The Supreme Court Injured Me

Today I suffered an injury at the hands, well maybe not hands, of the Supreme Court of the United States. I'm sure it wasn't intentional, but intentionality is not the issue. My pain is the issue. My injury makes me a victim and the Supreme Court the perpetrator. 

It happened today while my family and I was visiting the Supreme Court. The building itself fits the idea of supreme. Its beauty is something to behold. Its size is massive. The white-marble it's constructed of makes it almost blinding in the bright sun. But what struck me the most about the Supreme Court is not the building it meets in, but the power it welds. The Supreme Court, more than any other branch of government, shapes and determines the future of our nation. It holds the power of life and death for the young and old, and for the nation as a whole.

Power acts as a two-edged sword. In the hands of the just, the wise, and the righteous, it does much good, provides much help, and brings about great blessings. But power knows no boundaries. In the hands of the unwise, or the unjust, it can produce suffering, pain, and death.

As we waited to enter the Supreme Court, it dawned on me that the most powerful weapon the world has ever employed against mankind, the hydrogen bomb, pales in comparison to the power of the U. S. Supreme Court. The bomb dropped on Hiroshima was responsible for the deaths of at least 150,000 people. The U.S. Supreme Court may not have access to weapons such as bombs and missiles, but its power to help or hurt is unprecedented. Throughout its history, it has made many decisions, both good and bad. It presently averages 80 decisions per year. The effects of its decisions may be narrow in scope or wide-ranging.  

The injury it inflicted on me was minor. I needed no medical treatment and suffered no psychological harm. No one laid a hand on me and no decision was handed down concerning me. The crime of the Supreme Court was that its bright, white marble steps combined with a bright sunny day created an almost blinding light to the eyes of those coming out of the somewhat muted internal light within the building. Consequently, I found myself closing one eye, holding my right hand so as to shade my eyes as best I could, while squinting my other eye to a large degree to filter out as much light as possible. Unfortunately, my actions distorted my vision, causing me to miss the last step and sending me sprawling face down at the base of the marble steps. 

With my dignity damaged more than my body (but don't tell my knees that), I quickly jumped up. Steps can cause injury when missed, and my skinned knees provide the proof of it. My skinned knees and sore hand, however, doesn't compare to the tragedy that occurs when a bad decision is handed down by the court.  

The code name of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was "Little Boy." The decision handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court on January 22, 1973, affected millions of little boys and girls. On this date, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision, affirmed the legality of a woman's right to have an abortion under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. 

The aftermath of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima pales in comparison to the horrific results of this decision. As of January 21, 2015, 42 years after the court's decision, there had been 57,762,169 abortions. 

How ironic that the 14th Amendment that "forbids states from denying any person 'life, liberty  or property, without due process of law,'" was used to okay taking away the right to life and liberty for millions of babies." 

The destructive force of the Roe vs. Wade decision was 385 times greater than that of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Today many denounce the bombing of Hiroshima calling it immoral, yet they fully support the killing of millions of babies every year. May God help them to see the contradictory positions they hold.

The Supreme Court justices are supposed to make decisions based on the U.S. Constitution, but history has repeatedly shown that for many justices, the Constitution must take a back seat to culture. When the nation's culture shifts to oppose the dictates of the Constitution, the justices find their interpretations being shaped by the culture more than the words of the U.S. Constitution. 

One cannot but wonder, is the political chaos that is presently occurring in our nation the spiritual result of over 40 years of genocide? Is this part of God's judgment on America? Only God knows.

What I do know is that my knees will heal, but the aborted babies will not. I pray for a spiritual revival in our nation that will bring about a renewed appreciation for life -- all life -- including the fragile lives of the unborn. I pray for the well being of the Supreme Court Justices and for righteous decisions in their deliberations. I pray for all the women who find themselves with unwanted pregnancies. I pray that they will make the right decision, a decision for life, not death. And I pray for the future of our nation.

It's Not All About You

"It's not all about you!" Those words caught my attention. They were simple, yet profound. Anti-modern, yet very true. Rejected by many, but needed by all. Like salmon swimming upstream, they go against the currents of today's individualistic philosophies. But they are essential to relationships -- all types of relationships. They are a must for child rearing, spouse caring, and political progress. Without them we will never get the most out of life. Without them our families will become dysfunctional. The government will become deadlocked. Our nation will become a never ending battleground for every self-centered group, flooding the courts with lawsuits, social media with propaganda, and the streets with protesters, all demanding their rights or promoting their causes, with one over-arching goal: the accommodation of any and all unrestrained, uninhibited, self-focused desires, wants, or wishes.

