Lyle's Blog

The last two weeks have given us the martyrdom of Charlie Kirk, a follower of Jesus Christ, and Satan’s children gleeful of his demise. For decades we have had an over-abundance of wicked people who cheer the criminal and mock the victim; and these people have had children even more prone to violence. The land of the free is under siege and I personally don’t see a way out. If we’re lucky, the kill-shot will take its toll on them although I believe many on the freedom side will suffer the same fate. We always want the “good guys” to win but we’ve been complacent and allowed the the lunatics to flourish all for the sake of “unity”.

That said, what hit me yesterday as I was at Costco, was a baby maybe a month old or so being carried in a carrier by its mother. He had his finger in his mouth and was wide-eyed, taking the world in. So fragile, so innocent, so unaware of the world he was entering. I was grateful he had parents that were taking care of him. I see babies all the time but none has quite struck me in such a way.

For those who have chosen violence as a way of life, this child would certainly be expendable right along with his parents. Women and children seem to be the target of their hatred and it is up to us to be prepared for the wicked days to come. Men must protect those who are vulnerable to these thugs at all cost. If they don’t, we’ll all be killed that have uttered any support of morality. We all want to believe there’s middle ground but that is a ship that sailed long ago.

King David lived a thousand years before the birth of Christ. When he was old, he passed the kingdom on to his son Solomon which was typical of the ancient world. What I want to focus on is the way kings were treated back then. In reminding David that he had promised the kingdom to Solomon, Solomon’s mother (Bathsheba), Nathan the prophet, and anyone else coming before the king, bowed their heads to the ground in reverence for his position. Whatever the king said happened. Kings had power over their people.

We see across the globe a similar thing today, or a actually a mixture of rule. Some countries, North Korea, China and some smaller players have dictatorships. They put on a show to camouflage or hide some of the worst abuse to facilitate the trade they must engage in. We in the West have leaders highly skilled in the art of screwing their constituents over so it’s still brute power but we get just enough benefits to keep us begging for more.

Our founders knew government of any kind was dangerous but to keep people hanging together some government had to be formed. They did their unbelievable best and I thank them for it.

Government is kinda like a bowel movement; you know you’re going to have one and there is always a mess to clean up.

To be or not to be, that is the question. Hamlet gave us a deeper look into why we bother with life. Life, after all, is a circular experience. We start out naked and we end the same. We do our best to sensationalize our lives and get the most out of whatever this life is, and if we have opportunity, we go for the gusto. We may achieve a great life by kindness or theft. Blessed with ambition or talent we may excel, living a life many are supposedly envious of; or maybe not. The contented soul recognizes their constant need for covering themselves. Our awareness of the nakedness we can’t shed leaves us a little unsure of the future we have loosely planned.

It seems to me we spend a lot more time planning our vacations than preparing for one-minute after twelve. We’ve heaped together voices that support our preconceived thoughts on our worthiness to stand before the king. The Bible’s words are compromised on a regular basis inferring no matter whatever view someone has, there’s new ones to hang your hat on. We just want to be comfortable with our belief in that one-minute after midnight. We strive for a comfortable and secure life and our afterlife view must match. It’s probably well and good we don’t meet that Jesus guy in our travels on earth. Giving your riches to the poor and a rock for a pillow kinda speaks against comfort.

I hear talk that God wants us to have good things which provides a great excuse for over indulgence. Life has become jammed full of options no other generation has ever had and it’s gone on just long enough for us to think it is normal. This of course is one of the reasons we’re supposed to give our riches to the poor. We’re to stay connected with the grace of God, understanding God hates an ungrateful heart. We, above all peoples of the earth, should be shouting the praises to God. The bulk of the population are blissfully unaware of the debt they owe to God but we should not be in that number. We shouldn’t worship the gods we’ve made, but the God who made us. One last thought; why would God make a wretch his treasure? Because it cost everything he had to give.

We put our little dog down a week ago. He was sixteen-years-old. Deaf and blind, his quality of life was approaching zero. In the mornings we would carry him out side to do his duty and during the day the same routine would repeat. He still ate well but he just stood around “looking” at the wall or at nothing. He was frustrated to say the least and so we decided it was time to end it all, for him and for us.

