Dollys, Remotes, and Smooth Pans... curious yet?

Dollys, Remotes, and Smooth Pans... curious yet?

Of Integrity and What We Do When “Nobody” is Watching

I’ve been doing a whole lot of pondering lately… (a truly dangerous affair)

I’ve also been doing a whole lot of observing and people watching lately. And, yes this has included not a little of observing of my own behavior.

I won’t spend a lot of time beating around the bush like I sometimes do. Not this time.

What I’ve been paying especial attention to lately is this:

Rule following or rule breaking. Obedience to laws or disobedience to laws. Observance of good social behavior or ignoring good social behavior.

What I’ve come down to is this. And, this is a general observation of where I see our culture (at least here in the Western U.S.) going right now.

I feel from my observations that we simply don’t have the capacity almost at all to avoid rule breaking. We operate in a very self-serving way that says the rules don’t apply to me. They only apply to everyone else.

Let me explain what I mean. Hopefully in a simple manner

Please let me preface this by saying too, that I am speaking primarily to those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ.

Let’s look at a scenario.

You’re driving down a neighborhood street and a sign tells you that the speed limit is 25 miles per hour.

You pull out of your driveway and turn into the lane outside your cul-de-sac. As you head up the street, you catch up to a guy that in your opinion is driving way too slow. (He’s following the neighborhood limit of 25 mph.) You grip the wheel tighter and feel your impatience rising in your reddening face. You blurt out a few choice names for the guy.

You hit the main road outside your tract and whip by the sign stating 45 mph with a grin, thinking that speed is surely too slow for this road and especially under these perfect driving conditions. You chuckle at the “losers” that you pass for being such pansies and wonder how they could drive like such grannies.

Feeling familiar in the least?

How about this scenario.

You are at a local store and you’ve “happily” parted with your hard-earned cash in exchange for a precious few groceries and supplies for the week. You go through the checkout line and wish the person at the register a great evening. As you unload your haul into your car, you pull out from the bottom rack of your cart a few things that you now realize that the clerk absentmindedly neglected to ring you up for when you were in the checkout line.

You tell yourself: “Oh well, they always seem to mark the items I buy up regularly. I’m a good customer and I spend a lot of my paychecks at this place. They owe me. They won’t miss it. It’s like a bonus.”

Let’s face it. Even if my scenarios don’t seem completely familiar, I’m sure you can think of moments where you’ve been in similar circumstances.

My question is this:

As Christians. As followers of Christ. Is it important that we live lives of integrity and righteousness at every moment? In every circumstance? When nobody seems to be watching?

Are there times where bending the rules is Ok? Are there times where because of Christ’s once and for all sacrifice for our sins, we can let our behavior slide?

Now these questions may seem really easy and pedestrian for you and I to answer. I get it.

But, I have to ask you (and I). If the answer is: “Of course.” We must always be on our guard and we must always seek to be the best version of the person that God has commanded us to be.

If the previous statement is true, then why is it that we so often excuse ourselves to disobey even the simplest of rules… i.e. – following traffic laws… being honest and trustworthy… etc.?

You see, the Bible tells us that God allows certain people (rulers, law enforcement officers, bosses) to rule over us. They are His agents (willing or unwilling) in providing us with some sort of order and laws that are supposed to govern and direct our behaviors.

So here is one of many questions that I have been pondering recently. I hope that you may ponder it too.

If we are given a law or a rule that in our following it, we are not sinning against God by obeying it, then why is it that we justify our not obeying it?

You see, I believe that many of us have bought into the World’s philosophy that “rules are meant to be broken” “rules…, well they’re actually more of guidelines” “rules are for the rest of them, not me”

We have taken on this rebelliousness as if it is some badge of honor.

I have to ask you (and I). How do we justify this when we consider that when Jesus would heal someone, He is often heard telling them, “Go and sin no more.”

Are we not called to personal holiness? Are we not supposed to take up our crosses daily and follow Him into the World?

How can others see Christ in us when they cannot see past what is often our obvious reflection of the World’s values and ways?

What is the difference between us and the World when we often act just like everyone else?

What transformations in our lives can we point to that separate us from the World and its temptations and pitfalls?

Listen, I have not written this to toot my own horn about my own holiness. I often find myself at war with the sinful man that still dwells in this body. I understand the temptations and pitfalls that this World places in our way daily to stumble us and prevent us from shining a light into a dark World.

