Monday, August 25, 2014

Kids of the Korn

Kids will be kids and pop about.
Kids of Korn are butterful too.
Korn Kids are born a sprout.
Colorful skins in orange and blue.

The eldest is Seedy Korn.
Watered and warmed in the sun!
With time... others are born,
Being a Korn Kid is oh such fun!

Second to come is Little Sprout.
She's fresh and simple as can be!
From the soil she wiggles about,
As a Korn Kid she's quite a dandy!

The next to arrive is little Shoot.
You'll see her if you look really hard!
Step carefully with your boot
Don't sit on her when you get tired!

Korn Shoot grows up oh so fast!
Time nicknames her "Little Stalk".
She's still a Kid of the Korn,
but she's now learning to talk!

Korn can't talk... you say!
It must be quiet and warm.
Outside at the end of the day
hear the speech of that newborn!

Baby Stalk talks... you see.
Listen, her talk you can hear.
Stalk crackles loudly with glee!
As knee-high she grows so near.

On the 4th of July she crackles.
Her height grows really tall.
Sounding like hen's crackles...
She's the greenest Korn I ever saw!

As Stalk grows a sister she gets.
Little sis is named Korn Tassle.
She has golden hair a little bit;
Combing that hair is such a hassle!

Pop Korn is so very proud!
A new kettle of Kids is near.
A kettle to crackle loud...
with his popping children dear.

Mama Maize is ready to burst!
Ready to reveal an ear.
This family will be her first!
But she has nothing really to fear.

Here comes young Korn Kob.
There's no baby  Kernals yet.
The little guy is ready to sob,
but Mama Maize said... do not fret!

Then all of a sudden seen in a row...
were many Kernals all so very little.
Soon to be happy in a bowl...
after being for a time in the kettle.

The Kernals will need a name.
So many then perhaps a number.
Resorting to numbers is so lame!
That's for sure a real real bummer.

Perhaps they are named by the row.
And then added a letter for each.
Mama Maize with kids in tow...
looking for their Pop to beseech!

Another Kid is growing out.
This one's got hair like milk.
What's this new Kid all about?
Is she Korn or merely Silk!

Ah, but Silk needs a family.
Maybe she can be a Kid of Korn.
"Not one of us!" said some lamely.
We wish you were never ever born!

But Silk became a Kid of the Korn.
She was needed to feed Little Kob.
Her smooth hair was soon to be shorn.
Little Silk is now gone, we sadly sob!

Pop Korn was anxiously awaiting.
He waited well with Mama Maize.
Married to Mama and not just dating.
Waiting for Korn Kids in a daze!

Mama's Daddy was Kernal Korn.
He was old and very very stern.
Medals his shoulders did adorn.
Listen to him and you will learn!

The Kernal wanted Kids so many.
Each one would carry his name.
Mama assured him Korn aplenty.
She was a fertile Korn-fed dame!

The Korn Kids were all growing fast.
Some of them had skins so soft.
When at harvest the hardest will last.
Harder than ever the hardiest scoff!

One big Kid was Korn Shuck.
He held the family together intact.
His duty was hard; such bad luck!
He held them together, together in fact!.

Tassle smelled of the best perfume!
The others were all so blah you see.
But let's get on, we'll resume.
Good Korn Genes is the key!

Genes from whence the Kernal came.
They're the hybrid which made them strong..
Popped by Kernal Korn and his Korn Dame!
Making Korn as they sang the old Korn song!

The Korn family had strong roots.
They had their feet in the ground!
Many bare little feet and no boots.
No boots anywhere can be found!

The Korn song is so sweet!
It tells of Korn and his birth.
Korn long grown in the heat.
Soon to be roasted on the hearth!

Mama Maize was named by our foe.
Those red men who fertilized with fish.
Red men using Korn for their dough.
Who used the Korn as their main dish!

Some Korn has gone bad.
All Korn never makes it good!
Bad Korn is truly so sad.
Korn Blight always in a mood!

Blight went bad as disease came by.
Hardy Korn was covered by Shuck.
Korn Blight we so sadly sigh!
Bad Korn is such  terrible luck!

Korn Kernals all born without name.
They were finally fully mature!
Out of the Korn Shuck here they came...
Kernals of Korn with a great future!

