Categories
Raising Sons worldview

Doing God’s Will

Tom Selleck gives all his career success to Jesus Christ. So, I thought I would write my career story and share it. This way, when a youngster comes up to me and asks for career advice I can give him the web address to this blog.

I’ve been pulling box after box from my attic to reduce the stuff my wife and I collected these past decades. I don’t want either me, if going to a smaller place; or my sons, if I’ve gone from this earth, to have to go through Johnnie’s and my pack-rat stuff. It does take time; lots of it. My story is not to be taken as the pathway for everyone to take to have success in their careers, especially financial success; albeit, there are specific Biblical principles of success.

Principles or rules to achieve success in business include: honesty, integrity, loyalty, making business a priority (which includes time not on business to keep healthy: eating right, exercise.), unselfishness (You are getting paid to have the company make money so help your teammates to do their best as well), productive and not lazy, etc. I can’t think of a better human example than Jesus Christ.

Anyway, getting back to topic: my testimony of following God’s will in my career path. In the middle of my Freshman year in college at ORU my human father died from a brain tumor. My Mom became the single authority over me from then until I was able to provide for myself. I have been rereading many letters from my Mom while I was in college, both at Oral Roberts University and SUNY at Stony brook, New York. In every letter my Mom wrote about her best friend and Savior, Jesus. Often in those letters she mentioned praying for me to know God’s will for my life: my career, future wife, etc.. Here I would like to focus on my career.

While in high school I enjoyed both science and math. In the 1960’s I held those astronauts and rocket scientists in awe. The Apollo Space program was preparing to put a man on the moon. I ruled out becoming a jet pilot like those first 7 astronauts due to my nearsightedness requiring me to wear glasses starting around 10Th grade. So, the next best career, I imagined, was to be a “rocket scientist”. My career story begins with poetic prophecy I wrote dated about that time.

While rereading letters I also came across a small piece of paper with a first-draft of a poem written in pencil, which I had written simply titled “God’s Will”.

,—-
| God’s Will
|
| Tell me the secret of knowing God’s will.
| If you are willing to do it, He will.
| The answer lies not in knowing and choosing,
| but in knowing and doing.
|
| “What!” you say,
| “God will ask an enormous task”.
| Well, who is God?
| Is He who He claims to be?
| Did you know He asked his Son to die for you
| before you even knew?
|
| Your value to God is more than you think
| and He has intelligence too you know.
| He won’t give you a job that’s either too big or too small
| and if you’re short He won’t give you a job for one who’s tall.
| So, put God to the test.
| Let Him give you His best.
| For He has already given His all.
|
| Now, let us begin to reveal God’s plan.
| It’s easy to follow being designed for man.
| His will is like a fine cake
| of which a famous cook can’t wait to bake.
|
| I have heard it said
| all the ingredients can be found in His Word
| and all but one can be seen within His Word.
| That one can’t be read,
| but instead it is said.
| That one is prayer.
| We have no right to say
| “Oh, I need not bother.”
| Why, even Jesus prayed with His Father.
|
| So take advantage of God’s promise “Try me and see.
| Is there anything too hard for me?”
|
| God has supplied the ingredients and oven.
| You are the cook so lets get moving.
| Grab hold of the cook book
| and find out what to do with all the things He has supplied for you.
| And don’t get impatient while your cake is baking.
| For often God’s perfect will requires time in the making.
| If you are diligent in preparing your cake
| and wait the proper time for it to bake,
| you won’t be surprised if your cake tastes good.
| “I’ve followed directions well”, you’ll say.
| “It should!”
`—-

Yes. As poetry this was simplistic, juvenile, inartistic. Definitely it was a good decision to not attempt a career in poetry!

I applied to Oral Roberts University (ORU) after high school. My declared major was physics. When I showed up in Tulsa however, I was told the physics major was dropped. ORU was a new school less than 4 years old and still in an obvious building process. I made a quick decision and declared Chemistry my major instead. I completed my freshman and sophomore years with that major. However, I was warned in my sophomore year that the Chemistry major would also get dropped since there was only one professor capable of teaching the subject. So I applied to a few other universities with a possible transfer in mind. The other schools would not accept much of my course credit due to ORU being new and unaccredited as well as having a few courses like Old and New Testament being far away from the general-ed of these other schools. I returned to ORU and changed my major to math. By this time I had dropped my idea of becoming a rocket scientist due to the relationship my Chemistry prof and I had built together. Since my own Dad had died my Chemistry prof became my life mentor in his place. I wanted to teach Chemistry, like him. So, in my senior year I took more chemistry classes at Tulsa University, which were required to go to graduate school.

Both my Mom and I prayed during this whole time. I went to graduate school close to home at SUNY at Stony Brook on Long Island. To have a career of teaching at the college level I knew I needed a PH.D. My first two years in graduate school were heading in that direction but that PH.D. was beyond my ability. I left SUNY at Stony Brook out a side door named: Master’s degree. While completing the Master’s degree my mentor at ORU set me up with an Instructor teaching position at ORU. My intention was to attempt a PH.D. again while teaching.

While teaching that first year at ORU I met the girl who became my wife and soul mate. I enjoyed teaching at the instructor level and even mastered my stage fright due to lecturing to over 100 students in class. I developed my teaching skills. I studied to make sure I knew what I was teaching but after marriage I no longer had the drive to continue PH.D. studies while working full time. My cake was baking. I only taught 9 months out of the year and so during summers I had other part-time jobs. I was hired by Dowell, an oil and gas well servicing company, based on both my Chemistry M.S. and Math B.S. degrees. I worked in the cement research group and was assigned to a chemist who designed an experimental apparatus to test cement as it set up. We had an electrical engineer who helped and taught me how data could be read by a computer and used in software. I had a Basic language software book to read and study. I was to write software to display something on the monitor, write data to disk and output data to a printer. This was fun – even more fun than teaching. I wanted to transition my career to software if the pay was at least what I was paid at ORU. Obviously I began praying seriously. Is stepping away from a Christian teaching job where I could mentor students like my own mentor did for me, to do software for another company part of God’s will for me? When it came time at the end of the summer for me to present a 15 minute summary of my work to my boss and his boss I prepared and practiced. The teaching skills I developed came in handy and I did a good job.