I believe that we must demonstrate through how we live our lives both publicly and privately how Christ can transform our lives from lost and selfish     to people with direction and selflessness. Serving others so that they can clearly see God’s love and transformative power.

Some of this at least, can show others what it means to be in the World, but not of it.

I hope this encourages you to just do a little introspection and self-examination. I believe that in order for us to grow into the people that Christ has us in mind to be, we must be willing to admit our faults and let God guide us into empowerment through meaningful change.

Have a blessed week!

Mike <><     

It wasn't scary... until I looked closer!

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America, Are these Your Last Days?

I stepped out of our home today.

Out into a gorgeous sunny Southern California Fall day. And, as I often do, I stood in the shade and let the ocean breeze that floats up the Santa Ana River valley caress my face.

I noted a neighbor as he strolled out to his mailbox and I let out a friendly, “Hello!”

We chatted for a bit and as always I enjoyed our conversation.

However, as often happens in these last few years, the conversation went on and the pleasantries faded.

The conversation began to take on the same dark tones that seem to overwhelm social media and the so called “news organizations” websites and channels.

This wonderful man. A fellow American. A teacher of our local children was/is struggling.

Like so many of us he struggles with an America that he virtually does not recognize anymore.

We live in a dark day where truth is no longer the most important thing to many people. We live in a day where those who seek to teach our children seem bent on “revising our history” to fit whatever their current agenda is.

This revising of history is what my focus here in this piece is really about, and as always too, my focus is on the right (at least in this country currently) to free speech.

First, let’s unpack revisionist history.

That in and of itself is absolutely an oxymoron. There is no such thing as revisionist history. History is a closed book. The facts are the facts. The events happened.

As we have seen in fantasy stories about altering the past events in time, we can see the danger if we look carefully enough in revising our own real history now.

Something with great value will be and is being lost.

History just as failure is one of life’s greatest teachers.

If you look at the microcosm of American History since just it’s European colonization, there have been many wonderful things that occurred as well as many tragedies, atrocities, and painful periods too.

What I’m getting at is this. You cannot just sweep history away. The good and the bad must be viewed together in order to make a correct assessment or judgement to form opinions.

We do an incredible disservice to our children, grand-children, and future generations by avoiding real talk about the things that happened here.

The things that happened in our country have left indelible marks on all of us and they have long term consequences and effects that ripple into the future to create change.

In order for a society to grow and get better, it must be able to factually look back on its past and make correct judgements only if the facts are all on the table. When we remove a few of the facts it risks a total misread on what really happened and how future generations will make decisions when placed into similar circumstances.

America stands in one of the most impactful and dangerous places that it has ever been.

By remaining divided, as has been shown over and over again in human history, we will surely fall. And when we fall, so will the American dream. So will fall the dreams of millions who have flocked here over the generations looking for hope and opportunity.

So I ask those who read this just this one thing.

Please. Never allow anyone to alter your opinions without providing you solid evidence for you to take on their worldview. You must research things for yourself. And research them thoroughly. You owe it to yourself. You owe it to your children and generations to come.

If we do not correctly view the lessons of history, then once again, Rome will burn!

I am deadly serious as I write this.

Now, on to my second topic.

Free Speech.

It is dying in this country. And, quickly. Soon many of us who espouse free speech will be more than just vilified and bad mouthed.

Soon, we will be sued. Soon we will be silenced by those who seek through the “laws” that they put in place, to have us thrown behind lock and key. Soon, we will be portrayed as those who need to be killed in order to rid our society of the poison that we try and pour into those who will listen.

You may scoff.

But, it’s already happening. Just watch carefully what occurs on any college campus that attempts to have a conservative speaker come to monologue before any that are willing to listen.

We must bring back tolerance to America. We must destroy the edifice that has become what we know as “political correctness.”

Political correctness is a terrible lie. It is the epitome of intellectual dishonesty!

Our constitution has guaranteed us the right to free speech. Over and over I have said this.

It doesn’t matter how hateful it is. It doesn’t matter how much you disagree with it. If we attempt to regulate people’s ability to freely share what’s on their mind, where will it all stop?!

A growing and strengthening society must allow open and honest dialog to occur in order for real, well thought out, solutions to be forged.

Our poor nation has been through a lot over the years. None of us if honest, can ever say we have always done things right. To do so is to overlook the lessons of history.

