Brands and Badges

"A Brand New Man"

A BRAND NEW MAN

Now I lay me down to rest
With a heavy load lifted off my chest
I’m coming home a brand new man
I can do it, YES I can!

These past few months have been pure h***
No one needs to live in jail
You don’t have to act a fool
Just to prove that you are cool

I’ve learned a lot in all these days
And I’ll never forget the price I paid
I can’t say I’d take it back
But I sure can say, I’m done with that!

 Author: Jennifer Starkey

            Vacations, retirements, sick-days were unheard of in my youth.  People rejoiced in accomplishment, hard work and responsible living.

            There is at least one generation, still living, that never knew what it was to draw ANYTHING from government.  There wasn't any social security, entitlements, grants, subsidies or public housing (with the exception of the "poor house") of any type.  Real men, marrying real women, producing real children, took great pride in real homes-churches-communities.  "Daddy" went to work everyday and made enough money to support a family while "Momma" stayed home, in most cases, raising well behaved children.  Every society, culture, and community, witnessed real men anxious to get home at the end of a work day to real families... a well kept house, home prepared food.  These people were not bored.  You never heard the word "bored."  They did not seek entertainment.  They worked in their yard and garden, attended civic club responsibilities, tackled every church opportunity, preferred exercising themselves in local ball games (just imagine men-women-young participating in local ball games, their own municipal facilities compared with today's obese-diabetic-laggards, on the lazy boy, watching young millionaires play ball) and were branded as good tax-paying, voting, God-fearing, law-abiding, citizens. 

            This writer has never been bored one minute in his entire life!  There are too many good books to read, interesting people with which to visit, plans to make and things to do! 

            Too many men and women have sold their souls so cheaply.  Satan always pays off with counterfeit.  Too many convinced that it is "who you know, not what you know."  Too many people taking a short cut of compromise, happy hour instead of quiet time. 

            He was a very pitiful, yet, in every way, beautiful young man.  I was talking with him, and this was in our college days, about family life on the farm.... my hard working parents, grandparents, even the tenants and hired people on the farm... I remember talking to him about the beauty of the soil, crops growing from the soil, the sweat from work, the taste of simple food.  He had come from a very prosperous family.  He told me of the embarrassment of accidently seeing his own father with his mistress... knowing that his own father had fathered a child with another woman, knowing the distress it would bring to his own dear mother.  He said, "This is the way it is with people who put the country club, golf club, promotions and appointments through nepotism, as their first priority.  Their agenda of purpose.  It is so easy, takes so little hard work, just skating and compromising instead of climbing to reach the top of the ladder." 

            This field grade medical Army officer still remembers other Army officers who gained their promotions at the officer's club because their wives "hobnobbed" with the wives of superior officers, and in many cases, their wives actually did more than "compromise" with the superior officer.  One young officer told me his wife paid dearly, in bed with his superior officers, for the husband's promotions.  If the truth were only known, how many politicians compromised every vestige of their own personal morality and value system to get and stay elected.  If the truth were only known about the debts of so many elected politicians owed for political favoritism-campaign funds, we would all be aghast!

            You do wear a brand... you are branded as a disciple of Christ (faith-mercy-committed to God) or as one deceived by the satanic forces of the world-flesh-devil.  Thank God, many have achieved greatness on their own, but many in the world of politics and entertainment have taken shortcuts.  You know it, your family knows and most of the time others will learn.  There are many well known brands which we use... Kraft foods, Nestle, P&G, GM.  Most do not withstand the test of time.  They get taken over, get destroyed by their own failures.  We well remember Eastern and Braniff airlines, Packard, Blackwater, the pay phone, trust/hope chest, and fountain pen.  We could list thousands of things that were a large part of our lives and vocabulary, now a part of our history.  The world's oldest brand is a medicine from India, Ayurvedic, still manufactured today.  How many remember Castoria?  Lydia Pinkems?    

