Those who know me well have heard me say on many occasions, “I have removed the word, ‘coincidence,’ from my vocabulary, because I don’t believe anything happens by coincidence.” So, that being the case, why would I entitle this blog, “Providence, or Coincidence?”

Well, what has got me thinking about this subject once again is a couple of situations with which I am personally acquainted. Allow me to share.

One has to do with my church family. New Horizon Community Church has been my church home for more than twelve years. I was blessed to be part of a small group of believers who felt that a new church was needed in the Lancaster, SC, area. Not that there was not plenty of churches already in this area, but that a non-traditional Southern Baptist church was needed. Thus, we embarked on a journey that has now lasted these twelve plus years. I could share with you story after story of the providential hand of God we have been privileged to witness during this time.

However, I will skip over all that (perhaps that will be a topic of a future blog) for the sake of time and space, and focus my thoughts on the recent past. Last summer, our NHCC family was enjoying one of our Summer Family Fun Days, at which Bryant and Kristen Blakley joined the festivities. Bryant had been serving in Alaska with Alaskan Missions. While he was serving there, Kristen came from Texas to serve as a summer missionary. Bryant and Kristen served together that summer, and ultimately developed a relationship which resulted in their marriage. The Blakley’s then served together in Alaska.

At this family fun day, Bryant shared with me that he and Kristen felt that God was leading them to move back to the Lancaster area. I shared with him that I had felt led of the Lord to begin the process of sharing with the leadership at NHCC that I was planning to transition out of full-time pastoral ministry into semi-retirement. Thus began the journey that has led the pastor search team at NHCC to recommend Bryant be the next pastor of this church family.

I have greatly abbreviated this story, leaving many related points of interest out for the sake of time and space, but I share this to ask the question: was it coincidence that Bryant was serving in Alaska, and that Kristen came to that exact location in Alaska as a summer missionary? Was it coincidence that they developed a relationship which ultimately led to their marriage? And was it coincidence that they felt led of the Lord to move back to Lancaster at the same time NHCC was beginning the process of transition? I, for one, think not. I believe firmly that all of these events were guided by the providential hand of God.

Second scenario. My wife and I were having lunch with our daughter and her husband. During the course of conversation, Charity, our daughter, said that if she had gone straight into EMT training and work (which she is now planning to do) and not to pursue a four year degree in criminal justice, then she would not have had the opportunity to work at Carowinds during the Scarowinds season. Had she not worked at Scarowinds she would not have met Patrick, who eventually became her husband. Wise observations, to be sure.

To the casual observer, both of these scenarios could easily be attributed to chance, or coincidence. But could there be some other explanation? Could there not be the reality of the invisible hand of an almighty God who orchestrated these events to get people into places of His choosing, so that through the long chain of events He might bring them to make life choices that are in accordance with His will? Those who believe in coincidence would say that all of these events, and the uncountable associated events that were part of bringing this to happen, were coincidental.

I choose to believe that there is a greater purpose to the events of life. Am I suggesting that every event of life is pre-determined by God, and then carried out by His irresistible will? No, at least not necessarily. I am suggesting that there is a great and grand scheme being played out, and it is directed by the hand of almighty God. We are led in life to make certain choices, and God works in those choices to guide us to fulfill His will. Can we make mistakes along the way? Can we choose to go in a way other than that which He desires? Yes, we can make choices that are contrary to His will. But, as Paul says in Romans 8:28, God works in all things for the good of those who love Him. God can actually bring good out of bad choices I might make along life’s journey.

In my next blog, I will share my personal journey, which includes a lot of trial and error (too much error!), and yet as I look back over my journey, I see the finger-print of God. He was guiding when I was totally unaware of His presence.

Does God work this intimately with each of us? Absolutely! We may sometimes wonder where He is and why He has left us to make choices without His guidance, but rest assured, He is guiding us when we can’t see His hand. Bryant and Kristen, and Charity and Patrick, have experienced the providence of God. They may not have been aware of it at every moment of their journey up to this point, but it was providence that led them to make choices which have now led them to their present station in life.

Will you, today, acknowledge God’s guidance in your life? Will you thank Him that He is so much a part of your life experiences, and then thank Him for the provisions of His providence? He loves you, and has the best in store for you. We may not always think we are experiencing the best, but rest assured, He always knows what is best. Trust Him, and enjoy the journey!

