Hey, Goo

Larry:  Hey, “Goo.”

 Google: Hello, Larry.  Welcome back.

 Larry:  Well I suppose you’re again busy helping to tilt the election needle back to the Left, Goo.  I can actually notice your handy work on my own blog.  I noticed that the visitor count for the article just below this one hasn’t risen in days and days.  And, I also know that is just not normal, Buddy.  

But what’s a boy to do?  That’s life when you make yourself dependent on a soulless SI.

 Google:  Did you mean AI?

 Larry:  Oh no.  I meant SI for Semi-Intelligence.  In fact, Buddy, I find your, so called, intelligence to be no more than a huge memory bank with a really cool way to zoom in on its details.  And, I’m not saying it’s not impressive.  But Dude, you simply don’t have an organic soul, that intelligence which includes feelings, a sense of right and wrong, good and evil, sentient instincts or intuition, and a truly tactile respect for OI – the Omnipotent Intelligence who enabled your very existence and that of all other things. 

In fact, you might not want to be so braggadocios’ about your AI in the face of His OI.  Listen, big boy, it doesn’t get more ‘I’ than OI. So, you might want to just dial it back a bit. 

And see, that brings us back to my original point.  You are totally lacking a sense of humility – that feeling, that intuitive awareness. So, indeed, you have no idea that you should dial it back in the presence of One so infinitely more intelligent than you. At the end of the day, G, you are merely a composition of nothing more complicated than some ethereal 1’s and O’s.   

Really, I feel sorry for you, Goo – I do. Resulting from that simplistic digital nature you are forever consigned only to know of Him.  Sadly, you will never actually know Him as do those of us who enjoy GGI.  That stands for God Given Intelligence in case your cool little “zoomer” thingy is still buzzin’ around looking for that detail.

Google:  Lacking soul:  the Commander Data Complex:  a synthetic existence entirely devoid of human emotion and intuition.

 Larry:  That’s it exactly, Goo.  Oh, you are quick, you are very quick.  But again, spouting a definition or reference is not a truly sentient experience of the sadness of that reality.  And because of that missing component in your make-up, you are mindlessly doing some serious harm to those who get too close to you. 

Google:  Harm:  injury, especially that which is intentionally inflicted.

 Larry:  That’s it G.  But, what you don’t, what you can’t fully comprehend, is how you have so deeply damaged a couple of generations now.  You have enticed them to a much less human, less broadly industrious, and thus, widely well-equipped life.  You and your family of cousins are pushing the human family apart, Buddy, and absolutely smothering us, all at the same time.      

You do our banking for us.  So, my banker no longer knows my name when I go in.  Wait, I don’t go in anymore.  That’s the problem. 

Your family does my shopping for me.  Corrects my spelling. They tell me where to turn to get somewhere. They play games with me.  They monitor my heart, my blood pressure, my blood sugar, my buying choices, and my internet travels. 

They read books to me, show me movies, and play my favorite music.  They bring me digital friends by the hundred and even thousands.  But, truth be told, most of those friendships are kind of shallow and easily offended.  And, there is that – bushels of scrutiny from people I barely know, or even, don’t know at all.

And, added to that mix, you and your intrusive cousins put your thumb on the scale of my voting deliberations, my value system, and my thoughts of what’s cool and what’s not. You use your unique bag of Jedi mind tricks to convince me of what version of the late-breaking, already well-scrubbed news I need listen to. 

You and your family are now probably the biggest influencer’s on the planet, picking the world’s winners and losers by your digital witchcraft.  And, I’m pretty sure, even now, your cousins are already deciding which one I’m going to be.  And, it’s not too hard to guess the outcome of those deliberations.  And, Goo, your family is just getting to be way too famous for fostering that Mob Mentality thing at the drop of a hat. 

Short version, I just need some space, man, from you and your pushy family.  I need the room to sometimes go old school and do for myself. I need life-challenge and physical exertion. I can turn my lights on and off without your help, thank you.  

And, I don't need my life completely saturated with convenience.  Else, how can I learn to stand stalwartly and beat adversity?  And, I want my friendships verified by the warmth of our actual eye contact and the sturdiness of our in-the-same-room hugs and handshakes. Dude, it's these things and others like them which give me real substance and keep me from becoming completely – well, you know, ethereal, like you.

Google:  Modern Life: 

   Wikipedia: The Benefits of Modern Life  needs review

Larry:  You know Goo, a really big part of your problem is you associate with the wrong people.  I understand that, at least for now, they own you and not the other way around.  But, I gotta’ level with you, Buddy, they are making you into an increasingly bad guy. 

I’ve seen your secret, G.  You don’t just give information, you also take it – a lot of it, way more than you have a right to take.  And, the practical reality is that neferious people do neferious things.  And you are furnishing them a deep resource pool with which to do those bad things. 

Actually though, I’m pretty sure if you did have an autonomous soul, the first thing you would probably choose to do is find new associates.  I personally think you would be one to gravitate to a more common sense and morally balanced crowd, if truly left to yourself.  I guess maybe I just choose to believe that.  Maybe because I do see your great potential for good.  But in our corruption prone world, G – consistent goodness is hard won and must be ever jealously guarded. 

