Dare We Consider and Proclaim Our Love?

We live in a world that has evolved to consider a man’s machismo to be some kind of defining characteristic of his greatness, his ability to lead others. In some sense, I suppose if a people are in a perpetual state of conflict, it might be more desirable to have a warrior as a leader, but if a populace chooses to live in a world where peace reigns, where diplomacy counts for something, then it might be more advantageous to seek leaders who exhibit compassion – even towards adversaries. Besides, there’s nothing that says a man can’t be a warrior and still have love and compassion in his heart.

Most men in our modern societies live in a paradox in which our leaders have come to be seen as great macho he-man types like W Bush in photo ops in a flight suit on a carrier, or out clearing brush with a big stump on his shoulder that probably took several Secret Service guys to lift for the nano second it took to get a photo. Maybe they had early versions of photo edit to fake it, but in any event, W Bush was not a he-man! The paradox is that the fellows who attempt to portray such strength are typically the most feeble and weak among us, but somehow, they are able to portray bravery and/or strength to the extent that many folks actually believe this is who they are. If talking counted, both Bush and Trump would be Arnold Schwarzeneggers, but alas, talking doesn’t count and they are mere mortals. Now without getting too far into the woods, just remember guys like this and their need to appear to be bold warriors when in fact they are just average – or below average – men with image insecurity.

It is precisely a man’s inner fear of being seen as weak and/or vulnerable that inhibits any appearance of compassion from “leaders” who have an innate need to show strength. This is where most of them reveal their true weakness, for if you think about it, our Almighty God Himself isn’t above being seen as compassionate. Indeed, He allows Himself to be described as Love itself. [1 John 4:8]: “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” He who does not love does not know God – what a damnable situation, yet these guys who are afraid of showing love – refrain from such guys precisely because they obviously (and erroneously) regard being compassionate as a sign of weakness.

The Lord Jesus Christ, indisputably the greatest Leader to have ever existed, spoke endlessly of love – love that is needed; no, required, of His followers. Today’s politicians meticulously avoid any mention of love – neither for God nor their fellow humans – I suppose in order to avoid being seen as weak or vulnerable. Yet the prophet Micah said [Micah 6:8]:“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Mercy? Humility? Is mercy what makes the president order missiles to be fired on unidentified boats in the Caribbean? Is humility endlessly boasting of his historical greatness?

Some time ago, this same president and his spooks set up a situation in which they (and other nations/intelligence apparatuses) were able to convince a prominent general in another nation to embark on what he was convinced was to be an important peace mission and when he was travelling to pursue this, he was murdered with an American missile fired on his car. This country was not at war, nor even considering conflict (at least publicly) with that nation at the time. It was cold-blooded murder! There are many people in this country who swear by this man who does such things and still call themselves Christians. Now can you see why at the judgement Jesus will tell those “Christians” to depart from Him because He never knew them? For crying out loud they throw their undying support behind a murderer with no hint of mercy in his heart!

Love is a critical attribute for all of us who serve Christ, though many of us studiously avoid practicing it. Most don’t even want to talk about love. But when our very Creator wishes to be called loving and compassionate, how does being seen to love their fellow human beings detract from one’s purported manhood? Or maybe the dispassionate persecution and slaughter of innocent people are the new macho? In truth, this image is conceived and carried out as a tool of Satan. It is a symptom of hatred, pure and simple. How is sending a bunch of masked, armed goons out to body slam Americans (or anyone else, really) and arrest them with no due process making Donald Trump out to be some kind of valorous hero? I guess if you have enough hate in your heart it might work for you, but I personally believe God created this country for all of His people – no human being or group of human beings own it. It all belongs to God, and we are merely stewards of this part of His creation, and we desperately need to get that through our heads.

The only way anyone is going to get into heaven is for them to learn how to love – their fellow human beings, their fellow Christians, but most importantly, God. In fact, the greatest commandment Jesus gave us was [Mark 12:30]: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment”. And in another place Jesus says [Matthew 22:37-40]: “Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Love is indeed a powerful attribute; seek it; if you are lacking, pray for the Spirit to bless you with God’s love. That’s where love comes from. From God Who is love. [2 Thessalonians 3:5]:” Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

Heaven is going to be a spectacular place, and no doubt enormous, but there ain’t room for anyone there with hatred in their heart. There’s a lot of things that will exclude folks from entering into the Lord’s paradise, but I’m pretty sure hatred ranks among the top, so if anyone is thinking it’s ok to hate on someone because he/she is Latino, African, or Asian, etc., even if they don’t have the proper paperwork, just remember when our ancestors showed up here. They didn’t speak the language, they didn’t have citizenship, but they made themselves at home here, didn’t they? In short, you have no agency to claim to be Christian if you believe God is going to overlook racism and hatred, even for those “illegally” here. [Malachi 3:5]:”And I will come near you for judgment;
I will be a swift witness
Against sorcerers,
Against adulterers,
Against perjurers,
Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans,
And against those who turn away an alien—
Because they do not fear Me,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

Unlike hatred, love doesn’t make you old before your time. Love doesn’t interfere with your peace. Love provides fertile soil to grow lasting friendships. Love also covers a multitude of sins – nothing else in all of creation can do that.

If you harbor hate, repent of it now and learn about love – don’t wait until it’s too late – in any event, you will surely learn it. The bravest and most heroic of men are made complete when they practice love and compassion. That’s what “men of good heart” means.

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us.

MK

Seeking the Infallible Truth in the Darkness

It’s been a few days since I’ve been able to think halfway straight after losing my dogs about three weeks ago, and I still can’t think about it much without getting into a bout of depression, but that’s not what I want to write about today. There are a lot of seemingly unrelated – and mostly bad – things happening right now and they do not portend well for humanity.

One of the most apparent situations that has been progressing, and actually over the past several months, is the dissolution of effectiveness of most of the governments of the world, but especially that of the US. We have things going on in this country that couldn’t have been imagined, even a few months, even weeks, ago.

Here in the US we have men in masks, not even wearing badges, who are accosting folks on the streets. They are throwing American citizens onto the ground and onto concrete sidewalks and putting their knees on them and “arresting” them with no due process of law whatsoever. And they are doing it with the blessing of the president and his thoroughly corrupted Department of Justice. Anyone ok with this doesn’t know anything of the constitution and has no business claiming to be an American!

As a Christian, I suppose it’s more appropriate to address the morality of the things going on than the patriotism, though. The Bible tells us repeatedly that some bad things will be going on and they will be perpetrated by some really awful people, most of whom don’t even believe in the Son of God. I fact, when it gets down to it, these servants of evil will eventually be coming after us Christians, but that’s where we need to reassure our brethren that instead of fearing these tribulations, we should be rejoicing that our time to be with Him is approaching.

Keep thinking of the darkness into which we are descending as just a bridge we have to cross over or a door we have to pass through before we become blessed with the eternal light and joy of the presence of Jesus Christ! Beyond that awful bridge, we have infinite hope, but those who are complicit in bringing about the darkness have none. How I wish some of those folks could read this feeble post and take to heart the promise of Jesus Christ. If they could get a glimpse, like we believers do now and again, of what lies beyond this world of trouble, they’d surely trade this temporary existence for a place in Paradise, but alas, they choose not to look, not to hear.

