Politics and the Pulpit

When I moved into a new home, in a new state, where I knew no one, one of the first people to reach our to me was a Greek lawyer originally from Long Island. I met him at church. We shared a New York accent, adjustment issues and a love of the new church that we had both chosen to attend. At the center of that church is a man devoted to God. His name is Pastor Nathan.*

Pastor Nathan is a scholar of a man. He shines for the Lord very brilliantly every day. This Pastor could have been a big deal college professor. His parents certainly thought so but, that is not what he was called to do. He was called to be a Pastor. And he is the best little Pastor I ever did meet. 

He teaches the unadulterated truth of the Bible, and compassionately visits the sick. Pastor Nathan visited me frequently in my new home and offered prayers and advise as contractors and workmen hammered and painted away. What a great and godly welcome I felt as I began my new life! He also seems to have a knack for keeping his little sheep in the sheep fold, like a good shepherd ought to. All except for one that is, my new Greek friend from Long Island. 

I spent all last summer cleaning my new house, and unpacking boxes.The warm, and godly email exchanges with my new Greek friend Kostas* were a helpful distraction as I settled in. In those emails I learned that Kostas was a new Christian and that he was currently reading through the entire Bible for the first time. In our email exchanges we contemplated various bible verses as would be mentioned. How uplifting this was as I was in the last stressful stages of selling my old house in Westchester County, New York. Kostas had a fiancée who was finalizing the sale of her house in Florida. We commiserated on all of the horrible bureaucratic details of our sales and how much we missed our loved ones. What a comfort for both of us. There were just so many parallels in our lives.

Kostas was keenly interested in delving deeply into the Bible and recognized the unique ability of Pastor Nathan to teach and preach the truth of that text. All seemed to be going smoothly for Kostas as he made a transition to his new life as a Christian. He grew up in a home that espoused the Greek Orthodox tradition of Christianity but, it never did seem to click with him. 

As most new believers, he was passionate about the precious gift of salvation that he had received from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He wondered about sharing that faith and spoke of handing out literature at a local farmer’s market. He even spoke about starting a legal service in our area to help people who could not afford legal representation. He was busting at the seams looking for ways to know Jesus and to make Him known. It was inspirational for a long-time believer, such as me, to see this love of a new believer unfolding.

Just as Kostas was settling into his new home, he was blessed to meet a woman, Sandra* at a church service. Sandra was a woman who had known the Lord since an early age. She was visiting a sister who lives in the area. She seemed like a perfect helpmate for Kostas and he seemed perfect for her. They fell in love and wanted to get married. I was invited to attend their wedding late last summer. They did not know many people in the community but the church community came out in full-force to cheer them on. 

It was one of my first social events in a new community. I felt blessed to be part of their wedding celebration. Kostas thanked me for being a part of their happy event. Our friendship was growing. We even began to plan a lunch at his favorite restaurant. My new godly friendships with Pastor Nathan, his wife Aby*, Kostas and Sandra were an answered prayer and I was thanking God for them daily. What could possibility go wrong? 

Well, here are a few possibilities of things that could go wrong. Bringing New York idols to your new home for one. There is an old saying, you can take a man out of New York, but can you take the New York out of the man? Then there is the new believer syndrome. This is a cluster of symptoms including perfectionism, biblical illiteracy and spiritual immaturity. 

Kostas did indeed treat us to a lovely Greek meal and I invited him and his new wife to join my husband and I at a local greenhouse for a flower arranging class. I felt he was grouchy at the greenhouse. Perhaps, in retrospect, it would have been more fun if Sandra and I did the class together and let the guys do something else. I thought the event would offer us all an opportunity to get better acquainted. If he did not wish to participate, he could have declined the invitation.

But, a strange fact was emerging in my relationship with Kostas. I believe that Kostas was more comfortable talking to me online rather than in person. There is a lot of that going around these days. People enjoy talking online but in-person the relationship fails. However, when we did share time in person, I felt that he was looking for a more dynamic church. He asked me a number of times what was my opinion on church revival. Was he looking for a more outward looking church? Was evangelization central to what he thought the mission of a church should be? 

Interestingly enough, it might have been God equipping him to live the life of a lawyer that was now touching his heart with a mission to use his gifts to reach others for Jesus. But, what of Pastor Nathan? I wondered if he was beginning to think differently of him as time went on. Like a romance, the thing that we fall in love with in another person over time no longer compels us the way it did before. Kostas loved the amazing exegesis that Pastor Nathan brings to any bible study, but perhaps he though that our little church in the country needed more.

I sensed he was pulling away from my husband and I as time went by too. Sad to think that one of the first friends that I made could just cut us off so quickly. He talked of inviting my husband for coffee but never followed through. I gave him space since he was a newlywed but, I sensed a growing discontent growing within him. In conversation with my husband, he brought up a number of hot-button political issues. My husband felt there was no context that could explain why Kostas brought these topics up except perhaps that they were on his mind and bothering him.

In the meantime, as all that drama was building up to an eventual crescendo, I was getting to know Sandra in a special way. She was part of the church craft club that I have been developing since late winter. A group of us craft loving Christian ladies have been getting together once a month to sing hymns, pray and craft. Sandra came forward to offer me support, “in any way that you need it.” This worked out perfectly when I fractured my shoulder and she came forward to do a craft and share her Christian testimony in an upcoming class. 

I can’t tell you how blessed and fortunate that I felt knowing that while I was recuperating from an injury, there is someone to take over the reins of the operation. This is truly what a body of Christ is supposed to look like. So, I relaxed and enjoyed all the leisure time that I had since I would not have to prepare a craft class for the May meeting. I relaxed until that fateful Sunday when everything went haywire!

It started out like any other Sunday morning. Our church greeters for the day were the very cheerful and chipper Kostas and Sandra. Nothing seemed wrong as Sandra handed me my weekly bulletin and bible study notes. Since it was five days until the craft class I wanted to affirm with Sandra that she would indeed be playing a hymn on the piano for the event. She warmly said, “oh you don’t have to worry about that, I have it covered.” I grabbed my bulletin and scurried to my pew as the service was about to begin. 

The Pastor had already begun announcements when I sat down. In a moment he would be reminding people about the church craft class and asking people to raise their hand if they thought they would be attending. No problem here, Sandra was one of the sea of hands I saw raised when the Pastor made his inquiry. At this point, I was just taking note of the numbers as I would be preparing a small luncheon for the day. 

Before long, it would be prayertime and I believe that Pastor Nathan would commit an unpardonable sin in Kostas’ mind. Pastor Nathan did not pray the way Kostas thought he should and he even preached a sermon from the letter of first John about love that was biblical but not au courant.

In other words, Pastor Nathan following his calling to preach the Bible as it is without interpreting it away and Kostas found out in his young Christian walk that he did not believe that. It is one thing to go running to a message of redemption and eternal life, it is quite another to understand this world in terms of God’s thoughts, which are higher than ours, and God’s plans. 

It seems that Politics and the Pulpit clarifies what it is that you and I believe. The choices are clear. God has a design and purpose for our lives, our families and the world and that is outlined in the Bible. We must act in accordance with God’s purposes including how we vote and what policies that we support. 

