“Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the throng of evildoers, who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows.” (Psalm 64:2-3) Every few years society’s buzzwords change. Especially in the circles of the well educated and ‘supposed’ change agents of our culture. A couple years back people talked about the importance of “dialogue”, participating in “community”, breaking down modern constructs in our “postmodern” world. Now the cool new thing that we all must do is create a space for having robust “conversation.” The formal definition of conversation means “an informal exchange of ideas by spoken words.” Let’s sit down together with a beer and have a conversation. Let's cross the street and go into the living room of people who are not like us and learn from them. Sounds great! We all should try that. But that isn’t really what people mean by that anymore. In the political realm and arenas of higher learning “having a conversation” means to have a serious discussion with less intelligent people so they start seeing things the right way, our way.
Conversation is the new passive-aggressive strong arm tactic of those who think they know more than the rest of us. The word sounds innocent, “an informal exchange”; but it is a ploy to get you to see things the politically correct way. Moreover, it is the new way to overturn ideas we all once accepted as true and right.
Conversations, in and of themselves, are not a solution. They do not have special power to change things. It is good to talk, to discuss, to see each other’s point of view; but the way that word is now used is not what the person using it means. They somehow think having a conversation has power to “change you to see things my way”. Psalm 64:5 says, “wicked people talk while hiding their snares.” Do you really believe the politicians on the platform are being honest with you, or are they snaring you to give them more power? Do you think Twitter and Facebook rants encourage real conversation? Or all we all just blowing off steam into a world that is already agonizingly hot? Maybe our faux-conversations are the true cause of global warming? So then how do you really have a true conversation? And why should I believe this blog, because it sure seem like you are using words to get the reader to see things your way? I only have one agenda: to have words mean what they are defined as. A conversation is a great thing when it isn’t a strong arm tactic and people respect both sides of the the conversation. If someone is right we need to acknowledge it. If someone is wrong, they need to be willing to admit their fault. I love what Isaiah 66:2 says about the person God admires and likes, “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” Two things to note about this verse:
Obedience to God and his word brings life, health and peace. We don’t obey because we are smart and have everything figured out; we obey because he does. Having a conversation is allowing someone to see where I fall short as it comes to truth. A conversation is meant to bring us to the light, not to find agreement on the darkness. I love how Psalm 64:8 & 10 ends: “He will turn their own tongues (the wicked) against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn. Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him; let all the upright in heart praise him.” God’s truth is solid. Our goal is to build our lives upon it. And until we do, no amount of talking with others will change the fact we are not standing on solid ground. Truth simply means “what is.” The sun is in the sky. That is the truth. I need oxygen to breath. That is the truth. God is...that is the truth.
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“Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.” Psalm 12:2 One Convention down, one more to go! This will be the coronation week of Queen Hillary for the Democratic party. Just like last week when Donald Trump accepted the mantel of the Republican Godfather; we will once again be subjected to speech after speech celebrating a candidate no one really wants. One article claims this will be a media love-fest -- direct orders, “No Mocking Hillary!” Chris Matthews says it will be “magical.” As I write this some of you are fuming. “How can they celebrate someone that outright lies? How can anyone vote for Hillary? The Democrats have sold their soul.” That is how many felt about the Republicans last week. So as a country, what are we to do? The unspoken feeling everyone I know either longs for a viable third party candidate to step forward and bring this country back from the brink of ruin; or they have decided to pick the lesser of two evils. I think there is this general feeling that because we didn’t choose someone with character and dignity, we need to hold our breath, plug our nose and just vote. You have to vote for someone. “No, I will take the higher road and abstain.” O.K., that is your prerogative; but you aren’t holier or better just because you refuse to vote. Stop this charade of moral superiority. "But I want to vote for someone I can believe in, someone who will save this country, someone who is good." Therein lies the problem… “No one is good but God alone.” As much as we want a man or woman who is good, honorable and true to lead us - the truth is any leader we choose has latent darkness lying deep. That is the problem with the human condition, no one is righteous, no not one. I will never forget Charles Colson’s, a man who was once special counsel for President Richard Nixon, unique view on how the White House corrupts even the best. He said, “The lure of power can separate the most resolute of persons from the true nature of moral leadership, which is service to others. It’s difficult to stand on a pedestal and wash the feet of those below.” When people are given power over others it is hard not to love it, and it is impossible not to let it go to your head. But isn’t there someone better than Donald or Hillary? Can’t we get someone like Reagan or Kennedy? Lincoln or FDR? Jefferson and Adams? What if we were to look at our past leaders with the same pair of glasses we criticize our opponents of today? We would quickly see that they all were fragile humans… Reagan? He starred in a movie called, “Bedtime for Bonzo”. Bonzo was about a pet monkey. Is that Presidential material? He was divorced and re-married to a lady that was a believer in astrology. He started the “War on Drugs” that has been a major factor in causing the racial disparity in prison. He was not perfect by any means. Kennedy? How many affairs did our President have in the White House? 5? 7? 11? The world will never know. Did you know Kennedy approved covert black-ops in a strange little place called Viet Nam to stop communism? Have you ever heard of ‘Bay of Pigs’? He was not perfect by any means. Lincoln was often very moody, melancholy and controlled by a wife who exhibited fits of depression as well. He was widely hated by almost everyone in his first two years of the Presidency. FDR was a pompous spoiled brat who was often called America’s Karl Marx because he was the first President to push a new form of socialism in America called the New Deal. Both of these men were extremely disliked. Did you know Adams and Jefferson were fierce rivals and adversaries for many years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence? For a while they sent 69 letters of anger and vehemence to one another only to come together after the death of their mutual friend, Benjamin Rush. No matter who you admire as a leader, they all have some dark secrets and broken patterns of behavior. We all do. Even our Christian heroes had horrible foibles: Luther hated Jews, Calvin had a person killed, and some of the Popes (Alexander VI) were pure evil. Sports stars are often messed up - - Kobe, OJ, and Hope Solo. And even our talk show hosts who love to mock the hypocritical failings of our leaders are hypocrites themselves. David Letterman, the master cynic, had a number of extra-marital affairs with his female employees, and even admits he was drunk 80% of the time early in his career. The point is: We all are broken. So what is the answer? Is there even a chance of hope to elect someone that will not sell the U.S.A. down the river? In the book Bad Religion the author Ross Douthat describes a concept that we all need to understand, it is called ‘Provisional Exceptionalism’. Provisional Exceptionalism teaches that there is something unique and special about the American experiment; but in order for it to work it must be “expectant but not presumptuous, perpetually tempered by humility and open to correction and surprise.” Our constitutional freedoms give us the way to be great as a people, but we can never forget we are still human. This includes all leaders, Presidents, Congressmen, Senators and local mayors. As Lincoln said: “Let us judge not, that we not be judged...With malice toward none, with charity for all… The Almighty has his own purposes...as God gives us to see the right.” So then, who do I vote for? You have to first decide which direction you want the country to go, not which candidate will save us. You have to ask yourself what business do you want the President to be about and vote for the one who you think will be about those things. Are they to serve our interests or their own? And then, after making your choice you have to be lead by your own personal convictions and conscience - - not the mockery of the crowd or heavy-handed slandering of the popular culture. It is easy to call each other names, but that gets us no-where. “With malice toward none…” Easier said than done these days! What I wrote probably won’t help many of you. Donald will still be the Donald, Hillary will still be the schemer to many of you. I understand. But we will survive either way. God is on the throne (Psalm 11). And if you lean on the conservative side like me, and Hillary makes you want to climb your living room walls and bite down on the couch you are sitting on, remember, our side of the aisle is still to blame for Nixon. "For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another." (Titus 3:3) If you haven’t noticed, America is swimming in hate. Hatred, anger and animosity has now become our national pastime. Gone are the days when we were known for baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet; our trademark has now become UFC, Red Bull, Buffalo Wings, and an Armalite AR-15. Headlines and news reports drip of our disdain for one another: Donald hates Hillary, Hillary hates Donald. Cops hate Blacks, Blacks hate Cops. ISIS hates the World, the World hates ISIS. Republicans hate Democrats, Everyone hates Republicans. Even Dogs publicly hate Cats, you can watch it on Youtube. I have even found this hatred leaking into our everyday relationships. Tranquility and kindness toward your neighbor is no longer a common thing, something to be expected. Social media has thrown fuel on this raging fire of jealousy, misunderstanding, outright slander and even ridicule of your closest friends and family. Don't go on Twitter if taking a bath in a cesspool is not your thing. Hatred abounds there. Where has this anger come from? And how do we stop it? Because if we don't stop it, I am afraid we will all want to start living in a tiny house alone in the woods...and that is not good, we were made for community, we were made to love. Origins of Hate To find the origin of hatred we need to go back to the very first hostile relationship, brother against brother, Cain and Abel. Genesis 4 tells the woeful story of two siblings who were both seeking the favor of God. Cain gave God some grain, Abel a fattened calf. God smiled on Abel which caused Cain to frown: “So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.” (Genesis 4:5) That is where hatred first reared it’s ugly head. In the heart of a man who felt rejected. Jealousy and Envy - - the wood that fuels the fire of rage. All through the Bible you see it, someone has what someone wants, tempers flare, hatred is born. James 4:1-3 sums up the origin of hatred like this: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” See, it is all very simple to understand,
“A recent article in the New York Times saw as a problem the fact that females are greatly under-represented among the highest rated chess players. Innumerable articles, TV stories and political outcries have been based on an "under-representation" of women in Silicon Valley, seen as a problem that needs to be solved. Are there girls out there dying to play chess, who find the doors slammed shut in their faces? Are there women with Ph.D.s in computer science from M.I.T. and Cal Tech who get turned away when they apply for jobs in Silicon Valley? Are girls and boys not allowed to have different interests?...Are women and men not to be allowed to make different decisions as to how they choose to spend their time and live their lives?” The problem for people these days is when it seems like someone or some group has something the other person or other group doesn’t have. But it has gotten worse because we now have a group of people who have become society’s great “equalizer’s”. If Person A has something Person B does not have, Person C, the great “equalizer” is going to make it his or her duty to make sure Person B has what Person A has. But it keeps going. Person C demands Person A to not just give what he has to Person B, but he has to pay Person C for forcing Person A to give to Person B. But it gets worse: Person C wants Person B to see him as their own personal hero for extracting from Person A what Person B wants. But what if Person B could care a less about what Person A has? Well it takes away from the importance of Person C, so Person B must care. Person B must join the movement and join with Person C to ridicule, accuse, and eventually shame Person A into giving what they have to Person B. So Person A gives to Person B by way of Person C - - how much do you think Person C keeps for himself? He doesn’t have to say because he is Person C, the great crusader for Person B, the “equalizer”, the only one who cares. So where really is hate coming from? You could say Person B, but if the truth be told it is Person C because hatred fuels his profit. If Person A doesn’t give to Person B, Person B will often learn to find other means. But he need not worry, Person C is always lurking in the shadows demanding justice. Is Person C ever good? Sure, but remember who pays him and how hatred helps him. Person C wants things too - - because he too is human. Is Person A always good? No, and there are times when Person A does set up rules to gain and keep more than Person B; but Person C wants us always to see Person A as the villain because it helps his cause. Is Person B always bad? No, the Bible wants us to do what we can for Person B, however we are supposed to do it with no benefit for ourselves. If Person B fears God he soon realizes he also has God as his helper and according to Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” The saddest thing of all is when Person B sees Person C as his savior. Person C loves the accolades and admiration, which he knows can be ramped-up even more by hatred. Heaven, Hell and Hate Proverbs 16:7 is something our society desperately needs to hear, “When a man’s ways please the Lord he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? But it is telling us all there is a way you can bring heaven to earth. Try it. Pleasing God means…
