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30 Second Bible Lesson

63“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64“But there are some of you who do not believe.” John 6:63,64

I know the context of the above verse; if interested, look it up in John's Gospel. It could be described as a 'Hard Saying'. But today my focus is on four words in the middle of the verse: "the flesh profits nothing".
There is not a single thing we can do in the flesh to please God.
Some churches consider it a sin to miss services or stop attending-flesh.
Some churches consider it 'being faithful' to attend services and continue attending. Also flesh.
If you read God's Word to please God...flesh. It's still you "doing" something to try to please God.
How can we please God? By believing on Him whom He sent: Jesus Christ. Believing is an act of faith, not flesh.
"6And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." Hebrews 11:6
Believe that He is. Faith.

And It Was 40 Years Ago Today...

One of the first sad nights of my life. I was riding in the back seat, ten years old at night, listening to the radio tell us about The Moon Landing. That was exciting, but mixed with sad.
Our family was heading over to the next town to comfort a sudden widow. We were once neighbors, and we kids were all about the same ages...but now their father had died.
That's my memory of the night of the Moon landing. Ten years old at night.

Coming Back, Not There Yet

Here's a (hopefully) short post as to. Faith, not feelings, friends. Notice the comma-it doesn't say 'Faith not, feelings' . That is the way to destruction. Faith is concrete, feelings quicksand.
My faith in God began those 30 years ago that I've often mentioned . Since that day, I have not had a moment of a millisecond of doubt that God exists.
That He could love me, yes. That He could have an interest in what happens in my life-honestly, yes.
The more that I've learned about God, the more I realize His love and benevolence are real, and those few doubts were washed away a long time ago.
Do you realize just how opposed most of the world is to God? I mean the true God, the One Who saved me.
Most of my life is spent feeling (note the word) like a Tottenham fan cheering against Manchester United while sitting on the Man U. side of the stadium.
Or like a Christian in a world of pagans.
I'm not alone, or exceptional in this. To varying degrees, all Christians know what it is to be 'in the world but not of it'.
Peter wrote: "7and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men 8(for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds)," 2 Peter 2:7,8
I know that God has everything well under control, even those who doubt His existence, as the next part of the verse reads: "9then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority." 2 Peter 2:9,10
So when I see corrupt Man striding around as if he were something, I know the end result, which makes all the more clear God's command to the Christian in Romans 12: "14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." Brother, they need blessing!

Withdrawal From Un. Sin. Non.

Un. Sin. Non. Anti. Negative. Call it whatever, but in simple: I love this beautiful world, and have to deal with it getting uglier and darker every day. I'm getting tired of dealing.
"THEY" win whenever "They" outlast us by going nastier, lower, dirtier than we would ever allow ourselves to go. Those willing to do 'anything' in order to get their way will always win when competing with those of us limited by conscience and morals. But in winning, they cheapen their humanity- their sins pile up and eventually suffocate them.
This isn't in reference to any single event-there are so many sad examples in play right now that to list them would sour me more.
Instead, I go back to God's Word, and read, "8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."
Philippians 4:8
There's a lot of dishonor, wrong, impure, ugly, of ill repute in the world today. Who needs it?

Second Verse, Different Than

I was re-reading my last post, about God extending His Grace to me, making it possible for me to stand. Then I remembered earlier posts where some few remarked that I seemed to be:

1. Gloating.
2. Happy that some people go to hell.
3. Obnoxious.

Let me make it clarified like butter:
A: I am not gloating, but grateful. I know what a stinker I am, and how my own righteousness wouldn't buy me a dirty old shoelace to wear as a tie.
B: I dread that people I care about may end up in hell. I pray as often for my unsaved friends to be saved as I do for my brothers and sisters in Christ to be encouraged and blessed. But my prayers won't get anyone in the door, unless God extends His Grace to them. God changes lives. He especially likes to bring into His Kingdom those who think they don't stand a chance of making it into Heaven. Stinkers like me.
D: As for Obnoxious? I have no idea. If I am obnoxious, it must be in my blind spot-I'm not saying it's not there...I just don't see it.
Friends, if you knew God, you'd know why I'm happy, content, and at peace. Praise God!

Eventful Contentful Doug

"You can't stand still in a hurricane."
So began one of my earliest writings after becoming a Christian. The writing itself was horribly weak and juvenile, but, so was I, thirty years ago. It described what was happening in my life, how the metaphorical hurricane of the world tempested all the harder at me when I turned towards God.
God so designed events in my life to bring me to the point where I would reach up for His hand. I thank God every day for extending His Grace to me, for bringing me into His family, our family.
Winds still blow-life is full of events and non-events which we live through most of the time.
I have found that being with God, who has promised to never leave nor forsake me, makes it possible to stand still in all winds and weathers.
I am content. I am at peace with God and some of my fellow men. That makes me rich, richer than Bill Gates, King Midas and Bernie Madoff all rolled into one. I’m even richer than their lawyers!
Praise God for His Grace and the Mercy which He bestows on whom He will!

And Now...The Real Housewives Of Tehran!

This interview is a feather in the ol’ chapeau for Kathy Couric, CBS news anchorweight. She finagled a primo meet with the Al Jazeera network reality stars, 'The Real Housewives Of Tehran' by agreeing to a few governmental restrictions:
No video.
No audio, although a transcript of the conversations is allowed to be broadcast.
Kathy Couric needed to don a burka herself to conduct the interview-no makeup, no shiny shoes, hijab... even though it was done via conference call from her office in New York:

K Couric: Ladies, thank you for agreeing to talk with me today.
R-HOT: ... ..... .....!
K Couric: If I may, I'd like to speak first with the wife of Mr. Samir Rhas. Is she present?
wife Of Mr. Samir Rhas: ... ... ... ?
K Couric: No, I’m sorry, Jay Leno isn’t on my network. But yes, he is taller in person. May I ask a question of the wife of Mr. Ahmed Cruxshir?
wife Of Mr. Ahmed Cruxshir: ... ... .... ... ?
K Couric: Thank you-they’re capped. Your husband is a realtor for Sheik Aboul Ou. Puddn, the well known international banker. Isn’t there a lady in your group there whose husband is also a realtor for the same Sheik?
wife Of Mr. Ahmed Cruxshir:... ..... ..... (expletive) .......!
wife Of Mr. Bernpa Rascule: ...... (expletive)(expletive)(double expletive)... ....!
K Couric: Ladies! Please! Um...peace be upon you!
R-HOT: (screaming) (expletives) (hijab and then hair pulling) (expletives)...............................................

Kathy Couric leaned back, lit a Pall Mall and smiled. Ratings platinum.