Green Acres

In 1993, we made our final major move involving my time with Delta Air Lines. Hello Texas! We moved into a nice apartment in Lewisville. Ever since Harold and I married in 1980, we had always rented. We first lived in an apartment for a couple of years, and then rented a double (duplex) for several years. We continued renting various apartments and homes for the first 15 years of our marriage. Actually renting was convenient for us during those years as we moved around quite a bit: from Indianapolis we moved to Tampa, Florida; from Tampa we moved to Los Angeles, California; from Los Angeles we moved to Jacksonville, Florida; and from Jacksonville we moved to the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area. Amazingly, the last four moves were done within a five-year period! However, in 1994 we decided it was time for a change. While still renting an apartment in Lewisville, