Birthday Reflections

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I’ve never cared much for special days. I’m glad we celebrate some good things on those days, but I wish most of them would go away. If I’m to be consistent, I have to apply the same standard to my birthday. I want to be careful saying that. I’ve gotten quite a few birthday wishes today and I don’t want to sound unappreciative. In fact I’m pleased and humbled to have so many. It’s good to be thought of, even if it’s mostly because Facebook won’t let you forget. This is not a landmark birthday, but it is a day to stop and think for a moment about where I have been, where I am, and where I want to go.

Actually I think I’ve done quite enough reflection about where I’ve been. I can only say again that I marvel at God’s mercy. He led me in the right direction even though I kept going the wrong way. As for where I am, I am more certain than I have been in a very long time that it is where God wants me to be. He called me to be a preacher. He made it happen.

Can I say that about every area of my life? I wish I were as certain of that, but does that uncertainty indicate a lack of trust that He is truly in control? If He led me to Bartimaeus Baptist Temple, did He not also provide for me in the job that I have? It provides for our needs. It allows me to take care of my wife and give to God’s work.

I took joy in preparing tomorrow’s sermon. I thought, “Is there any better way to spend my birthday than doing what He called me to do?” I’ll confess that’s not the way I’m thinking when I sit in this same chair on Monday morning. It should be. That job gives me the freedom to do the things I want to do. Until or unless He provides another way, I need to be thankful for it and approach it with the same level of dedication that I give to the things that seem more in line with what I imagine my mission in life to be.

What about the Constitution?

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As I watched last night’s ABC debate among the Republican presidential candidates, it finally occurred to me what was missing. There could be numerous other complaints about the debate, but this one bothers me most. It is something that has been missing from just about all the political discourse we’ve seen, the notable exception being Ron Paul, who does get a few things right.

We seem to understand this when we talk about Judges. The biggest question we have for any judge concerns how he or she views the Constitution. Is it a “living document” malleable to whatever form the judge or even the people think it should have, or is it a definite set of laws by which we are constrained until or unless it is changed by the processes it provides? This is not a question applicable only to Judges. Every government official is sworn to uphold the Constitution. Therefore, how he or she views it is critical to know. President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and others of like mind have clearly shown their contempt for the law of the land. Why then are we not asking questions of those who would replace them that reveal how faithful they will be to our Constitution?

Conservatives aren’t really doing that much better on this. A couple of months ago, Mike Huckabee ran an interview of each of the candidates in which state attorneys general asked them each a series of questions. Each was done individually and it was probably the best thing I’ve seen for exposing the governmental philosophy of each one. Rick Perry actually pulled out a copy of the Constitution at one point. Based on his performance that night and having read his book, I am favorably disposed toward him. His record in Texas is not unblemished, and I have real concerns about his ability to go up against Obama; but none of the others have shown me that they really mean to honor the Constitution. Bachman might have been a good choice, but she’s now out.

I still don’t know how I will vote when the time comes. I think my nose is sore from holding it every time I vote. It sure would be nice not to have to do that in November, but hope of that is ever diminishing. Every time I hear the current frontrunners talk, I hear variations on big government solutions that aren’t going to do anything to stop us from having an economic meltdown. They may delay the inevitable, but if anyone can stop it, it won’t be any of them.

I should add that no president can do that. He doesn’t have the power, despite the delusions of the current occupant of the Whitehouse. Our Constitution doesn’t give him that much power and that is a good thing. In order to turn this around, we need to be paying just as much attention to congress and we need to be asking them the same kinds of questions. Many who claim to be for limited government only wish to limit the parts they don’t like. That isn’t the standard. The Constitution is the standard.

You Deserve It

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We’ve all heard it. We’ve probably all said it of ourselves. Advertisements are full of it, and we’re all too ready to believe it. Is it true? Whatever “it” is, do we really deserve it?

When we speak of ourselves or someone else deserving something, we’re relying on our concept of justice to make that determination. Whether the desert is good or bad, we did something for which it is a just consequence. We may use the concept more generally regarding someone’s overall character, but character is revealed in action.

I cannot at this moment recall any time I have heard the phrase “I/You deserve it” spoken truthfully. The speaker may have believed it, but that didn’t make it true. We usually have an inflated view of ourselves and what we deserve. God tells us what we deserve through the Bible (Rom 6:23) and there’s nothing good about it. We deserve death. Every breath we take is an act of His mercy. Every good thing we have comes from Him (James 1:17.) When we start thinking this way our whole attitude changes. Demands are replaced with expressions of gratitude. Pride is overcome by humility. There is no room for jealousy. We will find ourselves glorifying Yahweh, creator and Lord of all that is and the only one who truly does deserve it.