World leaders for the most part, have chosen to serve the enemy of mankind. Here in the good old USA, we have leadership who attend the demonic Bohemian Grove rituals, men who boast of membership in things like the Skull and Bones club, and other organizations which defy the supremacy of our Almighty God. Many among them – too many – relish the authority of life and death over people and enjoy playing war. They trade a mere moment in time to revel in worldly “success”, instead of the promise of eternal joy that Jesus offers. They are to be pitied, for in the long run, they will meet with an unimaginably horrible existence – and that for all of eternity!

Then there are those who try and use their Bibles for an oar blade with which they might paddle their way out of damnation instead of reading them and trying to live like the Lord wants us to live. Too many churches nowadays preach “gospels” that are contrary to what the Bible intends. Thousands of people crowd the pews of megachurches and listen to pastors who insist that Americans support murderous regimes, including our own, though the Bible makes it abundantly clear that such people will not be found in Christ’s Kingdom.

There were millions of people out on the streets last weekend to protest the president, and the situation we find ourselves in where insane leadership in all branches of the US government who, as of today are absolutely refusing to “lead” the country. Except for the fellow who thinks he owns it, but then he’s not leading as much as trying to bend the country to his will. They are all so wrapped up in Satanic behavior and creating chaos with which to blame the other side, that they no longer function in governance, unless it might be to pass some legislation or resolution that favors the murderous Israeli regime. Almost all of them agree that we must, shutdown or no, continue to act to support whatever Netanyahu (or Zelensky) tell them to do.

Things are indeed coming apart, folks, but do not be discouraged; rather just stand back and watch them bring it down, knowing that some of us will be able to pass through the dark wall we approach. Through the narrow door, that’s it – keep searching with all your heart and soul for the narrow door. That’s the one where our blessed Shepherd awaits. Listen intently for HIs voice. We also have to try our very best to bring as many with us as we can, even the ones with whom we disagree – maybe especially the ones with whom we disagree. Pray for them; maybe the Lord will save them.

Remember that the “churches” aren’t always the answer. Don’t buy into the false doctrines of the millionaire pastors of the big churches. In fact, if the pastor is a wealthy man, I’d be highly skeptical of his congregation or his doctrines. Avoid such – seek fellowship with people who abide in Christ – you’ll know who they are, for the same Spirit in you will recognize Himself in others. You’ll also know them by their fruits – if you know what to look for. And contrary to what a lot of them preach, financial “success” ain’t one of them.

Stay strong in your faith; pray without ceasing. Pray for me – I’m only human and know it well. Pray for direction and determination, courage, confidence and conviction, strength and stamina. It’s still yet going to be a long haul to the finish line, but we will make it if we trust Him.

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us.

MK

A Privilege Rarely Understood

I don’t know about anyone else, but I get a little bit annoyed when people show up unexpectedly. I’m probably a little unfair to be so, but it’s just how I’m wired. Maybe I have something going on that I’d rather get finished than to stop and visit, but I always try my best to make folks feel welcome and in fact, I’m one of those people who goes out of their way to avoid being impolite and have gotten pretty good at keeping my annoyance to myself so as to make visitors feel welcome at any time, but still it’s always nice to get a heads up before folks come calling.

Today I was meditating on talking to God and thinking about how He is always on stand-by for us when we decide to come to Him. He knows why we come to Him in each and every instance, and we most likely have some problem or another we want Him to resolve or at least help us to resolve. Have you ever had one of those friends or neighbors that never call or come by unless they need something? In my years I’ve had those kinds of acquaintances. In fact, truth be told, most people are like that to some degree – you see them more often when they have some kind of problem and it’s rare for anyone to stop by unless this is so.

What if we were to just stop whatever we’re doing and say hello to our Father? I’d bet He doesn’t get a lot of those prayers, people just touching base and wishing Him well. Of course, He doesn’t need our well-wishes, but the thought would be nice and from the heart, as opposed to those prayers of thanks we send up out of habit before meals or bedtime prayers we practice by rote every night. I’m not advocating we stop those kinds of prayers, but are they really from our hearts, or are most of our prayers like that just fulfilling an obligation? And for sure, the prayers we pray when we’re in need or in trouble of some kind are sincere enough, but does He see us as those neighbors who only call on us in times of need?

When you stop and think about it, coming before God in prayer is a great honor none of us deserve, but a lot of us just step up to His throne as if He owes it to us to listen – as though we have some kind of right to be there in His mighty presence. What a huge privilege it is for us to be granted audience with the Creator of the universe whenever we want to approach Him! Try gaining audience with some high-ranking politician, much less a president or prime minister. How about speaking with a monarch of some kind? At the very least, you’d be in for some serious red tape, background checks, and much time in waiting for such a meeting. But with God, our Lord and Savior? Anytime, He is there waiting for us to come near! In fact, we are told in the scriptures that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. He is more than willing to visit with us, and that is a phenomenal truth that I fear we don’t appreciate as we should.

When we stop and consider the immensity and complexity of the creation, at least that part of it we know of, it’s staggering – in fact, we cannot begin to fathom the intricacies of overseeing and directing the happenings of all the details of the whole universe, but He attends to everything and does it with perfection! He knows how many hairs are on your head! He is aware of every bird that falls from the sky, yet He is ever available for us when we step before His throne. What a privilege to be able to speak with such a magnanimous entity whenever we choose to do so!

With all of this wonder in mind, it’s imperative that when we do stand before His throne in the presence of the hosts of Heaven that we acknowledge His magnificence, that we appropriately humble ourselves [Matthew 18:3]: “and (Jesus) said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes with childlike wonder and complete subservience in recognition of His power and glory. When we humble ourselves before Him, we become blessed with His unimaginable favor, [Matthew 18:4]: “Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.“

We should also at least try at some level to appreciate the undying love He has for us. It’s not that we should necessarily try and understand it, because we can’t. But if it were not for that love, we doubtlessly would not be privileged to approach Him as He has blessed us to be able in our condition. The very best we can conceivably be before Him, the most righteous persona we might be able to muster – are something like dirty rags, unadulterated filth, but He hears us anyway. In fact, He loves it when we choose to be before Him, especially on those rare occasions when we come simply for His fellowship and aren’t asking for something.

It’s of utmost importance to bear in mind and always remember that we cannot enter into God’s presence without the consent and company of Jesus Christ. Without Jesus, God will not hear our prayers and Jesus made that plain when He said [John 14:6]: “Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Any prayer sent to God without Jesus’ inclusion is a total waste of breath, and an exercise in futility. God went through a very difficult ordeal watching His Son being sacrificed for our malign behavior and it’s not hard to believe He harbors much animosity for human beings who ignore such a terrible ordeal by rejecting His Son. So don’t!

Unlike some of us people, God isn’t the least bit annoyed when we unexpectedly come before Him, especially when our visit is driven by love and a pure heart and not necessarily because we have some kind of problem. He always makes time for us, so don’t be shy about visiting with Him just because you want to say hello. It’s okay to tell Him you love Him because He sincerely loves you and He told us so many times in the Bible. None of us can begin to fathom how profound that love is. Keep in touch with our Lord.

