Love & Musiq (Soulchild)

Read John 14:6; Hebrews 1:3; 1 John 4:8

“Jesus said to him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” ~ John 14:6

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word...” ~ Hebrews 1:3

"He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." ~ 1 John 4:8

So, I just recently downloaded.....ummmm...well...uhhh....well, actually more like RE-downloaded a large chunk of the Musiq Soulchild catalog back onto my iPod. Long story. I had a bunch of his songs; they got lost, somehow, blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada. Such goes my experience with iTunes. :-/ Anyway, what’s important is that I got’em back! Yay! So I bought’em....again. For those not familiar with the work of Mr. Musiq Soulchild (or just Musiq, as he’s known), he was one of the first music artists to popularize the whole "neo-soul" genre of R&B music in the late 90's - early 2000's. Dude is probably one of my favorite contemporary R&B singer/songwriters that've come out within the last 10-15 years. His music is dope to me. Those who know, know what I'm talkin' ‘bout. Songs like, "Ms. Philadelphia" or "Teachme" or "Dontchange"; "143"; "If U Leave" and SOOOOO many others speak to me, man. Like I said....one of my faves! Top 10 male R&B singer/songwriters of the last 20 years. Hands down! :-)

There's this one song that he wrote that’s on his first album that is ABSOLUTELY one of my TOP FAVE SONGS of ALL time....of ANY genre. It’s called, "Love". Ain’t that special? Just, "LOVE". :-) It’s so good! So simple. Simple yet profound. Again….those who know...KNOW! Musiq writes this song in which he not only talks about love but also talks to love….personalizing it. As though he were having a conversation with ‘Love’, Musiq goes on to tell Love that "so many people use [Love’s] name in vain". It wouldn’t be a stretch at all to switch out the word, ‘love’, and replace it with ‘god’ and have the thought and meaning be just as profound and convicting, if not more so.

There’s been this tendency - specifically within the last 50, 60 years or so - give or take a decade - to which ‘love’ is viewed as some sorta abstract concept….or some esoteric, enigmatic “thing”....this feeling that is moved and swayed by our emotions. It’s either looked at as undefinable or even worse - left up to the individual to define. A person’s feelings become the determining factor to what love is. To go a step further, the notion of ‘truth’ is pit against love as if they were some sorta mortal enemies or something. As if they were diametrically opposed to one another...adversaries, even...truth is then regarded as almost the antithesis of love. The Anti-Love. The notion of truth is given less credence and is seen as something to be disregarded and left for the argumentative and contentious folk to pontificate about and have vain, nerdy arguments over. ‘Love’, on the other hand, is for the peaceable cats who just wanna get along and live in joyous, unceasing harmony. :-) At one time or another - admittedly - I’ve been on both sides. Both extremes are error. BUT, nevertheless….“All You Need Is Love”, right? That's what The Beatles said. “Love Is All We Need” and the like are what we prefer to hear, right? I know I do. “Truth Is All We Need” just doesn’t have as sexy a ring to it. Hearing Mary J. Blige singin’ “truth is all we need….”...I dunno….just doesn’t bring the same effect, ya know? ;-) However, with all that being said….in actuality, it is indeed LOVE working together, in concert with TRUTH that establishes the most powerful dynamic. It is TOGETHER and in tandem that both are most optimally understood and at once, the most potent. Without truth, 'love' is diluted and becomes baseless, deceptive, sentimental, emotional fluff. It supports and affirms us but keeps us in denial about our flaws.  Without love, ‘truth', becomes cold, dogmatic & harsh.

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." ~ James 2:26

You see that? Please don't miss that. Ya see, although it's through faith, alone, that we're saved (justified) (Rom. 3:28)….how we respond to that faith actually PROVES the faith we profess. That makes sense?
Likewise, just as what we do and how we live affirm the faith we profess, in the same way TRUTH AFFIRMS (or INFORMS; DEFINES) the LOVE we profess. Truth tells you what love is. Love propels, inspires and motivates truth forward.

• Faith INFORMS/INFLUENCES how we live, i.e. the things we do; our works.
• Our works PROVE/AFFIRM the faith claim, i.e. what we truly believe
• Truth INFORMS/INFLUENCES how we love, i.e. obedience, service, loving others
• Our love PROVES/AFFIRMS the truth we claim, i.e. what we profess to believe.