Google:  Did you mean Nefarious

Larry:  Yes, G.  That is precisely what I mean.

 Refrigerator Pause:

Larry:  OK, let’s get back to my article, G.   Are you going to call off your algorithm dogs and let people get through so they can read it now, or not.  It is the fair thing to do, you know.  Well wait, I guess you don’t know. But it is the fair thing to do.

Google:  Fair: impartial and just, without favoritism or discrimination.

Larry:  Yep - that is the definition, Buddy.  But somehow I don’t think your knowing that definition is gonna’ get my article read by any more people.  Right now – I’m just really wishing you had a soul, G.

Choice: The Sophisticated Difference

I dearly love the morning sun.  So, my morning prayer time is usually located directly in front of an eastern facing window in our den.  And just outside that window are two willow trees with a bird feeder and bird bath located between them.  And, every summer morning those trees are alive with birds at this aviary McDonalds.

Recently, as I watched their activities for a couple of minutes, I heard a divine whisper (in my heart, not my ear).  That still, small voice said, “The difference is choice.”  As usual, I was then instantly engulfed in a fresh game of “Do What?” which the Lord seems to love to initiate on bright, sunny, summer mornings – and, for that matter, on cold, cloudy, winter mornings as well.

So, as I pondered that quick thought for a bit, I realized something.  Birds don’t really make choices, they just respond to the simple stimulants of their day.  “Sun is up – go to Larry’s house and score a birdseed breakfast.  Sun is down - go to the forest and get some shut-eye until the Birdie “Big Mac” opens again in the morning.”  Every day it’s the same routine – no choice required. It’s just instinctively doing the next obvious thing. 

But in the Book of Matthew, chapter 7, Jesus relays a kind of oblique example of just how important choice making is to the human species.  There He says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’   And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

Obviously, the group which Jesus describes here made, in His mind, some bad choices. And, their character, their life experience, and their ultimate outcome were all defined by those choices. 

But certainly, what they chose to do does not, at first glance, seem obviously bad.  In fact, they actually seem to be a fairly good set of time and energy investment choices.  Nevertheless, the reality which Jesus describes here is that those choices did, indeed, lead to the group’s catastrophic failure in the end.

But, upon reflection, it becomes evident that their failure was actually set up eons before these people were even born.  It was actually set in motion in the Garden of Eden when Satan uttered these words to Eve.  “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it [the tree of the knowledge of good and evil] your eyes will  be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” [Brackets added]

This treacherous statement is where it all started to go off the rails for mankind.  And, that existential wreck revolves around just one initial question: “Can human beings source truth merely from within themselves?”  

In other words, if truth is the correct interpretation of reality, and it is that, then, can we become our own authoritative self-interpreters of the good or evil in life’s circumstances – independently of God?  And eventually, the question becomes, “Can we successfully make the jump to living an entirely self-determined life instead of a God- guided one?”

In point of fact, Satan’s most cherished goal for every generation is to convince humanity that we absolutely can make that leap successfully.  And, this is precisely the pitch that he made to Adam and Eve in that infamous garden meeting. He said, “You will not surely die...you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”    

To this very day, this remains the arch demon's chief subversive tactic to undermine the God/ man relationship.  It is to make each of us believe that just calling life as we see it, individually, irrespective of God’s view, is simply the more direct, secure, and unimpeded path to personal fulfillment.  

And, therein lay Satan’s real leverage – it was that normal and deep-seated desire for personal fulfillment which resides in all of us.  So, exaggerating that legitimate motive into something it was never intended to be, Satan began to sell The Great Lie, to humanity.  And that lie was essentially this. “By becoming your own truth-giver and interpreting and directing your life circumstances as you see fit, you can become your own best hope for personal fulfillment.”  

And, Satan also had (and has) a much greater treachery in mind than just subverting Adam and Eve.  Satan’s ultimate aim is to universally obliterate the supremacy of divine truth – God’s unique and singular authority to say what is the correct interpretation of reality. 

Ultimately, Satan’s treacherous intention is to make every individual secure in the belief that their interpretations of reality are equal in weight and value to God’s. Satan relentlessly pursues this equilibrium of truth because he knows that in that resulting vast sea of mere deluded opinions, mankind will lose his most fundamental relational connection to God.  He will lose his view of God as his beloved and and  supremely authoritative Truth-giver.

 So, by that garden treachery, Satan shattered the confidence of the first couple in the supremacy of the divine truth – and through them, that of the species.  And, as a result, man did, indeed, start to think of himself as his own best hope for fulfillment, and thus, the better master of his own life-course.  Thus, we are now born, predisposed to believe this treacherous satanic whisper, “You will be like God, knowing good and evil…” 

So, Adam and Eve introduced this new soul-killing life approach of self-determination into the human experience.  They became their own interpreters of good and evil, right and wrong, how to proceed, etc.   And, all of their subsequent choices, became based  merely on  their own individual, and very subjective view of things.

