Blog Archives - North Florida Writer

Sunday Morning: So What's Your Excuse this Week?

5/31/2015

He's looking for you.

So here it is Sunday morning. You wake up with the sunrise, grab a cup of coffee, think about getting ready for church and then decide you'll skip. You rationalize about your decision and then you remember that you've said the same thing the last two weeks. Oh, well, you put it out of your mind as you go back to bed.

Folks, we've all been there. I went through a stage of my life where I didn't enter a church for a number of years, but something always bothered me or the day just seemed too long. But it took me quite a while to realize that my problem came from my upbringing and I knew that worship was always expected of me. There's something about the upbringing that brings things out when you get a little older.

It's a hectic and sometimes rough and tumble world out there and it's easy to say that you just need extra sleep and Sunday is the only time you can really do that. But admit it, if you had a chance to go golfing, fishing or whatever else you enjoy, you would forego the sleep and go.

Attending church and getting your batteries charged by the Lord is something that keeps us in the Spirit for the week ahead. That and Bible study and prayer are the things that are expected if you truly have faith. And then you put that faith to work in the way you live your life. And it's all based upon free will, for you are free to choose on your own as long as you understand that the impact on you for good or bad will play a key part in your ultimate fate.

But if you really haven't developed in your past a systematic relationship with God, I would like to offer a tiny helping aid. Starting today I will have a short devotional on Sunday mornings at 7:30 am. It won't be preachy and I am definitely not a preacher. But I have taught Sunday school for years and I know that the only way to get true peace and tranquility in your life is through Jesus Christ. He gave His all for us so that we might live eternally; the least we can do is take Him up on His offer.

You were forgiven for your sins the moment He died on the Cross. All you have to do is open that rusty door to your heart with the help of the Holy Spirit and let the "Sonshine" in. And maybe these few short words on a Sunday morning might be a first step to finding the wonders that He has to offer you. You can just build from there.

Join me, North Florida Writer Live at 7:30 Sunday mornings for a few words of hope and joy, a short prayer and some beautiful music. If you miss it, you can always listen online. It will remain up 24/7.

Here's the link:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/northfloridawriterlive/2015/05/31/at-long-last-sunday-morning-is-coming-down

You can find all of my blogtalk broadcasts here:

blogtalkradio.com/northfloridawriterlive

Have a wonderful Lord's Day and God bless you all.

Do We Have a Truth Problem in America?

5/30/2015

I was thinking about the downward spiral that America finds itself in today and I think that the captioned eagle has it right in his quote from Orwell. As a society drifts away from the truth, the truth becomes more and more something that the majority don't want to hear. In fact, if taken to the extremes found in nations like the Soviet Union under Stalin and Germany under Hitler the truth becomes hated. Regrettably, I am fearful that we are on the cusp of that right now.

Last night on North Florida Writer Live's "Short Take" we explored this situation a little bit. Oh, we only touched the tip of the iceberg but I hope it will make us think. Since today we have substituted political correctness for truth and we have lessened our reliance on the Almighty, we have become susceptible to believing anything that comes down the "pike". Many of us no longer have the backbone or the willingness to face the truth and without the truth you eventually will lose your freedom.

Yesterday it was announced that the First Quarter economy dropped by seven tenths of one percent. So the economy is not growing, it is contracting and yet the government continues to tell us that we are in a recovery and things are getting better.

Police are being cursed and belittled by thugs and their own superiors from the political class won't support them. It is assumed that they are evil, only wanting to hurt citizens when nothing could be further from the truth. Take both Baltimore and Chicago. Weekend murders are in double figures and the police are surrounded by mobs when they try to come and do their jobs. And politicians of both party stripes either go along to get along or just remain silent. But you notice that their security is never at risk while the good people of Baltimore living in the war zone can't even come out of their homes.

Professors teach lies, won't allow for honest debate and the university community which used to be a place for lively debate now curses those who don't accept the phony history that is being used to replace the truth. I wouldn't send a kid to college these days; the only thing being taught is mush that is worthless, yet the "mushies" think they have the truth.

And science? Well, we are all starting to realize the farce that was Global Warming, now Climate Change and who knows what new name will emerge. It is emerging that man's impact on the climate is very small and most of its cause is natural. But those pushing the agenda still say that they have a consensus among scientists when science isn't subject to consensus. And there are many scientists in opposition to their findings who they try relentlessly to silence.