Depression

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I stand at the gates of Hell, holding to a sliver of hope that I may not enter. I look for You, but I cannot find You. Are You hiding? Why? I see Your words in black and white and black and white all turns to gray. What did You say?

Pollution clouds my vision and I cannot see the Son through the haze. Can I know Your ways? How many days, weeks, months, years, decades will it take to shake this fake and make him real. You got a raw deal. How do You feel?

Hope lives. Love gives. I will see You tomorrow, but can I borrow, a little joy for the sorrow of today? What do You say? A break in the clouds, a voice from the crowds, “I love you!” From places never guessed, You bring the best, and I’ve no time to be depressed.

The Despicable Destruction of Herman Cain

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Do I know for certain that Mr. Cain is completely innocent?  No, I do not.  Do I know for certain that he should have been the next president?  No, I do not.  I’m convinced of only one thing.  His enemies set out to destroy his campaign, and they succeeded.  I realize this is nothing new in politics.  It goes back as far as politics has existed.  What bothers me is the complicity of the media.  If you watch most of the major networks, you probably don’t even know that every one of Cain’s accusers has a questionable past.  You probably dont’ know that Sharon Bialek knew David Axelrod, Obama’s top political advisor, and that Axelrod has used the same kind of dirt to bring down Obama’s opponents in the past.  As to this latest accusation that finally did him in, I believe his story.

Cain would have been Obama’s worst nightmare.  He would have exposed racial politics for the fraud that it is and the harm that it does.  While not the most articulate debater, he is far from the worst.  He would easily have bested Obama.  I believe he would have worked diligently to fill the gaps he seemed to have in the areas of foreign policy and would have done a good job as president.  I had not made a final decision that he would have my primary vote, but it was a definite possibility.

If he was not the man for the job, it should have been decided based on his qualifications for the job.  I don’t mean to say that moral character is not important.  If any of these allegations turned out to be true I would be the first to say he should not be president.  If as I still strongly suspect all of them are false, he aught to have the right to sue every single person who engaged in such accusation without adequate proof.  I doubt that he could, and it’s another question whether he should; but I think so.

Here’s why.  It’s a matter of justice.  We need to put the breaks on this kind of thing.  It is not right that someone’s life and career can be destroyed by false accusation and there are no consequences for doing so.  He probably can’t do that because someone who enters the political arena sacrifices such privilage as law is currently interpreted.  It’s too bad, because all of us suffer the consequences of their actions.

Chasing Hope

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On Friday, Linda and I returned from a six day trip to southern California where she received the CCSVI treatment that I have written of in previous posts.  Note that the Wikipedia article linked above is not very favorable to the topic and is probably not the best source of information.  If you want more I’ll put you in touch with Linda if you don’t know her already.  I wanted to post something before we left, but I didn’t want to tell the whole world that our house would be empty for several days.

To put it very simply for those who haven’t heard of it, CCSVI refers to a condition of narrowed jugular or azygos veins.  The theory is that the slight backup of blood resulting from the narrowed veins causes iron deposits in the brain.  This damages cells and triggers the autoimmune disease we call Multiple Sclerosis.  There may be other veins involved as well, illustrated by what was found in Linda’s case.  I’ll get to that.  The treatment involves widening the veins, either through angioplasty or the use of stents where appropriate.

This is the second time Linda has been treated.  The first was back in March of this year by a local interventional radiologist.  That’s a whole other story.   She did get some relief from that.  Her eyeglass prescription had to be altered because her eyesight got better.  She had better balance and clarity of thought.  However, the effects were short lived.  In the last couple of months she began to decline again.  Two weeks before we left she began experiencing severe vertigo, which went beyond anything she had in the past.

We had a decision to make.  The individual she saw here would not work with her any further.  She has been trying to get physicians in this area to offer the treatment so that those who do not have the means to travel might have hope of getting it.  She has not given up this mission, but she was failing fast and we needed to take action.  It is our hope that the positive results from the second treatment will help to open local doors.  Thus we headed out to Synergy Health Concepts in Costa Mesa to see doctors who have experience and believe in the efficacy of the procedure.

Things got off to a rough start, but everything was made right and I consider the trip a success.  The support staff at Synergy could be a little better at organizing the details of the trip, but the doctors inspired confidence and everyone was friendly and helpful.  On Monday we had the testing and consultation.  Dr. Hewett showed us the pictures and explained what was being shown.  We left on Monday feeling more comfortable about what we were doing.  The driver for the medical transportation service that is contracted to handle getting people between the hotel and various facilities then took us to a peer on the beach where we looked out on the ocean and took a few pictures.  Watch Facebook for those.  We don’t have them up yet.  There was an extra cost for the side trips, but it made the whole experience more pleasant.

