As a writer, it's great to get one of those notes that reminds me of what it's all about. Please allow me to quote from a letter I received today.
"I also need to thank you for saving my life. When I read those books, I was not a Christian, but the power I saw in these books made me want that close relationship with God that Bonnie and Sapphira had. I am happy to write that I am now a Christian, and my faith is stronger than ever. Someday, I hope to be as great a writer as you are and do the same for somebody else."
Wow! As I read the letter, my hand shook and chills covered my body. I must confess that tears filled my eyes.
This is truly what it's all about. There is no greater joy than feeling God's pleasure.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Another Pause
As you might have noticed, I haven't posted in a while. Life is way too busy. With another book to write, going through the editing process on the previous book, and moving in May, I don't foresee any change. I doubt you'll see many posts for quite a while.
I appreciate your patience.
I appreciate your patience.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Conference Blessings
I just returned from the Florida Christian Writers' Conference in Bradenton, FL. I taught the Teen Track, and the 16 students and I had a blast. In our "After Hours" session, we did a critique group session that lasted almost four hours. Some of the students were laughing so hard, they cried.
I was very impressed with the writing talent of several of these kids. Based on feedback from magazine editors, I think at least six of them will have articles published within the year. An 18-year-old young man is writing a fantasy novel. His imagination and descriptions are superb. Four young ladies who have become close friends because of the Internet are going to collaborate on an article about Internet friendships. Another young lady had an article on her hero, her little sister, and two editors indicated a strong interest in buying it. This girl also won the conference's poetry award for submitting the best poetry. Although she was only 17-years-old, her poetry demonstrated the insight of someone three times her age.
I pray that these young writers will take the inspiration they gained in our workshops and continue in the writing field. They are wonderfully talented.
The poet I mentioned wrote a note to me before we parted. I trust that she won't mind my sharing it with you. You will see why these young people were such a blessing to me.
I travel the path of faith
Searching for reason I often lose track
Of the footprints from those before me
And when I stumble upon hesitation
I search for a hand to guide me on
And he gives me wonders
Miracles, like you
Brilliant souls which he speaks through
His words are your thoughts
You are the light with his guidance
And with such faith I will not turn back
He reveals to me footprints
And he gives me wonders
Miracles, like you
I was very impressed with the writing talent of several of these kids. Based on feedback from magazine editors, I think at least six of them will have articles published within the year. An 18-year-old young man is writing a fantasy novel. His imagination and descriptions are superb. Four young ladies who have become close friends because of the Internet are going to collaborate on an article about Internet friendships. Another young lady had an article on her hero, her little sister, and two editors indicated a strong interest in buying it. This girl also won the conference's poetry award for submitting the best poetry. Although she was only 17-years-old, her poetry demonstrated the insight of someone three times her age.
I pray that these young writers will take the inspiration they gained in our workshops and continue in the writing field. They are wonderfully talented.
The poet I mentioned wrote a note to me before we parted. I trust that she won't mind my sharing it with you. You will see why these young people were such a blessing to me.
I travel the path of faith
Searching for reason I often lose track
Of the footprints from those before me
And when I stumble upon hesitation
I search for a hand to guide me on
And he gives me wonders
Miracles, like you
Brilliant souls which he speaks through
His words are your thoughts
You are the light with his guidance
And with such faith I will not turn back
He reveals to me footprints
And he gives me wonders
Miracles, like you
Friday, February 23, 2007
Facing the Giants movie
I rented "Facing the Giants" and watched it with my wife and three of my daughters last night. I had heard that it was inspiring but was plagued by bad acting, so I tried to watch it without prejudice.
The acting isn't stellar. In fact, a couple of the actors were quite bad, and several of the story elements were predictable. But those flaws didn't harm my enjoyment of the movie. I found it inspiring and uplifting. I lost a few tears in a couple of scenes and felt a rush of joy at a several others. Overall, it was very satisfying. I would definitely watch it again.
I think the best aspect of the story was the positive message that you can succeed in obeying God and giving Him the glory. He has given us the ability to do all things through His strength, and that truth was powerfully presented. In these days when the church beats down Christians, telling them that they are sinners until they die, it is refreshing to see a movie dispute that lie and give us an uplifting message.
The acting isn't stellar. In fact, a couple of the actors were quite bad, and several of the story elements were predictable. But those flaws didn't harm my enjoyment of the movie. I found it inspiring and uplifting. I lost a few tears in a couple of scenes and felt a rush of joy at a several others. Overall, it was very satisfying. I would definitely watch it again.
I think the best aspect of the story was the positive message that you can succeed in obeying God and giving Him the glory. He has given us the ability to do all things through His strength, and that truth was powerfully presented. In these days when the church beats down Christians, telling them that they are sinners until they die, it is refreshing to see a movie dispute that lie and give us an uplifting message.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Enoch's Ghost Finished
I sent Enoch's Ghost to my publisher today. It's always a feeling of relief to finish a book, but there's also an emotional letdown to go with it.
Now, I will work on straightening my office, preparing for the Florida Christian Writers Conference, and doing my taxes, not necessarily in that order. After the conference, I will be back to "heads-down" writing for my next project, Time Echoes. That book is due on June 1, so I have three months to get it done. The fun begins again!
Now, I will work on straightening my office, preparing for the Florida Christian Writers Conference, and doing my taxes, not necessarily in that order. After the conference, I will be back to "heads-down" writing for my next project, Time Echoes. That book is due on June 1, so I have three months to get it done. The fun begins again!
Monday, February 19, 2007
Killing Straw Men from the Authorial Pulpit
Have you ever written a straw man in a story? He's the opponent you set up for the purpose of easily defeating, usually in order to destroy a belief or opinion he holds that you as an author despise.
Let's say that you hate onions (as I do), so the bad guy in your story is an onion farmer who decides that a law must be passed that all people must eat onions at every meal. You write him as being ridiculously vile, even maniacal. Then, your hero comes along and destroys him and his onion farm.
As an onion-hating author, that would be a lot of fun, but it's not a great idea for a story. I would be preaching against onions by setting up a ridiculous person who gets thrashed by my hero. This would be a very preachy kind of writing. It's an onion-hating sermon, and most readers (except maybe other onion haters who applaud the farmer's demise) will see it as a thinly-veiled, sermonizing attack.
In author circles, much has been written about "preachy" stories, especially in Christian-themed novels. I'll save the details for another post, but I have seen just as much preachy writing in secular stories as I have seen in Christian stories, maybe more, so Christians aren't the only ones trying to get our morals, or lack thereof, into our books.
Is it wrong to "preach" in our stories? I think not. We just have to learn to allow our stories and our characters to live out the "sermons" rather than delivering our points in obvious pulpit-pounding scenarios. When our readers close our books, we want them to feel and desire to live out the value of the story. If there is no real value, then the book isn't worth the paper it's printed on.
I mention the straw man, because I have one in my new book Enoch's Ghost. It was fun and satisfying to put him in and then do away with him, but this week I'll be altering him into a more realistic character who isn't there just to be destroyed. Then, the book will be done and ready to send to the publisher.