History has its lessons to teach us. We must be willing to bear witness to the good and the bad. We must be willing to talk through the ugliness and reach the other side of the badlands that we are travelling in right now. We must be willing to celebrate the beautiful things we have accomplished and brought to the world too. History forgotten brings a nation great peril.

Compassion and understanding need to be where we live now. Only brotherly love can help us to forgive the misunderstandings and set us on the paths of healing for our great nation.

I truly believe that America can be great again, but it must come under the umbrella of unity, peace, and regained national pride.

I for one am going to be praying that we can cross the lines that divide us and seek God’s wisdom for guidance to move into a brighter future.

If we are not willing to do this as a nation, then I believe we are living in the last days of America.

Are You Afraid to Walk into the Storm?

I won’t bore you with all the intimate details of the challenges of the last two weeks in my immediate family.

However, I will tell you that like so many who may be reading this blog piece, we all face tough times at some point. In the short length of the average human lifespan, we will each face our share of life’s troubles.

No one is ever truly immune.

Even if you feel that you have lived some form of charmed or blessed life with very few bumps in the road, you will face at least this one huge elephant in the room…

Your own mortality.

I use this phrase a lot in my life, at least as an adult.

“Life is terminal.”

We cannot avoid this one pure and absolute fact. We will one day face our own death.

Time marches on and as much as we want to preserve our own lives or the lives of our loved ones, there is no scientific breakthrough at this point in human history that will preserve your life forever.

It simply does not exist.

No matter how much you rage against the machine, you… and I… will one day breathe our last breath.

All of that said, I ask you this:

With our lives being so fragile. With them being relatively short when viewed across history. Are you living your life to the fullest? Are you facing your fears? Are you loving those you care about like they won’t be here tomorrow? Like you might not wake up tomorrow morning?

I can honestly say that for me, I would have to answer the previous questions with an overwhelming, “No.”

What would you say? In regard to your own thoughts on this?

Life is so very short.

Don’t take any of it… or the people you care about, for granted.

I know that there are sometimes huge storms in your life. If not now, they may be just over life’s horizon.

Trust me. They will appear.

They may not last forever, but they are inevitable.

Prepare yourself.

Open your heart and be ready to love. Sometimes that has to be way more than just what you say, it must be in what you do.

In the Bible, it is said that “faith without works is dead.”

It also says that we, show our faith by the things that we do. Our actions.

So, this little post goes out to you early on this Wednesday morning. It goes out filled with hope for you.

Live out your love and faith today. Do it by demonstrating it. Even the smallest seed can grow into a tree (so the Bible says again).

Our world is filled with storms these days. Both literally and figuratively.

They’re unavoidable but we don’t have to be afraid. Our leaps of faith and demonstrations of love, can be like small stones cast into a pond where the ripples go out to touch every inch of the shores that surround it.

Life’s storms will rage, but our love can conquer and heal the damage that is left in the storm’s aftermath.

If you long for healing. If you long to be an agent of change, you must come at some point to a realization that it will never come for you until you make the decision to bravely step out into life’s storms and face into the wind and rain.

If you feel you lack the strength to overcome your fears, I know someone who can help you.

His name is Jesus Christ. Ask him to give you the faith, the strength, the words and the bravery to face your storms and He will not fail you.

Seize the day!

In Christ,

Mike <>< 

End Times? Maybe?

As I write this, hurricane Irma is bearing down on the Florida coast.

As I write this many vicious fires burn all across the Northwest part of America.

As I write this, thousands grieve over the many lost to a great earthquake in Mexico yesterday.

So too, a great many are trying to pick up the pieces of their devastated lives in the aftermath of hurricane Harvey.

And, as I ponder the burdens for those hurting souls across our globe, personal burdens included, I hear echoing in my head the words of several people over the last few days… “I think that we must be in the “end times”.”

For those of you are not familiar with Biblical prophecy, etc., this may only make some sense.

Anything I write here on this subject is either somewhat hypothetical or at very least an amateur attempt to discuss end times philosophies or beliefs. And, really, in the end I have no desire to win you over if you’re skeptical, atheist, or any form of unbeliever.

Faith is not something that I can give you after all.

Only God can light that spark in your soul.

And, only you can exercise faith. It belongs exclusively to you and nobody can gift it to you.

