What if You Suddenly Died?

             

        Several years ago, a woman at the place of my employment received a devastating telephone call. Her husband was killed in an automobile accident while travelling for a work assignment. The woman was absent from work for about a week for bereavement and funeral leave.

        When she returned to work, she was still obviously very withdrawn and possibly in a state of depression. Unlike some, she was willing to talk. After relaying my sympathies to her, what I said next seems to have greatly improved her mood. 

        I told her that she could be proud that, when her husband died, he was where he was supposed to have been and was doing what he was supposed to have been doing.  He was a man of honor, fulfilling his responsibilities.  His wife smiled.

        If you had a sudden massive heart attack and died on the spot, what would you want your wife and children to be told? That you died on your way to a scheduled business meeting or that you lied to them and died while having sex with a prostitute?

Casein Protein Intolerance

             Agalee Jacob, a Canadian dietitian and diabetes educator. says. " Lactose intolerance , which is an intolerance to the sugar found in milk, is one of the most common food intolerances, but an intolerance to casein can sometimes cause similar symptoms." Casein is a milk protein rather than a sugar. Milk to most people is a harmless and tasty food ingredient. To persons with a milk product intolerance it is basically a poison.
             Intolerances to food products which most people can safely consume. can, in the intolerant individual almost instant bloating, cramping,. flatulence. and diarrhea.Sufferers acn experience either or both of these food intolerances.
             It is possible to purchase lactose-free products which can be safely consumed by the lactose intolerant person but not all of these products are also casein-free. An example is a "dairy free" coffee creamer which contains "casein. a milk derivative."
             In our lives as Christians, many things are tasty and pleasant but they can also sometimes cause discomfort or even intense pain. Sports.our occupations, literature. culinary adventures, travel, etc, can all be positive and fulfilling experiences. When they are allowed to become obsessions that interfere with our family and Christian duties. they can cause injury in our lives. Anything which distracts us enough to make us less useful to our families and to our Lord is damaging.
              Oddly enough. some Christians unintentionally cause severe injury in their families their personal lives. and in their relationship with the Lord. when they become obsessive about "church work.
               These are people who are unable to say "no" to any church related request. It is important to understand that God is not the one asking you to be involved in EVERY church project or activity. Often, when you try to do too much you end up accomplishing very little and you may cause emotional and spiritual injury to yourself and others along the way. How does it honor God for you to perform forty-five church projects at the cost of neglecting your husband and your children? Your emotional and spiritual burnout does not honor God. It makes you less useful to Him.
               It is much better to choose two or three activities into which you feel especially led by the Lord and to do them excellently without neglecting yourself or your family.

Ramones

The Ramones were, like Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, a rock music band of enormous musical influence but extremely limited commercial success. (At the Ramones first major concert, ten people showed up.) To be clear, there is nothing Christian about either band but they are reflections of the worldview of many millions of people. 

The music of the Ramones is minimalist to almost absurd levels. Their songs often use only a few chords, a hard driving beat, and almost all the songs check in at under three minutes in length. The songs are very fast and very short. Many of their concerts lasted only seventeen minutes. Who were these guys?

The band was begun in 1974 by four totally unrelated men who all took the surname Ramone, wore long black straight hair with long bangs, black leather jackets, and usually wore sunglasses regardless of the weather or time of day. They basically acted as if they were nihilistic and were bored out of their minds.  As band members cane and went, they too, all became Ramones. Even women who married the band members became Ramones. Rolling Stone Magazine lists the Ramones as number 26 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time." The VH1 music television network names the Ramones as number 17 in their list  of the "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock." The original four members (Johnny Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone, Joey Ramone, and Tommy Ramone) and later drummer, Marky Ramone, have all been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Much of this was a stage persona. Some of the band members were progressive in their views while others were much more conservative. The band was in constant inner turmoil with arguments, jealousies, resignations, firings, and hostilities which occasionally erupted into violence. Some of the disputes resulted in legal actions.

All of the original four founding members of the Ramones are now dead so we may never know for certain whether or not they were consciously satirizing the modern relativist culture or were merely reflecting that they were part of it.  Or both.

Their music perfectly reflects the vapid meaninglessness of modern relativistic society. The songs take vicious jabs at the facades and hypocrisy of many elements of modern western culture, exhibiting a total lack of respect for any forms of authority or societal norms, including the family. An example is the song, We're A Happy Family.

