I'm passionate about writing and encouraging people. I want the whole world to know about the Father-heart of God and His unstoppable love for those who believe in His Son, Jesus.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” Psalms 147:3
“A wound where there is no weeping, writes, John Eldreged, is a wound that can not be healed.” Your wounded heart can be healed. But you must share your wounded heart with God.
Wounds and scars, whether physical or emotional, are essential to being human. It happens to all of us. The following is written on the back of my business card:
“Living a scarless life is not living at all. Sometimes, our greatest triumphs lie in our greatest defeats. In all things, I am a child of God and never a victim. I do not, therefore, interpret tragic circumstances as mishaps, but a divinely scheduled trip to God’s beauty salon.”
If we only see ourselves as victims in every crisis, loss, or betrayal, we deny the very instrument and tool for which God is doing his best work in us. When you refuse to become the victim and instead respond in praise and thanksgiving to God, you, therefore, thwart darkness and defeat the devil.
The devil wants you to wallow in bitterness and anguish. He wants you paralyzed, frozen in time and eternity with a wounded and broken heart. He knows that a heart not healed will keep you from God, keep you from salvation.
The old saying, “time heals all wounds,” is not from the Bible. It’s from the devil!
This is why Jesus of Nazareth read from – Isaiah 61: 1
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal and bind up the brokenhearted…”
As a matter of fact, Jesus’ reading of the Isaiah passage was the official announcement of his earthly ministry.
The Psalmist, King David, penned:
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” – Psalms 147:3
“His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.” – Job 2:9-10
God is in control – He’s not only our Creator, but He’s our Father also. He touches our lives with wisdom and cares for us greater than our earthly fathers. He’s preparing us for eternity with Him, and His actions are always with this in mind.
The devil wants you, if possible, to never meet your Heavenly Father. If he can’t prevent that, he’ll at least pervert it by causing your earthly father to wound your heart and soul. When our hearts bear the scars of father’s wounds, it is so hard, if not impossible, to trust God as our everlasting father.
And this is the central theme of Jesus’ ministry; to rescue you from the penalty of sin and the grip of the devil and to heal your broken heart so that salvation can come to you.
“No one can come to the Father,” said Jesus, except through me.” – John 14:6
Your heart must be healed because it is to become your Heavenly Father’s dwelling place.
He alone is the home for your wounded heart. Trust him, He’s making you beautiful inside and out.
Searching for significance can last a lifetime. Don’t waste another day searching.
The wounds of our past can most often propel us into a fruitless seach for significance. Our search is fruitless because the root of our search lies within our wounded heart. The damage to our hearts was done many years and decades ago, and most likely when we were children.
Being wounded in our hearts and minds as children is an attack on our very identities and creates in us a desperate search for meaning and purpose.
You see, the wounds to our hearts cause us to make a vow or an agreement with the curses spoken over us. The curses were demonically engineered to warp and distort our true identity, forcing us into an endless masquerade of covering and hiding false shame and guilt. Living like this can send us into an endless search for meaning and belonging. This fruitless search for significance can last a lifetime.
The curses may be the distant echoes from our mother or father’s voices, which may have inadvertently or intentionally cursed our future and robbed us of worth and significance as their son or daughter. And this is why so many of us are lost from true living and true loving, or suffer with an inability to bond with others.
An alcoholic father or mother, or your parent’s divorce or an untimely death of a mom or dad can also send messages of abandonedment, rejection, and lostness. Sometimes, we think an affair or love and romance, marriage, or a baby will heal us.
Our failure is searching for significance in people, ministry, talent, sex, and money, which these things are powerless to fill and satisfy our emptiness. Only God can fill the huge hole in our hearts.
True worth and significance come only from the mouth and heart of God. Draw near and listen to Him and allow the only God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, heal your heart and end your search.
Let God help you do the impossible, which is to forgive those who’ve wounded the very preciousness of your heart and soul.
“The Spirit of the Lord, the Eternal, is on me. The Lord has appointed me for a special purpose. He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to repair broken hearts and to declare to those who are held captive and bound in prison, “Be free from your imprisonment.”‘ – Isaiah 61:1
The above Scripture was read by Jesus on the day he began his public ministry. The Isaiah passage was fulfilled through him for you.
End your fruitless search for significance by turning your wounded heart and soul to God. With him, you’ll find unspeakable riches and a place of real belonging and a life of true significance.
Breaking the curses spoken over us is not complicated. All curses were nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ, whereby Jesus took upon himself all of our curses and the very death penalty for sin. The punishment of death on a cross inflicted on the innocent Lamb of God has legally broken and nullified all of our agreements with curses.
Put your faith into the finished work of Jesus Christ. Grant forgiveness towards those who have cursed you towards those who’ve wounded your heart and soul. Believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus’ death and resurrection have destroyed the works of the Devil and have canceled all curses against you.