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us.

MK

Negotiating Some of the Endless Forks in the Road

The outside air got down into the forties last night and there’s heavy dew on everything out there. I guess that’s a good thing since it’s been a while since we’ve had any rain to speak of and heavy dew is better than no moisture at all. I replanted cucumbers back in August because there was some kind of blight on my spring-planted ones and they didn’t do very good. That’s the first time that ever happened to my garden, but this late crop seems to be getting the same disease. God only knows what all is going on in this old world of ours these days. No September rains to crow about. So far, no October rains.

The world has been teetering on the edge of all-out war for several months now and although it would be devastating, I don’t think a big war would surprise anyone. Before I swore off and departed from the Lord of the Rings cult, I remember as the armies of Sauron were being arrayed against Gondor, the character Gandalf saying something to the effect of the board being set and the pieces are moving, and it sure seems like that’s what’s going on.

Russia looks to be providing both Venezuela and Iran with some new and improved fighter jets and Iran has been talking about some new and better missiles for their expected confrontation with Israel. China is still making many strategic moves in what looks to be preparation for conflict with the west. The dollar is losing ground everywhere as gold becomes increasingly valuable. The wealthy folks have been digging bunkers and supplying them for what might be a long stay underground. Blessed are the peacemakers…

There’s constant talk of a big part of war preparations being the “continuity of government”, but to be honest, I haven’t seen much government activity that might need to be continued – even in a calamity. From what we’ve experienced that passes for US government lately, I’d vote that continuity of government would be among the last things we would want or need in a seriously bad situation. Unless of course, provisions are being made that might allow our Commander in Chief to keep methods of informing the public of what a great and historical figure he is. What a comfort to know that in the face of possible global annihilation we have wise and stalwart figures to conduct war operations! Oh well, whether or not a world war might be survivable, or whether or not one might even want to survive after one is for smarter folks than me to figure out.

Before anyone gets their panties in a wad over me being critical of our leaders, I’m aware that the Bible says that God puts them in their positions of power. Through the epistles we are taught to follow them and obey their edicts, but we are also given a Spirit of discernment that allows us to see when leaders stray from God’s ordinances and through the exercise of that discernment, we are able to make the call of when to not follow them anymore, for instance, it’s not possible to obey the commandments of Jesus to love our neighbors while supporting genocide and starvation of children. No matter how the “Christian Zionists” try to twist the scriptures.

Jesus warned us there is a narrow gate that leads into His kingdom. He delivered most of His opprobrium to the Jewish leaders of His time. When they rejected Him and His teachings they incurred a curse upon themselves. As Jesus was about to be crucified, Pontius Pilate, the Roman leader of the area tried to dissuade the Jewish synagogue leaders and the mob they had gathered from crucifying Jesus by telling them he didn’t want Jesus’s blood on his hands, but they said [Matthew 27:25]: “And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.” Let that sink in for a minute. This might just be the statement that brought on the curse that the Jews have had upon them ever since! They have a very checkered history of being hated and persecuted all down through the years by every nation where they went, and it does indeed seem like they have been a cursed people since Jesus’ time. The behavior of the cruel and barbaric people in today’s Israel is now on open display for folks who think they’re just ordinary people and maybe it’s unfair that the world has hated them.

The astute reader already knows this theory doesn’t take into account that according to Jesus statements [Revelation 2:9]: “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.“, the people who call themselves Jews in these last days aren’t really Jews, so how could a curse intended for the Jews be upon them? I have written on this in other posts and it seems that a lot of people have been able to connect the dots that these people are from Eastern European descent and aren’t Jews at all. That would seem to make that curse above not even apply to them, but if these imposters are taking the identity of the Jews, then it would seem that they are taking the curse(s) that go along with that (stolen) identity. That would mean His (Jesus’) blood is on them now.

Satan, due to his seething hatred of Jesus, has devised a plan that has obviously led to those very people getting the wealth of the world concentrated into their hands so as to take control of the world through such malfeasance as bribery and/or threats. Everyone can plainly see them playing American politicians like puppets. European leaders too. It seems as though the only ones who can’t see through the charade are the politicians themselves. Zionists have so thoroughly taken control of all US government and its institutions that it would be a seemingly impossible task to take the country back from them, and it could never be done without bloodshed, so that leaves Christians with little to do but pray for our situation. We should however, never for a moment assume these folks are our allies. Regardless of what some of the false pastors in America tell their flocks, the Zionists, who work directly for Satan, are the enemies of Christianity. If you, the reader, find yourself among those who believe they should “support Israel” and its genocidal depravity, you need to break out your Bible and read it. If you claim to believe in Jesus, then take a good look at what He says about the “blasphemy” of the fake Jews!

Jesus made His message very simple; it’s people that try to complicate it. If you would leave this life victorious and prepared for the afterlife, you should repent of all the wrongdoing you have been involved in and ask Him for forgiveness. He has promised to do just that – He will forgive you. Don’t start out by trying to convince yourself that you haven’t sinned, because you have; we all have. [Romans 3:23]: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” We all have blood of some kind on our hands, we suffer from a malady known as being human. Jesus Christ, the founder and Shepherd of the Christian religion, loves us all deeply. None of us are smart enough to understand why He loves us – we certainly haven’t done anything to deserve it, but it’s not about us or what we have or haven’t done. It’s about Him and who He is. It’s also about His unfathomable love. He is less interested in what we do or don’t do – He is interested in who we are. What kind of person are you capable of becoming in His service?

If you are a Jewish person, remember Jesus in His human form was a Jew of the lineage of King David, who might have been the greatest human leader in history. Jesus was of your own ancestry. If you are Moslem, your Koran speaks of Jesus as a great prophet and even predicts His return to bring justice to the earth, but He was so much more than a prophet! It’s not a great leap to connect the dots from where Islam considers Jesus to be to where He actually is. Investigate the Christian religion and see what it says. He is your savior too – He died for you. The faith of the Islamic people is very obvious to the world with your calls to prayer and service to Allah, who we Christians speak of as our God also. Other members of world religions have come to realize that Jesus Christ is the only true way to God and the afterlife He promises.

We are closing in on the last days of this age. Things are getting desperate and the end is nigh upon us. There will be some horrible events in our near future, and it’s incumbent on each of us to prepare ourselves for the other side of that great dark cloud that’s approaching. Jesus said [John 14:6]: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Prophets never lied, so if you accept Jesus as a prophet, then you have to ask yourself why He would say that if it wasn’t true? Make sense? He didn’t say, “I am a way,” He said THE way! The only way.

Our final and consummate victory lies beyond that darkness and fear, in fact, when you get yourself right with Jesus and hand Him the keys – stop trying to drive yourself, you’re not capable – you’ll find the fear going away more and more. That’s how it should be, because fear is the greatest weapon of the enemy. Fear and hatred, which is something we must strive to get out of our hearts! There’s no room for hatred in the hearts of good people. We learn hatred from the enemy and those who are led by the enemy and it’s something we can easily discard. Most folks with hate in their hearts have it there because they want it there – that’s where the sin comes in – we hate because we want to hate, otherwise we could love one another as Jesus commanded us to.

