Making a Mockery of Everything

Mockery is serious business!

Who said, “Reverend Billy Graham, I don’t need Jesus Christ”?

Who said, “We’re more popular than Jesus Christ”?

Who said, “Not even God himself could sink the Titanic”?

Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe, the Beatles John Lennon, ship builders of the cruise liner Titanic; is this music to your ears or just people simply acting out?  Mockery is also a long-tailed grey-and-white songbird of the southern United States able to mimic songs of other birds.

Cloudy Today with a Chance of Thinking

You’re sitting in comfortable chair thinking. Is that such a bad thing?

Most people have abandoned the arduous task of exercising the grey matter between their ears. The current contagion is to put the brain in neutral and relax and be entertained by one of a hundred electronic gadgets that feed your every whim. Let’s face it, the actual mind-melding of the left and right brains have been placed on the endangered species list. Honestly, when was the last time you turned everything electronic off and sat under a shade tree and put a few million of those neutrons sleeping in your cranium through some calisthenics? Too much trouble, you just want to be pandered to?

Since we are created in God’s image, our thoughts and minds are important reflections of Him. No other creature on earth has our thinking ability, our reasoning ability, and our loving ability. We are the only creatures who are called to love god with our entire mind: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”. Mark 12:30 And Paul wrote that he was taking “Captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”. Corinthians 10:5 We all need to grow in the knowledge of God and his Word. Remember what David said about knowing God’s Word? “My soul is longing for your laws at all times. Your statues are my delight; they are my counselors”. Psalm 119:20 We need to see things more clearly, otherwise, the “logs” in our eyes distort things. Read Matthew 7:3-5 We also need to make certain that we are communicating our thoughts to others correctly and lovingly. Paul says: “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him?” 1 Corinthians 2:11

What is really on the inside?

Appearances are deceiving. Some mushrooms sauteed in butter are quite delicious and leave a delicate lingering aftertaste, and some mushrooms will have you in the graveyard with lingering aftertaste of, “How foolish could I have been”! Some snakes are exquisitely detailed with vibrant colors and patterns that are very pleasing to the eye and some are the color of dirt. The difference is that some snakes are harmless and some can kill with a single drop of venom. Seeing what’s on the inside can be a terrific advantage. People are often the most challenging specimens. It’s not easy to discern whether someone’s a ‘new friend’ or wants to rob you and leave you for dead

Everyone has to learn to be a good judge of another’s character. Politicians have always been under suspicion because of their proximity to money and power. What lies just under the surface can suddenly swallow a person whole. Just ask Jonah. In Jesus’ day there were many who appeared to be one thing but in reality were something totally foreign. Common people had some difficulty with discernment, but not Jesus. He looked at their hearts and intentions. And some were revolting!

Let There Be Lights?

In the book of Genesis, where everything is created, God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light! It’s interesting that light was created on Day One, and the sun was created on Day Four. So what kind of light are we talking about here? Obviously there was a fixed light source outside the earth. The Bible talks about Abraham’s offspring being like the stars in the sky. How many stars are there? Have you counted them lately? Anyone surprised? The cosmos has millions and millions of galaxies, and each galaxy has millions and millions of stars. The Hubble telescope has taken thousands of pictures of galaxies near and far, and from what NASA tells us, the universe is—Expanding! Is anything impossible for God? Anyone surprised?

 

These things we know: It may be difficult to understand, but we know that anything is possible with God. One thing you may not be aware of is that all these stars in the heavens, seen and unseen, are all different! How do we know that, easy, the Bible tells us each star has its own name! Billions and billions of stars with billions and billions of names! Anyone surprised?

Looking For Financial Advice?

Do idioms have any connection to idiots? An idiom is defined as the unusual way words are put together in a sentence that differs from a literal meaning.  A good example is “Don’t put all your eggs into one basket”.  Its meaning is not to risk all your investments at the same time.  When it comes to metaphorical egg transportation, it is indeed advisable not to put all your eggs into one basket.  Why?  Maybe you have only a few eggs.  Maybe your basket is unsturdy. A few other idioms might warrant your attention: “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”, “Don’t sweat it”, “Don’t rock the boat”, “Don’t go there and don’t do that”.  Be careful with ‘em eggs though!  Wherever the basket goes the eggs are sure to follow. We need to be cautious that we don’t end up having ‘egg all over our face’ or being ‘a basket case’.   