All you must do is to just believe!
Come home to the True and Loving Father; come home, His lost son, and lost daughter.
Do you want to be comfortable, or do you want to be free?
Wow, this past summer was a good reminder at how much Toni and I enjoy being comfortable! The temperature had reached 108, one day when our power suddenly went out! I’m not sure why, but most of Copperopolis had no power for well over six hours. Without air conditioning, our home quickly got very uncomfortable!
We love being comfortable, as I’m sure you do too. But, for many people throughout the world, being uncomfortable is normal, and not just about climate issues either.
The truth is we were not created for a comfortable life. I think that deep within our hearts, many of us are longing to break free from routine and a comfortable life – we’re searching for something more. God’s Word tells of countless stories of risk takers joining Him to do enormous feats of faith. These stories tell us that a freed heart, acting on faith, can do the impossible with God.
Isn’t that what you want also to do the impossible with God?
What I’m talking about here is pushing against the gravitational forces of comfort and guarantees. To do so, it will require us to break the chains of fear. Fear is a weighty force, keeping us from our divine purpose. Fear is the enemy of the heart, and the heart is needed in order to follow God.
It’s always the heart that challenges our mind and body to achieve great things. To listen to your heart is indeed a scary and costly proposition. But, it is absolutely necessary if you truly want to live and to be free!
Proverbs 4:23 instructs us to: “above all, guard your hearts, for from it flows the source of life.”
If we are to be free from the mundane, humdrum life, we must be willing and brave enough to tap into the source of life and follow God into the unknown — into the impossible.
God doesn’t require us to know much, but to simply trust and follow Him. He’ll train the stouthearted during the journey. He’s after our passion and our faith. Neither of these two precious qualities happens while sitting in our offices or on sofas, or for that matter, even while enjoying our Sunday morning service, sitting on our favorite pew or chair.
Pushing against the gravitational forces of comfort and all the niceties of guarantees is where it begins. Do nothing, and neither you nor God are pleased.
What happens when you’re willing to break free from the cozy comforts?
Well, God awakens hidden desires that he put into our hearts long before we were born. He won’t awaken our desire until we’re willing and ready to venture with Him and courageously risk doing His will.
God spoke to Abram and invited him to a new and better land that He would show him along the way. In spite of all that was comfortable and familiar, Abram said, “Yes,” and God began the journey by explaining to this childless 75-year-old man that he would become the father of many nations.
Do you see how God awakens a forgotten and hidden desire in the childless Abram?
Many years later, God changes Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning: “Father of Many,” and tells this old man that his aged wife, Sarah, would bear him a son.
Miracles will only happen when you are willing to risk with God beyond your comforts.
You must be willing to risk the familiar for the unfamiliar. If you want freedom and a true identity, you must break the chains binding you to earth and all its comforts. Free yourself from the gravitational forces of fear, worry, doubt, and all the what ifs holding and weighing you down.
Isn’t that worth the risk of following God with our hearts and to love Him with everything we’ve got?
Do you want to be comfortable, or do you want to be free?
Of all the things that may be fake, fake faith is the most dangerous.
Fakery is all around us these days. Fake news. Fake politicians. Fake protests. Fake accusations, and so on. But what about fake faith?
“God grant, if we must have two eyes, that they may be both clear ones – one the eye of faith wholly fixed on Christ, the other the eye of obedience equally and wholly fixed on the same objective.” ― Charles H. Spurgeon
Faith that does not lead to transformation and greater trust in The One True God is not faith at all, but a naked belief in a deity or higher being with no real power.
People who believe in such lesser deities are no better off than demons and devils. While demons and devils believe in God, they shudder in fear, as they have no gift of faith to change their destination, yet are fully aware of their impending doom.
Belief is not enough to save you, no matter how many church services or masses you attend and how many bibles you read or podcasts you listen to.
The love of God is not enough to save you! The God of Creation is no Love Guru. He’s not a razzle-dazzler. He’s not an alluring and hypnotic hipster. God is not a love cult leader. NO! The expression and identity of God’s love is Jesus Christ, and Jesus is our only Savior. Only salvation in God’s Son will assuage the just wrath of God against our sins and crooked souls.
Salvation is still through belief and obedience to God’s Son. Salvation is for those who put their faith in all the works of Jesus Christ.
If your belief doesn’t awaken your faith, you’re still dead in your sins. If your little faith doesn’t move you towards the impossible, then it’s better to judge yourself now and evaluate your condition. For a great and mighty God creates great and mighty people, and even those of little, but true faith gain His attention.
The Apostle James said: “…faith without works is dead.” James 2:26
The writer of Hebrews said: “And without faith, it is impossible to please God…” Hebrews 11:6
The Beloved Apostle John explains: “He who knows my commands and obeys them is the one who loves me. And my Father will love him who loves me. I will love him and will show myself to him.” John 14:21
Religion is belief without relationship and without faith. Without a relationship to God, there is no need for faith and obedience.