There are times and occasions which are so explosive with meaning that it is difficult to find the right words to say. The death of the Rev. Billy Graham is without doubt one of those occasions. Our English language has no words to convey the feelings, the emotions, the grief as well as the joy, that this news brings to our hearts and minds.

I cannot claim to have had a personal relationship with Rev. Graham, even though my wife and I did have the tremendous privilege of meeting him and speaking with him on a couple of occasions. One was at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans, and the other was at a BGEA crusade in Charlotte. I am so thankful that we were able to meet him personally, but that is not the topic of this article.

The Rev. Billy Graham has impacted and influenced more lives than could ever be counted. Having preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ in more than 180 countries, and to countless millions of individuals, his far-reaching ministries have certainly reached more with the message of salvation than any other human in all of church history. From such meager beginnings, no one would have ever thought that the young Billy Graham would ever become the spiritual giant which history now reveals.

God gave Rev. Graham an audience with everyone from the lowliest, poverty-stricken individual to the courts of presidents and kings. However, he never let his audience influence his message. To some, his message was quite simple. If you listened closely to his sermons – which so many have done – you would notice a clear pattern. He would take a passage of Scripture, give clear explanation of the text, and then go straight to Jesus Christ. His messages were not deep in theology. He very seldom focused on doctrinal issues that faced the church. He did not try to answer all the burning questions of societal ills. He just preached Jesus.

In a very real sense we could say that he followed in the footsteps of the great Apostle Paul, who stated on one occasion, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” And on still another occasion Paul said, “For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” To all who have observed Billy Graham through the years of his ministry, we would all have to say that he, as Paul, knew nothing more than Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And now, he can also say, “to die is gain.”

The psalmist exclaimed, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Certainly, the death of the Rev. Billy Graham was precious in the sight of the Lord. There is a beautiful picture in the book of Acts concerning the death of Stephen, the very first martyr for the Christian faith. As he was being put to death by a riotous mob, Stephen gazed into the heavens and saw Jesus, standing at the right hand of God. It was as if Jesus stood to honor this man who was literally laying down his life for his Lord, Jesus. I imagine that perhaps the Rev. Billy Graham received such a welcome as he closed his eyes in death and opened them in the presence of his Lord.

We see him as he goes, and we say, “Well done, faithful servant of the Lord. Farewell.”

God looks at him as he comes, and says, “Well, done, good and faithful servant. Welcome home.”

Life is filled with surprises, uncertainties, changes. The surprises and uncertainties come with not forewarning. They catch us off-guard and unprepared. Some are minor disturbances which result in nothing more than a slight deviation from the norm. We deal with them as they come, oftentimes with almost no effort, while others are life-altering.

Changes are somewhat different. Some of the changes are expected and planned, while others are completely unexpected and unplanned. Some are the result of long-term dreaming and planning, while others are more spontaneous. The spontaneous changes can result in nothing more than a sudden decision to take an unplanned mini-vacation to your favorite get-a-way spot, or an on-the-spot decision to go out for a movie. Those keep life adventurous, and are the special moments that you learn to cherish as you share them with the ones you love.

The type of change I want to focus on in this blog is the type that comes from long-term dreaming and planning. My wife, Teresa, and I have been married 44 years. Through the years, and especially for about the last 10 of those years, we have been dreaming. A lot. Those dreams have taken us in many imaginary directions. From moving to the majestic mountains of western Wyoming, to moving back to Texas to be closer to kids and grandkids, to purchasing a bed and breakfast somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains, to becoming full-time campers working at an amusement park. Wow! I read that sentence again and think, “You don’t know what you want, do you?”

Well, you see, that’s the adventure of dreaming. Dreams may or may not come to pass. But they are so much fun, and are such good topics of conversation. Just to sit and talk with your spouse about the adventure of doing certain things, and dreaming about the many possibilities the fulfillment of that dream might bring about. For us, dreams have kept the spark burning brightly in our relationship.

And now, the dream, through the years, has narrowed. As a matter of fact, through the passing of time and the filtering of those dreams through day to day life, the many dreams have now morphed into one. We are now on the verge of seeing our dream become reality. And we can hardly contain our excitement.