It’s funny because an interviewer asked the rebel rousing radical Saul Alinsky if he would rather live in heaven or hell? He didn’t believe in either, but he did say this, “Hell would be heaven for me. All my life I've been with the have-nots. Over here, if you're a have-not, you're short of dough. If you're a have-not in hell, you're short of virtue. Once I get into hell, I'll start organizing the have-nots over there.” See, he knows how to tap into and use the power of hatred, ramp up the jealousy, envy, bitterness - - and blame the other. Hatred is Hell realized now. "My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful (too great or too difficult HCSB) for me." Psalm 131:1 NIV Have you ever apologized for something you haven't done wrong, but you do it anyways to keep the peace? There are people like that, and I am one of those people. I am the first to say, "I am sorry" to lower the tension in a heated conversation; or I end up cleaning the glass of milk that someone else spilled in order to help others enjoy the day. It is not that I am afraid of conflict as much as I hate it when people make mountains out of molehills. But there are those people who just can't help seeing Mt. Everest in the everyday of life. Why does life have to be so hard? I don't think it does, so in my desire for peace, I often jump in with an olive branch, a mop and pail, and try to help. Maybe that is why I went into the ministry - - to help be an agent of peace and reconciliation? But lately it seems like the more I try to help, by offering a biblical perspective on self-denial & personal righteousness, the more it seems the mountain grows. I really am no help at all. Last week a good friend wrote a note to encourage me about the impossibility of helping everyone. Lets call him Rodrigo. (I chose that name because it is fun to say it three times fast when you are drinking coffee and reading a kids book in the corner.) Here is what Rodrigo wrote me... "We weren't created to be able to handle the bad news or the criticism of the world man. All this stuff is new. When the bible was written, all those principles were for the people right in front of you, not the people 1000 miles away. Sure if we can do something, we should, but up until 10 years ago, none of this was even possible. I think sometimes you are a victim of your own heart and conscience. You see what's wrong and want to help. I'm the same way. But then I remind myself that I'm not built to take on the thoughts and problems of 7 billion people, I wouldn't even know. Then the tension goes away." Rodrigo is very insightful. His words remind me what David wrote 2,700 years ago in Psalm 131:1, "I do not concern myself with things too wonderful for me." There are things I can't fix, there are things I really have no expertise to handle, there are things that are out of my domain. So David's advice, like Rodrigo's, is to "still and quiet my soul." (Psalm 131:2) Trust God in the big things and wait. Sounds well and good, doesn't it? But here is where the larger problem arises: to simply be still and wait for God to act has now become a sign of indifference and even acceptance of evil to the modern day crusader. Mountain makers will not allow stillness, mountain makers are tired of waiting for God, mountain makers insist: "Something is deeply wrong with you if you ignore or gloss over injustice. If you say, 'It's not my problem' it is a sign you have no compassion." "When you have the ability to change things, (a person with power), and you don't, you are perpetuating the systemic evil. When you say 'love your neighbor' and yet you don't get involved to change structures, you are nothing more than a clanging symbol." See Rodrigo, I can't win. If I get involved I am chastised because my help is seen as nothing more than the out-dated ideas of an obtuse and even clueless outsider who knows nothing of the other's plight. So then if shut-up and I don't get involved I am chastised again because my lack of help is seen as callous indifference toward the outsider looking as if I don't give a rip about the other's plight. I lose on both counts. This reminds me of my son's second year in elementary school. My son had a very kind and caring teacher who had a heart to really help the disadvantaged. She was a great teacher, and very well meaning. However, there was only one problem, she always called on and gave special attention to the students she considered "at risk" and those needing more affirmation than the average child. Because she knew they lacked the support at home, she would go out of her way to compensate for that lack in the classroom. She did this by calling on them first in class for the answer, she picked them first to do the special jobs, and she would even let them have rewards that normally went to the hard working kids even if they didn't earn it. One day while it was time for my son to do homework, he said he didn't want to do it. I asked him why? "It doesn't matter Dad. If I do the hard work and raise my hand, or try to earn the prize, it often is ignored in favor of helping the other kids. So why try?" I asked a few other parents with hard working kids if their kids felt the same way? They all said, "Yes, but what can we do; we want to be supportive of those other kids too?" I wanted to ask the teacher, "Did it really help the other kids to give them what they didn't earn, and reward them even if they didn't do the work? Did it really help the kids when many of them never really progressed after a full year of special treatment? Did it really help the kids who worked hard and were not rewarded in kind?" But like the other parents, I said nothing. I made my kid "take one for the team" for the sake of the disadvantaged. I also said nothing because if I did say something I am sure it wouldn't benefit my child in the long run. A good parent doesn't want to be more of a hindrance to their son by being the dad that is considered one of the privileged oppressors in the mind of his tender hearted teacher. I know how the average elementary teacher feels toward the opinionated parent - - they see a person who is not a positive change agent, only a pain in the behind. I don't like being a pain in the behind. And I also said nothing because I know how some elementary teachers think they know more about my kid than I do. I would rather shut up, than be labeled as a silly, misinformed parent who knows nothing of social reform. I mean seriously, I don't have an early childhood development degree like they do. Hey, I only live with four kids in the home. I don't teach 30 of them in a close knit classroom. What do I know about raising kids? So I shut up. You know, I realized that over time my silence didn't really help anybody, including my own son for achieving excellence in his classroom. But I chalk my silence up as another step in the process of helping toward cultural and social progress. So, between you and me, I now realize in our mountain-out-of-a-mole-hill-world, our "it takes a village world", even though I want to help, my help is not seen as helping. When I want to say something I know it is better not to. I lose anyway you cut it. I am the problem. So Rodrigo, I raise a glass to those of us who know we can't do anything. I raise a glass to principles that once worked and now are swept away in the dust bin of what was. Those days when you only were responsible for yourself are gone. I raise a glass to all those teachers that mean well but don't think parents do. I raise a glass to all those agents of social change that know more than the average person, you know the one who works hard and comes home to mind his own business. I know most mountain makers would prefer it if we all would just be quiet and let them run things. Fork over the tax money, and do what they say. So here is to the mountain makers, the milk-spillers, those who like problems so they can come in and solve them. I drink to you, I am no longer going to try to