Precious

If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth.

 - From Jeremiah 15

Another four years have come and gone. And here we go again.

It's a presidential election season, and the word "liar" is about to become meaningless, again, due to overuse and misuse.

There are a lot of horrible labels to be directed against others. "Liar" may rank near the top. Our generation has placed "racist" as the very worst thing, the most demeaning and awful thing, that you could label another. Meanwhile, a word that is probably more insulting, to more people from every race: the "F word" is tossed around casually. It's the closest thing to an act of violence without physically harming someone, and yet we all have to endure hearing it on a continual basis, every day.

The Presidential candidates will call each other a "liar" and "racist", coming and going, so that by the time one of them gets elected, at least half of the country will convince itself that Hitler would be an improvement.

Is it possible that the language of a political campaign counts as "worthless"?

If it divides good and intelligent people, and friends, against each other, would it have any value at all? If it turns family against itself, and motivates people to unfriend each other . . . how can that be worth anything?

On this very day, September 26, 2020, several of my friends on Facebook will engage in deliberate eye-pokes directed at friends and strangers. When you call a political leader a "liar" or "racist," is that not the same as labeling his/her supporters the same? If Joe Biden's a "groper," what is that saying about his followers? If you call Donald Trump a "moron," what are you saying about his voters?

Jesus said we shouldn't even call someone a "raca" (which sounds awfully close to "racist"), which means "idiot" or "fool," lest we sentence our very selves to hellfire.

I'll make a prediction. By midnight tonight, I will read at least ten statements on Social Media, made by my friends, that are the same as calling someone RACA! They will be in violation of one of Christ's clearest directives to us. They will be saying what is worthless. God told Jeremiah that He has no use for people that waste their words on worthless language.

What is "precious"? I also will look for precious language, that builds people up and builds God's kingdom, and at the end of the day, compare my two lists, and will try to fit all of it into tomorrow's Scripture and blog.

If

If the Lord had not been on our side, when enemies rose up against us . . . 

 - From Psalm 124

We're supposed to keep our faith, our trust, and our loving spirit, no matter what. We are supposed to expect to be persecuted. As bad as the last twenty-five years have been, in terms of the the decay of our freedoms of speech, it's nothing compared to the torture and death that is secretly wished upon us, by our detractors.

Nevertheless, we are human, and we hope to escape the horrible fate that has already visited many of our countrymen and women. Mobs attacking innocent bystanders . . . dragging people out of their vehicles and beating them to a pulp . . . children being shot in the inner cities and beyond.

Nobody wants to deal with violence. The world is so sick, it reserves it's most horrible treatment, for the nicest people, by re-inventing goodness itself, into a crime against the State.

We hope that God will just protect us, in the worst of times. We pray for it. And we expect it. Since the moment that Cain picked up the first murder weapon, God's enemies have had it out for His people. It's not just a friendly "agree to disagree" for the most ardent of them. They want us silenced . . . and they do mean a literal rendering of the word "silenced."

When we think of enemies "rising up" against us, it presents an image of a force of people, emerging from out of nowhere. We have become complacent in our times . . . thinking that, basically, the world (or at least our world) was mostly civilized and we could count on forever being able freely to think, and discuss, whatever we wanted to. But it turns out there is always something insidious just beneath the surface. We can't see them . . . but they are there, and when they rise up, it's from out of nowhere.

But there's an "if," and it's a big "if." If the Lord had not been on our side. Notice that's it's not us that chose His side. He chose our side. That's the first key. The second is that He's on our side even before our enemies rise up . . . He knows their plans long before even they do. And thirdly, they will have no effect on us. Their plans will come to nought. It's possible that God is constantly foiling their plans. He's at work constantly. The rare exception to the normal state of things under God's care, is the eruptions in our cities this summer. Those people would have burned civilization to the ground a long time ago, if the Lord had not been on our side.

This phrase, "If the Lord had not been on our side" is so important, that the Psalmist repeats it. He pulls a Matt Hook ("Let me say that again!").

It's a great phrase to add to your daily prayers. It's something to be mindful of constantly.

If the Lord had not been on our side. 

