Hello Brothers and Sisters of the Lord,

Are you alarmed as I am concerning the way the world is going?! To me things in the world have become jaw droppingly mad - almost every day I am struck by the insanity of what regular folks say and do and I am even more shocked at what passes off for Christianity. I am in my 50's so I remember conversations with grandparents and great-grandparents. Days of their riding in horse and buggies, boiling sassafras in the kettle on the fireplace, county fairs, apple pie and coveted heirlooms from the 1800's. But I also heard of anguished times of repressive corsets made of whale bones, men who could not find work and when they did it would blister and callous their hands. The generations continued onto my parents generation, they survived the Great Depression as children, worked hard, went to college, bought homes, prospered and embraced the "All-American" values and the American dream. Their zenith crowned with John and Jackie Kennedy in Camelot. Great times for Caucasians - bad times for everyone else. African Americans were still being hanged on the weekends for fun in the deep south and all minorities were still sequestered to lower class jobs and lifestyles. And then came my generation. The ruling hippies who questioned war, questioned politics, authority, religion, values, in fact, everything! Along came the four horsemen called the Beatles - promoting sex, drugs, eastern mysticism, bohemian philosophy, et al. Followed by the bad boys, Rolling Stones, leading to the witchcraft of Led Zeplin and satanic Black Sabbath (the band's frontman Ozzie Osbourne - named as a "good family man" by President George Bush). Nice generation...we proclaimed God is dead, sin doesn't exist and morality is subjective. Modernism died and paved the way for post-modernism. You probably don't know this but  the only commandment of the Satanic Bible is "Do what thou wilt, is the whole of the law." and this seems to sum up today's post modern philosophy. Or you could be more altruistic and say today's philosophy is Epicurean Hedonism - "Do what thou wilt (but don't hurt others), is the whole of the law." Either way, it is a tough act to balance. I mean, with everyone having their own set of values, their own set of right and wrong and no one to establish any authority, what is there to establish truth? Mankind establishes it's own truth? That is a very sorry place to be in. Call me old fashioned but I believe in something greater than mankind, I believe in an all knowing, wise and loving God who has established truth from the beginning and I make Him my authority. The world is currently living by the satanic post modern philosophy, inching it's way towards the desired destruction of Christianity and any semblance of it. Why?

Well, there are three reasons for this growing hatred of Christianity. One, Satan (and his minions) roam the earth seeking to destroy those that would come to God, love others, promote innocence and serve the Kingdom of Heaven. (Satan doesn't fight fair - if he can destroy humans while they are children, he can have them self-destruct on auto pilot for life). Two, today's philosophy is at complete odds with Christian philosophy. Christianity has the audacity to say there is an absolute! There is an absolute truth, an absolute Authority and and absolute way to get to heaven and all other ways are in error. This kind of thinking is just absolute arrogance to people of the world, seems absolutely obnoxious and downright self righteous and judgmental. Who are we as Christians to proclaim that we have all the answers when the world is so full of wrongs. (kind of ironic don't you think?) And finally, sadly, the third reason is Christians seem so hypocritical. Everywhere we go today we hear of another pastor falling in disgrace from adultery, embezzlement, fraud, pornography, homosexuality, drug addiction, on and on and on. Diamonds flowing on every finger, mansions, private jets, private islands, private chefs, blah, blah, blah. What happened to the simple man, the virgin, the do-gooder, the saints? Even the Catholic church seems to be the largest pedophile ring in the world! I say good, expose them, Lord! It is about time we separate the wheat from the chaff! Christianity is not some social club to belong to but a group of heavenly saints fighting for truth, love and the Way. The prejudice against Christians may be a good thing. It may be a way for God to weed out the game-playing Christians from the real McCoys. Those willing to live and die for the cause of Christianity. Live and die for the name of truth and love. Live and die for human souls because we know that God has their best interest at heart! We as Christians know that man has an extra dimension to him called a spirit. A spirit made in His image, which never dies and either longs to return to God in love and goodness or hates God and must be separated for heaven's sake. Christian's have a spiritual love for others and desires good things for others. Christians ultimately desire what Christ desires, to join Him in the marriage supper of the Lamb and to live with Him eternally. The wages of sin is death and the ultimate destruction of the soul and this saddens Christians to the point of wanting to fight for their freedom from bondage of sin and death. We want to fight for others who may not be able to fight for themselves because we share the love Christ has for them. So how do real Christians fight for others? What is the Christian motto, the Christian banner, the raison d'etre? In my next Blog entry,  I look forward to sharing Part II of What In The World?! and my blessings and prayers to you all.

Christine

Saul was replaced by David, a man “after God’s own heart.” His passion was serving and pleasing God, whom he loved more than life. What is your passion? That is a question each of us needs to ask and answer. Let me ask another way. What drives you? You can name just about anything and find someone is passionate about it. The sports world is consumed with passion by both player and spectator. As I write these words the Super Bowl has just ended, basketball season is underway, and baseball spring training is just around the corner. Passion about sports extends even to watching them. A well-known recliner manufacturer has begun selling its first reclining chair with a built-in cooler. The “Oasis” only costs $899 and features a thermoelectric cooling unit underneath a flip-up arm pad that can hold up to six twelve-ounce cans. It includes a cup holder, a telephone in the other arm, a ten-speed massager, and heating system.
Your passion may not be sports. It may be a job, a relationship, or a hobby. Oprah Winfrey did an entire show recently entitled “Turning Your Passion Into Profit.” She interviewed people who were passionate about gardening, cake decorating, shoes, and linens, as well as a man who gave up his law practice to go into the mustard business. One of her guests was an expert on passion. She said, “Expressing your passion is your best chance at happiness!” So do a little self-inventory: What is your passion? What drives you?
Ask yourself the question: Am I willing to die for my passion? Jesus was. Jesus knew that everyone has one controlling passion that ultimately shapes everything else in their life. He said: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). He knew that our passion controls our perspective and orients our priorities. God created us to have one controlling passion. That passion influences our perspective and our priorities—how we spend our time, talents, and treasures.
Saul didn’t have a passion for God, so his perspective was distorted and his priorities were out of place. Being born a king does not make one kingly. God did not tear the kingdom from the hand of Saul and give it to another because He wanted a better warrior or even a better king, but because He wanted a better man. Saul’s successor may not have looked like a king, but the Bible says “He was a man after God’s own heart.” What a great epitaph for a life! Begin cultivating a real passion for God today and enjoy the royal privilege of living as a child of the king should live!
Bisagno, J. R. (2002). Principle preaching : How to create and deliver purpose driven sermons for life applications (84–85). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.