The whole reason Kostas walked out of our church is because of what he believed about the shootings that recently occurred in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas. Pastor Nathan prayed and offered an explanation of the events in the context of a biblical discussion of sin. After that, the Pastor continued in his sermon series on the first letter of John. Kostas went ballistic and ran out of the church as soon as the service concluded. 

Why did he do that? Because, the issues of life divide us. They do not and will not bring us together. They may even bring us to the brink of war. Kostas is looking for the answers that would solve the issues of sin, such as shootings. Kostas beliefs seem to indicate that he thinks if we Christian’s all got together we could stop school shootings. Kostas doesn’t understand that our nature is to sin and that Jesus is the only solution. Even as regards war, the book of Isaiah, chapter 2, verse 4 tells us that God is the only force that will stop war when he, beats their swords into plowshares. 

Kostas brought a whole lot of New York attitude to his new church and since Pastor Nathan failed to genuflect at the altar of political correctness and instead illuminated the deeper meaning of the situation, a division had occurred. Kostas informed the Pastor that he would no longer be attending the church. That day, I also found an email from Kostas telling me that it was “nice knowing us” and oops, “he is sorry that Sandra would not be coming to the craft class” that she was supposed to run in five days.

He was barely civil to me. How is this godly behavior? I was left putting together a class on very short notice. And, what of the judgement upon the Pastor, who is given authority by God to fulfill a mission. Where is the respect for someone anointed by God to guide and direct his congregation? Didn’t even the anointed King David leave room for the proper de-throning of King Saul before he began his reign?

Kostas never gave the Pastor nor I any explanation about why he was leaving or why he was so cold to us. I believe the reason that Kostas left the church is that he was grappling with the “sin question.” I don’t think he understands how sin permeates our earthly lives. He thought he was grappling with a bad Pastor or ineffective prayer. He might have even thought that he was fighting for what was right.

In reality, he was simply an immature Christian who did not understand the underlying spiritual issue behind the recent shootings. When we see the shedding of innocent blood so callously and cruelly, we have come face to face with the outcome of sin. The Bible teaches us that “all sin is lawlessness.” 

It is important to understand, when we see lawlessness such as looting of department stores, rape, or school shootings, we are looking sin square in the face. In order to deal with sin, we must start with an understanding of what it is. If you don’t understand the sin problem, you can not fashion an effective solution. The premise helps to form the conclusion. Kostas, was not on the right page. He thought that gun control, or efforts to eleviate mental illness or poverty were the answers. Did guns or poverty kill 19 children in Texas or did sin do it? If this young man did not have a gun, would he be a good neighbor, and fine upstanding citizen. Would he use his power for good suddenly or would he still use his strength and prowess to fashion evil actions? 

Of course, he would not be a fine upstanding citizen. His mother had addiction problems in her life, his father has not been mentioned and his grandfather did not hold him accountable for what he did behind the closed doors of his teenage angst-ridden bedroom. He seems to have had a lot of sin around him and he seemed to have learned the business of sin well.

Did poverty cause sin or did sin cause poverty? Are we sometimes poverty stricken because our sinful father has abandoned his responsibilities as a father? The answer is sin-1, virtue-0. What about having a mother who spends money on drugs when we need material support? The answer is sin-2, virtue-0. What about training your child in the way that it should go and in the end it will not depart from what you teach them? I am paraphrasing from the book of Proverbs. That is another point for sin. Sin is up 3 points. 

So, we start with sin and we move to solutions from there. God did that, after all, in the book of Genesis. We see that when sin came into the world, God fashioned a solution. He told us the heel of the savior, that God would send, would be bruised by Satan. But, that Satan would ultimately be crushed by the Savior. In Kostas’ way he was bruised and was suffering from the sight of sin. We all are. 

Angry and frustrated, he believed that he could fashion a solution through political means. The people of Israel instead of being lead by God, chose a political solution when they wanted to have a King. They got King Saul. They could have had God leading them but, they wanted a King. I think Kostas has a lot in common with those ancient peoples.

Next week: Politics and the Pulpit (the problem of sin)-Part 2

* The names are changed.

Post Easter Talk

How was your Easter? Was there evidence that it was a commemoration of Jesus’ death and resurrection or, was it mostly a throw back pagan holiday? What was the meaning of Easter in your home? Easter bread, ham, lamb, eggs, or chocolate bunnies about the extent of it? Easter egg hunts and Easter egg rolls the height?  Perhaps, seeing the children in Easter clothes and an Easter basket is the only thrill of the celebration? It’s all about the kids? What does any of this have to do with Jesus Christ revealing himself as the messiah, and the pivotal event of his resurrection?

(Just in case you are wondering, I love bread, ham, lamb and chocolate.)

Exodus 20:3- Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Max*and Jewel* did nothing but fight during their entire Easter vacation. Easter is one of the two times every year that they are able to get away for a week with their entire family. Easter has come to mean holiday to this family, not Jesus’ death and resurrection. 

But this year, the family vacation did not go so well. The kids had some grueling homework assignments for one thing. And what should have been a happy occasion, that is the first joint vacation with Jewel’s parents since covid, ended up being full of disagreements and arguements. When I ended up hearing the whole post-Easter analysis I came to believe that stress buildup and expectations got too high. Those expectations and those stress levels exceeded their coping skills.

The whole family acted like a bunch of entitled and bratty children. Grandma and grandpa wanted to see certain sights, the grandkids wanted to see other things. Nobody was willing to compromise. Max and Jewel just wanted to sleep or rest by the pool. This was their Easter.

Galatians 4:8-11- Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did serve unto them which by nature are no god. But now, after ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, where unto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain.

Then there was my friend Michelle*. Michelle usually church shops for Easter to see where she can get the best Easter spiritual experience! She goes to the websites to see a preview of sermons and the music ministry offering. She is having an emotional experience every Easter, tripping out on Jesus’ death and Resurrection. It is not that she is shallow. No, far from that. But, she doesn’t quite know how she should react to all that Jesus did for her. She thinks she should cry, scream and philosophize about it for a week or two and that is honoring Jesus.

What is the meaning of Easter and how did it evolve to what we are doing today? Early Christians spread the truth about Jesus Christ and thought they could soften the blow of giving up cultural celebrations by merely grafting on the commemoration of the resurrection unto people’s previous pagan holidays. In the lead up to Resurrection Day, I saw a few Christian movies and television shows. Next blog I might review some of them. One movie was called, “Church People.” It aptly describes how many churches approach the commemoration of Easter today.

The fictional Pastor wonders what he can do to make this Easter Service memorable. It had to be big, or so he thought. On one hand, I can see the pressure upon Pastors at Christmas and Easter to wow the crowds, after all, there is an opportunity to reach many people with the message of salvation. But, is that the genuine message of Jesus’ resurrection that we are preaching or just some broadway show version of the gospel? Is all that Jesus said and accomplished worthily put forth by being cast as an entertainment venue? 

2 Corinthians 6:17- Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you.

The conclusion in the movie “Church People” is that what Jesus did is enough. Focusing in on that is the purpose of Easter. Everything else is paganism or entertainment. 

* the names are changed or else they might be a little mad at me after this post. Truth can be a little ugly sometimes.

