What I Really Want for Donald Trump

     I wanted Donald Trump to be reelected for a second term. I wanted the good things he accomplished in his first term regarding abortion, Israel, our military, our national enemies etc. to continue. There are questions about the validity of the election results. Voting by mail makes fraud easier, but there is no question that God could expose or overrule fraud. Probably a bigger factor in voting by mail was that the enthusiastic young Democrats who are usually too lazy to get out and vote, were able to stay in and vote this year. So while I did not get what I wanted this election, what I want even more is God's will and He is not hindered by the machinations of men.

    What I really want for Donald Trump is that he come to know Christ. Otherwise, all the good things he accomplished that were in God's will, will be of no eternal benefit to him. One of the interviews in the movie "American Gospel" was Donald Trump explaining on a religious program that he was a good person, and so, alright with God. Over his four years in office I saw Facebook testimonies of faith of Mike Pence and many of the President's other top officials, but there were none of Trump himself because, like Russia collusion, there is no evidence it happened. No fruit. Specifically, patience, kindness, gentleness, and especially, self-control. If impeachment would humble Mr. Trump to the point of seeing his need for Christ, impeach away. I'm sure any of the many Christian people Trump surrounded himself with would be happy to lead him to the Lord. Pelosi and puppets will answer to God for every one of their decisions both personal and political, so I don't need to pray for vengeance over that. What I do need to pray for is salvation for Donald Trump, for his family, maybe even for his enemies.

    

    

Payback

     My husband is a firstborn, therefore he is on a constant quest for justice, by which he means fairness/everyone gets treated the same. For example, if the driver ahead of us is going too slow, he deserves to be honked at, or tailgated, or both. My previous two cars have had broken horns, I think God smites them in order to preserve our Christian testimony. It may be fair for bad drivers to endure the same treatment from others, but such measures would make the roads fairly unsafe for all of us. The Bible says a man will reap what we sows. In other words, or in this case, word--Payback. I told my husband if God gives people in heaven the jobs they most coveted on earth, he will be a judge and a driving instructor. It is not that he likes having rules, but if he has to follow them, everyone else should too. 

    Reed has gone to Bible Study Fellowship for many years now. BSF used to be very "ruly", although they called them guidelines. The leader was supposed to make sure the group stayed on schedule so that all the questions were covered and they could be on time for the lecture afterward. To facilitate that, as well as help stay on topic and keep individuals from monopolizing the discussion, the questions were to be answered before class time. Reed chafed at all the ridiculous rules. So I figured the year he had a timid leader who did not enforce any of the guidelines should have been his happiest ever. Instead, he complained because unprepared people were constantly sidetracking the discussion, one member was sharing at length on every question--at least, the ones they actually got to, and they were always late getting to lecture. (In my unconsecrated, wifely thought life, this was his Payback.)

     Through the four years of childish petulance and legal persecution against Donald Trump's presidency, Reed has repeatedly remarked that the Republicans should behave the same way. And here we are. Trump supporters' rallies have been infiltrated (just like the Black Lives Matter rallies were) by the lawless troublemakers the Bible describes as worthless men. But the P.C. police would consider that sexist, so I clarify that there are plenty of worthless women too. However, these violent and destructive "demonstrations" are not Payback. They are an embarrassment to the people of integrity who supported Trump and a brutal distortion of the testimony of Trump's Christians allies. Both parties behaving badly is not fairness, it is foolishness, and it is dangerous. Let's leave justice to the only one who truly understands it. God will handle the Payback.

    

Thy Will Be Done

     I am no scholar on the Lord's prayer. The greatest tools I bring to Bible study are plain interpretation, corroboration with other passages and logic. So this morning, when the political headlines are grim, especially in the Seattle Times which is complimentary (but certainly not to Trump) at this hotel, I have been thinking about that prayer. The second line after addressing our Father is, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." I have never been one of those Christians who believes that God cannot work his sovereign will on earth unless the right officials are elected or God's will would only be a footnote between Genesis and Revelation. But that does not mean I do not get discouraged by the morals and politics of our time.

   So today I am contemplating the passage, "Thy will be done on earth . . . I can think of a few different ways to look at this. 

    Future:  If this request is for a future time, like the millennium, then what would that mean for the next ones for daily food, forgiveness and deliverance from temptation? Future food isn't filling.