clean up messes. I am heading off to the woods in a cabin with Rodrigo! Cheers! "The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task." (1 Timothy 3:1) "Working hard or hardly working, eh, mac?" (Shrek) "Must be nice, you only work one day out of seven?...I am just kidding. Can't you take a joke?" If only I had a quarter for every time I heard that, I would be a millionaire and I could quit the ministry, buy a cabin up north, and read to my heart's content. Pastoring is a strange business; and I would even argue that in order to do it for any length of time, you almost need to be stark raving mad...To be honest, I think I am? Those of you who read my blog are very supportive of my job as a pastor, some of you are tolerant, and some have no idea why anybody would work at a church? I have people ask me often what a pastor does, "Are you a priest? Are you not allowed to look at women? Are you stuck in a cold dark cube only allowed to pray, or can you live a normal life?" First of all, I am married, so the question about women has been answered. Secondly, a pastor is simply a man responding to a call to serve and love people. My job is to help them love Christ more. That really is it. But I think people assume more. One of the other pastors came into my office today and asked me, "What do you think people expect us as pastors to do and be?" Hmmm, do you want me to be honest or do I need to give the standard sweet sounding answer most people expect from their pastors? He wanted the truth, here is what I said, "I think people see the Senior Pastor as both a recruiter, a fund raiser and a best friend that comes to all the family get togethers. I think they want the Music Pastor to be an emotion generator, the Associate Pastor as a master organizer and the Youth Pastor as a social director. Like Julie McCoy from the 'Love Boat'. And ultimately they want a smooth flowing Sunday, something that refreshes them, makes them feel good. I know that is somewhat cynical, but you asked me to be honest. And yes, at our church, a majority of people really want us to lead them to God, they are hungry to know him - - but lets be honest, we all battle with being a very busy, 'Pokemon Go' distracted bunch." "But aren't we supposed to be representatives of God helping people to know and love him?" I would hope so. . . but that isn't always the case. Last week I received an email from one of my best friends who also is in the ministry. I will keep his name anonymous, but his message brought me to tears. It was brutally honest, and spot on. It captures perfectly how your average, God fearing pastor feels - - it is an invitation into the mind of a madman. Enter only if you have the courage, here goes: Chris, As a pastor, I have officially arrived. I have had 'days' that would blow people away. I have heard 'things' and stories that people couldn't fathom. I have been slandered, criticized, critiqued, gossiped about, and verbally berated. I have buried, married, been at the birth, even helped carry a dead body out of a house. There is more I have experienced as well but today, today is when I have arrived. Today was the day I was to finish a sermon on Psalm 37 'what to do when the wicked prosper'. Since 8am to just now I have sat with a different person every 45 minutes (no exaggeration) and listened. What I have heard is the overwhelming reality of the power of sin! God has graced me today with the reality, the certain reality of the power of sin. It is a power stronger than anything on earth, it is the force behind everyone on earth, and nowhere on earth is free of it! The strength of sin is stronger than anyone or all of us together. Sin wins, evil flourishes, the wicked prosper and have their way. Before you feel I have lost it know this: it has had such a powerful effect on me . I can't help anyone! Yup, read that again. There are no tools to solve or fix any of the people I listened to today! The fingers of sin are too deep, too complex, too thick, too tangled. There is nothing on this earth that can outmanuver, out power, overcome, conquer, beat sin. Thankfully God has graced me with the harsh yet freeing reality that I cannot but God has provided me with what/who can. Chris, Jesus can... I can't, there is no tool or advice that can help these people. But Jesus can and I have him or rather he has me. When I have no solutions is when I have arrived as a pastor. I listen and quit acting like the answer man, the savior, the hero, the fix-it man. I meet people right where they are at and teach them to cry out by doing it with them. I sit in the ashes of brokenness and in the brokenness of life and wait for God to spring forth flowers from resting in him and not working in my might. I had no answers for people today and that was more and more evident every 45 minutes that went by. I had no glamours tricks for people promising what isn't mine to promise. I simply gazed at the Son in hopes that they would look as well. After 10 years of officially being a pastor one would think 'arrival' would be different. "Oh, how experienced he is...Oh, what wisdom flows from his mouth...Oh, what discernment he shows...Oh, what leadership he exerts...Oh, how powerful is it to be in his presence..." Ha! Arrival means I am ok with having no quick solution for sin; arrival means I am free from the pressure to do what no earthly being can do; arrival means distributing the remedy from heaven as I humble myself and receive it myself; arrival means I quit in many regards and wait in the not yet tension clinging to yet fulfilled promises; arrival means celebrating the future destruction of sin in Christ's return while enduring the fact that sin on the cross was only defeated and still has power here; arrival means long-suffering and waiting not pretending and posing; arrival means little righteousness and not much prosperity. "Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked." ps 37:16 Of many people in my life I thought you would get the 'spirit' of this email. If you don't, know today was a huge lesson in the power of sin which has pushed me to see the only greater power being the Son! peace, Your Friend You see, it is a strange business, but we press on for one reason and one reason only - - I know Jesus is everything he says he is. “Correlation does not imply causation.” (cum hoc ergo propter hoc) “We didn't start the fire - It was always burning Since the world's been turning We didn't start the fire - No we didn't light it But we tried to fight it” (Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire) “Ryan started the fire!” (Dwight Shrute) In the 1970’s and 80's, the fundamentalist conservative Christian church blamed many obscure things for the downfall and decay of American society: Rock-n-Roll, jeans, Ozzy Ozbourne lyrics, drums in the auditorium, lipstick, mixed bathing, NIV Bible, high school dances, etc. etc. etc. Fire and brimstone preachers would stand up on their pulpits with red face and clenched fist calling for people to repent, and to "fight the good fight" against these shameful tools of the devil. People would run to the altar in abject fear because they once wore a pair of Levi’s to church. Youth Pastors would have community bonfires of Ozzy, Metallica, Kiss, Queen, Boston, The Bee Gees, and even poor old Elton John, in an effort to cast those Satanic lyrics and tribal beats down to the pits of hell. It was an all out culture war, us against them, fundamentalism versus secular vice. God vs the Devil. Forty years later we have come to find out that those issues we once would have died for, had little if no effect on the moral decay of people. Sure Rock-n-Roll may have contributed a little to promote drunken parties and sexual promiscuity; but it wasn’t the “direct cause.” If you don’t believe me, those same people who would yell