Easter/All At Once

Jax* feels like he is the victim of bad luck. He even wonders if he is cursed or something. It has been just one thing after the other for him since last summer. It has been almost one year since his beloved brother Dylan* unexpectedly passed away. Jax thought that he had years and years left to enjoy with his brother and he did not expect him to die so young.

He and his brother’s lack of planning for just such an eventuality lead to the dreaded situation of dying without leaving a will. Jax and Dylan shared ownership of a Manhattan property and other assets. Now, greedy estranged relatives and unscrupulous lawyers have descended upon my friend Jax like flies on excrement.

Un top of that, a mentally unstable tenant in a building that Jax owns decided to call the building department as a way of paying Jax back for not giving him preferential treatment in the building. Although my friend was innocent of any violations, the treatment and expense of proving the city wrong was difficult to handle. 

In addition, he has had some problems in his apartment building as of late. He has an adjacent apartment building owner challenging his property line. Did you ever wonder why the surveyor never tells a client that he owes the other guy a few feet of property? I do. I have literally never heard of any one saying that a neighbor came by to say that they owe you a couple of feet of property. It is always the other way around, hmm.

He has also had to have plumbers three times in the past six months come by to clear drains. There are indications that an expensive repair job might be looming. Normally Manhattan tough, I think Jax is overwhelmed with everything that has happened to him in the past year. 

We all have tough things happen to us ALL AT ONCE and we question the meaning behind it. Jax was starting to question if he was some sort of victim of bad luck even to the point of being cursed. It was time for Christian Housewife to step in.

He was wallowing in this notion of being cursed and it occurred to me that many people in that state of mind are vulnerable to unscrupulous advisors promising to clear that situation up. We all have read stories of people paying so-called psychics large amounts of money to rectify and remove curses. In the vulnerable state of confusion that can result from being overwhelmed, we are all at risk of poor judgment.

Jax already chose a bad lawyer to represent him in the probate case that will shortly be starting. As a result he has been bilked out of almost $10,000 before the case even begins. I stepped in and talked to Jax about basic principles of hiring and managing a legal professional from the beginning. 

Most people don’t have to use a lawyer often enough to understand the process very well. But, living in Westchester County, New York as long as I did taught me a thing or two on that front. There are many lawyers, psychiatrists and artists living in that county. If I could help Jax understand the legal process a little better as a result of my associations, then I am glad to help. He has now fired that lawyer and is looking for new representation.

I was thinking a lot about this curse thing though. The other day I finally had an opportunity to discuss it further with him. I also was thinking about the upcoming remembrance of Jesus’ Resurrection that we call Easter. What I realized is that Jesus’ Resurrection took away the curse, and the stain or anything else that is evil.

There are lots of examples in the Bible of people or whole nations suffering and feeling just as Jax feels, cursed. Job, had things happen to him All At Once too, I mentioned to Jax. The avalanche of things that befell Job are reminiscent of all that is happening to Jax. 

Ruth comes to mind as well when she says, call me Mara for I am bitter. She was expressing to people in her life and crying out to God about her situation. She felt emotional just as Jax does after all his loss. I am glad that Jax can share his feelings with me and that he has given me the opportunity to discuss his situation and explain God’s plan and purpose for his life.

Curses do exist. The Bible says that curses are the opposite of blessings and they are real. Are there evil oppressions that could explain what Jax is facing? The answer is yes.

But, it is up to us to contemplate just what Jesus has done to conquer adversity during this Easter season or whenever we are faced with everything happening All At Once. When we are overwhelmed we have to think back to what Jesus did on the cross. It was a willing exchange for our failings, for our just punishment and that means that ultimately because he has overcome, that we will overcome too, if not in this life then in the next.

Jesus did tell us that in this life there will be troubles. The Bible never soft peddles anything, just tells us the truth about life and death. So, we need to know that we are not alone in our fate because truly everyone suffers through trials and tribulations. However, we need to understand that with God’s help we will get through this life and have peace in this life and in the next because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Right now, a lot of people are suffering all over the world for a variety of reasons. The Lord cares and if we rely on him and the Easter message we will be resurrected. We must take this message to the people in our lives such as Jax and tell them the story of the resurrection. This resurrection is our resurrection if we decide to follow Jesus.  Let us as one caring Body of Christ love and assist our family and one another through these difficult times. The Lord has risen and because of that we must, I repeat, we must have hope and live that hope out every day now more than ever.

Oh death where is thy sting? A Joyous Resurrection Day/ Happy Easter! 

*The names are changed.

The Fall

When Confessions of a Westchester Christian Housewife talks about THE FALL, you are probably expecting a biblical account such as, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth-Genesis 1:1 or perhaps a poetic flurry such as Of man’s first disobedience and THE FALL by John Milton the English poet. Probably not expecting me to talk about my recent fall on a rug where I had neglected to put a rug pad. There were a couple of throw rugs in the attic of my recently purchased house that cleaned up pretty well. So, I thought that I would see how they would look in various locations before I bought a rug pad. I knew they were a little slippery but I seemed to forget that when I had an occasion to run across one of those rugs.

I am typing this blog post with my left hand, dealing with a technical fracture, rotator cuff and soft tissue injury. That fall, is the inglorious and humbling moment which is changing the trajectory of the spring season that I had planned for myself. How easy it is to get injured and sidetracked. How fragile is our human condition, that in just the twinkle of an eye, everything can change! It sounds like I am talking about that first fall again doesn’t it? Or, any fall? As my fall and its’ aftermath unfolded, I also became aware of someone from my past who was also dealing with a fall, he had again run afoul of the law. 

Those long term readers of this blog may recall a few blog posts that I did years ago highlighting a person from my past who got arrested. Another change that occurs in the twinkle of an eye is the disappointment and grief that we feel when someone that we care about falls in an unexpected and terrible way. I made a decision to try and stand beside this man in a godly way as he negotiated the prison system and his relationship with Jesus Christ.

Sin and its’ aftermath are always with us no matter how we try to spin it. Knowing God, has given me the courage to face this and to have some peace within that reality. That includes the news that *****, who spent five years in the slammer for selling some prescription drugs, has fallen down in doing right yet again. This was a sad turn of events for a man who had accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. 

I recently discovered that he had re-offended maybe by accident, maybe by grace or maybe I was wary of *****. My relationship with ***** fell apart pretty quickly after he was released from prison. After his incarceration, my husband and I took him on a sort of Christian retreat. It was apparent almost immediately that he was not able to accept responsibility for his actions. He went to bible study with us but seemed to have a chip on his shoulder that never came down. The accountability partners that my husband and I were hoping to be for him never materialized. 

I feared almost immediately that he was on the wrong track. He seemed to lose complete interest in us after he met a mysterious Cuban woman that he had an online relationship with. She was beautiful, and seemingly out of his league. The whole situation had catfish written all over it. I didn’t even bother to tell him that. I didn’t have to, he knew what I was thinking. 

More and more, ***** seemed to drift away from the Lord too. He had been asked to work in a bible study ministry and somehow, I heard nothing more about it pretty quickly. At a certain point, I assumed that he was falling away from his church’s fellowship. So, I was not surprised when, while searching for his address online, that a headline popped up from his local newspaper that says he was arrested last year for petit theft on Christmas Eve.

