Coins

HEADS

Has anyone kicked you in the shins lately?  
No?
Maybe you're not standing close enough.

Has anyone shoved you away lately?     
No?
Maybe you're not hugging them enough.

Has anyone shocked your senses by yelling in your face lately?    
No?
Maybe you're not asking questions enough.

Has anyone come close to breaking your heart lately?    
No?
Maybe you're not risking enough.

(Right now,  you're saying "That's dumb. And sanctimonious.")  😆

"You always hurt the one you love, the one you shouldn't hurt at all."

The song says it pretty well.

But that's the easy part. It's fairly common to hurt someone else and still function.

The hard part is being in the position to be hurt.

Maybe.

Here are some hard statistics for the USA

Divorces  813,862  (2016)
Children in foster care  427,910 (2015)
Abortions   51,888,303  (1970-2014)


What we don't know is which side of the equation these people were on. Were they the 'hurt' or the 'hurter'?

Is there a difference?

TAILS

Have you kicked anyone in the shins lately?
No?
Maybe they quit standing close enough.

Have you wanted to shove anyone away lately?
No?
Maybe they gave up hugging you.

Have you yelled in anyone's face lately?
No?
Maybe they quit asking you questions.

Have you broken anyone's heart lately?
No?
Maybe there was no one left.


Domestic Violence victims     2 of 7 (women and men)
Suicide     43,000 est.
suicide attempts   1,000,000 est. each year


Statistically, someone who hurts others has been hurt themselves.

Statistically, those that have been hurt by others will hurt someone else.

Statistically, the percentage of people who will hurt, or be hurt, involving themselves with other humans, is 100.

100%   
100 por ciento       
One hundred percent       
1.00  
100 אחוז   

zu 100

The only way to avoid this is never to have been conceived.

It all seems so overwhelmingly awful, doesn't it. 

That's why some people make a good living compiling statistics.

But...

Here's  the cap on the bottle; the cherry on top; the whipped cream on the cocoa!!

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.  John 10:10

...and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.   1 Peter 2:24

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23


Heads or tails, a coin always has two sides, but it is always one coin.

They cannot be separated, even as we cannot truly be separated from each other.

Without the love of Jesus Christ, there will always be pain in our lives. 

But...with Him, there will NEVER be pain we cannot overcome in complete victory.

So, when you're in a situation where you might hurt someone, or are sure to BE hurt, you better let Someone else flip your coin.

shalom

Why Are You Sharing False Testimony?

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."  Exodus 20:16

I am constantly flabbergasted at the way Christians slander each other on the interwebs with no basis.

A fake news post about a very high profile preacher (ooo, and rich too!) from 2015 popped up on my facebook page. 

I was really surprised about what I read, so did a THREE MINUTE research on aforesaid interwebs.

I was not kind in my beat-down of the posting bro. Having been the recipient of false witness and bullpucky in past social clubs churches, I tend to kick first, ask questions later.

The next thing that blew me up were the comments! By very righteous brothers and sisters in Christ.

Wow.

Here are some of the more self-righteous interesting ones.

"The number one characteristic given in scriptures for false teachers is a profit motive, in other words "just follow the money trail". Here is what a Google search of TD Jakes net worth finds: Net worth: $18 million. Average annual income in his community: $56,954. T.D. Jakes earned his wealth as chief pastor of The Potter's House, a non-denominational megachurch in Dallas with 30,000 members. The Trinity Broadcasting Network and Black Entertainment Television both air his services and evangelistic sermons.Mar 26, 2015"

And this...

 "The fact is that this "man of God," T.D. Jakes, claims to be a Christian, which means believing in the Bible, God's Holy Word...but he doesn't: he puts his will above that of the God he claims to represent. He is a hypocrite & a liar...not because I say so, but because his own words so proclaim...& condemn."

Aaaaand this...

 "Yup, God gave discernment about this guy years ago."

Again. Wow.

Now, in the middle of all these religious slaps came one person who posted the reply Pastor Jakes made about all of this.

"My comment on HuffPo TV drifted into issues of the Supreme Court ruling and changing the world through public policy verses personal witness. Further, I have come to respect that I can't force my beliefs on others by controlling public policy for taxpayers and other U.S. citizens.                      

Jesus never sought to change the world through public policy but rather through personal transformation. All people didn't embrace Him either. That's what I said and what I meant ... Nothing more and nothing less.                                                                                                                        

Just because a so-called Christian publication chooses to misconstrue my words using lazy journalistic tactics to further their own agenda and draw attention to their site does not make their statements an accurate depiction of what I said or meant."

But no one cared. The original poster-boy made NO COMMENT, the re-poster blew it off, and in fact NO ONE AT ALL replied to it.

What is wrong with us?

Why are we so angry about brothers and sisters who have money? 

Or fame?

Or are unique?