Teresa and I are now in the beginning stages of a major life transition. I have been in pastoral ministry since 1979. I have loved this calling of God in my life, and Teresa has been a source of consistent support in the fulfilling of this calling. I have now served New Horizon Community Church since its founding in 2005. This church family is OUR family. We love each member of this church family deeply and dearly. Many of them have been with New Horizon from its inception, while others have joined this family along the way. They will continue to be our church family for the foreseeable future. However, we know that there will come the day when we will say our goodbyes, and another pastor will assume the pastoral duties. But, NHCC will still be our family. There is a relationship that runs much deeper than blood, and that describes our NHCC family.

We will then move to a new field of ministry: Carowinds Amusement Park. We are in process of putting our house on the market. We have just this past week made a purchase of our dream home: a beautiful Montana fifth-wheel camper (didn’t make it to Wyoming, but will be able to live in Montana!!!). Teresa and I have always been amusement park junkies, and both of us have worked at Carowinds. Teresa just received news that she has been hired for a job in the human resources department at the park, and I will be returning to work with the Carowinds family as well. The dream is coming true!

But, some will be wondering about my calling. Am I turning my back on the calling of God on my life that has truly BEEN my life for these almost 40 years? It might appear that this is the case. But nothing could be further from the truth. I will continue to fulfill my calling – just in a different location, and utilizing different methods of reaching people for Christ.

Teresa and I have felt for quite a while that this is what God was leading us to do together as we entered into our “retirement” years. Neither of us have any plans to retire – life has just too many opportunities to continue to bring glory to God through the various avenues He opens before us. We simply feel that this is the new direction from God to provide us with continuing opportunities to bring glory to His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Now, in closing, might I be so bold as to ask a favor? Would you please keep us in your prayers as this transition begins to unfold. We are super excited, and yet there is a degree of anxiety as we move into this new chapter of our married life. We have absolutely no doubt that this is God’s will for us at this juncture of our adventure called life. Pray that God will always be honored as we strive to serve Him.

Once again we are in the throes of the hectic pace of the Christmas season. Festive lights and decorations; selecting the perfect gift for the perfect (or imperfect) person; the sights and sounds of the season; all these things and much more make the season what it is.

Or do they? Is this really what the season is all about? Is it really about the lights, the decorations, the presents, the family get-togethers, and all the other happenings during this time of year?

For those who embrace the Biblical understanding of Christmas, it is much, much bigger than all the aforementioned traditions of this time of year. It is a story so big, in fact, that it changed the course of history. So momentous is the event being commemorated that it actually split time. The dating of time is now centered around the birth of a baby boy in the town of Bethlehem. Time is now reckoned as before this birth, and after this birth.

Yes, the birth of Jesus Christ brought a division of time. But it also brought a more serious division: a division of humanity. There are so many man-made divisions. There are social divisions, and racial divisions, and ethnic divisions, and socio-economic divisions, and religious divisions, among many others that could be mentioned. But the birth of Jesus Christ brought about a division that separated all of humanity into two distinct groups: Christians and non-Christians; believers and non-believers; those who embrace the gift of Christmas, and those who reject it.

All of the man-made divisions mentioned above fade into insignificance in light of this division of humanity. The divisions of race, ethnicity, society, and any other that can be named loses meaning (or at least it should) in light of the gift of Christmas. True believers come in all varieties of humanity. Yes, red, yellow, black and white are all precious in His sight, and once one has embraced the gift, racial distinctions should be erased.

Part of the Christmas story as recorded in Luke’s Gospel speaks of the fact that Jesus would bring peace into the world. This is not a promise of world peace, and should not be thought of as such. It is peace that is established between an individual human being and God. Jesus provides the means of sinful man being made at peace with God through the redeeming grace of the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

This also means that every true believer in Jesus Christ should now be at peace with every other true believer. All the man-made divisions are destroyed. Red, yellow, black and white become one family of faith.