I knew the lowest paid full time employee at Dowell made more than my income as ORU instructor. There were 2 reasons I knew I must bow my knee: I would make more money, as well as leaving a Christian occupation. My mind went to the analogy of tossing a football back and forth to my Father, my God in heaven. I would get a letter saying something like “the bosses really thought your presentation was done very well. Would you be interested in a full-time position?” I asked my Father in prayer and since I didn’t get a “no” I decided He could simply have Dowell never offer me a position. This letter was as if God passed the football to me. I filled out the application (threw the football back to God.) The cake is baking. Months later an Interview was set up. (football back to me). After the interview I didn’t hear for several weeks about the interview (I threw it back to God.) God threw it back to me with a full-time position at Dowell.

After 5 years at Dowell the price of oil plummeted due to Saudi Arabia opening the spigots. The price of oil was so low much of the research at improving oil and gas well servicing wasn’t profitable any more. As a result I was one of a third of Dowell’s workforce let go. I became unemployed with a wife and three young sons to support. I knew my Mom, as well as others, were praying for us. I never felt God abandoned me in my career and never felt guilty about leaving ORU by making a selfish choice in my career. Actually, I was at peace living on severance pay for those first 3 months after being let go. I kept a notebook of my job search and it had grown to over 200 contacts after those three months. I applied to FlightSafety in December. I also set up an interview in early January with The Southern Baptist International Missions. With my severance pay about to run out in that first week of January I decided to fast along with praying. By this time I was convinced my heavenly Father could certainly close doors; with over 200 contacts not one job offer. In the second day of my fasting I received an acceptance letter from FlightSafety to report on the following Monday. After canceling my Southern Baptist Missions interview I reported to work at FlightSafety. God said this cake can come out now.

On my first day of work at FlightSafety I met another Christian who introduced me to Christian Reconstruction. Authors like Dr. Gary DeMar and Dr. Gary North wrote about cultural and political topics using Scripture mostly ignored by evangelicals. Topics like: 1) Government welfare being theft of personal property, a breaking of one of God’s commandments, and 2) An interpretation of “Render to Caesar’s what is his” meaning for me, a US citizen, render to my government my vote. I began to rethink and reshape a more inclusive Biblical worldview.

My work at FlightSafety involved working with huge number sets (tables) to simulate aircraft engines in software. Flying simulators, the expensive toy, was also really fun. I plugged in both because I wanted and liked to do it. I enjoyed learning how I could help my company, FlightSafety. The company had a loyalty to their employees by encouraging them to move into open positions in different areas and I tried out a software support position for, what I called my Sabbatical of 3 years. While in this general software support position I realized my own software work was much less but I worked many more hours due to having people depend on me for the support I was tasked to provide. Not liking to say no to the one or two because I needed to work on something for that 6 or 7 took its toll on me. I requested and went back to working in my original engine software area. However, my generic simulation software knowledge of 3 years prompted me to take a leap on developing my engine software within my own personal process. That turned out well. I credit my Father for his help especially when I would get stuck. Then I would look up to my poster on my cubical wall: “Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty Who was and is and is to come.” I recall getting my last engine software project 95% done not only without the simulator, but even without using the accepted development tools FlightSafety provided. At 70 years and 3 months old I retired from FlightSafety at my planned time I had set over a year earlier.

In my 60s while still working at FlightSafety Harper Collins Christian Book Publishing published my book: I Wish Sons Came With Instructions. As part of the contract they set me up with a personal website to advertise the book. About the same time I retired from FlightSafety, Harper Collins wrote to me and said they were no longer going to maintain that website. Being just retired this became a perfect task for me to do: learn to be my own website administrator. Over the next 8 months I ran with that but it never really grabbed my attention like actual simulation of aircraft engines did.

A headhunter found my presence on LinkedIn and asked me if I was interested in a full-time job with Fidelity Technologies helping the Navy maintain flight simulators. This sounded like something I would be interested in but not full time. I said no. He was able to work with the Vice President of Fidelity Technologies to create a part-time position which I then accepted. Low and behold I found my 40-year-old computer simulator software was still marketable! I’ve been working part-time for 4 1/2 years now and still continue to enjoy my work.

I’ve followed directions well. It should.

Categories
worldview

Tinted Glasses and Best Government

Have you ever asked yourself what kind of government would be best for any culture? With that one there are many more other questions. How would this best government define and enforce economic justice or environmental justice? How would it define and enforce moral justice? How about education, the arts, scientific endeavors including medicine? Oh, here’s a good one: how would it define and enforce religious freedom? Every answer requires some definition of justice within these areas.

Is this hypothetical question and answer stuff unnecessary, or worse, nonsense? Consider our own culture. It appears the democrat vs republican divide is getting worse due to disagreement of political, i.e., governmental, justice in these areas. There are conflicts between, for example: a right to make decisions about our own bodies vs the right of a fetus to life; student loan bailouts pit these former students being robbed if not passed, against taxpayers being robbed if it is passed; public religious speech pits right of free speech against separation of church and state; what does “first do no harm” mean if a physician pledges to do that; sex change surgeries on minors vs doctor’s conscience against that; who, exactly is a minor; etc. Even if you don’t think much about such things, you certainly have come to your own opinions about the direction civil justice, i.e., government, should take. Consider this your worldview.