An issue of concern to a lot of folks these days has to do with the mark of the beast that we will face at some point. No one really knows what it is nor how it will be taken, but we are told it will have to do with some antiChrist and part of it will involve worshiping him. No Christian will take it. In my humble opinion, one of the greatest verses in the whole Bible is the song the folks who will be victorious over the mark of the beast will sing – all Christians should memorize it, because one day soon, we’ll be singing it – we need to know the words, [Revelation 15:3,4]:

“Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the saints!

Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.
For all nations shall come and worship before You,
For Your judgments have been manifested.”

Might just be the greatest victory song that ever will have been sung!

I hope this post has reached the hearts of the reader. I’ve tried to touch on some things that seem to be of concern to lots of folks around this old world, and maybe it’ll help clear up some of the confusion people are facing. If you haven’t yet called on Him, give Jesus your life, He can be trusted to the end! Jesus is THE Way! Always remember that and it will help you stay focused in this deteriorating world. Much love.

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us.

MK

A Mental Foray into a New World

There are two worlds going, and probably always have been. There’s the physical world and a lesser-known Spiritual world. When I say lesser known, I of course am referring to the spiritual world as it is hardly regarded by the unbeliever.

There’s a lot of moisture outside this October morning. It comes from the dew as we are running a rain deficit, but nevertheless it would be difficult to get a fire started out there, so there’s a blessing of sorts, although later in the day things will dry out again. The big old oak trees are standing with fading greenery, looking at each other wondering when October is actually going to get started. Even with this late summer, there’s a quiet morning chill out in the damp air, but the solitude is refreshing, invigorating. The blue jays have already started to infiltrate this part of the Ozarks as juniper berries (actually tiny cones) once more begin to ripen. My daughter’s big old sunflowers have opened kiosks around her house for goldfinches to dine for another season.

I planted cucumbers a second time in August because the first ones got some kind of blight and did not produce much. These new ones are starting to put on lots of blossoms and some baby pickles are starting to show. The physical world in which we live steadily goes forward in spite of man’s efforts to destroy it, and that is how it should be – not that last part about how we foul our nest, but that the world itself has a great propensity for adaptation and survival. Autumn is, nevertheless, starting to run overdue, and if you are a long-time reader of folkpotpourri, you’ll know autumn is my favorite season.

Skies of clearest azure wake up to late sunrises and songbirds go about their routines, some bail out to southern places, but by and large most of them begin to hang out around the overgrown weeded pastures checking for seeds and berries. This is the physical world at its finest, and I feel sorry for city folk – those stuck in great sprawling metropolises who hardly get the opportunity to realize what God’s creation is all about. That’s where the Spiritual world comes to mind.

Probably one of the things we know the least about is infinity. The human brain has a limited capacity for knowledge and understanding. If you were on the beach with a bucket in your hand you could scoop up a bucket of water, but there’s an ocean full of water still out there and your tiny bucket only has the capacity to hold that one bucketful, like your brain after it’s full of all the knowledge it can hold. But there’s so much more out there to know!

If one were to allow their mind to wander, considering the things we know, or at least think we know, about the creation in which we exist, there are supposed to be something like 90 billion light years worth of universe – physical universe – out there packed with trillions of stars. That’s just the part we can observe, who knows how much more there is? Scientists speculate that many – if not most – stars herd planetary systems that might be similar to the solar system. I wonder how many of those worlds harbor spectacular scenery, giant mountains, waterfalls, expansive forests, and such. I like to think that after our time here, we might be free to wander about, find worlds that would be weird, wild, and impressive. Something else to consider is the fact that as Spiritual beings, we most likely won’t be restricted to places with oxygen and mild temperatures, so we’d likely do just fine in places like Jupiter or Venus. What kinds of animals and birds might be lurking out there? Would the Creator allow His faithful to explore such wonders in the great by and by? Do these kinds of things exist in the Spiritual world, and if so, where are the boundaries between physical and Spiritual? Are there infinite universes where we could spend eternity in fascination of physical and/or Spiritual places and would the boundaries between them become a blur that would make it impossible to discern if they are Spiritual universes or physical? Would things like that even matter in the afterlife?

You see, the apostle Paul said [1 Corinthians 2:9]: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” Now that verse opens up a whole slew of possibilities for what Heaven might be like. It says in effect that we cannot imagine what we’ll inherit in God’s Spiritual kingdom. Think about that for a minute – nothing has entered into the mind of any human being at any time that could describe the immensity, the joy of Heaven, and we have a chance to be there! If I were an unbeliever and had the option of that kind of reward in exchange for becoming a child of God, I’d take that chance. In fact, that’s exactly what I have done! But we also have the added bonus of sharing that paradise with our precious Lord Jesus who loves us infinitely. After all, you have to consider that we are all going to pass on from this world anyway, so why not?

For the here and now, my kids and I have this neck of the Ozarks – a blessing in itself to behold. We don’t have, nor do we desire a lot of money and the headaches that come with it. I do not envy folks with wealth – I’ve had the opportunity to become fairly well-off, but I walked away from it and never looked back because God gave me the good sense and the discernment to see and understand what riches do to people. They grow cold and forego any meaningful relationships with the Father or their fellow men. Typically, they and their own families and friends become mired in the lusts of the world to the extent that they could never understand the joy of watching an indigo bunting on the pasture fence on an early summer morning or catching a glimpse of turkeys marching among the chestnut oaks looking for those prized little acorns. God didn’t bless folks who put money ahead of Him (and everything else), even though what they see as their existence is not a blessing at all, but a superficial facade of a meaningful life. But most tragically for them, they have no hope for the afterlife – the present life they have is all they want and sadly, it and the memory of it is all they’ll ever have.

The Spiritual world we believers look forward to has unimaginable promise, from Jesus Christ, our beloved Savior who went through an incredibly painful, horrific and humiliating experience so we could be rid of – and forgiven for – our unwise choices back when we misbehaved so egregiously. From the way the Bible describes the events surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion I truly believe God the Father had His mighty hand on the big red button and was probably close to ending everything then and there, but only because of the love His Son had in His heart for you and me, His willingness to continue through His mighty sacrifice, God allowed the thing to proceed. Now something to consider: We are told that a day is as a thousand years with Jesus and a thousand years is as a day, so by the Heavenly calendar, it might be to God like His Son just died a few days ago and maybe He hasn’t gotten over the grief of it all yet. His anger at those who reject the wonderful offer Jesus makes by His sacrifice is likely still burning with a fire that will destroy and consume the very humans who turned Him down, instead they do evil things like even worshipping the antiChrist and accepting the mark of the beast. [Revelation 14:9-11]: “Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.  And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” His mighty hand is still on that button, folks, and when He cuts loose with His vengeance on those who: a) by sinning caused His Son to have to die on that cross, b) rejected His precious offer to be redeemed from those sins, thus making that sacrifice of no benefit to themselves. I do not want to partake in that beverage, folks!