at their kids for listening to that demon music now have no problem listening to it as it plays across the loudspeakers in the nearby Walmart or neighborhood grocery store they shop at. No one is doing hard core drugs in aisle 3 because Rock-n-Roll music is playing. In fact, people will just keep buying their April fresh Downy while “T.N.T” by AC/DC is jamming softly in the background. Even Ozzy Ozbourne is now considered harmless. That crazed wild-man, who bit off the heads of bats, can barely even mumble five coherent words. He now has to be led by his wife everywhere he goes. No longer the demon king who once use to raise a bloody fist to God; sadly, Ozzy is probably now a candidate for "Depends Adult Diapers". And jeans, those dangerous dungarees of rebellion, are now acceptable business attire for most every company in Grand Rapids. I can even preach in them to the delight of many in my congregation. Those poor blow-hard preachers of the past have lost their platforms because what they use to rail against was never the real problem. Now, years later, those who still try to live by those convictions are seen as antiquated and out of date relics of the past. They have no voice, they just bemoan how no one cares about those issues any more as they preach to a blue-haired, relatively empty audience, “Rock-and-Roll is of the devil...hey, is anyone out there? Oh, it’s just you Ozzy, turn your hearing aid up and put that bat down. I heard they don’t offer much protein. But then again, they are gluten free.” QUESTIONABLE CAUSE The problem with the old red faced preacher is that he fell prey to the logical fallacy of “Questionable Cause.” This means that while two events or variables may seem to have a correlation, it does not imply that one causes the other. Rock-and-Roll in the 70’s seemed to be prevalent at most drug parties, and was the main event at the wild concerts that got out of hand; but it was not the main cause of the drug use or the lawlessness. If you place blame on something falsely as the cause when it is only a correlation; you will never end up finding the real solution. And not only that, when the real solution is found, it will almost be impossible for people to accept it because they are so blinded by their false convictions of questionable cause. It is now laughable that people assign the Devil to a heavy drumbeat and screaming guitar. As the old Larry Norman song says, “Why does the devil have all the good music?” Overtime Christians have for the most part unanimously agreed that he doesn’t. God can rock it out too! You should see my Nephew Luke’s screamo band if you don’t believe it! BE CAREFUL WHO YOU BLAME America is broken, bloody and throwing blame around like a bad cold. After the wake of two dead African Americans, and 5 Dallas police officers, our country is in chaos. We all want to assign blame. Point the finger, howl at injustice. So, who is the main culprit of the murder and mayhem? They are, no they are, no they are....Who are they? Option 1: The White race is to blame! With their inability to understand the Black culture and the prejudices they daily face, the white race has been shamelessly driving our country down the path of hatred and injustice. The White race with their micro-aggressions, their position of privilege, their absconded wealth bought on the back of slaves: They are to blame! Right? Is Jesse Williams right when he says, "this invention called whiteness uses and abuses us, burying black people out of sight and out of mind while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil – black gold, ghettoizing and demeaning our creations then stealing them, gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit.” Is it the White race? Or is this accusation buying into the fallacy of “Questionable Cause”? Option 2: It is the Black race that is the problem, especially with their inability to control their own. The Black race with a lack of fathers, high rates of out of wedlock births, and 93% of their group who monolithically votes for the very people who use and abuse them...they are to blame. Is the All Lives Matter people right when they say the Black Lives Matter group only wants special favors? Is it the Black race? Or is this accusation buying into the fallacy of “Questionable Cause” too? Option 3: It is the Blue system of authoritarian injustice and institutional abuse that is illustrated in every tyrannical police force across our country. Systemic abuse of leadership has been an ongoing power grab. And it primarily is the black race that the police are out to get. People of every race say the police are out to get us all. Who hasn’t felt like they have been unjustly pulled over? Who here wants to yell at the Secretary of State and wonder why everything from a license plate to a park permit costs an arm and a leg? The system itself is playing us, right? Or is the Blue system being falsely accused too? BIBLICAL BLAME The answer is YES and NO. YES, we all are to blame! Each color, white, black and blue, is full of people who are full of themselves and cause division and strife across the lines. There are whites who hate and hate extremely, there are blacks that know how to use the system and then act like they are targeted when they may not be, and there are blues that wrongly take justice into their own hands. Yes, each and every person on the face of the earth has contributed to the anger, prejudice and hatred. No one is exempt. Even the nice compassionate white person who joins the picket lines with the black person, (he probably has never met, but stands arm in arm with the black man just so he won't feel guilty for the violence), is a contributor to the divisions too. The truth is, we all falsely label and point fingers at others first. No, you can't just blame one group. You can't assign causation just because you see correlation. When you do, it starts to paint a wrong and deadly narrative that will not help the problem at all. Remember an earlier quote on this idea... If you place blame on something falsely as the cause when it is only a correlation; you will never end up finding the real solution. And not only that, when the real solution is found, it will almost be impossible for people to accept it because they are so blinded by their false convictions of questionable cause. Color is not the cause, but if you make it the cause it will be virtually impossible for you to see a color any other way... - If you blame whites and then a white person is the one who is trying to help, you will instantly judge motives and refuse the offer of peace. This does not help. It only escalates. - If you blame blacks and then a black person is the one who is in authority or a position of power, you will assume special favor and reverse injustice. This does not help. It only irritates. - If you blame blues and then a police officer is merely responding to a 911 call, you will see his action of entering the house as hostile and overbearing. This does not help. It only frustrates. You see, assigning causation to mere correlation pours more gasoline on the fire that already rages. As Billy Joel said, "We didn't start the fire, it was always burning since the worlds been turning." He is right. So then, what is the cause? You, and your dark heart. Sin is the problem. It causes us to divide, blame and fight. It causes me to think of myself better than I am. It ruined the world. Sin places labels on a person or thing in a simplistic stupid way in order to judge. Take me for instance, I am not white. I have a darker complexion of soft tan. My family tree includes Irish, German, Italian, Polish, Native American, and African American. I am not simply a white man. But people want me to be only that. "But you are privileged!" You don't know that. You don't know what I daily deal with. You don't