Think of this worldview as how you see reality. Almost everyone I know think children deserve an education so much so, they also believe it’s OK to tax everyone to pay for it. Within that group, there are others who believe in creation by God strongly enough, they want creation taught along side evolution in the public schools. Then there are some outside this group who pay for their own family’s education twice: both with their taxes and willingly for private education where perhaps only creation is taught. If worldview were like a pair of glasses, what tint are you looking through?

These tints, based on signs being carried in protests to some of the latest SCOTUS decisions, are different: “Discrimination based on race is unconstitutional” and “Diversity and minorities must be preferred”.

Who gets to define justice anyway? When the 13 colonies declared political independence from the King of Great Britain, renaming themselves the United States, the authors of our Declaration of Independence wrote that they appealed to the Supreme Judge of the world. No doubt they were keenly aware of Jesus Christ’s words just before he left earth in his heavenly body when he said: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” [Matt. 28:18]

Thus, my goal in life is to always test and refine my worldview using Scripture. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.” [I Cor. 13:12A] This verse tells me these things about my worldview. 1) It’s a serious look into my own will, or heart. 2) A confession I don’t have everything right or know all the answers. 3) There is a certainty of heaven where I will be face to face with God himself. And last, in part B of that verse, “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” 4) I will know my own heart perfectly, as God himself knows me.

May Jesus Christ be lifted up not just on a cross, but also as King of kings over all the earth. I submit my will to you, Father, and ask that you make me aware and obedient to his justice. Amen.

Categories
worldview

Same-Sex Marriage Bill vs Religious Liberty

Why point the fire extinguisher at the flames. When will clergy of the major theistic religions work toward civil justice according to the civil laws and justice of that God they preach and teach?

How about aiming the extinguisher at the source of the flames? Here is a proposal:

AMENDMENT TO UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
_________________________________________


Table of Contents
_________________

1 Purpose
.. 1.1 Objections
….. 1.1.1 Effects no political change
….. 1.1.2 Prevents non-theist believers from being in government
2 The Amendment
3 Good that will happen


1 Purpose
=========

This amendment is to directly place God as the Supreme authority of
the United States, even over the authority of the first three words of
the United States Constitution (USC): “We the people”. By definition the USC defines a Constitutional republic of States and is not a pure democracy. To those who don’t believe in a Supreme Creator, Judge, and law giver begs some questions: “What then is the standard of political law over a nation?” and “Is it really just two wolves and one sheep voting on what to have for dinner?”


1.1 Objections
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1.1.1 Effects no political change
———————————

Some may say this amendment will effect no change in law. I would
admit, yes, by itself, there is no law that would directly be changed
by this amendment. Some will say you can’t expect to convert people with a top-down political rule. I would respond with another “yes” because this is certainly not the purpose of this amendment.


1.1.2 Prevents non-theist believers from being in government
————————————————————

This amendment says nothing about how states run their own elections.  In fact, when the USC was first adopted 9 of the 13 colonies had their own religious oath tests to serve at the State level and they were legal with regard to the USC. The amendment says nothing about a personal belief, but only that Federal political duties are to be conducted under the authority of God. Non-theistic believers are then eligible to serve within the United States government.


2 The Amendment
===============

Article VI paragraph 3 text:

; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a
Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the
United States.

be removed and replaced by:

. The only religious oath test is the one given in the
Declaration of Independence: God created the world, which
includes the foundation for morality, judges the world and
providentially intervenes in history.


3 Good that will happen
=======================

Even without this amendment passing, the proposal itself will force
conversation about the role of religion in government. With its
passing many, will be interested in knowing more of their chosen holy texts with respect to how God defines law and justice. Perhaps one of the first legal changes would be to allow, even encourage, Theistic arguments and texts such as the Pentateuch, Quran as well as the Bible, within the United States legal system and courts. This will open up doors for everyone to share their faith. Everyone, e.g., who believe in a heaven with God and how to know they will be there after death, will have ample opportunity to share their faith. Yes, even an atheist has faith: a belief in a different standard of moral justice and law. As the electorate meditates on what is godly justice and how to place it within our culture, media and sign one-liners with no context will be less effective in influencing voters’ decisions.  Thus, money will be less effective in buying votes.

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Uncategorized

James Webb Space Telescope – a Window

In all seriousness, “Holy holy holy is the Lord God
Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come” [Revelation 4:8].
But He does desire fellowship with His creation. Man was
created in His image to be his companions forever as the
composite bride of his one and only son Jesus Christ. Both
old and new testaments tell us he is both a jealous God
[Exodus 34:14, I Corinthians 10:22] and a merciful God

“not willing that any should perish but that all would
come to repentance” [2 Peter 3:9]. Isaiah [55:7] puts
it this way: “Let the wicked man forsake his own way
and the unrighteous man his own thoughts; let him
return to the Lord, that He may have compassion, and to
our God, for He will freely pardon.”

God’s man-and-universe creation diamond has many facets.
The purpose of the JWST is to explore the created universe.
Another facet is a kind of dry humor – psychology maybe.
This is where the James Webb space telescope (JWST) fits in.
Both the alignment and test images have proved to be better
than expected. On July 12th at 10:30am EDT, the first group
of photos from JWST will be released. Now, this is where
the humor jumps in. “JWST presents an opportunity to
explore deep space in ways never possible before. Because
of this, astronomers and scientists are hoping to be able to
answer long held questions about the universe.” [JWST
newscast from web source I can no longer find.]

My opinion, by connecting the dots, is that the JWST is a
window giving God a way to “speak”, as a type of 22nd
century “John the Baptist”. What will God be saying? He
will be calling astronomers and scientists to repentance.