They all heard the sound of the tractor.
The turning auger what made the sound!
Running and screaming not a factor...
without boots they were stuck to the ground!

Then came the combine and took them most...
Leaving behind the Roots and Stalk.
All but the Korn the rest became toast...
Gone forever... so is the talk!

Little Korn Kob shed the Kids...
Nothing was left, but his own shame.
His clothng of Kernals were finally rid...
the farmer was the one who was to blame!

But maybe there was a future yet!
Unnamed Kernals were weighed and dried.
A new birth for them, this I bet!
Ready to be roasted, boiled and fried!

Screaming upon hearing this news...
some were scared out of their wits!
There were cries and hisses and boo's,
they were so scared it gave them fits!

Oh, but the news was not so bad!
They were so sadly mistaken.
Each of the Korn Kids were so glad...
they were not to be foresaken!

A holiday was coming soon!
The celebration saved the day.
Gossip Korn was such a goon.
They were there for the holiday!

Kids would play and line them up.
Some would lie on a bingo card.
A few were licked by the pup...
Each were happy in that regard!

Korn Kids were blessed indeed!
Others ended up in dire straits.
Some were popcorn and in feed...
and some ended up in fish baits.

Korn Kids were stored in a box.
They were taken out each fall!
The grim reaper was outfoxed...
For the Korn Kids stood really tall!

(Do not reprint without permission. The concept of the Korn Kids is the property of the writer),


Politics: Dr. Tim Hulsey on Smuggling Latino Children

A recent TV crime show documented eleven individuals from Central America who were found dead from hyperthermia and dehydration in a railroad tank car in Iowa. They paid thousands of dollars to be brought into the US illegally by Mexican smugglers who left them trapped for days. 

This is only one example of the thousands who have died or been abducted trying to enter this country illegally, resulting from our federal governments refusal to secure our southern border. The enticement of our porous border makes them risk dangers they don't expect. 

Many of these travelers are children who are even more vulnerable to danger. 

They're lied to by the smugglers from the beginning of their perilous journey to the end. They're extorted at multiple stops along the way. Sometimes they arrive alive. Some times they don't. 

If this is not a reason for our government to do their Constitutional duty to 
control who comes and goes from this country, I can't think of one. This country has been complicit in the tragedy that happens to all those who cross our borders outside legal channels. 

What we need is for our leaders to stop thinking about recruiting voters and to realize there are humanitarian reasons to have controlled borders. 

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Politics: Dr. Tim Hulsey on Rand Paul's Guatamalan Care

Judy Freeman Schwank, a nurse, attorney, and wife of Dr. Bill Schwank, has been arranging medical missions to Guatemala for over 30 years. Her first trip was in 1976 after the earthquake which devastated the country.

Tens of thousands of children from all over the world have received care in their home country or in the US due to Judy’s efforts. Her motto was, “One child at a time.” That’s how you deliver quality medical care anywhere.

We were accompanied many times by news crews, journalists, and photojournalists.

One of the physicians who helped us with children brought back to Kentucky was Dr. Rand Paul. He graciously examined and treated any patient we presented him. This was long before he thought of pursuing political office.

Senator Paul has participated in free ophthalmologic care through the Surgery on Sundays program run by Dr. Andrew Moore in Lexington, KY, since being elected to office and generally without any press coverage.

It’s not too surprising that, on a recent trip to Guatemala with Judy Schwank and Dr. John Downing, now Senator Paul had a paparazzi following of five different news crews wanting to cover it.

Surprisingly, Judy, a Democrat, has received criticism from some of her Democrat friends, because of her association with Dr. Paul and this trip.

How dare anyone who hasn’t been on the front lines of providing care in foreign countries say a word. I’ve personally seen Judy Schwank risk her life to check on one of “her” kids.

Senator Paul, Ms. Schwank, and Dr. Downing went to a Guatemala that is much more dangerous than when I went. Communist insurgency in Guatemala has now given way to drug violence.

Unless you’re prepared to face the dangers they did, I suggest you withhold comment!

Saturday, August 23, 2014

The Mystery and Low Hanging Fruit

Let's solve a mystery. Everyone loves a good one! Here's my impersonation of Sherlock Holmes. The clues all fit and the findings agree with scripture. Surely, I'm on the right track.

