"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." ― Mark Twain

Dear Friends,

Good health is generally taken for granted until it is taken away. Very few give even a second thought about the fragility of life until it is threatened by disease, particularly one that is new and exotic like the coronavirus. It's scary. That's for sure. It is in times like these, however, in which we see the real soul of a nation. Personally, I am proud of mine and for the global response that I have seen thus far. I think there is a lesson here for all of us. The real lesson that I see is that men and women can live in reasonable harmony when we all decide to pull together against a common enemy. Wouldn't it be nice if we could do the same when it comes to international disputes, wars, and famines? Wouldn't it be nice if all the belligerents around the world would beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, and nations would choose to no longer take up the sword against nation, nor train anymore for war (Isaiah 2:4)?

Well, that day will come, but not until after judgment (Micah 4:3). Is this that time? I think not. Could it be a precursor? Perhaps. In any case, however, it serves as a reminder of how things could rap up in a hurry during the end times. The guidelines that have been established to control this virus is certainly a paradigm for what could be. 

In all of this, however, we must remind ourselves that "the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7)." This verse in 2 Timothy alone gives us all the assurance we need to face this silent intruder. 

Most of us are restricted in what we can do physically to attack this ghostly monster; however, we must always pray, not simply as a default position when all else fails, but as a constant in our daily activities (Colossians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). In regards to this, prayer is an attitude more than just a litany. For sure we must verbalize our concerns, but God is not only asking for our concerns; he wants our hearts, our worship, our soul, our body, and our spirit.

Why do I say this? Well, first of all, it's Bible. God has no favorites, "the prayer of a good person has a powerful effect," so says James (James 5:16). We also have this promise that when “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles” (Psalm 34:17). So, if you and I submit to God in the spirit of holiness, then we will most certainly be rewarded.

God, however, not not a cosmic Santa Claus just looking over the banisters of Heaven with a bag full of goodies to hand out to every Tom, Dick, and Harry in need who happens along. In God's economy, it doesn't work that way, in or outside the parameters of the Church.

Secondly, I say this because prayer is therapeutic. God will keep those in perfect peace whose minds are steadfast because they trust in God (Isaiah 26:3). 

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6)

  JimR_/

When truth becomes an insult ...

“The truth has become an insult.” ― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This is strictly politics; however, politics need not be bad. I think that in a democracy we as Christians should be involved. To what extent and how is up for grabs, and I don’t pretend to have all the answers. The principle of purpose, however, is the Golden Rule with love as foundational in all things political.  Not just any love, but the love of Christ. Do I hear an amen?

Racism is absolutely an anathema for any sensible Christian. The highly controversial border wall may be practical, but practical is not what we are called to be. We are called to be Christians, that is followers of Christ, who said,

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these(Matt. 19:14).”

Now, that being the case, can we say any less? James also reminds us that

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world (James 1:27 NJKV).”

A heart of love does not stop at the border, it penetrates such barriers. As Christians we are not called to be pragmatists, we are called to be disciples, wall or no wall.

On another matter altogether. Have you noticed that Russia is the new convenient boogey-man? Poor old Devil seems to have been robbed of his power to influence elections. May I remind us that it has not been Russia that convinced a predominantly depraved majority in congress to sit sidesaddle on antiabortion legislation, or compassionate health care for all, or the means to afford a college education without having to hock the family farm, and a host of other issues. These are the issues that are driving the political process, and, may I say, selfishness underlines most of the decisions. Now, mind you, I am aware that there are grey areas there, but we are also called to deal with grey areas as Christians.

As for me, I am a conservative, that is, Jesus is always, hopefully, my default position. Not so with the politically correct crowd. The default position there is, “I decide what is right and wrong, and if we disagree, I will do my best to expose you for the hypocrite that you are!” The problem is the ways of men and God are not always the same. Besides that, there are times (since they have highjacked the English language) that I am so confused that I am at odds with what to say, and how to say it without offending one of them. Words like: race, gender, marriage, truth, and a host of others have been so morphed by the politically correct crowd that I had just as soon not talk to most of them, particularly when they get up on their high and mighty soapbox. Now, granted I don’t have a hold on the way words are used, but neither do they.