know what I think about others. You don't know what I struggle with. You don't know me until you start to listen. And very few people have done that with me, because most only want to talk. It is the same for the black man, Asian women, Hispanic house wife, Korean student, and bald police officer. People are not simply a group - they are wonders made in the image of God! In fact, white people don't monolithically speak for me, why do we assume all Black leaders monolithically speak for all blacks? They dont. So let us very careful how we assign blame. Correlation is not always Cause... in fact it rarely is. When I first started working as a pastor, I had a dad come up to me and tell me about how he raises his sons. He wanted me to teach the rest of the teenagers in church the same way he taught his boys. That is how we would change the culture of the church. Here was his advice, "Pastor, you need to tell those students to start dressing up for God when they come to church. They need dress pants, a tie, and polished shoes instead of those jeans and sneakers. We are coming before the Holy God, and we need to be respectful like my sons are. Look how nice they look." The only problem was, his boys were hellions. They were they worst kids in the youth group. Dressing up for church is not the answer to life change, somehow he wrongly thought it was. In the same way, fixing this world isn't overpowering and isolating different colors of people. It isn't getting mad and pointing fingers. It isn't assuming wrong motives because my skin looks different than yours. The solution is only found in radically transforming individual's hearts. The way to do this is by destroying Sin and it's effects. Sin is the cause, it started the fire. And Jesus Christ is the only one who can fix us. I was having lunch this past week with a manly man. He is a big man. He is an older man. By every definition of the word man, he is that. He is a guy that I would look up to as someone to learn from and hope to be like. But surprisingly, he was the one who asked me a rather peculiar question as I was chomping down on a turkey sub from Subway - - it was toasted of course: “When does a person grow up?” Boy, here is a man that seems grown up asking me when some one can be considered grown up? Strange, I would think he would already know the answer? I didn't have the heart to tell him that I often wonder the same thing myself. I just don't have the guts to ask anyone. Even as I turn the big "50" this August, I still wonder if I deserve the title of grown up. I didn't quite know how to answer him in the moment; but over the last couple days I have put down my thoughts on what I think we mean when we use the phrase "Grown Up." So here is how I went about it. I began searching as any good private detective would to solve a crime: Ask questions, look for answers, and finally, arrive at some conclusions. "How do you know when you have arrived at adulthood? Is it your age? Is it your behavior? Or is it how many prescription pills you are taking for your joint pain and high blood pressure? What is the measuring line?" So I did some research on this, because I want to know when I can really consider myself a true grown up? Here is what I found... A polling agency came up with a general answer on age: 29 seems to be the magic number when it is assumed that you have actually grown up. But I do know some people who are 29 that act like 15, and I know some 15 year olds who act 29. For that matter I know some 29 year olds who act 50 and some 50 year olds who act 15. So 29, 50 and 15 are just numbers, so that can’t be it? I read an article that said there are certain behaviors that are sure marks of a grown up: I will give you five, (1) You have a mortgage, and you own life insurance (2) You watch the news, especially political news (3) You do your own washing and ironing (4) You own a vacuum cleaner & a lawn mower (5) and the majority of your conversations revolve around doctors, weather and your 401 k’s. But I do know some grown ups who have done all five of these things but they have also bought a comic book and even watch Sponge Bob; so I am not sure definitive behaviors can be it? So I thought about the people I consider to be the grown ups I know in my own life. They are the people that just seem, you know, very serious. And after evaluating each of them, they all seem to have one singular thing the same...it is how they see the world. I personally think being a grown up is about embracing a certain mindset, it is how you see life. Adulthood is that “aha moment” when you feel you have lived long enough, seen and experienced enough, to say you have finally arrived. It is an all pervasive, “been there and done that attitude” that touches on every subject, situation and even satisfaction and sorrow. "Yeah kid, I know. If I have seen it or heard it once, I have seen it or heard it a thousand times. So kid, skedaddle, beat it, act like a tree and leave." And now, as a grown up, your job is to simply live the rest of your days in comfort and avoid risk at all costs while you wait for "you know who." It is he who should not be named; no, not Voldemort. It is the one by merely thinking about him, the man in the black cloak carrying a scythe, will ruin your day and you will have to go back to watching the news to cheer you up on your favorite brand of anger and irritation. So here is what I found if you have been wondering if you too have grown up. They are 3 principles that will color all your decisions. These are the values and traits of every “true blue” grown up: * Propriety: behaving as you should in each and every situation becomes your highest goal, doing things as expected, dressing in conventional attire, acting proper, being proper. Grown ups rarely buy t-shirts with writing on them, tank tops, or ripped jeans. Oh no, what they want are the new Steph Currie shoes, and a necklace that was designed by the Medicine Woman herself. (Only real grown ups know who she is). Grown ups always buckle their seat belts, they clean their plate after they eat, and grown ups only talk about people after they leave the room. That is the proper way to dislike someone. * Stoicism: enduring life with controlled emotion, no high highs or low lows anymore. Throwing caution to the wind and following your passions and convictions is meant only for the young - - a true adult is to face life with chiseled jaw, laughing in small, measured bites (no guffawing allowed), and crying alone in the corner. They will only laugh at the jokes that are obvious and not offensive. Adults do like to argue the price on a restaurant bill and color of paint. But don't tread on personal issues, they are none of your business, improper, improper. * Privacy: your goal is not to be bothered, your time is your own, you earned it, “now let me do my hobby in peace”, you have your few good friends named Hank and Harriet to play cards with and complain about the government with, that is enough, and you definitely will not allow yourself to ever be embarrassed in public again. You are a grown up, dog gone it, “leave me alone and let me be!!! A grown up will never be caught dead blaring rock music, a grown up will never purposely try to get attention in a large crowd, a grown up will not run, sing or dance where people can see them. And a grown up will never do anything that will threaten harm to their reputation. They are proper, stoic and private...they are grown ups! That is why, I am afraid to say it, I don’t want to ever grow up. Maturity is not the same as being grown up. Godliness is not the same as being grown up. A grown up is done growing. That's the point. They are not open to new ideas. They are done. I want to grow, but not grow up. I want to mature, but not arrive. I think the essence of Christianity is to never