There’s definitely another existence to be had after this one, a Spiritual Paradise to which we will ascend that will be so glorious and magnificent as to make us forget that other place where the mighty and the rich (and all those who followed after them) have ended up. There will be no hope for them anymore, so do not be counted among them. Enjoy as best you can what we have left of this world God created for us. Evil men are destroying it inexorably and rapidly for whatever wealth they can extract from it, and we won’t have it much longer, but fear not – Jesus will return and lead us into another, vastly more elaborate and precious place where He has built mansions for each of us. Do not despair nor fear the servants of Satan who are for a while in charge of things – their time is almost over. Pity them and pray for them – God can still work in their lives and some may yet come to salvation.

Meanwhile, in this world we need to make the best we can of things, pray incessantly and enjoy the fleeting time here under the gilded hickory boughs. Enjoy the blue jays. Pray for our brothers in cities who don’t have such joys. Pray for the persecuted in places like Gaza and Nigeria. Pray for our entry soon into God’s eternal Spiritual world.

May the blessings f the Almighty Father find and keep us.

MK

Need to Pack Up to Head to Our Real Home

Thank God I am finally beginning to emerge from what has been one of the darkest, most painful experiences of my whole time here on earth. Without going into a lot of detail, I’ll just say I had to have two of my best friends euthanized. One of them was my old Dusty girl of whom I have mentioned on posts from the past and if you are a long-time follower, you’ll likely recall some things I’ve said about her. She was my loyal friend for fourteen years and losing her was almost more than I’ve been able to bear. I plan to do a tribute post to her when the sorrow ebbs to the point I can. The other was Chewy, Dusty’s brother of the same litter as her. They came into this world on the same day and left it within minutes of each other fourteen years later. There’s a lot of sadness in my heart for him too – he was technically my daughter’s dog, but somehow love doesn’t stay within ownership bounds. He was a very good boy. Both of them were old and very sick – he had severe breathing problems and she had begun to exhibit signs of extreme pain. I had to do it. Yall pray for me.

Though I have to take more time to grieve them, I feel that the Lord has given me a task to send out a post in light of recent events in the world – suffice it to say that the end of our age is upon us as is becoming more and more obvious. Those who waste their time waiting for things to “return to normal” are about to miss a very important boat – things will never be the way they were earlier in our lives. Those days are gone forever. Things won’t even go back to the way they were a month ago! The age of innocence has passed, and a world of rampant evil controlled by the prince of power of the air has been thrust upon us. Take heed, as the end approaches it is becoming increasingly impossible to ignore.

[Matthew 24:45,46]: “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food [i]in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.” Those of us who believe are called to help with the harvest, no matter our station in life; whether we be a great evangelist with the faith of Reverend Spurgeon, or a person with a wonderful voice who sings hymns to inspire the brethren, or a lowly message poster on the internet, we all have a job to do. The time is short, and the Son of Man is already on the cloud with the sharp sickle thrusting it in to gather His harvest and we must be found doing His work when He gets back.

I’ll not give the enemy the satisfaction of speaking overly much about his intimidation of our world at large. It’s safe to assume that everyone who is interested already see his actions; wars, rumors of wars, persecution of the saints, famines, and earthquakes in diverse places. The true servants of Jesus Christ must prepare to endure some tough times ahead. Contrary to the end times prophecies a lot of “preachers” are telling people, it’s not going to be easy to endure what we are about to face. Tribulation is a threatening word that speaks of a horrible set of circumstances that we must gird ourselves to suffer through to our final victory.

There are different schools of interpretation about the chronology of events of the end times. Some believe the rapture will take place before the real seven-year tribulation takes place, but Jesus said something that makes me think this interpretation is off. He said [Matthew 24:22]: “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” The way this reads, if those days to which He is referring are indeed the difficult times of the great tribulation, then the elect will still be around to suffer, so there’s that. Another thing I think about is that if Christians through the ages have suffered persecution, starvation, and torture, what makes folks think that for some reason us believers in the latter days should expect to be able to avoid such things as the end draws nigh?

Folks, things in this life don’t look good for us – any of us. Satan has put servants of his own choosing into the highest positions of power worldwide and they are all advocating for death and destruction. That recent speech by the Secretary of Insanity to the generals and admirals was but a glimpse of the merciless behavior they are preparing to mete out to people, but at some point – probably after the mark of the beast has been assigned to the unsaved – the focus will be on Christian believers, we should count on it.

Why am I saying all this? Because when those days get here in their fullness and we become enshrouded in this already increasing darkness, we who love the Lord must shine with the brilliance of His glory. We must show ourselves to be the beacons of hope to our brethren and to any who might choose to join us as followers. Indeed, we must absolutely rejoice in the face of the threats of the enemy, for when these things come about, our time to join our Lord will be fast approaching.

I don’t know about anyone else, but with the condition of this world over which Satan has dominance getting into the mess it’s in, how could folks of right mind even want to survive in it? Being watched with cameras everywhere, even our home conversations being eavesdropped on, being forced to take dubious vaccinations, eventually being told we must worship some evil dictator, etc. What kind of life are we facing? We are being forced to finance war, genocide, starvation of innocents, and in most government decisions, we have no choice now but to go along. Not to mention the threat of nuclear war and its attendant poisoning of the world hanging over us. We are rapidly approaching that point where our decision to follow Jesus Christ will earn us a death sentence, but if we are true believers, we will welcome our departure from this world which has come to be overtly ruled by Satan.

I guess the bottom line of this gloomy post is that our time here is getting very short. The message is, or should be, only dark for those who have refused the Lord or those who have yet to decide. Make your move of faith now before it’s too late. Jesus offers us eternal life of unimaginable joy and peace, totally opposite to what the enemy has in store for his followers. [1 Corinthians 2:9]: “Eye has not seen, nor ear hear, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

This world was never intended by its Creator to be our permanent home so we need to stop considering how to survive in it. Preparation for survival in this world is a waste of time that could be spent in helping with the harvest. This whole world will be destroyed along with all of our works – the future for believers is ONLY with Jesus Christ, so everyone needs to get to know Him ASAP, the days are short.

Please send comments for the encouragement of all of us. We need each other now more than ever.

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us through these troubled days.

MK

Destructive Technology in Incompetent Hands

Early on, Nikita Khruschev ordered up a bomb that would yield 100 megatons. The Soviets had already determined that it was theoretically possible to create a device that could approach a GIGATON yield, but due to the attendant complications including intolerable levels of radiation, they compromised on 100 megatons. Upon further calculations however, it was discovered that any airplane available for delivery back then would not survive such a powerful detonation, even with any and all precautions they might take. Eventually the design of the Tsar Bomba, the name given to this beast, was to be settled to deliver an absolutely unimaginable yield of 50 megatons. For comparison, the biggest nuclear explosion the US ever produced was the Castle Bravo test back in March, 1954 and weighed in at a mere 15 megatons, an incredible explosion of unbelievable destructive power that also left the Bikini Atoll poisoned by radiation and uninhabitable to this day.

Castle Bravo
Tsar Bomba – the mushroom was close to 60 miles across!

Even at 50 Megatons, the airplane which would drop the Soviet weapon was calculated to have only a fifty percent chance of surviving the shock wave which would emanate from the explosion. Such a wave would travel fast enough to overtake the aircraft, even after taking such precautions as deploying a parachute to slow the fall of the bomb as much as possible and allow the plane to get as far as possible from the ground zero before the bomb exploded. The test was indeed conducted and the shock wave overtook the plane as expected, but due to expert piloting and the grace of God, after a fearsome one kilometer drop in altitude, the pilots were able to recover the craft and avoid crashing.

