Category Archives: Random Thoughts

Here are a collection of commentaries made on a few different topics. A bit of politics, a bit of disability related items and general stuff.

Lions! Tigers! Bears! Oh my!

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Last week, I asked a friend, “What do you know about social media?” As I talked with the older gentleman, I notice a haunted look on his face. Though tech savvy, it was strange to hear the man talk fearfully of the Internet.

As I listened to the friend’s concerns, a scene from the Wizard of Oz came to mind. I could still hear Dorothy, Tin Man and Scarecrow singing “Lions, Tigers and Bears! Oh my!” Was there a lion? Yes, it was the Cowardly Lion. Guess who was more afraid of whom? Yes, there is a connection between the two. Continue reading →

Calling Superman!

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One day, I came across a curious conversation on Facebook. My niece was telling of an interesting encounter. What happened? My niece was on a train and there was a man preaching God.  Sounds harmless, right?

There is just one thing. The man is wearing a Superman costume and preaching God. It seems the man thought he was Superman.

Continue reading →

Is It Time To Write A Book?

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Is it time to write an e-book? This is not a rhetorical question; rather it’s a serious one.

The other day, I was reading a book written by a pastor named Ron Christian. It was a  very nicely put together book. The title is “Practicing the Presence”. I decided to look up the author and came across the website of the group distributing Ron’s e-book. The site is called SmashWord.

After looking at the cost, I am thinking of giving it, a shot. Here’s my rough idea. I would like to create a memoir style anthology. I’m not seeking to write a straight memoir. Rather, I want to compile a series of stories found on this blog. Each story would conceivably make up one chapter.

The question is, “What story would be best for a book appearing on Barnes & Noble or Amazon?” This is going to be a straight e-book.

The theme is more than just “overcoming”.  There’s also my personal view that my disabilities were never a prison. At least, I never thought so and neither did friends and family.

It seems I’ve come full circle. Years ago, some people have said that I should write a book. The time was not right. I simply was not ready. Today, I am asking “Is it time to write that e-book?”

So what stories should I put in “A Story of Grace”? As chapters will need to be longer than what appears on a blog; how can I expand on those stories? Each story would ideally take up a chapter.  Any ideas?

A List of Old Stories

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This morning, I went digging for some possible story ideas. I have read on Frank Viola’s site, “Beyond Evangelical” and Timethief’s “One Cool Site” about revising my old blog posts. A year ago, I could not have done it. Today, I thought it useful to list some interesting stories.

I’d love to hear what you think of them. I’m just going to list a couple of them.

  1. The Tragedy of Goodman Brown Goodman Brown is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I provided a link to the actual story in this post. This article is my response to what I saw, when reading.
  2. Get Out of The Backseat! Thought this new title would work better. We’re called to co-labor with God and not merely sit in the backseat of a car.
  3. The Good Muslim This is a modern take on the parable of the Good Samaritan, as told by Jesus.
  4. Waiting for Godot Godot is a two act play. I saw the first act in college and took notice of the implied meaning. Years later, the play came to mind with a twist. I hope you enjoy my twist and spin on this old play.

I trust you’ll enjoy reading these stories.

 

Pat Robertson?? Here We Go, Again

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It seems Pat Robertson is at it, again. A couple of days ago, I visited news site called “The Christian Post”. I was seeking ideas for my next blog post.  Imagine my surprise when reading “Pat Robertson vs the Spirit of Adoption“. Here’s what happened. Continue reading →

Musings on Election of 2012

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For the past few days, it has been on my mind to write about the upcoming Presidential election. It would be easy to make this an opinion piece about the Election of 2012; however I shall not do so.  It would not be difficult to be strident about one political ideology and place it over the other. Continue reading →

And They Are Off! Race For 2012 Has Begun

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In case you haven’t notice, the race for the Presidency of the United States is already underway.  Aside from President Obama, there are 7 other people who’d like a shot at the Oval Office.  I am not going to say who to vote for.  As an American citizen, the decision is yours to make.

My goal is to urge you to begin praying for the eight presidential candidates and not wait until the summer or November.  The best time to begin praying, is today. We, each have a candidate that we like.  This is fine and a good reason to pray for him or her.

I would like you to go a step further. Ask God, the Father about these people.  What is God saying about the candidates? Please remember, God is not a Republican or a Democrat. As God’s ways are not ours, please don’t expect an echo chamber. It is good to ask “Who is God’s man for the hour?”

Did you know that Scripture offers some advice on what to look for? For starters, there is Exodus 18:21:

21 Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.

There is also Deut 1:13:

13 Choose wise and discerning and experienced men from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.’

Did you notice that God is telling Moses, to choose those who’d help him lead the tribes of Israel?  Could Moses choose anyone?  No, Moses had to choose people with very specific character traits.  These traits are honesty, hate dishonest gains, experienced, godly, wise and discerning. Once chosen, God would appoint them, as leaders of the tribes of Israel.

We should want these same characters in our elected leaders.  Why is this important? A person with these character will seek to do what is right, in the sight of God.  They would not be so prone to popular opinions and resist pressure groups.  Plus, they would not have the need to sign pledges.

A friend once suggested that we need statesmen and not politicians.  I agree. A politician is one who worries about the next election and not doing what’s right.  A statesman is a godly person, who seeks to do what is right and he is not worrying about re-election. Let’s ask God, to replace the politicians with statesmen.