What a sad place to be on the Christmas Eve of your life, alone and stealing. What was he thinking, and feeling that would allow him to do that on one of the holiest days of the christian calendar? Alone, angry, or had his impulsive nature gotten the best of him? I am resolved to send him an Easter card and address this issue. Then it will be up to him if he wishes to call me up.

Ironically, it was my decision to send him an Easter card that lead me to search his address online. I had not spoken to him for a few years and thought that the remembrance of Jesus’ resurrection would perhaps recall our past Christ centered bond. Samson had a fall too. But, it is what we do after the fall that can either reconcile us with God or further sever that relationship entirely. Samson chose repentance. What will ***** choose? That is between him and God.

We are living in a time of huge failures, all of these failures reflect our sinful natures back to us everyday in huge ways. What about Russia and the Ukraine? What about our marriages, our friendships. What if there is no difference in sin and it is all wrong? You know what I am talking about, venial and mortal sin. The concept of a little white lie comes to mind. That some sin is okay, like looting from rich people or their stores. If sin is not so bad, then I would have to conclude, that it is all good as I hear cashiers and salespeople tell me all day long. But, observations keep telling me that the Bible is right and that we are sinners in need of a savior. 

I have noticed as of late, that society says that some sins are okay while others are not. The wrong sin and you are canceled. The right sin and no one will hold you accountable. Every day, we witness some one being canceled financially or professionally. But, didn’t Jesus say, Let he who is without sin cast the first stone-John 8:7? We are not to be part of the cancel culture, unless of course that we are as blameless as Jesus.

What if the Bible were true and what we see around us is the result of the epic fall that lead Adam and Eve to be escorted out of the Garden of Eden? What if all the evil around us reflects our epic falls and that it is not all good? If not for that first sin would my fall have not resulted in bodily injury? Perhaps not, but because of that fall that Adam and Eve had, a departure came from God’s plan causing consequences of The Fall, including the present state of my shoulder. I imagine in the garden that the consequences of my fall might have been a giggle or good-natured ribbing.

There are things that seem right to us, such as taking money that doesn’t belong to us, or cheating with a friends’ girlfriend. It even seems okay to us when we are bombing schools and humanitarian corridors where innocent non-combatives are trying desperately to escape a brutal war. That is our sin nature. We can make excuses for it, but that all amounts to a hill of beans. We could say my commander told me to do it, or that I am a good person. How about, that woman drove me mad. Really! All the excuses in the world don’t make it the truth.

All The Falls around need to remind us that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Apart from him we can do nothing righteous. Science won’t overcome the sin of the world. The Marxist utopia being re-packaged for consumption will not bring peace nor security, let alone happiness. Stop looking to all the wrong things to base your life on and again choose Jesus. It won’t stop the consequences of my physical or spiritual fall, just mitigate for it. As the frustrations of my all too human injury have taught me, Jesus comforts and heals. 

*****- refers to the man in my story.

 

The Russians

My blog statistics revealed that my last story entitled Ukraine was hit by several Russians. I have a regular Russian audience throughout the year. I think it is only fair for me to share some more of my thoughts on the current crisis in the Ukraine and Russia. Only this time with some additional emphasis on the Russian side of things. I have visited Russia in the recent past. I have a great love for many things Russian.

When I was a child, I developed a fascination for many things Russian. This included their history, classic literature, classical music and the ballet. I don’t think my interest was an accident and I believe that God has used my interests to plant the gospel seed with various Russians that I have met throughout the years. Just how does the Russian psyche approach the latest news that their country has begun a war with their neighbor the Ukraine? Well, first off many of them were in shock. It is not like they have any say in the matter. Or, that the topic was publicly debated, before their democratically elected officials decided whether or not their constituency would be in favor of it or not.

This was decided without the consent of the people of the state of Russia. So, with this fait accompli before them they could make either one of two decisions. Number one, they could whole-heartedly support Vladimir Putin’s decision to send troops to the Ukraine. Many Russians consider this a patriotic gesture i.e.,to always stand with their country during any time of war or criticism. Their point of view is to believe everything that the Putin administration has said, such as the country of Russia is threatened by the much smaller and not well-equipped Ukraine. They believe the narrative that they are saving Russian lives and de-nazifying that country.

Some Russians could think of nothing else but to support anything that their President does whether they like it or not. They have been conditioned by many years of brutal dictatorships to do so. Those citizens of Russia would choose to support this military action as a survival gesture. They might feel that anything less could harm them in some way, socially, career-wise or worse yet they could be jailed. They may not be in favor of it but, would try to suffer through this decision that their government has made without their consent and try to make nice with it all.

There are many Russians who believe as I think Putin does, that Ukraine should be a part of greater Russia because of various historical aspects, including shared origins, religious and familial ties especially in eastern Ukraine and the Crimea. There are immense economic interconnections  too. There are more than a few financial implications involved. These are the people who are all over social media shouting their support for this event. They may be wearing clothes sporting the Z letter on a shirt or jacket to express  their support of Putin’s War. Z being the letter that is placed on military targets so as to have a bullseye to hit them with. 

Then, there is option number two, which is to disagree with the military action in the Ukraine. There are those who do not agree with this incursion into the Ukraine. Some of those people, numbering in the tens of thousands at least, took to the streets in various cities in a dramatic demonstration of their disagreement to go to war with Ukraine. Some bravely took to social media to post such messages. Then, there were hacktivists who were able to take over various websites and television networks briefly to bring messages to challenge the state narrative. Russians on both sides are passionate on this topic. 

What of Russian religious leaders. The Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has taken a definitive stand to side with President Vladimir Putin and place his blessing on the action. This has created some backlash around the world. Some churches affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church have asked to be excused from their association while expressing their disapproval of this military operation.

We are now up to 3 million refugees and counting. Whatever the historical association may be between Russia and the Ukraine does not justify the terrible destruction and killings that have taken place in the Ukraine. The trauma and results of this conflict will be with us for a long time. What of the costs to rebuild everything? How can so much damage be done in a time of such supply chain and epidemic problems in the world. Why now? Why add to all the problems in the world at this terrible moment. 

This is a time when all of us, Russian or Ukrainian, need more of Jesus. We have all had so much trauma what with the illnesses, political, and economic chaos. The mental health struggles in the world are enormous right now. The holy presence of Jesus in our lives is what we need as we face life, death, illness and political turmoil. Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. The life that we need now more than ever. 

If you want the clarity of knowing that you have a savior in this big old insane world, you need to accept that miraculous gift that he came to give you. In his short earthly life he fulfilled all the scripture prophecy passages that refer to a future messiah, the savior of the world. Accept that you are a sinner. It is easy to say that the Russians sinned if you are Ukrainian. It is easy to say the Ukrainians have sinned if you are Russian. The truth is both sides have sinned against God and one another. We all need to say a big sorry to Jesus and ask for the provision of his atoning death to cover our lives. 

Knowing Jesus allows you to see your human story quite differently than what the current narrative of the world would suggest. It allows you to have compassion for the people that you want to fight. Seek solutions for Jesus’ sake. 

The western world has mostly sided against Russia in this conflict. I am not certain that the average Russian person knows how many cultural and financial consequences there will be for continuing this military action in the Ukraine but, the economic sanctions will eventually be felt by all. 