I have no truck with super star preachers who actually avoid the Truth. I can rope them off with the culls as fast as possible. Joel Osteen is at the top of the list.

I don't care if he's as rich as a king, he doesn't believe in the KING. 

How can I say that?  

Well, I watched a couple of interviews with him and heard him say (with his own lips) that he wasn't sure if Jesus is the only way to salvation.

From the Larry King interview...

KING: What if you're Jewish or Muslim, you don't accept Christ at all?

OSTEEN: You know, I'm very careful about saying who would and wouldn't go to heaven. I don't know ...

KING: If you believe you have to believe in Christ? They're wrong, aren't they?

OSTEEN: Well, I don't know if I believe they're wrong. I believe here's what the Bible teaches and from the Christian faith this is what I believe. But I just think that only God with judge a person's heart. I spent a lot of time in India with my father. I don't know all about their religion. But I know they love God. And I don't know. I've seen their sincerity. So I don't know. I know for me, and what the Bible teaches, I want to have a relationship with Jesus.

KING: But don't you think if people don't believe as you believe, they're somehow condemned?

OSTEEN: You know, I think that happens in our society. But I try not to do that. I tell people all the time, preached a couple Sundays about it. I'm for everybody. You may not agree with me, but to me it's not my job to try to straighten everybody out. The Gospel called the good news. My message is a message of hope, that's God's for you. You can live a good life no matter what's happened to you. And so I don't know. I know there is condemnation but I don't feel that's my place.

KING: What is the prosperity gospel?

OSTEEN: I think the prosperity gospel in general is -- well I don't know. I hear it too. I don't know. I think what sometimes you see is it's just all about money. That's not what I believe. It's the attitude of your heart, and so you know, we believe -- but I do believe this, that God wants us to be blessed. He wants us to be able to send our kids to college, excel in our careers. But prosperity to me, Larry, is not just money, it's having health. What good is money if you don't have health?

                 If I may be so openly blunt...what do you know, Joel?

                                           (Because it's funny!)

(It's so nice to know that we Christians with disabled children are basically just screwed.)

The point I'm trying to make here is if I were to post something about a not so straight-arrow preacher like Joel, I better have the fuel for the post.

Not just keep re-posting rumors, no matter how great a Christian your friend is.

I have actually deleted posts about Joel that were in fact just rumors and garbage.  Fair play.

After doing the research, I have kicked a few shins of pastors I really love.

And, I've got some shin scars of my own!

The punchline is this: If you can't prove a bad thing about a brother or sister:   shut the heck up!!

shalom

So, You're Standing for Equality, eh?

I'm going to use the pronoun "we" so as not to melt the snowflakes.**


Here's a thought.

If everyone wants "equality", why do we continue to support special interest groups?

                                           
                                               


Why do we continually define ourselves as "African-American, Native American, Asian-American, or Mexican-American?

Why are there schools with that are defined by the amount of melanin in our skin? Why are there scholarships that you can only apply for if you are black, Asian, Latino, Baptist, Catholic, or homosexual?

Do we really want equality, or to be victims with a grievance?

What is sad are professing Christians who are living as socially created victims.


We excuse those in socially/politically defined people groups of protests, rioting, rape, theft, murder, anarchy, and every kind of violence under the sun.

That's not a cry for equality. That is Satan rearing up and blasting his curse across the landscape.

I refuse to call someone an African-American, or black American, or what ever else stupid thing comes up next. There are Americans, or Not Americans.

                                          

Immigrants are people who process into another country for the purpose of work and/or residency. I will not call anyone sneaking in like a thief an immigrant, because they aren't immigrants. They're Illegal Aliens.

I will not call a man in a dress my girlfriend. He's not a girl, even if he is my friend.

I will not let my boys sleep in a tent with a girl who decided she wanted to be a guy now.

I will not supply my children and grandchildren with birth control.

There is no such thing as "safe sex" and sure as hell no such thing as "safe sin".

What I WILL do is this.

I will care about people where they are. I don't give a rat's you know what about what color you define yourself as. It doesn't matter.

No really. It doesn't matter unless you decide it does.

Yes, I know there are people to whom it DOES matter. Continue to let others define you, and you've already lost.

I don't care if you think you're gay. I will care about YOU, but not your lifestyle. I WILL tell you the truth that God says about it. I will not beat you over the head, but you will have to decide for obedience or rebellion.

I will pray for you even if we're mad at each other. Even if we decide we can't play nice together, I will never forget you.

I will stand for what God has given us, and this Identity Group mentality is ridiculous. What do you see in the Bible?

Those who believe and obey, and those who do not.

Seriously. Read the 66 books and tell me if I'm dreaming.

The wars, the killing, the blessings, the dysfunctional families, the miracles,the cheating and lying, preaching and praying and hiding and all that.

