The Societal Cancer We Don't Address, Part 3 of 4

The Bible has all we need to live productive, healthy, fulfilling lives.  So, do what it says.  

Even though we have not, nearly, perfected this life, there's a reason why we don't do what the Bible says.  It's because there's someone who has been granted rule over this world, an actual person who has one thing in mind:  bring as many down with him as possible.  Satan has a huge say in what is going on in our world.  Can you really doubt this truth?  How else can you explain the fact that, after all our history of hatred in this world and what it leads to, it is still alive and well.  Love is truly the answer, but we're ignoring the very source of love.

To choose love is to choose the one good choice.  Any kind of important decision that you or I make is either a good choice or a bad choice, there is no in between.  You're either doing it God's way or you're doing it Satan's way.  You're either going to address your sin and call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, or you're going to ignore your sin and fend for yourself.  You're either going to admit that God's love is the only love that works or you're going to keep trying your definition of love.  What are you going to do?  The Bible gives the only clear definition of love and how to practice it - "This is love:  not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:10)

Remember the reason for this post: The inability to connect the dots between our culture of sexual harassment and our culture of open sexuality.  Part of why I will be able to never give up, never stay silent, and leave it all on the field once I die, is that slowly but surely I will care less and less about what people think of me.   I have no choice now but to be a voice that speaks up for the full respect of women.  I don't want it to be just publicized respect, or public relations respect, or a social media official statement, but full respect.  I have done this already by doing away with pornography in my life.  I will do this moving forward by contributing to every effort that would rid this world of pornography and I will speak out against how pornography and how our sexualized culture treats women and promotes them as objects.  Pornography, quite clearly, defines women as objects, not real, thinking, productive members of our community.  Let's be honest, the SI Swimsuit Issue is not really a swimsuit issue, for it's filled with swimsuits that nobody will ever wear on models who look (before and after the photo altering) unlike almost any other woman in the world.  It feeds into the fantasy world of men who say, "that's the kind of woman I deserve."  It feeds us the lie that women's bodies define them before their minds and hearts define them.

In my concluding post, I'll lay out what our role is in a culture that seems uncontrollably over-riden with sexual messages.

The Societal Cancer We Don't Address, Part 2 of 4

I don't want to make decisions based on how it feels or whether it's popular, there's got to be a better and healthier way.  Guess what, society does not lead us down the right road.

I have not watched pornography in years and yet, in my mind, it doesn't take too long to think about pornographic images that I have put in front of my eyes, even the "light-hearted" movies with nudity that I've chosen to watch.  Back then, I would have to seek out and plan and secretly watch such things.  Oh, the times have changed!  Now, we have Game of Thrones on HBO in homes all across America being watched by youth and adults alike (and most likely children).  It's extremely popular because of its great acting, writing, and such and it is even celebrated for "breaking barriers."  But is this really how we want to our society to learn and relearn sexual responsibility?  Do we even care to put those two words together?  Being public and "free" about our bodies and our sexual activities has been more and more accepted since the sexual revolution of the 60's and 70's.  Do I need to quote the clear statistics about the growing problem of unwanted pregnancies and children growing up without both parents?  How about the clear link between pre-marital sex and the increased risk of STDs, unhealthy relationships, and economic challenges?

The only education that works is involved parents (or parent) who have discreet, wise, honest conversations about what it means to respect the opposite sex and how to view your own body.  No parent in their right mind would say to their child, "Come watch us do it!"  Yet, that is what we're doing when we allow images and movies and entertainers "help" raise our children and even influence our parenting decisions.

I write this blog not because I know lots of people will read, but because it's something I need to record.  I will not be silent while I raise my six children in a country that is ignoring signs of their own moral, emotional, social, and, quite possibly, physical demise.  If you can show me any type of proof that says that being "honest" and blatant about your sexuality and doing it whenever you feel like doing it is the healthiest thing for you and for the culture, I will shut my mouth and never type a word about it.  The fact is, the opposite is true.  When we become loose about our morals, especially as it relates to our sexuality, we become as a society more violent, less accepting of others, more selfish, less healthy physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.  Whole cultures have been effected because they have not been mindful of right and wrong.  They haven't only been loose about sexual morals but have mocked those who have said there is such a thing as right and wrong.  Even if you disagree with Randy Alcorn's conclusion, this brief article from 1993 is hauntingly applicable to today.

I'm not predicting doom and gloom for the USA (nor do I have the intellect and insight to do such), but let me tell you that our sexual laziness is something that's right in front of our eyes.  We're ignoring it because it's too much fun and it's too comfortable.  We don't want to be the oddball.  When it comes down to it, it's an attitude that has betrayed man ever since the beginning: we shake our fist at God by saying, "I know better!"  Friends, we do NOT know better.  We don't know better, but we do need to know the one who is better, the one who created us.

