WichitaNick

The Final Cost of a Free Lunch

2010-12-30T08:53:00.003-06:00

Once upon a time there was a king who had compassion on his subjects so he gave them all several gold coins as a tax rebate. They were happy until they ran out of gold. Then they demanded more. The king gave them more again, but not as much. Then the subjects demanded more again. Only this time the king was out of gold. The people stormed the castle and killed the king and took over the castle. That's when they discovered the king had no food stored. He had spent his food money on the peasants and gave them the money he would have used to buy grain and the like with. So the peasants warred among themselves for a while. The castle eventually grew into great disrepair and the peasants grew weary of living within the confined walls. So they left and left the castle abandoned.

Later a nobleman came to see the castle and determined to live there. The peasants asked him if he was going to rule over them. He said no he just wanted the castle to live in. So they let him do it for the nobleman was prosperous and gave them a few jobs. When the castle was set up it was prosperous again. But the peasants were on the outside and asked him to be their Lord. He reluctantly agreed. Then he imposed taxes to build roads and provide for an army. The peasants didn’t like it but went along with it for a while. Then someone among the peasants reminded them that this was where they were before. So they went to the Lord and asked him for gold. He told them to work and he would pay them. They didn’t want to work, only wanted the gold with no strings attached. The Lord would not do this so the peasants revolted (the children of the original peasants), and stole the gold and plundered the store houses.

On the outskirts of this little kingdom was an evil Lord who watched the generations of his neighbors go through this routine every few decades. He decided to take advantage of it. So he set up a plot to send a nobleman in at the right time. Again he was received and prospered for a while. When the peasants began to murmur and demand gold, the evil king launched his plan. A huge army surrounded the villages and the little kingdom and made them all slaves. Now the peasants had no food, no gold, and no freedom. So their children and grandchildren for several generations lived in slavery and poverty because their forefathers wanted something for nothing.

Angelic Encounter - June.2010

2010-07-16T19:36:00.005-05:00

On the way back from Texas in mid-June, I was sitting in the back seat of our car attempting to entertain my 9 month old grandson, Noah, who was strapped into the car seat next to me. My wife was driving and Noah’s mother, our youngest daughter, was in the passenger seat in front of me.

The little guy was trying to go to sleep but was fussy and would almost be asleep when suddenly, he would do a full body “jerk.” Then he would wake up again and cry some before settling back into a rest only to be “jerked” again. I have done this on occasion so I wasn’t too worried about it until the Lord nudged me to pray for the little tyke because he was jerking way too many times and should have been fully asleep by this time. So I asked the Lord if there was anything present which I should be aware of.

Suddenly I saw (in the spirit realm) an evil spirit in the car who had been poking little Noah and causing him to jerk and stay awake instead of going to sleep and getting the rest he needed. This kind of thing is not new to me so I quickly bound him, cut him loose from anything which might keep him near us, and sent him to Jesus. He was quickly bound and rendered inactive but he didn’t leave, which surprised me. Then I heard an angel’s voice on my right. After taking the necessary discernment precautions, I listened to what was being said. Here’s how the conversation played out.

Angel: He (the evil spirit) has been sent from Jerusalem to monitor Noah.

Incredulous, I exclaimed: “What? Why?”

Angel: His name is Noah isn’t it?

Me: Yes, So? (I was not yet on the same page as the angel.)

Angel: He is a rescuer.

Me: And?!!? (Still not understanding.)

Angel: The enemy has sent out spirits like him to check on, follow Noah and monitor him. The enemy is concerned that these children will get the idea, when they get older they will need to help rescue Jews. Do you understand? (I thought there was more to it and surmised that he was also talking about other Christian children who have biblical names and might be given assignments from the Lord for this purpose.)

Me: I think so. (I was making a strenuous mental effort to remember what had just happened and what I needed to do, including telling my daughter what I just experienced.)

Angel: Make sure you understand because I shall not pass this way again.

Me: OK. I think I’ve got it.

About that time the evil spirit was snatched away, and out of the corner of my right eye I briefly saw the angel leave. (I think he was in a hurry, but what do I know about how fast angels travel!)

I told my daughter what happened and we decided to pray for Noah and our other grandson, Levi, for protection.

A couple of days later as I was asking the Lord about this discussion he told me to keep praying for the children. So I have and have communicated this story to several individuals. Since that original angelic visitation I have been rereading the book “Watchman Prayer” by Dutch Sheets. As I was reviewing the material there, the Lord told me to write my angelic conversation down, with the following biblical explanation and post it. Here are a few notes which apply to the encounter and how I think believers can use this kind of story to benefit and protect our little loved ones.

A few scriptures which are directly applicable to the angelic conversation are below.

Gen 2:15 NKJV “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” (NASU – cultivate it and keep it.) (NIV – work it and take care of it.) (KJV – dress it and keep it.) Keeping means to watch over, protect, feed, provide boundaries for, in other words – be responsible for it.

A few verses later God creates the beasts of the field. Then the text says he brings them to Adam to give them names. Evidently Adam was in the garden and the beasts were out in the field. It is easy to conclude that God gave Adam and Eve a twofold responsibility,

1. Tend to the garden – water the plants and harvest the fruit.
2. Watch over it – keep all the beasts, like snakes, out of the garden.

One of the things we never want to do is to give undue interest to the things and ways of the devil. Satan would just love that. Like Adam, our first responsibility is to tend the garden. The garden was literal for Adam, for us it takes on a figurative meaning. For us, our gardens are our lives, relationships, families, provision, communities, etc. This means we are commissioned by God to spend the bulk of our time nurturing, loving, feeding, and providing for families, churches and communities which God has put us in charge of. However, the devil would also love for us to dismiss the second part of our primary responsibility as well – to keep snakes and other animals (evil spirits) out of our garden. If we neglect this element of our commission, we put ourselves and all those we care about in our garden at unnecessary risk because then the devil is going to roam the earth devouring and destroying without restraint. This is why the Holy Spirit includes the following uncomplicated directives in the New Testament.

Eph 6:11,18 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. … praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints —

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

2 Cor 2:11 … lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

I believe this angelic encounter was given to me to relay the story so we could be reminded not to abandon or neglect our God-given responsibilities to be alert to God. Then when the devil is up to something nearby, we can hear from God and take appropriate prayer action necessary to protect ourselves and our loved ones.

In my discussion with the angel, I did not become preoccupied with the evil spirit, did not talk to him nor was I afraid of him. My attention was wholly upon the conversation with the angel. He was, and is, a messenger from God sent to tell you and I what the devil is up to and what we need to pay attention to and address in prayer. Here are a few of things which we can glean from this angelic conversation.

1. The devil knows the names of our children and where they are.
2. He has a long term perspective (18+ yrs.) and a long term plan to deal with his worries.
3. He has a malicious attitude and violent plans for Jerusalem and the Jewish people.
3. He has evil spirits who are able to influence and to some degree, make physical contact with us. (He was poking Noah trying to keep him awake. No doubt he was also hoping I would respond in anger and discipline or perhaps even hurt the boy.)
4. God is fully aware of the enemy’s plans and has messenger angels who can alert us and give us protective advice or prayer strategies if we are paying attention and willing to obey.

Below are some similar conclusions which the best -selling author, Dutch Sheets, has gleaned from his book “Watchman Prayer.”

1. Protection from enemy attacks is neither automatic nor complete. We play an integral part in the spiritual protection of our children as well as their physical protection.

2. God’s plan is to warn us or alert us of the devil’s tactics.

3. We must be alert or watchful or we won’t be aware of God’s attempts to warn us.

4. If we are not watchful and alert, and choose to ignore satan’s evil schemes, he can and will gain advantage over us.

God has given us this message from his angelic messenger to show us how this works. If we don’t do anything with it, like make some changes in our prayer lives and/or take God’s grace and protection for granted, the devil will take note and make further plans for further inroads into our lives and those of our children. Too many of us have adopted the ostrich’s approach to spiritual warfare, i.e. stick our heads in the sand and hope it goes away. Fortunately it’s not too late to catch up. God has plenty of angelic messengers and lots of mercy.

Let’s make a conscious effort to be alert and available when the Holy Spirit wants to communicate with us. This is worth praying about and making some corrections in our prayer lives.

Remember you are loved!

Psalm 91 Comes to Life

2009-12-10T07:47:00.003-06:00

On Wednesday, Dec. 9th, while I was praying, this vision came clearly.

I see a man, dressed indiscriminately, placing three sealed stainless steel cylinders, roughly 12 inches high and 4 inches round onto a rolling container. It is rolled away and is loaded onto a truck which leaves the manufacturing facility in the desert, and drives away. The truck is left vacated, except for those who are watching it with binoculars. Three soldiers or men dressed like soldiers come in the night and surround the truck and drive it away. The man with the binoculars calls another and says the delivery has been successful.
The truck pulls up onto a beach and stops. It is sunrise. I hear "allah be praised."