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Uncategorized

My Wife’s Last Day on Earth

Ecclesiastes 7:1 “A good name is better than precious
ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth.” My
wife of 44 years went to be with her Savior at 1 pm on June
15Th, 2021.

The night before I had gotten her ready for the bed in our
living room. She needed the special hospice bed to have her
head raised significantly since she was on a feeding tube.
Her strength as well as nutrition had been in a slow decline
for weeks. In the process of removing ovarian cancer in her
abdomen the lower portion of her stomach and pyloric valve
were also removed. She was unable to eat enough and even
had no hunger. Eventually, she was put on a feeding tube,
but even with a feeding tube she could not get the
nourishment she needed. So that night, the 14Th, it took
all the strength I could muster to clean her up, move her
from bathroom to bedroom and dress her for bed since she
hardly could stand let alone walk anymore.

I had set up a camping mattress and sleeping bag in our
living room next to her bed. I told her to wake me if or
when she needed anything. I woke my couple of times to use
the bathroom; that old-age-male prostate thing. She was
always sleeping when I was up. I recall I got my best sleep
in the early morning. I woke with sunlight coming in
through the windows. Since she had been awake for a while
our eyes met. The next thing I heard were these words “I
hate to tell you this, but cleanup on aisle 9 needed”. For
a second or two we shared and cherished the moment with
smiles. After I reprimanded her for not waking me when she
needed help she replied “you were sleeping so soundly I
didn’t want to wake you”. Even on her last day she put
other’s comfort ahead of her own need. The next few hours
were spent doing my best at getting her cleaned up and
dressed. I recall embracing her afterward both to catch my
breath and strength as well as to enjoy her next to me once
more. Then I fixed breakfast, and gave her her meds through
the feeding tube. I was very thankful the home hospice
nurse was coming that morning to give her a bath.

My son, T.J. and his family came as well as Johnnie’s Mom.
We visited as well as possible and began to fix lunch. I
gave Johnnie her midday meds which were mostly for her joint
pain since she continued to say there was no pain from the
cancer itself. I recall telling her her face was
beautifully radiant. She had prominently displayed in our
bedroom a Valentine card I gave her a few years back with a
Scripture from Song of Solomon 2:14 “… let me see your
face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and
your face is lovely.” Her breathing had gotten more raspy
and I asked if she needed to sit up higher in the bed or if
I needed to adjust the feeding tube. She didn’t speak but
just moved her head side to side. I sat down in our dining
room to eat. Her Mom continued to talk every once in a
while with her daughter. Then, at 1pm, her Mom turned to us
at the table and said “I don’t think her chest is moving.
She may not be breathing.”

I didn’t get to live the rest of my life with her, but she
did live the rest of her life with me. She was free of
cancer and her spirit was in the presence of her Creator.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 “and the dust returns to the earth as it
was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”

Categories
worldview

Covid_19_Truth

There is so much, both for and against the Covid 19
vaccinations available. Most people seek out the
sources which feed their pre-suppositional worldview.
Who is the wise person willing to change their mind if
shown another belief makes more sense?

‘”Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Pilate said to him “What is truth?”‘ [Gospel of John
chapter 18 verses 37 and 38]. So, what is the truth
about Covid 19 treatments or vaccination options?

Certainly my effort here is not comprehensive nor
scientific, as in, referencing specific data. I’ve
been vaccinated myself but am trying to understand
others and their reasons why they are not vaccinated.

I have been trying to plan a trip to visit friends I
haven’t seen in years. The problem is my friends are
divided on the Covid vaccine issue. One, who is caring
for her 99-year-old mom said “I want to take no risks.
Make sure any adult you are in close contact with has
had their covid vaccine shots.” she says. Other friends
and relatives have refused the vaccinations for various
reasons.

Let’s put this reason behind us. I think it is too bad
a major reason people choose not to be vaccinated is
because CDC, WHO, Fauci, government, etc. lied to us at
the start of Covid in early 2020. So, the response
today is “why believe them now?”. If this is your
reason, even though it’s true, then realize this has
nothing to do with science.

The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)
exists to document unwanted side-effects of vaccines.
Covid 19 vaccinations are much more dangerous than other
vaccinations. The risk of death is 50 times greater
with Covid vaccination vs a flu vaccination. But also,
remember the first ones to be vaccinated were the
elderly, and those with complicating other conditions.
So, this ’50’ may be high. To put that in perspective,
the risk of death with covid, (0.026), is roughly 22
times more probable than risk of death (0.0012) of flu
cases. Another caveat is that many people who get the
flu never report to medical professionals and simply
ride it out. This would make the true number of flu
“cases” much higher. So, the 22 times may be much
higher. Covid 19 vaccinations do entail quite a bit of
risk. Is this a good reason to avoid the vaccination?
Perhaps. Among different age groups most medical
professionals DO believe the risk vs benefit is too
great for children. For the elderly most medical
professionals agree the EUA vaccines are well worth the
risk.

Now, what about the recent FDA full approval for
Pfizer’s vaccination. Well, Pfizer’s original vaccine
production rate was for many more people getting the
vaccination than have done so. Thus, much is sitting in
refrigerators somewhere. The FDA fully approved the
Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, or did it? The original
vaccine still is under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA)
where the government prohibits lawsuits against Pfizer
for its use. The newer BioNTech (Comirnaty) vaccine
from GmbH is supposed to be identical but IT is the one
FDA actually fully approved. I think Pfizer has too
much of the old stuff in stock and is looking to use it
up ASAP, with no legal problems for the dangerous side
effects.