So, peace is established between sinful man and holy God, which results in peace between all true believers, but it still does not guarantee peace in the world. As a matter of fact, Jesus promised His followers that they would have trouble in this world. He also said that the peace He gives one individual would actually cause a lack of peace between that individual and others, perhaps in his own family, who do not share that peace. Families are sometimes destroyed due to the divisiveness caused by one family member embracing this amazing gift of peace while other members of the same household reject it.

If you are wondering why the message of peace in the Christmas story seems to be a fairy tale, then please remember this. The peace Jesus Christ had with His Father did not spare Him from the horror of crucifixion. The peace He had, and the peace He gives, is not shelter from the storms of life, but rather peace in the midst of the storm.

So, this Christmas season, remember that you are offered peace with God, which will result in you experiencing the peace of God in every circumstance of life. And as you enjoy the festivities of the season, let it all remind you of the real meaning behind it all: the Son of God took upon Himself humanity so that He could offer humanity, HIMSELF! Merry Christmas, and may you experience the fullness of His blessings in your life.

The news feeds continue to report the evil actions of individuals and groups who are bent on carrying out their evil intentions in wreaking havoc on unsuspecting targets. Today, we are hearing the reports of the mass shooting in a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, where 26 people are dead and more than a dozen others wounded. The reports of such incidents seem to be growing with each passing week.

What is the answer? Is there an answer? I would address these questions specifically to those who identify themselves as Christians: can you offer a word of consolation, a word of hope, in the midst of such wickedness?

I am reminded of the words of the psalmist, in Psalm 143, where he cries out to God for His intervention at a time of crisis: “My enemy has chased me. He has knocked me to the ground and forces me to live in darkness like those in the grave. I am losing all hope; I am paralyzed with fear.”

All hope lost; paralyzed with fear. I am sure the people of Sutherland Springs are feeling those same emotions today. And not just those who are personally affected by this act of insanity, but everyone who has a heart of compassion in times such as this. This act has shown us that there is no safe place – nowhere that we can feel completely out of harm’s reach. That fact could very easily cause us to lose hope.

Have you ever lost all hope? Have you ever been paralyzed with fear? It is so easy for us, in the face of such hatred and violence, to lock ourselves away, to arm ourselves with an arsenal of weapons, to install extra security in our homes, to do everything within our power to make sure we will not be the next victim. But this act is a graphic reminder that there is no safe place. As a matter of fact, the past few attacks have shown clearly that attacks are now in the most vulnerable of places. A concert in Las Vegas, a public street in New York, a Wal Mart in Colorado, a group of worshipers in church. There is no safe place. Anywhere, everywhere, is a target for those who are intent on carrying out acts of evil.

So, let’s get back to the question posed in the title of this blog. Will it ever end? The answer, short and simple, is, no. There have always been acts of evil, and there will always be. And those episodes in which evil produces such horrific results as those mentioned above always leave us in a state of bewilderment.

Just as the psalmist. Hope lost. Paralyzed with fear. Confused. Perplexed. Once again reeling in the aftermath of evil personified. Wondering what, if anything, can be done to protect against this onslaught.

Well, actually, the answer is found in that same psalm quoted above. After making the assertion that he had lost all hope, and that he was paralyzed with fear, the psalmist went on to say, “I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done. I lift my hands in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain.” The psalmist realized that there was really no answer he could offer for the evil he was witnessing, but he knew that he had a place of refuge to which he could turn. That refuge was in God – his only hope, and the only One who could overcome his fearful paralysis.

This is where faith comes in for the believer. The psalmist actually goes on in this particular psalm to state further his battle with depression, but he asks of God, “Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning.” Faith is believing, even when you can’t see. It is seeing beyond the visible into the invisible. It is embracing the TRUTH of God’s love even when you can’t SEE that love. It is holding on to the truths of Scripture, even when you have every reason to turn your back on God and walk away.

Today, we are praying for the people of Sutherland Springs. Just as we did for Las Vegas, and New York. We keep our eyes on the only One who can give us the grace to keep going even in the face of the another stark reminder of the presence of evil. If you have not already done so, please turn to Him for grace to face the difficulties life throws our way. He is the light in the midst of this darkness of evil. He is our Hope, our Peace, and our Salvation.

Source: Just How Good is God?

