Have you ever picked up a book and been convicted before you have even finished the 2-page foreword?  That is exactly what happened to me when I read Chris Tomlin’s foreword to Crazy Love by Francis Chin.  Let me cite it from the book: “Acts 11, at the end of the verse 26, it says, ‘The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.”  What I find interesting is the simple thought that the Christians didn’t name themselves.  But rather, they were called (named) Christians by those watching their lives.”  So, I thought to myself, what would people watching me 24/7 call me?  Hypocrite comes to mind.

Then I did what any self-professing Christian would do…I tossed the book on a shelf and tried to forget about it.  Key word here is tried.  The Holy Spirit is relentless in Its pursuit when it comes to matters of your very soul.  (And thank God… I mean Himself…. this Trinity thing is confusing, anyway I am thankful.)  With the tenacity of a bloodhound on a fresh trail those words kept coming to my mind.  If I desire to be called a Christian by others, not just myself, shouldn’t there be a tangible difference in my attitude, actions, and heart when compared to those of the world’s.

Well, long story short…I picked the book up off the shelf and I am reading it again filtering it through the Word.  This time I hope to get past the foreword.

Thankfully, RT.

I was amazed at the  intensity and how easily the fury of a 31-year-old grudge returned to life last night after bumping into an old acquaintance. In retrospect maybe I should not have been so surprised by the ferocity of this beast since it had been feasting on my soul for all that time. I was already in a less than joyous mood at the time due to dealing with parental health issues, so that may have heightened the experience.  However, I am pleased to report that through maturity I was able to show great personal restraint (with a little divine intervention I am sure) and that no one was injured or went to jail.

For the past twenty four hours I have been wondering what other beast are laying in wait in the depths of my spirit.  Furthermore, thinking about what damage they are doing even while in hibernation which brings me to this:  The first step in beast slaying is to recognize the beast as such.  Beast can be very deceptive and evasive.   More often than not they are posing as something else entirely, sometimes even a virtue.  Esau held a grudge against his brother Jacob and look what happened to him.  The Lord turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.  Not a fate I want to share.  I need some knee time.

Slaying the beast, RT

Disclaimer:  Those of you who suppect I might be crazy, this could comfirm it.  Those who think I am sane, this may cause you to doubt your assumption.

We are part of a society searching for life’s and death’s answers under every stone, in the bottom of every glass of tea, and even from our deceased relatives.  If you don’t beleive me just take a look at our media, it is awash in the paranormal.  From movies and television to the printed page….paranormal sells!  Research it yourself…I’ll wait.

I am ashamed to admit that I bought into this paranormal pitch lock, stock and barrel.  My interest was peaked when I moved into a new home in 2002.  Immediately after moving in odd things began to happen.  Without going into distracting detail, we experienced unexplained voices, shadow figures, things being moved, and the trademark bumps in the night.  We prayed,  researched, fasted, and contacted someone experienced in spiritual warfare.  After a Christian cleansing and blessing of the home, the activity ceased for approximately one month.  After that month passed, Katy bar the door!  It came back with a fury.  This time with an increase in the frequency and severity.  At times it would actually call us by name!

At this point, much to my shame, I contacted two “paranormal research” groups.  They came with cameras, audio recorders, meters, thermometers and left with a strong “evidence” and a belief that our house was haunted by ghosts of  numerous Native Americans who were attached to the land. 

It is now seven years later and the activity is much deminished, but not completely gone.  But what is completely deminished is my belief in the paranormal and ghost.  Through my growth in the Word over the past few years I am convinced that what we were being duped into beleiving was a lingering departed human spirit is actually a non-human demon spirit.  I am not talking Hollywoods version of a demon, but rather a biblical version of a demon whose sole purpose is to deceive.  And deceive they did. 

If you are a Christian and find yourself drawn to the paranormal please research for yourself what the Word says about it.  The following link might be a place to start: http://www.gotquestions.org/ghosts-hauntings.html  Don’t take my word for it, prayerfully search the Word for yourself.