Any thoughts on preachy writing or straw men?
Let's say that you hate onions (as I do), so the bad guy in your story is an onion farmer who decides that a law must be passed that all people must eat onions at every meal. You write him as being ridiculously vile, even maniacal. Then, your hero comes along and destroys him and his onion farm.
As an onion-hating author, that would be a lot of fun, but it's not a great idea for a story. I would be preaching against onions by setting up a ridiculous person who gets thrashed by my hero. This would be a very preachy kind of writing. It's an onion-hating sermon, and most readers (except maybe other onion haters who applaud the farmer's demise) will see it as a thinly-veiled, sermonizing attack.
In author circles, much has been written about "preachy" stories, especially in Christian-themed novels. I'll save the details for another post, but I have seen just as much preachy writing in secular stories as I have seen in Christian stories, maybe more, so Christians aren't the only ones trying to get our morals, or lack thereof, into our books.
Is it wrong to "preach" in our stories? I think not. We just have to learn to allow our stories and our characters to live out the "sermons" rather than delivering our points in obvious pulpit-pounding scenarios. When our readers close our books, we want them to feel and desire to live out the value of the story. If there is no real value, then the book isn't worth the paper it's printed on.
I mention the straw man, because I have one in my new book Enoch's Ghost. It was fun and satisfying to put him in and then do away with him, but this week I'll be altering him into a more realistic character who isn't there just to be destroyed. Then, the book will be done and ready to send to the publisher.
Any thoughts on preachy writing or straw men?
Friday, February 09, 2007
A Vision of Hell
Perhaps the most frightening concept of the Christian faith is that God will condemn unbelievers to an eternity of horrible torture--a Lake of Fire that burns with brimstone. As a child I remember getting a minor burn and how badly it hurt, and I thought about how much worse the burning would be in Hell and that it would never, never end for those condemned.
It scared me. It made me wonder whether or not God was cruel for doing it. To this day, the thought troubles me, and I rely on faith in the God who has shown both justice and mercy throughout my life. He knows what He's doing.
In books for youth, is it important for readers to get a vision of the truth about eternal punishment? Should it be portrayed in fiction? Should an author give a glimpse in order to cause readers to think about the whys of such a judgment?
If we do this, we risk inciting fear. But is fear bad as long as it is qualified with understanding? I don't think fear is the best motivator for goading us toward loving God, but it is a great motivator to get us to evangelize. "Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men." (2 Corinthians 5:11)
I wonder if a proper understanding of Hell might help young people to gain a greater desire to tell others about what can save them from such terrible wrath. Probably. The question is at what age does such a lesson become appropriate. When does the image of Hell go beyond just giving nightmares to the point of instilling a heart for souls?
Just some points to ponder.
It scared me. It made me wonder whether or not God was cruel for doing it. To this day, the thought troubles me, and I rely on faith in the God who has shown both justice and mercy throughout my life. He knows what He's doing.
In books for youth, is it important for readers to get a vision of the truth about eternal punishment? Should it be portrayed in fiction? Should an author give a glimpse in order to cause readers to think about the whys of such a judgment?
If we do this, we risk inciting fear. But is fear bad as long as it is qualified with understanding? I don't think fear is the best motivator for goading us toward loving God, but it is a great motivator to get us to evangelize. "Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men." (2 Corinthians 5:11)
I wonder if a proper understanding of Hell might help young people to gain a greater desire to tell others about what can save them from such terrible wrath. Probably. The question is at what age does such a lesson become appropriate. When does the image of Hell go beyond just giving nightmares to the point of instilling a heart for souls?
Just some points to ponder.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Real Kids - Real Holiness
And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea. (Mark 9:42)
This verse has been on my mind a lot recently. As an author of books for young people, I am constantly aware of my charge to create stories that uplift and encourage my readers. That's why, when I see forces pulling the opposite direction, that is, toward acceptance of sin, I lament and try to pull even harder toward righteousness.
These thoughts are likely in sharper focus for me now since I have lately participated in a couple of online exchanges with people who say that all kids sin or that it's normal for young people to sin. This was in context with debates about the characters in the Harry Potter books. Some say that the books depict "normal" kids and that all kids are like them--lying, cheating, stealing, etc--even kids who are raised in Christian homes and have professed faith.
Such thinking is a stumbling block for young people. When they are told over and over that sin is normal, that "real" kids are rebellious and mean, that they can never escape committing sin, those who tell them these lies are causing them to stumble. The lie-bearers will answer to God, and according to the verse I quoted, their judgment will be terrible to behold.
The truth is that real kids can be obedient to God in all things and at all times. If they surrender their lives to Jesus Christ, they will have to power to obey and follow God with all their hearts.
Here is the truth:
Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:7-10)
I hope that those who are preaching the opposite will repent before it's too late, and I hope that young people will be able to recognize the deceivers and reject their lies. I will continue to do my part to shine the light of truth, that God cleanses all true believers from all unrighteousness and gives them power to live holy lives. I will continue to write about young people who care about doing what's right and make heroes out of them, giving good kids role models and making them feel "normal" instead of out of touch with what many of J. K. Rowling's supporters falsely call "reality."
This verse has been on my mind a lot recently. As an author of books for young people, I am constantly aware of my charge to create stories that uplift and encourage my readers. That's why, when I see forces pulling the opposite direction, that is, toward acceptance of sin, I lament and try to pull even harder toward righteousness.
These thoughts are likely in sharper focus for me now since I have lately participated in a couple of online exchanges with people who say that all kids sin or that it's normal for young people to sin. This was in context with debates about the characters in the Harry Potter books. Some say that the books depict "normal" kids and that all kids are like them--lying, cheating, stealing, etc--even kids who are raised in Christian homes and have professed faith.
Such thinking is a stumbling block for young people. When they are told over and over that sin is normal, that "real" kids are rebellious and mean, that they can never escape committing sin, those who tell them these lies are causing them to stumble. The lie-bearers will answer to God, and according to the verse I quoted, their judgment will be terrible to behold.
The truth is that real kids can be obedient to God in all things and at all times. If they surrender their lives to Jesus Christ, they will have to power to obey and follow God with all their hearts.
Here is the truth:
Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:7-10)
I hope that those who are preaching the opposite will repent before it's too late, and I hope that young people will be able to recognize the deceivers and reject their lies. I will continue to do my part to shine the light of truth, that God cleanses all true believers from all unrighteousness and gives them power to live holy lives. I will continue to write about young people who care about doing what's right and make heroes out of them, giving good kids role models and making them feel "normal" instead of out of touch with what many of J. K. Rowling's supporters falsely call "reality."
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Enoch's Ghost Update
In case anyone is wondering, Enoch's Ghost is coming along well. The story is pretty much finished. I just have to add a few sequences to a couple of scenes.
Right now the manuscript stands at about 104,000 words, and I expect that it will top out at around 110,000, which is about the length of The Candlestone--longer than Raising Dragons and Tears of a Dragon, but shorter than Circles of Seven and much shorter than Eye of the Oracle.