Other examples include the push against Christianity, the majority religion in America and the unwillingness of the Fourth Estate, the free press, to be a beacon for truth, which is what made it so critical. The press has fallen into route step with the New World Order and Christians are worried about what their own government, founded on the Judeo-Christian ethic, will try to persecute them with next.

We could go on and on but the point is this. We need the truth, not baloney. And boy are we getting baloney. So get your thinking cap on, think about what you hear and compare it to what you see. I think it will be clear that something is woefully amiss and it is leading us toward disaster.

You might even want to listen to my short discourse last night. It can be found here:

tobtr.com/s/7653197

If you'd like to review all of my commentaries and shows, go here:

blogtalkradio.com/northfloridawriterlive

Now go and relax for the weekend. You can get back to fighting the battle for truth on Monday. God bless you all.

So What Do We Do With, and How Do We Pay for, All the "Stuff"?

5/29/2015

Look at the remains of all that "Stuff".

On Wednesday night's North Florida Writer Live "Short Take" we talked about "stuff". We Americans love our "stuff"; we like to buy it, use it, enjoy it and then discard it. That, of course, is a right of freedom and I am by no means saying that we shouldn't have the right to own "stuff", but I do wish that each of us would think about what it is we really need before we just go out and buy "stuff" that is a want. And even more critically, we need to make sure that we can pay for all of the "stuff" that we buy, for we as individuals and as a nation find ourselves deeper in debt without realizing the consequences of the road that we traverse.

It doesn't matter whether you are talking about individual life, family life, business, government or any other categorization, we have bought "stuff" that we can't afford and both individually and as a nation we are going to have major adverse consequences for our actions. Nowhere is it more critical than in our federal government where the debt is immense and growing and the unfunded liabilities are probably beyond any hope of being paid for. And when we reach the point of no return, something dramatic is going to happen to our society and our ability to function as a sovereign nation and it will be very ugly.

Furthermore, we fill up our landfills without even thinking of where the next batch of used up "stuff" will go, we throw away abundant volumes of food that could certainly be used for hungry people and the landscape is littered with automobile junk lots which are an eyesore to anyone. We do the same thing with excess military equipment after the current threat is resolved and we use up our land resources like they are unlimited.

So since we are free and have the responsibility to make our own decisions about what "stuff" we want and how we will get it, why not stop and take the time to think about what we are doing before we do it. We'll generate less trash and junk "stuff", we'll likely be able to clean up our family budget issues and hopefully we can even slow down the federal government's bankruptcy as it tries to spend itself into oblivion with all of the junk programs and the resulting piles of advertised free "stuff" that it advertises to the public and usually cannot deliver.

We are a great people with the ability to solve any problem when we finally realize we have a problem. Both individually and as a nation we are at the tipping point. Let's quit focusing on all of the "stuff", real or imagined, and focus and what is really needed instead. Our children and grandchildren will appreciate anything we can do to stop the madness.

I hope you'll check out my commentaries and interviews on North Florida Writer Live weeknights at nine and occasionally on the weekend as well. All are retained on demand and can be reached at blogtalkradio.com/northfloridawriter. Have a great day as you figure out what to do with all of your "stuff".

Taking a Good Look at Common Core

5/28/2015

America has come a long way from the days of the one room schoolhouse. Back then, the teacher was given the authority and responsibility for teaching students of all ages. Reading, writing and arithmetic were the order of the day, designed to prepare young minds to go out into a rough and tumble world. Innovating with limited tools was required and discipline was strict, but preparation was not just expected but required and students quickly realized that the schoolhouse was for business. And they might not become doctors and lawyers, but they did learn sufficiently to handle all of life's problems in a largely agrarian world and successfully operate a farm or a general store or whatever was needed to make life work for them.

Fast forward to today. We've spent billions on education, pouring money into fancy school plants, expensive computers and impressive media centers where, despite all of the spending, we have failed many of our children. This, of course, is to a large degree a huge issue in poverty stricken inner cities, but the problem also is found in all school systems, rich and poor; downtown, uptown and suburban as well as in small towns and rural areas. The problem is that our elites have decided that one size basically fits all and a curriculum which is major in its changes is heavily dumped on the younger students, the K through 3rd grade set, where their young and developing minds are having problems even coping with it. The program wasn't sufficiently tested, was primarily developed by a small band of people of dubious expertise to the matter at hand, and then laid out secretly after gaining political support.