Next scene. I see men in muslim garb, drinking and making toasts to allah "We shall see how the Americans respond now. Allah ahkbar." The scene closes.

Next scene. I see an explosion along the Houston coast it looks like an oil refinery has exploded and is on fire.

Next scene. I see the muslims toasting one another. Saudi Arabia. “Here’s to the American dollar and blowing up everything they love.!!. "allah akbar," they laugh. This is the ruling party, the ruling family in Saudi Arabia. Not nameless, faceless terrorists.

Personal note. I don’t know whose the soldiers are. The containers are not what causes the explosion and burning of the Houston refinery, but the muslims evidently know something of it.

Next scene. I see the muslim leaders still talking. This is what I heard.

“Do you think the Americans will ever figure this out. It"s not like we are trying to hide our vision from them.”

“They will not discover this because they do not want to think about it. This president is the most naïve, or the most diabolical president in history. I think he is diabolical. I think he knows what he is doing and I think he is inviting us to blow up his country so he can take over without congress being in the way.”
“He will not be successful. There are way too many rednecks who would just as soon blow our f… heads off.”

“Nevertheless, Obama will not be in power very long. Someone like George Bush will come along again and we will have to be careful. They are infinitely harder to deal with.”

“Yes, but in the meantime, we get richer.”
“And more powerful.”

“What about Iran?”

“They are trouble. We still need the Americans to fight the Iranians for us. We could never do it by ourselves.”

“Then why are we trying to blow up their economy?”

“Because allah wishes it. It is that simple.”

“What will we do then?”

“We will die in the III War of the Worlds, like everyone else.“

“Then allah will come?”

“Something like that. I don’t have all the details but that is like what the
Imams tell us.”

“This doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Nor to me. That is why we must bend the rules a bit. Like drinking alcohol. If we get no pleasure in this world, why be alive?”

Next scene. I see the containers being loaded onto an open vehicle, like a troop carrier. The truck is passed to others who continue driving. They stop to refill the vehicle, in open country, with gas cans. When they are finished they salute, and turn the vehicle over to others who are dressed like British, and they take the truck. The truck is driven to an old plane, like a troop or cargo carrier. The containers are moved to it and it takes off. As the plane flies one container is dropped over water, a large body of water. Then the second container is dropped over a desert like area, maybe semi-arid. The third is dropped over a metropolitan area. It breaks open and flies come out and a dirty liquid onto a paved street. No one notices at first. This is Pestilence, engineered bioterror products.

Explanation from the Lord. These are tests. The enemies of the US are testing the effectiveness and practicality of dropping contaminated containers in different areas. They don’t know right now how effective any would be, but they are determined to find out.
Psalm 91 is true. It is coming true in your lifetime. Do not delay making preparations. The time is nigh. I am nigh. I love you. I am giving you mercy.

Message to me. Let others know. Even if they doubt or laugh at the possibility it will be worth it to have warned them. I love you and I love this country. I must, however, be true to my nature. I am also angry, and angry at those who would try to rule the world at satan’s beck and call. I will not tolerate it now. The times have changed. I have not. This is your world, it is your calling, it is your ministry. Let people know. Let them know now. I love you. I love you. I love you.

A Sword for the US

2009-06-29T17:02:00.008-05:00

I have not come to bring peace but a sword. Division is what happens when I use my sword. Do not think I take division lightly however. I know that no house divided against itself will stand. We will see what happens to the United States. Will her citizens draw together and overcome the obstacles of today or will they withdraw from one another and divide further. I have no use for a divided nation.

America once stood tall among the nations. Today she is a harlot, selling her wares, her sexuality to the highest bidder. Who will give her the most money? She is unlike many nations on the earth. She has been queen for awhile. but instead of giving thanks for her blessings she has thrown off her cloak and exposed her underbelly to the world. Her finances are disastrous.

You have seen this coming. Now is the time to "pay the piper." No longer will I finance her debt. I am calling in the notes. I am calling in my notes. I am calling in her notes. Do you understand?

No longer will I finance her abortions, her immorality, her twisted foreign policies which reward her enemies. Do you understand?

A. Yes sir. Do you have a timetable or can you give us a time frame of reference?

I have put my signs in the heavens. Do not miss them. I have put my signs on the earth. Schedules and calendars are irrelevant to me, except the ones I ordained. OK?