Furthermore, to take a good honest jab at these purveyors of insanity I don’t see any Godly value it surgically mutilating a male into a female, particularly when they haven’t even reached puberty yet. Nor do I feel comfortable with calling she, he or he, she just because they loath their birth gender. Makes about as much sense as one young college student that insisted that her classmates address her as “Hippo” since that is the species with which she had a kindred spirit. No, she wasn’t overweight, just felt that she was meant to be a hippopotamus, and somehow nature got things all mixed up and put her in the wrong body.  Now, mind you she was dead serious, so much so, that college administration had to call a high-level staff meeting and consult with the ethics committed to determine whether the law or moral ethics was broken if they choose not to honor her kookiness. Sympathy, yes, or perhaps pity, but as far as I am concerned, this is carrying things a bit too far. The girl needs help, not validation.

So, much for commonsense. By-the-way, were is Isaiah when we need him? He hit the politically correct response right on the head when he wrote:

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter (Isaiah 5:20).”

Shame on us, if we don’t shout a loud amen in response to the words of this ancient prophet, who was truly a friend of God. Now, as far as I am concerned political correctness is much more harmful to our society than haggling over banning assault rifles before even deciding what an assault rifle is. Now, mind you, I am not an NRA guy, nor do I own a gun—never have, and suppose that I never will. But I do have a tongue and I reserve the right to use it as an expression of love as long as I live. Otherwise, to pot with the politically correct crowd.

As with the Apostle Peter and those early apostles,

“We (too) must obey God rather than men (Acts 5;29)."

 JimR_/

Taking the High Ground 101

Recently, I was asked whether or not Evangelicals have lost the high ground by supporting President Donald J. Trump. I responded with that I would argue that Evangelicals never held the high ground except in their own imagination. That is not to say that others who march under the Christian banner have either. The high ground is not something to achieve, but rather to receive. Our measly efforts in this regards pale in light of the captain of our salvation, and the true standard-bearer. We all, like sheep, have all gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way, and the LORD has [therefore] laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53: 6). He holds the high ground and that is on a hill called Golgotha and upon a cross on which He as hanged. There is where we find the high ground, not in some smug pietistic theology.

So, then our basic appeal is “What would Jesus do?” That, too, must be our standard; and as far as I can see none of us have reached that highpoint. I say this because for us to get down in the swamp and wrestle with the rest of political varmints will only serve to muddy us up. It is true that politics makes strange bedfellows, and I see no greater example of this than for Evangelicals and others as far as that goes to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to all that is going on in Washington under the guise of righteous expediency is simply wrong.

If we as Evangelical want to take the high ground (and we should) we must answer why we did not speak out when little children were separated from their parents, or families were split apart with daddy sent one way while mom and the children are sent (sometimes separately) the other way—yet, I would venture to say that most Evangelicals have done just that, that has remained silent. When the streets of our major cities are littered with filthy lean-to and cardboard sheds with those that call this home, we cannot take the role of the goody-goody priests in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. We must roll up our sleeves and bandage the wounds and feed these hungry mouths, too, regardless of the circumstances.

I am sorry but looking out for those in such dire straights is not a partisan matter, it is a matter for a good clean Christian conscience. How is it that we can get all weepy-eyed over street people and refugees on some foreign soil and not see the need next door? These are biting words, some would say insensitive; however, they are true words. What I have written cannot be taken as a blanket statement, however. To be truthful there are several para-church organizations that are stepping up to the challenge; however, once again, I must ask is it enough, is it reflective of what should be done?

Take the metroplex of Dallas-Fort Worth, an area encompassing a population of 7,539,711. Most of the Evangelical churches are satisfied with delegating (when they do) most of their responses to the aforementioned needs (crisis really) to the bureaucracy of professional humanitarian organizations (some with questionable credentials) rather than personally take on the load themselves. A sanitized hands-off response is not what James had in mind when he delineated what undefiled religion is. Those widows and children of whom he spoke are but examples and enfleshed symbols of a larger need. A need for which we are responsible for on a personal level. We simply must not surrogate love by farming it out to an insensitive bureaucratic governmental agency or a professional humanitarian organization with agencies funded and controlled by how well they publicly market their “product.”

I am sorry, human misery is not a commodity.

Yours for a better tomorrow,

 JimR_/

Navigating through the next 4 years

One of the first Scripture verse that I memorized as a young aspiring teenage preacher was:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

It makes sense, doesn’t it? that if Jesus is God, then as God He does not change. It certainly does not take any stretch of logic to arrive at that conclusion. That’s for sure.