Know

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

 - From Exodus 1

The Pharaoh in the book of Exodus is one of God's most important adversaries in Scripture. Following, as he does, the Book of Genesis and the Serpent narrative, he is a human representative of opposition to God.

Observe the qualities of this particular Adversary:

He is powerful, he rules a great empire.

He is unfamiliar with history.

He doesn't care about history.

He doesn't care about God.

These traits go together, and we get a ruler whose response to a social issue is to marginalize and subjugate an entire group of people. Isn't this the normal way of humanity?

What we don't know, we don't understand. What we don't understand, we don't care about it. What we don't care about, it is easy to hate.

What we hate, we aggressively try to control.

The Hebrews had been model citizens of Egypt, integral components in a period of rapid growth for the ancient country. They were a great asset to Egypt, and when they left, the decline of one of the world's earliest great empires began.

All Pharaoh needed, was to remember Joseph. All he had to do was just let God continue to unfold the plan for His people. Egypt could have been part of that group. Indeed, Egypt would continue to play a special role in some critical moments of God's story.

Evil world leaders follow the same pattern. Violence begets more violence.

Just know Joseph.

Intentions

For out of the heart come evil intentions . . . 

 - From Matthew 15

I thought about this word, "intentions" at some length, today. The Lord is talking about the things that really defile us. He describes what, in reality, doesn't defile us:

• Dirty hands
• Dirty food
• Dirty drink
• Dirty friends
• Dirty jobs
• Dirty clothes

Because, everything in that list cannot be avoided. You can't guarantee the purity of everything you eat. Every human you meet is going to be a bad influence, one way or another. 

It's what comes out of our own mouth; from out of our heart and mind, that defiles us. This is what destroys us. There's a list of the things that come out of the mind and mouth of humanity:

• murder
• adultery
• fornication
• theft
• false witness
• slander

Look at the list. None of us comes out innocent. It's what we think about others, how we treat them, that makes us a bad person. You can dress right, eat right, work right, play right . . . But if you even think something hateful about another person, you are guilty of self-defilement. "But, you say, some of those things don't hurt others, and are nobody else's business." Yes, they do hurt others . . . they all do. And if we had a culture that was able to dialogue principles and values, we could easily get beyond the present cultural war impasse, and resume the path to progressive win-win solutions. 

Oh . . . but "it's not gossip, I'm telling the truth."

Right. 

As of this very moment, there is a whole movement to hate people that don't put the right thing over their face . . . a mask. The way that non-maskers are treated, by total strangers, is worse than COVID-19. The masking movement has made people commit more hate towards each other, causing more lasting harm, than the virus itself. 

It's not what one fails to put over one's face that defiles a man . . . 

Oh, I don't "hate" so and so . . . I just think that . Sure . . . if it looks like hate, sounds like hate, feels likes hate . . . it must be hate. 

Is there really such a thing as good intentions? If a good-intended thing goes wrong, maybe it should not have been intended in the first place.

Maybe we should push away from intentions, and just strive to do the right thing in this moment. It's where we have the most control. 

Fullness

When the fullness of time had come . . . 

 - From Galatians 4

There's a sense, today, that the world is at an epic, historic, crossroad.

Have you noticed?

Everybody's talking about "the right side of history." But the problem with that is, you don't know what you're talking about by making such a claim. There are scientific discoveries yet to come. And the social reforms that people think are logical extensions of a forward-moving, progressive straight line, are just pendulum swings of the same moral spirals: back and forth, back and forth.

Society changes. It gets tired of one thing, and tries out another one. Generations seek to differentiate themselves from what came before, and to effect change that will last "a thousand years."

But we all wind up in the grave. And nations crumble, oblivious to our machinations.

Since the time of the Apostles, the Church has had a fascination with the Year 2000. While it recedes into the past, the impatience with the events that should have attended its arrival, is felt in the way the Church evangelizes, reforms, serves, gets political. The world, and nature, does not disappoint. Almost as if on cue, skeptics as well as believers, keep acting in ways that seem to fulfill the ancient prophecies.

The Church has always believed itself "on the right side of history," no matter what. Perhaps longing to be able to make the same claim, secular forces of our time appropriated the idea, and it's all they talk about. Everyone wants to be on the right side of that curve. Everybody wants to project what is to come, and be proven right, and thus, wise.