I am praying that the Russian people take this matter into their own hands and solve it with love and compassion for the Ukrainian people, with an understanding of the consequences of their actions in the world market, but most importantly, in reverence for the Lord as we approach Easter. 

I am also praying that if an agreement can be reached in time for Easter that we can mend and move on in a godly way toward forgiveness. It will be impossible without the Lord. God bless  Russia and the Ukraine. Lord, for the healing of the nations I pray, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Ukraine

The world is watching the tragic events unfolding in the Ukraine since Russia invaded them on February 24th. I find myself caught up in the story as it unfolds, even checking the newsfeed incessantly to learn of the latest developments. An unprovoked attack, including civilians being fired upon by an overwhelming adversary. Will there be nuclear war? Will Russia defeat Ukraine and continue to rebuild their former empire?  Will NATO, or the United States intervene and how? What of China? I have been doing a lot of praying for the people of Ukraine and for the Russians too. 

The ability for some free, and not propagandized, news to come out of this nation has allowed us to see inside the invasion, including the atrocities that are now being investigated as possible war crimes. The Ukrainians are heroically fighting the Russian forces with (but mostly without any one’s help) and despite all the overwhelming odds against them. 

They have lived as a free people for some thirty years since the collapse of the former Soviet Union. However, they have struggled throughout the course of their history due to their proximity to the kingdom of the north, Russia. They were swallowed up by the 1917 communist revolution and I believe the Ukrainian people have known that the day would come when they would have to again face the Russian bear. That time has now come.

This is why the Ukrainians so desperately wished to join NATO. Not as Russia has said, to threaten Russia but, their motive was to stop Russia from doing what they are currently doing today. The former Soviet Union made sure that the Ukraine was left without nuclear weapons as they were becoming independent of that state. Weapons that would now have made Russia think twice before they invaded their neighbor.

Ukraine has repeatedly resisted attempts by Russia to install a puppet regime in their country over the years. The goal was to have a pro-Russian ruler in the Ukraine so that in effect, the Ukraine could be under Russian control while still looking free. What we are seeing unfold is a tangled web of lies and manipulation. Each side of the conflict claiming that the other side is in the wrong.

But, who is telling the truth? The truth really matters to a Christian. But, what is truth? Many people are asking what is the truth concerning this conflict. They are confused because of all the conflicting narratives. Pontus Pilate was confused when speaking with Jesus, causing him to conjecture and to utter the famous line, what is truth? Humanity has been and always will be asking this all important question. In today’s philosophical and spiritual environment the answer seems to be, the truth is anything you make it.

Many people tell a story or two on facebook, back it up with some slightly doctored pictures and even they believe it is true. I have told several stories on this blog about online romances that have turned out disastrous for people that I know when they discovered that the person they thought they were communicating with was not being truthful. 

Without a firm basis in God’s objective truth and the help of the Holy Spirit we are doomed to a life of confusion all because truth matters. The Bible says there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom.Wisdom comes from knowing God. Wisdom moderates knowledge. Wisdom is what you need to properly run your life, your community and your world with more sanity.

God handed down the Ten Commandments and described what goodness and what evil was. In doing so God revealed what the truth really is. Almost a third of the Bible is devoted to prediction of the future, called prophecy. In prophecy the truth of the human story is also revealed.

Underlying the laws and the revelation of the course of humanity is the truth that we are sinners. The pages of the Bible scream that lesson and so does everything to do with the invasion of the Ukraine. The fake news coverage screams sinners, and the gunning down of the elderly, women and children does too. The Russians are raping in southern Ukraine, walking around dangling open grenades to control the populace, dropping cluster bombs and sieging Kherson like the Nazis seiged them at Leningrad! Whose the Nazi now?

The Bible never compromises the truth, no matter what that truth is. The Jews were repeatedly and brutally attacked by powerful neighbors such as the Assyrians, the Babylonians and the Persians. These Bible accounts of war tell the truth about who we are as people. According to the revelation of this book war will continue until God himself will “beat their swords into plowshares” and their will never be war again.

There are little lambs in the world who think that this planet should be one big, happy family. That freedom is a human right. While they naively stand on their soap boxes saying that hate has no place here, have Ukrainian flags flying in front of their houses or on their social media accounts, the Ukrainian people are begging the world to send weapons, and help them with concrete military and humanitarian aide because the world is not a big happy family. 

The Bible says that we are continually sinning and that our hearts plot evil. It says that the only way that war will stop is when God supernaturally will intervene. The Bible, in addition, shows that war has been necessary at times. God commands war for example when evil must be vanquished. He instructs the Israelites to vanquish the evil inhabitants of the land of Canaan in a war. The Bible talks of preparing for war, including and down to such facts as the proper age of a soldier etc. 

One of the practical outcomes of accepting that mankind is a fallen people is to understand that you have to be ready to defend yourself from aggression. Being able to fight if someone attempts to steal from you, rape you or tries to kidnap you is self-defense.

Even the checks and balances on government written into the United States constitution were put in place because of the christian founding fathers belief that government is inherently wicked and that a way to combat that is by placing checks and balances on all the governmental offices. Sort of like self-defense against overreaching governments. (Sad to note that the constitution is being side-lined).

Europe is practically defenseless at this moment accept for the treaties they have with Nato. Europe wanted to shuffle off their past history of wars, and get rid of their weapons. They thought that they were entering a new era, maybe the dawn of the age of Aquarius or something.

This aggression upon the Ukraine has put all that supposed wisdom into question. If Russia is again on the move in the eastern end of their continent, what would they do if Russia again sought to retake their old empire. After all, during the Cold War their sphere of influence went all the way into the heart of Western Europe into Germany. The difference now is that Russian is so much more militarily powerful than it was during the Cold War. Their military stockpile is huge. The Europeans have a problem.

The talk has again come to the practicality of handling the Russians. Will the truth of humanities war-like nature bring a rearmament to Europe? French President Macron has addressed his people and Europe with plans of an European Union army. That idea was rejected before but now, whatever the outcome of this war with Ukraine, I think that something has changed and we are entering another chapter of strategic planning. 

But for now, as of this blog posting, the United States has agreed to supply Ukraine with MiG fighter jets. Stay tuned, the air battle is about to begin. The truth is the Ukrainians have been given too little too late. But is it enough for them to succeed? They are fighting for their lives against one of the strongest military powers on earth. Yet, their love of freedom shows and they are bravely giving their all in this terrible war. I pray that the Ukrainians succeed in their battle to stay free. 

Is the time coming when we will gladly be happy to follow anyone promising peace and security? You betcha ya. 

Old-Time Valentine!

 I am inspired for the real meaning of love in two Valentine’s stories from my church. We are talking Old-Time Valentine, as in love over the age of sixty-five. There are so many images surrounding valentines’s day activities that do not include older people. Yet, do people stop needing love after a certain age? Are they less romantic? Certainly not. Many people in their sixties, seventies, eighties and beyond are less mobile. They are not in and about the societal meeting places as they once were, including many of the societal networking sites which many of them eschew. However, when life has handed you wrinkles, scars, and health ailments, just what should you expect concerning your chances for love? Is it over? What role does family, society and churches play in the tragedy of lonely old people?