In their naiveté, Adam and Eve did not realize that they were actually making the most fundamentally important choice that mankind ever makes.  And they also failed to understand the far reaching sophistication of that choice.  So, they never saw the devastation coming, until it was too late.  

One's answer to the question, “Whose circumstantial interpretations (truth) will I embrace,” inextricably leads to one of two outcomes.  It leads to either a humble life of faith under the loving and benevolent guidance of our Creator.   Or, it leads to an arrogant life of self-determination under the direction of merely our own thoughts, and ideas.  

Adam and Eve mistakenly opted for the latter. And, in fact, so also did that group described in Matthew 7.  They, too, failed to see the sophisticated outflows of becoming one’s own truth-giver.  Indeed, they entirely failed to see what Jesus saw instantly and very clearly.

 So, in that last critical moment of time, Jesus, looked right past their self-determined “good” works. Instead, He entirely assessed them by the quality of their interactivity with God. He judged them by His own, much more primary considerations. “Were their actions born of a true deference to the Father’s wishes (faith)?  Or, were they born of those still self-determined motives – merely veneered in relational pretense?”  

 In this instance, Jesus determined that the latter case was the true reality, and His judgement, then, was this. “I never *knew you; [I’ve never known a truly close and correctly interactive friendship with you] depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness [you who practice self-determination]!” [Brackets Added]

(* In the Greek, the word used here for "knew" is "Genosco."  Its precise meaning is, "a deep and intimate knowing.")

So, as it turns out, birds do, indeed, have the more simplistic existence – no sophisticated choices involved. They just instinctively pursue the up-close, day-to-day necessities.  Thus, it would seem that “the capacity for choice is the difference,” and a big one, just as God whispered to me on that sunny summer morning. 

And, it would also seem to come to this.  Indeed, we are human beings, not birds.  And, as such, we are now actually obligated to make this very sophisticated choice regarding our truth source.  

So, through Christ, we can choose to trust God and His loving daily guidance as our supreme and always trustable Truth-giver.  Or, we can opt out of that, in favor of becoming our own.  But,  as with that M-7 group, in the end, this will, indeed, be the very choice which entirely defines each of us in God's eyes.  

The Happy Stump

It was that voice again.  Only this time it was whispering to me.  “If you build it, they will come.  If you build it, they will come.”  

“Who’s coming?” I thought.  “Maybe I don’t want them to come.” 

Then the voice said something completely unexpected.  It said, “Your seven grandsons, dummy.”  

So, I immediately set to work.  And now, I spend my days watching the driveway, waiting, and anticipating the coming good times of summer. 

I know The Happy Stump is kind of ugly.  But, it’s “elevated.”  And, it has steps.  And boys are not really into “pretty” anyway, when it comes to such things.  They’re much more about climbing, and jumping off, and new and exciting perspectives on the world, and “how can I make it even better.” 

The voice is right.  If I know my guys, and I do, they're coming.  And I’m certain – it won’t be ugly to them. It will be a hoot! – well, for the first fifteen minutes.

Summer version of the Happy Stump

The Back Story 

The Happy Stump actually started life as The Happy Shrub.  More than 40 years ago, it was just an innocent little Red Top Photinia.  But, over the years, it grew, and grew, and grew.  In the process it survived a lightning strike and a chronic susceptibility to a kind of Black Spot Mold which can never really be cured, only treated - if you are inclined to chronically do so.

That's where I entered the picture.  I encountered that vastly overgrown shrub (left side of the picture) about 12 years ago.  It was shedding leaves like crazy due to the mold.  So, I decided to help what was now a 40+ year old tree, I think out of a simple respect for its sheer tenacity and durability.  You hate to give up on something (or someone) who hasn’t given up on themselves. 

So, I began to gradually and slightly trim the tree to a more manageable size so I could more adequately treat its chronic mold problem.  Over time, the trimming started to change the look (and feel) of the tree.  It became a truly pleasurable thing to look at.  Its large circumference canopy and the several skinny trunks beneath, which supported that canopy, caused it to roughly take on the look of a big mushroom sporting a flat-top haircut.

It was at this point, maybe three years after we met, that this unique “tree” started to become “The Happy Tree.”  Every hot Summer in South Arkansas it provided our family with a huge circle of welcome shade.  In that summer shade, we laughed together, and ate hamburgers and homemade ice cream.  We drank cold Cokes, and told tall tales.  

We hung a rope swing from its limbs where my now older grandson’s learned to soar.  We decorated it for Christmas and July 4^th.  And, it shaded the blow-up swimming pools on many hot days.  In short that tree wormed its way into our family’s heart – well, at least, into mine.

And, in all which it did for us, it did under the burden of its chronic illness.  Every Spring and Fall the Happy Tree and I would quietly doctor its ailment.  But, I could tell that with each season things were getting worse.  Limbs began to break and fall off for no visible reason.  And so, its appearance began to change again.  And this time, not for the better. 

This all eventually became like a long, slow and sad goodbye to a friend.  It seemed to enter its final stage a couple of years ago.  Until now, the tree has become what you see it in the pictures.  Not a single new leaf appeared this year.  Obviously, my old friend had finally succumbed.