Let me throw just the tiniest bit of context at you so that you can process what I’m leading you towards.

I firmly believe the Bible. I firmly believe in God (the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), you know, the God of the Jews. I believe in God’s one and only son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

I believe that Jesus, though He was/ and is fully God, came to Earth as a man, lived among us, experienced all that we experience, told us of God’s great love for His lost creation (humankind), and ultimately bore the burden of all our sins (mine included) on a Roman cross 2,000 years ago, died on that cross, more importantly: rose again from the dead on the third day, and ascended to heaven to rule at God’s right hand.

And, I know that one day, Jesus is coming back down to Earth, riding on the clouds, scooping up His bride, the Church taken up to be with Him in heaven.

He is also going to bring judgement to all humankind, both those alive at the time of His return and all of those who have died before, all of the way back to the beginning of our race.

That said. Are we living in the end of days? Maybe… probably.

But.

What is so very important now, is that we do not lose our perspective.

We are only responsible. Ultimately. For our own actions and reactions to what circumstances surround us.

Are the hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, floods, etc. God’s judgement on us? Maybe… but let’s think this out. Even if this is God’s judgement, what is the most important thing in the midst of this?

How we react, how we act, how we respond to these crisis’s is all important.

Praying is certainly a good start. But, then we must act.

We live in a world that is brutally affected by the sins of us all. The world at large is impacted by the burden of ages old sins that cause even nature to groan under its burden.  

What I’m getting at is this: React how you will, but understand that God may be allowing the natural order of things to take their course so that we can be refined by the fires of great trials and come out as pure gold on the other side.

Many of us are praying for a great spiritual awakening, a healing of all of that divides us in this country, for forgiveness and reconciliation in powerful and long-lasting ways that binds our hearts with those that we currently don’t see eye to eye with.

Has any of us thought that these disasters might in and of themselves, be answers to our prayers?!

Maybe these trials have come now, so that we can be drawn together, fight for survival together, bind each other’s wounds together, pray for each other together, and live once again as brothers and sisters with vast differences, but a common Savior.

Let’s continue to do all we can to be a part of what is good and of Godly character in these troubled times. Let’s be the solution, not the stumbling block. Let’s love others as Christ first loved us. Let’s be Jesus hands and feet as we live out each day in these troubled times.

Praying in all sincerity for the millions of lives in Irma’s path tonight.

May God protect and keep you through the night and into a new day, full of hope and promise for the future. May we be unified by God’s love and grace.

Sincerely,

Mike Meehan <><

Facing the Day

There are those of us, both in and out of the church. Those of us who suffer in silence. We bear the burdens of anxiety, depression and hidden pain. This morning, I want you to understand... you're not alone, and in the end there is hope. Allow Christ to breath into your heart this morning, His song of love and redemption. He died for all of us, but not all of us accept His gift. If you haven't accepted His gift of redemption and the hope of an eternal future, maybe today is the day for new beginnings. Just ask Him to come in and walk each day alongside you. He accepts us right where we are, and just in the condition He finds us. Better still though, is that He doesn't leave us in the condition He finds us. He begins a new work in our hearts right away. He breathes into us the flame of hope again. He bears our burdens... if we'll just let Him. The things that weigh on our hearts and can rob us of our hope... well, we can place them in His hands and leave them with Him conquer them. Hope is found in Christ alone and when we trust that He's got this, then despite the anxiety, the depression, and the worries, we can go into each day knowing that He will always stand right beside us to hold our hands and face any storm together. You see, He has already told us the end of the story. Despite any troubles here while we're on Earth, in Him our eternity is secure. So, with Him, let's boldly face this day and each day hereafter knowing that we are secure in Christ!

Seize the day!

- Mike <><

Suffering & Redemption

If you could glimpse into my heart

If you could gaze into my soul

You’d grasp the truth of me

Understand sufferings’ role

You’d know that which I need

Not for you to dry my tears

But for your friendship

To endure throughout the years

To walk with me when I stumble

To sit with me when I weep

To hold my hand in silence

When the midnight watches I keep

It seems too much to ask

I fear it’s too much to bear

But this is the road I walk on

With a mind bent on despair

This smile hides its secrets

These eyes my heart’s cry

I understand your fear

Why you easily pass me by

For many it’s far too easy

Voicing their flippant two cents

Their talk show solutions

For my life long laments

Never really understood

My lack of contentment or peace

But I know I have a Savior

Whose mercies never cease

So, when this heart is empty

My dry bones crying for the rain

I remember to get on my knees

And enter His presence again

For my Savior knows my heart

It was He that fanned this flame

Set my heart ablaze for His kingdom

So that I’d never be the same

And if you hear this message

Truly listen to what I say

Then when your heart hurts too

At the cross your burdens lay

For its there in the cross’s shadow

We can let our burdens fall

No longer captive to the enemies lies

Redeemed we can now stand tall

Letting Go

Something happened this week. Something that came out of nowhere… unexpected.