God looks at it this way: "The fullness of time." Like a great novelist, God skillfully puts everything in place. He puts it all in order. He arranges events so that they can only come to one conclusion.

Fullness can be a good feeling. It makes you feel satisfied and fed. You're good, for another few hours, at which point you'll need to be filled again. God emphasizes fasting so much, as a way to draw near to Him, that we wonder the role to be played by "fullness."

Fullness can also describe a condition of discomfort and dissatisfaction. You may be close to bursting. You have eaten too much. You have heartburn and indigestion. You have overslept. You've had so much fun that you're about to collapse. You're well into the ninth month of pregnancy. You're a bubble that cannot sustain another whiff of air.

With the slightest disturbance, the whole thing pops.

We are aware of fullness. It makes us anticipate what will happen immediately following the bursting.

Maybe that's what we all are aware of. Things cannot continue as they are now, for much longer. One side, or the other, will have to prevail. Either democracy and individual rights reign supreme or the hard fist of autocratic rule delivers a fatal blow. Either Science without morality emerges; or faith and hope establish restraining parameters around the designs of human vanity.

Either selfish man exerts control . . . or God intervenes and lifts humanity to the next level.

It doesn't feel like things are going to settle back into the status quo.

Righteous

. . . and those who hate the righteous will be punished.

 - From Psalm 34

Hate the sin, love the sinner.

But this is a very difficult thing to master. We go through great gyrations when it comes to proving that we don't hate someone. It's righteous indignation!

It's not gossip. I'm being helpful.

There are behaviors that go along with hate. Let me try to list some of them:

• Bringing every conversation back to that one person, so that you can cast aspersions . . . again. 
• Staring out your window at whatever the neighbor's doing . . . again. 
• Commenting on how a person looks. 
• Repeating something about someone, that would cause others to think less of that person.
• A lot of teasing. An awful lot of it.
• Not paying attention to what a person is saying, so that you won't forget your retort.
• Telling someone they don't have the right to an opinion, for any reason. 

These are relatively tame behaviors. But there is a rippling effect to all human activity. The little harmless thing you do, that you don't think will hurt anybody else, can and does lead to other, more serious problems. The current heightened level of violence in the US may have its root in some kid being laughed at back in 1998.

We hate because it's easy to hate. We're so self-absorbed, that we may see others as competition, or a threat, to our own well-being. Our imaginings have a way of becoming very real to us. 

But why do people hate the righteous? Why don't we believe that peace and gentleness actually is the way to defeat injustice? Why is our response to hate . . . hate itself?

Righteous people model kindness, charity, honesty, fidelity, honor, dignity, and purity. 

And yet, they're hated for that! Why?

And why do people, that understand righteousness, engage in attitudes that are decidedly hateful? Why do they persist, even when it's pointed out?

One of the great mysteries to be understood, probably only at the Return of Christ . . . is why goodness was so hated by humans. 

Distance

They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. 

 - From Genesis 37

It's ten to fifteen years into the era of social media. By now, several people are familiar with a refrain, from memories of the Autumn Lane neighborhood where I grew up. The oft-repeated theme has to do with the way kids would "gang" up on someone not present. The person is not there to defend him or herself. A group of kids, with some aggregate level of frustrations in their own lives, will stir themselves up, and personalize their angst against one of their absent friends. It's easier to talk about people when they're not there.

Ahhh . . . . there it is again. Groupthink. Or Mob Behavior.

I was all too familiar with it, as a kid. Group behavior is not the same as the sum of its parts. Five very good kids can group up, and then develop a distinct group personality that is decidedly bad. They do things they would not approve of, in private moments.

When the friend finally appears, it becomes evident when he approaches the others, that something is wrong. One of them might say "You should go home because we're ganging up on you."

But there was always one, or two kids, that, by then, had already begun reflecting that they're being mean, and a little dopey. Ganging up doesn't last long. Regrets follow it. But it sure feels right, when you're in the middle of it.