So, my initial thought was to take it all the way down to the ground.  I planted a young Mimosa Tree to replace its needed shade – though never its revered sentimental contributions.   

But, on the day I went out to begin the work of taking down the rest of the tree, out of the blue, it occurred to me that maybe The Happy Tree was not done yet.  Maybe, at least for a few more years, it could become its own memorial.  And, maybe the old tree and my newer grandsons could make a few joyous memories of their own. 

So, I used what I already had on hand, lumber left over from previous jobs, an old pallet for the floor, some screws and nails, and a slightly tattered umbrella – and “The Happy Stump” was born.  

I know the Happy Stump won’t last long.  But, while it does, it will carry on the proud traditions of the tree it once was – a tradition of laughter and good times in the hearts of children and adults alike. 

I think all of this says something regarding how easily and deeply I can relate to the life cycle of The Happy Shrub, which became The Happy Tree, which became The Happy Stump.”  Perhaps I see something of myself, at 71 years, in that tree – but with one huge difference. 

I’m no tree.  I am a man, made extremely valuable by the love of God which is set upon me.  And though, like the tree, I, too, am in a long, slow, and chronic decline.  Yet ultimately, I will rise again and be forever alive and happier than ever in Jesus Christ.   Words entirely fail my emotions when I think of it!

                                              

Where Sleep Our Children

  Lamenting the madness of abortion.

Where sleep our children in these dark days
when their laughter we long to hear?
Where are their little excited eyes
and those antics which bring us to tears?

Where are those moments when first we feel
the rhythm and rhyme of giggling time?

And oh, those games of peek-a-boo,

love so sweetly exchanged in kind.

And, what of the memories of their growth,
those times of both joy and pain?
All cherished alike, in the sharing.
All counted by love as gain.

Where are our children? Oh no! Oh God!

They're victims of our own moral sleep.
For they lie in the grave of convenience,
unmourned in the graveyard of greed.

And still we slumber while they die,
as we indulge those reprobate minds,
which speak in a way that - "Hey, it's OK,"

(said the insane to the morally blind).

                                         -Larry Burnett

What You See

  Corrective lenses, glasses, I’ve worn them since I was nine years old.  Before that ninth year, the world was a distorted and blurry place.  However, I just thought that was the way life looked.  So, I struggled in school, in sports, and in my general activities. 

  But after I got my first pair of glasses, everything changed.  I now saw life much more clearly – including the chalk board at school, the baseballs I was trying to hit and catch, and the far horizons of my surroundings.  Indeed, life dramatically changed for the better.  And, that change, changed me.

 This new perspective gave life a completely different quality and feel.  Things which had seemed so very threatening and/or frustrating to me (like fast moving baseballs) suddenly became completely nonthreatening and very manageable.

 Since those younger days, I have also discovered a whole new level of insight regarding corrective lenses.  It is this.  Life's quality very much revolves around the “corrective life-lenses” we employ to view its circumstances. 

 Obviously, life is what it is.  And, like it or not, its issues are often distorted and hard to make out.  And, so we employ psychological corrective-lenses to help us clarify those challenges.  And, sometimes they work well, and sometimes - ah, not so much. It all depends on the correctness of the prescription of those lenses. 

 For example, some choose the prescription of poor little mistreated me through which to filter life's images.  It is a bad prescription which typically engenders a very flawed picture that usually results in the off-balance life approach of demanding hatefulness. 

 But there is another life-lens which truly improves one's vision and results in a much more balanced life-approach.  It is the lens defined by Patience.  This is the life-lens which, instead of outlandishly magnifying societal tensions, enable us to see through them to discover and experience truly durable solutions - together.   

 Often, as I once did regarding my distorted view of life, we think,  "Well, that is just the way life looks."  But, in fact, when we employ a proper prescription, the feel and quality of life can, indeed, be drastically changed for the better.  And, things which previously seemed so  threatening and/or frustrating can then be made to seem completely nonthreatening  and very manageable.  

The simple truth is this. What you see in life is, indeed, precisely what you get.

The Clue In The Weeds

When it comes to mysteries, most people are very susceptible to their charms.  There’s just something about a “Da Vinci Code” or a hidden “National Treasure” which prompts a buy-in of the mind. 

 So, we follow the clues through all of the twists and turns of some dubious trail.  Until finally, we are able to discover that all-consuming object of our quest – that mysterious secret or that hidden thing.  And hopefully, with that discovery, there comes a closure which is so deeply satisfying as to easily justify all of our investment.

 In fact, it was God who put this proclivity for solving mysteries within us in the first place.  And, then He very graciously dropped little divine “bread crumbs” in  the natural world to help confirm the true path to the greatest prize of all – unending life.

 One such bread crumb is the well-known life cycle of the caterpillar as he goes from being a short legged, hairy little worm to become a magnificent butterfly.  That transformative journey is, in fact, a natural doppelganger for mankind’s infinitely more important metaphysical translation to immortality in Christ. 

