Peace Commissioners

This morning in church a speaker quoted 2 Cor 5:18-21: ^"18Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 
¹⁹namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
²⁰Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 
²¹He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Which is the Gospel message in it's purest form: we who are reconciled to God through Christ are called to tell others that that same reconciliation is available to them. To you. We are, in effect, God's Peace Commissioners, charged with the message that it is possible to be at Peace with God.
It is a battle. That which is unholy (all of us) by our nature want to keep away from a Holy God. But God works in the lives of those whom He will, drawing to Himself unholy sinners and making them, as it says in the verse above, 'the righteousness of God in Him'.
Why this picture? I have this picture in my collection of unscanned objects-this picture came from the Library of Congress. Family history in tintypes and postcards.
God's Peace Commissioners for 2011 are mocked, hated, killed-all for bearing the name of Christ. That is spiritual hate being directed at Christians who serve the Prince of Peace. Our response? God Loves ______.

The Moon Is A Harsh Minstrel

Yeah, that's about the right color, if the wrongish flawer. I didn't know what was growing under my bay window-it turned out to be tulips red like this rose. I had to protect them from animal type nibblers, and they are doing fine.
Speaking of fine, I have been blessed with an answered prayer, and it reminds me that God is good, and is in charge of even the little details. My life is a little detail.
If you want a bit o fun, and have grown tired of the Harold Camping comedy, check out Chuck Missler. I caught one of his broadcasts, and was impressed with the Scripture study. I googled Missler to see what he was about and found this self important goof on youtube who claims that Missler is of the devil. Self important goof is wrong, and probably has cooties. I d/l Missler's studies on iTunes, and have enjoyed them, so the S-I-G would probably think I was full of 'devilry' too.
Ah well. My unofficial training in psychology (a story you won't read here) has given me a sort of radar for oddballs and cootie sufferers. Ping!

The Past Will Catch Up With Us In The Future

Don't waste much time trying to figure out the title-it doesn't really mean anything, kinda sorta.
If you look to the right of the page to the pretty red and white boat, you are looking at my past.
The main significance of the boat that you see is that it is the place where I became a Christian, down below deck there between the "83" and the anchor.
God got me to the place where I needed to be to reach out to Him, and that day, back in the late 1970's...my life as a new creation in Christ began. I didn't understand all that happened when it happened, but I knew instantly that it HAD happened, and I haven't had a molecule of doubt about God since that day.
One of the first Christian books that I found and read was Hal Lindsey's "The Late Great Planet Earth" where he predicted that Christ would return to set up His Kingdom by the late 1980's.
As Joe Bob Briggs would say, "El Wrongo."
Lindsey did have quite a bit of information right, but his (pessimistic) assumptions were way off. He thought that things were soooooooooo bad back then that Christ HAD to be coming soon.
He's not alone-history is littered with those who have felt that "Things are worse than EVER!"
Actually, we humans with our extremely limited perspective can hardly comprehend how things are in our own particular vicinity, let alone world-wide.
Trust in God who sees everything-His perspective trumps ours in every possible way. If you just shook you heart NO in disagreement-God, who looks in the hearts of men saw it. Comprehend that.

Christians Living At Odds With Reality

Hoo boy. Here we go-did you ever notice that Christians aren't perfect? We are mere sinners saved by Grace.
I can assure you that Christians still mess up, get things wrong, may have mental health/emotional/physical issues just like the rest of humanity.
Harold Camping (pictured above on right-just kidding) has determined that God will bring JUDGEMENT DAY.

I agree!

