It's about the True Source of our Strength Thing

Dear America,

"...[But] self-reliance is not highly valued by the Lord." 

 Reverend Charles F. Stanley

say what?

just a teeny revelation tucked neatly under the covers of this morning's devotional, under the title, "The Source of Strength;" it came alongside, for companion reading, a couple of Bible verses from 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.  Basically, according to my crib notes edition, the Apostle Paul explains how every weakness and torment in his life has actually cradled him, securely and lovingly, in the arms of the Lord, so to speak; recognizing that without the abundance of issues to deal with on a daily basis -- between his poor health, imprisonment, harsh treatment, and the like --  keeping his natural born ego in check and tightly under wraps would have been a constant challenge.  He would have easily grown conceited, full of himself in every way, and over time, certainly begin to neglect the guidance and direction from the Lord. [As in, I can do this all by myself...so there...nanny nanny na na]

His point -- having a certain amount of dependency -- having a "thorn in the flesh" and keeping our hearts and minds on the Lord in childlike faith, keeps us centered on the right things, the spiritual principles designed by God to keep us happy and whole and connected to the very things that truly matter.  [Mostly, HIM!]

But taken out of context, oh me oh my --  this itty bitty line carries the power to be so misunderstood; for in the downgrading of what would ordinarily be considered a natural strength -- this thing called self-reliance -- it would seem not only contrary to what God wants, but against how we, the people, have been programmed and raised to believe [...you know, according to America's founding principles bubbling up from the hearts and minds of our brilliant and enlightened founders].

America loves its self-reliance, right?

We were built on it.

Success requires it.

Life happens all around it, and through it, and with it.

Who needs God when I can do ------------

It is interesting watching the theatrics around this Ronny Jackson dude...once up for nomination to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the same guy who has just bowed out of the nomination process, under the pressure of what may be best described as a pile on from every corner, and highlighting every weakness -- either of ones of his own making or of the broken humanity he treated, in total, reckless abandon, some would say.  

There is a part of me who wonders, just maybe this Ronny guy... just might have been.... perfect.  

For he is imperfect -- much like the restless, badgered, defeated, infringed, band of brothers (and sisters) who make up the mighty force of soldiers under the title of America's Veterans.

Sure, America's got an opiod problem; and Americans love their dependency on everything from caffeine to Dramamine, from ambien to provigil, from whisky to wine to pot.  We pop it, shoot it, bottle it, and make whoopee with it....all the live long day, it may also seem.

Let he without sin cast the first stone...right...

America can be so holier than thou, can't we now?

[But let us not get too wrapped up in that]

Let us scroll back to the top and to the place where we are to entrust our firm reliance -- because surely, mankind has its fair/unfair share of faults, to a fault. 

Mankind has its faults, large and small, for this is how the world -- under God -- was designed; free will and all. 

God wants mankind to come to Him; He wants our reliance to be upon the spiritual truths and principles, and not of THIS world, for this world IS imperfect; it is broken; it is fallen; it is dependent upon Him, even if we walk around totally unaware, or worse, totally full of ourselves and dismissing our inherent push to be in relationship with God, above all else.

It is in these times of brokenness and struggle, when true character and strength is revealed.  And very well can prove to be the kind of strength we quite possibly never knew existed.   It is in the brokenness we often fall on our knees and pray, humbly seeking direction, or just acceptance and forgiveness.  And this is all good.

But as brokenness and weakness comes and goes,  this girl has come to realize that this very same God also responds when we find ourselves coming to Him in praise and thanksgiving, no matter the highs or the lows; and the more we come to Him, whether broken or in our Sunday best, the greater this relationship proves to be the one true Love, steadfast in the bonds of living in relationship every waking day; keeping our firm reliance not upon self, but upon Him --  in the fallen world in which we live --- takes us to places truly unimaginable, almost out of this world. 