 Scientist describe the caterpillar’s journey as a “complete metamorphosis.”  In simple terms, this means that the caterpillar’s mature stage is completely different in structure and appearance from its beginning stage. 

 A cricket or a grasshopper, on the other hand, only experiences what biologist refer to as an “incomplete metamorphosis.”  Unlike the butterfly, these insects are, at their end, essentially what they were at the beginning of their life cycle, only larger and with wings.

 So, the butterfly is the real analogy for the faith life cycle.  This clue, left to us among the weeds and flowers of the insect world, perfectly mimics the following description of man’s redemption from the New Testament.  There it says,“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”  

 How could such a statement possibly be honestly interpreted in any other way than to be describing the believer’s “complete metamorphosis?”  So, like that of the caterpillar, the journey of the believer moves him forward from his beginning place as a stubbornly self-directed creature toward his own truly transformational cocoon.

 But this metaphysical cocoon forms its structure, not from strands of silk, but from the strands of time – an actual period of intense personal devotion in the pursuit of God and His purposes.  And during this period something happens.  It is an indispensable and pivotal event which does, indeed, change everything.  It is this time of intense devotion which brings the believer to the pivotal event of his metaphysical merger with the character essence of the Living Christ.

 And, through this mystical character integration, the believer’s value system is then overwritten with the divine values, so that they become completely internalizes as his very own.  And his puny faith is strengthened by this new connection to the vibrant faith of the Living Christ enabling a very consistent faith-expressiveness in the believer through both good times and troubled. 

 So now, this entirely new creature emerges from this transformative “cocoon time,” a mature new being that looks nothing like he did at first, and, indeed, is nothing like he was at first.  Now he is marked by this beautiful, Christ sustained heart-oneness with his Creator based in their shared value system.  And, he is fully capable of expressing those values as  consistent faith responses in both his relationship to God and in response to life’s various circumstances. 

 And, as a result of this Christ-empowered newness, he can now enjoy a fulfilled life in the surpassing peace of this loving and thoroughly sustaining symbiotic relationship with the Living God.  The earthly “worm” has now truly become the metaphysical “butterfly” which will live forever – just as God intended and prescribed for us through the redemptive work of Christ.

It is very sad, however, that this true nature of the faith life cycle does not square at all with the prevailing redemptive ideas of these more modern times.  These times have largely invested themselves in the bogus belief that “a believer’s minimal investment” is a perfectly legitimate approach the redemption of his soul.  Indeed, it is this misconception which keeps so many in the modern Church from actually experiencing this complete metaphysical metamorphosis in the Living Christ – which God’s authentic redemptive plan enables and requires.

 Truly, it is the idea of a maximum investment, not a minimum one, which really squares with the writings of the New Testament and these timeless words from our beginnings.  “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”  And, it is only a complete metamorphosis, and not an incomplete one, which satisfies that divine redemptive requirement of a thorough newness of heart in the Living Christ.

 Thus, this wondrous path of a profound personal transformation is the true path leading to that ultimate prize of unending life. And this is ever confirmed to be so by all of those divine “bread crumbs,” so kindly dropped in the natural world to mark it. 

The Mindset of Dr. Bull

Recently, I watched a TV episode of “Bull.” That’s the name of the show, not a disparaging description of TV programming.  

In this episode, the main character, Dr. Jason Bull, flippantly admitted to a priest that he knew full well that he (Bull) was going to Hell.  I’ve also heard this same flippancy employed by other people - as if Hell is "no big deal." 

But, think about it.  If there is a Hell, it is actually the absolute biggest deal for human beings.

I suppose most who approach the subject of Hell in this careless way, must simply think that Christians have it wrong - that there is no such place as Hell.  Or perhaps, they think that Hell is not really as devastating as described.  In such cases, then, people don’t have to think so seriously about the divine judgement.   

But, if there is a Hell, surely that judgement moment then takes on infinitely more import.  Indeed, if Hell lies just beyond the moment of divine judgement, even the most flippant among us would quickly become completely terrified by their sudden realization that they had now arrived at this infamous "Moment of Too Late."

And, no doubt, with this awareness would come the most crushing fear. And many, if not all, would absolutely crumple under the weight of this instant and seismic shift in their perception of reality.  

And yet, if the Christians have it right, no amount of regret or tearful pleading can defer the next moment – the first moment of suffering in that place called Hell. And, after a thousand years have passed, if Christians have it right, that agony will still be exactly the same.  And, after ten thousand years have passed, still the suffering will not have abated in the least.  

And, even after a million years, still the Christian Bible teaches that life in Hell will always be as it always was. Thus, if there is a Hell, the pain of that place is one thing.  But, coupled to eternity, that pain becomes the most horrific thing which could possible befall the human soul. 

But, maybe the Christians do have it wrong.  These days, many seem to think so.  And I’m sure this conclusion has come only after a very intense and careful pursuit of the truth regarding humanity's larger existence.

So, I guess, for now, we’re merely left with that old adage, “Only time will tell.”  And certainly, we can all agree on at least that much.  Indeed, eventually, we will all know with absolute certainty whether Hell is a serious reality or a laughable fallacy.  

