I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is thy keeper:
The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Psalm 121
Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 124:8
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear,
Though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
Psalm 46:1-3
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
I Peter 5:6,7
This past month on the Virginia Tech campus, we have lived through another school horror experience of human depravity that has escalated human suffering for many Americans. This might be a small thing in comparison to parts of the world where people are being tortured in unthinkable ways, but for America this is an outrage. Our liberal media has responded to this in such a way that we are already experiencing the “copycat” fall out. The despondent and dissatisfied start to follow suit for the recognition and celebrity status that they will inevitably attain (thanks to our liberal press) whether they live or die in the fiasco.
What this all amounts to is another stunning example of how our worldview affects every area of our lives, as our beliefs and our assumptions about life will determine our actions and our conclusions. In other words our IDEAS do have CONSEQUENCES, and our Assumptions will determine our conclusions.
Our culture (as we have allowed it) has affected our commitment to biblical absolutes and has come right into the church. Culture says there is no such thing as sin, man is born good and it is only a “flaw in our consciousness” or our environment that determines our responses or destiny. Modern Psychology has given us the right to be irresponsible and not accountable for consequences. It is always somebody or something else that has to be blamed. We sit with great piety on our pity pots, feeling “entitled” to our “rights” and continue to indulge ourselves in the numbing complexity of busyness, entertainment and preoccupation of most things that will not matter eternally. Most lives are becoming more and more empty. The old slogan of the 80’s is still very much with us today: “He Who Dies With the Most Toys Wins.”
Culture says that we are only evolving animals and that a fetus is not human until the moment of birth. Therefore we can kill them up to the point of birth with saline solutions or sucking them out in bits and pieces from their Mother’s womb. On the other hand, we spend millions to save whales and then arrest people that accidentally kill an endangered species. In many ways animals are more important than people. We can’t drill for oil in our own land to allow us to be less oil dependent because of a miniscule percentage of environmentalists. These, like the feminists and homosexual activists, seem to be able to control (with the help of the liberal media) our shift toward “their agenda” and the “politically correct cultural Marxism.”
Our children continue to become less and less intelligent, but with higher self-esteem than ever. They are so involved in electronic games that deal with murder, stealing, and lying (etc.), that the line between truth and reality is increasingly blurred. The web is now more dangerous than ever for our children with My Space and variations of it. Parents are so intimidated by their own children that they have lost their position of authority to rule in their own homes. As Isaiah 3:12b says: “Children are their oppressors and women rule . . .” Culture says that we can’t give the death sentence to murderers, but we can euthanize those that are no longer considered “productive.” (Check out history and much of Europe) In other words, MAN DECIDES TRUTH, NOT GOD.
The really sad thing about our American culture is that we are allowing the freedoms that we fought so hard to win, slip away from us through the political correctness of the day (Cultural Marxism). We allow high profile “celebrities” to get on college campuses and chant: “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Western Civ has got to go!” Stealing, cheating, immorality and violence are all a part of the college scene. In a recent historical video we watched, George Washington was portrayed as anything BUT the man that is revealed in his personal letters. Revisionist history continues to blaspheme our heroes, and there is no outcry from the silent majority. The leader of Iran is trying to propagate the incredible lie that the Holocaust never happened and yet we have people living today that are survivors of that infamy!!! Our “Christian” youth pledge in the “True Love Waits” campaign that they will remain chaste until marriage, and yet statistics show that 88% do not. With this last episode of violence (Virginia Tech) inevitably the question of gun control will again come to debate and our Second Amendment rights to bear arms will continue to be challenged. What is causing this “disconnect” in our thinking, essentially world wide? (There is no time or space to get into the political disconnects!!) When we throw out biblical absolutes, then we have no basis for civilized behavior. All of civilization has operated on some or all aspects of the Ten Commandments since the beginning of time. Yet now every man is doing what is right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25), calling evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). Such are the times in which we are living. As times get more challenging, what is our challenge, responsibility and commitment? Truly, as Ecclesiastes 1:9 tells, us, there is nothing new under the sun.
The phrase from the classic book, A Tale of Two Cities, comes to mind: “It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times!” As Christians we have to realize the calling we have in the face of these times (I Corinthians 1:26). We are to act with godly courage and penetrate this ungodly culture. Many of us are going merrily along and thinking of only #1. Jesus’ example was of one who came to serve and to die and to give His life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28) and to proclaim “Truth” that has endured the millennia, specifically that He came to die that we might have eternal life. That life is in receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior (John 3:16-18, I Peter 1:18,19).
With the time that we have left on this earth, and in the face of the “times in which we live” (I Chronicles 12:32) do we know and understand our times and what to do about them? How can we be more effective in our witness to the watching world? Are we defenders of, or defectors from the faith? Is our life pleasing to God, worthwhile or worthless? God has raised each of us up for such a time as this (Esther 4), so let us not squander the time and resources that are available to us as the days become more challenging (Ephesians 5:15). We pray that the Scriptures above will give us all added encouragement to realize that apart from the Lord, we can do nothing (John 15:5, II Corinthians 3:5), and our times are in HIS ample hands (Psalm 31:14,15), even in times like this. God desires our hearts, not our lip-service. Have you received the free gift of eternal life? (Eph.2:8,9, Rom. 10:9,13)
The last two months have been encouraging in ministry, but challenging in terms of health issues and time management. In addition to the flu, Jobe spent three days in the hospital to get the new drug for atrial fibrillation regulated and has done very well on it for six weeks now with no irregularities. We have both had dental work and cysts removed, and I’ve had my required repeat colonoscopy, no new polyps, but inflamed diverticuli. Please pray especially for Taryn and Mirren as they complete this first year of their doctoral program. They will do an immediate post-term course starting May 14. We are preparing for three homeschool conventions in the coming months and are researching additional incredible creatures. Pray for personal discipline and strength for sorting, tossing, organizing, and good use of time for the always impending mundane monotonies and the “unexpected!”
Schedule: May-June 2007
May 6: Rockwall Bible Church, Rockwall, TX, 10:30am & 6pm: Seizing the Moment
11: Christian Heritage Academy, Rockwall, TX, K-6th grades, Incredible Creatures that God has created.
14-22: Taryn and Mirren, post term class at Pensacola Christian College
17-19: FEAST (Homeschool Convention) San Antonio, TX , Worldview, Creation/Evolution issues
24-26: Leave for Kentucky and opening of Answers in Genesis Creation Museum
27th: Plainfield Christian Church, Plainfield, IN, Sunday School, Worldview, Creation issues, Creatures
June7-9th: SETHSA (Homeschool Convention), Houston, TX, speak and exhibit
10th: Possible ministry opportunity, unconfirmed
17th: Taryn and Mirren back to Pensacola for month class
27th: Grace Ave. Baptist Church, Richmond, VA: Incredible Creatures
29- 2: National Educator’s Convention (NEA), representing Answers in Genesis, Philadelphia, PA
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