World Views

The Great Divide II

I previously wrote on this topic two years ago (November 9, 2020). I missed the mark in that article by failing to expose the primary etiology of the Great Divide. I kind of danced around the edges of it. Politics as divisive as it can be is not the  issue here. Red states versus blue states and republicans versus democrats seems to be what we all focus on. Everything is not red, blue or even purple. No, we get carried away with this idea that everything will be ok once we elect our guy and hold on to power by knocking our opponent out of the majority. How is this working out for us? Not so good as far as I can tell. We are experiencing similar cycles that we have seen Israel experience with their Judges and Kings. Their issues were the result of a spiritual divide that led God's Chosen to their ultimate demise. They found themselves again and again on the wrong side of the divide, even after continuous warnings by the prophets sent by God to correct them. I contend that like Israel we have a spiritual divide in our country.

Psalm 1 outlines for us the divide. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on his Law he meditates day and night." Do we find ourselves mixing in and siding with modern day "Canaanites" and "Moabites," when we are called to be in the world but not of it? Are we spending time in the Word so that we can avoid the same pitfalls that Israel experienced? There is a blessing in it for us if we heed God's call to us.

What does the man who abides in God's Word look like? "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does , he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away." When we are nourished daily with living water we will flourish. The contrast couldn't be more clear here, we are to be, a bountiful tree that is deeply rooted and nourishes others, as opposed to the rootless dried out, dead chaff that is driven away by the wind. 

"Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." As Christians we play the long game because in the end we win. Christ has already won the victory for us on the cross and by his resurrection from the dead. Politics is like the chaff that is blown away by the wind. We must put our faith in the eternal not the ephemeral.

What side of the Great Divide do you find yourself on? If you find yourself on the wrong side there is hope for you. However, there is only one way over and that is through the cross of Christ, by putting your faith and trust in Him you can find the bridge that leads to life and life eternal.

Thoughts on 49 Years of Roe v Wade

Before 1973 and the Roe v Wade decision, there were thirty states in which abortions were illegal. That all changed when the Supreme Court struck down the laws in those 30 states and made abortion on demand legal and a "constitutional right" in all 50 states. Legal scholars on both sides of the issue agreed that Roe was decided wrongly. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 63,459,781 babies have been aborted as a consequence of this decision. We have been witness to a holocaust right under our very nose for 49 years. A national industry of slaughterhouses aka Planned Parenthood sprung up to provide abortions on demand. Techniques were experimented with to provide the least amount of damage to sought after fetal tissues that were then sold to tissue banks for further distribution and sale to the scientific research community, a lucrative sideline for the abortion provider and banks.. Never before has there been a more heinous dehumanization and callous disregard of human life victimizing such a vulnerable population (the unborn) in history.

Friday, June 24th, 2022 things came to a screeching halt, Roe v Wade and Casey v Planned Parenthood were overturned in a landmark decision by the conservative justices on the SCOTUS.  Dobbs v Jackson was the catalyst for overturning the wrongful decisions made so long ago. Abortion  issues will now be decided at the state level. Women who make up greater than 50% of the voting population will have their say in electing pro-life or pro-choice legislators and governors in their respective states. The ball is in the court of the people to decide, not unelected judges. In a way it is a hollow victory, abortion is not going away overnight with this decision. It is, however, a legal victory for upholding the constitution and the rule of law.

Pro-Lifers, we need to roll up our sleeves, the fight has just begun! We need to define legislation to protect the rights of the unborn from conception to birth. This and nothing less should be our goal. The spilled blood of Abel cried out to the Lord and he heard. What does the sound of 63 million innocents crying out to the Lord sound like? I shudder to think about it.

A Memorial Day Poem

                                                                                          Watering the Tree

We've spilled our blood on Flanders Field, the Belleau Wood and the muddy trenches in France.                                                               On a quiet night when the stars shine bright and you can hear the crickets sing, those who have fallen join the chorus:             "Please don't forget the sacrifice we made, we've fallen here with our brothers. Patriots all we answered the call and gave our all, to water the tree of liberty."

The beaches of Normandy we stormed, and little known islands in the Pacific. We fought through jungles, swamps, hedge groves, forrest and fields and deserts. We braved the ice, snow, we were cold and wet and fought when wounded.  On a quiet night when the stars shine bright and you can hear the crickets sing, those who have fallen join the chorus:             "Please don't forget the sacrifice we made, we've fallen here with our brothers. Patriots all we answered the call and gave our all, to water the tree of liberty."

Over the Chosin Reservoir and the barren mountains of Korea we battled and fought. It was called the forgotten war, how can this be when we still left behind our precious blood and treasure?                                                                                                                     On a quiet night when the stars shine bright and you can hear the crickets sing, those who have fallen join the chorus:             "Please don't forget the sacrifice we made, we've fallen here with our brothers. Patriots all we answered the call and gave our all, to water the tree of liberty."

In the steaming jungles and rice paddies of Vietnam , Khe Sahn, A Shau Valley,  Hamburger Hill, we were called once again to protect and defend, 58,220 were laid to rest, their names all, etched on a black granite wall.                                                       On a quiet night when the stars shine bright and you can hear the crickets sing, those who have fallen join the chorus:             "Please don't forget the sacrifice we made, we've fallen here with our brothers. Patriots all we answered the call and gave our all, to water the tree of liberty."

We fought house to house from Baghdad to Fallujah in the forsaken towns all across Iran. We have stained the desert sands red with patriot's blood, all too to eager for more.                                                                                                                                                     On a quiet night when the stars shine bright and you can hear the crickets sing, those who have fallen join the chorus:             "Please don't forget the sacrifice we made, we've fallen here with our brothers. Patriots all we answered the call and   gave our all, to water the tree of liberty."

For 18 years we fought this country's longest war in the god forsaken land of Afghanistan. From the caves of Tora Bora through mountains with no names , valleys and villages and cities like Kabul, we've paid the price in spades.                              On a quiet night when the stars shine bright and you can hear the crickets sing, those who have fallen join the chorus:             "Please don't forget the sacrifice we made, we've fallen here with our brothers. Patriots all we answered the call and gave our all, to water the tree of liberty."

 NEVER FORGET!