Under the covers of our human-ness, lies our greatest  limitations when we leave our experience within human boundaries; our humanity is a weakness, and we are surrounded with it every single day.  There is not one perfect soul in all the world.

 SO here's the thing --

our founders built this fine nation upon the firm foundation of self-reliance, and independence, and liberty, because THIS land, this crib, this nation -- and the very individuals who were beginning to migrate to her seeking shelter and security of every kind  --  were already a faithful people, and fully reliant upon the Lord.  This was not new to them; matter of fact, this faith was such an integral part of their daily lives, they left everything behind to make a new life in America entirely around, and through, and UNDER this God.

long story short...
they understood the first principle of entrusting one's reliance...and it was not upon self; whether talking about the cornerstones or the framing, our foundation recognized the One True Source of our Strength.

...and that, my friends, has made all the difference in the world.

It is only now -- within this deep state of deep conceit -- that we bear witness to a fault as firm and self-evident as the naked earth. 

Make it a Good Day, G

It's Hoping for an Up Swing Thing

Dear America,

7 Do not be deceived: 

God cannot be mocked. 

A man reaps what he sows. 

8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, 

from the flesh will reap destruction;

 whoever sows to please the Spirit, 

from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  

Galations 6:7-8

not to get too dramatic or nothin, tee hee

this verse from the Bible just so happened to be the centerpiece of a sermon heard earlier today;  my favorite Southern Baptist, Dr. Charles Stanley, spent a fair portion of his Sunday morning message simply driving the point home -- looking at the depths of our fallen ways, looking at the heights of our widely accepted anti-God-arrogance. 

i think i love him, this Stanley...  lately, he's preached like the wilberforce of our time.  

But let's just stop right there.

It's this idea of reaping and sowing that has me so caught up in the moment...in the two days before one of the most important elections of our day.  If you happen to fall into the group who hasn't figured out that America deserves this right about now, then not sure anything will convince you.

It's like this thing called reaping what we sow goes big or goes home  -- as in, it works in the macro and in the micro with the same amount of force; in other words, it works in equal portion as a nation, as in the individual.  In either case, "do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked."

But isn't mocking God what we do best?

Between our growing population who doesn't believe in God at all, and the growing segment of Christians seemingly content in being marginalized,  and even sometimes, considered part of the "fringe" -- any sign of an authentic faith in God as King is near extinction. 

So what business do we have blogging about such a non-threat in the first place?  As if we have to worry about judgement day... as if, one day, lightening will strike each and every one of us who have gone astray...as if, we can't just keep doing what we're doing, living the high life, without any consequences as to how we do it.  

[Perhaps both presidential candidates, and their campaigns, strike a case in point...acting untouchable, believing to be above the law, and all]

And mind you -- this girl is pretty sure even exchanging Trump with Cruz, or replacing Clinton with Bern, the results would be the same.  Because who are we as a whole?  What kind of seeds are we planting anyway?

Taking the lead again from Dr. Charles Stanley -- his key words summarizing all our woes goes as follows:

• immoral
• greedy
• prideful
• indulgent
• slothful
• ungrateful
• irreverent

And adds, we have grown into a culture believing "what is right, is what I want to be right; what is true, is what I want to be true."

It's almost as if God's Omniscience is of no concern whatsoever.   

In many ways, humanity has lost its humility.

And then  later in the morning, hearing the Word from another preacher -- this time, Dr. David Jeremiah, pastor of Shadow Mountain Church in San Diego -- he defined Omnipresent with such clarity; for it is about how God is everywhere, omnipresent, at all times and in all places, indeed.  But it is up to us to be aware, to be conscious, to acknowledge HIM in our presence, otherwise, God cannot do God's thing -- whether within us, around us, or through us.  If we choose to dismiss the Almighty, then the Almighty cannot/will not do His mighty things.

So we go to God in small congregations throughout the land on Sunday; but as a whole, as a nation, America has dialed it back as far as following the Word of God, as far as humbly seeking Him, as far as living our life revolving around a sacred faith, and as far as respecting the laws of God. 