A. Yes sir. Is three years an accurate number which we should expect for your anger in creating upheaval on the earth?

How long did Joseph have?

A. Seven years.

Is that a literal or symbolic number?

A. Literal.

Use that as a guiding point. It could be more or less depending on prayers and the response of people involved. Know this. The USA heyday is over. I am preparing the world, my world, for my Son's return. OK?

A. Yes sir.

A Conversation with God

2009-06-10T10:02:00.004-05:00

There is a ruler in the world, satan, who does not want the US to continue as it is. As you can see he is working diligently in the media and arts communities to get gay marriage passed. He won with the election of Obama and is now working to set the country on fire with liberal hatred for anything conservative or Christian.
• There is a movement afoot to stop the gay marriage. Pray it would be successful. The tea parties will have limited effect. What is needed is a grassroots organization to fight the economic policies. Pray for leaders to emerge which the people will rally around besides the news media figures. Leadership is critical for America right now. Pray for leaders to emerge and to announce candidacy.

• Inflation is on the rise. It cannot be stopped. China is looking for ways to insure their investments but will not be able to stop inflation, rapid inflation, hyper inflation which is coming. Do not be lulled into believing it will only be mild. It is the purpose of this administration to do this. They have not told you the truth. Their agenda is to take control of America so that they will never be voted out of office. They do not think there are enough conservatives to continue the rallies which are being revealed in the tea parties.

• There is a movement afoot to stir up hatred for all Christian things. Pray it would die quickly.

• Money is a major issue for America. The government has spent all of the GDP for the next 30 years. It cannot be repaid. There is not enough economic thrust to sustain it for that long even under the most generous circumstances. Circumstances will not be good for even one year for the next several years, as you know.
• Do not think I am pleased with the church either. She has acted like a drunken sailor and is going to bed with even the most ludicrous looking sailors. Those with no guile whatsoever are wooing many parts of her into their chambers. Holiness has almost become sin in many parts of my church. I will judge her and severely. There will be holiness in my church. Period. Do you understand?
• War is on the horizon. It cannot be avoided. Too many countries who have invested in America will not be repaid. Pray it will not come near my church. Nuclear is not out of the question although it would come with severe consequences. America is still the number one country with the most and the most effective war tools. Count on war breaking out within sectors of the country, where individuals will rise up to challenge the government. Anarchy is possible. Pray I would not allow anarchists to rise to power. Different coalitions need to be formed, among states is possible, but are absolutely necessary for economic stability, if you can call it that, to be maintained.
• Politicians will become increasingly cowardly. They will promise anything to be elected and will deliver nothing, liberal and conservative alike. Pray for discernment and power to come to the ones I anoint.

• Anarchists will rise from Kansas. Pray I would not allow them to interfere with my work here.
• Canada will remain your friend. Pray I would bless that relationship.
• Mexico is an enigma. Pray I would strengthen your ties with her. Pray her citizens would stop pouring over into America, stressing basic services. Pray her citizens would start taking responsibilities in their own country and pray for me to cleanse her of unrighteousness and anarchic tendencies. Pray that a stable but strong government would take over with strong leadership, but not bullies in the police departments. Pray that corruption would be eliminated with strong faith leaders to set the example.
• As you can see, leadership is critical in these times. Pray for strong faith leaders, who honor My Son to rise up. You may not be able to tell them from their election speeches so trust me to honor your prayers.
• America has two choices. Do the right thing by paying off her debts or sell assets like real estate or military hardware. She is not capable of paying off her debts. The latter is the most likely scenario for you to consider. Pray your leaders will not “sell her down the river,” and abandon her incredible, fortunate relationship with Me. I am still the God of creation and can create faith out of nothing if I am asked. There will be many hard choices in the future, but I can and am willing to help if asked. Pray that millions would start asking so I am not asked to do impossible things under impossible circumstances. I prefer to have time to act. I am not surprised by anything, but for grace’s sake, giving me time is the wise thing to do.
• (Open Vision) I (Nick) am looking at the ocean from the beach. I see a huge wave, a tsunami coming. When it hits the beach the wave directly in front of me is reduced to a normal size wave with the water gently flowing over my feet. All around me, however, the wave is perhaps 100 feet tall and moving at full force into the mainland. I hear Psalm 91. (God) Economic survival will be almost impossible for you or any of my children to survive, much less thrive in the years which are immediately coming. Do you understand?