My point is that one doesn’t exist apart from the other. Not for real, they don’t. Love & Truth are eternally knit together. Jesus - in being the personification of BOTH - said that if we say we love Him then we are to keep His commandments. Or put another way, “if you love Me (Jesus) then live by ME...Truth.” You see, love isn’t some abstract concept, fam. It ain’t some impetuous idea or flippant emotion held hostage by our feelings. See, our feelings can be notoriously unreliable. Fickle. Provoked by circumstances, situations & whatever else. But love is tangible, man. It's thick. It’s sturdy; solid. It's real and it’s grounded - planted firmly in truth - by/in the example and very person of Jesus Christ.  

Balance is where it’s at, man. Anything taken to the extreme is error....even truth....even love.  Anytime you go to the extreme and exclude one or diminish the other - you do a disservice to BOTH.  Anytime, anything is taken to an illicit extreme, it is an improper use of reasoning, itself. Love ought to be balanced with truth and vice versa.  And what does that balance look like...the perfect balance of truth and love?  In a word...JESUS! (singin’) “There is balance, in the name of Jesus!!!”  Sorry….just had a lil Tasha Cobbs moment. ;-) Christ is the epitome of balance, fam! He sets the standard and closes the book, as it were. Our test of balance is always The Living Word of God; Emmanuel, God with us; Y'shua....JESUS. He - both in Person and as example - is the final court of arbitration. He is our perfect gauge; our standard; our litmus test for what ‘love’ and ‘truth’ actually look like and what they truly are. Christ is the incarnate Truth (John 14:6). God is Love (1 John 4:8). God’s saving love in Christ is marked by both radical truthfulness about who we are AND radical, unconditional commitment/love to us in spite of who we truly are. And that merciful commitment strengthens us to see the truth about ourselves and repent. The conviction and repentance move us to cling to and rest in God’s mercy, grace and forgiveness. See, love is not in opposition to truth, my friend. Love fulfills truth as Truth affirms love.

We live in an age where love is absolute yet truth is relative. Love is the “sexy pick”. Truth is boring and overbearing. Truth has come to mean something that is subjective and dependent on the person, i.e. my 'truth'; your 'truth'. Truth has become wrongly synonymous with 'facts' or 'reality' which both are subject to change. Facts change. Perceptions differ. Reality changes. God does not. What is true does not. Truth - like love, mercy, justice, grace, etc. - are all attributes of a perfect and Holy Creator. And it was at that Cross of Messiah - Jesus our Savior & Redeemer; The Lover of our souls AND Truth Embodied - where God’s love AND truth; grace, mercy & justice all converged and “kissed”. When we realize this...understand it, truly….we no longer need to use “Love’s” name in vain, anymore, for we know Christ. And for better or worse, I still will choose You, first……

"So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free." ~ John 8:31-32 Amplified Version

For further reading, check out: Romans 13:8-10

"Diary of a Mad Christian: A Cross Reference" is available on BarnesandNoble.com & Amazon.com and ALL E-Reader devices (iPad, Kindle & Nook)

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"For if we are beside ourselves [mad, as some say], it is for God and concerns Him; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:13 (Amplified Bible)

"I Had to Get Off the Boat So I Could 'WALK ON WATER'...."

Read Matthew 14:25-33

"And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."  Peter said to Him, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"  When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's Son!"'

Peace - that internal resolve, surety and calm - is not dependent on what's goin' on around you. That 'Jesus peace' or that "peace of God that surpasses all understanding" (Phil. 4:7) ain't understood because it ain't moved or swayed by the craziness happening around you. Make sense? It is to be cool even when it's hot outside, ya know...metaphorically speaking, of course. ;-) To a few, this notion would seem a bit contradictory or even disingenuous and unrealistic. I get that. I do. I understand. Look it...when folk ain’t necessarily actin’ all peaceable around you OR when the world seems like it's trying its best to bait you into a fight or breakdown, it may be just a lil bit challenging to be all “peace, peace”. But, to be sure: Peace ain't reactionary, fam....it's responsive. True peace isn't a reaction to given circumstances but rather a response via the confidence we have in a Loving, Powerful and Sovereign God. While I've heard it said that happiness is based on what's happening....peace, on the other hand, has a surer; more stable, consistent & immovable foundation. So then, the matter becomes not just to have peace while livin’ IN the false comforts of the 'boat', (i.e. the perceived safety & certainty of people, places, positions, possessions and/or circumstances)...but to remain in a state of sustained peace regardless of any ol’ 'boat'. ;-)  Our 'boats' - whatever they may be - can't be the author of our peace, fam....nor should they be even attempted that they be made to be. They can't sustain. They just aren't capable.

