67 Non-superfluous Conversations with Myself

1. Killing innocent babies in the womb for profit – Subhuman
2. Electing presidents, who are only pretentiously loyal to the Constitution – Courting National Failure
3. Electing presidents who attempt to circumvent the law instead of devotedly uphold it - Inviting Lawlessness
4. Agreement with the idea of defunding the police – Pandering to Would-be Criminals
5. Freeing undocumented aliens into the national population –  Social Poisoning
6. Illegal hordes crossing the American southern and northern borders – A Tactical Invasion
7. Giving billions of dollars to nations which sponsor terrorism – A Death Wish
8. Seeing today’s American politics as a non-existential threat – Terminally Naive
9. Remaining self-absorbed while our justice system and liberties are under assault - Amonie-like 
10. Seeing Israel as the bad guy and Hamas as the good guy – Uninformed Lunacy
11. Seeing anchors at ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, and CNN as anything but propagandists – Dupish
12. Rewarding laziness, irresponsibility, and/ or illegal aliens with federal benefits – Inviting National Bankruptcy
13. Legalizing illicit drugs – Enlarging the National Sorrow
14. Supporting organizations which are working to destroy America – Treasonous
15. Not recognizing seditious front organizations for what they are - Sadly Gullible
16. Allowing ballot harvesting and free standing, unsecured ballot boxes – An Election Integrity Sell-out
17. Not requiring Voter ID – Tactical Sedition
18. Understanding and Using propaganda and disinformation as acceptable government practices – The Stuff of Dictatorships
19. Accepting propaganda and disinformation as truth - Dupish
20. Not classifying gender in simple biological terms – Pandering Stupidity
21. Dismissing entirely the goodness and contributions of our predecessors – Void of Sophisticated Reasoning
22. A blanket policy of not prosecuting crimes – Dereliction of Duty
23. Sending our jobs to foreign countries – Welcoming National Poverty
24. Funding and/ or attending schools whose leadership hates America – Aiding and Abetting 
25. Funding bio-research in China – Madness
26. Not regulating big tech and social media companies to insure fairness and responsibility – Dumb
27. Suppressing the benefits of our rich resources of oil and natural gas – Economic Sedition
28. Climate change – Purposeful  Misinterpretation for Political Manipulation
29. Intentionally pitting one race against another – Sociopathic
30. Eliminating the Bail Bond System to allow accused criminals to simply walk free – Dereliction of Duty
31. Refusing to arrest and deport dangerous criminal aliens – Accessory Before the Fact
32. Sanctuary cities – Madness
33. Believing in the goodness of sanctuary cities – Quixotic Madness
34. Allowing China to traverse the national air space with spy balloons – Abject Stupidity
35. Downplaying the importance of good character in a politician – Assuring Bad Leadership
36. Downplaying the importance of good character in our children – Dereliction of Duty
37. Downplaying the importance of good character in the teachers of our children – Culpable Negligence
38. Downplaying the importance  of good character in the general populace – Our Foundational  Mistake
39. Believing hatred and violence to be the day-to-day norm of life - Sociopathic Delusion
40. Seeking to dismiss or circumvent the Constitution of the United States by illicit means – Treason
41. Moving away from the rule of law –  A Terminal Trip
42. Whole cities and states ignoring our laws – Insurrection
43. Believing it is OK for a political party’s leadership to embrace seditious behavior –  The Opinion of Their Stooges
44. Government weaponization of the law – Reaching for a Dictatorship
45. Weaponizing of government branches and bureaucracies – Dictatorial
46. Not prosecuting the criminal behavior of politicians – Asking For More
47. Surrendering our educational facilities to political activist instead of serious educators – Cancerous to Quality
48. Surrendering our streets to violent rioters and looters – Cowardice Under Fire
49. Selling off critical reserves of our national resources to foreign states – Criminal Collusion
50. Turning our backs on the principles of the Bible – Super Dumb
51. Alienating Almighty God by our hypocrisy and arrogance – Super Dangerous
52. Legitimizing the practice of homosexuality – Dark Minded
53. Not Interacting with  homosexuals respectfully - Deplorable Behavior
54. Not seeing government  mass re-settlement of illegal aliens as seditious and criminal – Dupish
55. Believing that the whim of every social grouping can and must be satisfied – Childish
56. Voting for pie-in-the-sky promises instead of integrity, solid plans, and proven success - How We Got Here
57. Believing that the social sins of the past can never be atoned for and/ or forgiven - Prescribing Chronic Hate
58. Believing that paper money can be endlessly printed and spent without consequence – Bankruptcy in the Making
59. Allowing Chinese Nationals to do bio-research in substandard labs within the U.S. – Inviting Disease X
60. Seeing street violence as a legitimate means to change – Inviting  Anarchy
61. Believing that the level of the national debt is inconsequential – Terminal State of Denial
62. Seeing America and American Patriotism as bad things - Intellectual Dishonesty
63. Running for office on the goodness of killing the unborn and even the new born by the thousands - Full Blown Moral Insanity
64. A political party which embraces infanticide as part of its political platform - A Party Beset by Abject Darkness
65. Outlawing responsible gun ownership as a means of personal defense - Leaves Only Lambs for the Slaughter
66. Forced vaccines - And What Then - Drink the Kool Aid?
67. Voting for anyone who advocates these things – No Way, Jose!