This topic was recently debated in Italy after an older woman passed away during the Covid epidemic and no one even knew it for some two plus years. She lived in the vicinity of beautiful lake Como. An idyllic setting that I was able to enjoy on a family vacation a few years ago. But, beneath any idyllic setting lurks the truth of mankind’s failings, i.e.sin. A number of Italian politicians decried the situation citing the not so distant past when Italians were intertwined and interconnected in a vast family network.

Yet, within the last five years, I have been inspired by two couples who pushed through the issues of the senior years and choose a God-centered love story. The first regards, Arnold* and Eloise.* Eloise had a loving husband in Westchester County, New York. They had thriving careers, she teaching music at one of the most prestigious schools in the county, where the Ivy League graduates are legendary. He, was a lawyer for a white shoe law firm in New York City. Tragedy came to roost in this beautiful nest when Eloise’s husband passed away at a young age, leaving her to raise their young children alone. 

Eloise’s strong faith, her career and her husband’s wise insurance decisions ensured that the family would survive and move forward. She became a mighty woman of God throughout the years, teaching many a woman’s bible study, playing piano and directing the music ministry while raising her children. She had been a long-time widow. All together five decades would pass before she meet Arnold. 

Arnold’s widowerhood was of a much shorter time-span, having only lost his wife, whom he described as his best friend, less than ten years ago.He was determined to find love again even though he had passed the octogenarian mark. Many people might wonder why a man in his 80’s would want to be in a romantic relationship again after such a wonderful marriage? Other people questioned why he just did not find a woman for companionship purposes and leave it at that.

But, Arnold was not looking for any hookups, or convenient arrangement. He was a centered Christian man who was looking for a full covenant marriage. He believed correctly that marriage is a representation of a closeness that is deep and meaningful and should not be cheapened since it represented a model for understanding God’s relationship with humanity.

It is my understanding that Arnold made his wishes known to people at his church, in his family and among his friendship. It may have even included a brief stint on the Tinder dating app. Ultimately, it would be his sister who played matchmaker by introducing him to Eloise, whom she attended church with. What an amazing match it quickly showed itself to be.

Eloise, long retired from her teaching job, still headed the music ministry at my New York church. She was the choir master and a women’s bible study teacher. Well into her eighties, she played the piano beautifully. Her love of the Lord was fervent and Arnold shared all of her interests. He sang in his own church choir and played tennis as did Eloise. It has been a match made in heaven and seeing it unfold has been amazing.

They have pictures of his wife and her husband on the mantel as well as all their combined children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. It isn’t just for show either. They have warmly embarrassed each other’s family whole-heartedly. He sings in the choir now at his new wife’s church and happily gets a solo now and again. He still sings beautifully. He and she are the most knowledgeable members of the Wednesday night bible study too. 

He even took Eloise camping and out in his boat, something that she had never done before. A man of 85 driving a trailer to upstate New York. Wow. He showed me a picture of their camping trip. I think he was glamping before it became popular. He has such a joie de vivre too, because in front of his camper he had placed the most beautiful rug and cozy lounge chairs. This helped to make Eloise’s first camping trip a gem of a good time. She had never been in a boat either. What an adventure for her to have in her eighties, don’t you think?

Then there is Pam* and Pete* whose love story began as they both were just entering retirement. Pete was a recent Christian convert. He read the Bible on his own and describes that being his conversion experience. That was six years ago. Pam, on the other hand, made the decision for Jesus quite young. She married a man who was a very Christ-centered man, even having a sign to that effect over his desk in an office overlooking the famed Rockefeller Center in New York City. He had a powerful church ministry over the years with Pam by his side. She playing the piano at church, and he teaching the Bible.

That all changed about seven years ago when he went on to be with the Lord. She was in her fifties at the time. Pam was not looking for love when she met Pete at church one Sunday. No, she was far from looking for love. She had her mind on many other things. She had come up from her home in sunny Florida to the not so sunny northeastern United States to help her sister care for an ailing husband. All of Pam’s family were involved in helping Nan* take care of her seriously ill husband Mike.* This included Pam’s niece who took an extended leave from her job and her family in Connecticut to stay and care for her ailing father.

Pam, now a widow in retirement, seemed like a natural choice to relieve her niece when family life demanded her presence at home. Pam was, as she told me, content with her own company. She had thought that this time of widowhood pointed to a time of more focus on her work for the Lord. That of course meant being available to help her brother-in-law in his time of need. It meant reaching more people for Jesus than ever before. She had truly embraced a godly view of her widowhood.

Even as she started to fall for Pete, she struggled with the biblical passage (1 Corinthians 7:8- But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I.”) She reached out to godly friends for wise counsel. She also struggled with being set in her ways. It had been 7 years since she lost her husband and she ate whenever she wanted to eat, and was used to doing things her own way. Could she or would she want to go back to cooking, cleaning and compromising in decision-making? 

One of the things that I gleaned from both the above success stories was the willingness to communicate and compromise. The respect for and inclusion of family and friendships of each partner is also important. Both of these couples believe in God and have a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. As a result, the elements of their christian walk are crucial elements which are the foundations of these partnerships. 

Understanding that Jesus is the cord that holds a relationship together is life-changing. (Ecclesiastes 4:12- A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.) Jesus has told us that we are to serve one another. When a man and a woman understands this they can really be of help to one another. Of course, this takes on a special meaning as one faces the challenges of old age. 

For instance both Pam and Pete entered their relationship knowing that they each had some serious health challenges. They agreed to be a blessing to each other as have Arnold and Eloise. All four of them still believe in the institution of marriage. All this as you see many people reject marriage. Many people do not even wish to commit to helping an elderly partner when they become ill and opting instead to enjoying sex, and social events only. Wanting to enjoy only the advantages of marriage and cutting out any of the difficult parts. 

Since Arnold, Eloise, Pete and Pam have chosen to see God’s purposes in the marriage commitment, they are my heroes this Valentine’s Day. They get my Valentine’s real love award! I get happy every time that I think of these two couples. I bet you know a couple like that too!

* the names are changed but the stories have not.

Most Important Decision

The most important decision that we can make today is to follow Jesus, but let’s just say that we decide that Jesus is not for us. Whatever decision that we make aside, we will still have to take out the garbage, walk the dog and get a haircut. Bills have to be paid, etc. We might be pursuing a career in medicine but what kind of health care professional will you be without Jesus? We might still teach, work at a supermarket or be a mechanic but something has changed. You may get married but what kind of marriage will it be without Jesus as the central figure guiding you? 

The life choices that we make indicate our spiritual philosophy of life and ever so slowly that philosophy begins to show in everything that we say and do. The Bible talks of a narrow path that leads to the gates of heaven. If we veer too far to the right or left we may end up in a ditch somewhere. There are many examples of how this actually plays out in people’s lives. 

Take the case of a recent New York City suicide. A thirty year old woman decided that life was just too hard and so she decided to jump to her death from an apartment balcony, mon Dieu! This woman was Miss USA 2019, she had a law degree, and a Masters of Business Administration. She was a correspondent on the entertainment show Extra. She lived a rarefied life hobnobbing with the rich and powerful of the New York City entertainment community. Was she stressed out or an over-achiever? I don’t know her but, after living in New York my whole life, I can honestly say the signs are there. 