It isn't an extraordinary thang to be cool and chill only when life is going your way. The truest testing, maturing & perfecting of our faith comes when we are able to have peace while OUTSIDE the temporary comforts and fleeting novelty of the 'boat'. It's when we are able to worship our Heavenly Father' thanking Him while remaining cool INSIDE the storm. See, Peter reserved his worship for when he returned to the boat with Jesus. (Matthew 14:33) His praise was conditional. However, having an attitude of praise and gratitude toward God outside of the "security" of the 'boat' - right smack in the middle of a raging sea - is where God's glory shines brightest and our testimony rings truest.

And just one more thing for clarity sake: in that passage of Scripture in Matthew 5 where Jesus is bidding Peter out to join Him on the water (a request of Peter's, by the way), Christ doesn't necessarily deny the strength of the waves. Did you notice that? He doesn't deny the windiness of the sea. Jesus doesn't disavow that this IS water He's tellin' Peter to walk out onto and wind He's tellin' him to travail through. However, on the other hand, Christ also doesn't highlight those realities or make them His focus...and didn't want them to be Peter's focus, either. Christ and Christ alone were to be the disciple's focal point. Jesus simply instructed Peter to "Come" to Him....through the wind and water. Despite the wind and the water. Jesus didn't rebuke Peter for noticing those realities. Rather, Christ's rebuke came as a result of Peter allowing the perceived strength of the wind and sea to influence him more than the King of Glory. The moment he made something other than Christ his primary focus....he sank. Flat out. The choice, as always, was his....and is ours, too.

"And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!'" ~ Matthew 14:29, 30

Peter allowed the fear of the windy sea to override his faith in the King of Kings and Master of the sea.  Again, it was not that Jesus was oblivious to the sea...and similarly, we are not to pretend that trials and difficulties aren't happening around us or within us. That's not piety. That's stupidity! ;-) What the Son of Man DID do, however, was to simply invite Peter to come to Him - be with Him; meet Him out on the windy sea. He wanted Peter to assuredly & undoubtedly trust in Him despite the circumstances & surroundings. Focus on the Savior rather than focusing on the obstacle. We, as Peter learned, are to keep our gaze on The Christ, The Prince of Peace, as we - along with the aid of His Holy Spirit - navigate through the waves and strong winds of a world inclusive of storms and hardships. Get outta the boat...eyes fixed on the Son! And before you know it - when you look down, they'll be no ground. You'll be standing on water. Nice... :-)

For further reading, check out: Mark 4:35-41

"Diary of a Mad Christian: A Cross Reference" is available on BarnesandNoble.com & Amazon.com and ALL E-Reader devices (iPad, Kindle & Nook)

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"For if we are beside ourselves [mad, as some say], it is for God and concerns Him; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:13 (Amplified Bible)

Biker Pride!

Read 1 John 1:8-10

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."

So, today I got into a lil bike accident. I know...me and that bike, boy...I tell ya. I’ll pause for gasps and “OMG’s”. :-) I’m okay, though. Seriously. The bike is fine. I’m fine. Aside from a few scrapes & scratches to the brownskin; a bruised forearm and shin that I’ll feel a whole heck of a lot more of tomorrow, I’m good. I’m really good. It coulda been much worse, believe me. I got “car’d” - as I heard someone call it. Not, CARD. But CAR’d. Being CAR'd is basically when a biker rides down the street and a person in a parked car opens their driver’s side door at just the right time to have the biker smash into it. Thankfully for me, because of my crazy, supa-ninja, cat-like skills, I was agile enough to steer the bike just enough in the nick of time to where I saved the bike and only collided the right side of my body against the car door. Again....I’m fine. I’m thinkin’, though....maybe if my skills were just a lil doper....I could’ve basically avoided the car, altogether. Eh...that’s neither here nor there. C’est la vie. It hurt...but not nearly as bad as you may think.