Living in the Light, RT

“Christians don’t tell lies they just go to church and sing them.”  A.W. Tozer   (Thanks BMOC)

Who am I that You are mindful of me?
That You hear me when I call
Is it true that You are thinking of me?
How you Love me
It’s Amazing

I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
He calls me friend

Everytime I sing this song in church I have to ask myself; am I really and does He really?   Is it biblically based that God calls me friend?  I have absolutely no doubt that God is mindful of me, but am I bold enough to say that He calls me friend.  God called Abraham friend: ‘and the Scripture was fulfilled that says,”Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.’  James 2:23

John 15:14 says  ‘You are my friends if you do what I command.’ Well, there are a whole lot of people singing and believing that song without doing what He commands.  And I count myself in that group more often than not, unfortunately I fail miserably at keeping His commands.  I think that it is extremely hard living in the United States to live a life that is truly pleasing to God.  There are so many distractions that deceive us and lead us in the wrong direction.

Parents know that quite often they can not be their child’s friend if they truly love them and expect them to grow.  I believe it is the same way with our heavenly Father.  Hopefully, as I mature as a Christian, at some point in time He will be able to call me friend. 

Through the bible I have come to know Abraham friend of God, and I sir am no Abraham!  My prayer is for discernment of deception and to be able to live a life that is pleasing to the God of Abraham.

Thinking praying out loud, RT.

Our local news station reported that the “Cash for Clunkers” program was a great success and that $2.9 billion in incentives were paid out for 700,000 clunkers.  They went on to report that the most popular cars to replace these clunkers were in order Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, and the Ford Focus.  Wasn’t this government funded (that means you and me) incentive program devised to bolster the bankrupt besieged Big Three U.S. car manufacturers?

Is it just me or does it bother anyone else that the bulk of the cars purchased with incentive funds went to foreign car manufacturers?  How does that help the “Big Three”?  I know that many of those foreign cars are made right here in the good ole USA,  but I didn’t see them lined up with their hands out.  I doubt if Chrysler and GM would agree with the media’s take that the incentive was a huge success.  And I am inclined to agree.

Thinking out loud, RT

Today marks the end of an era.  No longer will I have the moniker “The Detention Dude”.  I am stepping down from a position that I have held for the past  six years: after school detention monitor.  It marks the end of a reign of terror on students and drudgery on me.  As expectations of student behavior continue to decline along with enforcement of existing policies and rules, I found it increasingly difficult to maintain a positive attitude.

I am passionate about the importance of the education profession and the role public education plays in our society.  I am also passionate about the role the family plays in a child’s behavior and education.  However, I believe this generation has forgotten this key component.     

I don’t want to beat a proverbial dead horse, but we are giving away our culture of academia and allowing it to be replaced by a culture of chaos.  It is difficult, if not impossible to enforce rules subjectively and have any sense of order.  However that seems to be the case not only with our schools, but with our society as a whole.  I digress…..

When we mistakenly try to be accepting and accommodating to every different culture and sub-culture that enters a public school’s doors, we are effectively lowering the bar.  We now tollerate behaviors and performance levels in public schools that only a generation ago would have been unheard of , let alone tolerated.   No matter what the behavior that student has the right to a free public education….no matter what the academic performance the student advances.

Hopefully I am wrong about this and removing myself from the detention crowd will provide evidence of hope.

Just call me “Plain Ole Dude”, RT.

You go along just fine minding your own business for years, trying  not to  make any waves (well maybe a few) only to wake up one day with a huge elephant s(h)itting in your living room.  As if the elephant and  it’s by-products aren’t enough you find that your rock-solid concrete slab has been replace with  a floor made entirely of egg shells.

Unfortunately, I did what most people do and I reacted on emotion rather than logic.  A word to the wise and dim-witted alike here; never startled an elephant who has taken up residence in your living room, the results can be quite catastrophic and costly.  Had I left it alone it might have moseyed out the same way it came in, but instead I am trying to rebuild a house.