And, truthfully, I was caught unaware. So, also truthfully, it hurt. Really hurt.

You see, I am what some in my life refer to as “tender hearted.” That’s not me singing my own praises. Trust me. In many cases, it’s a weakness.

This is a warning to you, if you actually have a heart. In case you haven’t figured it out by now, they can be broken.

Now, as always, let me get you started down the right path as to what my point is in this piece.

Sometimes you just have to let something go. Or someone. In this case I’ll at least clue you in that it was (is) a someone.

I’m not sure if you can relate, but in our lives people often come in and they also go out from our sphere of influence. We enter in to each other’s lives by chance or by design (you be the judge) and we are influenced or we are also the influencer.

But in either case, our lives are changed by human contact and interaction.

This person was once someone who I called friend and if I may be so bold, we influenced each other. For a time, I believe that that interaction was mutually beneficial and left indelible marks on each of us. I can only speak for myself in saying that I have some really good memories from those days gone by.

As happens to many of us, maybe even all of us throughout our lives, these relationships can grow for a time and then fade. That’s life. That’s reality.

Time and circumstances just do that. We flow into and out of each other’s lives and that’s Ok.

So long as most of our interactions have been good, we can experience those feelings briefly again for a time when we cross each other’s paths by chance. We “take up where we left off.”

That’s what we hope for at least. And, often that is what happens. We meet again and we reminisce. Swap stories and recollections of days gone by.

Good days.

But time can also be cruel. And because we are beings that have been given a great and terrible gift, we can also make some pretty bad choices. Some of these decisions can hurt us directly and some can drag others down into the mud with us.

I pity those who make choices that hurt themselves. I pity those who do so even more when they’re unaware that they are leaving a wake of damage behind them that inevitably causes others pain and heartache. I pity those who are so blind that they lash out from their own pain and lostness to deliberately harm others.

My point is, that where we are left with no way to breach the divide and bring healing, we must sometimes make one of the simplest and yet emotionally challenging decisions in our lives.

We must let go.

Yes, let go.

We are after all, individuals after all. And, we are ultimately only responsible for our own thoughts and actions.

We cannot let another speak lies into our conscious and unconscious selves. We must not give them credibility by dwelling on them.

We must learn to let the lies and false judgments of others roll off our hearts like raindrops from leaves. We must look within and look in the mirror and affirm the truths that we know about ourselves.

Now, if you are a follower of Christ, you can also take comfort in clinging to His promises regarding His adopted children.

He promises that He will never leave nor forsake us

He promises that He will not leave us to be tempted beyond what we are able to withstand, but will provide us with an escape.

He promises us that He loved us while we were in our sinful state.

Why do I bring up that last one you might ask?

A simple reason. I know that every story involving two people always has two sides. Two perspectives.

And, though we may often think we are in the right, it is certainly possible that we can feel that way and yet be absolutely wrong. That is just a part of human nature.

So, comes the end of this little monologue.

Though I can accept that there is a little room for me to be wrong in this situation, I have to (in this case) respectfully hold to my decision to cut this person out of my life for the time being.

They spoke lies into my life and spoke them out of some known, and some unknown places of pain from their own soul. And, I will not take on those lies as even holding a shred of truth.

You see, we must have the strength to accept just criticism of ourselves and then make adjustments to how we live and act to become a better version of ourselves. But, when words are spoken not out of love or respect or a desire to help someone, then they lose their credibility and must be discarded.

I am discarding the things that were said.

I am praying that you, my readers, will do the same.

Take on the valid criticisms of others and humbly make the necessary changes to become a better you, but when someone is dead wrong about you:  Just Let it go.

Keeping Your Head in a Mad Mad World!

Ok, so once again… I’m reminding you that I am a follower of Christ.