So, how it went down was, I hit the door. I’m not quite knocked off my bike because I managed to stick my left leg out to brace myself....(again, fam, the skills are like, “WHOA”). ;-) So, I’m standing there in pain, right - hunched over, holding my forearm in obvious, unmistakable, barefaced pain - and I look back and the guy in the car begins to slowly edge toward me with a sort of casual ambivalence and says dryly, almost nonchalantly, “Hey, you should watch where you’re going”. Without missing a beat, I put on my “threatening Black man voice” (most of us have one ;-)) and barked at this dude, “Really!? That’s the first thing you gon’ say!!? Not ‘SORRY’?!” Then he kinda goes to say, “Oh, I’m sorry”, but I didn’t even stick around to hear it. At that point, I was through and I just waved him off and pedaled away; holding my right forearm in pain.

I rode away hot, y’all. I mean...ya boy was angry. “He knew he was wrong”, I kept thinking. And he WAS! I had the right of way. I was on the right side and going in the right direction. Had on my helmet, too! The man just didn’t look. Point blank. And the truth is, I may have even accepted that we BOTH could’ve shared the blame - that we both could’ve been a bit more vigilant....(even though I WAS!) But the truth & root of my anger came from the fact that this man would have the audacity and cowardice gall to divert his obvious wrong and somehow come out of his mouth and initiate our exchange by saying that I should watch where I’M going. This man chose to first try and place the fault and blame on anyone other than himself - namely, ME -  instead of simply apologizing.....which I would have absolutely accepted. He should’ve “confessed” and said that he was sorry. I deserved that! THAT’S why Warner was mad! The injustice of it!

As I continued to ride, though - with my amped up “righteous indignation” and entitled victimhood raging in my eyes; with just a dash of self-righteousness - my ever teaching, ever reaching and always loving Father convicted me by showing me myself and bringing a recent transgression of mine back to my remembrance. You see, on the previous night...I responded - no, reacted - to something; a circumstance that gave me a choice of whether to sin or to not. I unfortunately & regrettably chose to sin. I didn’t kill anybody and no one was in physical danger or anything. But I KNEW I was wrong and I did it anyway. To add, although I knew it was wrong, I began to coddle my sinful reaction by rationalizing & justifying in my head that I was in some way deserving of that reaction. Although it was clearly wrong and I knew it....I attempted to pacify myself by saying I had a right - however small - to it. In my mind, I’d even apologized to God for it. Sincerely. Yet to my disappointment and shame, it wasn’t truly as sincere as I’d liked to believe because my apology was mixed in with a bit of self-commendation. Like, “I’m sorry....buuuut I kinda, sorta, in a small way deserved it.” I was just like that man who’d hit me with the car door: knowing in my heart of hearts that I was wrong, but because of embarrassment or pride or ego or all of the above, was unwilling to confess the wrong and simply ask the Father for forgiveness.

Such is the subtlety (and diabolically wicked potency of ‘pride’). Pride is a doozy, man. It really is. A underrated and dangerous doozy, at that. And it’s so easily and so frequently undetected because it masquerades as something noble and is often excused in oneself or tolerated in someone else. Look, most sins begin and/or are founded in pride, fam. That extreme place of: ‘I deserve’; ‘I’m entitled’, ‘I know what’s best’, etc. There's no greater place for sin to hide and fester than in the undetectable, vastly overlooked and easily disguised place of pride. It’s the most unassuming yet destructive of sins. It’s caused kings to fall and relationships to crumble. It’s what ultimately lead to Lucifer's fall, Adam & Eve's transgression and Judas' betrayal. In all those circumstances, it was pride that was at the root. It’s pride - not lust, not murder, not hatred, not greed or envy nor any other thing - that God pronounces as "coming before the fall". (Proverbs 16:18) It is the proud person with whom God resists - (Psalm 138:6, Proverbs 29:23, Matthew 23:12, James 4:6 & 1 Peter 5:5) - because it is pride that is ultimately at the root of an errant mindset that declares, "I'm not that bad" OR "I'm certainly not as bad as they are" and ultimately, "I don't need or require a Savior".

To ask for forgiveness can be the most easy and yet hardest thing to do. I know this...trust! ;-) Yet it is at the foundation of any & all great & important relationships....most importantly, your relationship to God through Jesus Christ. It requires a certain amount of maturity but most of all...HUMILITY.

"....Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God...." ~ James 4:6-7

Again, it is the proud man that says, “I don’t need God or require a Savior”. The humble man, however, declares, “I know that I consistently fall short of Your glory and standard and am a sinner before You, God. Help me. Save me”.