Firstly, let's address those people who have yet to make a decision. Yes, a decision is required! We're not forced to become a Christian nor are we born to be one. Just as Adam and Eve made a choice to select what was forbidden over what was freely available, we too select the life we want to live. There are two choices: 1) Love God or 2) Reject God. Can you imagine how God felt when his creation rejected him! Knowing that his man and woman would reject him was known beforehand, but they still made the choice. God has foreknowledge.
Romans 11:2 "God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew."
"Foreknowledge" is knowing that something will be before it is. It's part of God's omniscience. He knows what everyone will do with their choice before they make the choice. If we look at Job, God removed the hedge of protection from around him. Job could still choose to abandon God as Satan tempted him, but he didn't and God knew he wouldn't. God told the devil that he wouldn't interfere and he didn't, knowing in advance that Job would remain righteous! It was Job's choice. God didn't force him to choose righteousness, he just knew in advance the outcome of the events. Satan was unable to corrupt Job, Job was righteous and God knew that he would be!

I won't discuss this instant "free will" vs. "predestination", but God's foreknowledge does not mean that he predestined Adam and Eve or Job for that matter. He knew the choices they would make: 1) Adam and Eve made a wrong choice and 2) Job the right choice. God certainly didn't desire by predestination that all men should die spiritually (original sin), nor does he by random selection choose in advance who will be a Christian and who will not be. He has predestined all mankind to become Christians, leaving to them the ability to accept what he predestines or rejecting it at their peril.

Before we proceed to the "low hanging fruit", let's continue for awhile to look at what everyone's two choices are.

I believe that scripture is the inspired word of God. Within scripture are different examples of teaching. It can be literal, concealed in poetry, in parables, allegorical, metaphorical or prophesy. The word can apply to the "here and now" at the time it was written, it can apply to future events or both. Most of the entire Old Testament, although much of it is literal, also applies to the future. The actual events in the Old Testament are also a "picture" of Jesus or a foreshadowing of the Covenant of Grace. With that said, I believe the story of the Creation is real and true, and the trees literally there, but that the "test" of the free will of Adam and Eve was allegorical. . The meaning of this "choice" seems obvious, but there is a deep and hidden choice there! Eating of the wrong tree is symbolic of a greater wrong!

The "tree of life" has not been destroyed. It still stands in Paradise and is with God:
Revelation 2:7 ""He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
Furthermore, Revelation 22:2 indicates that Jesus is the "Tree of Life" still standing right there in Paradise!
Revelation 22:1  (ESV) "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever."

Hence, allegorically the "Tree of Life" represents Jesus. He wasn't an actual tree, but the tree is symbolic of Him. The "Word" was with God in the beginning, so He had to be someplace. Jesus, the Word made flesh was right there in the middle of the Garden of Eden. He yielded twelve kinds of fruit, not one, and his leaves were for healing! What's more the "Tree of Life" was physical as well as spiritual. He walked in the Garden:
Genesis 3:8a "And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day..."
The "Word" is the "voice of the Lord God"! He was walking in the garden. And the Word made one "command". DO NOT EAT of "The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil"! In essence, God was saying "Love me and me only!". All the commands of God boil down to one command "Love God"! By eating of the other tree, Adam and Eve failed to love God. They rebelled in opposition to God's authority and his one and only command. That's the same command Jesus made after he put on flesh!
Matthew 22:36 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."
You say "But there was another commandment." Study it closely:
Matthew 22:39 " 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
Yes, there is another commandment, but "the second is like unto it (the Greatest Commandment). This means that the other commandment is just like the first! It's a corollary if the Greatest Commandment! You show your love for God by loving others. Scripture tells us that even if our brother has something against us, God will not accept our offering:
Matthew 5:23 "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."
This shows that loving others is the way we demonstrate our love for God.
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
My point is made. There is one commandment and there has always been! The Greatest Commandment equals the Ten Commandments equals the Love of God equals "Don't eat of that other tree"! Back in the Garden it was Jesus (before he was incarnated) saying "Adam and Eve... Love Me and Me Only! Love me " with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." He just used different words. He said:
Genesis 2:16 "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17a But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it..."
Adam and Eve were COMMANDED "thou shalt not eat". There is only one Commandment of God. It's to love God! Hence, God was saying "Show me that you love me!"  As Jesus is the Word and "the voice" of God, Jesus spoke to Adam and he spoke to his disciples! Jesus said the same Command in two different ways. And then he appeared as the "burning bush" which was never consumed, that "Voice" gave the same Commandment again. It was more detailed, but it was one Commandment and with a corollary. The first three were how to directly to love God and the latter seven was how a Christian shows that love! They are how you love others.