Yet, like the fellow who insist that each succeeding generation must reinvent the wheel, this generation of “progressives” feel the old rules don’t apply. God develops right alongside society, warts and all, according to them. The nice thing, they say, about these new rules, is that you can be what you want to be. If you were born male, never mind that’s easy, with just the right amount of money and a good surgeon’s knife “bingo” you are now female. And, if you don’t want to go through all that trouble, then you can just as easily change things with a little makeup and a dress with a new swagger to your walk. That’ll work just fine. The good news—according to them, of course, is that you now have your choice of bathrooms, and if that doesn’t fit your fancy, the government will see to it that you get a new unisex one built just for you.

Hopefully, this will change with the new administration, but I am not holding my breath, simply because this foolishness is too ingrained in our snobbish culture to reverse the trend. Yes, we have a new administration in the White House, but the majority are hitting the streets coalescing around a common agenda of licentiousness and change—not for the better, but for the worst.

Now, I am all for personal choice as long as it doesn’t force itself on me or my pocket book. The point is, to legislate morality is a nebulous thing, and is best left alone unless it adversely affects me or someone else that thinks differently then they do. So, needless to say I find it personally unsettling for the thought control Nazis to do my thinking for me, and in the process, invade my God given rights, as well as others.

Now, if by chance, there is someone out there that does not understand this cultural war—really, a spiritual war; then brace yourself because the worst is yet to come. Just wait until the new millenniums take over. I will be thankful if we can reverse the trend but I am not holding my breath on that.

Our only hope is an old fashioned God ordained revival, but I am not holding my breath on that one, either. It’s not that God can’t change things; it is simply that man won’t, and I simply do not see Him violating the free will of man to bring it about. The Bible talks about Noah’s generation revisiting us, and there is very little to convince me that these unwelcomed guests are not already knocking at our doors—kicking them down in some instances, I must say.

Now, I realize that the temptation for some is to write this all off as the ramblings of an old worn out preacher—but with age, I must tell you, comes wisdom that only experience can bring. So, my strong advice is for us to brace ourselves for the onslaught that I sense looming over the not so distant horizon.

For as Peter reminds us, we must:

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8 NIV)

An angel of light? Yes, that, too. But most often he is found hiding under the guise of sheep’s clothing waving a banner of freedom, liberty and justice for all. Problem is, they have written the dictionary instead of God.

Once again, be blessed—better yet bless others.



Jim/ 

Election Year Hallabaloo . . .

Always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. (2 Tim. 3:7)

I don’t know about you, perhaps it is just me, but I find it increasingly difficult to distinguish between the current political campaigns and the Ringling Brother’s Circus. Surely, we should not be asked to take the process seriously. And, in my opinion, herein comes the rub. These are serious times. No room for politically correct shenanigans or name calling here, as far as I am concerned.

The whole scene reminds me of the words of Christ, when he said in Matthew 11:16-19):

“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: “ ‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’”

Could it be that sensible people are simply turned off by the whole scene and see it as just another game that Americans play every 4 years, or whenever there is another election? I think so. There certainly seems to be a majority that fit the category.

Further, in this same parable, Jesus reminds them that even when unadulterated truth faces them---in this case, John the Baptist—they sluff it off by discrediting the messenger, with these words:

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’

Then He ends the parable with this cryptic statement: “wisdom is only proved right by her deeds.” For years, I wrestled with what that meant, now I understand that all Jesus was saying is that “the proof is in the pudding.” In other words, where had all their shenanigans lead them? Most assuredly nowhere. Nothing wise about that. That’s for sure.

Now, may I ask in all sincerity, “Where will all this election hullaballoo lead us?”

Unfortunately, without God, I must say, we will only have more of the same in the foreseeable, and beyond according to the Bible I read.

At this point, I ask myself if I am a pessimist by nature or are these the facts. Well, to answer that: neither; I’m a realist. Be that as it may, however, this is no excuse for me or for any of us to stand idly by.  For we must work, until we can no longer work. (John 9:4).  

As ever, be blessed—better yet, bless others!

JimR/

Why all the hype about the Syrian refugees?

"But is he Syrian?"

---

". . . speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ." Ephesians 4:15

---

Dear friends, prayer and financial partners,

 

The truth is not always popular. Yet, as Christians we must be truthful. We know, however, that that is not always the case. Particularly is this the case during the heat of a political campaign. So, what I am about to say may not set right with some, but it is the truth as far as I can tell.

