I Made A Big Mistake

This most recent tragedy,  the school shooting in Connecticut, is horrifying. So many young lives, innocents killed...there aren't words. Usually there is a measure of Grace-the gun will jam, the killer will be stopped before many are killed-not this time. The coward took himself out at the last, so there is some grace, some justice in that.
What do we do with such tragedy? We are too well practiced now in living with terrible events-we go about our days, remembering that Connecticut happened but, if our lives are not personally touched this time, we keep moving-we do what we do.
I'm a movie guy, amongst many other hats I wear. Tonight I finally watched "The Dark Knight Rises" and, in the aftermath of the Connecticut shooting, I couldn't get into it-there is a lot of gunfire, death and destruction in the film. It just felt wrong to watch such fake drama so soon after true drama has happened, but I thought it might be cathartic, as I knew that in a movie such as this, the good guys win (eventually).
And it just occurred to me that this is the film which was playing in that movie theater in Colorado. sigh
We do what we do. 

A Good Old Fashioned Puritan Christmas

An off-hand remark by my Pastor the other day has been digging its way into my consciousness-he mentioned that the Puritans did not celebrate Christmas, thought it to be rife with paganism. If they could only see NOW how right they were!
The Puritans were Christian men and women who had sought freedom from the religious persecution they experienced in Europe...at the hands of Catholics and other pagans who seemed quite happy to stretch a martyr or two on the rack before heading up for their Christmas dinner...Football not having been invented yet.
So it is no surprise that the Puritans kinda sorta didn't want Christmas in their neck o' the woods. Of course, following the Puritans over to the Knew World were some Catholics who dedicated THEIR area to Mary and set about celebrating Christmas as we know it today-loud, crass, and clueless.
So I'm sitting at work the other night listening to Christmas music on my iPod, thinking about what to do for Christmas. I have no tree, I already put up the one (1) decoration which is my bow to custom...Pizza!
I've invited a few friends over for pizza and a movie or two. I just picked up the "From Russia With Love" Blu-ray the other day-maybe we'll Bond.

...And So It Begins

12-12-12
It's twice as bad as 666, right?
People who haven't given a fig about the Mayans at any time in their lives are now cracking wise about "Doom Calendars" as if the Mayans were prescient oracles.
Mayans? They lived in a tropical climate, BUT did they live at the beach, like you or I would? No!
Did they invent air guitar? No! Did they have computers? Yes-but they only ran Windows NT.
Of course, no one actually believes that the world will end on 12-21-12, which the Mayans may or may(an) not have predicted...but something is up.
We joke about what worries us. It's a defense mech-if I can laugh about a Hitler's funny little mustache, for example, he doesn't seem so scary.
Likewisenheimer, people joke about God, Who IS scary.
Oh yes-the End Of The World. Joke away, nervous nellies/normans.
Christians have been talking about the End Times since...well, since the End Times began. Which I suggest may have been when Christ ascended to Heaven in Acts chapter 1:
"⁹And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 
¹⁰And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 
¹¹They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:9-11
Did you catch that there at the end of the verses you didn't really look at? He will return again, which has been the hope for every Godly person in every generation since that day.
His return will mark the end of the world we know-this world of corruption and war and troubles will pass away. You may not LIKE what happens next, but I am loving it-a world of peace and good will towards Man, a world ruled by Christ from His city, Jerusalem.
I've spent 53 years (so far) in your world of botched human experiments in governance. If you survive past the tribulation period (of which the Mayans are silent) you will be living in my God's world. No joke.

Great Samaritans

I was just helped out today by some great neighbors who embodied the parable of the Good Samaritan:
I wasn't waylaid by robbers, but some slick snow on a county road did put me in a bad place-my truck spun 180 and nearly rolled over down a ditch.
Stuck I was, and tipped precariously. I called for help, but before any of my friends could get there, Great Samaritan #1 stopped and tried to pull me out. Didn't work. I thanked him and was going to call a tow truck when Great Samaritans #2 + #3 stopped to help-one ran home and got a 4 wheel drive jeep, the other had a good strap, and they got me back on the road; I thanked them greatly for saving me from the ditch of despair.
I WAS going to continue to my friend's house, but I just didn't have enough traction, so I went back to town and put 300 pounds of sand in the back...and came home. Enough excitement for today; my friend was very understanding.
I thank God for those Great Samaritans, and I will be there for others just as they have been there for me.
It makes for a happier world.