Some simple Google searches, a few hours of media streaming, or a page or two of statistics will bring several truths to light. It's already happening. Although not all, many families are dysfunctional, fractured, and falling apart. Our government is deadlocked to such a degree that voters don't care who they elect as president, as long as he or she will shake up the status quo. Special interest groups are constantly in the news and ever before us demanding their unreal rights, special privileges, and unreasonable accommodations.

Call me an alarmist. Brush me off as an extremist. Label me an old-fashioned, Biblical literalist, who's living in the dark ages, but please don't ignore my words or the current national and global events taking place, and especially, the storm clouds that are gathering on the horizon. Our nation is headed down a dead end. Our families are self-destructing. And time is running out. 

If we fail to embrace and employ these words and this principle, that it's not all about us, the storm will descend, the devastation will occur, and we will become like salmon that fail to swim against the current. No upstream journey equals no salmon spawning. No spawning equals no salmon. If we silence these words and dispose of this principle, our next generation will cease to exist, not as a people, but as a functioning society -- as a democratic nation.

We need to rediscover these words. We need to reinsert them into our vocabulary. We need to embrace them mentally and display them physically. For the sake of our children, they need to hear, we need to say, and all of us need to believe this vital principle: "It's not all about you." And it's not. It's not all about you, and it's not all about me, or anyone of us.

Bee communities, ant colonies, and wolf packs -- all understand the benefit of community and the dangers of individualism, but we highly evolved homo sapiens are giving evidence of devolution. The values we once treasured and the principles we once taught are now considered outdated and unacceptable.

We need to right the ship and return to the basic building blocks of a well ordered society. Why? Because it's not all about you or us. This also invoves the church. We need to teach our children about God and tell them about Jesus' love and sacrificial death, but that's not enough. If we fail to warn them about the sinfulness of self-idolization, and effectively communicate to them the truth of otherness, they will never become effective, positive, culture-change agents that our world needs and all followers of Christ are meant to be. We are called to be salt and light to a dark and sometimes bitter world.  "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.  You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden" (Matthew 5:13-14 ESV).

Our younger generation will never fulfill God's desire for them if they don't embrace this truth. "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:3-4 ESV).

Churches divide, families split, and nations fall because they don't believe, teach, and practice this truth: "It's not all about you." My generation understood this. We had family chores, a family car, a party phone line, and one TV shared by all. We didn't get trophies for sports participation, or passing grades for just trying. My siblings and I didn't demand our way by throwing an "I want that" temper tantrums or hold our breaths (my cousin, however, used the breath-holding maneuver very effectively), to get our way. If we did, we discovered the pain of uncontrolled emotions and unchecked desires.

Ted Cunningham

"It's not all about you." These society-nurturing, future-preserving words, all-important words, were spoken at the General Baptist Summit in Bowling Green, Kentucky, this week by Ted Cunningham from Branson, Missouri. He's a pastor who's written several books on marriage and child rearing. Ted emphasized the importance of husbands and wives having alone time, despite the demands of raising children who want all of our attention. He stressed the importance of dads and moms showing their children that life is not all about them. They need to see that mom has a special place in dad's eyes and dad has a special place in mom's eyes.

Children who learn this principle won't grow up to be adult adolescents, wanting much, but contributing little. Unfortunately, we already have a nation full of immature adults in the form of demanding employees, constantly complaining customers, and many unappreciative, but very incendiary citizens. We may be too late, but if we don't at least try, we doom ourselves. We must try to lead our families and friends to a state of other awareness. Be aware of the needs of others. Be concerned about the needs of others. Be willing to help strangers along the way. And most of all be willing to say that which the world fears and the church must say: "It's not all about you."

In actuality, the truth of the matter is -- it's not at all about you or me. Mature Christians believe, and rightly so, that in the big picture, life is not in the least bit about you or me. It's all about Jesus. We make the most of life and get the most out of life when we come to understand that Jesus is what life is all about.

The Great Delusion

Nothing robs us of precious moments and vital time more than blatant lies, disguised deception, and fanciful falsehoods. In contrast, we get the most out of life when we view life clearly, live life rightly, and center our lives purposefully. The key to getting the most out of life is simple: discover what is most important in life and don't waste time getting to it. Hint: it's not about self, regardless of whatever self you identify with.