Now that it's clear that it was Jesus in the Garden, he walked there and he was represented by the Tree of Life, then it follows that we should look at what fruit that tree bore! The "Tree of Life" bore twelve fruits. These may be  hope,  love, faith, grace (gentleness), mercy (temperance), truth, and even found joy, dependence (meekness), self-control (long-suffering), protection (peace), righteousness (goodness), and modesty. (Eternal life is the reward! Catholics have a slightly different list.) Three of the gifts are from 1 Corinthians 13:13: hope, faith and charity (love).  The other fruits can also be found in scripture. Some are:
Galatians 5:22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
Ezekiel knew the mystery! He spoke of it:
 Ezekiel 47:12 "Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing."
Ezekiel was speaking of the "Tree of Life" of which John spoke in his Revelation.  Ezekiel knew by inspiration that the Tree of Life was Jesus and he knew that the Tree stood in Paradise!

If we look at the graphic of the tree of life, there is low-hanging fruit and some hanging almost out of reach, but still obtainable! Adam was born immortal. By eating of the wrong tree, making a bad choice, he became mortal. With his disobedience, lack of love for God, came death:
Genesis 2:17b "for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
By deduction if eating of the"Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" results in death, if Adam and Eve had eaten of the "Tree of Life" they would have lived forever!  The "Tree of Life" is allegorical for eternal life! Who is the offering for eternal life?
 John 3:15 "That whosoever believeth in him (Jesus) should not perish, but have eternal life."
Salvation saves from something! What does being "born again" save us from? Eternal death! With belief in the Tree of Life we obtain eternal life! That's sums up the mystery of God!
Colossians 1:26 "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:"
The Jews in general didn't know that all they did was all about Jesus. They knew the covenants and that they were God's people, but it took the gentiles to accept Jesus to reveal the mystery. That mystery is that Jesus was there from the beginning and was the way to salvation for all mankind. That everyone could have the healing fruit of the Tree of Life and that tree is Jesus! Mystery solved! Jesus was here all the time and few beyond the patriarchs knew that. They couldn't "see the Tree for the forest." Jesus was there, but he was hidden by the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil"! We don't know what other allegorical trees were there, but there were many. Jesus became a mystery because he was camouflaged! The crucifixion rent into the curtain in the synagogue and the  mystery was finally revealed.

The man who died on the Cross was "the Word". He was finally revealed to all mankind. Ironically, God chose his own death for it was him that died on that Cross:
Acts 5:30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
The "Tree of Life" was hanged on a tree; the Cross of Calvary. God knew how he would die! He knew it back in the Garden. It was his plan from the beginning because of his foreknowledge. He knew that his creation would choose death over life; pleasure over devotion and reason over innocence!


On both trees are low-hanging fruit! Let's look at the tree of life first. Which fruits are low-hanging? Remember the choices: hope,  love, faith, gentleness, temperance, truth, joy, meekness, long-suffering, peace, goodness, and modesty.

For me "hope" is the lowest hanging! Because I believe I have hope. The entire salvation experience is based on hope.
Romans 8:24 (ESV) "For in this hope (adoption) we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?" 
"Adoption" is to become a child of God. We are "born again", not to man, but to God. By believing we are an adopted son and like a child without a father, our hope to be adopted is what saves us. We can't see it, but it's there, for if we could see hope it would be reality, not something which we strongly desire! There is more low-hanging fruit. How about faith? If we believe we have faith and it takes faith to be saved:
Ephesians 2:8a "For by grace are ye saved through faith;"
This low-hanging fruit is a "must" to have! You are required to take of this lowest-hanging fruit before your hope is fulfilled. You hope to be adopted, but to become a member of the community of God, you must have faith. You must first believe to have faith. Faith is a confident belief in God. It's not a casual acknowledgement, but a living his truth. Hence, we walk in faith, not just "believe" at a cross-section in time. Faith is a practicing belief. Yes, belief is required to have faith, but faith is the practice of believing without doubt!