What about other Covid 19 treatments like
hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin? Hydroxychloroquine
was used by medical professionals early in 2020 to treat
Covid cases where nothing else worked and they had
moderate success. There were no official FDA studies
done on its efficacy though. Everything was hearsay: so
and so got better, or it didn’t help or it had fatal
side effect(s) due to treatment, etc. Anyway most
medical professionals moved away from hydroxychlorquine.
Those medical doctors willing to try – anything –
latched onto Ivermectin. It is very inexpensive. But,
similar to hydroxychloroquine there were no studies
using placebos, control groups, etc. to determine the
efficacy of Ivermectin. Also, the patent owner, Merck,
washed their hands of it for Covid use by saying it was
not designed nor approved for Covid use. My guess is
that Merck used the billions of dollars in research
funding they received from one of those Federal
Government trillions-of-dollars giveaways to tweak
Ivermectin to come up with a ‘new’ drug for Covid; one
they could sell for far more than Ivermectin.

Dr. Joseph Varen in Houston, TX, has reportedly been
using Ivermectin on thousands of patients. He claims he
has seen no serious negative side effects but also
admits that Ivermectin is combined with other vitamins,
drugs, and treatment. Again, those who want to
disparage Ivermectin as a Covid treatment will point to
those few cases where death has happened.

My conclusion is to get vaccinated or if you don’t want
the vaccination then buy a Covid 19 at-home test kit
such as “BinaxNOW”. Buy some Ivermectin. Be trained in
how to use the test kit. Be trained in how to
administer Ivermectin. Research how Dr. Joseph Varen
uses it. Don’t overdose on vitamins. Vitamin A can be
lethal in humans.

Other thoughts. Keep in mind the highest hits, or those
links at the top of searches are put there by the owners
of those search engines. But, you do have a worldview
and you already knew that. 🙂

Categories
worldview

Worldview, stone in the shoe, and burning coal on head

Gregory Koukl wrote a book called _Tactics_ about how a Christian may share their faith with others.  In conversation with those who don’t accept Christ as their sole means of salvation he states his objective is to “put a stone in their shoe” simply by showing an interest in the person and asking questions.  There is a biblical equivalent to this.

In my adult years I have always been interested in the
intersection of old and new testaments. The place I often
begin is obviously when an old testament passage is quoted
within the new.

One such passage is found in Romans 12:20: “If your enemy is
hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to
drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his
head.” This is a quote of Proverbs 25:21&22.

In my daily Bible reading I read Psalm 140. What came to
mind as I read this was Paul’s description of the “armor of
God” in Ephesians 6. See verse 2 about the heart without
the breastplate of righteousness. Verse 2 says that heart
“devises evil plans”. See verse 4 about the feet. The
wicked “plan to trip my feet”. But, we are commanded to be
on our guard to move while we spread the “gospel of peace”
in Ephesians. But, the eye-opening parallel comparing this
Psalm with Ephesians 6 is the “helmit of salvation”.

Verse 7 is an unmistakable description of a helmet covering
the head: “O Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, who
shields my head in the day of battle,”. When we meditate on
the words of this verse this is indeed a description of
“salvation”. What about the wicked? Well this psalm
mentions their head covering in verse 9 “Let the heads of
those who surround me be covered with the trouble their lips
have caused”. Any person who rejects the gospel of Jesus
Christ as well as His Sovereign authority over their life
has replaced salvation with an anti-Christ worldview.

Our conversations with others in this condition is serious
business. Verse 10 says “Let burning coals fall upon them;
may they be thrown into the fire, into miry pits, never to
rise.”

Now, returning to Romans 12:20, the context says to live
peaceably with all men as much as possible and let God
handle revenge. Don’t allow his head covering (evil lips
speaking anti-Christ venom) to overcome you. The burning
coal on your enemy’s head is good. Overcome evil with good.

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Uncategorized

Who am I?

Who am I? Have you seriously thought about what answer
you may give? A scientist may answer: homo sapien,
human being, or “highest evolved living organism known
today”. A theologian may answer “a living being subject
to The God of heaven”. A sociologist may answer: “I’m
someone with a few close friends, then a bunch of others
who I also would call friends, and, oh, yes, there are
others who consider me their enemy. We share rather
harsh words with each other at times.”. A politician
may answer “A leader, um, I mean a servant, of
humanity”.

Philosophers throughout all time have contemplated the
question: “Who am I”. Jesus Christ while alive on this
earth could have given any of the answers above as well.
However, he avoided answering that question directly
with words. His words which predicted his own death and
resurrection and then having it come to pass fully
answered the question: “Who is Jesus?”.

I haven’t thought much about who I am. If I were
invited on a daytime TV game show and were asked the
question they would change the question slightly to
“what do you do” to get a non-confrontational career
kind of answer. I suppose I could say “I am a software
programmer.”

In March of this year my wife became ill. Soon into
April she was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. We asked
others to pray for healing. Many did. She could not
eat since the cancer was in her abdomen involving the
stomach directly. We asked others to pray she would be
able to eat and get nourishment. That never happened.
Toward the end of May we realized that without a
supernatural miracle my wife would never be strong
enough for chemo treatments. She went on home hospice
until she died on June 15Th, 2021. My identity as
husband with a permanent (over 44 years) help meet was
forever changed.

Am I expected to thank God for this? If I take the
Bible seriously, then yes. I need to say Thank you to
Him for even this. I wonder how many may have asked:
“does my Heavenly Father, the one Jesus told me to pray
to, not answer prayer?”

I accept June 15Th, 2021 as the date in time that my
wife passed from death (on this earth) to life (with
Christ in heaven). Instead of the question above, my
question, after thanking My Father for allowing my wife
to go be with her bridegroom, Jesus Christ on that day
was “How, exactly, Father did you answer all those
prayers for healing?”.

