God or gods

Today I am sharing a devotion I wrote on Isaiah 44:6-8

The world we live in offers us many gods. Oh, we don't call them gods, not like they did in year gone by. Israel struggled with such gods as Baal, Ashorah, and Molech. They faced many gods in Egpyt, Assyria and Babylon. As they returned from the Babylonian captivity, these gods has faded away but they faced new gods - more gods made by human hands or by human desire.

So we face them today. When we teach our children the 1st Commandment (You shall have no other gods), it is a struggle for our world today because we don't talk about "gods." After all, who actually has a shrine or an altar to some sort of god, where they burn incense or offer sacrifices to that god? Well, maybe they do that in India but they are Hindus, and we don't really understand what they worship. And the Japenese might burn incense to their departed elders, but is that really worshiping a false god? (Understand, I am presenting an argument. This is worshiping false gods.) So what "god" do our children know?

That is the struggle we face. What is a god - that which we fear, love and trust in above the true God? Wait, who is the true God? And what do we know about this God? Isaiah writes: 

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: "I am the first and the last; besides me there is no god." (Isaiah 44:6 ESV)

This true God is the One revealed in Scripture, the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Here we see the Father and the Son - The Lord and the Lord of Hosts, the Lord God almighty. We see the God of the Bible, the One we hear about in Revelation:

I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God. (Rev. 1:8 ESV)

And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end." (Rev. 21:6 ESV)

I am the Alpha and the Omego, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. (Rev. 22:13 ESV)

Here is where we see the God of all eternity, the one who was, and is and is to come. Here we understand that He alone is the true God. This is the God we worship. It seems so simple for us to hear these words from Isaiah and agree with him. There is no god beside the Triune God.

But then again, maybe there is. In the world today, it is safe to say (in my mind) that the new god is science. It is science that is going to save us. It is science that has all the answers. It is science that you must liten to in order to survive. Without science, there is no hope to survive the current pandemic. You are to listen to science. To accept what it tells you. And if you question science, you are seen as someone who has broken the 1st Commandment of society, "You shall hav enot other god than science." You are suspect at best and an unbeliever at worst. And in questioning science, you question the very right to live. Do as science tells you or you will die.

Is taht the new god? It used to be sports stars or stars of the silver screem. But those gods have fallen from their pedestal (or been pulled down) and are replaced by scientists, health care workers and those considered on the front lines of fighting this virus. Who do you listen to? Listen to the god of this age. They have the answers for you.

Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.

Let him declare and set it before me,

since I appointed an ancient people. 

Let them decalre what is to come, and what will happen. (Isaiah 44:7 ESV)

Are the gods of this age really gods to be trusted? We see them change almost daily. One source, one power, on god today, falling from the pedestal, or perhaps dragged from it by the next god of the age. "Listen to me!" it cries, and the people listen. Perhaps we even listen because we feel that it answers our questions or quiets our fears. Perhaps the new god of science, a viral god, can quell the fears of this nation at this crucial time. Do we listen? Do we follow? Where do we put our fear, love and trust?

As the Lord says, "Let them declare what is going to come, and what will happen." And yet, these  new gos cannot, any more than the old gods could. They cannot tell you waht was to come. Oh, they make their claims, but do they really know what is to come? If this happens, then that might take place. But what they say soon changes. One teacher told me, "Things are so fluid, that we don't know what to expect." And it that way. One model says this, so do it. Another model says that, so do that. Can the gods of this age answer?

Who can tell us waht is to come except for the true God?

He tells us who to trust - not the gods of this age but His only-begotten Son that He sent into this world, to bring true hope, peace and salvation to a world that is tearing itself apart and to a people who do not know which way to turn. Listening to the voice of the Shepherd in the chaos of this world brings hope and peace. The Lord is my Shepherd - Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow, I will fear no evil. Why? Because the Lord God has shown me the depth of His love for me, that which He is able to do for me as He died upon the cross and rose again from the dead. He tells me the outcome of all that I face. It is what leads Paul to write, "For I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18 ESV) 

Fear not, nor be afraid,

have I not told you from of old and declared it?

And are you my witnesses!

Is there a God besides me?