Your faith must take you further than simply visiting the Church down the street.
See to it that your belief brings action to your faith or stop pretending you believe.
Scars, are for some people, important symbols of heroism, bravery, and sacrificial achievements. But for many, scars are unfortunate circumstances of abuse, violence, rape, and simply being in the wrong place at a wrong moment.
The truth is, scars, whether bourn on or inside our bodies can, become a force for good. We all know and have experienced healing from pain, pain of broken bones, cuts, wounds, and emotional hurt. Thank God that he designed our bodies to heal itself. But not completely, right? Many wounds leave scar tissue. Even emotional wounds, wounds of the heart and mind can leave scarring.
Our scars all have stories behind them. For example, during the years of my youth, I played outside every summer break, doing dangerous stuff that kids do. Falling from trees, crashing bicycles, jumping ramps, doing all sorts of daredevil stuff, had scarred me up from head to toe! But I wouldn’t want to grow up any other way! Many of those childhood scars are still visible and still to this day tell many stories and fond, but painful memories.
Your scars, physical or emotional, also has stories. Some stories, I’m sure you don’t want to remember. But nonetheless, they happened, good or bad. But here’s something to give a little thought to; beneath your scars may be a hidden glory. How can that be? You may ask. Yes, I know you may not be a former all-pro football player; you don’t have to be a sports star or hero for your scars to add glory to your life.
Scars may be indicative of a well lived life or an indication of being human and vulnerable. A mother, for instance, bears the scars of childbirth, and each stretch mark represents the growth of new life within her, which she selflessly endured for her child. Her children, born to her, arrived during painful, agonizing labor, and, are a significant glory to her life. I don’t understand it as a man, but as soon as that baby is born, a mother’s face lights up with joy. Her joy miraculously replaces the pain and labor of birthing.
I’m thinking of a Bible verse, located somewhere, I think, in the book of Hebrews. Okay, I found it…
Hebrews 12:2 tells very clearly:
“… He who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
This verse says Jesus focused on “the joy” that was set before Him as He endured the agony of crucifixion. He knew of the glory that was to be set upon him for his sacrifice. And he was crucified publicly. Wow!
I’ve spent too much time and energy trying to hide my scars, especially my emotional scars – scars of inner pain deep within the womb of the heart; scars of hurt, betrayal, and abuse. I’ve learned that healing isn’t the removal of such scars but accepting them and humbly wearing them like chevrons or stripes on my shoulders, indicating my rank and experience with pain.
My scars, hidden or not, are my carte blanche, approved by God. When God permits, my scars allow me to act as someone else’s wounded healer. Don’t be ashamed of your scars. Scaring means that you’ve survived, and maybe your survival and scars have a divine purpose for others. In other words, perhaps God masterfully ordained your hurt and pain so that your body, mind, and heart may produce abundant life and healing beyond yourself.
One day, as we pass from this life, we will see the scars planted on Jesus because of our sins. We will know then the significance of his scars as never before. We will have perfect clarity that our ultimate healing has come from those scars, and all our present pain and tears will be wiped away forever.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes, we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5
Have you heard the song, Scars?
Lyrics By: I Am They from the album: Trial & Triumph
“We came up to a new sunrise Looking back from the other side I can see now with open eyes Darkest water and deepest pain I wouldn’t trade it for anything Because my brokenness brought me to You
And these wounds are stories You’ll use
So I’m thankful for the scars Because without them, I wouldn’t know Your heart, And I know they always tell of who You are
So forever, I am thankful for the scars
Now I’m standing in confidence With the strength of Your faithfulness
And I’m not who I was before Now I don’t have to fear anymore
So I’m thankful for the scars Cause without them, I wouldn’t know Your heart, And I know they always tell of who You are
So forever, I am thankful for the scars
I can see, I can see How You delivered me In Your hands, in Your feet I found my victory I can see, I can see How You delivered me In Your hands, in Your feet I found my victory
I’m thankful for Your scars Cause without them, I wouldn’t know Your heart, And with my life, I’ll tell of who You are
So forever, I am thankful
I’m thankful for the scars Cause without them; I wouldn’t know Your heart, And I know they’ll always tell of who You are
So forever, I am thankful for the scars
So forever, I am thankful for the scars.”
Are you scarred body, mind, and heart? If so, you are in good company.
Learn to be thankful for each scar, and suddenly, without notice, what was meant for your harm, will instead produce a harvest of life and healing for others.
I was at a restaurant with my wife in Pacifica, California, during a summer evening many Sundays ago.
