Oh my godless!

I work a part-time job as a pizza delivery expert. Not sure why they call us experts (I’m not a former pert). The first day a driver is hired they are already known as an “expert.” I guess pizza delivery is not rocket science, so it must be assumed that within moments of being hired a person has gained enough experience to be called an “expert.” Apparently, if you can breathe and drive a vehicle you can be a pizza delivery expert. At least I’m good at some-thing. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not knocking the pizza delivery business or inferring that to deliver pizza is somehow beneath me. Believe me, it’s not! Delivering has been a good source of additional income for me for more than 4 years. And I’m grateful for the opportunity to work and for the interesting and unique folks I’ve met and hustled pizzas with along the way. I’ve made some great friends delivering pizza.

Anyhow, two nights ago, a fellow expert responded to what someone else said by blurting out, “Jesus Christ!” Our shift manager then responded, “Where? Where is Jesus?” I thought it was amusing that this manager was Johnny-on-the-spot when it came to catching someone using our Lord’s name in vain. The vain-taker sort of just grimaced. Today the exclamation, “Oh my God!” flies from the lips of your average earthling like spit from a fire and brimstone preacher’s mouth during the final point of his message. It happens all the time and most don’t even give it a thought. Back when I was a skinny kid in Houston (PA not TX) we were still taken aback when somebody within earshot used the Almighty’s name in a curse. Maybe we’ve let go of worrying about some of the “lesser evils” as the wearing-down-effect of Satan’s “jamming the world down our throats” has us a little weary. Consequently we are not always as grieved as we should be when we hear our Lord’s name used wrongly.

It is interesting, though, that God’s name and His Son’s name seem to be the names of choice when it comes to blurting a curse. Just the fact that vain-takers use “God” and “Jesus Christ” says something about the spiritual war being fought, who is real among the players, and how the spirit of anti-Christ and the influence of the devil only end up validating Jesus as the True and Living God, who is the Creator of the universe and only Savior of the world.

Would that we become experts in godliness! And that’s my “expert” opinion.

Will the Real Plan A Please Stand Up?

When Plan A fails we say, “Well, I’ll just have to go to Plan B.” But what if “Plan A” was an assumption and really not Plan A at all? What if all these years I’ve been living and operating in what I thought was Plan A, but it wasn’t? What if I have been going about my business thinking I was playing my A game, when all along it was Plan B or C or D or Z? So “Plan A” tanks and I’m left thinking, “Ok, this sucks, so what’s Plan B?” This is where a lot of us get stuck: “Plan A” behind us, mired in self-pity and despair, with no clue as to what Plan B looks like, smells like, feels like. But what if assumed Plan A tanked because of divine providence, and the real Plan A, a plan I never dreamed of, prepared for, or imagined, was waiting in the wings and will soon be unfolded? What has been standing in the way of real Plan A? Assumed Plan A! I had been asking God to show me Plan B lately. Then last night, out of nowhere, the thought hit me like a garbage truck on it’s way to the dump that maybe I haven’t even tapped into Plan A yet! That revelation was somehow liberating in that it seemed to give my future a fresh new look. Plan A straight ahead …

Embalming Moses

Phew! I can finally sleep at night again. No more lying awake wondering what the angels/demons do when they are caught up with all their work. It’s simple; they get to bickering with one another over stuff. Thanks to Jude for shedding light on this mind-bender by tossing a ‘You Tube Moment’ into his judgment call on the false teachers. He tells how Michael didn’t even dare presume authority over Satan by rebuking him, but took a back seat and let the Lord do the rebuking (Jude 9). But right in the middle of his teaching session he drops in this little clip, “This took place when Michael was arguing with Satan about Moses’ body.” Very nice! What were they quibbling about, I wonder? I’ve never heard a sermon on this particular scripture phrase. But Jude lays it in there like everybody reading his letter knew exactly what the deal was with Michael, Satan and Moses’ body. Unfortunately, I ain’t got no clue as to what the “h” is goin’ on here! How did Jude get all this exclusive info? It’s notable that this is two upper echelon wingers jawing at each other. It must have been pretty important. Oh well.

There are one too many places in the Bible like this that leave me scratching my head. Sometimes it’s a little annoying for me (but who am I?). I’m so glad the directions to heaven (“Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved”) and how I’m supposed to treat everybody (with kindness, compassion, love, etc.) are clear and easy. God made sure the basics were graspable (is that a word?) for simple dudes like me.

Straight Talk

This is pretty bold and naked talk directed right at the God of the Universe:

"O Lord, you misled me, and I allowed myself to be misled. You are stronger than I am, and you overpowered me. Now I am mocked every day; everyone laughs at me."

Many versions translate Jeremiah 20:7: “O Lord, you deceived me.” Jeremiah was the “voice box of God,” one of God’s true prophets in Israel. So I have to think that his lines of communication to the Lord were direct and without much interference or static. God gave him the words, and Jeremiah, in turn, gave the words to the audience that God wanted to speak to. And yet, when the prophet is beaten and put in stocks by the priest, Pashhur, Jeremiah complains that God “set him up.” Lamentations 3:1-20 gives a detailed account of Jeremiah’s fingering God for his tough times. But Jeremiah comes through in the end with the BIG ‘but’: “But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:21-23). What strikes me most about this is the patience of God while Jeremiah is ranting and raving. God takes it right on the chin. I’m glad to know I can talk to God without having to mask my true feelings of doubt and sometimes even anger, and he’s big enough to handle it. Otherwise, I would have been squashed like a bug by now.

What's Your Name, Boy?

I think it's interesting that Jacob wrestled the angel and the angel could not overpower him (Gen. 32:25). I know that physically Jacob could not have been a match for the super-being. So could it be that the angel could not overpower the will of Jacob? Maybe this wrestling match was a culmination of Jacob's lifetime of wrestling with God and men, and even the most deadly opponent ... himself! It is here that Jacob's name (character) is changed. He is no longer going to be called Jacob ("supplanter"), but now will be called Israel ("he strives with God"). I get the idea that Jacob's victory of self was due in part to his refusal to give up the fight ("for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed"). He told the angel, "I won't let you go until you bless me." Maybe more of us should refuse to let go of God in the middle of repeated failures and discouragements until he blesses us with victory. I wonder what my new name will be?

Average Joe Ain't So

Actually, the average person enables the above average. If everybody was above average, then everybody would just be ... average. Kinda the same with strength. If everybody was equally strong, then nobody's stronger. So the weak enable the strong! Then, who is really weak? The weak need nobody to be weak, but the strong need somebody to overpower to display their strength. No doubt, there is no good without evil. If everything were good, by what standard would we measure goodness? For all we know, everything could be evil if that were the case. But when good and evil collide each is exposed and proven.

Wally's Vizion Blog: Where Do You Belong?

Wally's Vizion Blog: Where Do You Belong?