Many people in Westchester County New York that I have known were hyper-focused on their career and spiritually dead. The Bible teaches us that it is wisdom to “seek ye first the kingdom of heaven,” meaning put God first in all that you do. This will naturally lead us to a more balanced and rewarding life. With God as the head of your career, and your interpersonal relationships, how can you go wrong? That is what it says at the end of the above bible verse when it proclaims, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”-Matthew 6:33.

This woman had many achievements and yet looking at her life reveals so much spiritual turmoil. As she approached her 30th birthday, she revealed in an article in Allure magazine just how miserable she was. She talked about the prospect of aging and how poorly people are treated as they age. She no longer wanted to practice law because of problems that she felt existed in the profession. 

She was a supporter of the black supremacist groups Antifa and Black Lives Matter and somehow this did not bring her salvation. Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel- Jeremiah 3:23. She was looking for perfection, for justice, and for eternal youth in the wrong place for only God can bring us those things.

This made me think of another woman that I knew who had attempted suicide a number of years ago. Her name was Maggie.* Maggie also had many attributes which we think of as great achievements. However, she was not spiritually grounded in the ways of God and no amount of worldly success could make up for that hole in her life where God belonged. 

She had an idealistic approach to life and was disappointed as life and this world unfolded in all their truths. She saw no other way but to attempt suicide after her boyfriend broke up with her. So talented, so beautiful and intelligent yet the world seemed to be driving her mad. Thank goodness Maggie was not successful in her attempt to end her life because just ten months later she had become a Christian, and had met a man who seemed to have more in common with her then her ex-boyfriend Max* ever did. Everything seemed better in her life than it was just a short time before. Things are seldom as bad as they feel at any given time.

We all come to many crossroads in our life and we have choices of which way to go at that time. Should we go right or should we go left? If we choose the world, our life gets more and more twisted in that direction as we continue. Maybe we grew up in church but when we went off to college we thought better of that upbringing and starting living in opposition to it. We dated a few bad boys, “oh those Christians don’t know what they are missing!” 

That reminds me of a Christian camp counselor that I met when I was at a women’s ministry event last year. She was a very committed Christian until her second year of college when she began to date someone that was not a Christian. Not only that but Nick* was not studying as he should, but instead was focusing on practicing for weekends with his heavy metal band. The music that she shared with me was difficult to comprehend except maybe to say they represented downright anarchy. 

When she sat next to me at that Women’s Ministry event, this and much more all came spilling out. Her life was like a ball of yarn that was badly tangled. At moments like this, there is only one thing that I have to give, and that is the clarity that choosing to focus on Jesus Christ can bring. I likewise had the same message for the sister in Christ struggling in her marriage. What I did see in several of the above mentioned stories is how people can so easily be seduced off of the path that they should be following in life.

Just one date with a non-believer and you could be heading to the clubs instead of going to church. Just one episode of any stupid television talk show could have you doubting your husband and not appreciating  all that he does. Then you begin to focus on his character flaws instead of his godly attributes. Or worse, sometimes life without God leaves you feeling empty and reeling from every twist and turn that may befall you on any given day. Without that decision for Christ the daily emotions and events that take place can be overwhelming.

This world is going through some cataclysmic changes. Many feel it is time to change everything that civilization has built. Worse yet, there are many who want to replace the God given values that we have built western civilization upon with something sinister. It is already happening. In New York for example, there are college professors who think there is nothing wrong with pedophilia and politicians who openly call for an end to capitalism. Technology is not playing fair and we let them get away with it. The constitutional freedom of speech is dead because we are so weak and addicted to everything that either big tech entertains us with or that China sells us. We have sold our souls for video games and cheap Chinese goods and no longer have a righteous fear of God.

I believe that decision to follow Jesus will lead us on the right path in our relationships, in our homes, community, schools and world. Without him things are moving along but, not in the right direction. We have many decisions to make everyday, but the most important one is will we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and allow him to direct our path.

* some names were changed to protect privacy. 

Loneliness

Hi Everyone,

I fully expect that I will lose half my audience of readers by just using the word Loneliness! Okay, maybe that is a slight exaggeration but, I believe the topic of loneliness is not a popular one. Why would that be? After all, isn’t it one of the panoply of experiences that is felt by every single person on the planet? I relate to Jesus when he asked his friends to stay awake with him while he was praying and struggling with his dark night of the soul in the Garden of Gethsamane. 

All he was asking for was companionship and comfort as he dealt with some agonizing emotions and upcoming pain and suffering. Isn’t that what we all want?  How poignant this passage is. How sad to think that the people closest to Jesus failed him and that those closest to us have too. We truly have a Savior that has suffered as we have. We are not alone.

This blog post began to formulate in my mind over the past several weeks inspired by events and people that I know such as Zane.* Zane is my personal fitness trainer from New York. Even though I have recently moved away from Westchester County, New York, I am glad that I can still continue my workouts with him via Zoom. 

Zane took a plane from New York on Christmas Eve to visit his mother in Florida for the holidays. Despite being “fully vaccinated”, and testing Covid negative before he left, he quickly fell ill upon arrival in Florida. Zane is a Christian. He always operates his business and his personal life in a godly way as far as I have seen. 

Even when he arrived at Jacksonville airport in Florida, he chose to remain masked and sit in the back seat of his mother’s car as a precaution in case he might have picked up a virus during airplane travel. It turns out he was right. He got sick, suspected Omicron and quickly got tested. His test was positive and so he quarantined in a bedroom at his mother’s new apartment.

Zane’s mother had just moved from a large home in North Florida to a smaller two bedroom apartment this past fall. This meant that Zane was housed in a small guest room where he stayed to protect his mother from getting sick. When he cancelled my workout due to feeling ill, I began to wonder if he experienced loneliness isolated as he was in a small bedroom amid the fun of Christmas festivities. He came to spend time with his mother and yet that intimacy was certainly blocked. 

Then, I multiplied the feelings that Zane must be experiencing by a large number in order to contemplate the huge cost of quarantine on the world’s population. There are the elderly people who died alone locked in hospitals and nursing homes.  The pregnant women who missed out on having family and friends present as they prepared and then gave birth to their children. 

Anya* is my friend in Russia. Just as she prepared to celebrate New Year’s and the Christmas holiday she reached out to me with a poignant message of loneliness. Anya is beautiful, smart, artistic and 21 yrs old in the midst of a festive interlude, yet feeling alone. 

Both Zane and Anya helped get me thinking about the meaning of loneliness from a Christian point of view. Christianity encourages us to visit the sick and lonely. Even during these times of contagion, we are to minister to people and take care of them. Throughout history Christian’s have been in the forefront of such care even at great personal risk to themselves. So, don’t let anyone tell you that it is natural to watch your dad die over FaceTime. We should all be holding our loved ones hands, hugging them, praying and talking about Jesus. 

Our faith also encourages us to join together with other believers to form a community, yet the deep meaning of what Christ tried to teach us is often elusive. Again, we can go back to the example of Jesus’ own disciples failing to be able to stay awake and pray with him as he faced the most difficult challenge of his earthly life, going to the cross. 

It only goes to show you how weak we really are and how selfish we can be when someone that we love is going through spiritual turmoil, in physical pain or even facing death. Many people regret their actions later and wish they could have been more supportive. But often we are ignorant about how much some one really needs us or how drastic the situation actually is until later.