Human beings were never meant to undertake attempting to control nuclear power. Many believe there are beneficial peaceful uses of this phenomenon, but all things considered, nuclear fission and fusion are physical attributes of atomic interactions that would have been better left alone. As with all other scientific “discoveries” nuclear power was first analyzed for it’s potential military use. In other words, the governments had to determine its capacity to kill people, and with atomic bombs, there was a bonanza for militaries. Their concern for the well-being of the environment and the planet was also quite overtly demonstrated by the many atomic bomb tests that followed this remarkable scientific revelation.

Inhabitants of the Bikini Atoll in the south Pacific were relocated to foreign shores with the promise they would be able to return after the testing was completed. In an attempt at fulfillment of the promise, many residents were indeed returned many years later, only to be subsequently removed once again when it was discovered that they accumulated intolerable levels of radiation in their bodies from ecological radioactive contamination. The environment of the atoll had become toxic from long-lasting residual contamination through the food chain.

Nuclear power plants all around the world have “spent” rods sitting in cooling pools. When everyone thought it would be a good idea to harness nuclear power, it seems no one was interested to think it all through and arrive at a plan for nuclear waste disposal, so here we are, and all the time generating more and more waste. To add suspense to our predicament, the Ukranian Army has been trying since the Russians took control of the big nuclear power plant at Zaporizhya to bomb it and cause a nuclear incident that would threaten eastern Europe with radioactive fallout.

The one element of this discussion that frankly should concern homo sapiens, is that by now there are literally hundreds of ships on the oceans that are powered by nuclear reactors. The scary part is that these are almost all military ships. Did we learn anything from Three-Mile-Island; from Chernobyl; from Fukushima? We need to get real folks, because when the missiles and torpedoes start exploding all those nuclear reactors on all those ships, we’re going to render planet earth uninhabitable! If all those gallons of radioactive water leaking into Japanese waters is causing such a stir – and it’s still leaking – what’s going to happen to our oceans and gulfs and bays when the ocean floor is strewn with highly radioactive carcasses of submarines and aircraft carriers? [Revelation 8:10-11]: Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.

Just what if that great star that fell from heaven was the knowledge of atomic power? After all, science holds that the stars are indeed powered by nuclear reactions, so what if that description of a star falling is a metaphor for mankind obtaining the knowledge of controlling nuclear energy, a knowledge we were not meant to possess?

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists runs what they call the Doomsday Clock, as I’m sure most folks are aware, but it is used to reveal just how close the earth is to a nuclear war, thus our annihilation. The clock is now at some seconds before Armageddon and that means we, being the inhabitants of earth, might only be a few moments from total destruction. Personally, I don’t believe the whole planet will become incinerated, but if I read Revelation 18 correctly, I believe the modern Babylon being described therein is the United States, and that she will be completely destroyed by fire (in one hour). Even if Europe, Africa, and Asia survive, there will be tribulation for everyone going forward until such time as Jesus returns with justice for the rest of the world.

I do not believe mankind was ever intended to wield control of nuclear energy. It was brought about by Satan with the ultimate intention of the destruction of God’s creation. That is after all, where we are headed, but I believe Jesus will intervene before all is destroyed. Mankind is not capable of the wisdom required to be in possession of such destructive power, and it seems as if the least wise of all of us are in the precise positions of power to bring Satan’s plan about. We collectively have too many faults and desires of this world to have such weapons and we have a front row seat to watch as the least capable of all humans have their hands on the button – at least in our own country.

Pray for them, pray that God will give them Divine guidance, or I fear we are in for some seriously bad times ahead.

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us in these troubled times.

Our New Beginning Starts Soon

It’s amazing the lengths folks will go to pretending that they expect things to go back to normal. Tomorrow after this latest aberration we can get on with our lives. This is just a passing thing, and a new day will show that everything will be okay. This is the way people have evolved to think – sure, this is a genuine calamity, but the economy will recover, and new jobs will appear. Kids will finally be able to move out into a house of their own. Maybe that old foundry – yeah, the one with weeds growing through cracks in the sidewalks, that one – will roar back to life, or the paper mill that’s been stone silent for near two decades now, will start seeing pulp wood trucks lined up at the gate again.

I remember a time when this country was in it’s prime and I could stop by my sister’s house on the way to work for a bowl of her famous chicken and dumplings. She and her husband – who also worked in the factory – lived only a few blocks from the plant and the sulfur-laden odor from the coke-fired blast furnace wafted through the neighborhood. I had just recently gotten married, and my world was beginning to take shape. The foundry where I worked made castings for marine gears and oilfield pumping units which were in high demand back then and being sold all over the world. We operated 24/7 and had a backlog of orders that would keep us operating for years.

Back in those days folks had reason to hope in the future. The country was booming. People could afford to buy a house. Things were looking good back in the seventies, but something behind the scenes was beginning to take shape which would eventually take our prosperity away. One didn’t need to look too hard to see the dark times ahead, but truth be told, no one cared to look. Everyone was out for their own personal benefit, but back then no one thought it was that big of an issue because there was plenty of pie for all of us.

A while back there were tax laws in place that were skewed in favor of working people, and I guess that was due in a large part to the work of labor unions. There were still plenty of rich people, but they apparently weren’t satisfied by sharing the pie. Those in control of things, the media, the politicians, learned that by catering to the rich they could become rich themselves. Of course, and especially during the Saint Ronnie Reagan years, there was a full-frontal assault on labor. Union leaders weren’t immune to the temptations of lucre, and the big guys knew it. The propaganda against the working class was so effective, I well remember hearing blue-collar people of my ilk talking down on unions and how the greedy auto workers were making twenty bucks an hour back when five dollars or thereabouts was the minimum wage and factory workers like us (with far weaker unions than UAW and Teamsters) were doing good to get seven or eight bucks an hour, but the point is that the whole country was fiscally sound back then. The rich managed to stay rich even with the high taxes, and even with our piteous wages, regular folks had their own houses and could buy a new car once in a while.

There was a new phenomenon afoot that also started during the Reagan years that promised to generate wealth hitherto unheard of for the barons and moguls. They, through machinations of bought-and-paid-for politicians began to avail themselves (and their corporations) of the cheap labor that could be utilized overseas and thus began to transfer American jobs to Asian sweatshops. That’s what started our downhill slide, I don’t care what the propaganda meisters spin it up to be. Rich American businessmen abandoned their own country. Almost overnight, wealthy businessmen in the USA transferred millions of jobs overseas and left America to a service economy. Folks who had previously done well economically were faced with unemployment or flipping burgers.

Something else was beginning to take shape that almost no one noticed. A social phenomenon was evolving which would have it’s own effect here. Think of the dragon and the woman in the 12th chapter of Revelation. There was a vision of a pregnant woman being pursued by a dragon whose purpose was to kill her baby as soon as it was born and to destroy her also. The Child however, was protected by divine intervention, and the dragon was unsuccessful. After the birth and ascension of her child into heaven, the dragon turned on the woman who fled into the wilderness where she could survive.