"We're a happy family

We're a happy family

We're a happy family

Me mom and daddy

Siting here in Queens

Eating refried beans

We're in all the magazines

Gulping down thorazines

We ain't got no friends

Our troubles never end

No Christmas cards to send

Daddy likes men

Daddy's telling lies

Baby's eating flies

Mommy's on pills

Baby's got the chills

I'm friends with the President

I'm friends with the Pope

We're all making a fortune

Selling Daddy's dope"

Other songs reflect the cultural acceptance of violence which can result from the dehumanizing effects of relativism. To me, Beat on the Brat With a Baseball Bat brings to mind the horrors of child abuse and the casual murders committed by the for profit abortion industry.

"Beat on the brat 
Beat on the brat 
Beat on the brat with a baseball bat
Oh yeah, oh yeah, uh-oh

Beat on the brat 
Beat on the brat 
Beat on the brat with a baseball bat
Oh yeah, oh yeah, uh-oh 
Oh yeah, oh yeah, uh-oh

What can you do? 
What can you do?
With a brat like that always on your back 
What can you (lose?)

What can you do? 
What can you do?
With a brat like that always on your back 
What can you (lose?) lose?"

One response to the utter anti-intellectual emptiness produced by the relativist philosophy is to become totally passive and uninvolved, as in I Want To Be Sedated.

"Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go I wanna be sedated

Nothin' to do and no where to go-o-oh I wanna be sedated

Just get me to the airport put me on a plane

Hurry hurry hurry before I go insane

I can't control my fingers I can't control my brain

Oh no no no no no

Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go....

Just put me in a wheelchair, get me on a plane

Hurry hurry hurry before I go insane

I can't control my fingers I can't control my brain

Oh no no no no no

Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go I wanna be sedated

Nothin' to do and no where to go-o-o I wanna be sedated

Just put me in a wheelchair get me to the show

Hurry hurry hurry before I go loco

I can't control my fingers I can't control my toes

Oh no no no no no

Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go...

Just put me in a wheelchair...

Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I wanna be sedated

Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I wanna be sedated

Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I wanna be sedated

Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I wanna be sedated"

Another response seen in modern culture is boredom and the inability to form meaningful relationships. People drift from situation to situation, from person to person, and from one drug of abuse to another. Other people are seen as useful to relieve the pain. The anomy and emptiness can often devolve into lawlessness and violence.  I Just Want To Have Something To Do!

"Hanging out of Second Avenue

Eating chicken vindaloo

I just want to be with you

I just want to have something to do

Tonight, tonight, tonight,tonight,tonight,tonight

Well allright.

Tonight, tonight, tonight,tonight,tonight,tonight

Wait-Now

Wait-Now

Hanging out all by myself

Cause I don't want to be with anybody else

I just want to be with you 

I just want to have something to do

Tonight"


The answer is the total rejection of the relativist ideology. There are NOT many different relative truths. Truth is NOT determined by societal consensus. There is such a thing as absolute truth and it is, to an extent, knowable and intelligible to the human intellect. We could not have found this absolute truth on our own but we were created in such a way that we are completely capable of perceiving it. the unknowable has been made knowable.

The unknowable God has made Himself knowable to us by first preparing us through His progressive revelation of His nature to the Jewish people. He is one. He is our creator. He is all-powerful and all-knowing. He knows each of us as individuals. He is holy and expects us to be holy. He is not impressed by our political power, our wealth, or our knowledge.  He expects us to understand that we belong only to Him. He intends to bless the entire world.

After this preparation through the Jewish people, God's final perfect revelation of Himself came through the Messiah, Jesus of nazareth, who was, is, and always will be fully human and fully divine. We are to become conformed to Him.

Comedy/Music Comment: Chonda Pierce. A Piece of My Mind

Chonda Pierce is a hilarious Christian stand-up comedian and singer whose performances have the same effect as those of Michael Jr. whom I have mentioned in several earlier posts. While making the listener laugh uncontrollably, she carries a sword, and thrusts with that sword to deliver her message. She is a warrior and an evangelist of the first order. All of her comedic routines are sermons.

Chonda talks about subjects not normally considered to be funny, especially for a Christian comedian. Her topics include menopause, depression, clothes which for some unknown reason no longer fit, aging parents, annoying neighbors, and family dysfunction. Nothing is off limits. Why should it be? Christians  live in the real world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbZ4MLc4th8  menopause

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LdGs-eioMQ  depression

Chonda Pierce. A  Piece of My Mind, INO Records, 000768303917

Film Comment: Summer of Fear

Summer of Fear, the somewhat misleading title of this 1996 made for television movie, gives the viewer no idea of what is about to happen. When you think you know what is going on, you don’t. The story does not actually produce fear in the viewer but more of an anticipation of what is about to happen, since you soon realize that something is not quite right with Simon. People expecting “blood and guts” have called it “too tame to be a thriller.” Admittedly, this is not an Oscar winning film. It is more like a film one would expect from the Lifetime Movie Network. (The film should not be confused with the more intense 1978 Wes Craven film, also titled Summer of Fear. Both films are based on the novel, Simon Says.)