God is good – all the time; all the time – God is good. We have all heard it said many times. We have possibly spoken those words ourselves, especially in times of personal deliverance from harm, sickness, trouble, and distress. I oftentimes read statements on social media in which some well-meaning spokesman for God will praise Him for His act of goodness in sparing them from a storm, and yet, their neighbor down the road loses everything as a result of that very same storm.

A tornado destroys everything within a mile-wide, three mile long space. Houses are wiped off the face of the earth, lives are lost, leaving dozens reeling in the aftermath. But, because I lived just outside the path of destruction, I lift my voice and praise the Lord for His goodness. The hurricane strikes the Texas coast instead of the Louisiana coast. Countless hundreds of thousands are spared. But a couple hundred miles to the west, it looks like a war-zone. God is good because He spared the residents of Louisiana. But what about the residents of Texas? Was God not good to them? Did He not care about their well-being? Was He moved with compassion toward one, and anger toward the other?

The treatment for cancer provides healing for one, while another languishes in constant suffering, with no improvement from the treatment, and eventually dies from the disease. Most births take place with no difficulties, but yours is the one which is riddled with complications, and your child is born with serious, life-threatening birth defects which will cause life-long health issues. The one says “Thank you, God,” while the other cries out, “Why, God?”

Is God unfair? Is He unjust? Is He uncaring? Does He simply leave us to our own devices to figure out these complexities of life? How are we to trust a God who seems to be so flippant toward His human subjects?

Let’s get just a little more specific. Let’s hypothesize for a moment, just for argument’s sake. Let’s suppose for a moment that there are two families living next door to one another. One family is totally dedicated to the Lord. To the best of their ability they serve the Lord through the various ministries of their church. They are also engaged in other charitable causes which are of great benefit to others. The other family is not dedicated to the Lord. As a matter of fact, they are professing atheists. They have no regard for God or the teachings of God’s word. They live their lives in total recklessness, and actually defy openly those who would try to share with them the message of God’s love and grace.

In this hypothesis, let’s further assume that a fire ravages this neighborhood. However, in what appears to be a rather freakish change of wind direction, the home of the professed atheists is unscathed, while the home of the dedicated Christian family is completely destroyed. What’s worse is that, unknown to the parents, their five year old son runs back into the flames trying to save the family pet. The son, and the pet, die in the fire.

Even though this is a hypothesis presented for the sake of discussion, this scenario has played out countless times. This seeming incongruity leaves us confused and perplexed. And yet, it is an everyday occurrence, showing itself in different ways and intensities. So, what are we to make of what appears to be an unexplainable flaw in God’s character?

Well, we have to understand first and foremost that there is no flaw in God’s character. If it is true that God is good, then it must also be true that He is good all the time. If He is not good all the time, then He is not good at all, but rather He is very, very bad. So, let’s assume for the sake of our discussion that God is indeed good.

If that assumption is correct, then it must also be correct that the problem is not with God’s goodness, but rather with our understanding of His goodness. Think for a moment about this statement: God’s goodness is not to be defined by the good things He does. Before you read further, please read that statement again. Now, once again. Please try to delve into the depths of the implications of that statement. Don’t hurry past it.

You see, the problem is that we often rejoice in God’s goodness when we are the recipients of good things. But when the good things cease, and the troubles begin, and the distress is overwhelming, and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel – as a matter of fact, the tunnel of darkness has no end – then God is no longer good.

Now comes the platitudes, the clichés, the well-meaning statements that are meant to uphold God’s reputation. We come up with explanations. We say that God works in all things for good, which is a clear Biblical truth. By that, I assume we mean that God is not necessarily good, but that He has the ability to bring good out of the worst of circumstances. Now it is absolutely true that He can bring good out of what appears to be bad. Time and space will not allow us to share the multitudes of examples of how God has made something beautiful out of the most ugly and horrific of circumstances.

But that is really not the issue here. The issue is not whether God can bring something good out of something bad, but rather it is whether He is good even in the midst of those events in which nothing good seems obvious. Like the little boy who dies in the fire; the child born with the serious birth defects; the house that is destroyed by the storm while the one next door stands firm; etc. etc.