They've got a bunch of names. Ammonites, Hittites, Hebrews, Romans, Greeks, Caananites, and the list goes on.

And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

Matthew 22:37-39 


But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
 Luke 10:41-42

 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.                                                            If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”                                                 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”     Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?                                                       Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.                                                       Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.  Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." 

John 14:6-15

DO you see anything here that says "Keep fighting for the right to be separate!"

No.

DO you get to make up your own gospel because you and yours are mistreated?

No.

Do you get to be all nasty and angry because the WORLD is crappy and no one is giving you what you need?

No.

                           

                                                   Just sayin'.

Believe me, I would LOVE to be on your side! I want my son back, I want my life back, I want my ministry back, I want what I want and I want it now.

That's not reality.

Reality is not what I want or think should happen. 

Reality is it is a lost, frightening, hurt, angry world out there.

And it doesn't have to be, and isn't supposed to be, that way.

We have got to get our heads out of the satanically designed smokescreen of the fallen world, and remember why we are who we are.

I am a child of the Living King of Heaven.

I was designed from the beginning of time to be His child.

I cannot be overcome.

The world is counting on me being who I was created to be.

Nothing truly defines me but being a child of the Most High God of Heaven.

Not my skin, or my name, or my politics or my church.

 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’  Revelation 2:17

DO you know the only mentions of skin color are in Song of Solomon? And it's talking about her skin being sunburned from working in the open fields. That was a hint that she was not a debutante fit for the king. Nothing else. 

If you want equality, you're going to have to stop making yourself unequal first.

You cannot be equal as long as you continue to promote your superiority.

That's what I said

Your superiority.

Stop it.

Just, stop 

                                   

** I gave up. Snowflakes, you gotta grow up.

shalom

Faves and PP's

Faves are things that you just luuuuuuv, whether or not it makes sense

PPs (Pet Peeves)  are things that just bug the stuffings out of you, whether or not it makes sense.

I have them, you have them, everybody got 'em.

One of my faves is buffets. Lots of choices and cooked by someone else. I eat a lot of raw vegetables, then cooked veg, then meat, and then whatever I want. Yes. I have a buffet system.

One of my biggest PPs is...buffets. Lots of food, set out in the open, with about two dozen people I don't even know, cruising through it before I do. Grimy little kid paws touching everything they can reach. Sneeze guards? Don't kid me. I teach food safety.

Bigger PP? People who cry over a tiny hair that fell on their plate in a "nice" place and need therapy and compensation, but eat at buffets.

Fave: Getting to cook for someone.

PP:  Totally screwing up a family dinner with a recipe or technique that you have used for years!

Bigger PP: Knowing the people whom you upset over it will carry a grudge.

Fave:  Dog owners that train their animals to behave around others.

PP: Dog owners who train their dogs to be entertainment centers, or children, or anything else dogs aren't supposed to be.

Bigger: Dog owners that get attacked by their own dogs for pushing too far, and wondering what happened. Dogs are dogs, stupid.

Fave: ADOPTION. What else is there to say on that? Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful forever families.

PP: People who give purchasing a PET the same language as adopting a CHILD.  Pet Smart, which gags me, is using the words "potty training" in their newest ads.  Good heavens.

Bigger PP: Animal Parents Without Partners. (Do I have to explain why this grits me?)

Fave: Being with Christian brothers and sisters. In worship, in playtime, for better or worse.

PP: Traditionalists. Folks who say they are Christians, but rely on church traditions. (stuff made up by people, like Pharisees.)

Bigger PP:  Trads that refuse to change because "That's the way we've always taught it".

Biggest PP: Church leaders who cannot, for the life of them, understand why people are leaving the church.

I'll bet I have tried a hundred times to discuss this with leadership and anyone else I thought cared.
If you want to put a dress code in your beliefs, fine and dandy. But don't teach it as scripture.
If you want to forbid tattoos on your staff, go right ahead. But, don't back it up as sin.
If you want to discipline a member  because they will not be obedient to your leadership, get your three and get on with it. But if it's not scriptural, you're in deep water, buddy.

We tend to join forces with a church body that feels good. There are people there that believe the same things we do, they quote the same scriptures, they read the same books. We all rave about the same superstars and have been to their conferences and lectures.

That does not make us right.

Pastor ? gave a message that government and God are two separate things, referencing Luke 20:25.

Can you tell me why this should even be a topic?

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad he addressed this, because it's a burr under my saddle too.

But why the heck is even needed?  What on earth have we been teaching through the generations that we would even come close to mistaking the truth?

Fave:  Music in church that gives praise and honor to the One we are adoring.

PP:  Music in church that talks about how I feel.

Bigger PP: Patriotic music in church during worship time.

Biggest PP:  People that don't understand why nothing belongs in worship except...worship.

Any way, I'm done ranting.


                                                                       

shalom