There is no Rock; I know not any. (Isaiah 44:8 ESV)

So fear not, nor be afraid! But the gods of this age seek to creat fear and not peace. The gods tell us, "You will die." Yes, you are right, I shall die. Not because you have told me but because the Word has told me. Because of my sin, I shall die. From a virus? Form a disease? From an accident? Fro a war? Who knows? God does, but the gods of this age do not for they are not gods at all. They are made in the hands and the minds of sinful, corrupt man.

God has shown this to me. But He has not shown me the outcome - the empty grave. For death does not win. That is shown in the hands, feet and side of the One living Lord, the One who was slain but is now alive. 

Yes, you and I are His witnesses. In this age of new gods and new teachings, we are witnesses of the One, the only God who gives life, forgiveness, peace and hope where these gods cannot. 

Is there any God besides Him? No. There is not. He alone is the true God. As we hear the call of the false gods of this age, we need to remember:

On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

WIth Isaiah we proudly proclaim: There is no Rock, I know not any!

Do you proclaim Christ?

Thinking about some of the things that are out there in the world today. Coronavirus is a part of our daily lives today. If you watch local news, the numbers of new cases is read like baseball scores. Whenever a new case happens here in Page County, I get an email and a text, telling me that another case has been confirmed. It has only gone off 20 times in the past 3+ months as there has only been 20 confirmed cases in the county. Excitement! It gave people something to talk about when they saw each other or talked with each other on the phone or internet. Another case! WooHoo! All right, I am being cynical. But it felt like there was a sense of excitement when another case was found. It was the talk of the town.

We are made to be afraid of the virus. It will kill you. If you don't social distance and wear a mask and stay away from every other person, you will get the virus and you will die. If you don't get it, your grandma or grandpa will get it from you, and they will die. The whole idea is stay inside, stay away from each other, stay home from work, stay out of school and if you do that, then you just might not die or you might not kill another person. Live in fear. Be afraid. Be very afraid of this virus.

And I think, I wish that people were that afraid of hell. I wish that people would be just as adamant about telling people about that which will save their lives - Jesus Christ. Without Jesus, you are going to die and go to hell. Period. If the virus kills you, and you don't believe in Jesus, you will go to hell. If you die from a heart attack, a car accident or any of the other million ways you might (it is "might" but the fact is that we are all going to die in some fashion) die, and you don't believe in Jesus as your Savior, you will not go to heaven. You will go to hell.

But that is something that we don't share. We can be told that we must accept what we are told by this doctor or this expert, even if there is another doctor or expert that says just the opposite about the virus. Accept it. Believe it. Live it. If you don't, you aren't being loving to others.

Yet don't tell anyone about Jesus because you cannot force your beliefs on someone else. You must wear a mask, but don't tell anyone about Jesus. You must stay 6 feet away from other people, but you cannot tell them about Jesus because that is forcing your beliefs on others. Wait - force your beliefs of the coronavirus on others, but don't force your beliefs on salvation on others. I shake my head. Why/ Because Christians listen to this way of thinking and avoid talking about their faith because they don't want to force their beliefs on others.

There are so many other things that upset me. A black national anthem being played at football games. When did we get a black national anthem? I don't remember that being accepted by the nation. When will there be the Hispanic national anthem? Or the white national anthem? There won't be! Why? There is only one national anthem. I guess we shouldn't be surprised. As a child of God, I find that I am just as disgusted, or maybe more so, when we are told there are other ways to salvation that Jesus Christ. Really? When did Jesus say that there are other ways to the Father? He didn't. There is no other way. There is only one way of salvation for whites, blacks, hispanics, asians and so on. That way is through Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, who suffered and died upon the cross and rose from the dead on the 3rd day.

One way to salvation. One hope for life. Not found in a national anthem. Not found in a mask. Not found in our attempt to make things my way. It is found only in Jesus Christ. Plain and simple. Remember that.

Ramblings on a Wednesday morning

It has been a while since I blogged, maybe 2 weeks. So much is going on. So much has happened. And I wonder what is going to happen next. It is July. 2020 has been a crazy year so far. What else can happen? I am just going to ramble through some thoughts. Good luck following me.