The Keystones of Vibrancy

The keystone of a vibrant relationship with God is a vibrant prayer life.  And, the keystone of a vibrant prayer life is a correct understanding of its consummate form.  So, let’s briefly consider both what prayer is and what prayer is not.

            Perhaps first, we should understand that our prayer life should be animated by more noble motives than mere obligation or duty.  To conceive of prayer in those terms is to misunderstand its glory, to demean its worth, and to undermine the spontaneous pleasure and abundant benefits of these moments of visitation with God. 

            And, in fact, that idea is actually the more mature view of prayer. In essence, prayer is simply a wondrous conversational encounter between devoted friends. And, who ever needed coercive motives to bring them to such an encounter?  Certainly, no one I know. 

            Rather, we cherish those moments with such friends. We eagerly anticipate them.  We run headlong toward them. And, we make them last as long as possible.

            And, why would we not?  Out of those treasured meetings come happily animated conversations.  And, among the outflows of those conversations are the ingredients for personal growth.  Often, shared memories bubble to the surface with their attendant laughter or poignant tears.  And, how often have we found great relief in these valuable friendships as we suddenly discover the strength of another shoulder seeking, in some loving way, to bear up with our own in an effort to lighten our load.

            These are all just part of the blessings which flow from a truly rich companionship.  And the companionship of our Heavenly Father, our loving Savior, and the Divine Spirit is no different. It is designed to be the richest companionship of all. 

            Like nothing else, these times of divine visitation hold the capacity to light up the heart of both God and man.  They heighten and make more accurate our sense of God awareness.  They organically produce meaning, fulfillment, and a deepened devotion. And, it’s in these times that our faith is made to be unflappable as we gain the divine synergy which enables us to face down life’s challenges. 

            It is the experience of all these glorious things, and many more, which eventually bring to extinction any need for a sense of obligation or duty regarding prayer.  Rather, in the place of those more coercive motives, comes an infinitely more enjoyable one.  It is simply the overflowing goodness of the divine friendship.  It is in the joy of that goodness that the easy energy of spontaneous pursuit is effortlessly set free within us. 

            The simple reality is this.  God can talk.  And, when we tap into the deep joys of a conversation with Him, wondrous, life-changing, world-shaking things happen in our heart, in our life circumstance, and in our relationship with Him.

 “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” – God

The National Relationship

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord…”

            Usually, when we speak of a relationship with God, it is in terms of a “personal” relationship in Christ.  But there is a larger relationship with God, the quality of which, is very impactful to multitudes of people instead of just one person.  It is the “national relationship.”

            Yep, that is a real thing, easily observed in the historical pages of the Bible.  And, it is also certainly a real and very impactful thing in America.   Indeed, the quality of life in this nation is directly correlated to the quality of this composite relationship that the entire populace of the nation has with God.

            It works like this.  Not unlike Israel, America is also a chosen nation.  Her divinely assigned role has always been to serve as an example to the modern world.  She is intend to exhibit to the world that quality of life which accrues to a nation who maintains, at the very least, a respectful relationship with God.  And, that quality of life is characterized by such things as the nation’s strength, influence, nobility of character, and prosperity.

            And, this respectful national relationship which brings these blessings has two relational dimensions.  First, as one would assume, that respectful relationship occurs as a Christ-centered, deeply faith-based respect for God within the Church. And second, it occurs as simply a secular reverence for God, merely based in the willingness of the secular populace to be so.