• You must tell my people this. Some will believe, some will not. People must get prepared, spiritually, emotionally, and even economically where possible. I will be the one who provides. Churches need to come together to pray and combine resources where possible. Relationships must be established so that trust can be formed between groups. Too much competition has ruined my church in Wichita. I cannot have a church which will not communicate with one another. Do you understand?

• There is also a harvest coming. It will come like no other one in history. People will be coming because there is no food, no shelter, no hope of income. They will come needy. Do you think you are prepared? Do more. This is not the time to be building a church. It is the time to prepare, to come together, to pray together, to learn to love one another. The harvest will be big enough to go around, but if my churches do not come together I will cut the harvest short and send the people elsewhere. Do you understand?

• There is more than enough grace to go around. There is more than enough love to go around. There will be more than enough people to go around. Do not resist my Holy Spirit on this. He is prepared to bring in the harvest to Wichita if you will come together. Everyone has been praying for revival for years. The time is now. The time is now. The time is now. Change what you have been doing. Change your schedules. Change your priorities. Move. Expand your horizons, now. It is coming. It is here. There is no more time to waste.
• Look at the hyperinflationary times which Germany went through after WWI. It will be like that in America. I am setting the stage for my son’s return. He will return and he will be King on the earth. Do not test me in this. My word is clear. Now is the time for me to prepare the earth for this return. Do not test me in this. I will not yield to your prayers to delay His return any longer. It is coming. It is here. This is the season. Do not test me in this.
• My word is clear. Psalm 91. This day has arrived to your generation. Do not test me in this. My grace is sufficient for all your needs. Goshen is the land where my children of Israel dwelt when my wrath was poured out on the nation of Egypt. They endured some hardship, but not much, especially compared to the Egyptians. At the end of that testing for Egypt, the nation was destroyed and never regained its prominence. Will America go the same way? Time will tell.
• I am not angry with you. I am angry with parts of my church because they do not respond to my word, my angels, or my prophets. I will have no patience with these. They are deceived if they think they can presume upon my grace during this period. I will not yield to their cries for mercy if they do not hear my voice and obey. Time is of the essence. Tell the people this. My word says I do nothing without first telling it to my prophets. I am telling you. Get the word out. Do it now. Do it today. Time is of the essence.

Who's the Crook?

2009-02-23T18:32:00.001-06:00

Scene One

Two men in dark suits, white shirts and black ties carrying briefcases walk into a government building. After a couple of hours they exit. One of the men has his briefcase stuffed full of classified documents. The second man has in his briefcase a check for $150billion. Which man is the crook?

Scene Two
Two women walk into a big name health clinic in Hollywood, Ca. After a few hours both walk out with their bras bulging. One of the women received breast implants, the other has her bra stuffed full of $1000 bills which she received from an insurance settlement.

Final Scene
Two pastors walk into the offices of a large non-profit foundation. One wears a $1500suit with a $500 tie and carries a briefcase full of architectural drawings which illustrate his plans for a new music and theatre education center in Branson, Mo. The second pastor carries a computer with a professionally done power point presentation which highlights his plans for a capital building project for a Christian university in Zurich, Switzerland. After a couple of hours both walk out with checks totaling $20million. Both of the pastors then hop into their limousines and speed to the airport so they can jump into their own privately held jets to take them to their next appointments across the state. Both pastors have salaries and benefit packages which are envied by CEOs across the country. Neither pastor has a board of trustees which hold them accountable for expenses or lifestyle.

Who’s the Crook?
In the first scene both men are crooks. Clearly, stealing classified documents is against the law. This is a no brainer. The second man is also a crook. Although he was given a key to the treasury by the President, he is liable to judgment because he is stealing from the public based upon deceptive and misleading information. Neither man is held accountable by the media.
In addition to the two businessmen, the President and the media are also guilty. Neither is honest, and neither is sincerely upholding the public trust and goodwill which have been granted to them by the citizens of a free republic. Dishonesty, for these gentlemen, has become the rule - not the exception, and each will be judged accordingly.
In the second story, both women are innocent, if you count innocence as being deceived. Both were told that adoring fans would shower them with adulation and that riches would be theirs for the taking. But,neither of the women received what she was promised. In a short period of time both discovered these simple truths. Neither the size of their chests, nor their bank accounts improves their personality or acting skills. And they certainly don’t enhance their value as a friend or human being.
The third example tells the tale of two unscrupulous and self indulgent pastors. Both of the pastors are crooks, although they may be self deceived. All of the churches’ precious gifts from widows and families go primarily into their personal pockets. The rest of it may go to worthy projects, but compared to the amount raised, the percentage is so small that the “pastors” have to continue increasing their fund raising budgets, travel expenses and personal grooming costs in order to keep up their successful images. Each Board of Trustees which the pastors’ represent is also guilty. They are not being responsible to the people they claim to serve. As stewards of God’s resources, they will be judged as guilty, not incompetent. The people who work for these pastors, if they are fully informed, are also guilty. God’s Word tells them that each person is responsible for all the gifts and resources which are under their care, and it is their duty to reveal the nature and extent of the corruption to the proper authorities and/or public.
If there is one thing we can learn from these three stories, it is this. God’s judgment is righteous, truthful, all encompassing, and certain. Nothing is hidden from His sight, and no information will be overlooked on judgment day. Our only hope for a favorable verdict when we appear before His throne is to have an advocate who thoroughly knows us, and who intimately knows the Judge.

