Diet of Violence

#1366

Diet of Violence

Traveling the world, every continent, even though I could not understand their language, many times their passion (religion) one thing always came loud and clear: how much people as a group, are alike, how much individuals are different. We know that some plant life, some micro-biology, has survived thousands of years (Permafrost of Siberia, tombs of the Pharaoh's, Tasmania grass). Even in the firmament, why some stars keep glowing while others have burned out. For an individual to become a world class athlete, he must put in 10,000 hours of his life in preparation, two hours each day.

One of the world's greatest basketball stars, Michael Jordan, was reared here in this city. I remember the tall young black boy changing light bulbs, part-time work, at the YMCA. He was cut from his high school basketball team, but was determined to make the team. He set a goal of 600 free throws every day. Even after becoming a star, still practiced every day. Some men have the passion and persistence. Two famous New Testament personalities, Stephen, the first martyr, Saul (persecutor of the church), who became, on the Damascus road, the apostle Paul. Reportedly, both men studied in the same class, under the same Rabbi. They took exactly opposite directions, Stephen committed to Christ. Saul, committed to destroying Christians.

Every time there is a horrible tragedy such as the Colorado theatre shootings this past week, we ask, "Why?" We ask "why" in the Oklahoma city disaster, the 9/11 tragedy. (There's been about 20,000 Islamic terrorist events since 9/11/01)

What makes the difference, men who will go into a burning building-danger zone of your city (Firemen, law enforcement officers) to save life and then you have those who make great preparations to take life. The same doctor who studies long hours in school and otherwise, preparing to save lives, whether cancer surgery or emergency room feats, in the same hospital, may be taking life as an abortionist or letting some elderly person slip, as in slip into the darkness of euthanasia. It is all in the mind. The mind of a long distance runner, athletic competitor of any type, is totally different from the lazy addiction seduced. (food, alcohol-drugs)

If this totally blind veteran, challenged every day, could only get across that your place in life is no big deal, but your final position after life is a big deal. If I could only get across that in spite of your starting place (poverty, lack of genes, brains, looks) we are still required to give the best version of ourselves. Even God's chosen-elect, are sinners.

The hill called Calvary, shaped like a skull, was an awful place, the earth scarred from many crucifixions. There is nothing poetic about the paintings, stained glass windows, of our blessed Lord on the cross. His abused body, taken on all the sin, sickness, infirmities of the world (past, present, future) was such an awful atonement sight that God pulled down the shade of blackness. This forever answers the question, "why" when we question the almost routine diet of violence, the senselessness of why some die or are disabled early in life.

From the beginning, sin has not made sense, although false religions-false Gods, such as the acropolis at Athens, were put in high places. The commandments given by God to Moses and the government of the Jewish people make sense. 5,000 B.C, before Noah's flood, even among the most primitive civilizations, natural law was not that different from the spiritual law of the 10 commandments. Surely, God endowed every human soul with a form of conscience which prohibits murder, the stealing of another man's property, honoring your parents, etc.

With the philosophy of the humanist manifesto, the gay agenda, the communist government ideology, the ends justify the means, promoted and caressed through the technology of the video camera, television, SIN SEEMS ALMOST NORMAL. " For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]" (Eph 6).

The political correct idea logs of liberalism have done their best to destroy the father, always the start in destroying civilization, making science a mockery with such fallacious activity as global warming, the greed in government grants. Breaking down resistance with poison such as fluoride and chloride in the water systems, anti-depressants (most used medication)...cowardess, compromise, deception. Even Dr. Michael Savage, PHD, one of the best prepared talk show hosts in the world, tells us that "the only thing left is prayer."

Dr. Savage is right, when you have man made activity you have what man can do, when you have prayer, you have what God can do. After these hideous visits into the depravity into the mind of man, we need what God can do.

I have one word: endurance, animal life or plant life. It takes persistence for life expansion. Most coaches are not athletes themselves. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). The greatest distance in the world, the 14 inches from a man's brain (mind) to his heart. The world, has heart trouble. What hope do you have when you get up in the morning? When one boards a plane or ship, you have the hope for a trip. Only in the heart do you replace negativity with positive emotion. To give credibility to the evil in the world, its not hurting them but hurting me.

I still remember the person, the first day of my life selling Bibles door to door as a college student, who did not pay for her Bible. (I remember her name, the location of her house, 60 years ago.) An employee robbed my house of many items, including a crystal pedestal cake plate I had purchased in Germany. I used this plate for birthday parties when I purchase a cake for each elderly lady at my church. I can not hold on to disappointment. Our only hope, my only hope, from the daily diet of violence, tomorrow or next year, less of me, more of Jesus, "greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4).