There’s something to be said for a habitual self-checking/examining/evaluating of yourself in relation to pride. A daily practice of considering your ways. Why not ask the Lord God to search your heart to reveal and then root out any pride that may have hidden itself inside you and disguised itself as something noble. Check it before it ultimately and inevitably checks YOU! Dig it. Amen.

1 John 1:8-10 (Amplified Bible)

"If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude and lead ourselves astray, and the Truth [which the Gospel presents] is not in us [does not dwell in our hearts]. If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action]. If we say (claim) we have not sinned, we contradict His Word and make Him out to be false and a liar, and His Word is not in us [the divine message of the Gospel is not in our hearts]."

"Diary of a Mad Christian: A Cross Reference" is available on BarnesandNoble.com & Amazon.com and ALL E-Reader devices (iPad, Kindle & Nook)

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"For if we are beside ourselves [mad, as some say], it is for God and concerns Him; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:13 (Amplified Bible)

What's Goin' On?

Read Ezekiel 36:26-27 NLT

"And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.  And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations."

So for these last couple days - aside from it being hot as all Hades outside - I’ve also been havin’ a time getting my thoughts together to post a blog entry. More specifically, I’ve had some difficulty translating all of what’s been goin’ on in my head regarding these recent “judicial events” and collecting them into coherent, linear thought on paper (or blog). I’ve attempted to wrangle my thoughts together whenever & however they come and jot down whatever random stuff surfaced. In other times, I’ve attempted to turn down the volume of my own thoughts & opinions and really check for God’s voice and His infinite wisdom regarding these recent events amongst the cacophony of voices vying for “our” attention in the news media or on social media. On most of the major social media outlets I use, I’ve come across a singular theme in one form or another. A consistent, unified thought that has been more common than not. It’s rung louder to me and has been for the most part, the center and nucleus of the cries and criticisms and complaints of many. I’ve read and listened to folk’s laments of the horrors of “evil people in the world”. Statements ranging from: “How could this happen!?” “What kind of person could do something like this?” “Where’s the humanity?” “Why can’t there just be peace?”....to sentiments, like....“The laws are jacked up” “This justice system is jacked up”. “The government is jacked up” “America is jacked up” “The WORLD is jacked up”!!!! Of course, "jacked up" is a relatively tamed replacement for the much stronger 4 letter wording that was really used. ;-)

But seriously, though, fam...I feel & share the pain; the angst, frustration and sadness of the many who’ve voiced their passionate convictions. The stuff I here on the news on the daily angers me, dude. It really does. It gets to a point where I gotta click off and unplug from it.  I hear the words of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" buzzin' in my head and consider the fact that a song written in '71 is still as relevant in theme over 40 years later. Really? No one witnessing the cruelty, the genocide, the isms & schisms, rape, bullying, murders, unjust practices, etc. that we witness worldwide would doubt that there is something truly awry and outta wack with this world we live in. Folk want change, man. Revolution, even. Why can’t there just be peace? Why do things have to be like this? Why can’t folk just get it together, fa' goodness sake? Stop the foolishness! Why do all cruelties and injustices - of any kind - continue to exist AND escalate in frequency? If people are so smart and we have all this information - more than any other generation, prior - why does it seem/feel like society is regressing? There are whole genres of books written to address issues like these. Political pundits, social philosophers and self-help ‘gurus’ are paid big bucks to give “expert insight” into the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of it. Gosh, man...various religions will teach that we have some sort of problem that needs some sort of solution. They’ll differ on the problem and even on the solution but there is one thing that is constant among them all.

• in Buddhism, for instance, the problem is desire and you ‘save’ yourself by ceasing all desire;
• in Confucianism, you ‘save’ yourself through education, reflection, self-cultivation and moral living;
• in Hinduism, you ‘save’ yourself by detaching from your separated ego and living in unity with the Divine;
• in Islam, you ‘save’ yourself by living a life of good deeds;
• in Orthodox Judaism, you ‘save’ yourself through repentance, prayer and working hard to obey God’s laws and being a good person;
• in the New Age (or Integrative Spirituality), you ‘save’ yourself through seeing yourself as part of the Divine Oneness and seeking to live in harmony as part of the One.
• in Daoism, you ‘save’ yourself by aligning with the dao to have peace in you and harmony around you.