Is love low-hanging fruit? This is a special type of love. It's hard to define, but it's more than the love of a fellow being and it's even different. It's a deep and sincere appreciation for God because he sacrificed himself for you. It should be low-hanging fruit, but is it? Most of us seek salvation to save our own wretched skin. God realizes that and knows the humanity of us. I submit that "love" should be low-hanging fruit, but yet it's so high on the tree that God made it a command:
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
You see that love is so hard to reach that it has to be commanded! However, we know how to love God. It's to do what he says. Since love is a fruit, it's not a work though!  If we read scripture and pray we will develop and loving relationship with God and our love will grow! You see, loving him, is a fruit of the spirit. Just as in a romance, one who truly loves grows more in love with time. With time two individuals become one! With communion with God our love grows for him. The more we "do" for him, the more we realize that we love him.
1 John 4:12b "...If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
It would appear that the "corollary" to the Greatest Commandment is also the assurance of our salvation. If we don't love others, we don't love God. If we love others we have an assurance that God dwells in us! Since, loving others is proof that we love God and a Christian's biggest shortcoming is loving others, then loving God is the highest-hanging fruit! Face it; we get saved because we love ourselves! However,we grow away from loving self to loving God as we commune with him. We're like babies at the start!
1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
Babies are interested in themselves. They want to be loved and cuddled and spoiled. They want protection and security. With time they grow to focus on the caretaker rather than themselves. They go from being a parasite looking for a host to loving the host! That's the same with new Christians and God. We grow to love him as he nurtures us!

There are several more fruits. Look at each one and ask, "Are they low-hanging" or "are they really high up?"  Some of us stand taller than others. We take the fruits as God hands them out. However, we must desire the fruit in order for it to be picked. The Holy Spirit helps us in this orchard. He draws us nearer and nearer to God and as we get nearer the more fruits we want to pick!

How about the other tree? Of course my belief is that this tree has many fruits, but are of three varieties: wealth, pleasure and reason. The name itself means that man seeks knowledge. Then later we are told that they wanted to be "as God". That's reason. They know the difference between good and bad and are no longer innocent. Reason causes them to be deceived. Some worship Reason as a God! It's agnosticism or what Paul called "The Unknown God" when he spoke to the Greeks; Agnostos Theos.

When I say that the variety of fruit is "wealth" I'm taking that from Adam and Eve. They saw that the tree "was good for food". God already supplied good food for them, but they were Epicureans; they wanted food for rich tastes. Hence, I believe they sought a wealthy lifestyle. This is reinforced by
1 Timothy 6:10 "For the love of money is the root of all evil..."
Then we're told that the tree was pleasurable. Pleasure is self-worship. We adore ourselves and want to please ourselves.
Ephesians 5:29 "For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it..."
Self-esteem isn't lacking in man; lack of Christ-esteem is what's missing. If we moan and groan in our failing, the Lord will lift us up! That's Christ-esteem. Now it is clear that the three varieties of fruit are in fact wealth, pleasure and reason.

There is no unreachable fruit on that tree, but it's still a tree from which we all pick! What are specific fruits of the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil":
Mark 7:21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man."
Here are thirteen fruits of that awful tree! They can be categorized by variety. For example, "thefts" is of the variety of a "desire for wealth", "fornications" are the variety of "pleasure" and "deceit" is of the variety of "reason". We certainly don't want to pick any low-hanging fruit here, but we can avoid those fruits. Some fruits are easier to avoid than others. If I quit the easy things to quit, that's avoiding the low-hanging fruit!