We sat at a beautiful table, ready to enjoy dinner. Our table faced directly towards a floor-to-ceiling plate glass window. On the other side, less than 100 yards, was the Pacific Ocean pounding the surf. The sun finally broke through the coastal fog around 6:00 PM. Beautiful, majestic; our hearts filled with praise and gratitude towards God.
Outside, slightly to our right, were fishermen casting their lines into the surf. Suddenly, one of the fishermen caught what looked like a 30-pound striped bass. Awesome, praise God! What a catch! Several minutes later, another large bass. All this beauty is a gift from God.
The table to our right was seated with two men, one man slightly older than the other. I could tell that it was their first date. As their conversation carried into our booth, I was annoyed, angered, and critical. My wife could sense the tension and change in my attitude.
Suddenly, beauty faded. Gratitude left. Praises ceased. My sense of awe was dwarfed into awfulness.
What are “they” doing here?
God, they’re soaking up and wasting all this beauty. GOD… …the beauty – the ocean – the sunset is lavished on them. Do something!
Judgment rose within me. They are “those people” who bring God’s judgment on us all. I tried to block them, ignore them, wish them gone, hoping they’d finish their meals and leave. Then, it hit me. Yea, it shouted from inside my mind:
I want; no, I can’t wait for God’s judgments on ‘those people,’ they’re destroying our country!
Then a voice inside me said:
“This is my time of grace for the lost…”
His Spirit touched my heart, and immediately He gave me insight and the grace to see my sin.
He continued:
“…My Grace comes for the Lost, even the vilest sinner; yes, even for those two men, who for a moment were, by my choosing, your neighbor.
I lavished them with my glory, the works of my hands, and my breath over the waters that they may see the mighty waves pound the sand. I hooked those great fish to those lines that they might know I provide. I, not you, broke through the clouds and, at just the right moment, displayed my splendor and majesty to the crowd.
And you, my dutiful son, did not lift one finger to welcome or even offer a “good evening, gentlemen.” You, my son, are lost. You’ve quickly forgotten the depth from which I drew you, the vileness of your own sin, which, let me remind you, has been fully pardoned and atoned! Should I not have compassion for those whom I choose?
You’ve forgotten I came not for the righteous but for the sinner. I came not for the well, neither the well-to-do nor the do-gooder. I came for the lost, the vilest, the better. I’m not too weak to save the homosexual or promiscuous heterosexual. I see no degree, no difference between the sins of men.
You’ve questioned my judgment! Do you want me to withhold grace for judgment on those whom you choose? There already exists an appointed time of judgment for the rebellious, the coward, the unbeliever, the faithless, and the murderer, those who love to live a lie. But it is not now. I have my “Grace Agents” all over the world, commissioned to seek and save the lost.
You suffer from Jonahitis!
You think you can sit comfortably beneath my heaven, waiting for judgment to fall on the unrighteous? You are on the wrong team. You’re cheering for judgment! I don’t know you because you don’t know me. You’ve lost touch with my heart. You better draw near; you better search me out, humbling yourself and repent from your wicked bout.
You’re correct about one thing; judgment is coming; it’s nearly here. The world, and yes, even the United States, will get a taste of what’s near. But this judgment is not for the lost, the homosexual or adulterer, not for the murderer or thief, liar, or cheat. It’s coming for you. You, who call yourselves by my Name, refuse to say “good evening, gentlemen” or hello, neighbor. You, who are amazed by my amazing grace, only to keep it hidden and selectively gracing only the attractive and well-dressed, the sinless and smell-good-people.
It’s the people who attend my Sunday worship services, raising their hands in awe, lowering their heads in sweet repose, singing me “love songs” of sweet devotion, and giving such melodic lip service. You can sing and worship all you like. I want your obedience and not just your sweet “I love you, Lord.”
You’ve sat too long in those cushiony pews. You’ve basked in my presence long enough! Now, GET UP. GET OUT. Ask me for my heart and eyes, and I will place them into your hearts and minds.
Then, once again, you will remember. You will feel what I feel and see what I see and cry for the lost sons and lost daughters. You will no longer see homosexuals or prostitutes, murderers, adulterers, liars, and cheats. You will see the lost and hurting, broken and needy.
Let me unveil something new to you, “repentance with action,” yes, righteous deeds will only revert my day of disaster against my Church. Stop your prim and pose services, your judgments, and the stingy hoarding of grace.”
If you recall, Jonah’s sailing companions were fearful and terrified of the sea’s great fury! They feared for their lives and prayed in a hurry. Only finding Jonah asleep in the hull, they shouted and roused the man of God from his slumber, “What have you done, and what god have you angered?”
“I serve the Lord God,” said Jonah; God said I must go to Nineveh and preach all over. But the people of Nineveh are vile and sinful, “said Jonah. They’re undeserved of God’s grace, so I’m off to Tarshish after this nine-day-cruse for some rest and some peace.
