When a Friend is Heading Towards Danger

 

What do you do when someone is speeding down the road and does not realize the bridge ahead is out? Do you affirm them in the course of their actions, or try to warn them? Stop! Turn around! Turn back! The bridge is out! A true friend would tell the truth, and not allow the driver to plunge headlong to their fate.

It is with trepidation that I write this column this morning. I have put it off for about two weeks now. The idea initialized from an interview Randy Kay did with a gentleman named Mark Nelson who had a near death experience, and in conjunction with a study of Isaiah. I will post this interview below.

Scripture says that all sin except for blasphemy of the Holy Spirit can be forgiven. One prerequisite is repentance. Many years ago, I was incredibly impressed with a young man who called himself College Jay, who posted many columns of his trials. His website can be found at www.collegejay.blogspot.com. Jay was a Christian who struggled with Calvinism, self-doubt, and the uncertain time of young adulthood when trying to begin a career and social interactions. Jay also had to deal with same sex attraction. At one point in his desire to follow Christ, Jay wrote of abstaining from romantic relationships and the temptation that goes with them in the pursuit of following Jesus. I was so very, very impressed by this. To give up this important part of his life, in order to follow Jesus is a great sacrifice, placed on the altar of love of what has been done for all of us. What faith! I don’t know in the time that has passed if Jay has been able to keep his commitment, but I admire his attempt all the same.

A while back I wrote a column called The Gay Question, and in it (which was inspired by my discussion with Mike Sharp) I stated that the foremost thing that those of the gay community must see from Christians is love. I still believe that. Truth and love must walk hand in hand. One cannot truly love while also misdirecting truth. Yes, I love you but I will not speak of an approaching danger. My heart goes out to many friends, acquaintances and colleagues I have known, in fear, trepidation and concern who have had to deal with same sex attraction. Thus, the motivation for this column.

Truth comes from scripture, God’s word, and has been settled in heaven, just as the Living Word, Jesus,  has.  We must turn to scripture which is fully sufficient to answer life’s questions. Truth can exist outside of scripture, but it must be weighed in light of it, lest one be lead astray.

The mind is truly a battleground. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers and rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (roughly, from Ephesians 6:12.) The world is filled with sin and broken, as are we. Despite attempts to live a good life, we all struggle with brokenness, pain, heartache, and wounds of the heart that go deeper than what can be seen. I write as one who is worse than most, for it was my sin, mine, purposefully done, that put my savior on the cross. A novel which I wrote over the course of seven years was an attempt to reconcile the issues I was facing. What does one do when they find themselves a vampire, not by choice, but stuck with this horrid situation they neither wanted nor desired? Cut off from God and humanity itself? This situation was symbolic of the place I felt myself to be in. Ultimately, God used this to slowly do a healing work in me.

I’ll start with the interview and then go to my study of Isaiah, from chapter 24.

With regards to Mark Nelson’s testimony, it concerned me greatly to hear about his situation. In his teenage years he began to entertain bad thoughts in his mind after a negative experience at church. This led to sinful actions, drug abuse, and to same sex attraction in college.

Mark states that the Enemy told him in his mind he could attend an affirming church, live for Jesus, and still be engaged in a homosexual relationship. He says the church lied to him about what scripture says about homosexuality.

Mark caught HIV in 2007, which developed into AIDS. He was misdiagnosed with an infected gall bladder and had it removed. He began to be fatigued, continuously. When he went to the urgent care, he discovered he had double pneumonia, and that he had to leave for the hospital immediately. He was told at the hospital his viral load was so high, he was going to have an uphill battle, and spent two weeks at the hospital with a negative prognosis. “There’s nothing more we can do for you, all your organs are failing,” his doctor told him. “The only thing we can do now is induce you into a coma so your body can rest.”

A supernatural force pushed Mark’s mother back from his bed when she went to pray for him at the hospital. Mark was in a coma for 22 days. At the end of that time, Mark flatlined, and he witnessed his body being worked on by nurses. Then he was surrounded by complete darkness.

Then the screaming began, many voices getting closer. Randy called out as hard as he could, “Jesus!” And a voice responded, “I’m here.” Mark woke up and there was an actual physical wind in the ICU.

