I WAS WRONG ALL ALONG!

I've taught and directed Sunday School's in the USA for many years. I liked the teaching end. Give me a class of seventh and eighth grad boys. I like the challenge! Most of these mid school guys are not coming to the class because they want to know about the Bible or Jesus. Get Real!

Kids come for a variety of reasons. Some come with their parents, others that may have discovered girls, and there are sort of girls to see and meet. Meeting with a small group of classroom boy friends. Social activities and food are a big draw. And some actually like the teacher.

My class of guys was always full, I always had a lot of weekday activity and outings.

I had such a special Sunday School class that Christian Education Directors and College educated Youth Workers would pop in to see how I did it.

The door opened up and none of my kids gave our visitors a second look, they were too busy checking the Scriptures to check my message. It did look good! And they were impressed.

You see, that week I was having a contest, with the winners getting a free frosty.

At the start of the lesson I reminded the class that as I taught the lesson I was going to tell a big fat lie, and that they actually would believe it. If they caught me, it was a free frosty.

I remember that day I taught about Jonah and how he ran from God's call. Most of my kids never caught on, when, in that story emphasized the miracle of Jonah swallowing the whale and that many never believe that miracle ... Can God do anything? I had them raise their hands. I was so convincing that morning that only three caught the lie and were rewarded!

My class had no idea what I was going to teach next week. But they were there to listen, I was into tricks and object lessons, whatever worked to sell a concept.

I remembered a big shot coming in from Chicago to evaluate our West Coast Sunday School of around 400, which was good for a small church of 300. He had a briefcase and a small black hat.

Alas, we got a very poor evaluation!

"In fact he said to me" I don't know were these kids are coming from, but I do know you're doing it all wrong.



I may have done it wrong ... but what a thrill it is visit many of these kids, now adults, that I used to teach in Sunday School as kids who became missionaries in tribes in Africa, Indonesia, Philippines, and countries in South America.

I have some of the weirdest grandchildren.

INTESTINAL FORTITUDE!

At over eighty years of age why is my intestinal fortitude being questioned?

I fought in the war. I'm not a politically correct person. I'm known as a rebel ... A jungle, Indiana Jones!

People know I have guts!

Oh! "INTESTINAL" fortitude ... literally! My own private guts!

My doctor says at my age my intestines need checking!

Now what's wrong with my innermost plumbing? I don't know. Nothing seems wrong BUT my doctor says he wants to start at my southern end and roam up into and around my innermost plumbing checking things like leaks and connections, whatever.

Oh Joy! This procedure will be video taped in full color! Is nothing sacred? The cost ... oh the co$t! Not just dollars, but a sacrifice of 24 hours of real fasting, enemas, pills, liquids and of course running back and forth to my bathroom spending much of that time perched on top of the white-throne. My internal plumbing must be really, really clean!

Frankly I don't like the idea, I really don't like it ... nothing personal of course.

BUT ... I just didn't have the guts to say NO!

Well, my procedure is over now. Clean, clear and no red-flags ... you see there was really no reason to have this invasion of privacy.

However even in something like this there are rewards!

Would you believe, along with my bill I have seven beautiful full color prints of my intestines ... suitable for framing.

Merry Christmas, I got my presents early!

TODAY IT'S TIME FOR THE LOOSER TO WIN!

At present we have a Government that blatantly rewards the stupid, the lazy, the loser and the selfish scammers of society; including the millions that simply feel entitled! The Government, in the name of compassion, takes from the wealthy minority and gives a little to the poor minority. In the middle somewhere there's just a little corruption.

Money given in the name of compassion to the end of political influence. Something smells here.

Are greed and cheating limited to the wealthy? Of course not! The poor, as a group, contain as large a percentage of greedy scammers as the rich. Greed is endemic to man at all stages of life.

The rich as a whole are simply more educated, willing risk takers, harder working and jump through every legal loop-hole they can find. They win!

Are the rich compassionate? No. Are the poor, as a whole, compassionate? No. Is a greedy man compassionate? No.

The very vocal leaders of minorities are a great example of selfish "hypocritical" greed. Greed to the end of control and political power. Anyone watching and listening to Al Sharpton, Rev. Wright, or Jessie Jackson can readily see their arrogance ... and agenda!

It's puzzling to me that the poor seem to go wild over their rhetoric ... yet are blind to their agenda ... extended slavery, indeed an addiction.

The Rev's cleverly keep their people kneeling down and permanently enslaved to their "perceived" status. (Key word here is, "perceived".)

The Rev's say we represent you, we speak for you; the permanently downtrodden and poor.

Note their dialogue never has suggested a solution, and at present contains no solution.

Give us money and an apology, that will do it ... for now.

Notice this trinity of Reverends, godly men that they are, live like millionaires on the backs of their poor.

That just isn't right.

A SOCIETY NEEDS CHRISTIANITY

Even if I weren't a Believer, even if I weren't a Biblical Christian, even if I didn't believe in a God ... I would see the value of "the Judeo-Christian religion" in a society.

An Atheist, that's different; according to God's Word an Atheist is a fool; we can't expect an Atheist to see any value in a religion of any sort; especially one that brings him to account before a living God. He believes in man.