On May 21, 2011.
...uhhh...hold it Harold-you just lost me.
So, why this post?
I've read fanatical statements made by adherents to this belief. They are rock solid certain that Camping is right.
They are not only betting the farm, but their entire lives on the idea that they are going to be Raptured, taken up by God on that date. For them, there is no May 22, 2011-that's when the Tribulations start.
A few important things to consider:
The Chicago Cubs will be playing the Red Sox that weekend, in Boston for the first time in nearly 100 years.
I am hosting a multi-family rummage sale. I haven't bought the balloons yet, but...
Camping first announced this event as happening a few years ago-when it didn't happen, he explained that he hadn't finished researching the book of Jeremiah yet, so his numbers were wrong.
No, Harold-YOU are wrong. Knowledge (without wisdom) puffs up, and makes us think more of ourselves than we should. If you were the Bible scholar your conceit tells you that you are, you wouldn't be making crazy claims of special knowledge-that the gnostics department.
Unless the Lord DOES actually choose that date to bring us up into Heaven...you will be bringing ridicule to the name of Christ. Your ego will probably make you fluster and bluster and make excuses, but that's all right-we're all human. That's what we do.
I only wish that you hadn't convinced so many good Christians that you were right. Pride goes before a fall, God humbles us for our own good. They will be fine, and will have learned a good lesson about false teachings and teachers.

Windom Earle For President!

No, not the Canuck band-the real deal Windom Earle. So far I haven't seen anyone on the sane side (Republican) who sparks an iota of interest. I expect Don Trump's lifelong ego trip will not make a stop in the Oval office. He's been dead to me since the 1980's.
Newt? Newt is the John McCain of Republicans-too old, too entrenched in the problems of Washington to be counted on to know anything of Solutions.
Sarah Palin hasn't announced, and may not run. Until she or another strong Conservative tosses hat in ring, I nominate Windom Earle.
A lifetime of government service, but he magically remains an outsider, much  like President Obama claimed to be in the last election.
He's a widower, which may be a negative to some; I know that Earle would focus on the job of being leader of the free world with a lazerlike attention to detail. He's always been very good at the details. Very, very good!
Nixon played piano, Harry S. Truman was a small town sherriff...Earle plays chess like a master. The images from a chess match may not be as enthralling as a president detailing his basketball brackets, but he wouldn't be running for "Chessmaster-in Chief". He most assuredly wouldn't appear on the "Oprah" show to attempt to boost his popularity.
Since it is no longer on the air, he could borrow the catch phrase, "My Name Is Earle" from that silly sitcom.
Maybe choose Joy as his running mate, though he has more history with Leo Johnson.
Windom Earle. Remember the name. 2012.

Happy Mom's Day, Citizens!

I may be early but oh you kid...can not ever be too early. My parents grew up in different towns, different ages-it took photoshop to put them together, and a rose smells as sweet to the eyes as it can on a computer screen.
Happier M. D. to you all.

Usa Not Usama

Oh sure, we've all heard the news by now that Bin Laden has been killed. I became aware when hearing "USA! USA!" being chantshouted at the Phillies/Mets game tonight. You've got to love sports broadcasters like Bobby Valentine:

"It has been confirmed that Usama Bin Laden has been killed...Willie Harris steps into the batter's box for the Mets..."

So how do you feel about this? Bin Laden, not Harris. Whenever the Mets play I pretend that they are the Yankees and root for their opponents.
Bin Laden. He has been more of a idea figment for the last decade than a viable adversary.
Remember-I (we) didn't make him our enemy.  We're all about the Love, man. Islam made him hate. We became the focus of that hate, and when his side attacked our side, we retaliated. If not for Islamic terrorism, ours would be a much quieter, happier world.
Anger gives birth to many children-there will be retaliatory attacks. I expect that we will see red paint spattered photo posters of Bin Laden carried through streets in rallys from Egypt to Afghanistan to Detroit.

Huh. Top of the fourteenth right now.

Remember a while ago when some pastor in Florida or somewhere publicly burned the Koran? Some innocents in another country on another continent were killed in "response" to the 'outrage'?
I thought that the Pastor was wrong, not because the Koran is sacred, but because it was unnecessary-the Koran means nothing. It's just words on paper, and if they didn't have the Koran, Islamists would get angry about something else. Men wearing hats at the dinner table. Women flirting by showing a toenail. Whatever.

Mets take the lead, now the Phillies have to come back.  They've just got to!

Bin Laden is like the Koran-he means nothing. Just as the Buddhists trot David Lynch out to raise funds for prayer houses, Islam used the celebrity of Bin Laden to raise hate. Remember what he was famous for? That's right, class-Hating.
It's okay that he's gone. Islam has many more to take his place.

Rally caps. Mayberry is the last chance for the Phillies...aaaaannnnddddd .....game over.