I know this God who chases me, churning up the seas and bringing you to your knees. He thinks I’m not smart or wise to his ways; if I go to Nineveh, he’ll forgive, and he’ll save! So why should I bother and upset my vacation plans? If the sinners go unpunished, why save and heal the land?
Your disobedience and running are threatening our lives; you, not we, have brought God’s judgment to light; here cast in your lot, and let’s see if it’s so!
The lot fell to Jonah, and they tossed him over the bow; he hit the water, sinking to depths far below. No prayer could be heard, no pleading was pled, he sternly and steadily held in his head, no confession, and no repentance to bring change to his dread. He hits bottom, surrounded and tangled in seaweed and mire; he offers a faint cry, higher and higher; a great fish appears, swallowing him whole and entire.
The wayward prophet calls out to God;
“When my life ebbed away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”
O Church, wake up! You’re asleep in the light God’s anger is coming, but not for the lost. We’ve been headed in the wrong direction! The world cries for a Savior, and we cry for heaven. We spend dollars and hours prettying our sanctuaries, staining our stained glass windows, and tuning our instruments. We Christianize our music, our cars, and our shops. We invent new ways to heavenize everything we touch.
We think we can vote in morality by Christianizing our politics or changing our Nation’s future with “born-again-and-again” candidates. We’ve forgotten that God appoints the rulers we deserve according to our righteousness, and then His judgment will swerve.
You say the homosexual, the transvestite, the tattooed and the pierced; the thief and robber, the liar and cheat have brought us Katrina, Northridge, and Ike. The earth shakes and quakes because the sinners are unrighteous? No. We’ve got it wrong! The earth shakes and quakes, rumbles, and floods; it becomes hotter or colder because we’ve left things undone! Judgment is coming because the righteous practices unrighteousness.
It’s because of the sins of “omission.”
We’ve omitted God’s grace from our neighborhoods and marketplaces. We’ve omitted God’s grace from our downtown, uptown, and the lowdown; from the down-and-outers, underachievers, and meat-eaters; from our dinner tables, family rooms, boardrooms, and horse stables. Grace can’t be found, not because sin abounds, but because we want judgment to fall against the unrighteous!
We yearn for the rapture, “operation exfil.” Christ yearns for a victorious and triumphant bride! Her beauty and rightness are her righteous acts and deeds.
Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?”
“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”
Then the LORD said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?” Jonah 4:9-11
Should we be angry that sinful people flourish? Or shall we feel what God feels and offer them Christ, in us, their only hope and glory?
Are you exhausted? Running on empty? Has your physical and spiritual odometer cycled over too many times?
If so, you may be a Superman Pastor.
Your identity and significance must be in your sonship and not in your pastorship. Being a son and a brother in Christ is far more relatable. Being relatable keeps you grounded, humble, and approachable. “Leaping tall buildings in a single bound, being more powerful than a locomotive, and speeding faster than a bullet,” is for Superman, not pastors.
“Look! Up in the Sky! It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane… It’s… …No, it’s just Pastor Dave.
Just be who you are, a beloved son, father, brother, and husband. If you’re going to be a faithful shepherd of God’s children, you need to be faithful to your wife and children first. You need to be faithful to your sonship as God’s beloved son and protect that relationship. Let God do all that superhero stuff.
Never use your intimacy with God as a vicarious impetus for others to synthesize. In doing this, you and your congregation will both become lost and distant from God. People will hunger for your intimacy at the sacrifice of their connection with God.
Instead, teach them how to be intimate with the Father-heart of God until their Father-hunger for God surpasses their father-hunger for you.
Won’t this lighten your load?
Won’t this save your marriage?
Won’t this free you up to be your children’s daddy?
If not, maybe your cape is showing.
As some of you have retired or have left the pastorship, you may find yourselves lost because you’ve been trapped in a service and performance role with God and others. This was never God’s doing, but the writ of men and the corporate structure of many churches.
Did you know that the word “religion” actually means to “re-bond” with God? The Latin word comprises two parts, “re” telling again and “ligare,” pointing to bind or to bond.
We Protestants are constantly harping against other religions that faith in God is not a religion but a relationship. But, in tossing out the word religion, we’ve tossed out the significance of the word. Rather than genuinely encouraging and leading people into intimacy and sonship with God, they’ve learned by our actions as pastors and enter into performance roles, as presented by the World’s false religions.
So many pastors have lost their intimate bond with God because of the performance and service trap. So, they end up helplessly modeling burnout, depression, and, believe it or not, loneliness.
Many pastors feel they must keep up the “superhero” role at all costs; that is, they must appear spiritually superior and altogether when in the public view. And, if he’s incredibly talented, he will maintain this unrealistic role even in front of his family. Being a “Clark Kent,” or just a normal guy is too risky for the sake of his job.