It is raining this morning. Thunder and lightning. Good to have rain. But there is also damage that comes with it. When a storm blows through, wind can cause lots of damage. Heard some reports of damage from it. Limbs down. People out of power. Even a semi is blown over on I-29. Summer storms can do that. Yet at the same time, it will be nice to have the cracks in the yard fill in with the moisture. Good thing to come from bad. But then again, grass is going to grow again. Bad things following the good things that follow the bad. Sounds like life.

The coronavirus - need I say more. Yes it is real. Yes people do get sick from it. But I see it as being used for political gain. We have become pawns to the politicians. They are using this virus as a way to attack the sitting president. As the communities begin to open up, if things look to good, suddenly the virus is spiking and we need to close down again. Bars are open, and causing the spike. Beaches are open, they need to be closed because they have caused the spike. Yet, thousands upon thousands have protested in cities around the country, and the virus has not had an effect at all. There is no spike because of angry people getting in other's faces and yelling and screaming. The virus knows who to attack and who to avoid. Really? Something tells me that my chain is being pulled by the media and the politicians. Nothing more than pawns. Our lives mean very little, like the pawn on the chess board. Use them up. Why? To protect the king and queen, and the other "important" pieces. Before you say that I don't care, that I am unloving, and all the other things that can be said, forget it. That is not the case. I do care. I do love. And yet, I also know that we must live our lives.

Living in fear. That is what is taking place now. We are living in fear. Fear of the virus. Fear of other races. Fear of violence. Fear of... The fear is used to control and make people act in a certain way. Used to control you and me. Yet I think about what the Lord tells me over and over again, "Fear not." Why? Because He is my fortress and strength. He is the One who will help me through.

Just heard that one state is changing laws. It will no longer be a felon to attack a  police officer. It will be a misdemeanor. Really? How about we put a target on the backs and chests of the ones who serve on the thin blue line? Go ahead, attack them. It won't really be a problem for you. I can't imagine what it must be like to try to control the mass of people who are angry and attacking you, and know that your every action is being recorded, they are trying to push your buttons in order to get you in trouble and use you to be the reason for the next riot. My prayers are with those who are serving. May the Lord surround you with His holy angels. May they protect you as you serve the people of the communities. My heart aches each time another officer is attacked, hurt and killed. And yet, we make them the bad ones. Really? The police officers are not the ones rioting, destroying things or hurting other people. I don't know how you do it. You are in my prayers.

I am amazed that it is all right for some to destroy statues and other things because it offends them. But if you are offended by their action, then you are the bad person. I am not in support of slavery, nor do I say that it was a good thing in our country. But at the same time, I do not support removing that history from our country. And guess what, I don't care if that offends you. The actions of these rioters offends me. The destruction of communities offends me. The trespassing on private property offends me. The liberal media offends me. The liberal politicians offend me. The attack on life offends me. The abuse of power offends me. Should I go out and protest. Should I go out and trespass on other's property? Should I go tear down statues that offend me? Should I hurt other people because they offend me? NO!

When the police officer came into the church on that Saturday evening and told me that we could not have in person worship, should I have gotten mad, yelled and screamed at him, and got people together to protest that those in authority were not allowing me and those of us in the church to not have our worship services? In some communities, I think it would be "yes." But I did not. I respected his authority and said, "Yes sir." And we didn't have in person worship. Why? Because of the 4th commandment, "Honor your father and mother." Yes, it speaks of those in authority. I respect the authority of the police officer. In our country, many don't. Many don't care about authority.

Why? Because they do not respect or honor God. Period. Plan and simple. Take God out of it, and you have no moral compass. That is the problem. God is out of the equation. The leaders don't honor God. The protesters don't honor God. The media doesn't honor God. Even many people don't honor God. The civil rights movement was based in faith and in honor of God. That is not taking place today. God is not accepted. God is not followed. Jesus is no longer the Lord of people's lives. Lip service is played to faith but lives don't follow that faith. The fruit that is developed is rotten, if indeed there is fruit. The Lord tells us to bear good fruit, and that is not happening. So much rotten fruit.

Ramblings. There is much to be said. There is much to be done. The one thing that I can say, "It is for this reason that the Father sent His Son into this world to be the Savior." It is because of how terrible and sinful we are that the Son of God comes into the world, why He goes to the cross, why He dies and why He rises. It is because of how terrible we are and how sinful we are that He came. That is why we continue to proclaim Christ. We continue to proclaim the Gospel. We continue to point to the cross and the empty tomb.

Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior. He is the hope for this world. Let's get that in our head and live our lives with Him leading and guiding us. That, is the only way we can work together.

The terror on the street

Sitting on the porch, a peaceful place, a peaceful time. The air is torn apart with the sound of barking.  Into this quiet morning, the dogs are going to protect me from the terror that is at hand. One is growling and barking, the other is parking that loud, harsh, mean bark meant to drive away anything that hears. They are focused. They wish to keep me safe, to protect me and the house. The porch is not meant for such terrifying things to attack.

What is it that they are protecting me from? A flight of killer robins that are streaming in one after another, seeking to carry away me and everything on the porch? Perhaps rabid squirrels who have been turned into zombies and are seeking to eat anything that is still alive? Maybe it is the life threatening jogger who is attempting a run by? What could this be that has caused them to place themselves between it and me?

In fear, I look out the direction they are looking as they are barking and growling. What I see takes my breath away. My heart races. Never in all my days have a I seen such a sight. Never have I felt so threatened as I did sitting there on the porch in the quiet of the morning. How could this happen in this quiet little town in southwest Iowa? I could see if this was in cities. Maybe where we came from. We might see this on the news in some far away place, but here? How is this happening? Why is it happening? Save me...

...from the terror of a red desk chair. Yes, the thing that was causing such a commotion in the quiet on West Main St was a used desk chair. It was sitting on the curb, waiting for someone who might think that they needed such a chair. It must have escaped from the office or study of someone on this street. Or maybe it has migrated from another part of town. Could this terror have really come from this part of town? Maybe it was migrating from another town or even another state. Oh my! The terror of it all.

I sat and watched Zeb and Wrigley barking at that chair and wondered, "What were they seeing?" It was a chair on the side of the road, for anyone who had need of it. How could they see this as something that needed to be guarded against?

And I thought, "How often does that happen to me?" How often do I see something mundane as a terrible, awful attack upon me and my life? Do I get caught up in things that don't really matter? Do I spend my time fighting the chair at the side of the road?

Instead of actually keeping my eyes and soul open for those things I should be on guard against. The devil is after my soul. He seeks to devour me. He wants to tear me away from the Lord Jesus Christ. He does what he can to attack me, and do I see it for what it is? Do I see those temptations to sin as something that could really cause me real spiritual problems? Or am I so busy barking at the chair at the side of the road that I don't see how those temptations are much more deadly for me in my life?

Makes me wonder. Why don't I actually fight the real battles instead of the pretend ones? I should speak up concerning racial injustice (not the systemic stuff that is thrown out there but the real racial issues that need to be addressed), or life issues such as abortion, the murder of innocent unborn babies, or the abuse of spouses and children, or the wrongful sexual actions taken by so many in society (such as living together outside of marriage, heterosexual activities outside of marriage, homosexual activities, and all the other sexual sins that society wants us to accept as normal), and a whole host of other atrocities that are perpetuated in our world today.

Instead, I bark at the chair. It is much easier to address. It doesn't cause me to have to do anything. But our Lord calls us to stand up and be counted. We are called to live the Christian life, in all areas, not just the ones we like. That is a challenge. And me, and you also as well as the whole Christian community, need to live our faith, profess our faith and act to begin to make changes in this world.

Yes, sitting there calming the dogs down, the Holy Spirit nudged my conscience. Lord, help me to answer that call.

I believe in the Triune God.

This last Sunday was Trinity Sunday. The sermon theme was "The God We Believe In." This Sunday gave us the chance to stop for a moment ask the important question: Who is your God? Who do you believe in? Who is it that you worship?

Let it be said that I believe in the God of the Bible, the Triune God. This is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One God, three persons. Three persons, one God. (Before someone jumps in and says that the words "Triune" and "Trinity" are not in the Bible, stop. You are right, the words are not. But the teaching is. Just back off from that argument. It is a red herring that is meant to get your eyes off the real issue - who do you believe God is?) We used the Athanasian Creed, a creed that is loved by all and desired by many. OK, so maybe that is a stretch. It is a Creed that is useful when it comes to confessing the Triune God.  I cannot say that I "enjoy" using the Athanasian Creed, but it resonates within my very being as I confess my faith using it. It is a powerful statement of faith that tries to explain the Trinity and while it does a great job, it still falls short. Why? Because we cannot explain the majesty of God or the wonder of the Trinity. Maybe we should use it as our confession more often. (I can hear the voices now saying, "please, no" or something like that.)