Did He Come Upon a Midnight Clear?

Christmas is near! “Black Friday” is nearer. You know, that delightful day of mass hysterical shopping the day after Thanksgiving.  Black Friday is known for more than just seeking 'good deals'.  It is known for aggressive crowds, assaults, shootings, throngs of people trampling on other people even causing deaths.  Let's not forget those 'Road-Raggers' jockeying bumper-to-bumper for a parking spot.  Pandemonium!  Sounds like an awful lot of fun doesn't it?  Why is it called Black Friday anyway?  The term was first associated with the first United States financial crisis of 1869. In 1961, this shopping nightmare was recreated in Philadelphia and was actually labeled "Black Friday" by the Philadelphia Police Department due to massive traffic jams and enormous unruly crowds.  In 1975, a Philadelphia newspaper article attempted to rename Black Friday to Best Friday due to its chaos, but it failed.  Shoppers just cannot manage to shop for gifts the whole year unencumbered, they need this particular day.  For many police departments, Black Friday is not a term of endearment.  Black Friday in theory seems to be the beginning of the period when retailers no longer have losses 'in the red'.  Profits must be made you know,'Tis the season.

Christmas is near! There will be a little less jingle in our pockets and more jangled nerves. Festive red, blue, green and gold decorations are already up in most stores. The radio stations are playing Christmas Carols 24/7. There are signs and cards that say “Jesus is the reason for the season”. That sounds reasonable. We’ve been raised on that saying, but do we even question it anymore? Did we ever?

Building Wealth

Build a better mousetrap and the world will make you richer than Croesus. Bill Gates mousetrap was called Microsoft operating software. Bill Walton’s mousetrap was called Wal-Mart stores. Steven Spielberg’s mousetrap was called Hollywood Movies. Everywhere you look there are Croesus clones running around the world building better mousetraps and building wealth taller than the Washington Monument in Washington D.C.! So – then what?

Some of you have seen a modern funeral procession. There is an arrangement of vehicles following in line. In front is a limousine carrying the newly deceased immediate family or closest of kin, followed by a hearse carrying the casket with the newly deceased inside of it and following that is a procession of automobiles of family and friends following the limousine. Together everyone is driving to the cemetery where the casket will be buried. To my knowledge there has never been a funeral procession where an armored truck is following the limousine carrying the deceased money and valuables. I believe Job said it best in the Old Testament when he uttered the words, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.” Job 1:21

Deadly Hollow Points

Being a policeman is not easy. It never has been. Being a public servant is underrated. There’s the initial training, the apprenticeship with an experienced officer, and finally being a sentinel on your own. There’s no need to mention the danger, the long hours, the meager pay or the fact that the public doesn’t like being policed. Their training covers everything from handling domestic disputes to lawbreakers to hardened criminals. The job is unpleasant enough without the indignity of a court system that often works against their best efforts. It shouldn’t be mentioned that the man driving or walking the beat has to walk carefully between politics and the community expectations.

When the Romans controlled the areas around the Mediterranean, soldiers performed many of the tasks of the modern day policeman. They carried weapons, and were often called upon to enforce this or that ordinance. A judge or magistrate would settle matters legally, but there was often a call for a physical presence to calm any uprising or disturbances. Soldiers away from home for extended periods of time might occasionally use excessive force to get the job done. When Jesus was arrested and taken to Pilate for questioning, it was soldiers that did the apprehending and the escorting.

The men guarding Jesus mocked and beat him. They blindfolded Jesus and demanded, Prophesy! Who hit you? (Luke 22) When they brought Jesus before Pilate, the crowd began to accuse him, they fired deadly hollow points directly at Jesus.

We have found this man subverting our nation.

He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar.

He claims to be Christ, a King.

He stirs up there people all over Judea by his teaching.

They claimed Jesus was inciting the people to rebellion.

Shot after shot rang out but failed to pierce the mantel of Truth.

