Category Archives: Culture

Culture

The Psuedo-Statesmen Breaking My Heart

My heart breaks hearing members from both sides of the aisle making remarks about “losing the balance of powers between the three branches of our government.” In my life time this erosion has been steady and consistent. The Constitution has become nothing more than a club for the D.C. Mob to wield whenever they feel it’s helpful to their moment. And, once again, please do not read left OR right into my words. My observation regarding the State of the Nation leads me to quote Shakespeare’s Mercutio, “A plague o’ both your houses…” I’m a follower of Jesus first, but I’m also a citizen of a land made of both poison and promise. I get it. We’re a nation of imperfection. The hurt contained in the poison has been and still can be just as hurtful as that dispensed in any other nation. However, the hope contained in the promise is unparalleled. The mob is doing nothing to elevate the hope over the hurt. Perhaps they can not. It’s just not in them. Instead, the oligarchs leading the way in D.C. today need to do one thing…they need to cry out for forgiveness. And each and everyday we must hope for, work for, and pray for something so much better than what we are presently receiving from the mob.

 

 

 

 

 

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Bible, Culture

Jesus Loves Me, This I Know

 

I like progress. I like it when we improve and make things better. I like conservation. I like it when we conserve what is right and good and necessary.

I hate abusive political progressivism. It uses the word progress for the relativism people seem to love so much. It seeks change for the sake of change regardless of whether it’s helpful or not. It seeks change based on the emotional appetites of its possessors. It seeks to conserve the tired, worn out ways of The Dark Triad: machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. It leads to oligarchy and suffering…oligarchy for the few, suffering for the many. I hate abusive political progressivism.

I hate abusive political conservatism. It uses the word conserve for the dogmatism people seem to love so much. It seeks maintenance for the sake of maintenance regardless of whether it’s helpful or not. It seeks maintenance based on the emotional appetites of its possessors. It seeks to progress the tired, worn out ways of The Other Dark Triad: legalism, nepotism, and sociopathy. It too leads to oligarchy and suffering…again, the former for the few, the latter for the many. I hate abusive political conservatism.

Both abusive political progressivism and abusive political conservatism are on full display these days. They both use and abuse privilege…especially the privilege of truth. This is why great documents like The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution get bandied about by both groups. They become documents of first rejoinder…not for truth and clarification, but for clout, agitation, and propaganda.

I hate both abusive political progressivism and abusive political conservatism…and apparently they both hate me and you. They both fail. There is hope in neither, but there’s hope in Jesus.

Jesus loves me and he loves you.

He also loves progress. He loves it when it advances the purpose of his Father’s love and truth. He also loves conservation. He loves it when it too advances the purpose of his Father’s love and truth. In fact, he abides in his Father’s truth and he invites his followers to do likewise. His joy from progress and and his joy from conservation are not political. They are personal. What he said and did as well as what he says and does are ever the same. He was, he is, he ever shall be immutable. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He cannot be changed, swayed, or bandied about. He loves life and eternal life. He offers both. Jesus loves me. He loves you too.

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Adversity, Bible, Culture, identity

Missing the Mark

woman w blood issue w blck brdr

Sin sometimes gets a bad rap. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not my intention to water it down. Sin hurts. It’s just that we actually minimize sin’s assault on humanity when we limit it to all those ugly things we do against God and one another. Of course, unfortunately, it’s often exactly this kind of  action and attitude that defines sin. It can entail seriously egregious stuff. However, not always. The whole story is a little more intricate. In fact, the most basic idea about sin in the Bible is “missing the mark” with God. For some that meant wholesale crime, iniquity, and transgression. The Bible doesn’t pull its punches regarding this kind of sin. For example, David’s sins against Bathsheba and her husband and the later sins of David’s children are but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to biblical history regarding egregious sin.  For others, the story is not quite the same. For example, there was a lady who suffered with a physical calamity for years and years. She looked everywhere for a solution. Finally, she saw him…the Messiah…Jesus. She reached out to touch the hem of his robe… “for she said to herself, ‘If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.’ Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well'” (Matthew 9:21,22). She wandered far and wide missing–always missing–the mark. Then, at last, she met him…and she was healed. Sometimes we forget, that while it can be far more complex, the simple meaning of sin in the Bible is missing the mark with God. This is good news, because whether one’s sin is off the chart ugly and abusive or as simple as someone believing he or she is not lovable to anyone, Jesus came to ransom us from our slavery to such things.

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Adversity, Bible, Culture, identity

Judgmental Antipathy or Infatuated Affinity…there both hurtful…

Friendship Quadrant w blck brdr

Ever notice how a lack of true knowledge and understanding can create problems? If you don’t much like someone — if you have a natural antipathy toward him or her — and you don’t have much biblical wisdom you run the very real risk of being judgmental regarding him or her. If you like a person — if you have a natural affinity toward him or her — and you don’t have much biblical wisdom you run the very real risk of being infatuated with him or her. Judgmentalism causes us to be offended by the person we don’t much like, while infatuation causes us to take up the offense of the person we like. In both cases we are wrong and starting down a path leading to hurt…the inevitable and logical conclusion to Spiritual Identity Disorder.

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