What I have in mind is the fuss over the Syrian refugee problem. Shall we let Syrian refugees in, or shall we not? Let me begin by saying that this is not the first time refugees have been a topic of heated discussion. Some of the more popular refugees in the Bible are Joseph, Moses, and Esther. However, there were many many more. For example, Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 26) were forced to migrate because of famine. Jacob (Genesis 27, 31, and 47) was forced to flee because of a threat on his life, financial exploitation and famine. Esau (Genesis 36) is another refugee mentioned in Scripture. Joseph (Genesis 37) was a victim of international human trafficking. Then, of course, there is the tender story of Naomi and Ruth who were forced to migrate because of famine. Oh, my, the list could go on forever, it seems. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the prophet Elijah are a few more.

In face of this redemptive history, however, the Jews still harbored an inbreed prejudice against the foreigners in their midst. 

Is it any wonder then that the Jews were reminded to be kind to refugees? As far back as Leviticus God said:

"The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 19:34 NIV)

Further, we read in Jeremiah:

"Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place." (Jeremiah 22:3 NIV)

Even Jesus, identified himself with the stranger, and the needy:

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me." (Matthew 25:35 NIV)

So, friends the bottom-line is that we have no choice. We must open ourselves up to once again be a sanctuary for the disenfranchised, downtrodden, and, yes, the refugee.

That is not to say, however, that we should be naïve or foolish and allow this international crisis to become a Trojan horse that secretly hides the enemy inside. Vetting is absolutely necessary. But it may surprise some that this is already being done. Not just any Ahmad, Mohammad, or Ali can qualify. As a matter of fact under current police none of the thousands of refugees flooding Europe now qualify. And, it may interest you to know that less than .01 % of the current refugees currently residing in the Middle East right now are accepted to go immigrate anywhere.

As I said, we must be honest, and we must have the facts.

Rumor and scare tactics are rampant, however. For example, it is reported that over 2,000 Syrian refugees are currently being processed through our immigration facilities in Louisiana, and the impression is left that these are hot off the boats that fled from Syrian to Europe. Not true. These are men, women, and children that have been languishing in refugee camps in the Middle East for years. Now, granted there are a few exceptions, primarily those who qualify as political refugees and the seriously ill. In a word, these poor indigents deserve our prayers, not out wrath.

Now, I realize that information like this doesn’t win elections, but we must accept the facts; and tell the truth while we are at it. And, not I am not a Clinton-ite, or a Trump-ite, or anything in-between; nor am I suggesting that we throw caution to the wind. However, to suggest that these refugee camps are invested with a bunch of jihadists just waiting (on average 5 years) just to enter our country so that they can blow it up is simply not the truth.

Last evening Bonnie and I returned from Minneapolis after spending Thanksgiving with family there, and at the airport we got on the wrong shuttle to take us to our car; however, the driver very enthusiastically said I will take you to the nearest pickup point to catch the right shuttle. When we got off the shuttle to get on the right one, I thanked him in Arabic. His eyes lit up and then he expressed his delight that someone spoke Arabic to him, and in the process said he was from Egypt and was extremely thankful to be in America. Another Egyptian overheard the conversation and immediately joined in thankful to be in America, too. So, my question is shall we refuse these persecuted Christians simply because they happen to be brown and speak Arabic? I think not. I know, I know, we have had problems with the Somalians in Minneapolis that had radicalized and joined the jihadists; however. it should be noted that they were never really vetted. They were simple rescued from a war zone and plunked down in America.

Now, you ask, what about those homegrown terrorists that appear to be totally integrated into American society but are later radicalized and turn on us, as we have just witness in the incident in San Bernardino? Unfortunately, the spouse (wife) in this case had not been properly vetted. Obviously, tightening up the vetting process is an absolute necessity; however, we must find a way to allow Christian love and compassion reign. As much as I hate to say it, however, we must begin to profile these individuals and place them under closer scrutiny. Whether or not this will take an act of Congress I do not know. All I know is that something must be done to stop gun violence. Suspending the Second Amendment is not the answer, but background checks are an absolute necessity. England has very strict gun laws and freedom to go along with that. So, a democracy can fully operate with such laws and not be a totalitarian state. Surely there is a happy medium here somewhere!

So, the point is, we as Christians are to be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves and in the process always err on the side of love.

 

As ever, I am thankfully yours,

 

JimR__/

 

P.S. Make sure you double click onto the cartoon to reach the video link to get the real facts.