The Efficacy of Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis is a relatively new medical field of study which delves into the mind. Psychoanalysis is a treatment for mental illness based on psychoanalytic theory. The system was developed by Sigmund Freud at the beginning of the 20^th century as a result of treating, under hypnosis, patients who were suffering from hysteria. Freud believed that mental disorders were a result of the failure of normal emotional development during childhood. Through discussion and memory recall with the patient, Freud believed the cause of any internal strife would be uncovered and resolved, and the illness cured.

 

Has this field of science helped many people in battling mental illness? For those being helped: probably a great deal; for those refusing help: probably not so much. Like technology—it’s a wonderful thing when it works! However, technology often fails and Sigmund Freud was addicted to cocaine.

What if during the course of childhood, normal emotional development occurs, but the individual is “Mentally Broken” to begin with? Does the name Hazael sound familiar? Please read on and get your “Prenalterol” ready.

You Can't Hide in the Shell Any Longer

Imagine a well known figure recognized by close to a million people in hiding! Politician—no. Terrorists--no. Movie Star—no. Dictator—no. Lottery winner—no. Would you believe this person would become even more famous than ever! This person had several identities. He was a well known religious figure, highly educated, politically connected, and feared for multiple reasons. He is known for having two different names, one for persecuting and one for evangelizing! Could it be—you don’t mean—not him—can’t be!

 

Originally known as “The” persecutor of Christians, he became known as “The” greatest evangelist! How can this be and how did it come to pass? Known far and wide as Saul of Tarsus, his name was later changed to Paul. Saul was traveling the road to Damascus searching for newly minted Christians with official orders to arrest them and have them brought back to Jerusalem for questioning and probably some remedial indoctrination.

Trauma

Trauma. Head ajar, damaged, diseased or dead. Trauma comes in the form of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). We know trauma to the head comes in many forms. Boxer Muhammad Ali has Parkinson’s due to head trauma (so did Rocky Graziano, Jack Dempsey and other boxers). NFL running back for the Dallas Cowboys, Tony Dorsett, has been diagnosed with CTE. A lot of professional football players who butted heads for a living are now seeking financial damages for playing the game. Many sports professionals and non-professionals from adults to children are encountering CTE and TBI due to contact sports. Combat, car accidents, strokes, mixed martial arts (MMA) and numerous other things cause major head trauma.

We all agree that the head is a very important piece of your anatomy. Every medical training manual shows the left and right brain cradled inside your skull. To prevent your brain from severe trauma God wrapped your brain in a thick casing of bone. Medically speaking, your head is protected in such a manner to prevent injury. In war a severe blow to the head can incapacitate a soldier thus the reason to wear a helmet. Rigid helmets have been the standard for protecting the cranium since Adam thought of ‘bonking’ Eve on the head for talking to that serpent. Not to force the point, but Adam didn’t use his brain to the greatest advantage either.

Sin Tally!

Sin Tally! 

What happens when your entire life is summed up and the tally is finished? Are you going to be presented with a bill to pay? Are you going to be doing some things over again, till you “get it right”? What if your life is weighted on a scale and the good things weigh 49%, and the bad things weigh 51%? What if after you die you find yourself on “The Wheel of Fortune” and that big colorful spinning wheel has on it different options instead of numbers—heaven, hell, reincarnation, purgatory, limbo, emptiness, darkness, pain, despair, and everything else that could frighten you to come to your senses. And then Saint Peter says, "Your Turn, spin the wheel and good luck!"

Riding The Wrong Wave

Who listens to the radio? Ninety five percent of hands were raised instantly. What is your favorite wave? AM or FM? Amplitude Modulated—Frequency Modulated? Some of you are asking, what’s the difference, I like what I like! Within the past decade something amazing has surreptitiously taken place. Both bands used to integrate music, talk radio, and public service programs. Presently one band is 90% talk radio, while the other band is 90% music. Why is that amazing? In and of itself, it’s not. What is amazing; is the sheer number of devotees that are mesmerized by their 24/7 broadcast content.