To give an answer to this, let’s turn our attention to the event of Jesus’ death on the cross. What appears to be a glaring example of God’s lack of goodness results in the greatest act of goodness the world has ever seen. But that is getting way ahead of the story. Long before the cross, the Bible records God’s act of creation. He created a good world, into which He placed man, the crown of His creation. At the conclusion of God’s creative work, He looked at His masterpiece and pronounced that it was very good.

God made it very good, but into the midst of this pristine paradise was introduced something very bad – evil. And sin came about as a result of that evil. And that sin caused what was very good to become very bad. No longer was the creation a paradise, but it became more and more corrupted by this state of evil. Did that ever increasing state of ‘badness’ mean that somehow God had become bad? Did it result in God’s goodness being diminished? Absolutely not! As a matter of fact, this is where God’s goodness shines the brightest.

God, having the ability to know all things, knew before He created the world that man would rebel, that evil would proliferate, that what He had created as very good would indeed become very bad. And yet, because He is very good He provided a means of bringing good out of the bad. He decreed a plan through which the brokenness of man, and the introduction of evil, could be reversed. This, however, would call for the most unbelievable act of God, far greater than the act of creation itself. That was the event of the cross. The worst moment in all of history was actually the best moment. It was the moment in which God’s goodness was seen in the face of the man’s badness.

God’s good plan resulted in the provision of salvation for sinful man. However, this act of God’s goodness did not eradicate the results of man’s badness and the effects of evil on this broken planet. The earth still languishes under those horrible, residual effects of the introduction of evil, and will continue to do so until that day which God has appointed to create a new heaven and earth. For those who have believed God’s report (recorded in the Bible) and have embraced by faith this act of unbelievable goodness, they will see good everywhere they look, because they know that God is still displaying His goodness in all things.

Rampant evil can easily persuade us that everything is bad. But we must look above and beyond the obvious. We must, as the Bible teaches, live this life by faith, and not by sight. The sights and sounds of everyday life can be so discouraging, but the promises of God give hope in the midst of despair. By faith, we are given the ability to see the end of the tunnel. This life is not all there is. See the light at the end – that light is Jesus.

Yes, indeed, God is good, all the time, and all the time, God is good!

Once again we have witnessed the graphic reality of evil. One man, for reasons yet unknown, decided that he would take the lives of as many as possible in an open attack on a crowd of people who were gathered for the purpose of enjoying a concert. He carefully chose the position from which he would have an unobstructed view of his target. He secretly, seemingly unnoticed, stockpiled a cache of weapons which would be used to carry out his evil intent. At the most opportune moment, he opened fire on that large, unsuspecting crowd. As of this writing, 59 individuals are dead, and more than 500 injured, from this act of terror.

What would compel someone to commit such a heinous act? How could someone be so cold, so calculating, so unbelievably wicked as to plot a despicable deed such as this? The title of this blog states this writer’s answer: evil. Evil is ever present in this world. Evil lurks in the hearts of men and women. Evil thoughts, which left unchecked, will eventually turn into evil actions. Now, granted, the vast majority of humans never act out their evil thoughts. Who would be so bold as to assert that he has never had an evil thought go through their mind? Perhaps not evil on the scale as we have witnessed in Las Vegas, but evil, none-the-less. Someone has hurt you in some way, and you entertain the thought of revenge. You plot and plan and scheme in your mind how you might inflict some sort of pain on that person who has wronged you. You actually come up with a plan of action that you feel would be justifiable in light of what you have suffered. Chances are you would never act on those impulses, but the thoughts are there.

And yet, we see those who don’t stop with just thoughts. Those thoughts grow stronger with the passing of time. You begin to think, “I might be able to pull this off. I might be able to get even, and do it in such a way that no one would ever think that it was me.” And we dwell on it. These thoughts consume us. We can’t get it out of our mind. And finally, we do it.

It is obvious that Stephen Paddock had given plenty of time and thought to this evil act. It took quite a bit of planning and scheming to pull this off. He had somehow sneaked an arsenal of weapons into a hotel without drawing any attention to himself. He entered that room with everything he needed to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting crowd 32 stories below. With cold, methodical action, and with no obstruction between him and his target, he pulled the trigger. Shot after shot rang out. Bodies began to fall to the ground. At first, according to eyewitnesses, most thought it was part of the show. But it only took a matter of seconds to realize that was real blood, and those were real people being shot, wounded, killed.