Unfortunately, everybody's gullible. We are easy pickings for the truth twisters and falsehood fabricators. With a few tweets or a Facebook posting, we are easily scared into a herd mentality stampede that tramples the rights of any dissenters and refuses to engage in meaningful and reasonable dialogue. In essence, we are in a new age -- the age of reason is no more.

Instead of logic and reason being used to influence decisions and opinions about social matters, many now use name calling and intimidation in the form of mob shaming. They plug up their ears and shout their opponents down. They show no respect for others, but demand respect from others.

In the midst of terrorists threatening on every front, cancer and Alzheimer's affecting nearly every family, and racism and violence plaguing our country, special interest groups have identified another enemy, an enemy to be attacked by all. This enemy consists of groups of bigots who threatens our loving nation with hate-filled messages, and unreasonable demands. Who are these unreasonable, hate-filled bigots? In a world where hate does exist and bigots do live, authentic Christians have now been labeled as such. What's their crime? What horrible message or unreasonable demands have they made? They believe in truth. They believe the Bible. They love God more than they love themselves. They seek holiness. They seek what's best for others. They determine right and wrong based on God's wisdom instead of man's sinful, self-absorbing, destructive desires. They see gender being determined by physiological makeup as determined by God and verified by science, instead of by a fluid and ever changing mental and emotional state of an individual.

Up until the last few years logic, reason, science, medical knowledge, and the Bible all viewed homosexuality and transgenderism in the same light. So what changed? Who reprogrammed the matrix? How did we wake up in the Twilight Zone?

Many find themselves bewildered by the rejection of obvious truths and the embracing of indisputable falsehoods. Thankfully, we don't need to remain bewildered. Although the Bible is often accused of being out of date and unrelated to the workings of current events, it amazingly, and adequately addresses and often explains the inexplicable. The following passage may help us to understand what's going on in the world:

"The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 ESV).

The lawless one is actively pushing his agenda. As his time draws to a close, his actions will increase. This is pointed out in a great book I'm presently reading, Prophecy, Pansexuality and Pandemonium by Li Ann Thio, who is a professor of law in Singapore and works in the fields of constitutional and administrative law, international law and human rights law in Asia. She holds a Master's and Doctorate in Law from Harvard Law School and Cambridge University, respectively. She had a life-changing experience with Jesus Christ as a first year undergraduate at Keble College, Oxford, after which she disavowed humanism and nihilism, and embraced authentic Christianity.

In her book, she addresses the insanity that is sweeping our country. She writes, "This spirit of lawlessness has a primary goal of erasing all the distinctions God has established between right and wrong, male and female, holy and profane" (p. 2).  She further adds on page 3 of her book, "The spirit of lawlessness is not some abstract thing or idea; it is motivated by the lawless one, and it has a spiritual dimension which is expressed concretely through both a legal and political agenda."

I've included a link to a story that reveals the lawless one at work. http://fxn.ws/29tTyzy?fb_ref=Default Don't let the lawless one deceive you. The transgender issue is much more than a matter of who gets to use which restroom. It's not about human rights or dignity. It's about who determines what sex we are, what is right or wrong, and who does have authority. The choices: a holy God or depraved mankind.

The lawless one can't be defeated by the weapons of this world. We can't convince those under his spell to believe the truth and reject falsehoods. Logic and reason don't work in his realm. This is why our dependence must be on God. The apostle Paul aptly put it, "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:3-4 ESV).

We must stand for what is right and godly. We must resist the lawless one. We must fight him in the courts, in PTA meetings, on social media, and at work. Most of all, we must fight him on our knees. God is the only One who can change minds, transform hearts, and bring deliverance to the captives. Let us resist the Great Delusion and help others to see it for what it is.

One Nation, Under God

We've just celebrated the birth of our nation for the two-hundred fortieth time. Many appreciate the country we live in and the freedoms we have. Some of us even have a hard time holding back our patriotism, so forgive us for our proud flag waving, and ear shattering, visually dazzling firework displays (yes, I know, you can love your country without fireworks, but it's more fun with fireworks). If our love for our country offends you, then I'm sorry. Oops, I cannot lie, I'm actually not sorry. Loving one's country is not a bad thing. Giving praise where praise is due and thanks where thanks is due is not only not bad, it's the logical thing, the right thing, the honorable thing to do. 