What happens to a man when he calls his darkness light?
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your vision is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness—how deep is that darkness! – Matthew 6:22-23
When a pastor calls his darkness light, he cuts himself off from God and others, and the duplicity becomes more and more costly. He loses his support from is family because the hypocrisy becomes unbearable.
If a pastor, and for that matter, any of us, satisfies our father-hunger with God and not with the ministry or titles, we will grow as true sons and daughters of God. It will therefore be the fruit of our lives, which will benefit others, and encourage them to bear their fruit by connecting to the True Vine, Jesus Christ.
The average pastor cannot maintain a pastor’s schedule, manage all the demands of human needs and interaction, attended meetings, weddings, funerals, and remain human. He’ll either suck it up, put on his cape and pretend to soar, or he’ll take on the humility of Christ.
A good and wise pastor will understand that his heart and identity is far more important than is superhero reputation and notoriety. His true strength is in allowing his humanness to be seen from time to time and not his cape.
In other words, take on the humility of Christ and the burden of Christ. Did you know that bearing your cross is a very public affair? Jesus bore the weight of his cross in public, and, at the moment where he had lost his strength, a simple man aided him and carried his cross for a distance.
Pastoring is not maintaining an Olympic-style dash from crisis to crisis, and it’s not meant to be a solo act. It’s teamwork; it should involve the aid of well qualified and faithful elders and deacons. After all, the ministry of the Church is meant for the Church and not because of the Church. By each of us, you and me, joining in the ministry, we will grow in our faith and collectively reach maturity in Christ as a healthy body.
A superhero pastor has no time for teamwork, it’s just easier and less complicated to do it all himself.
Since scripture has defined the Church as a body, the concept of real and healthy ministry is when the entire body functions together, when each member does its intended and gifted part.
When we act properly like a body, we can create a safe and healthy community where pastors can thrive within healthy boundaries. Maybe then pastors can cease leaping tall buildings in a single bound.
There is so much more to talk about on this subject. But, until then, pray for your pastors. Become more involved. Give them grace. Take better care of one another. Visit one another. Pray for one another. Support your pastor, and not just with financial gifts, but with your time too.
“Give me four years to teach the children, and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.” – Vladimir Lenin
Our Nation’s future is only secured in how well we parent and educate our children.
The sixteen points I’m about to layout are not opinions or political theories long forgotten. They are based on observations, news broadcasts, lawsuits, and current events. While many were first published in manifestos, books, etc., long ago, they have become daily mainstream news and the topic of many podcasts and publications.
Now, sadly, it’s our turn to witness the collapsing of a once great nation. You and I, regrettably, have a front-row seat.
Every fallen nation before us has encountered these destructive trends:
State and federal controll of education. To educate or re-educate the children away from national and religious morals, tuths, and foundations; to inhibit the royalty of self-governance, personal responsibility, and patriotism; to destroy parental authority and autonomy.
Democratization of the Republic. To replace our representive structure of government, “for the people and by the people,” to a mobocracy, whereby government is ran by mass-appeal and populism; to progressively usher in a Socialistic State; to pave the way for dictatorial, communistic governance.
Seizure and polarization of the Free Press. To control all communications for the purposes of the state and federal governments; to either control or be controlled by partisan means.
The loss of journalistic integrity. To control and create narratives; the abeyance of fact; to avoid exculpatory evidence, fact, and truth that may enforce or promote the counter party’s ideals and positions; to simply distort and twist narratives for party gain.
Cancelation of patriotism and everything that promotes healthy nationalism. To pervert anything that promotes unity, the American way of life and liberty; to distort national pride, ingenuity, achievement, and excellence.
The refusal to teach American, Constitutional, and World history. To create ignorance; to lessen or eliminate the impact and importance of the past; to control future outcomes by eliminating historical fact and evidence.
Destruction of relational norms, i.e. family, sexuality, maternity, and paternity. To attack and destroy the very fabric of society. To corrupt mother and father archetypes, whereby either sex can occupy the opposite roles; to distort and redirect offspring from normative and healthy relationships; to destroy future generations.
Sexual deviation and exploitation. Normalization of pornography, pedophilia, and gender dysphoria. To corrupt and destroy all morality, sexual boundaries; to inhibit and reduce reproduction; to control population; to distort mankind as God’s image bearers.
Destruction of free, fair, and open elections. “Those Who Vote Decide Nothing Those Who Count The Votes Decide Everything” – Joseph Stalin. To control the outcome of all elections, ensuring and maintaining a one-sided control.
Persecution and imprisonment of political dissenters, detractors, and rivals. To create a one-sided control of all political power, including every sector of state and federal government; to put fear in the minds of political and ideological detractors and dissenters; to dissuade political rivals.