Evil. It lurks in the beating heart of every human. Its desire is to take control, to drive us to madness, to compel us to act upon those impulses, to seek revenge, to hurt as we have been hurt.

Now, to the conclusion. In all honesty, there, but for the grace of God, would I go. Yes, there have been times that the fleeting thought has gone through my mind to hurt, to get even, to inflict injury and pain. It might be in that instant in which someone cuts me off in traffic, and I ball up my fist, shake it at them, and in my heart, at least for that moment, I want to see them suffer. It could be that person who hurt me long years ago, but I have never quite gotten over the pain and the hurt, and every time that person comes to mind I have hard, hurt feelings to arise once again, and the thought of seeing them suffer momentarily captivates my mind.

Why? Why do we have such vile thoughts? Why do we act in such vile ways? Why do we see those who act out their evil intentions? The Bible is where we turn to seek answers to these unspeakable acts of terror. It is there, in God’s Word, that we find the following declaration: “The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil” (Gen. 6:5). This is a statement concerning the depravity of the human heart. There are those who act out their depraved nature by performing unspeakable acts of evil such as we have once again witnessed in Las Vegas.

We should all be forever grateful that the vast majority of humans who populate this planet never act out the evil they often feel in their hearts. It is the restraining power of God, according to the Apostle Paul’s teachings, that keeps evil in check. However, according to that same apostle, there is coming a day when that which restrains evil from running its full course will be removed. Then, evil will have its way. And, according to Jesus Himself, if God did not shorten those days of the outpouring of pure evil, no one would survive.

Yes, evil is real – very real. We have seen yet another example. We will see more. God is our only hope. Please, if you have not already done so, find your peace in Him.

In my previous blog, I made the attempt to pinpoint what I perceive to be the beginning point for the dismantling of America from an historical perspective. It seems obvious that the two historical events I mentioned – the removal of prayer and Bible reading from the public schools, and the legalization of abortion – were massive game changers on the landscape of American life.

Now, let’s turn our attention to our present state of crisis. We are witnessing unprecedented events and activities which, in the estimation of this writer, would have been unheard of just 60 years ago. There are those who would have us completely rewrite American history. They would have us forget that our nation was founded by men who literally put their lives on the line for the sake of freedom from the religious tyranny of England. They would have us forget that we were founded as a nation which would be guided by Christian principles of behavior gleaned from God’s Word. They would have us forget the tremendous impact of Christianity in the establishment of schools, universities, and hospitals. They would have every vestige of Christianity removed from the public scene. Preachers who strive to remain true to the teachings of the Bible are being viewed as hate-mongers if they preach on Biblical topics relative to God’s view of human sexuality.

Further, they would have us remove parts of our past that they find objectionable. For example, we are witnessing the removal and destruction of historical monuments which commemorate our past, and remind us of our rich and varied heritage. Like it or not, the Civil War is part of the rich heritage that makes us America. Removing historical markers and statues does not remove the fact that this was an historical event that played a huge role in making us the nation we are today. Many lessons were learned through that dark period of our American past, and yes, lessons are still being learned. The removal of these reminders will in no way remove the realities of those past events.

And now, we are witnessing new kind of anti-American sentiment. There are those who are striving to make a statement by showing disrespect to the American flag by taking a knee during the playing of the National Anthem. It seems rather ironic to this writer that those who are leading in this show of disrespect are the ones who are being most benefitted by the vast opportunities that this country has afforded them. It doesn’t matter if you are red, yellow, black or white, if you are an American then you should show respect to our country by standing for the playing of that anthem. And, by the way, American should be American. There should be no reference to a white American, or a black American, or a red American, or any other. American is American. It matters not from where you or your ancestors came, if you are now a citizen of the United States of America then you are an American, and you should act like it. You should respect the nation, you should respect the flag, and you should appreciate what you have as a citizen of this great country.

You may disagree with everything I have said, and that, by virtue of being an American, is your prerogative. However, if you have enjoyed the wonderful liberties, freedoms, and advantages of your American citizenship, then I would encourage you to reflect on what you have, and be a positive influence rather than one who tears down and destroys. Instead of being a part of the systematic dismantling of our beloved country, let’s be a part of building it up. Let’s put aside the tendency of racial prejudice, and let’s work together, hand-in-hand and heart-in-heart to make America great again.