All of these religions and schools of thought, respectfully, will posit that the problem is different - i.e. sin or a lack of consciousness or inner-connectedness, etc. So, the solutions are different. But one constant remains the same: THE OBJECT OF YOUR FAITH IS ALWAYS YOU. Did you catch that? YOU are always the object of your faith. YOU “SAVE” (or reconcile) YOURSELF. YOU learn something. YOU do something. YOU experience something. Ultimately YOU - the imperfect, flawed you - are the object of your faith....and your faith is only as good as the object in which it is placed, so go figure. ;-) While religion comes along and says, “here’s what you do to ‘save’ yourself.”.....Christ flips the whole thing and says, “No...it’s not about what YOU do. It’s about what I, Jesus, have done FOR you. Place ME as the object of your faith...trust in Me (God in flesh) and in what I've done FOR you. It’s not about YOU saving yourself. It’s about you being saved by a Savior”.

So, Warner.....what does all this nerdy, comparative religion, mumbo jumbo have to do with recent events? Welp.....I’m glad ya asked! :-) The most voiced solution for society’s ills are to change or create and enforce better laws that would, in turn, better serve & protect society as a whole. 

“Maybe if we just change the laws, people will act better.” And if we’d just adhere to these various laws - both public rules of conduct AND personal ethics & mores - then society would be better. Because after all, humanity is basically good. Right? If we’d just live by the “Golden Rule” - like Jesus said - then this world would be a better place.”

Well....I’d humbly submit that while just laws & order and personal ethics are indeed absolutely imperative to achieving some sort of civility...it is essentially impossible to effectively legislate morality. You cannot legislate the human heart. What I mean by this is that while you can convince someone intellectually on what the “right thing” to do is  - and in some cases, you could even force them do it - you cannot supernaturally change the essence of who they are in their heart...which is what ultimately needs to be changed. Laws, ethics & morals, at best, deal with the symptoms of a depraved heart of man. They don’t fix it, at all, fam. They don’t repair the breach. It’s like treating a gunshot wound with a brown bottle of peroxide while leaving the bullet sitting inside. The peroxide IS good....but it won’t keep the wound from infection or festering and getting worse. The fact is that you cannot control nor change human nature. It is God and God alone who can supernaturally change the human heart. Only God can do that. Only He has that power. The world only truly changes when human hearts change...and only God through His Spirit and the redemptive sacrifice of Christ can accomplish that.

You see, Christ gives the most accurate description of the condition of our hearts. He doesn't tell us that we are immoral. He doesn't tell us that we need more education. He doesn't tell us that if we just do our best to live by the “4 Noble Truths” or the “8 Fold Path” or by certain hours of inner reflection & meditative disciplines that we will eventually get "there" and be better. Jesus tells us that our core problem is by no means ethical and therefore isn’t something that will ever be able to be solved through human effort. The REAL issue is within our hearts...within the very core of us. Sin has so devastated all of humanity. All of humanity is marred, morally corrupted, infected and affected by sin.....we're ALL in that same condition. Nothing in ourselves can ever attain the solution to that. THAT is the human condition. And the purpose of the coming of the Son of Man/Jesus into the world is to rescue sinners - you and I - from this condition with its inevitable result. Jesus bore our sin in His body on the cross and paid for them in full.  Out of love, He took the judgment of that sin that we deserve upon Himself and anyone who trusts in & takes what Jesus did on the cross as their own will have their sins removed. Debt paid. Because of Christ's goodness....not our own. Thus begins the divine heart transformation...aka sanctification. And that's what makes the "Good News"...good news! :-)

Before change in policies or change in gun laws, mental health, better parenting or even (dare I say) prayer in school, lay the unflinching, unchanging issue of humanities indwelling sin nature (or the breaking & rejection of God's holy moral law. That lay at the root of ALL the horrific and terrible things happening in the world. It’s real easy to point out the evil in the world around us...but have YOU recognized the evil in your own heart? At the core of the problem of evil in the world is the problem of evil within us....ALL of us. If you want to pause long enough to raise the question of “Why is there evil in this world?”, you would do well to first try and find an answer to the evil within. Men/women won't change - can’t change until hearts change. And the ONLY heart changer is God through His Living Word...THE GodMan...deity in flesh, Y'shua HaMoshiach....Jesus Christ.  Every other "way" is only temporarily addressing or dressing a symptom.