Tuesday night on North Florida Writer Live I was fortunate to have as a guest Meg Norris, a teacher turned Opt Out of Common Core activist, to explain what is happening to our children. Meg taught seventh grade in Georgia, spent a year and a half trying to grapple in the classroom with the Common Core curriculum, and ultimately decided that she could do it no more. She noticed psychological and heavy stress problems develop in her students, students that had previously been doing well, and decided that she had to devote her time to trying to undo this program which has gained much acceptance, but for which a rising opposition in building.

I could write an epistle about what she talked about but instead I would prefer that you listen to the interview itself which is on demand on blogtalkradio.com. Reach your own conclusion. Parents and anyone concerned about the education of our children should pay attention. After all, we are all paying for it with huge tax bills that it brings and, as is usual today, select large private corporation with lobbying ties to our elected officials in both parties are the recipients of the largesse.

You know, folks, life and living it is what we humans are all about. And nothing should be more important than to properly prepare our young people for the world ahead of them, a world which should afford those who work hard with an opportunity to compete for anything. Instead, however, I fear what we are doing is just categorizing the huge majority of our kids into pre-planned segments which the power elites deem best.

Here's the link to the show, it is available 24/7. You may have to copy it into your browser.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/northfloridawriterlive/2015/05/27/the-impact-of-common-core-on-our-kis

I plan to have another interview with Meg and some other activists, hopefully including some in Florida, within the next two weeks. There is a lot more information that I think we all need to hear. She is a brave woman, willing to take on the Establishment for a cause that is of the highest order--preparing our children for life. I hope you will find the interview of value. Let's make education about the children, not about politicians and lobbyists. Our future depends on it.

A Prayer for Christian Strength in America

5/27/2015

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you." - John 15:18 (ESV)

Before heading to the Garden of Gethsemane after the Last Supper, Jesus spent several hours offering His final words of wisdom to His Disciples, who would soon be beginning the key part of their mission: carrying Jesus' words throughout the world. He knew that life would be full of danger and hate as worldly people would see them as a threat to their ungodly way of life. This warning wasn't just meant for them, however, but for Christians then and now since His message is clearly one of a different world, a world where good triumphs over evil and where the requirements of God will always be first and foremost.

We who profess our belief in and allegiance to Our Savior know that by making this commitment we also become of another world. And now in today's America we are seeing signs of this same hatred to us the Jesus warned of even right here in America. Those who want to quiet Christians use slander, innuendo, ridicule, untruths and pure hatred of the vilest variety in order to push their views on others. It is clear that the ultimate goal is to completely silence Christians and force them underground where their mission of spreading the Gospel will be limited and eventually halted. Sadly, even some government policies, often unwritten but powerful just the same, are being used by some in high places to push an ungodly agenda and force believers into silence.

Won't you join me in prayer for the Lord's help in keeping us strong and resolute?

Dear Heavenly Father, We thank Thee for always being there for us and for guiding us with Thy wisdom and goodness. Help us to follow that wisdom resolutely and absolutely no matter what the future may hold. We know there are many who will attempt to defile and possibly even physically abuse us in an effort to quell our Spirit, but give us the strength to hold fast to Thy word.

Lord, we also know that we are called by Thee to love all others, even those who hate us and want to destroy us. Help us to keep our hearts open while also doing what we must to honor Thee at all costs. We will strive to love everyone, but not the actions that they seek which are ungodly, and we will strive to stand fast for Thee knowing that our ultimate reward is eternal life with Thee.

And Lord, we also pray for our leaders who must make decisions which impact our lives in many ways. Help them to open their hearts to Thee and to make godly decisions or, if they fail to do so, to see the errors of their ways, for it is never too late to see the light. And let our actions be a sign to them of the love that we have for all of mankind and the hope that we have for a better future.

Bless us, keep us and be with us in the trials and tribulations ahead. And lead us to Thy Promised Land where we can show Thee glory and live with Thee forever. We ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who died a horrible death that we might ever be free: free of the chains of bondage to sin, Amen.

Glory to God always.

Sunday was Pentecost Sunday: Let the Wind Blow Freely

5/26/2015

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." - Acts 1: 4-5

In all of my preparations for teaching a Sunday school class Sunday centered on Memorial Day and preparing my broadcast that evening, I completely forgot about Sunday being Pentecost Sunday. When the pastor mentioned it in his sermon, I felt slightly ashamed, so even though this is late, I can't let it go by without a brief discussion.