Are you surprised that radio is one of the most profitable mediums? There are incredible riches riding those invisible waves. Whether you listen to AM or FM is only of concern to you and the radio advertisers and God. Huh? Did I say God? Why would God care about one solitary listener? Because you win wars one battle at a time, you win office by one vote at a time, and you win the race one step at a time. If God can see a sparrow fall, then one ‘radiophile’ counts.

Get Schooled

How? How is the best way to get schooled? Public schools, private schools, charter schools, vocational schools, home schooled, on-line schools, religious schools, or maybe be raised in the jungle by wild animals like Tarzan! There are unlimited schools one may attend: medical school, law school, nursing school, military school, there are thousands.  Education is one of the most needed skills in the world today. If you don’t think it’s important, you only have to walk in the shoes of a child born and raised in poverty in sub-Sahara Africa. It’s almost guaranteed they will learn violence before they learn how to farm or gain enough life skills to pass along to their offspring.

Are there other ways to get schooled?  Well, let me see.  There is the ‘school of hard knocks’, which is learning from bad experiences.  Then there’s ‘being taken to school’, which signals you’re going to be defeated or given a hard lesson to learn.  Oh yes, there’s ‘old school’, which indicates doing the same old things one’s always been doing.  You can name others.  Today we spend more, than in history, on alcohol, tobacco, drugs, entertainment, gambling, and plastic surgery than on a child’s education.  There’s a ‘craze’ in the world for self-satisfaction. 

Wired for Success

Almost everybody respects a successful general in battle tested conditions. Admiration is higher if the general is on “your” side. It’s usually not until the war is over that battle plans and strategy can be analyzed and evaluated. Generals George Patton, Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Douglas MacArthur, George Marshall all displayed a knack for planning, strategy, heroism, determination and execution. But then several for the other side did likewise. British Bernard Montgomery was brilliant and Germany’s Erwin Rommel was so respected they nicknamed him, the ‘desert Fox’. Campaigns can be military, economic, territorial or personal.

The New Testament records the very personal campaign of one man who is known for his planning, strategy, and execution of his plan to “Git R Dun”. Exactly what was this man’s obsession? Why was he so fanatical about its execution? The Bible is full of strong personalities and men of action, but this man was so focused on his task, God intervened and stopped him cold.

Mentally Counting the Cost

Suppose you are planning to run a marathon; twenty six and two tenths miles.  When do you calculate how much training you will need to prepare for it?  Will twenty-four hours be enough, a week, a month, longer? Running a race doesn’t just mean tying your shoe laces and lining up with all the other runners. There are always unforeseen obstacles to deal with. There is conditioning, training, strategy, attitude and mentally counting the cost.

If you merely want to run a race and aren’t interested in finishing first, then you may ignore the attitude aspect, but if you’re a competitor and winning is important, every detail is important.

Jesus mentioned several parables in the Bible. A word of caution, “always” look a little deeper when Jesus is talking or doing something. In the Gospel of Luke chapter 14, Jesus tells of a parable about someone who was planning to build a tower. Won’t he first sit down and estimate the cost if he has sufficient funds to complete it? If he lays the foundation and runs out of money, won’t people ridicule him and his short-sightedness? Normally you wouldn’t start a project unless you had the ability to mentally count the cost.

The Time Space Continuum

Albert Einstein saw the world in a different way. He peered into the next dimension and tried to understand it. Like Isaac Newton and other great minds, he was fascinated about the concept of gravity and other mysteries. Understanding gravity is relatively simple until you see how it affects the time space continuum and your place in the universe.

Although most of us aren’t physicists, we can understand some concepts. The space-time continuum has geometric qualities. Space and time as physical constructs, must get mixed together by the common denominator of mathematics. Since space consists of three dimensions, and time consists of one dimension, it makes sense that the space-time model must then be a 4-dimensional object. It is a continuum because there are no missing points in space or missing moments in time. The space-time continuum doesn’t evolve, it simply exists.

Ease the Pressure

If you weren’t a Roman, living in the Roman Empire was very stressful. Paul the apostle lived there his whole life so he should know. From time to time he tried to paint a picture of his travails. It wasn’t until after he converted to Christianity from Judaism that most of his troubles surfaced. The Romans thought nothing of beating someone or throwing them into prison if they upset the natural of things. The Romans liked things to run according to their rules and regulations, and if they didn’t, well, they could persuade you.