            But, America is now widely failing in both dimensions of this relational calling. The grassroots American Church has become broadly disrespectful by the present widespread minimization and pretentiousness in their devotion, resulting in a pervasive shallowness.   And, the secular culture, in greater and greater numbers, is choosing irreverence and even antagonism, toward God. 

            Thus, America has become a very broadly disrespectful nation toward the Governing Creator. And, as a direct result, our normally supportive God has now stepped back.  And, with the loss of that divine guardianship, an imploding America is now left staring at an imminent collapse of our culture.

            Already, we are a much weakened and deeply divided nation, fully engulfed in a dark downward spiral which now touches every facet of our social fabric.  We are literally being invaded through our southern border.  Our government has become more a threat than a help. Prices now soar as the worth of the dollar free falls.

            The rule of law is crumbling, as is our election integrity. And, both within and without, our gathering enemies are now salivating profusely.  And, sadder still, most seem yet unwilling to face up to the real underlying cause of this terminal national trajectory – the erosion of the divine friendship. 

            Solomon said this, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”  Present day America has broadly abandoned that vibrant friendship we once had with our Divine Friend.  And, the symptoms of that wide abandonment have now become clearly evident in America’s deeply jaundiced national face.

            Surely, we’re better than this.  Surely, we can still do better than this as the contemporary Church and as the secular nation.    

            Indeed, we must be and do better.  At this perilously up-close vantage point, surely it now becomes obvious.  The very survival of our culture actually does hang in the balance of our yes-or-no answer to a renewed respect for God and the worth of God’s friendship.  Honor Him, and perhaps He will again honor us with His help and blessing.

Brother To Brother

 Deep disagreement with the actions and/ or views of others – it is a regrettable part of the human reality.  We often encounter these deeply felt oppositions as political diversity, or philosophical disagreements, or interpersonal or social clashes etc.  And, we don’t all handle these disappointments in the same way.

            Typically, our response to these difficulties takes one of two diametrically opposed courses.  Either we choose to assign blame and, in turn, hate (thereby amplifying the problem).  Or, we choose, instead, to pursue a remedy which leaves our nobler ideals intact and in play (thereby truly conquering the issue instead of amplifying it).

            That all sounds right.  Right?  Well, maybe not to those who have already chosen the option of blame and hate to cope with such conflicts.  Indeed, those are hard minds to change.  But, in an effort to do so, let’s just play out their scenario using a higher magnification of the whole process.

            To start with, let’s begin at the real beginning place.  And, those headwaters do not lie in this physical dimension of life.  They absolutely lie in that larger metaphysical dimension of life where both God and Satan originate.

            In that dimension, Satan, long ago, gave rise to a war between himself and God.  And that war has now also engulfed this physical dimension of life as the struggle between good and evil, between the Light and the Darkness.      

            It is a conflict which revolves around only one primary issue:  Who gets to be the authoritative truth-giver?  In other words, whose interpretation of life’s circumstances shall be considered the correct interpretation?   Or, said still another way, whose value system will rule, God’s or Satan’s?

            God’s values can be accurately described as a system of principles which always produce and promote peace, order, and universal good.  Satan’s values, on the other hand, can be accurately described as always producing and promoting self-determination – thus, leading to a world based on the chaotic idea of “every man is a truth unto himself.”

            One among many of Satan’s intentions for this treacherous belief system is to pit each man against every other and even against God, Himself, to create universal social conflict which will in turn defeat God’s benevolent influence in this world.  So, our disagreements with each other, from interpersonal to international, become a very valuable psychological opportunity to both the demons and the dark-hearted human minions who serve the Darkness. 

            And, their tactical use of that opportunity is not complicated.  Their prodding is always aimed at deepening and emotionally inflaming those disagreements as a means to both bloodshed and blindness – a blindness which keeps one from seeing God’s more noble and truly effective solutions. 

            Disagreement with others is, indeed, a regrettable part of the human reality.  But those disagreements only become more pervasive and more lacerating if we embrace the whispers of the Darkness. 

            God has a better way, a truly graceful way, to resolve our conflicts.  And, it is a way which leads to a true and enduring joy instead of further perpetuating our tears.  It is His noble values which mark the real path to victory over the ravages of human conflict.  But to hear the voice of God, one must first determine to escape the echo chambers of hate.