Please don’t read into that, where you think you hear me saying I am somehow perfect… or better than anyone in particular… or all knowing… etc…_ you fill in the blank.

So, when I wax (in someone’s eyes anyway) judgmental, please understand that I am most often referring to what I believe to be true and supported by scripture (the Bible).

Now that that’s out of the way, here goes:

I try really, really hard to not over watch network news or any other mainstream news, simply because it is in fact ratings driven. Therein lies the biggest reason why it is somewhat untrustworthy and unreliable (some people, well known people are referring to it as: “fake” these days).

You be the judge.

In fact if there is any challenge in this post, this is it: Sort through the recent news and try this: Come to your own opinion. Make a judgment call on your own. Decide where you stand and don’t let me, a “news” network, a friend, or a conspiracy theory website make your decisions for you.

Stop being a lemming!

Stop being the follower of a crowd just because it is the popular thing to do… Rock the boat… just a little.

I can tell you all kinds of stories about what it’s like to take the unpopular view.

Much of the time it really isn’t much fun. Much of the time you meet with ridicule, being ostracized, cruel talk, and maybe even violence for holding an unpopular view.

I say this with not a little fear and trembling.

I have taken stands in the past and even in the present where my beliefs, my talk, and my actions were all in alignment, but they weren’t lined up with many of the people around me.

I’m ultimately ok with that. I am.

You see, I know and understand that somewhere in there lies the true definition of tolerance.

To be tolerant has never meant that I have to agree with what you say, what you believe, or what you do. It in its most simple form is that we agree to disagree and that we can do so (in my opinion at least) peacefully. This is an example of true gentility, where we can be adamantly opposed to what we each believe, but we aren’t going to resort to bully tactics to force the other to not only accept and/or adopt our beliefs, but to actually present them as “normal.”

Now, this is not to say that our society within the rule of law, should take on such an open ended way of thought that it should accept no standards for right or wrong, no standards for what is viewed as acceptable practices, nor allowing our country’s citizens to come up with their own interpretation of law and practices.

I am a firm believer in the U.S. Constitution as it was written and I am personally firmly opposed to those who would alter it. If you read it through, I don’t for a minute believe that it there is any reason to conclude that it is any less applicable today than it was over 200 years ago.

It’s that well written.

Those who keep crying out that it is a living document and subject to change don’t understand that at its heart lies the truth, and simple straight forward protections for our freedoms.

If you rewrite the constitution, then you risk losing some of the foundational reasons why it was created and the protections that it provided to us all. If we rewrite it now, during one of the most contentious and divided times in our nation’s history, then we risk making it into a document that steals the freedoms from the masses and hands them to an elitist minority.

Instead, we need to focus our energies on building on its foundation to build bridges from one group of people, from one cultural viewpoint, from group of opinions to establish understanding and sympathy for other’s points of view.

Once we have the building block of sympathetic understanding, then we can dialog about meeting in the middle on some issues to establish compromise and mutually agreed upon solutions, not band aids.

The hardest part of what I’m discussing here is this:

Not everyone can have their way. Not everyone will be satisfied. Some minor individual needs will go unfulfilled.

If we insist that every individual and every minority opinion must be satisfied, then we will never reach a state of sustainable peace.

And this country, this world… we desperately need peace.

Jihad, Terrorists and the Pursuits of Fools

There is a whole lot of criticism of our current president these days.

I’m not here to directly defend or condemn him at this time.

What I am doing with this post is this: I want to ask you, my readers… to think about some questions very seriously.

At the time of this writing, many of us have awakened to the news of yet more Islamic terror attacks in London yesterday.

Yes, I will never bow to the politically correct in our world who would have me only refer to these people (I am using the word people loosely of course, as they behave more like wild animals) as purely terrorists. As I saw another gentleman on Facebook this morning say; “all Muslims are not terrorists, however most all terrorists are Muslim.”

We need to stop being so indecisive and I would argue foolish as to think that we can continue letting people enter our country willy nilly without doing our best due diligence to run thorough background checks before admitting them here in the U.S.

Our fellow Americans that are so squeamish about this need to wake up because I know with no shadow of doubt that if there were any such terrorist events occurring here as often as they seem to be occurring overseas, they just like many of the rest of us would be crying out for justice and payback to these terrorists.