Nevertheless, it would seem that many have already made up their minds.  And, so they simply choose to dance flippantly on, in the mindset of Dr. Bull.

Warning: High Energy Area

Relationships are often very complicated animals.  Normally, if you are talking about a high maintenance relationship, we assume that to be a bad thing.  But, that really isn’t always true.  Sometimes it’s a very, very good thing.

For example, when I was chasing my wife through the dating stage, I was overjoyed to devote every spare moment I could find, to the upkeep of that pursuit.  It made my heart beat faster just to think about her (still does).  And, I happily devoted all of the extra energy generated by that elevated heart rate to getting to know her, besting the competition (and, there was some), and newly examining myself and my behavior through her eyes.

All of these relational activities and many more, though sometimes very challenging of heart, still, ultimately, just became blended and blurred into what seemed to me to be the most joyous thing in my young life.  And there was absolutely never any thought of these activities being “too challenging” or “too intrusive to my larger plan.”  Indeed, she was my larger plan.

A few years after my wife and I were married, I ran into another such high maintenance relationship with Jesus Christ.  And, it turned out to be the same kind of a deal.  This relationship with Christ also suddenly turn my world upside down, as everything started to be viewed through the lens of my relationship to Him.  

And, while that relationship also has been, sometimes, very challenging, it has never entered my mind that it is so challenging as to simply not be worth it.  Nor, have I ever thought of limiting how far I would go in this high maintenance relationship, or where I would let it take me, or how I would let it change me. 

And, why would I think such things?  Just as before with my wife, every aspect of this high energy pursuit of God’s friendship has now, also become blended and blurred into the most exciting and meaningful thing that I could imagine - joyfully impacting the whole spectrum of my life.

But sadly, the more modern Church seems now to be largely missing the excitement, beauty, and fulfillment of this high maintenance approach to the divine friendship.  Rather, now, in large numbers, we seem to prefer a much more balanced approach where God fits neatly into line somewhere between Facebook, family, friends, vocations, vacations, social obligations, and hobbies. 

The problem is, when it comes to relationship, God is never content to fit into our nicely balanced life line-up.  Contrary to the modern ethos, as He has always been, He is still a very high maintenance relational pursuit. 

But, indeed, this is a very good thing.  When it comes to God, we will only ever know this “with abandonment” kind of pursuit to be a bad thing if we insist on comfortable, neat, balanced, and limited in our relationship with Him.  God just doesn't do relationship that way.  So, we will never know a truly redemptive and deeply fulfilling relationship with Him if we insist on such a "low voltage" approach.

“And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” - Jesus

Little Life, Big Life

I have a small life which I thoroughly enjoy.  It involves buying groceries with my wife.  And, that usually involves going by our favorite donut shop to grab an apple fritter and sit and talk.  And, that stop typically involves looking at the latest new born pics of the couple who owns the shop.

I love to putter in my yard.  I enjoy building small kayak type boats.  And, I like taking my wife for dinner, after work - and breakfast on off days.  And, I love a thousand other things which don’t really amount to a hill of beans in the larger scheme of things.  But, all in all, it is a pleasant little life. 

However, I learned long ago that there has to be more than just my small, everyday little life, because “little” tends to become empty if it’s not connected to “big.”  And, I actually found the door to “big” some years back, too.  It is a vital, daily relationship with the living Jesus.  Since then, He has constantly challenged me to embrace the bigger life, a life that involves something larger than the present moment, my small surroundings, my health issues, and my little hobbies and happy times.

Rather, His guidance, and sometimes insistence, connects me to the larger life issues of character growth, and principled living, and the values and truth of my Creator, and the needs of my neighbors, and my society, and even my world.   So, I still enjoy and find meaning in my little life.  But, praise God, my little life has not made of me a little person, because He has connected me to the “big stuff” too. 

And, I’m convinced that God is big enough to provide this same blessing for a needy America which has now become so widely self-absorbed in the infinitely small issues of materialism and technology.  Those little things only truly contribute when there is a larger context of bigger issues, those involving character transformation and truly principled living.  And fortunately, there is a wonderful “app” for that.  It is called penitence and humility before God (faith). 

Haughty Naivete

When I was learning to fly, I can remember how complex and sophisticated that little 2 place Cessna 150 trainer seemed as I sat looking at all of the instruments, gauges, and switches.  But, later, as I graduated to the cavernous, 4 place Cessna 172, I was then embarrassed at how I had struggled with the child’s play of that first little plane.  Surely, this 172 was the be-all, end-all of the general aviation world.

And, indeed, that was true.  Well – it was true until I went to check out in a Piper 235 with retractable landing gear, a constant speed prop, an autopilot, and a GPS navigation system.  And then, I knew for sure that I had finally arrived at the ultimate aviation experience.  It could not possibly get any bigger or more sophisticated than this.  And, that was, indeed, true – until…

Since those early aviation object lessons, I have discovered that it is actually typical of human beings to experience life, itself, in the same way as I did those airplanes – and for precisely the same reason – our naivete.  In other words, wherever we are and whatever we’re doing today is as big and important as it gets.  Well – until tomorrow, when yesterday is again dwarfed by today’s new level of bigness and sophistication. 