I think I'll be completely finished with the story by the end of the week, then I'll have a couple of weeks to polish everything before sending it to the publisher.
Right now the manuscript stands at about 104,000 words, and I expect that it will top out at around 110,000, which is about the length of The Candlestone--longer than Raising Dragons and Tears of a Dragon, but shorter than Circles of Seven and much shorter than Eye of the Oracle.
I think I'll be completely finished with the story by the end of the week, then I'll have a couple of weeks to polish everything before sending it to the publisher.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Praise and Thanksgiving - Part Five
Shortly after my daughter's anointing for healing, the eye doctor called to suggest that she go to Shands Hospital in Gainesville for further testing and treatment, not knowing that she had experienced healing. We told the doctor about the experience, and he said he wanted to test her again, “just to be sure.”
The test was this morning. The doctor reports that her vision is now "within normal limits." In other words, she is healed! Unfortunately, this doctor played the skeptic, saying that the first tests had to be erroneous. He even discounted Amanda’s personal witness that she couldn’t see through most of that eye, the very reason we came to him in the first place. In not so many words, he called her a liar. Such unbelief is amazing!
Tell me, who is the blind one?
May God be praised!
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Praise and Thanksgiving - Part Four
I am awestruck by God's continuing blessings on my career. Great is His faithfulness!
I signed a contract with Zondervan for a new series, a Young Adult fantasy trilogy tentatively called Time Prints. The first book is scheduled to come out in May of 2008, and its working title is Time Echoes. As these books become a reality, I'll post more about them.
Please join me in thanking God for this exciting opportunity!
I signed a contract with Zondervan for a new series, a Young Adult fantasy trilogy tentatively called Time Prints. The first book is scheduled to come out in May of 2008, and its working title is Time Echoes. As these books become a reality, I'll post more about them.
Please join me in thanking God for this exciting opportunity!
Friday, January 05, 2007
Praise and Thanksgiving - Part Three
My new book, Eye of the Oracle, is number one on the January CBA Young Adult best-seller list!
I am so thankful! Although all the Dragons in our Midst books have sold well, this is my first number one novel.
Here is a link to the list.
Click Here
Praise the Lord once again!
I am so thankful! Although all the Dragons in our Midst books have sold well, this is my first number one novel.
Here is a link to the list.
Click Here
Praise the Lord once again!
Praise and Thanksgiving - Part Two
My daughter Amanda was suffering through a severe loss of vision. About two-thirds of the field in her left eye was completely black. After taking her to an optometrist, an ophthalmologist, and two specialists who did an MRI and sonogram, we had no answers. Nobody knew why she had lost her vision.
So, we took her to the altar at church. The pastor anointed her while dozens of church members gathered around and prayed. From that moment, her vision began to clear. The black field has faded to a blur, and she estimates that her vision is 70% better.
Praise the Lord! We are continuing to pray for complete healing!
So, we took her to the altar at church. The pastor anointed her while dozens of church members gathered around and prayed. From that moment, her vision began to clear. The black field has faded to a blur, and she estimates that her vision is 70% better.
Praise the Lord! We are continuing to pray for complete healing!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Praise and Thanksgiving - Part One
It's time to move away from the public lamentations and post on more positive issues.
God has so blessed me and my life, I need to shout it from the rooftops as often as I can. God is great! He is full of love, grace, and mercy, and His faithfulness is everlasting.
Yesterday, while jogging, the remaining details for the Enoch's Ghost story came to mind. It thrilled me so much that I actually began to weep even while running. I think both the power of the story, and knowing that the loving hand of God reached down to help me with it, became overwhelming. It fills me with awe to know that our heavenly father is so intimately involved in our lives.
I want to publicly praise Him for that!
God has so blessed me and my life, I need to shout it from the rooftops as often as I can. God is great! He is full of love, grace, and mercy, and His faithfulness is everlasting.
Yesterday, while jogging, the remaining details for the Enoch's Ghost story came to mind. It thrilled me so much that I actually began to weep even while running. I think both the power of the story, and knowing that the loving hand of God reached down to help me with it, became overwhelming. It fills me with awe to know that our heavenly father is so intimately involved in our lives.
I want to publicly praise Him for that!
Lamentations - Part Four
The doctrine of the inevitability of sin in Christians is the cause of my deepest laments. It's clear to me that the church, almost universally, has abandoned God's plan for believers regarding obedience.
Every day I hear or read something about how the sinful nature is in us all, that we, as Christians, will always suffer this indwelling presence, when, in fact, there is no Scripture that says anything like that. There is no evidence for the existence of a sinful nature at all.
Readers of the NIV translation might wonder why I say that, as they read those words time again in their translations, but the NIV translates sarx (flesh) inaccurately, so they are being misled.
This flesh is simply our bodies, so the New Testament writers created a term for the control our natural desires had on us as unbelievers. There is no sinful essence within us, no anti-God spirit that sneaks into our minds at birth that causes us to stray from God. This has become a sad, "the devil made me do it" excuse for sinful behavior.
The flesh, the bodily desires' control, is crucified and removed when we become Christians (Romans 6:6, Galatians 5:24, Colossians 2:11), so even that concept is no longer effectual in a believer. There is absolutely nothing that can make us sin. Yet, most preachers teach as if sin is something that we can never escape in this life, even as believers. This is the most evil lie that has ever been spoken in church, yet it is also the most common and widely believed.
Jesus put the matter plainly, and the power and completeness of His words are almost always ignored.
"Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin ... If, therefore, the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:34, 36)
No Christian is a slave of sin, because we are free, yet anyone who sins is a slave of sin. The sinful nature doesn't exist, and all the passions and desires of the flesh are crucified (Galatians 5:24).
I see no shadows in the words of Christ. If we who profess Christ continue in sin, we prove that our profession is invalid. And those who profess Christ and continue in sin are dishonoring His name.
Every day I hear or read something about how the sinful nature is in us all, that we, as Christians, will always suffer this indwelling presence, when, in fact, there is no Scripture that says anything like that. There is no evidence for the existence of a sinful nature at all.
Readers of the NIV translation might wonder why I say that, as they read those words time again in their translations, but the NIV translates sarx (flesh) inaccurately, so they are being misled.
This flesh is simply our bodies, so the New Testament writers created a term for the control our natural desires had on us as unbelievers. There is no sinful essence within us, no anti-God spirit that sneaks into our minds at birth that causes us to stray from God. This has become a sad, "the devil made me do it" excuse for sinful behavior.
The flesh, the bodily desires' control, is crucified and removed when we become Christians (Romans 6:6, Galatians 5:24, Colossians 2:11), so even that concept is no longer effectual in a believer. There is absolutely nothing that can make us sin. Yet, most preachers teach as if sin is something that we can never escape in this life, even as believers. This is the most evil lie that has ever been spoken in church, yet it is also the most common and widely believed.
Jesus put the matter plainly, and the power and completeness of His words are almost always ignored.
"Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin ... If, therefore, the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:34, 36)
No Christian is a slave of sin, because we are free, yet anyone who sins is a slave of sin. The sinful nature doesn't exist, and all the passions and desires of the flesh are crucified (Galatians 5:24).
I see no shadows in the words of Christ. If we who profess Christ continue in sin, we prove that our profession is invalid. And those who profess Christ and continue in sin are dishonoring His name.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Lamentations - Part Three
In my first lamentation, I mentioned the epidemic of divorce, often brought about because of adultery, but there is another kind of adultery that is probably more common and committed more frequently by men, even men in the church.
His target, his secret affair lurks in the shadows, quiet and unseen, without consistent shape or physical substance, yet she is more alluring than the street harlot and just as destructive as the motel tryst. She seeks his company, often posing as a damsel in distress. Her poses beg for his attention; they seek to be rescued from loneliness. Although she wears no clothes, she bears a sword, ready to cut his heart in two, setting body in conflict with spirit. From the slick pages of a magazine or the colorful images of a computer screen, she awaits his peering eyes, ready to strike with her naked dagger. She is the harlot of pornography.
Why do the hearts of so many married men become divided? Although they have wives whom God designed to meet their physical needs, why are they tempted to seek the pleasures of another? For many men, physical adultery is a well-recognized taboo. Physically violating the wedding vows, even in our permissive society, is still considered by most Christians to be a sign of unfaithfulness to God, an act that proves an unsaved spiritual state. A divided heart that leads to spiritual adultery, however, has not gained such public condemnation. Millions of men dive into the cesspool of pornography, purposefully filling their eyes with forbidden fruit. Although they may never touch another woman’s body, their minds entertain the thoughts, their lusts traveling from woman to woman, gaining mental and even physical pleasure from the images these willing females produce.
What is the allure of these undressed and apparently sexually insatiable women? With pursed, come-hither lips, she curls her inviting finger, exposing and caressing her smooth, airbrushed flesh. She is the image of desire, a lonely woman begging for a man’s fulfilling touch, and not just any man. She wants you. She’s begging for you to take her and have your way with her. She’s there for your pleasure. “Come and take me,” she calls. “I need you!
And it’s all a lie.
The woman is a whore. She poses for money, nothing more, nothing less. She doesn’t care about any man who mentally rapes her with his eyes and mind. In fact, if you venture into her lair, she will likely disdain or even hate you, perhaps laughing at your weakness as she overpowers you so easily with a mere flash of flesh. How many men have allowed her to poison their minds, committing spiritual adultery with this harlot of hate who reveals her body while stealing a man’s soul?
For the lips of an adulteress drip honey,
And smoother than oil is her speech;
But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death,
Her steps lay hold of Sheol.
She does not ponder the path of life;
Her ways are unstable, she does not know it (Proverbs 5:3-6)
Pornography is a simple formula, although the user allows himself to be unaware of its devices. It invites wandering eyes to drink from its lovely pool, promising a quenched thirst. Alas! The thirst is far from quenched! The harlot’s drink is a pill of salt; it makes a man beg for deeper draughts, more skin, younger girls, views of lesbian encounters, until images alone are unable to satisfy. Each sip whets the addiction as a man is entrapped by the harlot’s poison, and his mind is imprisoned in pornography’s deadly snare. Solomon wrote, “For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, and an adulteress hunts for the precious life” (Proverbs 6:26).
Jesus said, “Everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Can a man claim that he looks at images of nude women without lusting, that his reasons for seeking the harlot’s exposed skin are holy? Hardly! This lust is adultery, pure and simple, and a man who pursues this course has broken his vows. And with whom has he mated? He has pursued a mere phantom. He has thrown away his virtue for colored dots on a printed page. He has cast away his wife in pursuit of pixels on a computer screen.
The Internet has certainly helped pornography purveyors capture a whole host of men. An innocent engine search may yield a dozen lurid descriptions, inviting a simple click to reach images of women who beg for your attention. No magazines to hide. No trips to the video store. No evidence of evil. One mouse click and a dozen smiling beauties await your caressing eyes. Simple curiosity leads many into the snare, trapping the minds of those who don’t dash for the exit in disgust. First a sip, then a draught, and the harlot has captured another lover.
But where is thy wife, O man? For whom hast thou cast her aside?Drink water from your own cistern,
And fresh water from your own well.
Should your springs be dispersed abroad,
Streams of water in the streets?
Let them be yours alone,
And not for strangers with you.
Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice in the wife of your youth.
As a loving hind and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be exhilarated always with her love.
For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress,
And embrace the bosom of a foreigner? (Proverbs 5:15-20).
Why do so many men seek strange flesh? The mystery of the unknown? The excitement of the forbidden? The desire to conquer? Any of these excuses is surely inadequate. There is simply no good reason, as Proverbs 6:32-33 reveals:
The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense;
He who would destroy himself does it.
Wounds and disgrace he will find,
And his reproach will not be blotted out.
Let’s get real, guys. What’s this pornography stuff all about, anyway? Freak shows aside, more than 99 percent of the women in these pictures look pretty much alike, with body parts in the same places. Breasts are in front, buttocks are in back, there are two arms and two legs, and an epidermis holding it all together. There aren’t many surprise arrangements. There goes the mystery excuse. And we won’t conquer these women; they’re untouchable. In fact, if we lust after them, they’ve conquered us. We’ve fallen into their trap.
That leaves us with the excitement-of-the-forbidden excuse, the hormonal rush that accompanies the peek through the keyhole, the stolen view of what lies beneath the clothing, the places no one is allowed to see. “Come take a look, Mister, and I’ll show you something you’ll like … just for you.”
Get over it. These women aren’t giving you a private peak; they’re strutting their stuff for anyone with eyes. Forbidden? Yes. For your eyes only? Forget about it. These harlots put their bodies on show, inviting deeper draughts for paying customers. All they really want is your money. You can waste your endorphins on a lie, see hate masquerading as love, and the hormonal rush prompts the desire for more as each drink creates new thirst.
If you’re addicted to pornography, you need to meditate on reality—the truth of the hateful harlot. She’s a stalker, a seductress, a destroyer. She will poison your soul. She has nothing to offer that you haven’t seen before; even her body is just a fleeting image. She’s certainly not a damsel in distress, and it’s not your duty to rescue her, even in your mind.
Tell me, would you look at pornographic images with your wife? Would you sit down and say, “Honey, come take a look at this gal! Isn’t she hot?” May it never be! Such an act would be shameful. Yet this is a good test and a faithful standard to use in avoiding what is shameful. If you’re ever contemplating an act, ask yourself if you would do it in your wife’s presence. If the answer is no, don’t do it.
Say this along with me: “I will never do anything in private for which I would be ashamed in public.” Repeat this promise, and embed it in your mind.