How shall we know, if we have such a person?  It is done through prayer and searching out the truth.  Don’t be satisfied with what you hear on Fox News, CNN or MSNBC. They are each pushing for their favorite candidates.

It is best to start with prayer.   Ask God, the Father about how to pray for each person.  Ask the Holy Spirit to shine a light of truth on what’s heard on the news. You can trust God to lead us, to all truths about each candidates.  Here is an illustration of what I mean.

In the Election of 2008, I set my heart on praying for the presidential candidates of that time.  While praying, I was drawn towards certain presidential candidates. Did I know or understand what the political issues were? No.  Did I know where the presidential candidates stood on a given issue? No.

What did I do? I trusted the Holy Spirit to lead me, in prayer.  Sometimes, I would pray about a personal item relating to a specific candidate. Did I get some special download where I knew what to pray?  This may have happened; however, it was not my primary source of information.  I would occasionally get insights on what to pray through cable news or the Internet.

Take care of what you listen to or read! Not everything is true.  It is always good to talk with God and ask the Father about what you are hearing.  Please remember, Jesus did say that the Spirit will lead us, to all truths.

Don’t be afraid to do your own fact checking. My personal favorite fact checking sites are Snopes and PolitiFact.  On The Issues is another good place to learn about the candidates. These sites were a great tool for smelling out the manure.

I will finish with these two set of Scriptures:

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding. [Proverbs 3:5]

5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. [James 1:5-6]

http://www.ontheissues.org/default.htm

Let’s Pray

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After writing “Where Is Your Hope“, a good friend asked “Are we not to contend for the healing miracles?” I never said that we should not pray for supernatural healings and expect them.  It would be foolish for me, to believe or claim otherwise.

For, Jesus does say things like:

7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. [John 15:7]

24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. [Mark 11:24]

12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. [John 14:12-14]

We are even told be bold and persistent in our prayers to the Father:

5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge *said; 7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth? [Luke 18:5-8]

What then?  Do I suddenly change my original point and not place my hope in Jesus, but in what he does?  I don’t think so.  I am still to keep my eyes on who God, the Father is.  I am still to focus on who Jesus is.

My hope is in who Jesus is and not in what he can do for me.  Did you catch that last part of the sentence?  Our relationship with God is to be based on who He is and not what he can do for us.  According to Scripture, Jesus has also called us, to be one with Him and the Father:

24 Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. [John 17:24]

Suppose you have a friend, who never spends time in getting to know you.  The friend seems to only call when he wants something of you.  Would this not be considered a shallow friendship?  It would make for a hollow friendship.  The same principle applies with God.

The more we come to know God, the Father; it is the freer we are to ask.  The more we come to know God’s character; the more confidence we have in approaching the “throne of grace”.  Here is why:

15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. [Hebrews 4:15-16]

How can I know that Jesus can sympathize with me?  It is by taking the time to know Jesus.  If I never take time to know Jesus then how can I know what to ask.  God, the Father will not answer prayers that are opposed to his characters.

The Tragedy Of Goodman Brown And The Folly Of Pedestalism

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Who is Goodman Brown and what does it have to do with being on a pedestal?  Young Goodman Brown is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the 1800s. The story centers around a young man, who grew up in a small Puritan community called Salem Village. It was located near Boston.

Goodman Brown is a devout Christian, who believed everyone was far holier than he. So much that he has placed everyone on a highly pedestal.  He ceased to see them, as fellow imperfect human beings.

I am guessing Goodman Brown may have misreading Philippians 2:2-4:

2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

The above Scripture says we are to consider other people, before ourselves.  However, this should not be confused with placing people on a dangerously high pedestal.  When this is done; we seldom see the real human being or their needs. Instead, we treat them as idols.

What if they fall and have their sins exposed?  Would you continue to think kindly of them?  Would you respond to their needs or recoil in horror?

This is precisely what happened to young Goodman Brown.  He has made idols of everyone in his village. They could not possibly have a hint of sin in them or so Brown thought. He saw them, as perfect.

In the story, Brown has a fateful encounter with the Devil.  As a result, Goodman Brown had his eyes opened to the sins found in many of those, whom he idolized. Brown was so shaken by the revelation that he lost faith in himself, his wife and everyone else, including God.

The story ends with Brown becoming cold and cynical towards everyone.  Brown lost sight of the message of the Gospel.  He lost sight of God’s redemptive plan for humanity.  He could offer no help or consolations to those suffering in their sins.  How could he? Goodman Brown ceased to have compassion on his fellow human beings.

Consider how Hawthorne ended his tale:

And when he had lived long, and was borne to his grave a hoary corpse, followed by Faith, an aged woman, and children and grandchildren, a goodly procession, besides neighbors not a few, they carved no hopeful verse upon his tombstone, for his dying hour was gloom.

How did Brown lose faith in God?  Here is the second tragBrown has forgotten whom he served. Goodman Brown has forgotten why Jesus came into this world.  The reason could be found in John 3:16-17:

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Jesus did not come to condemn humanity and this is precisely what Brown was doing.  Jesus treated sinners with compassion, kindness and love. In fact, Jesus was even willing to die for sinners like us.