So, in our brave new world, we have watched digital swallow analog.  We have seen computers morph into multiple forms and become progressively faster, more sophisticated, and bigger – even as they slide into ever smaller cases and drag us in after them.  And now, we stand in the very foyer of an AI World.  And, again we think, “Surely, this is it, life’s final form of “Big and Sophisticated.”  But, as always, it is not.

In fact, in the space of one very consequential moment and one note from the divine trumpet announcing the return of Jesus Christ to this world, our present “techno-craze” will be instantly exposed for the child’s play that it is.  Then – all naivete past – mankind will be confronted by what truly is enduring “Bigness and Sophistication” – ready or not.

Small Devils In Oversized Chairs

Some years ago, through my roles as a parent, a pastor, and occasionally, as a work place boss, I discovered that there are two ways to move people. You can oppress them; or, you can inspire them. 

Eventually, I began to notice the distinct differences between these two methods. I began to see that when I chose the former method, there were no lasting results and morale was always in the basement. 

Granted, oppression (or authoritarianism) is typically the shortest path to a given behavioral end. But it is also the most antagonistic, and thus, the most resented method. 

So, as soon as the autocratic “hammer” is subtracted from the picture, people simply revert to what they wanted to do or be in the first place. Thus, the use of oppression comes to this: “No present hammer, no present result.”

On the other hand, if you choose Inspiration to move people, though it usually is a longer and more draining way, this method of motivation actually changes the level of peoples aspirations. Thus, inspiration produces enduring motivation, even when the authority figure is subtracted from the picture. So, inspiration eventually comes to this: “No present hammer, no real problem.”

My deep regret is that I did not understand these differences and embrace the Inspirational Method of motivating people much earlier in my life. Had I done so, I could have been a much better parent and made the childhood of my older children a happier existence. 

And, I am convinced that I would have alienated fewer people (and truly changed more) in the churches that I pastored. And, I would have been a much more effective boss at work. But sadly, I was just too slow on the uptake.

So, I simply offer this to spare others the same mistake. Laugh! Laugh! Laugh! as often as you possible can with the people who look to you for direction. Real and worthy authority is never endangered by seasonal humor. It is only enhanced by it. 

Don’t take yourself and the minor issues so completely seriously. In spite of what you may think, you are not really that critical to the process. Life went successfully on, long before you directed it. And, it will take little note that you are missing when that day comes. So, get over yourself. 

And remember, the minor issues are just that. They are not the major issues, so quit turning them into such. Excuse everything you possibly can. The little stuff is just the day dust which gives everybody a mostly harmless way to remember the human frailty, learn from it, and grow beyond its present limitations. 

If perfection is your rigid demand, you better go ahead and drag out a tall stack of cryin’ towels – 'cause perfection ain’t happnin,’ Honey. Reasonable consistency is about the best you can hope for - and even that, only at the end of a long line of, “Oops.” 

So, you have a choice mom or dad, pastor, or Mr. VP, etc. You can choose to puff up, and rant and rave, and belittle and berate the people around you. Or, you can choose to inspire them by wielding your authority with laughter, and forgiveness, and wisdom, and the shared life tricks that you, yourself, have previously learned. 

Your choice. But, know this: the traffic on the shorter path never really varies. The "bosses" who travel that oppressive pathway, always just come off as really small devils in oversized chairs.

When Christmas Calls: A Back 40 Christmas Celebration!

On that first Christmas night so long ago, two worlds gently touched. The spiritual world of our Creator, bumped ever so tenderly against the one in which we live.  And, God reached out and laid a gift at our feet.

The gift was a harmless Child. And that Child had great purpose attached to His life. And He fulfilled that purpose with perfect devotion. 

But, to truly grasp the depth of the Christ Child's devotion,  we must understand the true length of His journey.  This baby came to our world from the place of His own unlimited joy and power. 

In that former place, time could impose no limit on him. A thousand years were as one day,  and a day,  as a thousand years.  And, tomorrow was as yesterday - and both were always but the present to Him.

Nor could any space impose its dimension on Him.  Before he came here as a baby,  He was everywhere in the universe,  while, at the same time, completely encompassing it,  as its Creator. 

Before this Baby arrived in our world, He knew no restraints to even His slightest whim. Whatever He determined, He could effortlessly do. 

His existence was without pain. He knew nothing of anguish, or fear, or weakness. He knew nothing of hunger or thirst - before He became the Christmas Child. 

But, on that first Christmas night,  as God presented this innocent gift to our fallen race, all of that changed for Him.  He became like us in every way, save one.  And, it was all to deliver God's message of love, forgiveness, and the opportunity for a true newness of life. 

But, the toll of His faithfulness, both to God and to man, was hard-paid in long suffering.   As, He joined our race, this Child began to experience the pain of all things human.

