Then, Now, and Soon

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.

 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.” (Ezekiel 34:1-10 NIV)

It seems that some things never change. These passages from the Book of Ezekiel date from the 6th Century B.C. (about 2,550 years ago, give or take a few). Today, leaders still use their positions for personal benefit, at the expense of those they have been given to care for. Ultimately, their misdeeds will lead to their destruction. 

 

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.” (Ezekiel 34:11-16 NIV)

As in the years following the Babylonian Exile, God has again gathered the Israelis back to the land He promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (a.k.a. Israel).  Many believe that this is a sign that the Day of the Lord will soon begin.  Jesus thought of Himself as The Good Shepherd, and of His people as His sheep. (John 10:1-18) The Book of Revelation (Chapter 20) promises that, at His Second Coming, Jesus will rule the world as Messiah for 1,000 years.

Do you want to be part of His Kingdom, a kingdom of justice and peace?  Would you like to rule and reign with Him?  You can bask in the Glory of God’s presence forever in a heavenly bliss that we are not now able to comprehend.

A righteous life is the result of salvation, not the cause of it.  Eternal life in heaven cannot be earned.  We are not able to be good enough to earn our salvation.  Jesus paid the price of your admission to His Kingdom.  You just need to believe that what He did was sufficient, repent of your old sinful way of life, and ask Jesus to be your Savior.  He will live in you, and you will be in Him.

After that, find a good church that believes and teaches the Holy Bible and only the Bible.  Learn His ways.  Then, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus.

Standing Strong

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.  Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.  For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.  In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.  Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.  (Ephesians 6:10-18 NLT)

 

*  https://biblehub.com/nlt/ephesians/6.htm

 

You Broke Yet?

Yesterday, I filled my pickup with “midgrade” (89 octane) gasoline.  I paid $1.06 per gallon more than I paid before 20 January 2021 when Joe Biden became President of the United States.  Mr. Biden has been in office for about 100 days.  That means the price of my gas has gone up over a penny a day, during Joe Biden’s presidency.  If that rate continues, we will be paying about $4.92 per gallon on 20 January 2022.

Of course, I am speaking hypothetically.  There is no way a guy like me can predict how much gas will cost a year from now.  All I can do is ask, “Hey, how’s that Democrat thing workin’ out for ya?”

The Mask

Here in the United States, we have been coping with the COVID-19 pandemic for over a year.  Yet, we are still arguing amongst ourselves about masks.  Some want wearing masks in public places to be mandatory.  Others want it to be left to the discretion of each individual.  Children seem to be the least at risk, but some schools are mandating that they wear masks to school.  Parents are making impassioned pleas to school boards to do away with mandated masks.  A family was recently removed from a passenger airplane because their two-year-old child was not wearing a mask. Unbelievable!

The state of Texas has filed a lawsuit against President Biden for jeopardizing public health by failing to enforce to enforce federal laws resulting in the illegal entry into the country of migrants, some of whom have COVID-19.  However, in a recent virtual meeting with the leaders of other countries, President Biden was the only one wearing a mask … as if the bug could be spread online.  Who said the President needs to be consistent?

The argument is spreading to immunization.  Should it be mandatory for every American to be vaccinated against COVID-19?  Can people be trusted with the freedom to make their own decisions about their health? *  On her TV program, Sovereign Nation, Michelle Malkin recently pointed out that (regarding abortions) “My body, my choice!”  has been the liberal battle cry, and now it is the liberals who are trying to force everybody else to wear masks and get vaccinated.  Is it really a public health risk if some citizens opt out of vaccination?  Is there research evidence to prove that?

Listen!  Do you hear the laughter of the Chinese Communist Party? Are they able to believe their good fortune that they could divide us so easily by accident? (Or did they purposely infect the world?)  Since we are so easily divided, must they not be thinking of ways to divide us on purpose?  You do not need to strain your brains, Chi-coms.  We Americans are so foolish that we divide ourselves!