Remember, too, that you’re never really in private. God always looks over your shoulder. Would you say to Him, “Get a load of this one, Lord! She’s a looker!” God forbid! Yet millions of men act as though God can’t see them. But He not only sees everything in your view, He reads everything in your mind. He is watching. Do we believe it? Do we care? Will we invite Him to inspect everything we view? Would we mind showing to Jesus Christ everything we bring up on our computer screens, every image our eyes rest upon in magazines, every television channel that makes us pause as we look for a decent program?
Isn’t this the test of faith? Isn’t how we act in private a true reflection of what we believe about God, that He is really who He says He is, the ever-present, omniscient Lord?
For those of you who feel trapped by this insidious evil, there is a cure. As we set our minds on the things above, where Christ is, memories of evil begin to vanish. As Paul taught:
His target, his secret affair lurks in the shadows, quiet and unseen, without consistent shape or physical substance, yet she is more alluring than the street harlot and just as destructive as the motel tryst. She seeks his company, often posing as a damsel in distress. Her poses beg for his attention; they seek to be rescued from loneliness. Although she wears no clothes, she bears a sword, ready to cut his heart in two, setting body in conflict with spirit. From the slick pages of a magazine or the colorful images of a computer screen, she awaits his peering eyes, ready to strike with her naked dagger. She is the harlot of pornography.
Why do the hearts of so many married men become divided? Although they have wives whom God designed to meet their physical needs, why are they tempted to seek the pleasures of another? For many men, physical adultery is a well-recognized taboo. Physically violating the wedding vows, even in our permissive society, is still considered by most Christians to be a sign of unfaithfulness to God, an act that proves an unsaved spiritual state. A divided heart that leads to spiritual adultery, however, has not gained such public condemnation. Millions of men dive into the cesspool of pornography, purposefully filling their eyes with forbidden fruit. Although they may never touch another woman’s body, their minds entertain the thoughts, their lusts traveling from woman to woman, gaining mental and even physical pleasure from the images these willing females produce.
What is the allure of these undressed and apparently sexually insatiable women? With pursed, come-hither lips, she curls her inviting finger, exposing and caressing her smooth, airbrushed flesh. She is the image of desire, a lonely woman begging for a man’s fulfilling touch, and not just any man. She wants you. She’s begging for you to take her and have your way with her. She’s there for your pleasure. “Come and take me,” she calls. “I need you!
And it’s all a lie.
The woman is a whore. She poses for money, nothing more, nothing less. She doesn’t care about any man who mentally rapes her with his eyes and mind. In fact, if you venture into her lair, she will likely disdain or even hate you, perhaps laughing at your weakness as she overpowers you so easily with a mere flash of flesh. How many men have allowed her to poison their minds, committing spiritual adultery with this harlot of hate who reveals her body while stealing a man’s soul?
For the lips of an adulteress drip honey,
And smoother than oil is her speech;
But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death,
Her steps lay hold of Sheol.
She does not ponder the path of life;
Her ways are unstable, she does not know it (Proverbs 5:3-6)
Pornography is a simple formula, although the user allows himself to be unaware of its devices. It invites wandering eyes to drink from its lovely pool, promising a quenched thirst. Alas! The thirst is far from quenched! The harlot’s drink is a pill of salt; it makes a man beg for deeper draughts, more skin, younger girls, views of lesbian encounters, until images alone are unable to satisfy. Each sip whets the addiction as a man is entrapped by the harlot’s poison, and his mind is imprisoned in pornography’s deadly snare. Solomon wrote, “For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, and an adulteress hunts for the precious life” (Proverbs 6:26).
Jesus said, “Everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Can a man claim that he looks at images of nude women without lusting, that his reasons for seeking the harlot’s exposed skin are holy? Hardly! This lust is adultery, pure and simple, and a man who pursues this course has broken his vows. And with whom has he mated? He has pursued a mere phantom. He has thrown away his virtue for colored dots on a printed page. He has cast away his wife in pursuit of pixels on a computer screen.
The Internet has certainly helped pornography purveyors capture a whole host of men. An innocent engine search may yield a dozen lurid descriptions, inviting a simple click to reach images of women who beg for your attention. No magazines to hide. No trips to the video store. No evidence of evil. One mouse click and a dozen smiling beauties await your caressing eyes. Simple curiosity leads many into the snare, trapping the minds of those who don’t dash for the exit in disgust. First a sip, then a draught, and the harlot has captured another lover.
But where is thy wife, O man? For whom hast thou cast her aside?Drink water from your own cistern,
And fresh water from your own well.
Should your springs be dispersed abroad,
Streams of water in the streets?
Let them be yours alone,
And not for strangers with you.
Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice in the wife of your youth.
As a loving hind and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be exhilarated always with her love.
For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress,
And embrace the bosom of a foreigner? (Proverbs 5:15-20).
Why do so many men seek strange flesh? The mystery of the unknown? The excitement of the forbidden? The desire to conquer? Any of these excuses is surely inadequate. There is simply no good reason, as Proverbs 6:32-33 reveals:
The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense;
He who would destroy himself does it.
Wounds and disgrace he will find,
And his reproach will not be blotted out.
Let’s get real, guys. What’s this pornography stuff all about, anyway? Freak shows aside, more than 99 percent of the women in these pictures look pretty much alike, with body parts in the same places. Breasts are in front, buttocks are in back, there are two arms and two legs, and an epidermis holding it all together. There aren’t many surprise arrangements. There goes the mystery excuse. And we won’t conquer these women; they’re untouchable. In fact, if we lust after them, they’ve conquered us. We’ve fallen into their trap.
That leaves us with the excitement-of-the-forbidden excuse, the hormonal rush that accompanies the peek through the keyhole, the stolen view of what lies beneath the clothing, the places no one is allowed to see. “Come take a look, Mister, and I’ll show you something you’ll like … just for you.”
Get over it. These women aren’t giving you a private peak; they’re strutting their stuff for anyone with eyes. Forbidden? Yes. For your eyes only? Forget about it. These harlots put their bodies on show, inviting deeper draughts for paying customers. All they really want is your money. You can waste your endorphins on a lie, see hate masquerading as love, and the hormonal rush prompts the desire for more as each drink creates new thirst.
If you’re addicted to pornography, you need to meditate on reality—the truth of the hateful harlot. She’s a stalker, a seductress, a destroyer. She will poison your soul. She has nothing to offer that you haven’t seen before; even her body is just a fleeting image. She’s certainly not a damsel in distress, and it’s not your duty to rescue her, even in your mind.
Tell me, would you look at pornographic images with your wife? Would you sit down and say, “Honey, come take a look at this gal! Isn’t she hot?” May it never be! Such an act would be shameful. Yet this is a good test and a faithful standard to use in avoiding what is shameful. If you’re ever contemplating an act, ask yourself if you would do it in your wife’s presence. If the answer is no, don’t do it.
Say this along with me: “I will never do anything in private for which I would be ashamed in public.” Repeat this promise, and embed it in your mind.