I have felt as if I have let people down over the years. It would have devastated me if not for the fact that I know that Jesus forgives me and has covered my shortcoming with his mercy. How precious is that. When that forgiveness comes in, I feel as if I can ask the Lord to help me be stronger and more sensitive the next time so, that I can be more of a help. I have learned how important it is for us to connect and address the issue of loneliness in our life and in the lives of those around us. 

The surprising thing about loneliness is that it effects everyone. Handsome, ugly, very young or very old, black, white, Asian, or Latino we all have to cope with feelings of loneliness sometimes. The Bible continually points us all in the direction of connection with God and one another. Seeking solutions for loneliness has to be a priority in our lives in order for us to improve the situation for ourselves and others. We can not be too busy for this. We can not make excuses for ourselves such as, between my job and kids I just don’t have the time or energy. My answer is you must arrange to visit your parents or grandparents. The Bible does not pull punches when it declares that those who do not take care of the needs of their family are heathen. That ought to shock us into prioritizing, shouldn’t it?

Biblically speaking, we should make sure that if we are missing someone that should be in our life that we work anew to remedy any estrangement that exists. New Year’s is a great time to do that. If your relationship with a spouse or co-worker is less than it can be, this can make us feel lonely and the other person too. What about a stupid disagreement with your parents? How long can we let that go on before we can technically be classed as not honoring our parents as God has directed? A break-up between a parent and child is so unnatural. We may think our lives are full when we are living in estrangement but often we are only in denial of how this has really effected us. 

You can be lonely in a marriage, in a room full of people, at work or in a classroom if there is no intimacy. Intimacy can not happen if we have not apologized for being unkind and have not attempted to make it right with our spouse. If competition is so intense at work or in school that we are always in an adversarial mode we can feel alone in that setting.Team work anyone? Don’t be part of a clique that excludes others. 

You don’t have to be best friends with everyone in school or at work, but we can be mannerly and include them in a conversation from time to time so that they don’t feel left out. If we are talking about our faith with other Christians include people who might be close by in that discussion. They may decide to walk away but, the Bible tells us to, live in peace as mush as it depends on you. In other words, if you try to treat someone with respect and they do not wish to reciprocate than you know that you have done your godly duty and you have certainly planted a godly seed that day. 

There are now whole countries who are moving to isolate the unvaccinated as if they are modern-day lepers. In Jesus’ earthly ministry he made a point to always include and heal those who were ostracized by society. We can not be part of the branding of the unvaccinated as lepers. It is not what Jesus would do. There are currently taxes and fines that governments are poised to place on people who choose not to get vaccinated. This financial burden is ungodly. It is theft which the Bible tells us that we should not do.

Many unvaccinated people can no longer live a normal life. They can not go to restaurants, concerts or birthday parties. There is a terrible loneliness that is being inflicted upon people who choose not to get vaccinated. What is really behind this? It is not only not scientific but, it sounds like the Nazi-like approach as they marched the Jewish people toward genocide. The Jews were treated like lepers as the process of de-monetization occurred. Tell your legislator that you do not want the unvaccinated to be fined or taxed. Have a vision for where this is all leading.

If we do not know the God who created us and that we have a meaning and purpose, then we are merely existentially adrift in a lonely universe. Not to mention that if you don’t know that you have a caring Savior, who has died on the cross of Calvary to pay the cost of your sins, there is an empty void. Through the Holy Spirit and the intimacy of prayer we can feel that comfort here on earth too. Go for it folks, let’s begin to make this world a less lonely place to be in! 

* the names are changed to protect privacy. FYI: Zane like many people both vaccinated and unvaccinated report that Omnicron is a 24 hour virus. He felt better pretty quickly. Also, Anya, is feeling better and attributes her feelings of loneliness as a part of the natural ebb and flow of the holiday. I agree. 

New Year-Can You Relate?

The concept of a New Year is a somewhat artificial construct. Different places in the world even have different dates for celebrating a new year. It is somewhat artificial in that a culture had to pick what they considered a significant marker and assign it to be the moment when the old year ended and the New Year would begin. The changing of the sun’s position in the sky or the moon’s cycle had deep significance to the running of a society, so often these were the significant events.

Knowing that the harvest was about to happen was massively important too. It was a marker of the end of a growing cycle before a new cycle of planting would have to begin. The spring rebirth or new growing season had similar importance. So, it too was a date to be concerned about. Then, we could go on to examine how cultures exploring the concept of a calendar aligned with more precise astronomical measurements effecting the assigning of what was to be known as the New Year’s celebration.

This would bring us to the question, what does all of that have to do with being a Christian? What significance, if any, does the calendar and its’ events, portend for a believer in Jesus Christ? Do we enjoy the various traditions that mark the New Year’s festivities of our culture or should we eschew them? 

What are some of the ways that cultures celebrate the New Year? Certain foods are eaten. Some of those even are supposed to portent good luck, or marriage possibilities. There are bonfires, fireworks, drinking, political speeches and parades. How did these traditions form, and what significance do they have for us today? Many of them began in false religious beliefs.

Am I just being a kill-joy or are there some things that we might do well to reflect upon? Obviously, I think it is the latter, that we might do well to reflect upon a few of these questions. To begin with, from a Christian point of view, every day of the year is a good day to think about the past and make a decision about the future. Any day is a good day to think about turning over a new leaf by turning your life over to Jesus Christ.

The men and women of old always lived on the verge of a disaster. Should they plant their crops at a wrong time, if disease or drought broke out, they would face hard times ahead. So, when one cycle of life ended there was a genuine moment of fear and possibility all at once. What things might they do to improve themselves or what life might hold for them took on a very serious meaning. Many ancient New Year’s practices contained an element of placating the gods that they worshipped and begging that god or gods to make them prosperous in the upcoming year. Sometimes sacrifices were offered on those bonfires. 

Mankind has always guessed that there was something higher than they were and that they needed to talk to that entity. Until God met man in the desert some several thousand years ago and gave his message called the Bible, we could only dream of who and what this superior being was. Now, we no longer have to wonder. The creator of the universe is God Almighty, not Zeus, or Apsu and Tiamat. It is not the Roman god Janus who they thought was the god of beginnings, (hence the concepts of new beginnings at New Year’s).

There is only one God who created this whole universe and all of us. He is the God of the Bible who made his agreement (or covenant) with man a long time ago and it still stands, come what may. The Bible story contains all the elements of what we consider to be the New Year’s resolution. It describes many circumstances of growth and change, and being more Christ-like as a goal. We are to seek God’s grace and help on the course of our life and follow his holy book in all our ways. We must lean into the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

This time, this very moment as we have ended 2021 and are beginning 2022 is perhaps a time when we can relate to the ancient people’s of this world more than ever. As one cycle ends, we wonder what is ahead. More death and destruction from the many viruses plaguing our planet? More disruption of what used to be our normal way of life? What of the political and lifestyle changes knocking at our collective doors? How will we make a stand if called upon to stand up to government tyranny? Fake chicken or beef for dinner anyone? Inflation, election fraud, and a world divided. No, there is no doubt we can relate to what those first New Year’s celebration were all about. There seems to be a lot more to think about than losing a few pounds or giving up smoking. God bless you all as you contemplate this New Year.