Loving our country doesn't mean we think it's perfect. In fact, our love motivates us to seek its improvement. But what is not right, what is not good, and what should not be, is a denial of the good; yes there is good to be found in our land from sea to shining sea; much good, praise worthy good, giving thanks kind of good. The good is there, yet many show no recognition or appreciation for it.

This greatly disturbs me. Anything that is not appreciated, will eventually be neglected, taken for granted, lost, and/or finally rejected. When relationships are devalued, they become unplugged from their source of power. Consequently, they soon find themselves empty, lifeless, and headed to the relationship graveyard. 

America needs a relationship checkup. Has our love for country grown lukewarm? Does the red, white, and blue waving in the wind fail to stir our emotions? Relationships either grow stronger or drift downward. When they drift, they do so along a pathway overgrown with ingratitude, indifference, and inconsideration. History reveals this to be true of nations. When they take for granted the freedoms they have and the country they live in, they veer down a path paved with complaints, criticisms, and demands, thus creating a toxic atmosphere where neither love, peace, nor freedom can long endure. In the end they stop respecting the rights of others, and become focused solely on their own (so-called) personal rights and wants to the neglect of everyone else's rights. 

When a nation becomes inward focused and it's people self-focused, the rights, the needs, the beliefs, and the well being of others quickly become disposable. Self-idolization creates a political and social black hole whose gravitational pull  shapes and reshapes all laws, rules, and attitudes to accommodate the little self-centered god inside all of us-the god known as "I".  This little god is an enemy of community. He seeks to divide. He demeans others. He demands from others. He decides the fate of others. He separates us from others. Sadly, apart from community, apart from relationships, apart from patriotism, no nation can long endure, no government can long govern, and no power, short of God, can stem the tide.  

Facing the truth is difficult, but necessary. Our future is uncertain. Our enemies are increasing. Our government is largely broken. Our differences are mounting. Our relationships are crumbling. Our love for one another is fading. So what's the answer? How can we turn the tide? How can we become other-focused? What can we do to change within and help others to change without? What will it take for us to love again, to sacrifice for others again, as in the days of old. Our history is filled with men and women who have given materially, physically, emotionally, socially, and sacrificially, both on and off the battlefields, both near and far. What is the key, the solution, the magic formula?  Is it more government money, a better education, or greater political involvement? The answer is found in the past. Those of old recognized it and appreciated it. But will we? Will we be too intelligent, too sophisticated, too educated, to see a simple truth? Will we reject it because it doesn't fit into our value or belief system? Will we deny it because it's been banned from our schools and public buildings? 

The answer is God. It's His grace and His love that transforms cold, uncaring, self-focused, greedy hearts into warm, compassionate, loving hearts that reach out and sacrifice self, and all for the glory of God and the good of others. Our government is of the people, for the people, and by the people; but if there is not love for one another among the people--all the people, it will soon become a nation destroyed by the people. 

Will we celebrate another 240 years? It all depends. Will goodness, love for one another, and self-sacrifice once again characterize our nation? Will we turn back to the God who made us good and, consequently, great?  Why must the answer be God? Because He is the river of life, the essence of good, and the source of love. Our Founding Fathers understood this, but many today deny it. Many are asking can America become great again? I believe it can, but only if it can become good again.

In President Ronald Reagan's address to the National Association of Evangelicals on March 8, 1983, in Orlando, Florida, he said:

...[T]here are a great many God-fearing, dedicated, noble men and women in public life, present company included. And yes, we need your help to keep us ever mindful of the ideas and the principles that brought us into the public arena in the first place. The basis of those ideals and principles is a commitment to freedom and personal liberty that, itself, is grounded in the much deeper realization that freedom prospers only where the blessings of God are avidly sought and humbly accepted.

The American experiment in democracy rests on this insight. Its discovery was the great triumph of our Founding Fathers, voiced by William Penn when he said: ``If we will not be governed by God, we must be governed by tyrants.'' Explaining the inalienable rights of men, Jefferson said, ``The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time.'' And it was George Washington who said that ``of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.''

And finally, that shrewdest of all observers of American democracy, Alexis de Tocqueville, put it eloquently after he had gone on a search for the secret of America's greatness and genius -- and he said: ``Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the greatness and the genius of America. . . . America is good. And if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.''

We are at a crucial junction in our nation. If we continue the path of self-idolization, we will not only cease to be great, we will cease to exist. May we seek the good of everyone. May we seek to be good within. And most of all may we seek the help of the one who is good, for we cannot be good as a nation apart from God. And we cannot survive as a nation apart from being good. The choice is ours. I hope we choose wisely.