Lyle's Blog

Jesus said we will do things greater than He did on this earth. If we’re not doing that then we must question our beliefs. If we believe Him but aren’t doing “greater” things we should question if we are truly born again. What is the motivation for being or claiming to be a Christian? One thing prevalent in our society and supported by most everyone is fund raising for this disease or other societal problem. I understand the world doing such but believers in Jesus Christ live in a different kingdom. God is our source for everything. Jesus and His disciples didn’t go about raising funds for research. Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead; after He ascended to the Father He sent the Holy Spirit to fill the disciples and endow them with the power of God to do the same and more than Christ did. It seems to me what we believers lack is the power of God, that being the total filling of the Spirit and a reluctance to abandon this world. We live in a kingdom not of this world so why do we hold so much of our hope in it?

For most of my life I lived in the northwest. For a myriad of reasons I now reside in Phoenix Arizona. People of the sun have developed some hard to understand traits. Not all, but many, are oblivious to simple dangers. Parking lots are a hazardous place as drivers zip behind you as you back out. But the people who walk behind you pushing their baby stroller are especially troubling. Maybe they’ve become less attentive because of their pre-occupation with phones and devices. Phoenix suffers from the same problems that other cities do but there is one issue here that I’d never heard of before when living up north: forgetting your child in a vehicle. Twenty eight children died last year because their “parents” forgot their children were in the car. Much of it has to do with drugs and alcohol. However, forgetting is something that’s become a natural part of life in this socialist (communist) country. Many have forgotten that someone had to earn money before it was given to them. They have forgotten that you are responsible your own doings and for the children you bring into this world. Can a person forget their children just like they forgot where they put their car keys? I think of the thousands of children who survive life with evil parents like these. The government and other organizations attempt to feed and provide care for these kids. But no one expects parents to be responsible adults. No, we just continue to do what we do. Abortion is the solution of the state. After all, many more children would suffer if they were allowed to live. Darwinian thoughts have clouded our minds. But in a socialist world that embraces the religion of evolution, it is odd that we encourage the slothful, lazy, and unproductive in our society to produce more of the same. In my view, decent human beings should be concerned not with their own personal survival but the welfare of these forgotten ones. If we will not love and care for the least of these, we will reap a very cold loveless future. Yes, we live in a world that has discarded its greatest treasure and has forgotten that we will bow before God and be held accountable for our sin.

There are certain words that seem to be out of favor or have become outdated. Shame is a word that doesn’t apply in a society that thinks nothing is shameful. It matters not that the truth of the matter is quite the opposite. This nation may have done some abominable things but other nations are as guilty of those same things. The shameful thing America has done is promote sexual perversion and lewd, crude and rude behavior in our sexual lives. This undermining of prudent behavior has lead to our acceptance of the notion that the unborn children we produce have no value. Killing them is just the result of loving sex more than life. So we arrive at the word slut seemingly becoming a “hate” word. There was a college girl who wanted the government to supply her with unlimited condoms. A radio personality implied that someone needing that many condoms would be called a slut. The uproar by the godless society was huge. A previous beauty queen has sex on Spanish television and she’s proud of it. A couple pop stars appear nude to promote the presidential campaign of a woman running for president. Portland Oregon has a “slut parade” celebrating the freedom women have to be sluts. I wonder if anyone realizes where this is all going. It is shameful what we celebrate in this country. Sex is only for the sake of the sex god and our children are being sacrificed to the god Molek. I am ashamed of my country for calling good evil. When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? Get on the ark which is Christ Jesus.

October 14 is my sister’s birthday. She is, and has always been the wonderful expression of what makes our family what it is. We are not special, but we were blessed to have our parents Art and Amy. Their biggest influence on us was their prayers for our redemption. All my brothers and sisters are what you’d hope your siblings would be: we care about each other and we allow each other to be who we are. Sherry brings a smile to every occasion and you are always at home with her. This doesn’t diminish my other sisters in the least for they too are God’s gift to me. I just wanted to say, happy birthday Sherry, I am so glad that you’re my sister!

My neighbor took his life a couple weeks ago. He lived across the street and spent most of his time sitting in his garage with the door open. He would sit there reading for hours whilst classical music played. By testimony of his wife and our other neighbor, he was a crotchety old man and had to always have things his way. Unknown to me he was also suffering from some illness and life was in his mind hardly worth living. His wife woke in the middle of the night and noticed he wasn’t in bed. She found he had gone into the bathroom; she was able to crack open the door just a little as his body had fallen at the door. He used a shotgun, which left a bloody mess and maybe it was his last effort to be selfish and inconsiderate. Life was all about him and apparently his death was too. He did n’t care about the horror his wife had to see; he was inconsiderate to the very end. I knew what he was like, but I should have approached him one time and told him of his need for Christ. No doubt he would have responded like he did to everything else in life. At least I convinced myself he would. Scripture says that if I warn people and they don’t respond, their blood is on their own hands. If I don’t warn them, then their soul is still required of them, but their blood is on my hands. I’m not so sure what that means. It’s just sounds like something I can’t pay.