by steve | Jul 8, 2023 | Just Life, Kingdom Living, Social
Honest review of The Sound of Freedom movie? Really? Wow – and this is called journalism? No, this is ultra-liberal, hedonistic, atheistic, and ludicrous propaganda – plain and simple – if not worse. I’ve not seen the flick yet simply because I’m a bit short of cash right now. But I know enough to see the willful insanity in this review and thus am more than ever committed to seeing it soon. To compare this (based on a true story) film to QAnon is asinine and insane at best. Are Charles Bramesco, Betsy Reed and The Guardian US and their other deranged ilk truly this unintelligent, or is something more sinister at play here?
What is undergirding this simplistic, ignorant, and contentious writing? Money? Politics? Arrogance? Or maybe the higher-ups pressuring Charles Bramesco to do their bidding for reasons we cannot know? Why on earth did he write this profoundly rancid review? Perhaps Bramesco believes what he has written himself. We all know this is a huge evil problem – why is his denial so hard? Why are Bramesco and others creating a straw man out of the film by equating it to Right-wing nut jobs? Well – you’re smart; connect the dots. (more…)
by steve | Jun 28, 2023 | Just Life, Kingdom Living, Social
How are we to see this restriction? That is the Divine Design of creating sex for the exclusive domain of the martial union of one man and one woman so long as they both shall live. Are we to look at this as a barrier to our fun? Is this the picture of a fence separating a row of wide-eyed 5th-grade boys watching the new roller coaster opening at the amusement park? Or maybe see this as something good and loving, like the guard rale guiding us along a high mountain road, which will bring us enthralling views of creation once we reach the top. One of the most disturbing myths surrounding the Divine and sex is that God is down on the subject. The truth, however, is quite the opposite.
In reality, God created something profoundly beautiful and exciting in sex, and doing life according to His Design brings us into lush green fields of pleasure. When it comes to God and sex, some will argue that because Jesus technically never used the specific verbiage of pre-marital sex, gay marriage, or other hot-button catchphrases of our day, such as trans-gendering, sex can therefore be defined in the eye of the beholder. This argument is particularly voiced in the onslaught of those in the LGBT+ movement’s Pride Month. After all, they might say, “If it feels good, it must be ok,” because Jesus loves us.
No, Jesus did not comment on those specific issues, but he didn’t need to. He clearly defined the root of this discussion by going back to creation when the religious bean counters of his day debated where the fine line was between no-fault divorce and acceptable grounds for marital termination. (more…)
by steve | Jun 17, 2023 | Just Life, Kingdom Living, Men
Growing up, I thought the Marine Corps had the best recruiting commercials out of all the armed services. Maybe that’s why I spent so much time in the Marine Recruiting office in middle school. However, I followed God to Bible College rather than going to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego after High School and a year at Junior College. There’s something inspirational, though, in the thought of being the “tip of the spear” and thus saving the world. Something almost unexplainable rises inside of me when I think about the values of the Marine Corps.
But maybe that’s not you. Perhaps God has placed something different in your soul, which initiates vision and life. I think John Elbridge got it right when he noted, “Adventure, with all its requisite danger and wildness, is a deeply spiritual longing written into the soul of man.” Today though, noble manhood has fallen on tough times in many quarters of our culture. As we approach Father’s Day in 2023, the problem is much more exasperated. (more…)
by steve | Apr 8, 2023 | Just Life
They call it a Perfect Storm. Perfect, not because it is good, but because all the necessary components are in place for an inevitable disaster. It refers to the potential of a complete ocean disaster in nautical terms. The perfect storm for sailors would consist of profound wind, rain, and waves, all driving at the same time and place. It’s just bad, and you truly don’t know if you will survive.
They call it a perfect storm. Those times in our lives when multiple pains and problems appear simultaneously at our doorstep. I suppose it was like that for the women in Matthew 28 that morning. Everything had fallen apart, and no hope was on the horizon. Jesus, the one they had hoped in, was dead. The leading Jews set themselves against Christ’s followers. Rome still ruled like an iron fist, and perhaps worst of all, it seemed God had forsaken them. But as with all else, things are not always as they seem with God. (more…)
by steve | Mar 2, 2023 | CHURCH, Just Life, World
Moving into March always reminds me of St. Patrick’s Day, which I’m quite a fan of. You could say it’s because I like old Celtic music. March 17th is my birthday, which I always assumed excludes me from having to wear green. But the greater weight here is my love for the man the day is named after, the historical St. Patrick himself.
There are plenty of myths and folklore surrounding Patrick. However, we do know that around 400 AD, he was taken prisoner from Great Britton by Irish raiders and enslaved. Eventually, Patrick returned to Britton after experiencing a Christian awakening and later sensed a call to return to Ireland to share Christ with his captors in the 420s. History tells us that God powerfully used Patrick to lead countless Celts to the love of Christ. The picture we have of Patrick is a man who was profoundly committed to Christ and the people of Ireland. He loved God, and he loved the people.
The fruit of Patrick’s labor has more far-reaching ramifications than most people realize. (more…)
by steve | Feb 22, 2023 | CHURCH, Just Life, Kingdom Living
I’ve never been much of a high church guy. By High Church, I refer to Christian traditions which rely heavily on form, procedure, and religious rote for their corporate gathering and private lives of worship. We see this most clearly in the Catholic and Orthodox faiths and some protestant traditions such as the Episcopalians. There is indeed an air of religious feel to the form, but in my arrogance, I have always assumed a void of life. The writing out of prayers and reading them to God felt like a suitor giving a formal and legal document to his sweetheart as a marriage proposal. No personal words or heart on fire. Just data. “Here is my proposition in detail; please sign on the bottom line if you agree to these terms.”
No, such a traditional experience was not for me, and I didn’t give the subject much thought. And then. Then? Then my wife, who is working through a hospital chaplain residency, told me that she was planning to observe the tradition of Lent with others at her hospital. (more…)
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