Take an honest and close look at the "Judeo-Christian" religion ... true Christians have, and cherish, an inner ethic. An internal, right and wrong. An inner responsibility to answer to a God who sees all, knows all and will ultimately judge all. Judeo-Christianity is taught by parents to their children and reinforced by example.

We're talking here of a past society that had a deep inner ethic and believed in personal responsibility (sounds like the original America we were so proud of).

A people that holds and practices this Judeo-Christian ethic; cheerfully obeys the law from inside out, resulting in a happy and prosperous society.

Why are we trying to kill the Judeo-Christian religion that was our heritage?

Let's move to the America of today.

Our contemporary society of today is no longer Judeo-Christian. Today we have become reliant on legislators to both create and enforce our ethics; demanding bigger and better trained and equipped cops to become the solution. Politicians create our ethics and cops enforce our ethics ... while Incarceration contains the growing human debris. Lets be honest, today we obey the law (1) if there is policeman around or (2) there is a camera somewhere or (3) we may get caught.

Contemporary man simply has no "God"; consequently no inner ethic. Indeed we're free to do what seems right in our own eyes.

Hard as man might try, he can't change the "heart" of man; only God can do that and now we're back to ... Judeo-Christianity.

ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD ... ROM: 8:28

Al Potapoff sent me this article. I don't know who wrote it, but it's great!

Granny, 88, still drives her own car. She writes:

"Dear ones: The other day I went over to our local Christian Book Store and saw a "Honk, if you love Jesus" bumper sticker. I was feeling particularly sassy that day because I had just come from a thrilling choir performance, followed by a thunderous prayer meeting.

So I bought the sticker and put it on my bumper. Boy, am I glad I did; you can't imagine what an uplifting experience followed.

I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection, just lost in thought about how good life is, and I didn't notice the light had changed. While I was sitting there, the guy behind me started honking like crazy, and then he leaned out of his window and screamed "For the love of God! Go! Go! Go! Jesus Christ, GO!!"

What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus!

I found that lots of people love Jesus! Everyone started honking. I even honked my horn a few times to share in the love.

I saw another guy waving only his middle finger stuck up in the air.

I asked my grandson what that meant. He said it was probably a good luck sign or something.

Well, I didn't want to appear selfish, so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign right back!

A couple of the people were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their cars and started walking toward me. They may have wanted to pray or ask what Church I attended, but this is where I noticed the light had changed.

So, grinning, I waved to all my brothers and sisters, and drove on. I noticed that I was the only car that got through the intersection before the light changed again and felt kind of sad that I had to leave them after all the love we had shared. So I slowed the car down, leaned out the window and gave them all the good luck sign one last time as I drove away. Praise the Lord for such wonderful folks!"

Your loving Granny.

LEFT. . .ISN'T RIGHT!

I remember as a new recruit we were learning to march. We were commanded to face left and one recruit faced right. A big military No. No. The sergeant pulled him from the ranks and asked him if he knew his right foot from his left. The Recruit stood there silent. Then the Sergeant raised his big boot and slammed it down hard on the recruit's left foot. “Don't forget; that's your left, your other boot is your right! Do you understand?” “Yes Sir!” and he hobbled back in line. Now he knew his left from his right.

The confusion of Left and Right continues on in politics.

The Conservatives verses the Progressives, and to make it simple it's the Right or Conservatives verses the Left or Progressives which seems only right, or maybe left as you may see it.

Then there is Reverend Wright who's Left as the Right sees him; Wright is not Right at all but rather Left ... of course those of the Right believe Wright is wrong! A simple case of when right is wrong. Is wrong right? I don't think so.

It can get rather confusing.

Even though I lean Right I live on the Left Coast, which makes me at odds with the rest of liberal California. Being Right makes me stand out among the Left.

But where is my heart? ... rather embarrassing.

Truthfully it's on the left. Anatomically that is. On the left yes, but not with the Left, if you know what I mean.

And then there are the Independents, who don't know their Right from their Left!

Time for the D.I. to stomp on their Right foot.

SAVEABLE?

We as Christians have to come to the understanding that it's impossible to become saved until we recognize we need to be saved; then, in fact, we become "saveable." Until that time, all attempts to save us meet with resistance.

We are not "saveable."

Take this as an example: A great swimmer decides he will swim from San Diego to Hawaii. A great challenge; a great fete, but actually impossible! With that irrational dream in mind, this great swimmer starts his swim with a confident smile.

The fact is, that at one point in his journey from San Diego to Hawaii he will need to be saved from drowning. But he won't be "saveable" until the sharks are circling; he is hopelessly fatigued and he recognizes he is going to drown. Then, and then only, he will accept someone or something to save him because he will want to be saved ... he will need to be saved.

He will cry out ... save me!!

When it comes to needing a Savior, man finds himself in a similar situation. Man isn't really "saveable" until he realizes he is a spiritual being with an eternal end. Until he knows he's done, doomed and hopelessly lost.

He then will accept a savior because he has come to realize he needs a savior.

A sincere man's effort to get another "saved" is commendable but futile.

Far better to pray.

It's God's Holy Spirit that makes a man "saveable."