestic abuse, and acted like a fool on National TV.

This guy is not unusual though, often people will hold on to a time in the past when they acted with nobility as though that forever seals the question of their character. That is as fallacious as fixating on a past failure as forever sealing the answer of a man's character.

David, was he a great man of God, or a Lying, Murdering, Adulterer?
Paul, was he a great and godly apostle, or an enemy of God?
Peter, was he a foundational leader of the church and friend of Christ, or a bigoted, betraying, coward?
Rahab, was she a noble and courageous woman of faith, or a whore?

The answer is yes.

No-one wants to be judged today by mistakes they made in the distant past, I know I don't, but we do like to be judged today by successes in the distant past don't we? Recently I heard someone say "You know I will change my mind if I'm proven wrong, because 13 years ago there was this time that..." as if the fact they changed their mind 13 years ago forever proves they are open minded. Now this person may be open minded, but that isn't proven by something they did years ago, it will be proven by what they do today.

Paul said: Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

You see, he had been instrumental in the death of Christians, but he wasn't defined by that NOW. Now he was different. But in the same way, he had converted thousands to Jesus, yet he wasn't resting on that NOW. Now, he was pressing on toward the goal.

So how should we judge the former Heisman trophy winner? On his success or his failure? Well, actually they are both part of what he was. Right now though, I don't know what he is, God will be his judge, I don't need to. What I'm more concerned with is how I judge myself, and by extension, if you are reading this post, how you judge yourself.

Do you judge yourself now by your greatest moment in the past? Do you judge yourself by your worst moment in your past? Don't! Don't live back there. Enjoy your successes, repent of your failures, and today serve the Lord!

Nonsense is Nonsense

If God can do anything, can he make a rock so big that he can't move it?

"...nonsense remains nonsense even when we talk it about God" - C.S. Lewis

Isn't it amazing when otherwise intelligent people become self-contradicting lunatics when we talk religion? Why does that happen? I've got a couple of thoughts.
First, often in religion, what I say/believe is tainted by what I want to be true. Now that's not the case in Mathematics. In Math, I'm not tempted to believe 2+2 is 5 because I want it to be 5. It simply doesn't matter to me what 2+2 is as long as I can learn the answer. But with religion we're different. I may believe the man is to be 'head of the house' because I read that in the Bible, but it just simply isn't true that I have no vested interest in the outcome of that study. I want it to be true. "Ah-ha! See, it must not be true that the man is the head of the house then", says my wife, "You just think that because you want to believe it!" Do you see the complication here? She doesn't want to believe it, and I do want to believe it. So is it true or not? "Well", someone says, "it is true for you, and not true for her". This is nonsense . Truth does not change from one person to another, unless it is truth about opinion. Either God says the man is the head of the house, or he doesn't. [To see His answer, read Ephesians 5:22-32]
Recently my daughter was writing a persuasive paper for a college class. Her thesis was that "Blue is a better color than red". Oh really? That may be true for me, and not true for you, because that is just a matter of opinion, or context, but it is not true in the greater sense of the word truth. The complexity comes when we forget that something isn't true or untrue "just because I want to believe it is true". Truth is Objective and External, not Subjective and Internal. One foot is 12 inches long, not just because I wish it to be 12 inches long, but because it is 12 inches long, my likes or dislikes aside.
Now, in matters of religion, most of us are influenced by what we know the Bible says, but we are also influence by what we want to believe, what we have a vested interest in believing. If I believe something different than my parents, it will offend them and make the holidays unpleasant, or If someone believes that God forbids divorce for 'irreconcilable differences', they're stuck in an unhappy marriage, etc.
Secondly, consider what is wrong with the opening line of this post. It is self-contradictory. There is no answer to it because it is nonsense. You might not be tricked or deceived by such a 

silly question as that, but don't people do that kind of thing all the time? God cannot at the same time give us free will to accept or reject Him and at the same time predestine, apart from our own will, who does and doesn't accept Him. Either we have free will or we don't, and this nonsense doesn't become sensible because we are talking about God. God cannot want "all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4) and at the same time predestine some for eternal damnation. Either he wants all men to be saved or he doesn't. God cannot require us to be baptized to be saved, and at the same time not require us to be baptized to be saved. Either God has told us that he requires baptism, or he doesn't. Not both.
So how do we know? We could spend hours discussing what C.S. Lewis believed about free will, or what Jonathan Edwards believed about it [they were diametrically opposed by the way], but really, the only thing that determines truth, is what the Bible says about it, right? This leads to a final fallacy that I want to mention here. The "my verse trumps your verse" mentality. As a believer that the Bible is God's word, I don't believe it contradicts itself. I don't believe that you'll find verses that genuinely teach we have free will and others that genuinely teach we don't. This shows up frequently when discussing what God requires of man in salvation. Some teach that we are saved by "faith alone" and quote verses like John 3:16 which only mention belief. Others say, "no, we must repent of our sins" and they will quote verses like Acts 17:30 which require repentance but don't mention anything else. Then others say "you must be baptized to be saved". They quote verses like Acts 2:38, or 22:16 which don't mention belief. In a discussion, often these combatants will argue "my verse trumps your verse". So who is right? "Well my verse says..." Then along comes someone who, desiring to keep peace, says "We're all just taking different paths to the same destination. You believe your verse, I'll believe mine." or in other words, there is no Truth, just opinion. In actuality, the verses are all true. You must believe, repent, and be baptized.My final witness in this post is John 14:6 where Jesus claimed "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the father except through me". Either that is true or it is not true. Is there any other way to the Father except through Jesus? To say yes is to call Jesus a liar. Contradictory, mutually exclusive things can only be true simultaneously if they are opinion. In Christianity, many things are left to our opinion, (ie. celebrating religious holidays - Romans 14), but many things are not, and the things that are not...are not.
Pay special attention that you don't try to keep peace by spouting nonsense, and that you never, ever excuse your own nonsense by charging God with it!