On the day Mark woke up, every organ that was failing was either healed or began to heal rapidly. The doctors and nurses were amazed.

Mark was given a new lease on life. He was moved to a rehab facility where he had to learn to walk and talk and eat again. Mark has insights on his experiences which are unique and powerful. In fact, he made a statement towards the end which I had forgotten and is nearly the same one I wrote above. “We all want to love well, but we want to resist any kind of agenda that has come against the word of God. We want to be moving in love and in truth.” That was kind of a small affirmation for me. I thank God for Mark’s testimony.

Isaiah 24 speaks of the end of the world. It is a chilling passage. Verses 5 and 6 say:

⁵ The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants,
Because they have transgressed the laws,
Changed the ordinance,
Broken the everlasting covenant.
⁶ Therefore the curse has devoured the earth,
And those who dwell in it are ^[b]desolate.
Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned,
And few men are left.

When we listened to the message from Pastor Chuck Smith, he was able to tie some connections between old and new testaments about this prophecy. He also elaborated on the reasons why it will occur. The earth is defiled, from verse 5 above, for 3 reasons.

The first is that we (all on earth) have transgressed the laws of God. It’s not even a thing anymore to even consider it. The ten commandments have been removed from the grounds of courts. God has been removed from our society in the interests of “not offending.” The only real repercussion is breaking the law, and even then, murderers, rapists and violent people are being released at a greatly increasing rate. Truly we have, as individuals and as a society transgressed God’s law. We need to repent.

The second reason for this prophecy of destruction is that we have changed the ordinances of God. We redefine the meanings of words to satisfy a segment of society. I view marriage as a sacrament. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. And yet, is it not imprudent to put aside what has been instituted by God, to change it and remake it into our broken, hurting image? The rainbow is a symbol of God’s promise to man. It is a covenant, a holy promise. That too has been co-opted. The rebuke is coming. I bow my head in shame as part of a nation that has kicked a righteous and holy God to the curb. Our very Creator, our Redeemer- ridiculed even now as he was then.

The third reason for the prophecy of destruction is that we have broken the everlasting covenant. A covenant is a contract between God and man, where we agree to abide by certain terms and conditions. The five covenants are the Noahic covenant, the Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant, the Davidic covenant and the New covenant. I don’t think we need to go too deep to see that mankind has broken his covenant with God by embracing sin and defiling His holy name as a common and unthought of occurrence. Curses, crude epithets and vile speech pepper our language so frequently, we barely give it notice.

I do not want anyone I know to go to eternal torment. The very thought makes me recoil in distress. I am being very serious now, and very honest. It is my prayer that someone, anyone, might listen to the words of Mark Nelson and take heed. If anyone has taken Jesus for granted like I have most of my life, I hope you might consider a new start, not by your own power, but by His. For God’s strength is greater and made perfect in our weaknesses. I know this to be true in my own life. May God have mercy on us all.

The Importance of Life

 

Had kind of an uncomfortable discussion/typed conversation yesterday with an acquaintance about this topic. They posted about all the possibilities when an abortion might be considered as warranted. I pointed out that over 95% of the time, a different consideration was the reason for abortion, which I left open for consideration. Then all the crap broke out.

I was accused of sexism and forcing religious morality on others. My faith was questioned with "Christian" being typed in quotation marks.

Here's the deal: this new form of Molochism is a religion to some, who are deceived by the enemy of mankind. To question any tenet of it (with science, DNA or otherwise) is offensive as it causes them to have to deal with the idea that they may be in error, and ultimately, answerable to the Almighty Lord of Hosts, which they do not want to consider. I speak first and foremost as an incredibly flawed and sinful individual, broken and battered by my choices, and not in judgement of those who hold different views. That privilege is the Lord's and His alone.

 I am having some difficulty trying to be inoffensive and loving (which my late Christian friend Mike espoused, the one who asked whom he might pray for daily) with proclaiming truth, which seems to be profoundly lacking in today's society. In my discussions with Mike before he passed away, we came to an understanding that love and truth must walk hand in hand.