Tuesday was the big day.  It was Dr. Arata who performed the actual procedure at Linda’s request, as she had been conversing with him on Facebook.  It was in the post-op consultation that we learned they had found something unique in their experience.  She did need angioplasty in the expected places, but also had a closed renal vein that required a stent to insure that it would stay open.  Blood was backing up along her spine, possibly explaining the MS lesions we knew were there from a previous MRI.  The stent has been causing her some pain, but we understand that to be normal and temporary.  We went back to the hotel and sat on the patio for a light lunch before retiring to the room for her to lie down.  Even with the discomfort from the stent, she felt better.  The vertigo was gone.  Her extremities were not as prone to be cold.

On Wednesday we went back to Synergy to go over what was done, again with Dr. Hewett.  We would have preferred to talk more with the doctor who performed the procedure, but we have no complaints.  Dr. Hewett was very thorough in showing us what was done, explaining what we should do next, and explaining what we could reasonably expect.  He showed us an example of the stent that was used and assured us that because of its placement it wasn’t going to go anywhere.  Afterwards we were taken to a good seafood restaurant on the beachfront along with the other couple who had come from Canada for treatment.

Thanksgiving day was pleasant.  I missed being with family, but we sure didn’t miss a good meal.  The hotel put on quite a buffet.  I joked that I would come back again just to get the pecan pie that night with the room service guy, and he brought us some.  No doubt the fact that Linda and I had been double-tipping him inadvertently for the past couple of days helped.  The day was clear and sunny in contrast to what it was like when we arrived.  We walked around the grounds for a while before settling in for the evening.

We were both ready to come home when the day came.  The trip home was a little better than the trip in, but not by much.  The hotel couldn’t get our bill right.  The airport curbside checker for American Airlines was rude.  I could devote a whole post to what happened in the security line and I just might.  I don’t fault the agents as much as I do the government that mandates such an unconstitutional invasion of privacy that has not stopped one terrorist.

So ended our latest mad dash in the pursuit of hope for Linda’s recovery.  The dramatic results we dreamed of have not yet shown themselves.  In fact she was dismayed to find she had more trouble walking after we got back than she did before we left.  Yet I hold onto hope.  She didn’t walk at all during the time we were there except to get to and from her seat on the airplane.  That in combination with irritation from the procedure may well account for her present difficulty.  I expect that she will now begin to improve, knowing that she will not give up.

I suppose we all chase hope of some kind or other.  When we lose hope we lose the will to live.  That is why I thank Jesus that we have a hope that goes beyond anything we face in this life.  We may lose hope of healing, but we will not lose hope in Yahweh.  We cannot know what this life will bring, but we can know what will happen when our lives on earth are complete.  We have life in Him.  Our hope does not rest on these temporal supports, but on the Rock of ages.  That hope we do not have to chase.  It is with us always whatever happens next.  If that’s the kind of hope you are looking for, please contact me.  I’d love to share it with you.

Government vs. Truth

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How can a government designed by and for flawed human beings of diverse philosophies and beliefs be anything but flawed itself? If truth and justice must be submitted to a committee for approval, how will either survive? These are the kinds of questions that this staunch supporter of our American government and Constitution wrestles with. Our founders recognized the enormity of the task before them and did an excellent job of crafting a system of checks and balances that they imagined could keep human nature in check. Yet even they realized it was not really up to the task. John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

We get angry when our leaders compromise, but everything we have is built on compromise. Compromise is both the boon and the bane of any system that relies on democratic procedure. When the people can vote for what they want, the system only works when the people want what they should. Someone always loses, and if the majority turns their hearts to evil, it will be those on the side of truth. The fall of the society is not far behind, because whatever the prevailing belief system is, nations that neglect truth and justice eventually destroy themselves.

If I am to be ruled by men, I would prefer to live under a government where at least some mechanism exists to keep evil in check. Ours comes closer than anything that has gone before. If there is an argument against that statement it is God’s design for the nation of Israel before they demanded a king, but again that only worked when the people were willing to obey Him. The same is true for us, and that is the dilemma that confronts the Christian in our society. We stand for freedom, but that same freedom works just as well for the believer in lies as it does the believer in the truth. I say that in a political sense.

How far does our freedom go? The vast majority of us would agree that it is limited at minimum by things that would cause harm to others. We are all against murder, though some of us don’t seem to mind it too much as long as the victim is an innocent unborn child. We’re all against theft unless we can get the government to do it for us. Somehow it isn’t a crime anymore if we do not personally assault or even see the victim. We could free up a lot of jail space if we applied this principle uniformly.