This is how Joseph's brothers got around to throwing him in a pit, and selling him to their cousins, the Ishmaelites. While they were away from him, they were able to egg each other on, to a diabolical scheme to do great harm to one of the sons of their father. The scheme was cruel on a whole array of levels.

Violent, evil group behaviors are always wrong on many levels. And usually very, very cruel. People don't want to be cruel. But when they're in a violent crowd it becomes easy to do, and for a moment even feels good.

Ganging up . . . and distancing. These are the two prerequisites to group violence. Separate them out . . . and turn them against The Other. It's easy. So easy.

Humans must not see each other, only, from a distance. We're too social. We're wired towards separation and division. It takes special effort to move ourselves together. We have to get close. We have to see each other's faces.

It may be no surprise, that the most extreme urban violence in American history, abruptly followed a period of the most deliberate isolating of ourselves from each other. We all became little sons of Joseph, casting suspicious glances at each other and wanting to do harm to others, for no particular reason.

Frightened

But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out . . . 

 - From Matthew 14

Experts tell us that fear is valuable, in that it alerts us to danger and provides the motivation to act. The adrenaline pumps, and we call on resources we didn't know we had.

But at the same time . . . fear that lingers becomes dangerous. When a crowd of people share in the fear, they feed off each others' emotions. It becomes a sort of high. The elevated spirit of a crowd can increase exponentially, and turn the crowd into a superhuman force that can make good things happen, or collapse into random destruction and violence.

There are a lot of bad things we would secretly like to do. A like-minded crowd gives us license to act out those carnal impulses. Even if there's a chance we would be found out later, and punished, there is great motivation in the urgings of a great mob.

That's what "caught up in the moment" means.

Jesus became particularly vexed at Peter's fear. Here was the Lord, walking out, on the surface of the water. The Twelve had already seen Him do uncountable miracles. They had every reason to trust Him. Jesus told Peter to come on out to Him - walking on water! At first Peter did okay. But the wind kept whipping along and the waves were rolling higher and higher. Peter's emotions . . . his flesh . . . overcame him.

Peter was frightened . . . and Jesus called that a "lack of faith."

Fear is a great motivator. Even today, puppet-masters somewhere on the planet have taken the fears of multitudes of college students: that they may have student loan balances for a very, very long time - - - and turned it into something re-branded as social action on behalf of a specific interest group.

Things are never what they seem on the surface. You may see someone walking across a lake, only a foot or two above fish, entangling weeds, perhaps infectious microorganisms, pollution, even filth. At the very least, the volume of water itself is always a threat to humans that linger below the surface, for too long.

On the surface, you may see bold social action on behalf of justice and equity. But it is mere feet away from great fear over concerns like health care and crippling debt.

Peter knew what tempest-tossed water can do. Undoubtedly, he had witnessed people drowning to death. It was a serious matter.

Jesus gets frustrated at us, when we fear. The waves of society are tossing all about us, in 2020. It is arguably the most foreboding year in American history. We find ourselves fearing, mistrusting, hating . . . and then we look out and see half-covered faces appearing as zombies walking about. It is easy to de-humanize someone on a computer screen, or whose face . . . and therefore, very humanity, has been erased and neutered.

Evil preys on our emotions.

Fear not . . . fear not.

Interpretation

 . . . no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation

 - From 2 Peter 1

I am a believer in the sanctity and dignity of one's own opinion.

A person should be able to think whatever he or she wants, and even say whatever they want, about anything. They should not have to prove their expertise in some field. They do not have to justify their opinion. And it's nobody's business why they think as they do, unless it's to understand and empathize.

People can vote however they want to. And it's nobody's business why they choose to vote as they do.

I am even willing to extend this philosophy to a ridiculous extreme. Even something that's clearly wrong, or harmful, or hateful, may be expressed without fear of any reprisal. Because, the human spirit, thus unfettered, may then proceed to greater depths of the mind's potential.

People that are free to express what's on their mind, will never become a despot. Hitler was the result of being shunned and shamed, at the wrong time, in his early life. Resentment for being belittled is the breeding ground for social violence.