Remember, too, that you’re never really in private. God always looks over your shoulder. Would you say to Him, “Get a load of this one, Lord! She’s a looker!” God forbid! Yet millions of men act as though God can’t see them. But He not only sees everything in your view, He reads everything in your mind. He is watching. Do we believe it? Do we care? Will we invite Him to inspect everything we view? Would we mind showing to Jesus Christ everything we bring up on our computer screens, every image our eyes rest upon in magazines, every television channel that makes us pause as we look for a decent program?
Isn’t this the test of faith? Isn’t how we act in private a true reflection of what we believe about God, that He is really who He says He is, the ever-present, omniscient Lord?
For those of you who feel trapped by this insidious evil, there is a cure. As we set our minds on the things above, where Christ is, memories of evil begin to vanish. As Paul taught:
If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-3).
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you (Philippians 4:8-9).
Even if you have imbibed the poison of pornography for years, God can give you peace. Give your life to Christ, and He will shatter the unfruitful images as your mind learns to dwell on what is pure and honorable. Leave your adulterous ways behind, and God will help you walk in holiness, giving you the ability never to stray again in your mind.
Your wife is your one and only damsel. Never seek another. Let her breasts satisfy you at all times, and be exhilarated always with her love.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Lamentations - Part Two
During the past several months, going to church has been more of a burden than a joy. I used to prepare for worship with my fellow believers in great anticipation of glorious fellowship and corporate praise of our heavenly father. Yet, lately, I believe that God has not been glorified by our gatherings. In fact, He is likely disgusted.
The issue that comes up in my mind week after week is the manner of dress of the young ladies. Their immodesty cannot possibly please the One who created their bodies to be covered and protected, guarded carefully for the man who will someday be their husband. These are not harlots off the street who come to Jesus begging for salvation; these are daughters of the pillars of the church who have heard and given lip service to the gospel.
Modesty standards have been delivered to them by the youth pastor, yet they ignore them, choosing instead the fashions of the flesh, wanting to portray the harlot with plunging necklines revealing whatever cleavage they have, skirts and tops so tight every curve is accentuated in their come hither struts down the aisle, bare midriffs with low-slung, tight jeans that reveal every legal inch of skin below the navel, even mini-skirts and short shorts with something printed on the posterior that begs for every male in the congregation to read and admire.
Why is this immodesty tolerated? It’s the age-old reason, expressed in a variety of ways. The church has a low standard of holiness. They accept sin in many forms, not wanting to exercise discipline, because such a practice will likely reduce their numbers. Since their measure of success is usually in units of bodies and dollars, or they fear retribution in the courts, they are unwilling to risk obeying God because of their fear of man.
Maybe they want to appear “with it,” in tune with this generation of youth, fearful of losing both the kids and their parents should they dare to revert to an “old-fashioned” morality. “Hey, everyone’s dressing this way. I don’t want to look like a geek.” Popularity trumps prudence, and fashion overwhelms feminine virtue. Girls sell glances at their skin for a smile from a passing guy and acceptance from their peers.
But what does marketing their flesh really buy? A sickened soul. A lost innocence. A corrupt conscience. At first, the exposure was a daring gambit, and though their consciences were pricked, the excitement of allure or the pressure of peers took over. Soon, however, their hearts become callous, and now they no longer feel an inner prodding that begs them to cover and protect what is holy—their virtue.
As the Lord said, “Were they ashamed because of the abomination they had done? They certainly were not ashamed, and they did not know how to blush; therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time of their punishment they shall be brought down.” (Jeremiah 8:12)
Yet, these ladies come to the front of church and offer prayers for their non-Christian friends at school, acting like there is nothing wrong with their own northern and southern exposures. And why shouldn’t they be comfortable in their nakedness? They are told that all is acceptable. No matter what they do, their sins will be forgiven. So why not enjoy acceptance in the world? You get to go to heaven anyway, right?
But what does God really say, “But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless. Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my name, and say, ‘We are safe’—safe to do all these detestable things?” (Jeremiah 7:8-10)
Alas! They have chosen the idol of fashion and sexual desire. They have followed the Baal of peer acceptance. They have burned incense to the god of fleshly pleasures.
So, while I hope for a change, I weep in my pew.
O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth and roll in ashes; Mourn as for an only son, a lamentation most bitter. For suddenly the destroyer will come upon us. (Jeremiah 6:26)
Behold, listen! The cry of the daughter of my people from a distant land: “Is the Lord not in
For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I am broken; I mourn, dismay has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in
May God bring a fresh wind to our church and true exposure to the daughters of our flock, a rushing, fiery storm that will expose their dark hearts and provoke repentance that will usher in true salvation.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Lamentations - Part One
In the coming days, I expect to post some of my laments. Sometimes I get so sad about the state of the world, especially the state of the church, I just cry out to God over the wickedness, apathy, and hypocrisy I see every day. I think God doesn't mind when I vent, because I believe he also laments over what He sees here.
Lately, I have witnessed several newly broken homes resulting from men who have forsaken their vows and committed adultery. At one time, the church wouldn't tolerate such behavior, but in one of these instances, the man is still teaching Sunday School at his church, though he is open about his adultery, taking his new object of lust to public events, even if his wife is at the same event. The church seems to say, "this man is a sinner, just like the rest of us, so why should he be singled out?" As usual, the church's refusal to honor the true doctrine of holiness is leading the Christian culture to hell.
This deadly, cancerous disease of depraved, selfish minds called divorce is a blight on the church, a sickening stain that spreads its corrupting, lethal venom with every passing year. This corruption is graffiti on our walls that says, “Ha! You’re no different, you bunch of hypocrites!” We preach “good news,” yet we live in laughable turmoil, ravaged by the very illness we claim to cure.
Have couples completely forgotten these holy vows: “For better or for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, ’til death do us part”? With words like these binding two into one inseparable union, a reasonable person would think the divorce rate might be one in a thousand, perhaps one in ten thousand, and with drastically lower percentages in the church.
Rather, the truth about the divorce rate is beyond tragic. With the national rate hovering at around 43 percent of unions, and around 50 percent for couples under the age of 45, the prospect of marriage looks more like a coin flip than a promised life of fidelity. And an even more alarming conclusion comes from the Barna Research Group: “Christians are more likely to experience divorce than are non-Christians.” Divorce rates are actually higher among professing Christians than among atheists!
Such a finding is a tragic slap in the face of Christ, who said,
Have you not read, that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, “For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh”? Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate” (Matthew 19:4-6).
God hates divorce. (See Malachi 2:16.) Trying to deny this fact is like closing our eyes in a hurricane while denying the reality of wind and rain furiously slapping our faces. Yet people make excuses in droves, thinking that their vows are mere ceremony, empty words designed to decorate a beautiful show. It’s as though they crossed their fingers while promising marital faithfulness. They believe that somehow God will excuse their mistaken belief that this person was really “The One” whenever they decide the sparkle is gone.
In reality, God has left us with no option; we are to fulfill our vows.
When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for it would be sin in you, and the Lord your God will surely require it of you. However, if you refrain from vowing, it would not be sin in you. You shall be careful to perform what goes out from your lips, just as you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God, what you have promised (Deuteronomy 23:21-23).