Those Crazy Christians, Eh?

Of course, there is crazy and then there is crazy. Like a fox or like a fool.
Not that she is crazy, but one Christian suggested to me recently that the reason President Obama was re-elected was because Christians didn't do enough, pray enough.
I reject that; I believe that God, for His own purposes, left President Obama in power.
No matter how fervently we prayed or worked for his defeat, we accept evil from the hand of God as readily, as joyfully as we accept good. He is in charge, and if we pray and work against His plan, our efforts are futile. Better to pray, "Thy Will be done" and leave it at that.
I believe that God is getting this planet ready for judgement, is about to make things much worse rather than better. The re-election of President Obama might be a tiny part of that.
¹²Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, 
¹³“Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it and cut off from it both man and beast, 
¹⁴even though these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves,” declares the Lord GOD. Ezekiel 14:12-14
Note that the verse above doesn't mention Israel or Judah-"...if a country" sins against God by committing unfaithfulness-which could be said of our entire world-and God stretches out His hand against it...big time tribulations like you've never conceived. Like you can't imagine. Worse than that.
¹⁷“Or if I should bring a sword on that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass through the country and cut off man and beast from it,’ 
¹⁸even though these three men were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters, but they alone would be delivered. 
¹⁹“Or if I should send a plague against that country and pour out My wrath in blood on it to cut off man and beast from it, 
²⁰even though Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “they could not deliver either their son or their daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.” Ezekiel 14:17-20
Some Christians have maintained that God has blessed America because of our Christian heritage-we were settled by pilgrims, Christian men and women seeking religious freedom after being martyred and persecuted in Europe.
Righteousness is not a gift handed down from one generation to the next-and our generation is living in a country and world ripe for judgement.
If Noah, Daniel and Job were in OUR midst...they could only deliver themselves by their righteousness.
Long story short: God takes care of His children, and we Christians have nothing to fear.
God also promises to 'take care of' those who reject Him...and those people should be fearing bigtime.
Sure, it may sound crazy to non-Christians, that we trust in God. Call me crazy if you like-I think your time would be better spent seeking God's forgiveness. He still saves sinners...for now.

My Precocious

well. That was a good start-I just finished the first half of "The Fellowship Of The Ring"-each of the movies is split over two Bluray discs so that the digi information isn't too squeezed-all the colors and sounds and images are as they should be. I think I can only take in one disc per sitting, so it may take awhile to trudge all the way through to Mordor.
Funny-the Norse mythologies, with Elves and Dwarves and Man (oh my!) set J.R.R. Tolkien on his adventure of writing one classic, and here in 2012 one of the biggest movies of the Summer had both Thor, the god of thunder and his trixter brother Loki kicking around Manhattan.
With "The Hobbit" just over our horizon, we will be back in Middle Earth for awhile-if you have Blu capabilities and a decent screen, I encourage you to pick up the LOTR hobb...habit. Habit.

Voice Not The Songs

I've got some good news for you, friends-you who do not have God are lost, blind and hopeless.
When I say God I mean the God Who revealed Himself in Scripture.
When I say lost, I mean lost for eternity, separated from all love and goodness.
When I say blind, I mean willfully blind to the truth about God. You who would go a thousand miles out
of your way to avoid a Christian attempting to share the Gospel with you. I mean you.
And hopeless speaks for itself. You will not survive without Jesus Christ, and if you would rather die than seek out the Salvation he offers, you are without hope. Doomed.
I did say good news. If you have read this far, you are still alive, have breath in your lungs and opportunity
to AVOID being lost, blind and hopeless.
There is no hope available in man-made religions which obscure the truth about God.
I mean you, Catholics. Muslims. Buddhists.
There is also no hope available in Man, who is somehow supposed to be able to solve the problems that Man creates? Really? Easier to put out a fire with gasoline.
We are entering the season when the hypocrisy of Man causes him to pretend that he loves God.
Man will sing the Christmas Carol which he never wants to see happen:
"Joy to the world, the Lord is come...Let Earth receive her King!"
Let every heart prepare Him room? MY heart?!?
Yes-your heart, as in every heart. If that thought terrifies you, please do not be a hypocrite and celebrate
Christmas.
Or
Seek Him, honestly pray for Him to extend to you the faith to believe. He is STILL in the saving sinners business. He saved me, and I most especially do not deserve Salvation, but I love that God has granted it
to me. I am the exact opposite of lost, blind and hopeless and so can you, America.