The first injection (meant to calm him) produced a yelp. He cried for a moment as he lost control of his legs. This from a dog that barked twice in his life, it was disconcerting. He had been the perfect dog and those big pug eyes belied a sudden distrust in life, maybe in us. We were suddenly experiencing the reality of death. Just our dog I know, there are certainly much more tragic things happening every day. With our dog Squire, it was his death for sure but further I felt at that moment it was the death of trust in us.

I would think every death since Eden is a tragedy. Countless billions of people and animals dying in all sorts of ways, from natural to cruel. We of necessity have made friends with death and how important or precious is one life over another whether they perish today or a thousand years ago? Does anyone remember the dead. We do for a while but soon all graves lose their visitors. The great men make history and in some fashion are “remembered”. Statues, paintings, honorable mentions can not compensate for death. Great and small, everyone and everything go to the pit. King Solomon was right. We just aren’t that special.

Which is why life should be valued. It’s precious and because it can disappear in a moment. The Apostle James told us to realize that our plans depend on the will of God. The air we breathe belongs to God so the implication is that God holds the keys of life and death for us and every person ever born. So I ask God, what’s all this unending death about? It seems like madness.

Remembering a thousand years with God is like a day, it makes sense that God is in no hurry. We, on the other hand, can’t wait for the end of all things, all this monotonous striving to keep something that we can’t keep. So what of value can we glean from our lives. We of Christian faith understand our salvation is in Christ but what does that mean to the millions who came before Christ let alone the billions living today?

God drowned the whole world with a flood. Scripture tells us that those that die without Christ will perish in fire. God is angry with the world every day. The maker of heaven and earth is not one to be trifled with. .

Song Hymnal of Praise and Joy Copywrite 1897 Pluma M. Brown

Savior! teach me, day by day, Love’s sweet lesson to obey: Sweeter lesson cannot be, Loving him who first loved me. With a child-like heart of love, At thy bidding may I move, Prompt to serve and follow thee, Loving him who first loved me.

Teach me all thy steps to trace, Strong to folloow in they grace, Learning how to love from thee, Loving him who first loved me. Love in loving finds employ-In obedience all her joy. Ever new that foy will be, Loving him who first loved me.

Thus may I rejoice to show, That I feel the love I owe, Singingtill thy face I see, Loving him who first loved me.

Jane E. Leeson

Holy Spirit, Truth divine! Dawn upon this soul of mine. Word of God and inward Light, Wake my spirit, clear my sight. Holy Spirit, Love divine! Glow within this heart of mine, Kindle every high desire; Perish self in thy pure fire.

Holy Spirit, Power divine! Fil and nerve this will of mine; By thee may I strongly live, Bravely bear, and nobly strive. Holy Spirit, Right Divine! King within my conscience reign; Be my law and I shall be, Firmly bound, forever free.

Holy Spirit, Joy divine! Gladden thou this heart of mine; In the desert ways I sing, Spring, O well! Forever spring.

S Longfellow

DRAWING NEARER by Lucy Laroom and D. Bortinanski

Within the footsteps of the ages, We are drawing nearer thee. Beautiful upon Time’s pages, Will our name and record be. Year on year of worthier living, Add we to life’s glorious sum. Through our striving, thy love-giving, Lord, they blessed kindom come.

Over fallen towers of error, Laid by our own hands in dust. Past the ghost of doubt and terror, Out of sloth’s in-eat-ing rust. From Gomorrah’s lurid smoldering, Borders of the drear Dead Sea; Graves where selfish love lie mouldering, Fly we ever unto thee.

Vain a secret hoard to carry, from our ruined house of pride. Weights that hinder, fiends that harry, Are the I-dols that we hide. Draw us rather by the sweetness, Of thy breath in living things; To thy-self with unclogged fleetness, Lifted, as on angel wings.

Dogmas into truth transmuting, Fusin difference in love; Creed and rit no more disputing, Closing rank and file we move. Leaving our dead past behind us, Turning not, not looking back; May no wayside glimmer blind us, To the one straight narrow track.