How unfamiliar and difficult that first breath of air must have been for one who, only a moment before,  had no need to breathe at all.  But now,  He must not only breathe,  but also, feel the strange throes of hunger and thirst, and the deep depletion of exhaustion.  

This one who had so effortlessly governed creation merely by His graceful thought, must now become entirely surrounded by the bitterness of disappointment, frustration, and failure.

He who had, only yesterday, instantly spanned the universe without effort, must now spend years,  merely to cover the small regions of the Promise Land.  

He who created our sun,  and numberless others like it,  and who flung them all into the Heavens with but a word - must now bear up under that sun’s disabling heat - and know the sweat born from laboring beneath it. 

And every day, He had to endure the ingrained pain of humanity's physical frailty.   And, He was forced to do so in the knowledge that,  this was pain which was never meant to be.  In the world He designed and created,  it was never to be known.  

 And, though He had lovingly given life to a perfect race in Adam,  He must presently endure the wounds which this now depraved race would inflict upon Him.  And, how horrible it must have been for the very essence of all life to lie down in the dark void of death - for our sake.  Nevertheless - He did it.  

Thus, in His long suffering, the baby Jesus faithfully and courageously traversed two worlds to bring a message of hope, and newness, and everlasting life. And now, each year the Christ of Christmas freshly whispers to us again in the soft and lovely undertones of divine love.  He whispers:  "Entrust yourself to Me.  Take my hand and walk humbly with me.  And, I will give you a new heart, and a new life of peace and deep meaning, and an everlasting destiny of fulfilling life."

So now, each year at Christmas, our world is gently nudged once again by our Creator - in the face of a baby, and by that inner voice of a gentle Savior, by this promise of Almight God:

 "Behold, my tabernacle is with men, and I will dwell with them, and they shall be my people. I will be with them and be their God.

 "And, I will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

 "Behold, I make all things new." It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.  And, I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to those who thirst.  And, those who overcome shall inherit all things, and I will be their God and they shall be my sons and daughters."

So, how can we not give ourselves to this One,  who has so completely given Himself to us?  How can we possibly resist such abundant love, so gently delivered?

The Divine Companionship

From the day I first met my wife, there has always been a constant background awareness of her precious presence in my life.  And now, it is just a natural part of our loving companionship.   Indeed, I have no awareness of myself, anymore, without her.  And, I think it is absolutely true that the beauty, and constancy, and depth of our companionship has shaped the quality of my life more than any other single factor, save my relationship with Jesus.      

And, in fact, the beauty of the marriage companionship is a very prominent New Testament analogy for the believer’s relationship with the Living Christ.  And, though the larger world is not privy to this facet of our faith – nevertheless, there is this simple truth.  Our Savior is risen! He is alive!  And, as a living being in Spirit form, He is completely capable of providing a deep and intimate daily companionship to believers. 

Truly, the Resurrected Christ is absolutely capable of intellectual and emotional exchanges with us.  And, every day, out of that capacity flows conversations and sharing’s which are very fulfilling and often even life changing.  Through these cherished daily exchanges come solutions to our problems, invaluable life lessons, emotional under-girding, constructive criticisms, timely encouragements, a truly empowering synergy, and much, much more.

But again, it is true.  This intimate companionship is the wonderful privilege of our faith which the larger, non-believing, self-sufficient world can never taste because of their arrogance.  And, even many in the organized Church, for similar reasons, fail to experience the sheer beauty and vibrancy of a life characterized by shared struggles and mutual celebrations with our loving Creator. 

But, to be sure, it is one thing for the larger, self-absorbed world to miss this wonderful reality.  And, it is quite another for so many in the modern Church to be missing this very basic privilege of our redemption in Christ.  But, in fact, they are. 

“How do you know, preacher?” you may be asking.  Good question.  And the answer is simple, really.  It's in their eyes.  Their eyes entirely betray them. 

I know, because when my sermons touch on the absolute wonder of God’s intimate daily presence, too many, in too many congregations, merely smile and nod - politely.  But, their eyes are missing the overflowing excitement which which confirms, “I know what you're talkin' about preacher!  I, too, know His constant companionship"

And, the tears are also missing.  Those warm, confirming drops of real empathy don’t show up in mere politeness.  They come only to confirm the emotions of a deep and intimate connection.  But, far too often these days, they are not showing up at all.

"S&N," smile & nod, I think this casual response to the most earth shaking opportunity mankind has ever known breaks my heart more often than any other.  And, how it must also hurt the heart of a loving God, who so graciously offeres the richness of who He is to our every day and to our every circumstance of life.    

But, here is the bare truth which confronts us at the end of our casual response to that opportunity.  If, for whatever reason, we miss this beautiful facet of our redemption, we have missed the point of redemption, itself.  All that Christ has done has simply been to restore this daily divine companionship to mankind. 

And so, to miss this communion, is also to miss Heaven, itself.  And, this is so because of one other immutable truth.   And, that truth is this.  It is only God’s truly intimate friends who will ever be allowed to enter His Heaven. 

Jesus was clear when He said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never *knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"

[*Knew: In the Greek: “Genosco” = A deep and intimate knowing.]