So who is your God? Or should I say "god"? I fear that we create many false gods and idols. We are guilty of worshiping someone or something other than the Triune God. This happens in the Church as well as in our personal lives. I have seen some congregations that worshiped their church buildings, making the building their god. I have seen some worship a part of the ministry. I myself have often created my own gods.

In this world today, I see that happening. We elevate people to the level of God. As I listened to things said at a recent funeral, it was said of the person, "He is the cornerstone upon which change is built." And again, "He is the one who will lead us to change in our lives." And I wondered, "Really? Is this deceased person really our Savior? Is he really the one who is going to change our lives? I thought only Jesus did that." It was idolatry. The deceased person was made into this demigod who is there for the wonder of changing all our lives. Changing it for what? To make it into what he wanted? Or to make it into what someone else wanted? What about making our lives into what the Lord wants? The problem we have is that we decide what is good and right and we remove the true God from the equation. And when that happens, who has the say in what is right or what is wrong? Society is filled with a whole host of people with differing opinions and views. Which one is right? Which is wrong?

We have seen what happened to the god of sports. It was destroyed when organized sports was removed. People were shocked, appalled that their god was no longer there. Is your god money? Is it race? A certain race? Is it harmony? Harmony with what? What defines the harmony? Is it climate control and change? Is it a political party? Is it an ideology in the party? Is it a person in that party? (Let it be known that I do not worship Pres. Trump nor Nancy Pelosi. Do not accuse me of that for they are nothing more than you or me, sinful people who need Jesus Christ.)

Who do you believe in? What god is your god? I challenge each one of you to ask yourself that question. How can you answer it? Use Martin Luther's explanation of the 1st commandment (you do know the 1st commandment don't you? You shall have no other gods before Me.) That explanation is: We should fear, love and trust in God above all things." What God? The Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Is there any god that you place before God?

When I think of this or teach this it goes this way:
1) God
2) whatever you put next
3) whatever you put next.
and so on. God gives us family. Love them. God gives us material possessions. Use them for His glory and the good of others. He gives us our job. He gives us our feelings. He gives us all that we have in this life. In themselves, they are not evil. (Take money. Money is not evil. Remember what it says, "The love of money is the root of all evil." Money itself is a gift and a blessing. But it can become a god.)
So as you make your list, what is #1? What is numero uno? What is the first? What tops everything else? And if it isn't the true God, then, my friend, you have a false god. You have set something or someone, some ideology or philosophy, up as your god.

I confess my sin of idolatry. I confess I have had my false gods. Dear God, forgive me for Jesus' sake for this sin. I also still place God first in my life. He is the one who is my God. He alone is my God. He is the One I believe in, confess, and follow in my life.

I believe in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. True God. Let my confession be made!

Kneeling before the Great Golden Idol

Will you kneel? That is the new way to show that you are in solidarity with those who are talking about systemic racism. You must kneel to show what you are in agreement that systemic racism is a problem that needs to be fixed. We watch as protesters kneel in the streets. We watch as police kneel before the crowds of people who stand ready to attack them if they do not kneel. We watch as leaders in cities kneel at the demand of the mobs of people. We watch as leaders in our nation's capital kneel in order to show that they support those who are making the demands.

I have several questions. I know that as I write this I will be told that I am part of the problem. I have shown systemic racism by even asking the question. First, what the heck is this systemic racism? Does it mean that just because of my skin color I am guilty of be a racist and need to repent of this sin? Wait a moment, isn't that a racist thing to say? If I am being judged by my skin color, are you not doing the very thing that you claim is being done to you? When I hear "white privilege," I hear that I am being judged by my skin color. Just because I am white, you assume that I am part of the problem? Is not that racist?