The argument which I was given in the discussion with my abortion advocate acquaintance was that I must speak scientifically without religion or morality being considered. The point that was missed was that all morality (or lack of it,) be it good or evil, had a religious context. Thus, in stating that all discussion be without moral consideration, they were actually drawing religion into it without even realizing it. The question that stands out is, what religion, with its own set of beliefs, practices and sacraments does one adhere to?

 The same could be said of some of my atheist friends, who devoutly defend their positions with religious fervor, and denounce their Maker amongst one another in support, tickling their ears with support of their own conclusions, which, sad to say, will lead to a dire end. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap.

Paul's argument of God's existence stands to this day. Nature itself testifies of His glory and majesty. Fatefully, some have taken this and twisted it to worship the creation rather than the Creator.

Regardless, I feel I must stand up and let my voice be heard whenever helpless, unheard ones are attacked and deemed less than human. May God have mercy on us all.

Dance with the One who Brought You

 

Just a couple of thoughts this morning on the Matt Ryan situation, although I no longer watch a lot of NFL football. There is talk that he will no longer be with the Falcons, even with a no trade clause. There is a saying that goes back to my youth. It's an important concept. And it is something that many large corporations have forgotten or just simply ignore in the name of greed. The saying goes like this: "You dance with the one who brought ya." This refers to a prom or homecoming dance where nearly all people are still single. I remember a friend of mine from those days named Elliot. He recounted to me the story of how he asked this pretty girl to a dance, and she accepted. However, once they got there, she proceeded to spend her time with other guys.

Low class.

The same is true of corporations who fire older, wiser, more seasoned and hard working employees who have invested and dedicated their lives in their work. They are fired, unceremoniously, in order to hire younger employees who work for less. It's the same thing. This recently happened on the Daybreak staff (who run Everquest and DC Heroes) when they fired a lifetime graphics designer, only to then run an ad for an opening in the same position.

Low class.

I don't like this current climate of businesses not valuing their employees. I don't like this age when commitment means nothing. Just like with the sacrament of marriage, it seems.

A friend of mine recently told me he knew someone who won one million dollars in the lottery. I thought that was amazing. He then told me that the man was currently penniless. I said "What??? All he had to do was put it in the bank and start saving interest. What happened?" My friend then told me the winner of the lottery went through two divorces and lost everything.

I think that our forefathers knew better than this spoiled and grandstanding, virtue signaling generation. God have mercy on us all.

The Cuban Doctrine

 

The Cuba Doctrine

The world is heating up. Putin has demanded that Ukraine be excluded from NATO, and has excused military action against that country as “supporting regional factions” which we all know are Russian sympathizers/agents who want a piece of the pie after the overthrow of the government. Further, Putin has called the legitimate government neo-Nazis. Let’s face it- there is only one party involved in land grabbing in this war.

Yes, the Ukraine government is as corrupt as hell. Just look at the Bidens. They are hip deep in it. Millions for doing a “job” with zero experience? Come on. Millions from the mayor of Moscow’s wife in a wire transaction? For… what exactly? And then there is the cash from China for Hunter as well. I guess one might say our government is just as bad.

Which brings me to Cuba. A hostile country on our border in the 60s. That didn’t stop Russia from putting nukes on it aimed at us. And then, they did not withdraw until receiving concessions. If the Cuba agreement was good enough for us, with a hands-off promise, it’s good enough for them. Same for Taiwan.

Russia was on the wrong side in WWII, gobbling up land just like the Nazis. It seems they are at it again. It was only after they were back-stabbed by Hitler that they joined the allies, and then they took over all the land they could afterwards. Just. Plain. Wrong.

Bush criticized Putin claiming this is the most severe threat to European security since WWII. He’s right, but he has absolutely no legs to stand on at all after Iraq and the disappearing yellow cake. None whatsoever.

I’m not encouraged to see the woke-fest General Miley and Biden’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Austin in the situation room with him today. What are they going to do, repeat the Afghanistan crapfest? Call Putin a white supremacist (as did this administration to half the country?)

I’m still shaking my head at the foolish, feckless, mess this administration has caused. Supply chain issues, inflation gong through the roof and totalitarianism have gripped this country. That is all starting to look rather mild compared to what is coming. This generation now has its own Jimmy Carter, only this one besides being incompetent, is totally and completely corrupt. Biden voters, are you happy yet?