   Symbolic:  It is true Jesus used lots of parables and symbolism to teach his disciples, but again, the rest of the prayer is for daily needs. The disciples did not need symbolic food, forgiveness or strength against temptation.

   Literal:   My default and favorite. I pray for God's will to be done on earth, just like it is in heaven, and that I will be a part of doing His will. 

   Some of the leaders of our nation will change in a few days, but our true leader, who also rules the planet and the universe, will not change. Cannot change. It is not my job to approve God's will, understand it, or even see it. My part is to pray for, and as best I can, seek to be a part of--thy will be done.

Freedom From The Press

     Freedom of the press was so important to our nation's founding fathers that they included it in the first amendment. A free press was to be part of our government's accountability to the people. But having the right to report news without government coercion did not mean newspapers were unbiased. Many Americans fear we are more divided as a nation than at any time in our history. I believe that is because we are either forgetful or egocentric enough to believe all important events happen in our own lifetime. For instance, during the Civil War our nation was divided not only ideologically, but geographically. And there was not just random rioting, but organized battles and casualties unimaginable by today's standards. About half of all Americans who have died in all wars so far, died in the Civil War. At least 620,000. 

     Until the 19th century, American newspapers did not even pretend to be unbiased. One of the most famous examples of this Yellow journalism, was William Randolph Hearst's quote to his reporter before the Spanish American War, "You furnish the pictures, and I'll furnish the war." And the move away from partisan papers was not motivated by fairness, but finances. Partisanship limited readership which also limited which businesses were willing to advertise in those newspapers. The rise of news and commentary reporting was also motivated by money. Offering opinion is much cheaper than research and embedding reporters where events are happening. (My research for this post was free, but annoyingly time consuming.) And during times of war, the freedom of the press was limited to what the military leaders decided to leave unclassified.

     I think during my childhood there was at least a nominal commitment to fair, unbiased reporting, but I was too young to evaluate news at the time. By the time I was a teenager, the Vietnam War era, I already knew the media was manipulating the message. News reporting returned to its agenda, not to inform, but to influence. However, the harm was limited to daily newspapers and three servings of TV and radio news per day. 

     I blame the current division, not just on the greater availability of advertisers, but on the 24 hour availability of news that either makes us mad or reinforces our need to be right. Our press is free from outright government coercion, but not from the bribery of advertisers and biases of owners and editors. But we have the power to free ourselves from these televised tyrants. Much of what we call news is what the Bible calls "endless speculations" (1 Tim. 1:4) The contrast is not between being informed or ignorant, it is in choosing what to fill our minds with. If what I am hearing causes me to lose faith in God's sovereignty, it is sin (Rom. 14:23), at least for me. Personally, I find it impossible to fill my mind with whatever is true, noble, right, pure, etc. (Phil 4:8), when my brain is on the news channel.

    In conclusion (at long last!), I do not believe our nation is more divided now than ever before. And I believe we have the power to diminish the division if we are willing to exercise our freedom from the press. That includes this preachy, pedantic post which reads like a school essay assignment. But I wasted too much time on it, not to publish it.

    

  

For What It's Worth

     Yesterday while in the hotel lobby, I overheard a phone reservation being made for the room we are staying in. I knew we were getting a good, off-season deal on our spacious suite overlooking Lake Chelan, but I had no idea it was this good. We are paying $130 per night. The same room in August costs $310 on weeknights, $340 on weekends. Without reservation, I love this suite. Nevertheless, I noticed that the place in our bedroom where the wallpaper was loose two months ago had not yet been repaired. And one whole corner seam in the wall by the balcony has separated. There are two ways I could look at this:  

       Hey, if this room is worth $340 per night, I expect it to be perfect.  

    Or  

       Wow, this room is worth $340 per night despite its imperfections.

 

     What a parable for the way I look at people. I can choose to judge others' worth by tallying up their faults, or I can focus on the price paid for them--their purchase price is the cross of Christ. If Jesus was willing to give His life to pay for us, in far from perfect condition, I should value others the way Christ does. Even the ones begging at intersections. Even the opposing party's politicians. For individuals who come to know Him, some of those flaws will be fixed in this life, and the rest of the imperfections God Himself will take care of when we get to heaven. But right now, the most flawed among us are still worth the price Jesus was willing to pay for them. And if I recognize the grace that makes that true in my life, I will extend that grace to others and value them not by their imperfections, but for what they are truly worth.