The Cadillac and the Cliff - A Conversation with God

2009-02-20T06:54:00.004-06:00

God begins the conversation with a story.

Picture if you will a homeless old man who looks like He has no options and few friends. He is walking slowly down a long and winding country road, using only his cane to steady him, and carrying his few valuables in a plastic bag. In the distance behind him a shiny new silver Cadillac spins its wheels, and grinds its gears in an effort to go faster and faster. It stirs up the dust from the unpaved road as it rolls forward, unyielding and unencumbered.
The old man pauses briefly as the car passes, then straightens up to see how far the road ahead might be today. His mind is not on himself for he knows what is ahead for the Cadillac. His grizzled face crackles with delight as his mouth reveals an enormous gap-toothed smile.
Suddenly the old one drops his cane, and stands up erect. He is over ten feet tall and not an old man at all. A black cape appears over his shoulders and a tall black horse appears out of nowhere. The now strong, virile man climbs on his horse and the steed rears, then neighs with a malevolent thunder. The previously green and pleasant countryside shivers, and then withers, turning from green to gray.

God: Is the old man a friend or foe?
Of whom, you say?
Of whoever lives in this land. It was once green and prosperous, but now it is all gray and dead. Is the old man a friend or foe?

Writer: I do not have enough information.

God: Excellent. Here is more.
The relationship the Cadillac owners had with the old man began a couple of centuries ago. When the automobile designers, day laborers, and prodigal industrialists came to this country, they arrived on sailing ships which depended upon three house-sized sails to carry them to America from across the sea. It took perhaps as much as three months to arrive. The people were strong of character, and wise in discernment.
The old man liked to hang around the loading docks where all the precious goods were unloaded. The people had a few belongings and many children. They considered their children their most precious assets. Life was hard, and the more children they bore, the more blessings they received, both in sharing love, and in sharing the workload.
In those days, the old man didn’t have many takers. But, occasionally someone would take him up on his promise to lighten their work loads, and bring them instant prosperity. The old man offered to give them favor if they would be willing to do things the old man’s way - that is - shade the truth in business, cut corners in manufacturing, and steal just a little from the government, every now and then.
When the industrial age hit America the old man was still up to no good. Only now he had a little more success. Greed drove the economy, and many were willing to use children for work in difficult conditions. Cheap labor was in great demand, and people were clamoring for inexpensive goods.
When the old man remembers those days, he grins with an evil hatred. Those were the days, he would think, when people finally began to realize the true value of children. The little snots just needed to be utilized.
Then came the 1960’s and free love was everywhere. Choice became the watchword of the land.
The old man stopped remembering and looked up ahead. Only a few more days and “har.har.har”. He cackled with oppressive delight for he knew the road ahead had no more signs to warn the Cadillac that the road was out. The old geezer had gone to great pains to make sure no one paid any attention to the danger signs posted up and down the road.
Indeed the road was not just out, it ended abruptly. The old man pictured the fancy automobile speeding without conscience, or even awareness of the Great Canyon where the road suddenly disappeared, and the open air began. If the old codger could have enjoyed laughing it would have been now when he remembered that Hollywood flick about two rebellious broads - Thelma and Louise - who drove off the edge of the Grand Canyon squealing with pleasure, but ignoring the truth about their immediate future. With a cynical muttering sound, the old man whispered “This is almost too good to be true.”
The Cadillac bore steadily toward its certain destination, pausing only once when the riders got into a scuffle with one another. It seems a couple of the passengers struggled to get out, and the car spun out of control in the dust and gravel. When it finally came to a stop the driver/leader promised his fellow politicians that he would not drive so fast. This seemed to satisfy them so they jumped back into the back seat, and continued on as though nothing had ever happened.
Of course you already know that in just a short time the shiny Cadillac sailed out into the open air. Shock and fear rose angrily from the eyes of the stunned passengers. Silent screams erupted from their hearts as the canyon’s mouth opened with eager anticipation of its new meal.
You might think people who are facing imminent death would pause and pray, but not these folks. All they could do was start pointing fingers, yelling at, and blaming one another. They could be seen by the old man at the top of the cliff who nodded with intense satisfaction. He watched the car burst into flames on impact and heard the people briefly cry out in pain. “Fools,” he thought. “This is too easy.”