As a nation we need to be looking for the answers to better questions.  Why were the Chinese changing the relatively benign coronavirus into a nasty, virulent pathogen like the novel coronavirus?  How did the population of Wuhan, China become infected?  Why were people allowed to flee Hubei Province, spreading COVID-19 worldwide?  Why did the Chinese Communists try to cover it up?  Why was the United States providing funding to a laboratory in China (Wuhan Institute of Virology) that was possibly researching biological weapons?  Was it so that we could have observers on site?  If observers saw biological weapons being developed, then why were no efforts made to stop it?  What are we doing to try to prevent this from happening again?

What would we have done if the Chinese had dropped nuclear weapons on San Francisco and killed 500,000 of our people?  What if they said, “Oops, it was an accident?” Would we have believed them?  Would we have replied, “That’s okay, just don’t let it happen again?”  With Joe Biden in charge, who knows?

I say it is time we stopped bickering and started dealing with Communist China.  I have previously advocated that we begin a gradual, planned disengagement from Communist China on all fronts … economic, political, cultural, diplomatic, and so forth.  Since President Biden took office, however, their behavior has shown that they intend to push whenever they see weakness.  The Chinese Communists have learned nothing and have no remorse.  Therefore, I think we need to step up the pace of disengagement.  If they dislike us so much, let them learn what it is like to live without us … and soon.

Please email, write and call your Senators, Congressmen, and the President.  In 2022 and 2024, please vote for candidates who support a strong stance against Communist China.

 

*  In the interest of full disclosure, my wife and I wear masks in public places.  We use germ goop on our hands whenever there is the slightest risk of exposure to ourselves and others.  She is fully immunized, and I am getting my second shot in a week.  We are not necessarily advocating that others do as we have done.  We are taking preventive precautions because we are both over 65 years old, and we both have chronic health problems that would make it bad for us if we contracted COVID-19.  It makes good sense in our case.

Lady

My dog died last Tuesday.  She was 14 years old.  A few months ago, we learned she had cancer.  It took us unawares because she was always healthy.  I had hoped she would outlive me.

When the burden of her illness became too great for her to bear, we helped her on her way to peace and rest.  I think she knew the end was near.  About a week ago, she asked to get up into my lap, and she put her ear to my chest to listen to my heartbeat … just like she used to when she was a puppy.  When her last day came, she lay down beside her mate for a while as if to say goodbye.

The week has been full of memories … of the things we did together, and that we didn’t do but could have.  Every time I think I have stopped hurting, something reminds me of her, and the pain comes back.

Lady was the smartest dog I ever met.  She did all the lovable things dogs do, but there was more.  She engaged with you.  Her mind was always working, and she would look you in the eyes and communicate.  If you were open to it, she could let you know what she was thinking and feeling.  I could get another dog, but there will never be another dog like Lady.

She wasn’t perfect, but she tried very hard to be good.  To me, Lady was more than just a dog.  She was a dear friend.  I miss her so.

American Public Education 2021

Since the turn of the 20^th Century, the Progressive Movement has been gradually taking control of public education in the United States.  Abraham Lincoln is reported to have said, “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.” *

Whether they were aware of Mr. Lincoln’s view or not, the idea has not been lost on the Progressives.  To them, the schools are a “change agent” that they can use to convert a racially prejudiced, greedy, and ethically derelict America into a just, humane, and politically correct society (as they define it).

Teacher’s unions like the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers have been radicalized.  The focus of their efforts now appears to be on becoming the point of the spear leading America into a socialist utopia, rather than representing the best interests of teachers in the workplace.

Since the Democratic Party recently gained control of the executive and legislative branches of the federal government, the situation has become infinitely worse.  Americans with traditional values have been called racists and are portrayed as an impediment to social progress.  Religious beliefs that are foundational to the American way of life have been described as bigotry and hate speech, and the present administration is empowering public education to implement that agenda.

For a thorough discussion of the failure of American public educational system to teach our children such basic competencies as Science, Mathematics, Reading, and Writing please refer to my July 17, 2020 post entitled, Education 2020.