You see the problem with trying to make these grand and glorious statements is that the ones making the statements become just as guilty as those they are trying to condemn. I am condemned because I am white. Is that any different than being condemned because you are black? But you can never know what it is like to be black, it is said. Why? Because you have a different skin color. Wait, is not that a statement based not upon reality but upon skin color? You don't know what it is like to be white. Wait, you will say, that is a racist statement. Wrong for me, right for you? Something is wrong with that thinking.

The reality is, one person cannot know what it is like to be the other person. The situation of life, the emotions of the person and so much more go into making that person. It is like saying you know what someone is going through when they are grieving. You really don't. You can have a feeling of what grief is like for you, but you can't know what it is like for the other person.

But this is systemic racism. What is systemic racism? It is a great phrase but what is meant by it. Each one that says it means something else. It changes and morphs with each passes person and day. It is the buzzword of the day. And if you want to stop the other person from talking about what is going on, you just tell them, "You are just showing that you are part of this systemic racism." And bingo, you have won the argument because there is nothing that the other person can say in response to it. Everything said after that is just showing that great sin, systemic racism.

It is like "intolerant" from a year or two ago. The big thing in discussion was that if you wanted to get the upper hand on the other person, you just had to accuse them of being "intolerant." The moment that happened, all discussion ended because nothing the other person said could be accepted because they were intolerant. Anything that went against what you said or did, was considered intolerant. Don't agree with a person's sexual perversion, you are intolerant. Don't like what the other person said about religion, you are intolerant. Don't like how a person is living, you are intolerant. Bingo - conversation is over. You just won. And (I am going to make a sweeping statement here that will probably be because I am intolerant and filled with systemic racism) the first person to make that claim tended to be the one that was on the liberal side, wanting to change culture, beliefs or actions. In most discussions, it is not the conservative person who made that claim against the other person. I say this because as a conservative, I do my best not to cause the other person offense. I do my best not say things that are offensive or use the "buzz word" that will set a person off. And yet, I am the intolerant one because I don't agree with the other person.

Anyway, I have been rambling. Sorry about that. But you should know that I ramble when I blog.

I will not kneel. I just put that out there. I will not be forced into kneeling before the god of this world at this time. Those who are calling for people to kneel, are generally saying to the white person, you need to kneel as a way to show that you are sorry for all the racism that you have caused and allowed to go on in our society. Those who kneel are saying that they agree with the mob that is saying, the real sin here is that you are white. As a white person, you are guilty of all the sins of the generations that have come before and you are guilty of all the white sins of this generation and you will be guilty of all the white sins of the future generations. It has become the original sin, the sin of the nation. Whiteness is a sin, a terrible sin of which you must repent and accept that by being white, you are the reason for systemic racism (I had to get that phrase back in here).

Therefore, kneel you sinner! Kneel before the protesters. Kneel before society. Kneel before those who demand that you repent of your sin of whiteness and systemic racism. And if you do not kneel before us, then you are going to be branded as a threat to society and part of the problem.

I will not kneel before this demand. I will kneel before God and confess my sins to Him. Is my sin being white? No. No more than it is a sin to be black or brown or yellow or red or green or blue or whatever color someone's skin might be. I am sinner before God and will kneel before Him alone. I will not listen to any government or people who demand me to kneel before them to show that I accept what they say. I will not kneel before Pres. Trump, before Black Live Matter, before an angry mob or a peaceful mob, before another person. I kneel only before God. And I confess to Him my sins. Is it systemic racism? No. Why? Because no one really knows what that means. How do you confess a sin that no one knows what it really is? Do I confess that I have thought or said racial things? Yes. I am wrong for that. I sinned. Forgive me God. I would defy anyone, any single person, no matter what culture or ethnic background, to say that they have never said, done or thought some racist thing. The only One to never have a racist thought or action was Jesus Christ.

Am I guilty of slavery that was in the US? No. Am I guilty of keeping people down because of their skin color? No. Am I guilty of what took place in the unrest of the Civil Rights era? No. Am I guilty for all the sins that have been committed by people of any race in the US? No. To kneel, says I am. I refuse.