The egg shells are another matter entirely.  You know, if you walk on them long enough they turn into a fairly fine powder.  With any luck at all they will eventually blow away on the winds of time.  On the other hand, they might just clog the floor drains and cause all kinds of nasty things to back up…

All is not lost though, I can sweep up the elephant dung and egg shells from the shambles of  my living room and spread them on my garden plot.  I have read they make fertile mulch.

Looking at the bright side, RT.

Lent is the season beginning Ash Wednesday and lasting until Easter when many of us Christians give up something in order to illuminate Christ’s suffering and crucifixion.  I have to be honest and say that I do not recall a single season of Lent that I successfully abstained from my sacrificial token.

I decided this year was going to be different!  My first thought was to give up sarcasm, yea right.  I work with middle school students day in and day out; I wouldn’t last long with out tool.  What’s next on the list, tipple?  Did I mention I work with middle school aged kiddos……so it  is on to the next sacrificial offering.  Decadent desserts, that’s it!  No, my lovely wife has us both basking on the dreary dietary South Beach.  Drats!  I’ve got it now, I can abstain from Facebook.  Who am I kidding, how would I keep up with all my close friends; you know the ones I haven’t seen in 30+ years.  Community is biblical, right?

So here I am in the first leg of Lent with no offering.  Maybe I should take something up for Lent rather than giving it up.  Any ideas?

I guess I will just rely on grace, RT.

I have been thinking a lot about history lately; our history as humans, as well as my own history.  Now, I just can not believe that I am a result of  evolution….a  goo-man if you will, Iwould rather believe that I am a created man.  So this ‘our’ history I speak of is the story of divine creation, the fall, oppression through captivity, redemption from captivity only to become the oppressors, back into captivity and oppression….you get the picture.  

My thoughts are occupied with the question into which category I fall into: the oppressed or the oppressor.  And that I suppose depends on your perspective.  Most of the oppression I feel is financial in nature and it is a consequence of my own actions.  In a way I have oppressed myself by not following the instruction manual I was given.  No, I am not talking about a  Dave Ramsey book ( although I think he may have referred to the manual while writing his books).

You don’t have to search to hard to find God’s counsel on banking and it would appear He just doesn’t understand our modern financial institutions.  He would have lenders not charge interest!?!  Exodus 22:25   Can you imagine that?  Doesn’t that raise your ire with the evil banks and mortgage companies?  Wait a minute, what is my part in this…do I have any accountability here?  If I truly believe that interest charging lenders are in opposition of God, what was I thinking when I borrowed money from them?  Whether you believe greed or need was the driving force,  I am now dancing with the devil…working two, sometimes three jobs just to feed the beast I helped to create.

Don’t get me wrong here, it is not the work that bothers me….it is knowing what I could be doing different had I followed the instruction manual.  I would have more time to give to service and more resources to share.  The worst part…..the part that haunts me…..is that I know I broke my Father’s heart.

Regretfully, RT

Have you ever heard or used the term “righteous indignation” to rationalize seemingly harsh and/or bizarre behaviors?  From the Crusades and  Jihads to social ethics and ethnic cleansings….the righteous and their indignation have been there.  Only problem is righteousness is often interchanged with self-righteousness and that can be lethal.

Righteousness rings of something being pure and morally correct, but by whose morals and standards?  Indignation brings to mind an emotion invoked by a perceived injustice, a feeling.  Feelings are subject to change and influenced by perspective.  Which brings me back to that question of what is the moral standard that is the basis of our righteous feelings? 

Romans 3:10 states:  ”As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one”.   Doesn’t leave much wiggle room does it?  How can one have righteous indignation, if we are incapable of being righteous?  Romans 3:22 goes on to say:  “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”   Now I believe and have faith in Christ, albeit not enough…my self-righteousness gets in the way.

Feeling my way, RT