Why do “Christians” divorce at a higher rate than non-Christians? There are two major reasons. The first is simple. Too many people view God as a doting grandfather who just wants to make them happy. I have heard people say, “God wouldn’t want me to stay in an unhappy marriage. That’s why I knew He wanted me to get a divorce.” Seeking only their pleasure, these people assume that God always blesses their pursuit of happiness. They have molded God into their image, fashioning a bobble-head idol who simply nods “yes” to every whim of its human creator.
They are merely playing Christianity, not really walking the bloodstained steps toCalvary . They are like straw houses built on sand. While they close their eyes to the truth, the hurricane strikes, and they are left desolate. Their houses crumble, all because they have denied the reality of the wind and rain, the reality that God really does require their sacrificial allegiance and doesn’t condone fleshly indulgence for the sake of “happiness.”
What is happiness, anyway? Where does it originate? Was Paul happy when authorities unjustly sent him to prison? As a matter of fact, he was! Singing hymns of praise to God, he celebrated God’s goodness even during terrible circumstances. (See Acts 16:25.) Did the apostles find joy in being flogged? Surprise! They actually enjoyed it! Although the beating itself likely drew moans of agony and painted dark bruises on their aching bodies, they still rejoiced in their suffering. (See Acts 5:41.)
For a Christian, true happiness comes in pleasing God, especially during great trials. This is the happiness our Lord calls us to seek. God isn’t interested in fulfilling our fleshly desires, allowing us to please ourselves in violation of His principles. If Paul had bought into the rationalizations of many today, he might have stayed at home and skipped his missionary journeys. “Traveling is just too hard!” he might have said. “They threw big rocks at me last time. And I can’t risk going to places where they’ll throw me in jail. I wouldn’t be happy there, so God can’t be calling me to do that.”
If Jesus had lived a “please-the-flesh” mentality, He wouldn’t have gone to the cross. He might have said, “Father, you wouldn’t ask Me to bleed and die for a bunch of sinners, would You? That wouldn’t make Me happy.” And He would have skulked out of the garden and avoided the approaching soldiers.
The true story should blare in our minds like a trumpet call to sacrifice. Although Jesus had a bodily desire for the cup of death to pass from His lips, what did He say to His heavenly Father? “Yet not My will, but Thine be done” (Luke 22:42). Going to the cross brought Him true joy, as the Scripture reveals, “Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus said to His Father, “I have come … to do Thy will” (Hebrews 10:7), and this shout of complete obedience echoes in the soul of every true Christian around the world.
What made Jesus “happy”? Pleasing God. What makes Christians happy? The same self-sacrificial search for holiness, the seeking of God’s kingdom and His righteousness. Whoever seeks fleshly desires over God’s purposes is not a real Christian. “For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:13-14).
Yes, God wants us to be happy, but of far more importance, God wants us to be holy. On this truth, we can all firmly stand, because as we live holy lives we find true happiness in obedience. This is our joy, to find favor in the eyes of God.
Another reason the divorce rate is so high among “Christians” is that so many of them have bought into the popular “blind-God” concept. They’ve been taught that sin is normal and that when God looks at them He sees only Jesus. Naturally they conclude, “God won’t bring judgment for the sin of divorce. He doesn’t even see it. He sees only His dear, sweet Son hanging on a cross.” It’s as though Christians have a cardboard cutout of Christ shielding them from view.
This heresy threatens to tear down the walls of the church. We might as well close the doors and send everyone home. Not only are we not separating ourselves from participation in the world’s system, these lies concerning our commitment to marriage covenants have made us worse than the world. Our hypocrisy makes us look like clown-faced charlatans, and people just laugh and shake their heads, thinking, What a bunch of buffoons! This Christianity sideshow just doesn’t work.
There are many forces that try to tear married couples apart: family and financial pressures, spiritual persecution, and mental illness, just to name a few. Every one, however, is anticipated in this wedding vow: “for better or for worse.” God still commands us to keep our unions whole. Only adultery remains as the true break in the marriage covenant, and even then we’re not commanded to divorce. God still hates divorce, although He allows it when sexual unfaithfulness destroys the bond. Even when it is allowed, however, divorce still stains the beautiful image of Christ and the church. Divorce, even because of adultery, stands as a symbol of failure, a precious pearl intentionally thrown into a sewer for the sake of a few minutes of pleasure by the adulterer or adulteress.
Adultery proves unfaithfulness to God. The Bible says, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit thekingdom of God kingdom of God
Don't be deceived. You cannot be a Christian and an adulterer. Since the church, for the most part, has bought into the lie that true believers are still sinners, every imaginable sin has become both commonplace and acceptable. Unrepentant adulterers are teaching Sunday School and pastoring large flocks, parading their hypocrisy on national television.
With this kind of example, the blind leading the blind into hell, it's no wonder God and His true followers lament. The time for judgment is coming quickly, and it will begin in the church.
Lately, I have witnessed several newly broken homes resulting from men who have forsaken their vows and committed adultery. At one time, the church wouldn't tolerate such behavior, but in one of these instances, the man is still teaching Sunday School at his church, though he is open about his adultery, taking his new object of lust to public events, even if his wife is at the same event. The church seems to say, "this man is a sinner, just like the rest of us, so why should he be singled out?" As usual, the church's refusal to honor the true doctrine of holiness is leading the Christian culture to hell.
This deadly, cancerous disease of depraved, selfish minds called divorce is a blight on the church, a sickening stain that spreads its corrupting, lethal venom with every passing year. This corruption is graffiti on our walls that says, “Ha! You’re no different, you bunch of hypocrites!” We preach “good news,” yet we live in laughable turmoil, ravaged by the very illness we claim to cure.
Have couples completely forgotten these holy vows: “For better or for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, ’til death do us part”? With words like these binding two into one inseparable union, a reasonable person would think the divorce rate might be one in a thousand, perhaps one in ten thousand, and with drastically lower percentages in the church.
Rather, the truth about the divorce rate is beyond tragic. With the national rate hovering at around 43 percent of unions, and around 50 percent for couples under the age of 45, the prospect of marriage looks more like a coin flip than a promised life of fidelity. And an even more alarming conclusion comes from the Barna Research Group: “Christians are more likely to experience divorce than are non-Christians.” Divorce rates are actually higher among professing Christians than among atheists!
Such a finding is a tragic slap in the face of Christ, who said,
Have you not read, that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, “For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh”? Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate” (Matthew 19:4-6).
God hates divorce. (See Malachi 2:16.) Trying to deny this fact is like closing our eyes in a hurricane while denying the reality of wind and rain furiously slapping our faces. Yet people make excuses in droves, thinking that their vows are mere ceremony, empty words designed to decorate a beautiful show. It’s as though they crossed their fingers while promising marital faithfulness. They believe that somehow God will excuse their mistaken belief that this person was really “The One” whenever they decide the sparkle is gone.
In reality, God has left us with no option; we are to fulfill our vows.