Paul wrote several letters to various churches, but it was the second letter addressed to those in the church of Corinth that Paul found necessary to pen. Writing from Macedonia Paul followed it up with a final visit there. In the letter Paul had told them of his troubles before he arrived.

Entangled

People have developed an idiomatic manner of communication. When someone invites you for dinner and says that they are going to throw some ‘Shrimp on the Barbie’, they are implying that they are going to cook food on a grill and that includes shrimp in some form or another. Sounds simple.

Once while Jesus was teaching his followers, the pious Pharisees laid plans to trap Jesus. They confronted Jesus one day and asked him a question publicly that had hidden undertones. Sensing a trap, Jesus took their question. They asked, “Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Matthew 22:17. Sounds simple!

 

The question seems simple enough, but what they were really asking was: “Jesus; is it in accordance with the Torah, the Jews sacred law, to pay taxes to Caesar?” If this land really belonged to the Jews as God said, how could they pay tribute to any other power, king, or god, or person? If Jesus said they should pay, they could charge Him with disloyalty to Judaism. If He said no, they could denounce Him to the Romans! See the trap with sharp barbs?

Comedy or Tragedy

If you see a drunk staggering down the street—is it a comedy or a tragedy? It depends on whether it’s your brother or a stranger—or does it? Aren’t they both equally important in God’s eyes? Readers digest says, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Harvard University has done research that proves enzymes activated in the brain while laughing prolongs youthfulness. Jesus tangled and sparred with all manors of people. From the ‘holier-than-thou’ Pharisees to His own Jewish brethren, someone was always trying to trick or trap Him into ‘their point-of-view’. With grace He gave as good as He got! His answers teach us today how to act or react when confronted with a snake in the garden.

And Every Eye Will See Him

The Book of Revelation bears the stamp of its Author! Some of its pages are among the most superb and most precious in all the Bible. Its climatic grandeur makes it a fitting close to the Bible story. Its visions of the completed work of Christ make it a roadway into the human soul.

Revelation is based on the discourse Jesus had on the topic of future “Things to come” found in Mathew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. The Book of Revelation is Predictive. It was written to unfold the future. It charts the course and destiny of the Church. It is a book of mystery, with many things we do not understand, but there are many things we do understand. There are some of the most frightening warnings and some of the most hopeful promises in all of Scripture. It is a book that should not be ignored or placed above other books of the Bible. It fully deserves a full share of a Christian’s study habits and devotion. In case you’re wondering—it’s required reading!

Building Supercities ... and Supertrees

Have you heard about Singapore and its ambitious building project yet? Cutting edge might describe what is going on “over there”. Singapore is converting 250 acres of waterfront property into a horticultural recreational area. The Supertrees will be 80 to 180 feet tall and made of concrete and steel that will serve as a vertical plant garden. Some of the Supertrees will have solar panels to light them up at night. One will have a restaurant on top. Singapore is going from what is called “Garden City” to a “City in a Garden”.  The cost is a mere $1.3 billion. The aim is to raise the quality of life by enhancing the green space and flora of the city.  The "Garden City" came out of an international competition design contest.  There will be exotic ferns, orchids, unique vines and thousands of other varieties. Does this sound like something you would be interested in? How long will it take before someone attaches a roller coaster between them? 

Over Easy Scrambled or Omlet?

The mere sight of a delicious egg breakfast makes you forget your doctor’s warning about cholesterol. Could this be a cause of ‘save the shell’, and ‘throw away the egg’? Or would it be a case of, “wher’d ya git dat chickin?” And were these eggs related to ‘the goose that laid the golden eggs’? Are you tempted to scour the egg section at the grocery looking for more nuggets? Trying to remember where you can get an incubator? Sometimes treasure comes – unexpectedly. The Bible talks about a man who found buried treasure, and what he did next. It’s a fascinating story, only two sentences, with lots of hidden wisdom.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.

When a man found it, he hid it again,

and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”

Matthew 13:44