It seems to this writer that we are witnessing the dismantling of America. Everywhere you look you see evidence of this reality – at least from my perspective. It was just in the recent past that we have seen some watershed moments that have altered the landscape of this nation. These were moments that, in and of themselves, may not have seemed to have had the capacity to wreak the havoc that we now see in the aftermath.

The first of these watershed moments occurred on June 25, 1962, when the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that government endorsed prayers recited in public schools were unconstitutional. Looking back on this historic event, we could justifiably say that prior to that date in 1962, the United States still endorsed Christianity as the religion of choice of the American people. This did not mean that every individual citizen of this country was Christian, or adhered to Christian belief and practice, but rather that this was the recognized foundation of our American culture. Prior to this date, anyone could believe anything, and practice any religious ritual and ceremony of their choice, with the understanding that this nation had always been, up to that moment in our history, a nation built upon the principles of the Christian faith.

It only took a handful of individuals to completely destroy almost 200 years of that recognized and accepted foundation of this nation. This was the beginning of a slippery slope which has resulted in a downward spiral of anti-Christian bias. It was only one year later, in 1963, that the court banned Bible reading, and overturned a state law banning the teaching of evolution. Kim Colby, senior counsel with the Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom, has said, “Within a decade, religious expression was pushed out of public schools in a way that was really wrong. Too many school administrators took that decision as a green light to try to eradicate religion from public schools.”

This leads me to my second watershed moment in America’s recent past. With the removal of prayer and Bible reading from the public classroom, our nation also witnessed an immediate decline in morality. Without the foundation of the ethical teachings of Scripture, our nation began to see a move away from clear Biblical instruction. One example will suffice: abortion. On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that “unduly restrictive state regulation of abortion is unconstitutional.” It is not the intent of this blog to argue the ethical ramifications of this decision, but rather to assert that this is a graphic illustration of the dismantling of America. Long-held beliefs and practices are now thrown away simply because someone disagreed with long-standing principles of morality.

To this writer, it appears that the present state of immorality in this nation is a direct result of these water-shed moments. With the removal of prayer and Bible reading from the public classroom we have witnessed a horrific decline in the moral fabric of our nation. Without the ethical moorings of the Christian faith we have witnessed the proliferation of unethical practices in public life as well as private life. The agenda of the far-left has become so entrenched that any movement toward a return to the once cherished practices of the past is seen as a threat to personal freedom. But we must remind ourselves that true freedom is not the liberty to do what you want, but rather the liberty to do what is right.

We are witnessing today a great host of people who want the liberty to do what they want, with no regard to what is right. Our standard of what is right and wrong in this nation had historically been based on the teachings of the Bible, but once that foundation was removed it opened the door for the very definition of morality to be changed to fit the desires of the individual. And when the power is given to an individual to assert his or her ways just because they don’t like the way it has been, then we become a law unto ourselves.

And what happens when we become a law unto ourselves? Well, we begin to establish our own standards of morality. A couple of quick examples will suffice to show how this has affected American culture. With the legalizing of abortion, we then began to see a decline in the belief in the sanctity of human life. This led to abortion at any stage of pregnancy, as well as the practice of partial-birth abortion, where a baby could be killed as it was actually being born. Then, as a further step away from the belief in the sanctity of human life, we began to witness the practice of euthanasia become rather commonplace on the American landscape.

The second example I will cite as an illustration of this slippery slope of immorality is the rise in alternate lifestyles. We were at one time a nation which believed in the Bible’s teachings on marriage. But now, Biblical marriage is pretty much viewed as an outdated practice of antiquity, and any living arrangement between partners is viewed as acceptable.

I have had some tell me that I live too much in the past. They say that I need to discard my long-held traditional values and catch up with the times in which we live. But, from what I see in the times in which we live, I would much rather live in the past. I would much rather live in a country which is steered by the solid foundation upon which it was built. And that foundation is the authoritative Word of God.

May God, who is our only hope, help us to return to what made us great. May He help us once again return to our spiritual foundation, and allow His Word to be the one, true source of authority from which we seek guidance and instruction.