And yet . . . there is ultimate Truth. Where thought and speech are permitted unconditionally, it is certain that error is prevalent everywhere. But that's okay. That's better than error being the official dogma of those with power. Free speech is the ultimate equalizer. It is the assurance of equity throughout the culture. When candor is welcome, we are less likely to miss an important problem that, unaddressed, may become a matter of great urgency, and cost, later.

We encourage free speech, so that Truth has a fighting chance of getting into the mainstream.

Simon Peter's statement may be applied harshly - - - it sounds like he is saying that I (and you, and we) do not have the right to an opinion. This is the mantra of 2020, where fringe groups are dominating the debate, attempting to silence (needed) divergent voices because their racial or gender background does not give them the "right" to an opinion.

But that is dangerous. Muzzled people are frustrated people. Frustration breeds anger, and anger breeds violence.

Rather, Peter is saying "Don't be so sure of yourself."

And that means everybody . . . especially those that constantly drop the word "expert" into a conversation.

Equity

O mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity . . . 

 - From Psalm 99

"Equity" is a prominent word in 2020. It's right up there with "systemic" and "fragility." Of the three words, equity found it's way into the daily parlance, first.

Personally, I began hearing about it probably in the year 2005, when pursuing my MA in Educational Studies from the University of Michigan. Modern movements that describe themselves as focused on "reform" will rely heavily on the word "equity" and the other two listed.

Equity came into vogue when it's predecessor, equality, had resulted in arguably massive positive changes to American life (and therefore, to needed reforms globally). There was nowhere else to go. Our culture was convinced and committed to the idea of equality. As is the case with human nature, a goal having been achieved, meant that some new target would have to be identified. Enter: Equity.

Social Media is awash with memes "explaining" equity to people with other priorities (usually a set of anonymous charitable pursuits).

The Millennial generation, cited most frequently as being responsible for advancing the concept of equity, seems to believe nobody had heard of such a thing, prior to about the year 2000. But as with all good concepts . . . it has been around for a very long time.

The God of the Old Testament is an enforcer of equity. But the problem with the Old Testament (and the New, and Eternity) is that such ideas of equity are always coupled with other ideas, like charity, humility, and purity.

Our modern ears cannot grasp how equity and purity can go together. Doesn't it take brutal force to make people treat each other with equity? How can we have equity, if the people responsible for it, are humble self-deniers?

But real equity is, indeed, consistent with purity. Equity that is enforced by bullies is no longer equitable. A person with any power over another, for any reason, is no champion of real equity. For, such is too self-absorbed to have the moral authority to promote real equity. A pure person is a person that is not focused on pleasure, or fulfillment, for oneself, first. Only unselfish people can be pure. Only pure people can be unselfish. And the stewards of equity must be unselfish.

Let us be aggressive in our pursuit of equity. But let our aggression be tempered by a humble spirit, and a servant's heart.

No Money

Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat!

 - From Isaiah 55

It is true, that a major point of the Old Testament, is that we should have compassion for the needy.

"Compassion" means, without judging them. You don't put conditions on them, before serving them. You share unconditional, godly love towards them. You know . . . just give them something to eat!

But that is not where it ends. The feeding of them, is the beginning of a more meaningful relationship. So many of us do this "good work," that is, to go downtown to a sandwich ministry, and feed the needy. But then, we go back home again, to our well-equipped, safe, and well-provisioned house in a secure neighborhood.

The people we just served, surely see this. They see our cars, the way we dress. We disappear, and lose the chance to help them in sustainable, long-term ways.

This ministry, to serve the needy is, therefore, usually an end in itself. It is the response to some altar call, to "get involved." But it should be the beginning of a productive relationship that builds the kingdom via new and vibrant friendships.

In 2020, we judge people with "no money." For twenty years now, I have been mostly active in schools, and in the performing arts. I work with youth and the elderly. It is a highly valuable mission. I'd love to enjoy some support, like most ministries do, without having to exert most of my energy into asking for the support.

But I've even had a pastor tell me, once, that "People don't take you seriously, because you don't appear to be successful."

How deep, and wide, does this attitude permeate our culture, and what are its effects vis-a-vis the Church expanding its reach?

In the end, people with "no money" will be filled and satisfied. All they have to do is show up. We should be striving to have that be what our mission, our ministry, and our church, looks like.