As stated in the Scripture above, Jesus told His Disciples just before His Ascension that that should stay in Jerusalem and wait for His Gift, The Holy Spirit who would come to them. It just so happened that at the time there was a special Festival underway in Jerusalem and the city was crowded with those who had made the pilgrimage. When the appointed day and hour for the Spirit to descend, He entered the Jerusalem as a wind which was felt by all and it entered the faithful, those who already were open to believing what the Life of Jesus was truly about.

Jesus devoted Disciples, who would hereafter be spreading the world near and far, awaited the arrival in the Upper Room where they had held the Last Supper with their Savior. They felt the wind enter them and enlighten them. All of Jesus' teachings to them suddenly made perfect sense and they were now consecrated with the Spirit to speak the words of Jesus and to perform miracles where appropriate.

Friends this represented the beginning of the Christian Church, for no longer was it just a part of the Synagogue but now began to include as its members both believing Jews and Gentiles alike. Oh, great persecution would come to His Chosen Ones, but they would labor on and spread the Gospel far and near. All but John would die horrific deaths on the Cross and John would spend his older years in exile on Patmos, but the message would not be stopped and it would reach to the farthest reaches of earth.

We today, my Christian friends, are expected to carry on in the tradition of these great early Christians, for if we truly believe, we are protected by His grace and His love. We might suffer, indeed we all will in some way, but by staying true to Him we will ultimately receive His Eternal Love and Life at His side at His Father's table in Heaven.

It's a wonderful gift we have been given and we must carefully and properly live it, for when this earth comes to an end as it surely will, we will then inherit His Kingdom and live in beauty and glory that we can't even imagine. Praise His Holy Name and keep your heart open and the wind of the Spirit going wherever you go and whatever you do. Amen.

Memorial Day 2015

5/25/2015

Today is Memorial Day, a day designated to honor all of the brave men and women who died fighting for America and our freedom. America has paid a heavy price for her freedom and young Americans have routinely accepted the call to risk their lives for their fellow citizens. The least we can do is offer our respects on this day that represents a love of country that many can't even understand.

Many see today as just another day of off or treat it as "the first unofficial fay of summer". Others use it to try and find great bargains on big ticket items at the retail outlets and malls. But if we value our freedom we all need to get down on our knees this day and thank God for the sacrifice these now departed brothers and sisters in combat made for us.

War is ugly and awful. Combatants face untold fear, agony and even death, but as long as the fallen angel is granted the free reign on earth which he received when God banished him from heaven, war will be a reality. And to face that reality, America will always need brave young men and women willing to walk that extra mile for their country. So on this day representing such dedication and service, remember those who fought and died at Valley Forge, at Gettysburg and Fredericksburg, in the trenches of France in World War I, the Pacific and Atlantic, and Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, and even other smaller skirmishes. Pray for their souls and give thanks that because of them we remain free.

Go to a ceremony, fly your flag proudly or you can even listen to my tribute recorded last night. But always remember what they did for all of us, for there is no greater gift that one can give than his or her life for a friend (country)-from the Book of John.

Here's the direct link to my tribute: tobtr.com/s/7638145

God bless America and may she ever be free.

Imagine.......

5/24/2015

Imagination is a wonderful thing. As children we use it to play make believe and as we get older it advances to thinking about those things that are seemingly impossible yet often attainable. Imagination is just a part of us that helps us be creative and achieve many hopes and dreams but, of course, there are times we must come down to "earth" and realize our imagination sometimes just isn't possible, at least not in this world.

But just imagine if we all acted responsibly and were able to fully to take care of ourselves. Or imagine if every child had a functioning family with a father and mother who loved and cared for him or her. Or what if nations could resolve their differences without going to war. And what if hate could be eliminated in all people with the result being peaceful coexistence.

Of course, this isn't heaven on earth and as long as the fallen angel is free to roam and create havoc on our home planet, it will never happen. But we do each have free will from which to choose our actions. And while many no longer want to place responsibility of people for the things they do, the consequences of their actions will always cost them, and us, a price. So why not try to do the best we all can, use our "noggin" to try and solve our own problems and recognize that we have a gracious and loving Father above who wants us to make the right decisions? As Louie Armstrong sings in one of his greatest pieces, "What a wonderful world it would be."