God: “I ask you again. Is the “old man” a friend or foe?”

Writer: “He is an enemy to the people and the country. He deceived many and rejoiced when death became imminent.”

God: “That is correct. And yet his values – tolerance, death, and convenience – have become the idols of the land. What does this tell you?”

Writer: “We’ve been listening to the wrong voice?”

God: “Correct. What else?”

Writer: “We are also self deceived.”

God: “Why?”

Writer: “First, because the people in the car are perfectly content to blame one another for their demise. Second, because in the face of their immediate destruction, their souls do not even respond with a simple cry for “help” or “I’m sorry.” This is truly a case of the blind leading the blind. We are so detached from the reality of our own mortality that even the specter of death cannot separate us from the illusions of self determination and temporal power.”

God: “Excellent. What should I do? What would you do if you were me?”

Writer: “I don’t know what you should do. I will pray for mercy and provision for the survivors in our society who will be emotionally devastated and financially bankrupt because of the arrogance and greed of these leaders.”

God: “Excellent. I will hear your prayers and do as you have asked.”

Writer: “Thank you. I will also pray that we survivors will no longer heed the voice and values of the evil one, but will pray and seek the face of our merciful God. I pray that this generation will consider the fruit of our evil choices and repent so that our nation will not be completely overwhelmed and destroyed.”

God: “Excellent. And I will tell you this. I will have justice in this land. I am bringing judgment but I long to give mercy. Tell the people to repent and turn from their wicked ways and I will give mercy. Will you tell them this?”

Writer: “I will.”

God: “Thank you.”

The Virtue of Tolerance

2009-02-10T09:33:00.004-06:00

A man has two cats. One of the cats is striped. The striped cat eats out of a bowl – made for pets and laid on the floor. The other cat is a Siamese. He eats from a glass goblet on the dining room table. Which cat does the owner worship? Neither. Which cat has it better? Neither. What owner would feed a cat out of a fancy glass? One who has a notion that cats of a certain breed – royalty, should be treated with deference. Should the owner be indicted for stupidity or should he be left alone? Does it matter that he has 2 cats and feeds them both well but treats one better than the other?

Such is the virtue of tolerance. It neither exalts – nor debases. Nor does it love. In truth cats are somewhat like humans in this – they are both created by God, and both die.

The virtue of tolerance lies in the owner's perception. The virtue of love lies in the intrinsic value of human beings. Tolerance makes no bones about it's preference of one type of "cat" over the other. Tolerance doesn't necessarily abuse, but neither does it love. In fact tolerance, or the person who values tolerance over all other virtues has engaged in self exaltation and self promotion.

Tolerance is the lazy man's route to holiness.

Love however challenges both the giver and receiver. Love discerns between cats and humans. One is an animal – of the lower kingdom. One is a being created in God's image. The one with God's image has the capacity to love without conditions. The tolerance man might as well be a cat; for he will tolerate no one who does not subscribe to his philosophy.

Cats have this aspect as well - they allow you to feed them. You will find many people who espouse tolerance as the highest virtue will also allow you to feed them. But unlike cats they do not, nor can they clean themselves. Sin sticks to them like the odors of a kitty litter box. To make a friend who loves his own tolerance is to make friends with one who will stink to high heaven but curse you for not embracing him.