Echo Bridge Home Entertainment posted this plot synopsis on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB.com):  “When Lucas Marshall and his family are attacked en route to their summer vacation, a passing drifter comes to their rescue. But soon after being welcomed into their home, the stranger engages the family in a treacherous game of deceit and manipulation, forcing them to realize that his encounter with them was no accident.” The film features several television actors who were once quite ubiquitous on television but who now are seldom seen.

Lucas (Gregory Harrison), a city-living middle class businessman, inherits his aunt’s summer home in a small town. While he and his family are traveling to the home for a summer of relaxation and home remodeling, they are carjacked by two thugs. The men seriously damage Lucas’ foot and ankle and he watches helplessly as they sexually molest his wife.

The only thing which prevents the men from raping the wife (Glynnis O’Connor) is the arrival of Simon (Corin Nemec), a local teenager, who chases the men away with his shotgun. The shotgun turns out to actually be just a large walking stick. Simon is a very resourceful and talented young man.

Gratefully, the family invites Simon to the summer home for a day. Soon, Simon is using their boat, fixing the malfunctioning clothes dryer, cleaning the house’s gutters, wooing the the teenaged daughter, becoming a buddy to the young pre-teen son, and, eventually, successfully seducing the mother. Simon is clearly in charge, taking over the family from the loving but ineffectual father and husband.

This is a story of deceit, guilt, psychological horror, hints of incest, anger, resentment, adultery, and a very dark, long-hidden secret seeking a resolution. It is an example of how “the sins of the fathers” can come back to haunt the children for generations to come.

Lucas ends the dangerous situation non-violently by bravely telling the truth. In the effort, he finally wins the respect of his family. He also seems to have finally come to respect himself.

Though this movie presents itself as a horror film, it ultimately is a drama about a disturbed family. Very prominent themes are personal responsibility, the destructiveness of keeping “secrets,” the generational effects of hatred and revenge, and the redemption which can come from “clearing the air.”

Family Crosses

This last Sunday was Easter day. At the church which my son and his family attend, the families participated in a wonderful ceremony. The parents and their children built small crosses and wrapped them in burlap. Nails were placed in the cross at the points where the hands and feet of Jesus were positioned. The parents read a text explaining the meaning of the cross and the nails and said a family prayer.

Then the parents explained the Resurrection and the children and parents placed flowers and plant branches into the burlap to represent the beauty of life. The parents explained to the children that Jesus was really dead and then rose, defeating death forever.

Afterwards, the families carried the crosses home. There were as many different crosses as there were families. The crosses were all different. The crosses were all the same. The crosses were all beautiful. Just like us.

Extrabiblical Evidences of Biblical Persons, Places, and/or Events: Caesar Augustus

Gaius Octavius (b. 63 BC/BCE, Italy – d. 14 AD/CE), the adopted son and heir of Julius Caesar,  is mentioned only once in the Bible, at Luke 2:1.  Gaius is best known as Augustus Caesar or Caesar Augustus.  His full imperial title was Imperator Gaius Iulius Caesar Octavianus Divi Filius Augustus.  By birth he was Julius Casear’s great nephew.

Forgiveness

"Forgiveness is a strange thing.  It can sometimes be easier to forgive enemies than our friends.  It can be hardest of all to forgive people we love.  Like all of life's important coping skills, the ability to forgive and the capacity to let go of resentments most likely take root very early in our lives."  Fred Roger ("Mr. Rogers")

Film Comment: The Twilight Series

The Twilight series of films is based on a highly successful five book young adult romance fantasy series by American author Stephenie Meyer.  The films are:

Twilight (2008)

Twilight: New Moon (2009)

Twilight: Eclipse (2010)

Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 (2011)

Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 (2012)

To date (25 November 2012) the series has grossed over $2,500,000,000 worldwide.  The basic plot is this: Bella, a lonely teenager, displaced by divorce to a boring small town on the United States northwest coast, becomes attracted to a strange but handsome boy at her high school.  She eventually comes to realize just how strange he is.

Edward is a member of a vampire family which lives in one location until it becomes difficult to disguise the fact that they are not aging.  The “family” members are not biologically related but were collected together by the patriarch, whom they recognize as their father.  The family long ago stopped hunting humans for food and lives off the blood of forest animals.

Edward proves to be a sensitive and protective boyfriend for Bella and he strongly holds to his Nineteenth Century values of sexual abstinence and chaste love until marriage.  That presents the problem: a vampire cannot marry a human.  Because he loves her, Edward is reluctant to “turn” Bella though she begs him to.  He realizes that he would be damning her to become a monster like himself.