I will, until the day I die, fight for the cause of the word of God (The Bible) because it is the truth.  People will say, "How do you know?  How can you be so arrogant to say that it is any more truthful than any other holy book?" Well, we could go down that road and I would be happy to interact with you somehow, whether it's face to face or email exchanges, to have honest conversations about this.  From my personal experience and after interacting with people and experts for about 30 years and having talked with people who have tried everything else, the Bible wins in all areas. 

• Go ahead, find out what the other books actually say and actually claim about themselves.  
• Go ahead, find out which one has been best maintained from the time it was written.  
• Go ahead, beyond any of these proofs, find out how truth-filled the Bible actually is, from beginning to end, and how consistent it is.  

You wouldn't trust just any doctor that says that they know the healthiest thing to do.  Is a witch doctor the same as a medical doctor?  How do you decide?  Well, there's a trust, a history, a clear evidence of schooling and experience and bedside manner.  But ultimately, does he or she help you make healthy choices and do they really care.

So, I urge you, take a look at the Bible, for the consequences of not doing so are evident . . . Part 3 will look more into this as we seek to find the real cure to our societal cancer of sexual passiveness.

The Ultimate Artist

What are the qualities of the ultimate artist? Whether it's the world of paintings, music, dance, or even certain sports, an artist is the ultimate expressionist. He or she is expressing something that can't be seen into something that can be seen. The artists that seem to draw the most attention (whether it's negative or positive) express things that others can relate to or have a disdain for. I want to argue here that God is The Ultimate Artist. Not only is He called our Creator, but He's also the Grand Designer who is constantly at work painting a picture in each of our lives as well as a bigger picture that includes each of our lives. His work is precise, His technique is diverse, His patience is perfect, and His creativity is limitless. As with any artist, though, He will have His detractors - those who hate what they see and clearly make their thoughts known. Does this mean that His work isn't perfect? Rather, it means that He's doing exactly what He needs to be doing - staying active in the midst of a world that is ruled by the prince of the power of the air, who is roaming around, waiting for someone to devour (I Peter 5:8). His work strikes a chord. The question for us remains - will we trust and follow The Ultimate Artist no matter what His work is looking like? Or, will we follow Him as long as the painting is pleasing to our eyes and communicates what we want to hear? He's not an artist that can be ignored or who doesn't care to be noticed - what are we doing with Him and His work?

You just never know.

I know that no one ever knows exactly how a certain day will go. Yet, there are some days that are mapped out in such a way that we pretty much know what to expect. Today was a definite reminder of how we have absolutely no control over our days, no matter how well planned they are. I had a call to see someone in the hospital I had never met, we cut baseball practice short due to a downpour and a bit of thunder, we had a tornado warning, and I had a chance to help a couple through some difficulty. All of this was AFTER 1:30pm. According to James 4:13,14 we don't even know what will happen tomorrow. In fact, we are described as only a mist, here one moment and gone the next. Why would we even start to think that we have a say in our eternal destiny if we don't have a clue about tomorrow? It ought to bring us even closer to the cross of Christ and bring us to our knees saying, "Lord, without Jesus I would be lost. I would have no chance beyond this life because I am a sinner and I don't deserve You. Draw me to yourself for I accept your sacrifice on the cross as my own. I love you. Thank you for loving me first." Then, when we do finally trust Him with our eternal life, why don't we put our very days in His hands as well. He is in charge, only He can give Satan any kind of permission to touch His people, and His love, power, and justice would beautifully together in the midst of this unfair, unforgiving, and belittling world. Trust in Him, for you truly never know what's coming up next.

Sunday with my son

I love spending time with my only son. He's 11, he's funny, and he loves many of the same things I do. After spending much of the last 7 days without him, we had a blast playing Wii and watching hockey, basketball, AND baseball. Is it a waste of time to do this for hours on a Sunday afternoon? Well, obviously, you could get arguments from all over the board, but I'm only concerned with two arguments - one from God's Word and one from my son. What does the Bible have to say about how to spend Sunday afternoons? Well, directly, nothing much, but it does give us plenty of help: Whatever I do, it should be done with thanksgiving to God and in the name of Jesus (Colossians 3:17). Whatever I do that is not done by faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Whatever I do ought to be done as an ambassador of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). As a follower of Jesus Christ, I need to simply be with my son and love on him - it may not be the way other father/sons spend their time together, but it's what we do. May I send my son away to college (or leave this earth before that time) knowing that we spent LOTS of time together being Jesus to each other and that he was trained to do the same with others. I won't leave anything to chance.