When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for it would be sin in you, and the Lord your God will surely require it of you. However, if you refrain from vowing, it would not be sin in you. You shall be careful to perform what goes out from your lips, just as you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God, what you have promised (Deuteronomy 23:21-23).
Why do “Christians” divorce at a higher rate than non-Christians? There are two major reasons. The first is simple. Too many people view God as a doting grandfather who just wants to make them happy. I have heard people say, “God wouldn’t want me to stay in an unhappy marriage. That’s why I knew He wanted me to get a divorce.” Seeking only their pleasure, these people assume that God always blesses their pursuit of happiness. They have molded God into their image, fashioning a bobble-head idol who simply nods “yes” to every whim of its human creator.
They are merely playing Christianity, not really walking the bloodstained steps to
What is happiness, anyway? Where does it originate? Was Paul happy when authorities unjustly sent him to prison? As a matter of fact, he was! Singing hymns of praise to God, he celebrated God’s goodness even during terrible circumstances. (See Acts 16:25.) Did the apostles find joy in being flogged? Surprise! They actually enjoyed it! Although the beating itself likely drew moans of agony and painted dark bruises on their aching bodies, they still rejoiced in their suffering. (See Acts 5:41.)
For a Christian, true happiness comes in pleasing God, especially during great trials. This is the happiness our Lord calls us to seek. God isn’t interested in fulfilling our fleshly desires, allowing us to please ourselves in violation of His principles. If Paul had bought into the rationalizations of many today, he might have stayed at home and skipped his missionary journeys. “Traveling is just too hard!” he might have said. “They threw big rocks at me last time. And I can’t risk going to places where they’ll throw me in jail. I wouldn’t be happy there, so God can’t be calling me to do that.”
If Jesus had lived a “please-the-flesh” mentality, He wouldn’t have gone to the cross. He might have said, “Father, you wouldn’t ask Me to bleed and die for a bunch of sinners, would You? That wouldn’t make Me happy.” And He would have skulked out of the garden and avoided the approaching soldiers.
The true story should blare in our minds like a trumpet call to sacrifice. Although Jesus had a bodily desire for the cup of death to pass from His lips, what did He say to His heavenly Father? “Yet not My will, but Thine be done” (Luke 22:42). Going to the cross brought Him true joy, as the Scripture reveals, “Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus said to His Father, “I have come … to do Thy will” (Hebrews 10:7), and this shout of complete obedience echoes in the soul of every true Christian around the world.
What made Jesus “happy”? Pleasing God. What makes Christians happy? The same self-sacrificial search for holiness, the seeking of God’s kingdom and His righteousness. Whoever seeks fleshly desires over God’s purposes is not a real Christian. “For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:13-14).
Yes, God wants us to be happy, but of far more importance, God wants us to be holy. On this truth, we can all firmly stand, because as we live holy lives we find true happiness in obedience. This is our joy, to find favor in the eyes of God.
Another reason the divorce rate is so high among “Christians” is that so many of them have bought into the popular “blind-God” concept. They’ve been taught that sin is normal and that when God looks at them He sees only Jesus. Naturally they conclude, “God won’t bring judgment for the sin of divorce. He doesn’t even see it. He sees only His dear, sweet Son hanging on a cross.” It’s as though Christians have a cardboard cutout of Christ shielding them from view.
This heresy threatens to tear down the walls of the church. We might as well close the doors and send everyone home. Not only are we not separating ourselves from participation in the world’s system, these lies concerning our commitment to marriage covenants have made us worse than the world. Our hypocrisy makes us look like clown-faced charlatans, and people just laugh and shake their heads, thinking, What a bunch of buffoons! This Christianity sideshow just doesn’t work.
There are many forces that try to tear married couples apart: family and financial pressures, spiritual persecution, and mental illness, just to name a few. Every one, however, is anticipated in this wedding vow: “for better or for worse.” God still commands us to keep our unions whole. Only adultery remains as the true break in the marriage covenant, and even then we’re not commanded to divorce. God still hates divorce, although He allows it when sexual unfaithfulness destroys the bond. Even when it is allowed, however, divorce still stains the beautiful image of Christ and the church. Divorce, even because of adultery, stands as a symbol of failure, a precious pearl intentionally thrown into a sewer for the sake of a few minutes of pleasure by the adulterer or adulteress.
Adultery proves unfaithfulness to God. The Bible says, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
Don't be deceived. You cannot be a Christian and an adulterer. Since the church, for the most part, has bought into the lie that true believers are still sinners, every imaginable sin has become both commonplace and acceptable. Unrepentant adulterers are teaching Sunday School and pastoring large flocks, parading their hypocrisy on national television.
With this kind of example, the blind leading the blind into hell, it's no wonder God and His true followers lament. The time for judgment is coming quickly, and it will begin in the church.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Christmas Pain and Promise
This is the first year in quite a while that I didn't write a poem for Christmas. I'm not sure why I skipped this year, but there are several possible reasons that I'll be thinking about.
I'm going to post a Christmas poem from the past that is something of a lament. It seems that God is leading me to engage in such lamentations, and I might post some of them here.
From Ezekiel 22:23-31
I'm going to post a Christmas poem from the past that is something of a lament. It seems that God is leading me to engage in such lamentations, and I might post some of them here.
From Ezekiel 22:23-31
Son of man, O son of mine,
Your land has need of cleansing rain.
Conspiring prophets weave their lies
To make the holy foul, profane.
To seize a dime, they slay the least.
To leave a widow castaway
Is not a sin, so says the priest.
Son of man, O son of mine,
The prophets smear excuses broad,
A whitewash coat, a false divine;
They say their words have come from God.
And all the people indulging greed
Have followed princes, prophets, priests
Oppressed and robbed the poor in need,
Perverting justice in your streets.
Art thou a son or just a hire?
Go stand before your land of sin
To stay my angels’ swords of fire
And fill the gap from deep within.
Your eyes O God have seared me through;
Before your mercy throne I fall.
How can I bridge a path to you?
The gap is wide and I am small.
From whispering wind encircling me
“A maid hath borne the end of fear;
The bridge was built from bloodstained tree.”
Go bear his cross to those in need,
And speak his words across the line,
That I may spare the ones who heed.
I took his cross upon my back,
His crown of thorns upon my brow,
I wore the maid’s poor cloths of sack,
His words alone my oath, my vow.
I hear, obey, and stand with thee
The gap so wide, so deep and dim.
A maid, a tree, a bridge, and me,
God’s tools to build a path to him.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
A Dragon Christmas
One of my readers sent this drawing to me, so I decided to share it.
The kids on my message forum frequently call me Clefty, a shortened form of Clefspeare, which is my forum name and the name of the main dragon in my series. So the artist entitled it, "Clefty's Christmas." I assume that's Excalibur in the upper left corner. In case you can't read it, the stocking says, "Bryan" on the front.
I'm not sure I'd want a dragon in my stocking, but it would be handy for keeping the log in the fireplace ablaze.
I get all sorts of drawings from my readers. Click here to see more of them.
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