The creation of a State and Federal controlled surveillance system. To monitor and track dissenters for future arrest, persecution, and imprisonment; to set up a social scoring system by use of personal algorithms on social media platforms.
State and Federal control of all forms of transportation. To control and limit freedom of movement; to corral people into manageable classes, sectors, regions, or groups.
The creation of a programmable digital currency. To control personal and corporate financial freedom; buying, selling, profiting, and distributing. A form of financial rewards and punishment.
The rise of a cancel culture of anything that defies progressivism and primitivism. To crush, marginalize, and destroy common decency and common sense; to promote un-American ideals, trends, and philosophies; to essentially and fundamentally change America into a fascistic society.
The perversion of the judicial system and law and order. To create chaos and confusion; to allow for injustice, political favoritism, cronyism; to pave the way for political and corporate evil and lawbreakers.
The exploitation and manipulation of racial differences, i.e. race wars. To cause disunity and societal fragmentation; to exploit for political needs; to create mass distraction, hysteria, riots, etc., for political means; to gain thought and mind control, useful to maintain political power and control over minority groups.
The destruction of our Second Amendment Right Keep and Bear Arms. “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” To keep the citizens from having the power and the means of protection against a tyrannical government; to thwart any domestic power from dictatorial control or governance: to throw off the restraints and infringements of a rouge and renegade government; to provide for personal defense and safety.
I could literally go on and on. But I think by now you can clearly see that America is so far down the river that I’m afraid the current has become too strong to paddle against.
“If the foundations [of a godly society] are destroyed, What can the righteous do?” – Psalm 11:3
God’s children should never be the people with their heads in the sand. But, sadly, our American history shows that we are!
If you carefully consider the sixteen articles I’ve written above, you can see what has happened during our absence as godly vanguards of culture, classroom, church, and Constitution. We failed, but not as politicians and patriots, but as Christians commissioned to teach, preach, and baptize the nations, beginning with our own. The antidote to all the corruption, darkness, and evil is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Do you realize that it took evil intentioned men and women only eighty years, that’s two generations, to flip Western civilization, culture, and society upside-down?
“Give me four years to teach the children, and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.” – Vladimir Lenin – Founder of The Russian Communist State.
Where do you think the evil Vladimir Lenin got this principle from?
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6
Yes, that’s right, from the Bible! Don’t forget, evil men read the Bible too!
You see, to the fact that our children have been co-opted and re-educated by the State is our fault. We willingly gave them our children, and sadly, most still do.
People! The government has had our children since the 1830s, when the government officially inacted compulsory public education. In my estimation, that day was the beginning of the end of America. If there were an autopsy on the death of America, the report would read cause of death: abdication of child education and parental authority to the state.
Many religious people have long since given up their parental, religious, and patriotic duty for a pre-tribulation rapture theory. This theory has taken care, custody, and control from their vocabularies. The darker it becomes, the more it ensures an eminent exfiltration. Pre-tribulation, Dispensational rapture theory is another gospel, and its pontificators and false teachers should be avoided.
This destructive theory has played into the hands of evil-minded, secular cultists, secret societies, evil politicians, and educators. Coincidentally, pre-tribulation and dispensational premillennialism came on the historical scene within the same mid 19th century as compulsory education theory, John Dewey, Evolutionism, Charles Darwin, Communism, Karl Marx, and Religious Humanism, John H. Dietrich. I do not believe that all these new theories and philosophies were mere happenstance, but may be demonic implantations.
“Nevertheless, even if we ourselves or an angel from heaven preach any gospel to you other than that which we have preached to you, hold him as accursed.” As we said before, so say I now again: If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that which ye have received, let him be accursed! – Galatians 1:8-9
A perverted gospel curses culture, children, church, and country.
Parents, rescue your children! Get them out of public schools! Maybe, if you do, you can save your family’s future, and America’s too.
Narcissus: “a youth who fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool and wasted away from unsatisfied desire, whereupon he was transformed into the flower.” Greek Mythology
Several months ago, I watched the movie “The Giver,” with my wife, Toni. While this movie was about a futuristic society, it is relevant and a wake-up call for all of us today. We are quickly becoming the society depicted in this film as emotionless, colorless, and vaccinated against thinking and reason. Yes, the film depicts families performing daily and routine vaccinations before leaving their “family units” for predetermined vocations on behalf of the Collective.
I recommend watching the movie trailer before reading on…
We have allowed ourselves to become programmed by the programmers. Whenever we accept “truth” from others without research and discovery we enter into another level of being programmed.
Not only are we losing our critical and analytically thought processes, but we are losing our language, and therefore our ability to communicate clearly and creatively.
In a similar way, we are losing our spirituality. Rather than connecting directly to God, through Jesus Christ (The Word) and the Holy Spirit (Teacher, Comforter, and Guide), we limit our connections to the Godhead by extensions of corporate worship of 15 to 20 minutes per week. Our spirituality is lived vicariously through our spiritual leader’s personal intimacy with God.