I think the woman, who represents Jesus’ Church, ended up in large part in the new land away from Satanic forces and from the influences of versions of the corrupted church (which the dragon had infiltrated) and new (and some uncorrupted old) denominations took hold here which largely accomplished the nurturing and growth of true Christianity. These were the good old days that some of us older folks remember.

Satan is by no means ignorant. He knows that the greatest weakness of humans is their insatiable lust and greed. He used these tools effectively – especially the greed – to pursue the woman and overcome the church. I was watching a documentary just recently which exposed just how many empty and abandoned churches in dying communities around America and it’s staggering. Rich people didn’t realize (nor care) what their greed would eventually do in America, but one facet of it would be to damage the very stability of families and individuals throughout the country – and a lot of people with ill-conceived notions of how God works, blamed God for their impending poverty and left the church.

It didn’t take long for Satan’s wealthy minions to learn that they could purchase political power with their money and they earnestly set to doing that very thing, even to the point of making it so that the highest court in the land would make it possible for rich men to gain absolute control of the government. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, Google Citizens United. When this control was established, the wealthy began to install all kinds of malicious, greedy tyrants into positions of power where they would ultimately wield their weapons against the proletariat. This was where the churchgoers were largely found. This would be you and me. And we are, and have been for decades, led by greedy tyrants who have no intention of improving the lot of the working class, regardless of whether or not one is religious, but Christians are the ones these tyrants are out to break.

Most of the empty and abandoned church buildings were frequented by hard-working, Christian Americans, a species that has gone almost extinct by now. Most of their members, having served the highest of purposes for the woman, now rest in the silent churchyards that grace the countryside. The few of us who are left now face the monumental task (and greatest privilege) of the continuity of the existence of the woman. This can only be done with absolute and unwavering dedication to our Lord Jesus Christ. We have buildings still. Their foundation is of solid Rock and guaranteed to hold through to the end of all things.

As of today, our greatest challenge comes in the form of whether or not to comply with the demands of those who serve Satan. Remember they all have but one purpose – to destroy the woman. When they began to dismantle the factories and plants where we earned our livelihoods, even the vulture capitalists themselves didn’t realize what the effect of their actions would have on the church, but as things progressed, they found that by threatening the financial security of the population, even good folks could become hopeless and very compliant, now all they had to do was to engender a financial system whereby they could gain complete control. It’s in the works, folks, and those rich guys couldn’t care less about your well-being, in spite of what they tell you at campaign time.

I remember a time when we got paper checks from our employers that we took to the bank and manually deposited ever how much of it we wanted into our accounts. Some folks never opened accounts and just took cash. Then in order to get everyone into financially vulnerable situations, banks started charging fees to cash payroll checks and of course it was only a matter of time until direct depositing came around. At first, it was optional, but I’m pretty sure every employer requires it now. And the government and even the banks have the authority to “freeze” (or steal) the money in our accounts. And don’t even try to carry cash, because of “asset forfeiture” theft, cops are allowed to take your money even with no charge against you and this is by design to make it where it costs as much or more to recover your money through the courts than they stole in the first place. Data centers that monitor financial transactions could and probably do tell the police when you have a wallet full of money. This is clearly Satan’s design to create despair. He is assailing the woman in every way he possibly can, and even the most ardent church-going Christians need their money to survive. He’s also quite willing to deprive non-churchgoers as collateral damage in his quest.

After all this gloom and despair, you might be surprised to learn there is hope. If you’re not surprised, then you are truly one of the narrow gate entrants. The truth is, we have no reason to fear the enemy, for our hope is to be realized with the succor of One who is more powerful than all the minions of the enemy that are aligned against us. He will return with justice, which will be to the chagrin of the bankers and mighty men. They will wail in terror at the sight of the Lamb of God in His glory! How they will tremble! How we will rejoice!

For now He entrusts us with His greatest and most powerful weapon, and we must never be reluctant or even slow to wield it. The Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ bestows on His followers the gift of love. Recognize it and learn of its power! We learn from the Scriptures that God is love, but none of us can grasp the implication or the reality of His love. Different ones of us are graced with differing degrees of appreciation, of understanding, of gratitude for, what the love of Jesus Christ really is. When we begin to absorb and adequately appreciate what a truly remarkable gift this precious love is, things like Satan’s control of our finances and evil police states are rendered to be things for non-believers to worry about. The dragon becomes powerless against the faithful. The disciples knew this. The Christians being murdered in the coliseum in ancient Rome knew it. We can know it too.

Love sets us free from fear. Love covers a multitude of sin. When we learn to love – even, and I guess especially – our fiercest enemies, there’s no need to despair anymore, for even in the darkest of Satanic times, even when we don’t know whether or not we’ll survive – we will have already conquered.

It’s like throughout this life we realize there is a looming dark wall ahead of us. There’s no doubt that each and every one of us will reach it. The difference between the believer and those who don’t believe is that as we get older, the believer gets glimpses of what’s on the other side. There are two gates in the wall – one is wide and one is narrow. When we start to realize there are some remarkable things waiting for us if we can but find that narrow gate, and just what some of those things are – eternal life, living water, being in the presence of Jesus and the Father, joy beyond imagination!, our dread of passing through that big old scary wall gets to be less and less. The true followers, the called, chosen, and faithful followers of Jesus Christ already know exactly where that narrow and precious gate is.

The longer this life goes on, what with the increasing evil all around us, the less we need to dread it all ending. In fact, we should rejoice that it will end.

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us.

MK

In Anticipation of Wondrous New Autumn Colors

(We’re not there yet, so pics in this post are from past autumns, in order to show why the anxiety…)

As early September sumac comes crimson gilded, as great flocks of snow geese anxiously ponder mild climes of distant Cajun wetlands whence to introduce another year’s eager hatchlings, soft northern breezes waft among great and somber platoons of red oak, still clad in summer wear. All flora of Ozark woodland doubtless consider for the moment their abundant wardrobes for another autumnal gala, yet to be determined amongst myriad compositions of scarlet, golden, and copper. The black gum tree, always one of the most impatient to don her maroon autumn apparel, shudder in anticipation of icier winds. Rivulets of deep green lichen silently flow over and among powdery, arid rocks of long-desiccated creek beds which themselves patiently await expected rains of amber October and beyond.

Gentle droughts of unfamiliar coolness now drift in determined command of late summer leaden skies, soon to be the order of the day throughout watchful hillsides. Fewer birdsongs of yesterday’s flowery summer are to be heard now. On a lovely poem of lazy winding roadside, verses of mottled burgundy sumac are punctuated by new traces of goldenrod gently swaying on fresh north wind pouring gently into and onto a blissful landscape, joyfully abiding the frequent darts of wrens and nuthatches into their serenity.

At no other time in the life of man has the Creator taken greater opportunity to reveal to His creation the very essence of His Majesty than in the orchestrated chaos of the woodland autumn. Under ever variegated greys in the strata of September heavens, He soon will begin once more to adorn this magnificent world of hickory and oaken hills with hues that only can be drawn from His incomparable pallete, and this for the earthy delight of His created, be they feathered or furred, but most especially for mankind to whom He assigned stewardship of it all. Blessed indeed is he to whom God has given an eye to duly appreciate and delight in the beauty of this serendipitous spectacle of color and an ear to hear the late summer woodland dirges of cicada or perhaps a joyous conversation between a monogamous cardinal and spouse now finished with their burdensome task of attending raspy fledglings.