It is for reasons such as these that I have chosen the title "Imagine...." for my short takes on North Florida Writer Live on blogtalkradio.com. Every week night that I don't have a regular show, be it an interview or a special topical feature about life and living it, I will present a short take, a commentary of eight to fifteen minutes on a topic that impacts us all. I try to apply common sense, decency and the love of God in each of these short takes and I hope you will find them useful. I also will have appropriate music for the topic at hand although I'll warn you, I'm a 60s kind of guy.

I hope you'll tune in. All of my programs can be found at blogtalkradio.com/northfloridawriterlive. Let's imagine together. There's no limit to what we can accomplish if we put our heads together. God bless you all.

Since God Knows Everything, Why Don't We Ask?

5/23/2015

And He knows everything.

We Christians can be a confusing lot. Oh, we try to live our life with the Spirit of Christ and we believe God's commandments and Jesus' teachings, but sometimes when things go awry we forget the big picture. And when that happens we often worry unnecessarily about our problems and lose sleep because of them.

What do I mean by the big picture and how is that so important? The big picture is that God knows everything: past, present and future. He knew us before we were born, He oversees everything we do and what is in our heart and He is ready to help us with any and every problem. Oh, He's given us a brain and the power of reasoning so that we can work through our problems, but unless we listen to His living gift sent by Jesus, the Holy Spirit, we will fall short. After all, we are mere mortal sinners until we make the connection with Christ and commit to Him. The Holy Spirit is our internal guidance counselor and if we listen carefully, we'll know what to do. And what we will do will be the true and right thing.

God loves us and wants the best for us and that means He wants us to ultimately live with Him for Eternity in His heavenly home. But it's up to us to make the decision with our free will to make that decision and it must be done through faith. While there is plenty of evidence that He is with us and that His Son came to earth to give us true freedom through forgiveness, it still leaves room for doubt and that's where faith is put to the test. So we must open our heart to the Holy Spirit and He will connect us with the Savior who will give you the truth and the peace that the Father so wants us to have. And then we never have to worry again for we will be headed for the wonders of His Celestial Home.

Doesn't that solve your worries? Live for Him and live forever. God bless you all and enjoy your Saturday.

So How Can a Man Think This Way?

5/22/2015

Last night while listening to the Mark Levin Show I heard the sorrowful story about how young Yazidi women captured by ISIS were categorized and the prettiest ones were sent to a sex slave market where they were tested to find out if they were virgins. Those determined to be pure were sold to the higher ranking officials for doing with as they chose. There was even one story about a young woman who when she realized the depraved action they wished her to perform screamed "NO" and was burnt to death.

This evil organization is responsible for slaughter, depravity and age or sex has no limit. They have killed thousands including little boys and girls by beheading, crucifixion and any method of execution which their vile minds can dream up. And as I quietly agonized over this sad state of events, I thought about our President and his unwillingness to move against this evil force in any really effective way. We have been using a handful of air strikes daily with no real purpose when we need to find the camps which are easily locatable and destroy them.

Will there be collateral damage? Unfortunately yes, but that is a fact of war. You can't win wars with your hands tied behind your back; you need to strike hard and deep with massive force to win a battle for mankind such as this one. If we had fought the Nazis the way we are fighting ISIS we would be speaking German right now.

And as I thought about our President's behavior and his apparent lack of concern for those suffering so, I remembered how he railed against the use of water boarding against other radical Muslim extremists who performed similarly to ISIS. How can water boarding be so evil, Mr. President, when you clearly don't have any concern for what is happening to men, women and children who are being slaughtered?

We are not in good hands, folks, and it's time for all Americans to face the truth. Instead of having our government bash and ridicule Christianity and its tenets, our leaders should be standing for goodness and decency which is by definition what the Religion of Peace and Love, Christianity, represents. Oh, there might be some pretenders and false prophets around, but real Christianity as taught by Christ is the source of the truth and guidance for what needs to be done.

May the Holy Spirit enter the hearts of those who are lost and misguided and help us to find our way. And may God grant His favor on those willing to take the battle to evil to end the slaughter. If we turn our back on the events of the day, we will have to account for it later. And in the end we all will have an accounting as part of God's judgment. If you want your name in His Book of Life, it's time to get to work.

God bless America and may the Love of Christ ever be in her heart. And be with those who are suffering and give us the courage to do what we need to do to help those in such dire straits. His will be done.