           In the early wild west, ranchers branded their cattle with a hot iron. And, we are all branded, one way or another. Many kept their brand in the closet for many years (homosexuals, mafia, drug cartels). Now, the gay lifestyle and agenda has become a badge of honor, not a brand. Now, eugenics and euthanasia (killing of babies and elderly), has become a badge which no longer shames. Now, divorce, illegitimate children, and welfare checks are flaunted before the public, even at the church house. Welfare queens wear, as a badge, many children from many fathers. Badges which were honorable to boy scouts, police officers, pastors (vestments) and military units, are no longer burying the weight of honor.

            The best example I could ever give to the real difference in a brand of honor and a badge of dishonor is former pastor, Cho Yong-gi, served 750,000 members. "In the early 21st century, the church's goals for next 10 years are to build 500 prayer houses and 5,000 satellite churches in Korea..." Recently, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison for embezzlement.

            It was true 4000 years ago and is still true today:

            "A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold."  - Proverbs 22:1

Tepid

#1198

My driver often says to me, “Doc, I think many times it is good that you cannot see, because you would not believe what is on the streets.”

This particular day he was talking about a middle aged man, dressed in women's clothes, about to go into McDonalds. Some days before, he had described teenagers, followers of Emo or Goth, all three dressed in black, fingernails painted black.

At this time in history, would it not be advisable to do a critique of the last 200 years in history and, looking forward 200 years?

It is much like the old movie trailers, Perils of Pauline, Pauline on the front of the locomotive and the locomotive going over the hill... no stopping the disaster. Have we become so tepid, so politically-correct, so dumbed down by mind controlling television that we cannot face the facts? It is known that the medical officers and others at Walter Reed Army hospital knew the mental condition of Muslim psychiatrist, Major Hasan. They did not want to be politically-incorrect, to tepid to warn officials at Fort Hood.

In the name of diversity, influx of Muslims and gays into the military services. Real soldiers face more danger on the home front than the battlefield.

There is no one to blame for today’s problems but ourselves. Academia-Atheism, God erased from their agenda on their mantra of “who created the Creator”? If No God, where do you get a foundation for morality? Believers in God are blamed for the world’s violence. Non-believers never discuss the history of violence by non-believers. They even blame Jesus and His followers for violence. Even Pilate exonerated Jesus (I find no fault in him (John 19:6)) Atheism has a horrendous record, evolving things and people are supposed to improve.

Bertrand Russell, when asked why he did not believe in God said, “There is not enough evidence.” In a day when global newspapers compete for the worst news headlines, knowing that these horrendous end times have been prophesied, how much evidence do you need about sin's ruin and the redemption of Jesus Christ?

Until the end of WWII, God had His hand of blessing on America. Since then, we have not been able to win a war. (Korea, Vietnam, Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan)

The chosen, the church, has become faithless... neither hot or cold, tepid. Mosques are built in increasing numbers throughout the world. In Europe and Australia Muslims are pushing for polygamy (multiple wives) and Sharia Law... forcing producers of chickens and turkeys to have them blessed by a Muslim Imam. (spiritual leader)

Humiliation is a lost word in many vocabularies. Dumbed down by public schools, television slop, only 5% of the population is aware of what goes on in the world. Even when screened-stripped at the airport, they do not understand, thinking that TSA means SS Troops, and this was Hitler's start. The last year of the 3^rd Reich, Hitler promoted 40,000 abortions, the same number as in America last year. A Swiss bank president said this week, “People around the world should prepare for a world depression by buying canned goods and small firearms.” It should be humiliating that the schools, colleges, even the secular media are not preparing the public for times of need. Spiritual leaders should be humiliated that they do not recognize, as well as advise, congregations about physical as well as spiritual preparation. Scientists, sociologists, and even pastors, are very tepid about fetal (murdered babies), tissue used for vaccinations and experimentations.

As in New Orleans, Katrina, caretakers fled, leaving old people to drown in nursing homes. So, this week, caretakers fled, leaving patients to die in a hospital fire in Calcutta, India.

The Apostle Peter did not have a Bible, never attended a seminary or Bible College, but on the day of Pentecost (50 days after Christ's resurrection), he was not tepid, as he preached, the only thing he knew to preach, Jesus Christ (Acts 2) This was the beginning of the Christian church, believers who have changed the world. It is not tepid believers then, now, or in the future, who make the difference.