A dwindling few apples stubbornly cling to summer trees tempting young raccoons on damp and cool nights to gorge in late summer feasts. Oaks of varied kinds have produced this year’s acorn crop, a pursuit no doubt appreciated by the soon to be engaged whitetail deer. Antlers soon will be burdened with sagging velvet in various stages of riddance. Anxious squirrels navigate fallen trees and carpets of last year’s leaves searching out or excavating satisfactory caches for abundant hickory nuts and acorns. Hawthorn berries are coming ripe in ebony tones on shrubs among the undergrowth and persimmons have already embarked on journeys of color transition from summer green to wrinkled destinations of pumpkin orange. Dogwoods, as always, are already ahead of other flora in this perennial race into fall colors, sporting loud coppery foliage interspersed with bright red berries.

The excitement of autumn’s approach grows perceptibly through the woodlands as a sword of lengthening shadows stab into the burdened heart of September as though it were a great dam futilely straining to hold back a soon to be torrent of roaring colors, but all who anticipate the resplendent deluge to come, though wholly imperceptible for now, understand it’s effort is to no avail. Fall will assuredly arrive, absent the Lord’s return – and we will once more revel in the ecstatic glory of her beauty. For now, we must endure with such patience as we can muster, another endless, peaceful September sunset hopelessly clinging to silent green hills.

Enjoy this autumn – the way things are going, our old world might not see many more.

MK

Why We Must Apply the Right Standards for Perfection

It is only through determined search that we may bring ourselves within reach of the perfection we desire. Indeed, to discover and address that which remains imperfect becomes of profound import if we are to dream of attaining to His order of perfection. For at all cost, and such cost as we find ourselves in need of remittance may truly seem hopeless and beyond our ability, we must resolve to strive to our utmost bounds to pay the penance of correction. Perfection after all, is our result of locating and removing anything impeding our fellowship with Him. As has been proven once in all of history, human perfection, as impossible as it appears, is nevertheless within human reach.

As I walked in the woods through the chill of a somber and dank morning, the Spirit happened to take my thoughts to the likelihood of perfection and the unlikelihood of ever attaining to such a status. I was looking through the green hickory saplings for, coincidentally, a perfect walking stick. In my mind, I envisioned a plumb and arrow-straight sapling, green and hopefully one to one and a half inch in diameter. Remember these criteria for the ultimate selection. In my time I’ve cut many walking sticks, always a hickory or sassafras (and invariably thrown away or lost), but I’ve never quite gotten exactly the one I wanted – today would be different, today I would find the perfect one, to keep and use for those long walks up and down the Ozark hills in the peaceful forest. As I ambled down the dim track (where we normally drive the ATV), I started thinking about perfection in general.

The scriptures encourage us to be perfect Christians [Matthew 5:48]: “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”, so what qualities would our Lord require of us to be perfect in His eyes?

First of all, as flesh and blood humans, I think we all realize that perfection is beyond our reach, and indeed it is, if we attempt it on our own. But there is a Way to perfection, even in this human iteration of our existence if we truly seek it. The Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ is the only answer this paradox! The Spirit can lead us to perfection. We are far from perfect as physical human beings when we begin our Spiritual journey (assuming we have decided to undertake it) but as we progress, as we trust Jesus Christ to develop our improvement, our imperfections become less and less of an issue, either because we become more able to see and resolve them, or even though we considered our “imperfections” to be such, maybe they weren’t imperfections in God’s eyes. Remember when Moses was reluctant to undertake the responsibility which God assigned to him because of his speech impediment? [Exodus 4:10]: “Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” Moses considered this to be a disqualifier for the role he was being solicited to fill in God’s service, but God didn’t see this as an imperfection at all, so what we deem imperfection may not be such to God.

It is sometimes due to these very imperfections which we perceive in ourselves that God chooses us to do His work. For instance, I believe that I’m sort of crazy and I sometimes write things that are often “out there”, but maybe God gives me the desire (responsibility) to write on His behalf, knowing that I don’t mind saying things that “normal” people would be disinclined to discuss – in the hopes of encouraging my fellow travelers to seek Him. Or in the case of this post, maybe to not be so down on ourselves for what might not be a real problem and accept that. After all, God has myriad ways of showing us when something is a real imperfection that we need to deal with, so we must trust Him and do it.

As these thoughts about perfection progressed, I watched my little dog scampering through the trees and catching the scent of all the critters that were about last night. This little girl is a canine thief, steals whatever she can get away with, but I love her very much. It occurred to me that God indeed sees our imperfections when He chooses us, both the real issues that need to be addressed, like cleaning up our language, or quitting drinking or whatever, versus those things about us which He doesn’t consider to be shortcomings, but maybe we do. He reaches down and grabs us, and if you’re like me, He had to hold His nose and reach way down, but if we hear His voice and invite Jesus Christ into our lives [Revelation 3:20] “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me”., He gives us whatever we need to overcome our issues. Namely the Holy Spirit which tells us everything we need to know and further, by writing His law on our hearts, gives us the ability to discern real imperfections from those we imagine. He also ultimately teaches us when those “obstacles” we feared might damage our relationship are not really a problem, so we don’t need to waste emotional capital worrying about them, for some of us that takes time, but He has plenty of time.

One other aspect of perfection that often goes unconsidered is that we can be capable of “perfect” love. Again, only through the Holy Spirit are we able to receive this absolutely marvelous asset. We are told in the Scriptures that with perfect love, we do not fear (the threats of the enemy), because perfect love casts out fear. [1 John 4:18]: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” That’s a big one, folks, because fear is the greatest weapon in the enemy’s arsenal, but with the perfect love blessing of the Holy Spirit, we are able to disarm him!

The last sentence of that verse also implies to us a very significant map to perfection. Do not overlook the part that tells us we can be made “perfect in love”. Through the power of love we can be perfected – yes, love – the greatest power in all of creation! How do we learn to love like this? How do we learn to wield this great power? [2 Thessalonians 3:5]: “Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.” The Holy Spirit teaches us (directs our hearts) how to love God (and our fellow travelers)! His amazing Love is by far the greatest of all spiritual gifts. Pray fervently for it. Love even has the power to cover much sin! [1 Peter 4:18]: “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Indeed, it is love that gives us our strength and courage in our time of need, that day is coming for all of us.

We are reminded many times throughout the scriptures that God is Love, therefore Love is the greatest power in all of creation. What’s more is that we have access to this love, so if we opt to follow Christ, even in our state of imperfection, with love we are well-armed to defeat the enemy in his strength.

As I sauntered down the woodland hill on the way back to the house after all this meditation on perfect and imperfect, I realized that I might not be applying the proper criteria for the right walking stick after all, and lo and behold, I finally found the perfect one. At first you might see an old crooked, weathered blackjack oak limb, but if you consider the implications of this post and look closer, you will behold the perfect walking stick!

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us.

MK