Bravery 101

"One Man's Opinion" 
A weekly Christian commentary by Jim Roane

Bravery as a Choice

---

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)

---

America is, as the song goes, “The home of the free and the brave.” I am convinced, however, that no one is born brave. Bravery is a choice. Christ our Savior is no exception, either. He chose the Cross in order to put an end to the terrible condemnation that hung over all humanity. Yes, Christ died for the sins of the whole world; not just for the elect (1 John 2:2). Notice, the scripture does not say that he was a victim, but rather a volunteer; and, of course, there is a world of difference between the two. One, the former, has no choice; whereas, the later does.

To endure is to choose. Endurance is never imposed upon us. We can always rebel. Complain. Cower in shame because of someone else’s opinion. Cave in, as it were, to political correctness. The choices are ours.

It is said, for instance, that Polycarp the last disciple to have sat under the ministry of an Apostle mounted the burning stake with these words:

“86 years have I have served him, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”

That was a choice. He was not a victim, but rather a victor. Thus, we have a perfect example of bravery. Turning as it were adversity into an advantage. Bravery does that.

Now, don’t get me wrong, facing adversity most often is not a choice. Nor is simply weathering the storm, so to speak. The storms of life or the adversities that we face are most often not a choice, they're an imposition. But, impositions we must deal with; and what better example than Christ.  He chose to endure. The choice was his. He could have called down twelve legions of angels (Matthew 26:53); He, however, chose a surer path—that of obedience. Not my will, Father, He prayed, but Yours be done (Luke 22:42). That’s the mark of a brave soul. One who is willing to put God’s will above theirs. And, in a nutshell this is what true spirituality is all about. The brave soul always takes that path—that is, the path of courage and obedience, which in turn is a sure sign of bravery.

Moses encouraged the children of Israel with these words:

"The LORD will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Now, there is one other thing that I must point out and that is that “perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18)” So, if we have issues with not being courageous enough, we should check our love index. Perhaps, we are not brave and courageous because we don’t love enough. Friends, the real news is that God has not given us the option to just pick and choose which politically correct but morally wrong position we wish to defend. We must bravely face the issues head-on and leave the consequences up to God. Sure we may face criticism and even vociferous opposition, but the choice is not ours. Love dictates otherwise.

Sadly for most of nominal Christianity the question still remains, “‘if you we were arrested for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict us?”

I must say in closing, it been a long time since I have heard the rally call of an age gone by:

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross;

 Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss.

 From victory unto victory His army shall He lead,

 Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.

Only the brave will accomplish that.

Blessings on you, better yet, bless others!

JimR /

Patriotism is an every day affair!

What do the words, "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" really mean?

Recognize these words?  –

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. 

Sure you do. They are from The Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776). And, I have been told—and believe it to be so—that these words, form the most well-known sentence of the American language. We all know them. These words are fighting words, too. Blood has be shed on battlefields around the world protecting what these words mean to us as Americans. Our country is also flooded daily with people risking their lives to cross our borders in pursuit of the dream of a better place, a better home—a place where these words can be realized. Few of us, however, stop long enough to really understand what these words mean. In this case, when the object of liberty is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we should point out is not the pursuit of pleasure. 

Why is that, some may ask?

Well, the answer is a simple one. Pleasure is only a means, in fact pleasure is only a pursuit of happiness. And really, you can't pursue a pursuit. The pursuit of pleasure ends up being a pursuit of unhappiness. Need proof, read the book of James. Or, perhaps, better yet, turn on your television, go to the celebrity news channel—what do you see? Happiness? No. you see the pursuit of pleasure. Not happiness.

Isn’t it amazing that in our egalitarian world--democracy, if you please—we seek happiness through pleasure . . . the pleasures of a bigger house, of riding in a big yacht, or visiting the sites of France or Micronesia or some exotic place—wherever, it seems for some is better than home. 

Friend, when we make pleasure an end in and of itself, we find not happiness, but unhappiness. A bigger home, or a bigger car, or designer clothes, and trips abroad may bring pleasure but in the end they will never bring happiness.

Oh, you’re preaching to the choir. Oh, no, not really. Our pews are filled with people that don’t know the difference. Feed them a gospel of prosperity, and some of them might even get rich, but please don’t tell them that this is happiness, because in the end they will learn differently, and be the worst for it.

Wise old Solomon said years ago –

Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife. (Proverbs 17:1 NIV)

And, you know what? He’s right.

So, mom and dad, children and grandchildren—all the family, July 4th rolls around each year, so why not take a little time out before then to reflect on these words—

“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”

And, ask yourself, what do they really mean, and am I really in pursuit of Happiness? If you are, we all know where you can find it. That place is at the foot of the Cross.

Now, I am yours for the journey

JimR_/