General Observations

Shop your little hearts out, Consumers! None for me, thanks-I'll cyber if I need anything (which I don't).
I am thinking of seeing "Skyfall", but maybe next wknd.
Thanksgiving was nice this year-a crowd of hungry conversationalists enjoying great food; we got to see old video from a scant 24+ years ago-I have changed quite a bit. But then again, not so much-I was a Christian then, as I am now, and will be forever. Politically I was ambivalent-I cheered Clinton when he took office, having been raised in a Democrat family. Hey! I guess I HAVE changed!
I've been thinking some about the re-election of President Obama, and I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. This is a world which is rejecting God; even with no Christian on the ballot, the guy who embodies Christian principles-honesty, hard work, accepting responsibility for your actions-is going to lose.
President Obama is a corrupt and evil man. The world loves him because they know that he is not a Christian.
{shrugs}
Even when things get much worse, Christians will be just fine. Those of my brothers and sisters around the world who face persecution and death for bearing the name of Christ-they are fine, safe in His arms.
Kill us and we get to Heaven that much quicker.
Please remember that God is a God of Vengeance. All who kill, whether they be a suicide bomber in Iraq or an abortionist in America...God will deal with them.
Bye the way, things ARE going to get much worse quicker than you may realize. Especially for those of you who are rejecting God.
 Right now, as I said, Christians are safe.
God is also a God of Mercy. When things get worse, when economies fail and you get to the end of your resources...ask God for help. He is in the forgiving and saving business. And He is greater than your problems.
May God seek you and find you and give you Peace.

Thank ___

Here we are, the first major holiday since Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown. That hadn't happened since I was a wee lad, and I am thankful that I got to see Cabrera in a Detroit game this year.
I'm also thankful that I still have a good job, and a home blessed with cats; those on the East Coast affected by Sandy are still on my prayer list. This is going to be an extra hard holiday season for many-I'm thankful to (and supporting the) Red Cross, as that organization helps as many people as it can. That is righteous.
Later today we will gather and eat and laugh and all of that-may your Thanksgiving be Peaceful and pleasant.

I'm The BEST Humbled Person In The World!

Just kidding about the 'bestest humbled title'-I wouldn't even make the state regionals.
I found the charming picture above by googling "Be it ever so humble..."
So why humble? Bear with me for a few lines, friends.
The picture above is romanticized, a mythical  portrait of an ideal family. Not one kid is texting-how real is that?
The recent re-election of President Barack Obama took many, including me, by surprise; I was kinda sure the other guy was going to get in.
So I've been thinking about stuff, praying some, talking little, meditating on our situation as a nation, a world.
I think that I and many others thought that God was going to show Mercy, make things better, allow the rebuilding of our national and global economies. Not quite.
I can't help but see that things are going to get worse as God readies this world for Judgement. He seems to be lining up all the nations against Israel, as detailed throughout the Bible.
America is just about the only friend Israel has left; if our country turns its back on Israel...wow.
There has been plenty of talk about "The End Times", as in: 'the end of the world as we know it'.
I am patiently waiting for the return of Christ, of His ruling the world from His city, Jerusalem. It will be the end of corrupt political governments, the end of human rule. We will all be humbled, from sea to shining to other sea.
But before the humbling, before Christ returns, we must endure prideful fools holding power around the planet. President Obama isn't the only 'world leader' who rejects Christ.
All will be humbled, and finally there will be true Peace on Earth. Amen.

Your Human Mask Is Slipping

"⁶    If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble?     If a calamity occurs in a city has not the LORD done it?"
^"12    For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great,     You who distress the righteous and accept bribes     And turn aside the poor in the gate.
¹³    Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps silent, for it is an evil time.
¹⁴    Seek good and not evil, that you may live;     And thus may the LORD God of hosts be with you,     Just as you have said!
¹⁵    Hate evil, love good,     And establish justice in the gate!     Perhaps the LORD God of hosts     May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph."
Amos 3:6...5:12-15

Here in these verses God through Amos was declaring the people of Israel unrighteous, as they had turned away from Him.
This is an unrighteous world. Not all of the promises and curses that pertain to Israel mean anything for the rest of us, but the pattern is the same: God is Righteous, and man is not.
Here's the plain and simple: If you do not know and love God, through His shedding Grace and Mercy on you, you are doomed.
It doesn't matter how good a life you live, how many acts of kindness you do-you are doomed to hell.