arrive, but always be open to change. A grown up is not the same as a follower. Grown ups don't follow, they sit. Maybe that why Jesus wants us to be like little children? Come to think of it, that is why Jesus wants us to be like him, for Jesus never grew up himself. Maybe that is one reason people wanted him dead, he was always saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. He wasn't proper, he wasn't stoic, and he definitely wasn't private. He was always working toward change. He was always causing problems for the purpose of transforming lives. He never liked people who thought they already had figured everything out. Do you have everything figured out? Are you a grown up? I hope not. I really hope not? “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (Romans 7:15) “Today’s liberal democracy, with its culture of transgression, its drive to liberate anything and everything done by and between consenting adults, and its mania for management by metrics (polling), appears bent on adding to history's examples of societies that failed to manage vice and the crooked timber of our humanity.” (“Fool’s Talk”) What is the Achilles’ heel of the Christian faith? What has been the main roadblock for the unbeliever to see Jesus as he really is? Os Guinness in his book “Fool’s Talk” says there is one thing that makes it easy for people to “duck the challenge of the gospel”: Hypocrisy. He defines hypocrisy as “A lie told in deeds rather than words.” Scripture describes hypocrisy as a well ornamented mask that people will often wear in order to hide their inward corruption from others. When you meet a hypocrite, “what you see is not what you get”. The sad truth is, most Christians play act from time to time. And as a result, it has done some major damage to the cause of Christ and has weakened the power of the gospel. Believe it or not, this has been going on for years. Did you know it was even a significant problem during Paul’s day? “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.” (1 Corinthians 15:33-34) Shame. Shame on all of us who declare their love for the Lord and yet eat & drink at the devil’s table. Shame on me, even though I am a pastor, for I am not immune to this. Neither are you. All of us who claim to be followers of the risen Savior should shed genuine tears of sorrow for all the bad press, mud, and disdain we have thrown in the direction of Christ by our own hypocrisy. Can you blame the non-Christian for not being drawn to the love of Jesus after they consider our way of life? In some respect, I can’t blame them at all. But in another respect, hypocrisy is endemic to the human condition itself. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “the heart is deceitful above all things…” Above all things! Wow, that is quite a declaration. Lying and concealing is a natural part of who we are - - and it isn’t just a Christian problem. It is a human problem. It just seems to bite harder and sting more when a Christian lies because we claim to live in truth. But tell me, is there really anyone out there who is truly authentic? And putting a tattoo on your arm and wearing a man bun doesn't count. Is anyone being true to themselves? We all hide a little bit of ourselves daily because we fear the comments and criticisms of the crowd, “If they really knew me, they wouldn’t want me around.” It is hard to entrust yourself to a world that is quick to pounce. Well, there is one group of people who claim to live authentically. There is one group that doesn’t mind letting who they really are “all hang out”. I call them the “Deviants.” The deviant is someone who enjoys and even relishes in wandering off the path of the straight and narrow; in fact they are quite proud of being different, odd and at times even distasteful & disgusting. There is something liberating about being deviant, and being forthright about how you will be lowering all expectations for yourself. Not only does it shield you from any accountability, but when you create zero expectations by your stated 'lack of moral conviction', these expectations become very easy to meet. So in a twisted sort of way, the deviant is the one person who can boast, “Hey, at least I am being consistent and honest in my deviance." Which also means, "I am nothing like those hypocritical Christians who say they are one thing and do another.” The deviant can actually boast about his honesty in not being moral. Which puts those living for immorality in a unique position to see themselves as morally superior than the Christian hypocrite...strange, huh? So, while standing on their moral high-ground, the deviant views himself as above criticism, “Hey, I am just being me". But if you closely examine this claim, the truth is, they are being supremely hypocritical too. Their logic is faulty. I find three major issues with the person who is proud of their deviance, and in a way I think they are far more disingenuous and duplicitous than the Christian who fails to live up to what they say... (1) Boasting about being honest and authentic in their deviancy is hypocritical because they are using our standards of righteousness to promote their unrighteousness. They are stealing Christian measurements and virtues to compare themselves to us. Honesty and authenticity are Christian virtues. How can you be proud that you are true to your word for not being true and good in your behavior? This to me is a far worse kind of hypocrisy than the Christian’s because it gives credit to a Christian principle while they mock it at the same time. They think they are cool when they lie, but they hate being lied to by the Christian hypocrite. They don't mind ruining the lives and innocence of others, but you better not mess with their life. Why does hypocrisy even make them mad at all? Shouldn’t they celebrate that someone is being deviant? They will condemn the Christian, but demand to not be condemned by the Christian. They want morality to only cut one way...this is hypocrisy! (2) Deviancy never takes full ownership for the deviant behavior and consequences of the true deviants. Most public deviants only pedal a soft-form of deviancy - and yet it is their exact principle of deviancy that gives rise to the hard-core form of deviancy as well. They just won't take blame for it. This is far worse than Christian hypocrisy because at least we can call Christian hypocrites to account for their hypocrisy; whereas there is no way to really call deviants to account because they are being true to the principles of deviancy. Deviants, who want us to accept their deviance, only want us to focus on the mild forms of deviance and even want us to see it as healthy, liberating and just another neutral choice in a range of possible, harmless choices. But what about the more serious deviants? Homosexuality will promote the healthy parts, claiming it is a healthy consensual adult relationship built on love (and their definition of love has been stolen and twisted from Christianity); but you will never hear about the vile parts of the homosexual movement? They never are made public. And yes, there are extremely vile parts to it. You will never hear about the exploitation of the vulnerable, you never hear about the high rates of STD’s, large cases of depression, suicides, and destruction of human worth. Rarely will they give you a glimpse into the dark and seedy world of the LGBT bathhouses and perverted haunts. Regular society would be appalled! Do you know how many young innocent lives have been trashed by lying lust driven men and women who say, “Have you ever doubted your sexuality? Maybe it is because you are gay? Do you know why it is so hard for you to talk to girls? Maybe it is because you like boys?” There is nothing more sick than a teacher saying that to a 5th grader, or a women’s basketball coach saying that