As a reminder, let me say that, when compared to students in other countries (in 2012), American students' PISA test scores ranked 28^th in Mathematics and 21^st in Science. www.nsf.gov/nsb/spi/edTool/data/highschool-08.html  Further, one source showed that (in 2015) our kids' PISA scores ranked 39^th in Mathematics, 24^th in Science, and 24th in Reading. www.pewsearch.org/fact-tank/2017/02/15/u-s-students-internationally-math-science/

Regrettably, more recent data was not immediately available. Now, the dismal failure of our public schools shown by these scores happened in spite of the fact that Americans paid over $12,000.00 in taxes per enrolled student every year.

I’m just a dumb guy, but it seems to me that our educational system is a failure.  I would like it if our failed educators would focus on improving their professional performance, rather than trying to remake society by destroying the values parents want to teach their children.  Failures should not presume to teach values to our children that most of us do not support, and in fact object to. 

On her television show, Sovereign Nation, Michelle Malkin recently said something to the effect that we should emphasize our country’s accomplishments, rather than focus on its shortcomings.  Take heed to this warning from Abraham Lincoln, “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”

 *  https://www.brainyquote.com/

_____________________________________________________________________

Just one more thing:

The above is not intended to disparage the thousands of rank and file teachers who do the best job they can every day, working in a broken system.  It is not about the teachers who are good Americans at heart.

Edwards Deming is reported to have said that when there are problems, 85 percent of the fault lies with the system and 15 percent with people.  The educational system needs to be restructured from the ground up.  The people who are responsible for 15 percent of the problem are the leftist administrators, AOC wannabe teachers, union leaders, and politicians who are trying to ruin the country.

Today - Tomorrow - Someday

Compelled by the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:22), the Apostle Paul traveled to Jerusalem.  The Spirit warned him that he would be persecuted there, and his friends begged him not to go.  After he arrived, he was brought before the Jewish ruling counsel, and also caught up in a riot.  Roman soldiers took him into custody to keep the peace and to prevent him from being killed.  He was escorted to Caesarea to stand trial.  Paul made his defense on several occasions, before Governors Felix, Porcius Festus, and King Agrippa.

The reaction was varied.  Frightened by the things Paul said, Governor Felix delayed the matter until he was succeeded by Festus. Governor Festus wanted to please the Jewish Leaders by returning Paul to Jerusalem to be tried by them.  Knowing they were plotting to ambush and kill him along the way, Paul exercised his right as a Roman citizen to appeal his case to Caesar.  As a matter of curiosity, Felix asked the visiting King Agrippa to hear Paul’s case.  After he heard Paul’s story:     

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” (Acts 26:28 NKJV)

 https://biblehub.com/nkjv/acts/26.htm

Agrippa’s statement has been the subject of a great many sermons, often pointing to the tragedy that Agrippa came so close to heaven but missed it.  Felix missed the mark because he was too afraid to deal with the power of Paul’s message.  Festus just wanted to get rid of a political hot potato.  They all put off until tomorrow what may have been their only chance to believe unto everlasting life.

John Fogerty, the lead singer for the rock group Creedence Clearwater Revival, wrote a song the group recorded called, “Someday Never Comes.”  The chorus goes:

Well, I'm here to tell you now each and every mother's son

You better learn it fast; you better learn it young

'Cause Someday Never Comes

https://genius.com/Creedence-clearwater-revival-someday-never-comes-lyrics

A friend of mine used to say that “Tomorrow isn’t promised to anybody.”  To make it personal, I would add that tomorrow is not promised to you or to me.  Someday never comes because when we get to tomorrow, it becomes today … and someday keeps getting pushed back.  If you wait until tomorrow - or someday - you may end up like King Agrippa.  He came close, but close doesn’t get it done.

Please decide to ask Jesus to be your Savior.  Please do it now.  Then you can sing this old gospel song along with your brothers and sisters in Christ:

I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
no turning back, no turning back.

 

Though none go with me, I still will follow;
though none go with me, I still will follow;
though none go with me, I still will follow;
no turning back, no turning back.

 

The world behind me, the cross before me;
the world behind me, the cross before me,
the world behind me, the cross before me;
no turning back, no turning back. *

 https://hymnary.org/text/i_have_decided_to_follow_jesus

  

*  Reportedly written 150 years ago by an Anonymous persecuted Christian in Northern India.