It's easy not to steal, not to murder, and not to blaspheme. Those easy fruits to avoid are a first step in loving God! As we mature we grow in spiritual stature, then we can tackle the high-hanging fruit (to avoid). Way up there is "pride"! It's at the top of the tree and is the hardest to hand over to God. Pride was Adam's sin. He wanted to be like God. We're like Adam and that will be the last fruit we put in God's basket! Let's go with that! Rather than picking the low-hanging fruit for our own consumption, let's go ahead and pick it, but put it into God's basket. He will handle our fruit from this evil tree himself!
1 John 1:9 (ESV) "If we confess our sins, he(God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
As we pick the fruit off the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil" we put it into God's basket. Picking the fruit is "repentance"! Rather than pleasuring in what we pick, we turn it over to God and he forgives us our pleasure! By picking of this tree which doesn't belong to the Christian, we're trespassing. God will forgive our trespasses!

Some of the fruit on this tree is really rotten!
Proverbs 6:16 "These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
Those sins most disgusting to the Lord are: 1) pride, 2) gossip, 3) murder, 4) a wicked heart, 5) trouble-making, 6) lies  and 7) slandering.

Since the Lord finds these seven things disgusting, if we love him, we won't do them! These are high-hanging fruit to put in God's basket for many of us, but they can be reached! The ladder is the Holy Spirit. He helps us with those high-hanging rotten fruits!

However, there is a large list of abominations to the Lord: homosexuality, idol worship, worshiping false Gods, disobedience to God, incest, unrighteousness, selfish giving, doing as the pagans do, cross-dressing, defiling God's house, and many more. God finds them all disgusting! Some are low-hanging fruit and easy to put into God's basket, but others are harder to take from our hand and put into his!

If we keep some of this rotten fruit for ourselves and secretly consume it, we anger our Lord. He expects us to give over all the fruit we've handled and put on his shoulders. After all he did that on the cross. He took on all the rotten fruits from this rotten tree forever:
1 Peter 2:24 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."
Look at this! God took all the fruit from the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil" and bare it on the "Tree of Life"! The Tree of Life had the stripes where he was demeaned and finally died, but because he was the "root" the tree lives again!

Look at the Tree of Life graphic. Below the tree with its twelve fruits is a "root". That is allegorical for God!
Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
Jesus is the "root" of the Tree of Life. and he's God! The "root" is God! And Jesus IS the Tree of Life. Likewise, he's speaks of  "Living Water":
 John 4:10 "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."
John 7:37 "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"
The graphic of the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil" has for it's root "the love of money" which is "the root of all evil" (1 Tim 6:10). Death lies below that tree, symbolized by the raging fires of hell. It's not that some don't love God, they just love money (or sin more). Men may believe in God, but fail because they value wealth, pleasure or reason more. An example of this is the rich young man who wanted to follow Jesus, but was told that he must leave his wealth behind. Although he had a desire to follow Jesus because he believed in him, his first love was money! If we look at Judas, he was chosen to be an apostle. He followed Jesus, but it turns out that he wanted the thirty pieces of silver more! His love of money was in fact the root of all evil! God doesn't stand for us to have two masters! We're either for him or against him.

The graphic of the Tree is a representation of the three personalities of God. Jesus is the Tree of Life. He is of the "root" which is God and the Living Water provided by God is the Holy Spirit. The "system" consisting of the water, root and tree is the Trinity and is the Godhead. That Godhead still exists in Paradise just as it did in Eden!

Let's go to Revelation again:

Revelation 22:2 "In the midst of the street of it (Paradise), and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

Here we again show the Trinity. God is at the center of the "street" in heaven and thereby is a "river" which is the Holy Spirit and beside the street (God) and the river (Spirit) there was the "Tree of Life" (Jesus).

This is the mystery of God! It's no longer a mystery. The "Unknown God" is now known if you have read about him in scripture and believe in him.
 Acts 17:23 "For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you."

Thursday, August 21, 2014

On Justice

Justice is blind! Do you want to hear another joke? It should be, but let's take a look at justice.

From the American Heritage Dictionary:
"The upholding of what is just, especially fair treatment and due reward in accordance with honor, standards, or law." 
What then is "just"?
 "Rendering or disposed to render to each one his due; equitable; fair; impartial..."
Justice is "fair treatment".  It's impartial judgment. We see in our mind's eye the scale of justice. Lady Justice is blindfolded and the scales are level. That's what it should be! That's how U.S. Law is supposed to be. Our laws are based on "Natural Law".