to one of the 7th or 8th grade players under her tutelage. This kind of deviancy is hidden, but it grows out of the same vine of less deviant deviant. It reminds me of what Lex Luther once said about Superman, “I can always beat Superman because I have no problem with using an evil means to accomplish what I want. But Superman does.” The deviant is only being authentic when he allows evil to ruin the lives of others just so he can “true to himself.” The person who leaves his wife and children to go explore his homosexual proclivities is the biggest hypocrite of all. “Till death do us part” now means, "that is until I find out that I never really meant it in the first place." I wonder, can I leave my wife someday because at the time of our marriage I never knew I was meant to be single, a swinger, or I liked young boys? All of this deviancy is hypocrisy. (3) Christian hypocrites, like an alcoholic, at least will admit they have missed the mark and they need help to get there. Deviants think they have already arrived and they have nothing to apologize for. One writer said, “Even the term hypocrite is mankind paying homage to the goodness of virtue.” In other words, when you are mad at a person's hypocrisy it is a backdoor admission to some sort of general standard of rightness. What matters for the Christian hypocrite is not to shrivel up and stop living because I failed. Rather, a charge of hypocrisy is another chance to acknowledge my failing and admit that I need help. It also means I am open to change. But the deviant lives in denial to his hypocrisy and as a result doesn't think he ever needs to change. Again, it is like the alcoholic ignoring the fact that he has an alcohol problem. So then, what is the standard of rightness that under-girds all of reality? I will quote from Os Guinness to answer this most pressing question: "God is the God of truth. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. The Scriptures are the truth. The gospel is the word of truth. Conversion is a turnaround triggered by truth. Discipleship is the way of life that is living in truth. Confession is a realignment with the truth. Spiritual growth is life formation through the power of the Spirit of truth. And the Last judgment is the final vindication and restoration of truth for humanity and for the very cosmos itself." So, I confess, I am a hypocrite. In fact, I would far rather be a hypocrite than a deviant because I know there is an answer. It is Jesus, and I need him every hour! “How much you wanna make a bet I can throw a football over them mountains?... Yeah... Coach woulda put me in fourth quarter, we would've been state champions. No doubt. No doubt in my mind.” Uncle Rico Regret runs deep. Every weekend warrior feeds off of it. It drives them. Brando’s sentiments ring true for most of us has-beens, “I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it.” Looking back on my High School sports career I often wonder, “What if?” What if I would have asked the coach to let me try quarterback, running back, pitcher? I regret my timidity. I regret my inability to stand up for myself, I regret my laziness. So do you. Some of you wish you would have ran for class president, or tried out for the leading role in school play. Some of you still wonder if that pretty girl would have gone to the dance if you just would have asked? Others now realize they really were stronger than the hallway bully, one good right hook to the jaw...but no, you just kept quiet. If only. Regret lingers and hides in the dark closets of all of our minds. You know it all too well. And as a result many of us will live and make present choices to right the wrongs of our past. I now play all-time quarterback in our church football league throwing b-b’s to fat old men (sorry Brian, I am not talking about you...) and my 16 year old son to recapture some stale crumbs of that old glory. Some of you compel your kids to do what you never had the guts to do: “Get up on that mound and throw some heat,” “tryout for the role of Rizzo at the school play,” “Go ahead, punch that loud mouth poser right in the nose, I’ll even defend you before Principal Jones if he threatens to kick you out!” Past regret often shapes present behavior. Not so in Hell. In fact, I believe regret will be part and parcel of it's pain and torture - - we will be forever stuck dealing with our silly, stupid, sinful choices. Regret will eat at us like the “worm that shall not die, and the fire shall not be quenched.” C. S. Lewis writes, “All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell.” A Christian is simply a person that does all he can to avoid present regret so he can dwell in future peace. That is what is at the roots of repentance: to stop running down the bumpy road of regret, quitting the sin that so easily ensnares and enslaves, and no longer thumbing your nose at grace, truth, beauty and righteousness. And of course, no longer will you just let good intentions be enough. So ask yourself, “What are you doing today that might cause you eternal regret?” How am I supposed to know what I will regret in the future? I am not there yet. That is like asking your kid after they spilled a glass of milk, “Why did you do that, you knucklehead?” Isn’t regret impossible to stop? Not necessarily… God has given us many warnings & signposts to help us avoid eternal regret - - they are posted all throughout the Bible. They are like billboards shouting at us on the side of the highway as we speed toward "regret" throwing caution to the wind. I beg you to just look at three of the most provocative statements concerning regret Jesus has given us - - let them speak: (1) Consider Your Eternal R. O. I. (Return On Investment): "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:36. What do you gain when you gain the whole world? Riches, Titles, Positions, Pleasures and Things? Those are great gains, but short. Psalm 73: 13-20 describes temporal life as a dream, a fantasy, a blink of an eye. James describes temporal life as "a mist that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away." Have you ever waited in line for a roller-coaster for hours and hours and the ride only lasted for 30 seconds? Was it really worth it? Or did you have to hype it up and tell all your friends, "Dude, it was so worth it!!" Really? (2) Consider the Moth & Rust (holding on the solid, lasting things): “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." Matthew 6:19-20. I will never forget when I spent my allowance on a bouncing ball...it was glow in the dark green, but it was small. I walked out of the store and bounced it as high as I could. It bounced in the street, rolled to the curb and fell into the sewer. Good bye allowance. Good bye glowing green ball. What a waste! Can you imaging saying that forever - - about your life? (3) The Sure Bet (a perfect investment): "Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Luke 7:23. Jesus, will never let you down. Jesus never lies. And Jesus will always back up his guarantees. He shed his blood, isn't that enough proof of his goodness? Stop playing games: Muhammad wasn't a truth teller, Buddha was a fabrication, Hinduism is a fantasy, and Atheism is crap shoot. Jesus lives. John the Baptist knew he was going to die, and he wanted to know, “Was I wrong? Was Jesus really the one we have been waiting for? I really want to know so I don't regret my life.” Jesus answered him - - "I gave blind men sight, I healed the lame, and I rose people from the dead. What more do you want?" What more do you want? Don't regret passing up the greatest offer ever given. Don't be a fool. Uncle Rico is funny for a short time, but eternal regret is no laughing matter. Repent. |
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August 2018
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