It's a terrible thing to be lost and not know it. It's wonderful news when you know you're lost and somebody says, "come with me. I'll get'cha outta here." And that right there is the Gospel, family: that Christ takes you & me out of our lostness & sin and into the glory of His presence in which He created us. Beautiful...

"Diary of a Mad Christian: A Cross Reference" is available on BarnesandNoble.com & Amazon.com and ALL E-Reader devices (iPad, Kindle & Nook)

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"For if we are beside ourselves [mad, as some say], it is for God and concerns Him; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:13 (Amplified Bible)

A Psalm of Joseph - Petitioning Rescue; Offering Praise

Read Psalm 34:18,19 AMP

“The Lord is close to those who are of a broken heart and saves such as are crushed with sorrow for sin and are humbly and thoroughly penitent. Many evils confront the [consistently] righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

A Psalm of Joseph when he was in the wilderness of Brooklyn...and in-between jobs. A prayer.

I feel like I’m literally in the middle of the ocean

with nothing but ocean and sea as far as the eye can see

generic mountains shrouded with fog and ominous clouds in the distance

indistinguishable from the next

no landmarks to speak of

or maybe there are and I just don’t recognize them as such

when I perceive that something could be a vestige, I doubt myself

maybe I perceive it to be a landmark because I simply WANT it to be a landmark

something that will affirm that I’m going the right way

I wish for signs

I hope for a boat to come save me

take me; sail me the rest of the way

my arms feel weary

but I’ve truly gone too far to turn back

turning back may be the death of me

so what have I got to lose.....besides my life and wasted time

the latter being more terrifying

loss of life would mean a peaceful slumber

but loss of time???

Well....it’s just time lost

Savior, save me!!!

help me, please.

sustain me.

chart my course and grant me wisdom to decipher Your direction

be my Compass

show me where north is from south

give me the strength and tenacity to swim despite what I see

despite what the voices in the wind and sea tell me

let the breath & wind of Your Word push me towards land and safety

my Rock of Gibraltar

my Savior

my Hope rests in Thee

Following God's way often means some rough times, man. Wow....what an understatement! But true! Some real bumpy, turbulent waves OR some still, lonely waters can be exactly where God wants you to be. Trying circumstances, ostracization & rejection, resentment, loneliness, etc - can and most times are all part and parcel of walking in step with the Most High. Following His Way, in faith, may mean being out there in the middle of the proverbial ocean for a season...alone without any affirming landmarks or mileposts other than the peace that comes with knowing that you’re in the eye of His will AND the certainty that, in Him, there is truly safety. There are no cheerleaders. There are no neon signs avowing that you're headed in the right way. Just you and the Son. Whether your on the road or in the ocean, our Heavenly Father takes us through those valleys of the shadow of death in order to break us down (of self-reliance, pride, self-centeredness, immaturity and anything that's unlike Him) and builds us back up to ultimately make us more and more into that which He desires...the image & likeness of His only begotten Son, Christ. (Romans 8:29)

Look...affliction is normal. Suffering, is normal. Heck, we know it’s normal because Jesus, Himself literally assured us we'd have it when He explained to His disciples:

"....I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]" ~ John 16:33 AMP

See, we gon' have trouble, fam! It's a fact. We gon' have fatigue and all that come along with being His and living for Him. (John 15:20) We gon' have frustrations and those rough seasons if for nothing else than the fact that we live in a fallen world that is infected and affected by sin. (Romans 8:20,21) But see, we’re already promised that we have ultimate victory over all of it because our beautiful Savior - our Advocate - has already overcome this world. And by & through relationship to Him....so have we! And that's where (and who) our hope rests in. You see...our struggles as Christians simply push us towards the grace of God. The truster AND follower of Christ has hope IN suffering....NOT INstead of suffering. And that ain't just some positive affirmation, either...but rather a hope that we can bank on. This hope is the root of our joy. This joy is the power of our endurance. And this endurance is the means by which we continue on to that which God has called us to do and to be. So.....just keep walkin': right foot in front of left foot in front of right foot in front of left foot. And just keep swimming...just keep swimming...swimming, swimming, swimming....;-)

"Diary of a Mad Christian: A Cross Reference" is available on BarnesandNoble.com & Amazon.com and ALL E-Reader devices (iPad, Kindle & Nook)

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"For if we are beside ourselves [mad, as some say], it is for God and concerns Him; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:13 (Amplified Bible)