She is healed, in heaven. I am thankful not only for
her eternal healing but that everything else were
answers to prayer. I had ample opportunity to talk with
her about death to life in heaven as that appeared the
natural way things would go without the supernatural
miracle. She told me more than once she was ready to go
be with Jesus. We had enough time to talk about her
desires through this process. She left this earth as
she wanted at peace being in her own home with full mind
(no strong pain meds). We also shared many “I love
you”‘s with each other. I told her I would do anything
to keep her here with me but it was OK if she wanted to
go with Jesus (probably 3 times since this sounds like a
contradiction).

She got to see, pray with, and talk to all her family:
me, sons, daughters-in-laws, grandchildren, brother,
mother, and sister-in-law most of all she got to hold
her brand new 3 1/2 month old grandson. Her closest
friends all got to see, pray, and talk with her. And
then just 2 days after her youngest grandson left with
his family to go back home in Kansas City she left this
earth. Her final prayer – not to be a burden to
anyone – was granted.

My Father did answer our prayers. Everything God had
planned was good but the logical goodness still does not
diminish my emotional grief right now. I am sure that
with time my grief will lessen. There are plenty of
great memories I can recall.

The one character trait that would summarize my wife is
“giver”. She always put other’s needs ahead of her own.

Who am I? All I know for sure is my identity of who I
was is no longer true. I am most thankful that my
identity, with Christ, my bridegroom, will not diminish
with physical death but will become more real, unlimited
by time.

Categories
Uncategorized

What to do when natural law fails

Our civil law needs to be based on the Bible but not
starting at Israel’s Judaic law complete with all of the
ceremonial aspects. Note that God does hold those without
the law in the Old Testament accountable for their sin;
Nineveh, at Jonah’s preaching, being just one of them.

Citizens of Nineveh heard the prophet Jonah preach one of
the shortest sermons you would ever hear “In 40 days Nineveh
will be destroyed”. This short sermon from the book of
Jonah and what follows is packed with politics.
Furthermore, since it was not dealing with Judaic laws it
may be considered to be an application of ‘natural law’.
What does this short sermon tell us? Number one, God is all
powerful. He is the authority to fear. Two, there is evil
for which God will punish a nation. Then the resulting
repentance of Nineveh from King to the lowest peasant tells
us 3) God shows mercy with national repentance.

Where should we start when considering codifying True
natural law in our civil judicial system? History provides
an answer.

At the founding of the colonies much of colonial law was
based on the Bible. In 1639, Thomas Hooker incorporated
much of the Deuteronomy case law as civil law in
Connecticut. Homosexuality was a capital crime in the same
category as murder. There are many other examples which may
be shown that in early American history civil law was based
on the Bible.

This is not to say early American history was perfect in
applying the Bible to define civil justice. As an example,
one lesson the Baptists helped to correct was that a
particular church membership should not be required for
voting. Democratic participation in political government
should not be decided on ecclesiastical affiliation.

There are many church denominations within the broader
category of “Christian”. Jim Spivey, a professor at
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, in _Separation No
Myth_ created a table of the seven different kinds of
church-state arrangements. Establishmentarians are those
who know state action (moral law) is religious in nature
and set up the state with defined religious intent. Jim
concluded “Establishmentarians are of three types:
pluralists who say the state should support several churches
equally; non-pluralists who support only one state church;
and reconstructionists who aim at recreating a theocratic
government.” Reconstructionists want a Christian state
(civil government) but not any type of church or churches
establishment.

The Declaration of Independence gives natural law as a just
response to overthrow a tyrannical king. When Jefferson
penned “Supreme Judge” I’m sure he thought of The Christian
God as revealed within the Bible. Romans chapter 13 says
civil rulers are God’s servants who carry the sword to
punish evil doers. Some of God’s 10 commandments such as
“you shall not murder”, “you shall not steal” and “you shall
not lie [under oath in court]” would be things that fit the
core value category. Civil laws against these acts with
appropriate punishment would, or should, be morally
culturally acceptable.

Paul mentions homosexuality as something leading up to the
debased mind, i.e., seared conscience. I believe this is a
key point in a cultural civil core values discussion. There
have always been individuals who have approved of or at
least condoned homosexuality. But, this is very different
from an entire culture or nation condoning this sin. How
does God treat nations for a level of sin reaching this
point? Genesis 19:4-8 says

4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men
of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last
man, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot,
“Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them
out to us, that we may know them.” 6 Lot went out to the
men at the entrance, shut the door after him, 7 and
said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 8
Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any
man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you
please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come
under the shelter of my roof.”

and now Judges 19:22-24

22 As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the
men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the
house, beating on the door. And they said to the old
man, the master of the house, “Bring out the man who
came into your house, that we may know him.” 23 And the
man, the master of the house, went out to them and said
to them, “No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly; since
this man has come into my house, do not do this vile
thing. 24 Behold, here are my virgin daughter and his
concubine. Let me bring them out now. Violate them and
do with them what seems good to you, but against this
man do not do this outrageous thing.”

In the first case, these were two major cities in the region
of the Dead Sea today. They did not have “The Law” since
this not only preceded the birth of Moses, but also the
Jewish nation. God chose and executed punishment directly
via fire and brimstone upon the cities.

In the second case, this city, Gibeah, was considered an
upstanding city in Israel. They knew by the Law of God
homosexuality was evil as well as a criminal crime. God
chose to punish not just this city of the tribe of Benjamin
but the entire Jewish nation by a ravaging civil war.

Moral consciences of both the “worthless fellows” of the
city, and also “the old man, the master of the house” who,
without batting an eyelash offered women to be raped
instead, appear to have been seared.

Well, that’s just the Bible. What about known historical
cultures and societies you ask?

Another fire and brimstone punishment on a city was Pompeii.

Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. and entombed the city.
The archaeologist who discovered the city in 1599 was
reported to not want to tell the world what he had found due
to the sexual depravity on the walls of the buildings.
Figures of humans were naturally captured in this burial as
if someone, perhaps God, wanted their depraved behavior to
be preserved. Only recently the “two maidens’ of Pompeii
were actually found by DNA and other more modern testing to
be two unrelated men hugging each other at the moment of
death.

Homosexuality was definitely practiced in Pompeii.
Interestingly, at this time in the Roman culture, Pompeii
had a reputation as the place to go for all kinds of deviant
sexual activity. God’s word as recorded by Paul in the book
of Romans was right on the mark about debased minds and
behavior being done deserving death “but [gave] approval to
those who practice them.”

Is the argument using the rise and fall of civilizations
being proportional to cultural moral standards on the mark
or is it sophistry?

Here are other resources outside of the Bible which show how
the general relationship of sexual morality within a culture
can either strengthen and build it or cause the culture to
decline.

One conclusion J.D. Unwin in _Sex and Culture_ came to after studying 86 world cultures throughout history is that when deviant sexual activity such as homosexuality is accepted within the
culture, there are at most 3 generations before a total collapse.
Edward Gibbon in _The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire_ documents sexual sins including homosexuality of most
of the Roman emperors.

Mary Eberstadt published research confirming Unwin’s findings.
Both Unwin and Eberstadt provide substantial evidence that a
sexual revolution has long-term, devastating consequences
for culture and civilization.

If we agree that Christian natural law is the correct choice
for civil justice, i.e., definitions of core values, the
Bible must be the standard to do this difficult task.
Are there any who have attempted this in our lifetime?
Rouses J. Rushdoony in _Institutes of Biblical Law_
deliberately tackles the question of what, specifically, does God expect of nations. What are the definitions God gives to core values?
The first things Rushdoony says in his book are:

Law is in every culture religious in origin. Because law
governs man in society, because it establishes and
declares the meaning of justice and righteousness, law
is inescapably religious, in that it establishes in
practical fashion the ultimate concerns of a
culture. Accordingly, a fundamental and necessary
premise in any and every study of the law must be,
first, our recognition of this religious nature of law.

Second, it must be recognized that in any culture the
source of law is the God of that society. If law has its
source in man’s reason, then reason is the God of that
society. If the source is an oligarchy, or in a court,
cynic, or ruler, then that source is the God of that
system. Thus, in Greek culture law was essentially a
religiously humanistic concept.

The late Dr. Bahnsen had a PhD degree in psychology with
emphasis on epistemology. He gives justification showing
the Bible is the only source we may use to tackle this
task in his book _By This Standard_.

Let’s go back to those two examples: chattel slavery, and
homosexual marriage. Chattel slavery was wrong not
particularly because it was slavery, but because it was
kidnapping. People were taken from their homes without
cause and then shipped and sold. Chattel slavery was
always wrong and always a sin worth civil penalty.
The 14th amendment recognized this and applied proper law.

Homosexual marriage is now permitted via progressive
interpretation of the 14th amendment. What is the
correct response to follow in our democratic republic
to return to a Christian-based natural law?

Who will speak up for God? Who will tell it like it is?
Who is training our Christian constitutional lawyers? The
marriage amendment movement is dead. But, even if it passed it
was only fighting the flames of decay. To get to the source
of the flame a better amendment, placing the United States
under the Christian God, would be the only choice.

In Dr. Gary North’s book _Political Polytheism_ he mentions
certain texts of the USC and in particular the “no religious
oath” in Article VI, paragraph 3, to prove that in a
judicial legal sense the USC, agreeing with Henry Morris, the
Christian religion has no legal relevance. Thus, he
proposes this as an amendment at the conclusion of his book:

What is needed is a very simple modification of the
U.S. Constitution. First the Preamble should begin: “We
the people of the United States, as the lawful delegated
agents of the Trinitarian God of the Bible, do ordain and
establish …” Second, Article VI, Clause 3, should state
“The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and
the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all the
executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States
and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or
Affirmation, to support this Constitution; and a
Trinitarian religious Test shall be required as a
Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the
United States.”

According to Unwin, here in the U.S. the 3-generation clock
began ticking with the sexual revolution in the 1960’s. Why
are the Christian pulpits not preaching that “Jonah” sermon?
“Unless you repent in 2 generations the United States will be
destroyed.”  How old will your grandchildren be in 2060?

Categories
worldview

The Bible and Natural Law

Is there a way to know if and when ‘secular conscience’
fails? In other words, When does the secular conscience
definitions of core values go so far astray that truth
cannot be recovered? How does a secular conscience define
honesty, integrity, and justice? Is all morality relative
and/or evolving? In our democratic republic how does this affect the voter’s trust in our own government?

Using the 14th amendment ideas such as: freedom of religion,
liberty and justice for all, USC not mentioning Christianity
having any legal power, just a part of evolving morality,
just my opinion; are all used as a basis for secular natural
law, i.e., conscience, i.e., core values, today.

Is their any cultural thread holding onto a fixed standard
of morality any more? Consider the traditional Southern
Baptist position on morality, i.e., core values. They
believe in ‘Sola Scriptura’ for all of life.

In line with historical Scriptural exegesis, some Baptists
still believe sodomy is immoral and certainly homosexual
marriage should be illegal. However, considering both the
Baptist strong belief in a separation of church and state as
well as recent SCOTUS decisions, there is no legal leg to
stand on for prohibiting homosexual marriage or making law
that says sodomy is a crime.