We’ve abdicated our inherent rights as sons and daughters of God to personally hear His Voice, not as “new revelation,” but rather a deeper intimacy. We value pastors as to how well they can hold our brief attention, rather than teaching us to feed ourselves on the Word and voice of God. Too many pastors have assumed the role of the Holy Spirit, which further alienates us from the Third Person of the Trinity. Whom, by the way, is the real Gift-Giver.
There is no process to practice ministry, as the ministry has become nothing more than spectating and being ministered to. There is little, to no outlet for functional ministry being practiced by the average believer, and so we remain giftless.
This reminds me of the days long ago when the government removed wood shops, metal shops, mechanic shops as well as home economics from public schools. Children are left with no physical application or the opportunity to learn a trade. The advantage of tactile learning has vanished.
Many churches have done the same thing. They’ve removed all of the application and ministerial outlets for members to exercise their gifts as they learn the truth, therefore becoming perpetual students and not masters of their unique spiritual gifts and service to others.
Many teachers, not all, have become programmers also. They dispense pre-selected and government-approved curricula to the masses. Classrooms are no longer a place of free-thinking of free ideas and ideals. God is not welcomed there, also. Excellence is shunned and replaced with fairness, and high standards are lowered to mediocrity, so no one fails.
Common grammar school literature of the 16th century could not be read, nor comprehended by the average high school student of today.
Progressively, technology and the internet are replacing fundamental human contact and interaction. Technological corporations are sanitizing the meaning of life and are reprogramming the masses to “living” for pleasure and consumerism. Our lives and interests are becoming nothing more than algorithms, measured by impersonal machines, reporting to corporate mongrels who fight for a greater market share of our existence.
Our divine purpose and uniqueness have been replaced by political usefulness; mere polling data for those in power to gain greater control over our individualism until it too vanishes.
Utopianism is impossible in a fallen world. As soon as it is politically achieved, it immediately turns into despotism. But the tyrannical of every generation wants its opportunity to do it better; with utter ignorance of past failures and abandoned hindsight, they press forward with backward thinking and demonic ideology. Their deranged ideology creates a deranged society and a warped and selfish culture.
And so, are there any humans out there? Do you feel anymore? Do you love people, or only the device, which you use to connect yourself to them?
Is your skin stained with enough ink yet? Do you have any more natural skin left? Are you pierced enough? Are you satisfied with all your selfies plastered throughout social media? Are your relationships about what you can get until you can’t get anymore?
We have made our outer bodies into billboards of our own inner selfishness and self-worship. Our self-absorbtion has absorbed most of our humanness.
It would appear that the more technologically we’ve become as a society, the more primitive we’ve become as a culture. It seems that technology, as wonderful and useful as it is, is diminishing our humanity towards one another and to nature.
The number of tattoos, piercings, abortions, and Botox is not an indicator of a progressive technological society, but a society that is regressing into tribalism and primitivism.
Are people, you know, humans; are they disposable, like the unborn, infants, and the elderly? How about relationships? Are you a dumper, or are you a dumpee?
People are challenged to dump ice-cold buckets of water on themselves and others or ingest Tide pods or dance outside their moving vehicles, which are appearing more and more unintelligent. I challenge you to think and act for yourselves so that you may act wisely and think kindly towards others.
Our humanity is at risk, and if it is lost, our humaneness towards one another will end. Our loss of humaneness always starts with a loss of saneness.
Narcissus: “a youth who fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool and wasted away from unsatisfied desire, whereupon he was transformed into the flower.” Greek Mythology
Our culture is fast becoming a collection of “flowers.”
“She looks at herself instead of looking at you and so doesn’t know you.” – Le Rouge et le Noir (The Red and the Black) by Marie-Henri Beyle
As a society, we can not peer into the mirror for too long before we’ve become wasted and unsatisfied. When we spend too much time looking at our own images, we tend to build our lives around ourselves. We merely seek relationships with people who remind ourselves of ourselves and that look and act as selfishly as we do. The over adornment of tattoos, body piercings, self-obsession, and body emphasis is proof that our culture is transforming into nothing more than a bouquet of flowers.
And this is how historians will say America was lost.
The more we look at and emphasize ourselves instead of each other, the less we know one another.
We can only rediscover our original humanity in the Creator and in Jesus Christ. God created us in his image, which time and again we’ve lost, but Jesus Christ is the Image Restorer and the Restorer of Life.
Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Deuteronomy 8:3 (NLT)
We can do this. We can become less distracted with ourselves and become more attracted to God and to one another.
If we feed ourselves more on what God is saying than on what others are texting or tweeting and preaching, maybe, just maybe we can save America again.
Call To Courage 