Stephenie Meyer, the writer of the Twilight novels, is a Mormon and some believe this is the origin of the series’ emphasis on family and chastity.  Feminists have complained that the novels and films present Bella as a helpless female, with her life revolving around her man.  Edward must continually protect Bella from other vampires (and werewolves!) who disapprove of their relationship.  Feminists also object to the relationship’s violence, as Bella is seriously injured when she and Edward eventually do consummate their relationship.

Bella eventually becomes a powerful vampire with a beautiful half-human half-vampire child.

I see all these things, but what I really see is perhaps a message which Meyer did not originally intend.  The message is this:  to succeed, to really get what you want in this world, you must submit.  Adapt to the world.  Adjust what you believe.  Buy into the system, and you may find love, success, wealth, and maybe even power.  The darkness is very seductive.

Film Comment: The Road to Perdition

"My father's only fear was that his son would follow the same road ...," the road to perdition.  The word "perdition" is of Indo-European origin through Latin.  The main idea of the word is "loss."  In Christian theology, the word is used of loss of the soul, eternal damnation, utter ruin, and destruction.  It can be seen as a synonym for Hell.

The film, The Road to Perdition (1998), is set in Depression era 1931 and tells the story of Michael Sullivan,  a crime mob hit man, a paid assassin, whose son accidentally witnesses one of his murders.  The mob bosses are not pleased and want the boy killed so that he cannot tell anyone.  The killer dearly loves his son and takes steps to protect him.

Based on a black and white graphic novel (comic book), this excellent and suspenseful film stars Oscar winner Tom Hanks as the hit man and is loaded with other top level actors: Stanley Tucci, Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Daniel Craig, and Paul Newman.)  The story is concurrently loving, tender, violent, and depressing.

The film is based on the idea of "the sins of the fathers," a biblical concept.  We teach our children how to act by our example.  Even if we do not wish for our children to follow our example, our actions do not affect only us but can have effects on our families and friends for generations.  Often, once they are set in motion, the consequences of our actions cannot be avoided.

Ethical Complicity

It should be emphatically pointed out to those who use illegal mind-altering substances that they are ethically complicit in all the crimes committed to get their drugs into their possession: smuggling, beatings, theft, extortion, bribery, and murder. And those who binge drink need to be constantly reminded of the horrible results of binge drinking: cirrhosis, fetal injury or death, domestic violence, broken family relationships, body-mangling automobile accidents and other emotional, financial, physical, and spiritual carnage.

Jesus Hats

JesusHats,com is a site which sells Christian baseball hats and T-shirts.  The idea is that the hats and shirts will cause someone to ask about Jesus.  This can be seen as a subtle form of evangelism; "a witness you can wear."

Whenever I visit a Christian website I always gravitate toward the statement of beliefs to see who the people behind the site are.  Dalen (Dale) Garris, of Waxahachie, Texas is the patriarch of this family-owned business.  I found that I can agree with some of Brother Dalen's beliefs and strongly disagree with some others.  This does not stop me from thinking that Jesus hats are a very good idea.

Drug Use in the United States

The United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on Thursday (8 September 2011) released the results from an anonymous drug-use survey it conducted among 67,5000 randomly chosen people.  8.9% of college-age respondents to the survey reported that they regularly use illegal drugs recreationally.  The drugs include marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, LSD, inhalants, and narcotic prescription drugs taken illegally.  Binge alcohol consumption (five or more drinks on the same day), while legal, was still a problem, reported by 40.6%.

It should be emphatically pointed out to those who use any of the illegal substances that they are ethically complicit in all the crimes committed to get their drugs into their possession: smuggling, beatings, theft, extortion, bribery, murder.  And those who binge drink need to be constantly reminded of the horrible results of binge drinking: cirrhosis, fetal injury or death, domestic violence, broken family relationships, body-mangling automobile accidents and other emotional, financial, physical, and spiritual carnage.

Familial Relationships in the Bible: Philemon, Apphia, and Archippus

The earliest Christians were very few in number and were, in the beginning, mainly from a very small number of families.  This is a new, recurring segment on this blog and it will show, basically, who was related to who.

Many scholars believe that Apphia and Archippus (Colossians 4:17 and Philemon 2) were the wife and son of Philemon.

Bible Printer's Errors: The Wife-hater Bible

The 1810 Wife-hater Bible says something entirely different with the mistaken substitution of one word.

What it says:

“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own wife also, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26

What it should have said:

“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26

This verse is almost universally recognized to not be actually teaching literal hate for one's family.  It is hyperbolic language, the language of absoluteness, a conscious exaggeration for effect.  It's like saying "I hate liver!" (for other examples see Genesis 29:30-31 and Luke 16:13)