Just recently 2 SCOTUS judges reprimanded the SCOTUS
majority for not reconsidering a 2015 case which punished
Kim Davis for not issuing a marriage certificate to a
homosexual couple. These 2 SCOTUS judges claimed the
decision was contrary to the “freedom of religion” of Kim
Davis and thus against her first amendment rights.

There is an unsettling, akin to illogical “quicksand”,
acceptance of this progressive core value: homosexual
marriage.  Using a pluralistic (secular) argument who is
to say marriage may not be a contract between any 2
consenting adults? You may think that is just what I said.   But, wait, what defines “adult”? Why is the
18th birthday the core value of when a child becomes an
adult? That sounds like some standard is being applied.
Why not use an after-puberty age? Morality is evolving,
right? Wait again. Why not permit this contract between 2
or more consenting adults? Why is the core value of
marriage only between 2 adults? Morality is evolving,
right? Law, based on definitions of ‘core values’ has now
become a pool of opinions contradicting one another since
the secular standard continues to evolve.

Consider core values as redefined by the SCOTUS LGBTQ
decision. There are multiple contradictions in this
‘secular conscience’.

The feminist movement fought hard to pass Title IX where
females are given the same federal sports scholarship money
as the males. But with LGBTQ in place males are allowed to
compete as females and in some sports are winning first
place because of it. The Black Lives Matter (BLM), by this
phrase, are elevating the black skin color. What does this
mean for Judge Clarance Thomas or doctor Ben Carson? The
BLM even disagrees with Dr. Martin Luther King’s position
which did not want to elevate any race above another
[[https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/10/14/the-civil-rights-legend-who-opposed-critical-race-theory]]
Next, consider the lock downs and face mask requirement and
then the rioting in Portland, and elsewhere. How much has
Covid 19 increased in Portland due to this crowd assembly?
SCOTUS is about to consider the legality of homosexual
couples to adopt children, even as I write. How long will
it be legal for parents to “indoctrinate” their own children
that same-sex acts are sinful? I could go on about the
illogic of core values today.

The Bible, in Romans, arguably, is the first to define
natural law. Let’s examine what it has to say. Did the New
Testament change civil law? Did the absolute standard
change such that Nineveh in Jonah’s day was held to a
different civil law standard than we are (or should be)
today? Let’s look into the context of Natural Law mentioned
in the New Testament to see if it agrees or not with Jonah
and Nineveh as well as other Old Testament applications.
Here then is the definition of Natural Law or conscience as
given by Paul in Romans chapter 2 verses 14 and 15.

For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do
what the law requires, they are a law to themselves,
even though they do not have the law. They show that
the work of the law is written on their hearts, while
their conscience also bears witness, and their
conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.

Here is the context starting in Romans chapter 1 verse 18.
I’m using [[https://www.esv.org]] as my Scripture source. Also,
notice how the gospel, summarized by John chapter 3 verse
16, cannot be omitted here. “For God so loved the world, he
gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not
perish but have everlasting life.”

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their
unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be
known about God is plain to them, because God has shown
it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his
eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly
perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the
things that have been made. So they are without
excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not
honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became
futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were
darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images
resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping
things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their
hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies
among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth
about God for a lie and worshiped and served the
creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed
forever! Amen.

Paul begins by writing about God’s commandments being
broken. Notice how he states that evidences of God’s
existence and authority impregnates every one’s conscience.
From verse 18 we understand there is a progression of
continuing rebellion, i.e., unrighteousness, causing more of
God’s truth to be ignored and hidden.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable
passions. For their women exchanged natural relations
for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men
likewise gave up natural relations with women and were
consumed with passion for one another, men committing
shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the
due penalty for their error.

Paul sets up a “marker” in this progression of
unrighteousness and hidden (distorted) truth. It is the
acceptance of homosexuality.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God,
God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not
to be done.

This “debased mind” implies a seared conscience which no
longer may be depended upon to discern between good and evil
in the conscience.

29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness,
evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy,
murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,
30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty,
boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31
foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they
know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such
things deserve to die, they not only do them but give
approval to those who practice them.

Paul identifies unrighteous behavior of all kinds. Then,
closes this section by identifying the sin: teaching others
that unrighteous behavior is fine.

Chapter 2

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you
who judges. For in passing judgment on another you
condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the
very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God
rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do
you suppose, O man – you who judge those who practice
such things and yet do them yourself — that you will
escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the
riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not
knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to
repentance?

Here Paul drops back into the life-blood of natural law: the
gospel. After committing sin, i.e., saying no to God by
going against one’s conscience, I must realize I am guilty
of unrighteous behavior and must repent to receive God’s
mercy believing the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus
Christ was a just punishment for my own sin.

5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are
storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when
God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will
render to each one according to his works: 7 to those
who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor
and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for
those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth,
but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and
fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every
human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the
Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who
does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God
shows no partiality.

Here is where Paul by the Spirit says “all lives matter”.
God doesn’t show favoritism. Everyone who continues doing
evil, rejecting the truth their conscience tells them will
ultimately suffer just punishment. Everyone who repents and
does good will receive God’s forgiveness and blessing.

12 For all who have sinned without the law will also
perish without the law, and all who have sinned under
the law will be judged by the law.

After Jonah’s preaching everyone in Nineveh knew they were
guilty of sin; even without the (written) law, i.e.,
biblical law.

13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are
righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will
be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the
law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law
to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15
They show that the work of the law is written on their
hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and
their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16
on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the
secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

So, for those without the written law, their conscience
which accuses a person of evil, i.e., sinful, actions is
only useful if one pays attention, i.e., refrains from the
evil action. Verse 15 here sounds like chapter 1 verse 28
above. When one goes against their conscience continually
their conscience becomes useless. The mind, being debased,
now excuses evil behavior.

More to follow.