What are we to do when the truth and the law are in conflict? We’re told to obey the law, but is that obedience unconditional? For example, does God require a Christian mother living in China to abort her second child because the law says she must? Where do we take a stand? I think that our founders would say it was long before now. Read The Declaration of Independence. This isn’t China, but if some among us have their way someday it could be.

I do not suggest we take up arms, but I do suggest that it is well past the time for the church to become unashamedly involved in government. Contrary to what you may have been taught, our Constitution does not forbid this. It only prevents government from establishing a national religion, understood at the time to refer to a particular sect of the Christian religion. I keep saying this because I believe it is essential to our survival. We have not only the right but the obligation as Christians to steward well the power afforded us by our Constitution. Stand for the truth, remembering always that the real solutions lie in the hearts of the people. Be involved in government from the local to the national, but always be ready with the message of the Gospel, where our true salvation is found.

Can Untested Love Be Trusted?

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This is the question that lurked in the back of my mind for years. It remains without a definitive answer, but I think the answer is “no.” It is easy to love the loveable. It is easy to love during times of ease and comfort. Most of us are able to show love when love is being shown to us, provided we understand it as such. Jesus said this.

44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Matt 5:44-46 NASB)

Love is proven in hardship and conflict. How can we know its depth if it is never tested? The testing may come in many forms. Strife is certainly one of the most common. We are selfish people who tend toward evil means of getting what we want or think we deserve. Another way the tests come is through the choices we make. What happens when we must choose between what we want or need and what is best for those whom we claim to love? I think I would call this the ultimate test, since it is our choices that both illustrate and shape our character and our outlook on life.

There is no greater example than Jesus Himself. From Adam until now we test His love to the breaking point with all the evil that we do, yet “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8.) That He does not simply withdraw His sustaining power from us and thereby terminate our existence is prove of His love. That He goes further and gives us any tangible evidence at all is mercy beyond measure.

I’ve been thinking about this because of something that came up last week. I don’t feel free to talk about it, so I am going to put it in very general terms. Some of you may know about the efforts that Linda has been making to get a treatment done that is helping many sufferers of multiple sclerosis. Having had unsatisfactory results with what we were able to get locally we have decided to travel to a place where they have been doing them regularly in hopes of a better outcome. It is our hope that as living proof she can get something started here for others who are not free to travel elsewhere. Linda has been looking forward to this trip.

Last week I learned that someone very close to me might need a fairly costly medical procedure. Thinking at first that the situation was graver than it appears to be, Linda offered to postpone her own treatment so that we could afford to help. This blew me away. I did not ask for that and was not even contemplating it. If I imagined a test of love, I would have said it was putting up with my moodiness as I wrestled with a number of difficult things.

What I am learning is that my wife is of such quality that I wouldn’t be surprised if this didn’t even seem like a test to her. It didn’t’ take her very long to make the decision. I don’t think she knew how much it would mean to me for her to do that. It meant a lot! My love and respect for her has reached a whole new level. I feel like I got married all over again to the most wonderful woman in the world. Upon further consideration with more of the facts in front of us we will continue with getting Linda the care she needs, but I will never forget what she did.

Hold on to Hope

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Well-meaning platitudes pound like hailstones on a shelter already roofless by the storm. We offer them because they are all we have. Life giving water turned to ice, freezing the heart. Cold isolation drenched in tears that wash away even the memory of happiness. Where is hope? Where is the promise? Did we ever see it or was it an illusion? We must believe. We must hold on or be swept away by winds of disappointment. The storm passes. The sun shines, but it serves only to illuminate the destruction. Still we cling to hope, because life is precious. Jesus is that life and He shines brighter than the sun. We hope, and we live, because He lives.

Judging by Character: Occupy Wall Street vs. the TEA Party

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Almost without exception, you can assess the quality of an idea by the character of its proponents. Assuming you can figure out exactly what OWS stands for, these two groups of protesters provide a striking illustration of this concept. Consider the behavior of OWS and that of the TEA Party.

When TEA Partiers protest, they obtain necessary permits. The protests are peaceful. The issues are clearly defined. The protestors leave the site clean and go back to work. OWS on the other hand by its very definition seeks to obstruct and inconvenience those it doesn’t like. Never mind that the people they are really hurting are the people they claim to represent. The TEA Party organized and promoted a specific agenda and did so while obeying the law. OWS repeatedly violates the law and there are hundreds of arrests to prove it.

Even if there are some legitimate grievances among OWS protestors, they may want to reconsider the methods they choose to address them. So far they have been nothing but a loud, obnoxious, hypocritical bunch of spoiled brats who would have no discernible presence at all if not constantly fawned over by the media and supported by some of the same deep pockets they rail against. Let them have their free education. There are all kinds of nifty training programs inside the jails where the lawbreakers among them belong. Hey, it’s free housing too!