2008-12-05T15:37:00.004-06:00

THE GARDENER

A man walked through his garden one day. When he got to his roses he was concerned that many of them were drooping. He was sad but not depressed, nor incapacitated. He worked to restore the roses which needed personal attention. He breathed on them, spoke blessings to them, repotted them, and watered them. Whatever they needed, he did it. No act or word was too small, or too difficult for the man who loved his garden. These roses responded to his love – as long as he gave them attention everyday. If he missed a day – they grew depressed and began to sag. But the gardener never grew tired of tending to his garden. The roses flourished like all the other plants and trees.
The trees watched the gardener and were pleased to see the roses do well. Other plants were not so sure but were content to let the gardener take care of things.
One day the gardener decided to move the walls of his garden out to allow more plants in. He loved his garden and love taking care of it every day. No task was too small or inconvenient for him.
But when he decided to move the walls he encountered a mutiny of sorts in the garden. The leaves began to fall off of some trees even though they were green and it wasn’t autumn.
So he checked on these trees. It seems they were uncomfortable with the expanded boundaries. They were worried the gardener might let some kinds of plants in which the trees were absolutely certain they were poisonous. In effect, they doubted the gardener’s wisdom in expanding.
These leader trees were also worried that the gardener would spend less time with them. They were jealous of what might happen even though the gardener had never neglected them, but had nurtured them, and spoke delicately to them in their infancy like he did the roses.
Well the gardener assured them he was capable of taking care of all of them with equal love and nurturing. With doubt, these trees talked of putting up a shorter boundary wall around their garden, as they knew it, just to help the gardener. They were not so subtly reminding him of what his “original” garden looked like.
One day these worried trees looked over their short wall, and right there next to the far wall stood a mulberry sapling – a fruit bearing one at that! Astonished and shocked, they knew about mulberry trees. They were prolific and rapid growing. These trees decided the only thing they could do was to double and triple the size of the wall around the “original” garden. When the gardener came by that day he looked incredulously at the tree made wall – which effectively made 2 gardens out of one.
When he asked the “concerned” trees about this, they replied they were concerned about the purity and beauty of the garden, and had only built the wall as a result of careful reasoning and prayer. The mulberries must be kept out if the garden was going to remain beautiful and safe.

The gardener humbly reminded them that he had successfully started, and managed the garden from the beginning, and had not lost any affection for his work of love. The “pillar” oaks told him they were positive this “original” wall must remain in place... It was an attempt by these trees to help the gardener manage his garden.
One day the gardener came to enjoy his creation and discovered that the original wall had been extended even higher. The door had been closed and cemented shut. He attempted to get in but no one would answer his call. But the one thing he did notice was the sound of singing coming from his “original” garden. It was the “concerned” trees leading the other plants and trees in worship and singing to the gardener. Then he heard these trees explaining to the other plants, “we haven’t seen the gardener in quite a few days. This hasn’t happened before but until he comes and walks among us again, we’ll lead the worship and teaching sour little saplings to never forget how gracious and loving the gardener really is.
The gardener knocked again on the door calling, but the oaks of “righteousness” refused to open the door to him. They reasoned “somehow those mulberry trees have become able to make noises like the gardeners voice. We will just sing louder so none of our garden will be deceived by those mulberry trees.”
Another day, after a long period of time, the gardener knocked on the door, as was his habit, and the door suddenly broke open, having rusted and deteriorated from neglect.
When he walked into his beloved “original garden” he found devastation and death. Wild vines grew everywhere; the roses and all forms of flowers had long since died, but were never removed. The oaks themselves had few leaves and thin trunks. Dead leaves covered the ground inside the garden. When the gardener approached the tree leaders they looked bedraggled and gaunt, as though they had almost starved to death. They startled when he spoke to them not recognizing him.
After the gardener identified himself they smiled faintly and spoke weakly. “We kept the mulberry trees out but you were gone so long we finally stopped trying. There was no one here to tend our garden. Sorry about the way it looks, but we did our best. Are you here to take us home?”
The gardener’s anger burned in his heart. “You unrighteous oaks. You kept me out of my garden. You locked me out, and you should know that I knew all about the mulberry trees. I have cursed, uprooted, and cast out each of them as I discovered their presence. LOOK!”
The unrighteous oaks looked past the gardener as he spoke, and removed their protective wall. On the other side was a beautiful, meticulously tended garden, glorious in color, magnificent in variety.
“Because you locked me out, all of these”, he said pointing at the rows upon rows of dead flowers, “all of these deaths is upon your heads. You locked me out of my own garden. It is not your garden, it is Mine!”

Some of the leader trees wept and repented. To these the gardener spoke, and told them they could join him in his new garden if they chose. To the oaks who were argumentative and defensive, without remorse or admission of culpability, he promised, “I have a place in the outer darkness prepared just for you.”
Then in an instant the entire original garden was transposed, and transformed into a beautiful place, like it was in the beginning. Once again the gardener had access to his entire garden, and he loved it!