The Oxford Companion to the U.S. Supreme Court says:
"Natural Law is a philosophic doctrine holding that there is a certain order in nature that provides norms for human conduct."
"Natural Law" in the United States is based on "God's Laws". The source goes on to say:
"This doctrine received its most renowned form in St. Thomas Aquinas's “Treatise on Law,” a part of his Summa Theologiae. For Aquinas, natural law was humanity's “participation” in the comprehensive eternal law."
Righteousness is God's Laws! It's right living. It's obedience to God's will. It's love!
Proverbs 20:23 "Unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord, and false scales are not good."
I'm biased! I admit it. At the news of George Zimmerman killing the youngster Travon Martin, my bias kicked in. "This big bully playing cop killed a youngster!" However, with time, I looked at the facts objectively and saw that the entire situation had been distorted by those who have their own bias.

With Michael Brown's death, I had the Martin killing in mind. I thought "Here we go again!" The people and the media have put a biased slant on the facts. I immediately sided with Officer Darren Wilson. I admit it. My scales were out-of-balance, but so are the scales of all those who're marching in protest and speaking words of idiocy on every news channel! It doesn't matter what a person's bias is, we should all be astounded at the bias of those interviewed on news programs. Gov. Nixon seems to have been the "biggest idiot" of them all because he had legal training and sixteen years experience! He should be an embarrassment to all fair-minded people. However, if I was there, I would display some degree of my bias as well!

It's unfair to all if one assumes judgment before judgment is administered! The large percentage of the blacks interviewed have a strong bias! Their bias is strictly emotional with little critical thinking based on facts. Some blacks have taken a fair stance. They should be commended because they have set ethnocentrism aside and seek justice. This is not to say that they don't want the guilty punished, but they want even the guilty, if they are, to have a fair chance.

Much of the bias comes from preachers, reverends and other spiritual leaders. Their positions are purely emotional. That's their job to be emotional, but it should be righteous. It must be from scripture, otherwise the spokesman has a credibility problem. "Unequal weights are an abomination to to the Lord." They've read this and they know all the other supporting scripture. God states with authority that bias in administering justice is disgusting! Who are the "Reverend" Al Sharpton and like-minded to put aside "Natural Law" and assume the authority of God? Who made them judge? Who made them God?
Leviticus 19:15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor."
If I was to be a juror, being obedient, I would make every attempt to put my bias aside! That's what I would have to do for the sake of justice. My desire would be to show the same fairness to another which God has the grace to judge me fairly.
Luke 6:36 (ESV) "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. 37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
It's pretty clear! We are to be merciful, to not harshly judge, and use the same measure for another which we would want used if we were in the same position. "Reverend" Al Sharpton doesn't do that! He shows no sense of fairness and I believe him to be narcissistic and himself a racist!

He should put his cards on the table. He should admit his bias. I will; will he? My bias's are:
  • God's word comes first
  • Everything we do must be done to God's Law.
  • We must all show love and mercy.
  • We're to love even those who we consider our enemies.
These are all "good" or righteous bias's. They're not mine. They are what I believe, not because that's my nature, but because I desire to please God!

Here are some of my negative bias's:
  • Blacks have a stronger bond to support each other because of their history. They ignore disobedience in members of their race because life has been perceived as unfair.
  • I believe that black culture breeds drug usage, crime and hate. Rather than working through love, many use violence to achieve acceptance. Many ignore the non-violent teachings of Martin King.
  • Motivation in black inner city families is low. I believe that to be due to the lack of a full family structure consisting of mother and father. I don't believe that has anything to do with mistreatment by other races, but are personal choices, albeit wrong choices.
  • Rabble-rousers such as Al Sharpton have a history of stirring up racial animosity. His is a message of hate. There are many like him in the civil rights movement.
  • That drugs are the main driver of illegal activity and there are many reasons for drug usage; most of them are for self-gratification. (Get rid of drugs and crime goes down. Get rid of drugs and we need fewer cops!)
  • That Jesus is not "real" in the inner city. Yes, people claim him, but few follow him. There is probably no research on that, but that's my perception. That's my bias!
Although, it pleases me when things take the course toward my own bias, I must ignore what I want and think of what the will of God is! God's clear. He wants justice. He wants fairness. It wasn't fair that Jesus died for me because he was innocent. Jesus was a scapegoat, but we don't need a cop to be a scapegoat for the unruly!