I can remember a day not that many years ago on 9/11/2001 that generally speaking, all Americans regardless of political affiliation etc. were outraged, were praying, and were united in asking that something be done against those who would harm our people.

Why are we waiting until something happens?! Why are we denying the truth?!

We should be supporting our president’s call for travel bans and thorough vetting of all who want to enter our country.

OUR COWARDICE ON THIS ISSUE WILL CAUSE MUCH PAIN AND SUFFERING HERE LATER!!

Ok, here goes… I did not finish this blog post right away… too much going on in my own life.

Just being honest…

Some time has gone by since I started this. It is now June 19.

That said and here we go again. Two more terrorist events have occurred just in the U.K. alone.

Carried out by Muslim extremists.

However, in the interest of those like me who are willing to have an open mind, and heart.

There are other terrorists we need to talk about now. No, too.

And, guess what, they aren’t necessarily Muslim.

What I am bringing into this dialog are the following:

Gangs (both in America and abroad), human traffickers, drug dealers, pirates (yes, they still exist, and not they are not honorable nor admirable), child abusers, bullies, sexual offenders of all sorts, hackers, extortionists, etc… yes, the list could go on for endless days.

You see, terrorists come in many shapes and forms, but they all have one thing at their core in common… no regard for others… no regard for the eternal consequences of their sins.

A terrorist at their core has exchanged their God breathed unique gifts for the slavery of living like a wicked being with no concept of what is good, and right, and honorable, and compassionate, and loving.

They are worse than animals, because animals follow God’s design and purpose for their lives.

Terrorists have swallowed an acceptance that they somehow have no recourse to their own wicked choices.

They have no comprehension of forgiveness, reconciliation, or lasting peace.

And because of this, judgment will fall on them in calamity upon calamity ending with their final judgment before being cast eternally into the very fires of hell.

And yes… hell is a real place… not a figurative fantasy.

I wrote the second part of this blog just to be fair.

Whether I or any of you want to accept it, there are in fact moderate Muslims that individually just want to be left alone to raise their families, love their families and friends, give more to their children than they were given, and to be left in peace.

But, just as some Christians over the course of history have committed all sorts of evil under the guise of their “religion,” so have the Muslims and other religious extremists.

I ask any Muslims that read this to consider the long-term costs in this life and that of eternity for not standing against those who commit the sin of murder to further the cause of their “religion” with no real regard for those other human beings that they destroy.

We are fragile in the end and so is peace. Without forgiveness and reconciliation there is no hope for our race on its own. If that were remotely possible, then even if you ignore that this has not happened in the history of the human race up until this point, then at least look at the fact that even the Muslims have not been able to maintain peace amongst themselves.

If the Muslims were to destroy all the rest of humanity (all of the rest of us being infidels apparently), I know beyond a shadow of any doubt whatsoever that they would ultimately annihilate themselves too because this already happens every day. Just look at the Shiites and the Sunnis (I hope I spelled those right, honestly, not intending to insult anyone here).

I hope that made sense… these people already savagely destroy each other including women and children. And this is the ideal religion? One that cannot find any unity.

There is only one hope for humanity and eternity.

His name is Jesus Christ.

You see, the Muslims are focused on a man. And well, like the rest of us he died. And he did not rise again. And he did not go to sit at the right hand of God. He was not God.

Jesus is in fact God and that is why we who follow him, no matter how imperfectly will not bow to the falsehoods of other religions. Jesus is not ultimately about religion, rather he is about a relationship with the God who created us. And it is possible because of his death on a Roman cross and his payment for our sins, that we have access to God.

No so-called martyrdom under the lies of Jihad will ever see you to heaven. Rather, through the human deceptions and lies of a man, a man who died and is now dust as will you and I be ultimately be, there will only be the open grave that is hell waiting for you.

So, getting back to my original point…

When a people group will not stand and fight against the monstrous evil that lies in the hearts of its most radically destructive members, then why oh why would we willingly with no strong background checks or vetting, let these people into our country?!

Our president is trying unsuccessfully to do his duty and protect us from a very real danger. Are so many of us really so naïve and blind?!

Would you, hypothetically let a man come and live in your home with your wife and children, knowing that he might be alone with any of them at any time while you were away working etc., without first doing some sort of background check or references?!

No, you would not.

And if you would, then guess what? You are a fool and you will end up getting the results of your foolish choices.

I’m done for now.