I know that in today's climate, this is not popular. I watch politicians wearing scarfs from a different culture while making statements about racial issues and I think, how sad. You are not part of that culture. To wear that scarf is placating a different culture and not supporting them. It looks forced. And yes, as a judgmental statement on my part, looks like that politicians is actually talking down to that culture because he/she has no desire to be a part of that culture. It must is a great photo op. And the same ones judge Pres. Trump for standing in front of a church with a Bible as a photo op. Why is one right and the other wrong?

Back to where I began? Will you kneel? I will not, not to the current god of this moment, this movement. It is a false god.

A Wednesday morning rant

Let it be said at the outset: What those 4 police officers did in Minneapolis (yes one did the action but the other 3 allowed it) was illegal, immoral and against God's law. They should be prosecuted according to the law of the land. What the rioters and looters have done in Minneapolis, New York City, Des Moines, Omaha and countless other cities is illegal, immoral and against God's law. They should be prosecuted according to the law of the land.

There, it is said. This is not about racism. Out of the 4 officers, only 1 of them was white. There is no moral outrage when a black officer shoots a white or Hispanic person. There is no moral outrage when a black officer shoots a black person. There is no moral outrage unless a white person does something to a black person. Why is that? Because of slavery. No? It is because we have been fed a lie that says that this is racism if it is white on black. It isn't racism if it is any other way. And we have believed that lie.

My friends, is there racism? Of course. Every one of us has some racism in us to some degree. Yet not every one of us acts out in violent ways with that racism. What is happening in the cities is that there are malcontents and godless people who are using this as a way to exert their sinful desire to destroy and hurt people. Don't blame racism. Call if for what it is. This is anarchy. It is what happens when media, politicians, Hollywood types and others want to destroy what they don't like. We are being lied to time and again. When a news reporter tells you that it is all right for them to act this way because of years of pent up anger and bitterness, they are just as guilty as those doing it. They should be tried for inciting riots.

This is wrong. It shows you what happens when God is removed from society. We have been doing that for years. It began many years ago, ramped up in the 60s, was fed by free sex and living in the 70s, was incited by the me generation of the 80s, was built upon by the narcisstic 90s and finally completely crushed by the godless 2000s. We have been removing God from everything - from schools, from society, from Hollywood, from government, from families, from individual lives and then, and this is the worst, from churches. Yes, churches. There are "Christian" churches who refuse to believe the Bible. They refuse to accept that Jesus is the only way to salvation. They support and applaud murdering unborn infants. The godless churches are finally guilty of letting all this take place.

God is no longer promoted in our society. How many Christians do you know that don't feel the need to worship and receive the Lord's Supper? How many parents have their children baptized and then don't bring them back to church till confirmation (if they even do that)? How many adults do not see the need to live Christian lives? How many Christians curse the name of God, spit on people that attend churches and call them hypocrites? How many Christians sit by idly and do nothing to fed their faith, to grow in Christ, to live as a child of God? Yes, we are Christians are very guilty of letting all this happen. We have fed it. We have built it. We have destroyed Christianity with our selfish attitudes that say "I don't need to go to church to be a Christian." We say we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and then push Him to the background, only pulling Him out if we feel the need for Him.

We are a godless country. Yes, there are good, Christian people in our country. There are many good Christian people. But when we allow godless activities to take place because of "separation of church and state" and sit idly by as our leaders pass more and more laws that take God further from the life of this country, how can we not expect to have these wild, destructive, sinful nights in our country. What has stopped them before. They have happened through the years and we allow them. We blame the police. We blame race. We blame our history.

And the problem is us. Do you live your faith? Do you worship your God? Or do you make excuses, let your life of pleasure and self-centeredness take over and push your faith to the background?

I know that I don't always live as I should. I don't say that to soften the blow. Yes, we are all sinners. Yes, we all struggle. But when we allow, more than that, when we push Christ out of our lives by the way we live, what do we expect? "God help our country!" we cry. We sound like the people of Israel in Judges. We sound like the people of Israel during the divided kingdom. We cry to God only when we feel like we need Him. Then we push Him away because it is too much to live our lives focused on Him and not on the pleasures and immorality of this world.

Let's not blame racism for these riots and this destruction. Let's not blame racism for the actions of these police officers. Let's not blame racism for what is going on in Washington D.C. or in our own state capitals. Let's put the blame where it belongs. We have turned our back on God and have made sin our god.

See what it gets us?