^"14    Seek good and not evil, that you may live;     And thus may the LORD God of hosts be with you,     Just as you have said!"
Israel said that they were with God, that they were righteous-but they were not. Reading further down in Amos:
"²¹    “I hate, I reject your festivals,     Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.
²²    “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,     I will not accept them;     And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.
²³    “Take away from Me the noise of your songs;     I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
²⁴    “But let justice roll down like waters     And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
²⁵“Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? 
²⁶“You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves. 
²⁷“Therefore, I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts."
Amos 5:21-27
Israel claimed to be with God, but were also guilty of idolatry and going after false gods.
You are no better than idolatrous Israel. You don't even have a promise that God will save you, unless you come to Him on His terms.
Give up any hope of being righteous on your own-you are doomed.
I gave up that hope over 30 years ago, and I can tell you know that if not for God's Grace and Mercy, I would be on the road to hell, too.Next time you crack a joke about self-righteous Christians (which you will do only because you are trusting in your own righteousness), know that they don't exist. There are no self righteous Christians. Easier to find unicorns in the garden.

Give A Thought

Today I watched a news report of the devastation left from hurricane Sandy-entire neighborhoods decimated. The news reporter held in her hands photographs picked from the wreckage-pictures that used to adorn homes.
It seems strange to be heading into the "Holiday" season-what is supposed to be a happy time will be tempered this year by the realization that thousands of people who never thought anything bad could happen to them will be homeless, many with nothing but the clothes on their backs plus whatever someone gives them.
Will the "Black Friday" crowds give thought to their fellow man? I expect the Salvation Army buckets will be in full force for the next few weeks. Red Cross donating is only a link away. There are opportunities to do good all around you; give a thought to passing on some good if you have good.

You Might Not Know It, But

Yesterday was Veterans Day. My church had a nice program, and those of us who have served were applauded; those who have a family member who has served stood up also.
Speaking of family members, the young gent pictured above, looking all serious as a member of the Army Air Corps in 1921 was my grandfather. If not for him, you would be reading someone else's blog right now.
Nobody loves Peace more than warriors. I see stupid bumper stickers declaring that a car, if not its driver, is "Already against the next war" or "war = socialism for the rich" or "GOD HATES PREDATOR DRONES".
Precocious sanctimony may be your shield against reality, Sunshine, but if an enemy who wants to kill you and yours is coming at you with a weapon drawn, flashing a peace sign at him won't cut it. Telling him that you would rather die than fight will make him happy.
Our military defends us. They get paid to get in between us and the bad guys and make the bad guys stop.
Go ahead and think well of yourself if you are anti-War. I am too. But I haven't yet seen Peace achieved without War.
The best example of this is in our future, when Christ returns and makes Peace happen...by wiping out the nations. See Psalm 2 for details, and most of the book of Revelation. Peace out.

Super Duper Hero Saturday

The picture shown above has been my desktop for the past month or so-quiet peace and beauty. I decided to take the day off from my life and finally watch a few movies that I've had for awhile-"Ironman 2"
and Marvel's "Avengers", which I watched on my bigger screen with the surround sound set up. I saw "Avengers" in the Imax 3d when it came out, and it gets the blood pumping pretty good.
One thing I noticed in the end credits of both movies-hundreds of workers earn a living making the spectacle
POP on the screen. Our entertainment is putting food on the table for many families. That's cool.

The big stars make millions, and but many working actors make do with a lot less. Two cases in point are shown above, both from the Avengers movie. I had to look in the credits to see who the younger woman is; Ashley Johnson-I remembered her a a little girl on sitcoms in the '90s.
Jenny Agutter  was the opposite-I saw her in the credits and had to find her part in the movie-she's changed a bit since "Walkabout" and "An American Werewolf In London".
Agutter probably has had the fuller career, but here are two actors who have spent decades working, who will never make a million dollars a picture, will probably not announce winners at the Oscars, let alone be nominated.
My workplace doesn't employ even as many people as worked craft services for the movies listed above, but it has been the steady paycheck for many people for over a decade, and I thank God for my work. I see it as the conduit for God's Blessings. 15 years ago my company didn't even exist, and the services we provide were unthought of. My generation didn't grow up hoping to sit at a computer for 8 hours a day, but the world has changed, and we are changing, too.
Whatever work you have to do, may you prosper in the coming year. Unless you're a telemarketer preying on the elderly-I have permission to hate you.