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. - 1 Corinthians 1:25

Wisdom isn't like Technology

I've noticed through the years that the cliche "energy and growth comes from youth" seems to hold true with churches just as with other organizations, and it seems like popular religion has learned this. Everything is "youth driven". Churches have learned that if the kids want to go to your church, the parents will bring them. That is how to grow a church, appeal to the youth. The paradigm seems to be "Whatever it takes to get young people is what we need to do". Be that a room full of X-box stations, concerts instead of worship, or our own branded coffee house ["He-Brews Coffee House" ---really???].
Now, I've got nothing against a good cup of coffee at the church building, and I really don't think the motive that drives these churches is bad, but I do believe the consequences are. Yes, the churches grow, yes, they fill huge stadiums with eager disciples, but at what cost? Churches are becoming so "seeker sensitive" that they have become "savior insensitive". The driving purpose is "What do kids want" not "What does God want". Do you think that by being so successful at exposing the young people of our society to this weakened, entertainment based, youth centered, stylized version of Christianity, these churches are doing the spiritual equivilent of inoculating them against true, God centered, love God and Others, Biblical Christianity? I don't know, but I wonder.

This brings me to my main thought for this post. With technology we can stand on the shoulders of the generations before us; thus we aren't starting at the same place our parents or grandparents did. Once someone invents the wheel, it's a much smaller step to put it on everything from cars to suitcases. Wisdom is different. With Wisdom, we each start at the same place. You don't get to begin your life with the wisdom that experience begets. The flip-side of the cliche I began with is that "wisdom and stability come from age". I think that's one reason God designed the church to be lead/guided by elders, not youngsters. There are only two ways young people get wisdom. One is by living, which takes a long time but is very effective. The other is by listening to, and being guided by, older people. Is your church guided by the whims and trends of young people? Or the wisdom of elders? Obviously I'm not advocating a "sink or swim" mentality toward our youth. They do need attention, they just don't need to be guiding the ship.

PS. The obvious irony here is that I'm learning this in 'middle age' as I become an 'elder', not a younger...

A Secret Is A Terrible Thing

I want to warn you about one of Satan's favorite schemes...secrets. A secret is a terrible thing...especially when the secret is your own sin.When you hide a sin, keeping it "just your little secret", what you are doing, unintentionally no doubt, is allowing Satan leverage over you. He can, and will, use that "dirty little secret" against you. "But it's just between me and God", "I'll never do it again", "It was so long ago". Sadly, all you're rationalizing won't change that. A secret sin is the equivalent of allowing Satan to put a handle in the middle of your back. Every time you try to stand up spiritually, Satan will use that sin against you. He will black-mail you. Interestingly, the name 'Satan' means 'accuser', and he is a specialist at that. "Just who do you think you are?", "You're not much of a Christian!", "If people find out what you've done, your public humiliation will destroy you", "How can you be so arrogant to confront them about their sin, considering what you've done?"
So what is the best way to get rid of a black-mailer? Pay him? That's usually the first thing we try isn't it? But you've seen the movie, he's never satisfied, he always wants more and more, the payments never end. So, what can be done to get rid of a black-mailer? Well, obviously, get rid of the secret, confess it, expose it. When you do that, he has no more leverage over you.That, I believe, is one reason God tells us over and over to confess our sins. Once you do, Satan cannot use your secret against you anymore. Do you have a secret sin? Find a godly brother/sister in the Lord who will give you righteous counsel and get that handle off your back!

He who covers his sins will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.Proverbs 28:13

Common Sense Schemes

We had a sermon at church a couple of weeks back about Satan the Schemer. Above was the title slide from the Powerpoint. Spooky eh? Wow, I mean, if Satan and his schemes are that evil and frightening, why would any of us mess with him?

That got me to thinking. The truth is that (almost) no-one would mess with an evil demon if it was an obviously evil giant, and looked this scary, Red with wings & horns, etc. But what if Satan might look more like this...

Would you be more likely to let him into your house? Would you listen to what he had to say? Would he be welcome at your dinner table? Listen to what the Apostle Paul said:

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness - 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

And just like Satan himself, his schemes often don't seem evil, they just seem like common sense. Exact revenge...if you let them get away with it, they'll just do it again, either to you or someone else. That just makes good common sense right?

You gotta look out for ole number one. If you aren't cheating you're not trying. Who in their right mind would report cash on their income tax statement? I mean, c'mon, their bleeding us dry as it is. We're two consenting adults, it's nobody's business how I live my life! I Just want to be happy, doesn't God want me to be happy? Oh, so you think you're perfect? Don't you judge me! It's my body, I should be able to choose to do whatever I wants with it. It just wasn't a good time to have children. We don't need a piece of paper to legitimize our love...

You've heard 'em, probably even said 'em. We can still be friends, and the kids can go to his place every weekend, it's better than us fighting all the time. I just want my children to be happy, spanking a child just teaches them to be violent. Drink responsibly. You've got to vent you frustrations, let them out, you'll be much happier if you do. It's a disease, not a sin, there is nothing I can do about it, it's not my fault...

Now, I'm not saying that everything that seems to be common sense is a scheme of Satan, but we need to be aware. Satan is far too crafty to walk up and say "Psst, hey, look at this, it will destroy your home, devastate your children, ruin your career, steal your health, then you get to go to Hell for all eternity...All it will cost you is everything!

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death
Proverbs 14:12