reason together

Write what should not be forgotten.

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I love to read quotations. However, it is always a bit disappointing when the quote is attributed to anonymous. Why does anonymous get so much credit? Despite my envy, one of my favorite new quotes is from him: “Write what should not be forgotten.” Since I have been transitioning from a gazillion-year career in technology to a neophyte author, this quote resonates with me.

Uneasy Peace

Something I have observed is that Christians are assuming our uneasy peace with governments is natural and expected – I hasten to add that many Christians are continually being tortured or martyred daily for their faith in Jesus. Still, across the world, a large number of Christians are permitted relative freedom to worship by their governments.

Since the time of the great persecution, referenced in Acts 8:1, the persecution of the Church has never ceased. Even now, in our present age of tenuous peace between Christianity and governments of the world, the chains to restrain us are being forged.

An article in Medium.com, published today, has the title and subtitle: No Country for Old Moderates – There’s no such thing as ‘the middle’ anymore — only those who can tolerate injustice and those who can’t. The days of building a consensus or even a compromise seem to be over.

One Core Belief

We know the world hates us for one core belief of Christianity which is so unpalatable to the world that they lose their minds with anger and their governments do all they can to restrain us. I’m referring to when Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 ESV)

Christ’s statement is profoundly divisive. “And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death.” (Mark 13:12 ESV)

The act of being a Christian is divisive because we must not compromise what is True, with a capital “T”. We need to trust that the whole Bible is true. That it is the Word of God. That Jesus is not just the world’s best hope but their only hope. That the people we know, work with, and/or love, will not always tolerate Christianity. Nevertheless, remember what Apostle Paul said:

Acts 26:25 (NIV), “I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable.”

Our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior is true and reasonable. Of course you knew that but I wanted to “write what should not be forgotten.”

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

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https://rockexcavationservice.org/shall-not-pass-away/

On The Road

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I’ve been on the road with one of my sons for about a week now (which is why I can’t see well enough to write this letter. It will clear up once I take my pills and get ready for the day,

Anyway, my son blessed me by taking me to Rhode Island; one of the two remaining States which I’d not visited; Hawaii now being the remaining State and one my wife and I hope to visit in the next couple of months.

When I was a young man, I never imagined that I’d visit all 50 States. Slowly, over time, they started racking up. By the time I hit 30 States, I began thinking about visiting all of the States.

My new job at that time involved a lot of travel, which cut my bucket list down quite rapidly. So, I began thinking about making it to all of the States in our Union. And now, my son has started his bucket list for visiting all the States in our Union.

This trip has been a great father/son trip, which has helped us grow closer together and to understand how each of us thinks. For example, I learned that I’m a dinosaur in the eyes of millennials.

Though our politics are miles apart, our love and respect are closer than ever. I wish I could spend time like this with each of my kids, but they all have hectic lives, so it just doesn’t happen.

During this trip, we have seen thousands of people, most demonstrating the worst of humanity. However, there have been a few people that have shown me genuine compassion. And, usually, they were people I wouldn’t have guessed they would be kind to me – guys with dreadlocks, people covered in tattoos, young people that are judged to be too self-absorbed even to notice me, yet these were the folks that went out of their way to be kind and considerate towards me.

The Lord has reminded me again of Isaiah 1:17-18 (ESB), “learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”

God seeks out people that He can reason with. May we always be those people.

Photo by Dominik Lange on Unsplash

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https://rockexcavationservice.org/old-books/

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