Voice of the Introverts

For those of you who went to public school, do you remember how cruel kids can be?  (Mind you, I am talking fifty years ago, before guns and major violence became a part of what seems to be everyday life now.) I am talking just general behavior of teens and even younger if they are not held in check. Scripture instructs us to keep our children close to God. Our government took God out of our education system. When that happened it created a Pandoras Box that eventually led to the confusion and violence that is going on in schools today.

“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”      Psalm 90:10.

     I have reached it. The gravy years. Some say it is the golden years, but gold does not interest me at all. What use is gold, other than it is worth a lot of money now, but at this age there would not be a lot that I could do with that. Gravy. Gravy is that extra something that you add to a meal to make the dry wet and the bland have some taste. You can hit me with all the gold you want, but I am no longer supposed to have much gravy. In gravy there is too much sodium, too much fat – too much of the good stuff that I am not supposed to partake in. 

Father, thank you first of all for the gift of your Son that provided me, and so many others, the gift of eternal life.  Thank you that because of that gift I know exactly what the ultimate outcome of all things will be. Help me, Lord to remember this in times of distress and discouragement, and, that in those times that those thoughts can be dispelled. They can be dispelled just by the fact of Your ultimate victory. I should not worry, and if I do, you are right beside me holding me up.

Have you ever seen a movie where, when someone goes into a dangerous situation they are assigned a panic word in case they get into a life threatening situation where they are given a code word so that they can be pulled back from that into safety? 

So, let’s think about it for a bit…just as an example, for the year 2025 let’s assign ourselves the panic word “hamburger”.  Assign your spouse or good friend so that every time in the new year that you feel in a panic or find yourself hyper-ventilating from something that’s putting you in danger you can alert that person with the word “hamburger”. When you say that word your assigned person must meet you at your favorite burger joint for lunch and to console you for whatever reason you have put out the alert for. You will feel so much better when you have calmed down with the burger and friendship that the panic will subside. Problem solved.

Here it is again – another Christmas season, where we sing about the baby in a manger and how God showed His love to us through this act. How is it that a loving God should come to us and give such a sacrifice for the world of fallen humans. Then, to realize that He would have done the same for any one of us – that blows my mind, I am not sure how you feel about it. 

Why a baby though? Why did your creator decide to come as a baby and go through all the stages of being a person? Why didn’t he just come directly as a grown man and start His ministry right away? He wanted to show us that He knew and understood all of your wants and needs so coming as a grown human He could have done that, so why a baby?

I am reading a christian fiction book about the Roman coliseums with gladiators and martyrs. Everyone hated Christians, and if the leaders found out you were a Christian they would burn you at the stake in the coliseum with everyone watching and cheering during the games.

Recently I read an article from a brother that was very inciteful. I was a little bit flustered when I read it. The gist of the article was that we should stick with the old paths, which is good; but it was like he was saying that anything new at all is not good for the church. 

How is it remotely possible that all things new are bad. I mean, the moment we accept salvation everything, (I mean everything) is new. In fact, we are new creatures so it is an inherent fact that everything should completely change.  “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things become new.” – 2 Corinthians 7:1.   “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” – Ephesians 4:24.

Jesus Invited  us to “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). 

I am a very quiet person, and most people do not understand what it means to be a quiet person. People often try to change me into the kind of person they think I should be. I have often been “bullied” into doing things others wanted me to do by telling me I need to change and speak up more or God won’t be able to use me. It has taken me some time to learn to say no to that kind of intimidation.

Sometimes in this life, as Christians, we get a feeling that something else is needed, that we are someplace we do not belong. We go about doing our jobs and our ministries, and after a while it feels like it is time to move on. I think it is mainly about the fact that upon salvation we have different desires.