    

On the Day the King Was Born

   This is the third of the brain children I had when I should have been listening to the sermon the Sunday after Christmas. As usual, the idea was born in seconds, the fleshing out in writing took all day. Simple concepts, simple words, not simple to do.

 

 

On the Day the King Was Born

 

On the day the King was born

there were no palace banners flown,

but there was a Star in the heavens.

 

There were no royal officials

announcing the news,

but there were angels rejoicing.

 

There were no nobles to attest

the arrival of the king,

but there were shepherds worshiping.

 

There were no wealthy officials

bearing lavish gifts,

but there were Wise Men coming.

 

Millennia have passed since then,

the leaders of the Roman world

are practically forgotten.

 

But Christmas spreads throughout the earth

the message of our Savior's birth,

and songs are sung and gifts are given

in honor of God's gift to men.

We celebrate each Christmas morn

                                                             the day the King was born.

 

 

 

 

Mary, Did You Know?

     This blog is not about the popular Christmas song with the above title, it is about the way Christmas songs have formed, for right or wrong, many of our beliefs about Christ's birth. I enjoy both modern and traditional carols and many contain sound theology, especially if you sing all the verses. Others, like the title above, speculate about what the participants in the Christmas story felt, and that is a good way to meditate on God's Word. But some of our traditional beliefs about Jesus' birth fall far from the star, so to speak. I wonder what Mary thinks when newcomers to heaven tell her what we have come to believe about Jesus birth, courtesy of carols.

     Mary, did you know:

•   That because around the 4th century A.D., Christmas began to be celebrated in winter, we sing about Jesus being born in winter. The Bible does not specify when Jesus was born, and there is probably a good reason for that, but greater minds than mine have drawn from some practical considerations. One being that because shepherds brought their flocks in from the fields for the winter, as ranchers still do with livestock, if the shepherds were in the fields, it was probably not winter. The other practical issue is that Roman rulers would likely recognize that requiring subjects to return to hometowns to pay taxes in winter when travel was difficult, might cut into their tax revenues. They might have been cruel, but they were not stupid.
•   Other scholars have calculated the timing by using John the Baptist's birth. Zechariah's temple service in the order of Abijah would have been in June. If Elizabeth got pregnant in June and was six months along when Mary became pregnant, then John would have been born in March and Jesus in September. It is wonderful to have the Christmas season to brighten our "Bleak Mid-Winter", but it is unlikely that winter is when it actually occurred.
  
•   That we think you were turned away from some local Super 8 type motel when the word "kataluma" actually describes family guest quarters, which naturally would be full if all Joseph's family gathered in Bethlehem for the census. And the stable was not some cave far away, but usually attached to the home where the animals could be protected during the night. Often this was in the main room of the house. If I had the choice of giving birth in front of unknown in-laws or the privacy of the stable, I would have chosen the stable too.
  
•   That since only Mary, Joseph and Jesus were mentioned after the birth, we assume Joseph delivered Jesus. That is extremely unlikely however, if the stable was in the family home. If the guest quarters was crammed full of relatives, some of them had to be women. And women, especially those who already had children, would be hard to keep away from Mary's delivery, even if an experienced midwife was available. Women want to help (although sometimes it is called meddling/interfering) and very few women can resist holding a newborn, much less helping him get born. Just because the Bible does not say who helped with the labor and delivery, that does not mean the couple went through it alone, however poignant the carols may be.
•   That because there were three gifts given by the Magi, we sing about the three of them traveling thousands of miles bearing gifts of great value (through barren, lawless lands with only their camels for protection). Some have even given the wise men biblical sounding names. Even if there were only three Magi, it would have required an army of guards and support staff to get them that far across the desert with their lives, not to mention wealth, intact. But showing that would require too many costumes and an extremely crowded stage at church Christmas pageants.

      It is always better to take our theology from the Bible than the hymnal. The cover may say "Sacred Hymns", but the contents are not inspired unless they are solely scripture. And I am sure Mary has heard about our misconceptions about her conception many times, but I do not think she will mind if I ask, "Mary, did you know . . .?"