We frequently joke about the karmic law of cause and effect -- but it's really more than that.  This 21st Century size season of being lost, instead of found, is bringing the direct result of our own choosing. We deserve this angst.  We deserve this pathetic presidential campaign.  We deserve this sense of disgust.  We deserve this reality that is bringing to light every single sad commentary about our culture, front and center, left and right, for all the world and God to see.   

And while the actions of reaping and sowing continue to surround and astound: Trump is no more the omniscient savior of all our woes than a Barack Obama of 2008; while contrary to popular belief, Hillary isn't worth the space and time to even mention her name (although I guess I just did).

The thing is -- no matter what happens on Tuesday, it will not only will be the expression of the seed we have already sown, it will also be the perfect result according to this life Under God -- whether you are a believer, or not.  

The Creator of all things is still in charge of all things.  

Boom, bigly.

It would help if we returned to respecting this truth, sure -- for "God cannot be mocked;" but in the meantime, it is not for us to question the result of this election (absent blatant voter fraud), as everything under heaven is according to God's bigger plan for the world (His World -- a world that He made and He loves).

-------------- picture this...

America is at the peak of its own Hacksaw Ridge, just waiting for a front-line of Desmond Doss' to do the unthinkable, against all odds, and almost with supernatural ability -- as if we actually believed we walked with God!

Please allow me redirect you to The Patriot Post for a little inspiration....or, simply a temporal distraction given the week ahead... go here.  

Within the post of the American hero, Doss,  Mark Alexander chose to quote Ronald Reagan, adding:

"In 1992, during one of Ronald Reagan’s last public addresses, he offered these words about honoring our legacy of Liberty: 'My fondest hope for each one of you is that you will love your country, not for her power or wealth, but for her selflessness and her idealism. May each of you have the heart to conceive, the understanding to direct, and the hand to execute works that will make the world a little better for your having been here. May all of you as Americans never forget your heroic origins, never fail to seek divine guidance, and never lose your natural, God-given optimism. And finally, my fellow Americans, may every dawn be a great new beginning for America and every evening bring us closer to that shining city upon a hill'.”

Alexander wraps it up, saying:

"It took 70 years to bring Desmond’s story to the big screen, primarily because of his concern that Hollywood would give him the glory, rather than God. This Mel Gibson film gives God the glory! I should note that it is violent, but *not* gratuitously violent. Instead, the violence will elevates your understanding of the God-inspired heroism of this little man."

How about that...what a humble man, this Desmond Doss; and sounds like Mel got this one right, too. I can't wait to see it...

my wishes run wide and deep, but even shouted upon the highest mountaintop -- wishes by themselves can only do so much, besides meet up in the company of  a lot of thin air going nowhere.  But to pray, in earnest and unceasing, to the Almighty....to walk with God in every moment of every day -- suddenly, what was once unimaginable is possible, what was once lost is found, what was once selfishness becomes selflessness, what was once floundering becomes a peace that passes all understanding...and over time, an America in peril becomes an America in revival.

In my humble opinion, we are looking in all the wrong places these days, looking to all the wrong things to fix us, seeking all the wrong leaders to lead  us   -- and you can bet God isn't anywhere to be found unless we seek to find God first, and keep God first!  While God is a loving God, not all of us are cut from the Desmond Doss cloth; the brute reality is -- we need God more than God needs us, the rather sorry, pathetic, ingrate, slothful, greedy, selfish, immoral, prideful, irreverent, lying eyes that we are -- in part, or in all, whether occasionally or all the time.

So, here we are.  Where do we go from here?

I hope it's Up.

"Give careful thought to your ways.  Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored, " says the Lord.  "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little,  What you brought home, I blew away.  Why?"   declares the Lord Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains in ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.  Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.   I called for a drought in the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands." Book of Haggai 1:7-11

And, be careful what you wish for....

Make it a Good Day, G