I've witnessed police brutality. I saw a cop beat my own son and stand on him for only asking his name! Police brutality exists, but because it exists is no reason to assume that every white kid killed by a cop deserved it, but every black kid killed by a white cop doesn't! That's irrational. That's stupid emotional thinking. If there is any true evidence that this policeman is guilty of brutality, justice (and God) insists that he be punished! However, the system has already shown a bias and any act of "justice" is now a lynching! Darren Wilson cannot get fair treatment now. It will be next to impossible. He may be indicted just because so many wish it. He may be convicted just because he was doing his job.

To be fair it would be wise for the grand jury to say: "There can be no trial because the system is already biased toward guilt!" It's too late for a fair trial, with an idiot governor ranting and the injustice within the Department of Justice which have shown themselves to be above the law in other cases. 

What can we do? Rioting like a lynch mob is not the way to justice.Blacks have been lynched because of this same mentality. When will they learn? We can pray for justice; not for prosecution, because praying for prosecution is disgusting to God! We can pray also for Michael's family and friends in their pain. Yes, even those of us whose children rebel; we are still to love them. We can pray that the likes of Al Sharpton not stir up hate. We can pray that he behave as if he's "saved" if he truly is! We can pray for fairness. Prayer changes things!

Politics: Dr. Tim Hulsey on Not being able to undo the done

"Word on the street is that..." Valerie Jarrett finally gave in to Obama's 
campaign organization prior to the 2012 election. It was pushing hard to include 
former President Bill Clinton as a speaker at the Democrat Nominating 
Convention. She reminded her "boss," however, that, after the election, he would 
be the president and could renege on anything he promised Clinton for his 
support. 

She was likely just reminding him, again, since she probably told Senator Obama 
in 2008, "You can promise the voters anything, but, after your election, you'll 
be the president and can renege on anything you promise them." He certainly 
listened to that advice. 

Before the Obamacare bill was passed, she told him to tell the American People 
whatever they want to hear. After passage, it would be "the law of the land" and 
will be hard to repeal. Whatever it turns out to be, you, as the president, can 
mold it in your own image, the Constitution notwithstanding. 

After the Benghazi tragedy, her encouragement would have been to make up a story 
and stick to it as long as possible, Americans have a short memory. The 
state-controlled media will help us. 

Show some outrage over the IRS scandal, then go silent. At some point you can 
say, "There's not a smidgen of corruption at the IRS," then clam up, again. 

Even though it violates two laws, exchange those five important terrorists for 
Bowe Bergdahl so quickly no one will be able to stop you. What can they do, once 
it's done? 

Send a memo to all federal agencies instructing them to run all Freedom of 
Information Act requests by our staff, so that we can slow walk them at our 
discretion. What FOIA laws? 

"You're the president, and they're not! Do anything you want!" 

Soberly Singing My Praises

Oh, as I wake my heart must sing
at messages which the angels bring!
It sings of joy and hope abundant
in harmony with the resounding trumpet.

Some lack the joy I have found
because to evil they're still bound!
Being not sober around they mope
preferring drugs to eternal hope.

Salvation is my calming soma,
taking from life all the drama.
I wonder not what life is about,
and to the heavens I shall shout!

Glory to God for his grace,
dying for me in my place!
Salvation was by his blood
as Noah was saved from the flood.

Why live life in a dream?
not living life fully it does seem.
Reality will soon step in
when each of us join all men.

We'll all face God to explain
why we deserve no more pain.
That in heaven we deserve.
How dare us have the nerve!

Yes, judged shall be us all.
But if in sin we have the gall...
to say we deserve eternal life
while sin in us was always rife.

Praise God he has the grace
to meet me face to face!
"Well done!" he shall say...
on that last judgment day.

Believing made all the difference.
I held Jesus in holy reverence!
One decision saved my soul.
Eternal life was my final goal!

Thank you for knocking at my door.
No need to knock there any more.
I submit to you and accept your grace...
when you take me from this place!

In heaven a room is prepared.
No other mansion can be compared!
In view of my room is the Tree of Life
and finally for me... no more strife!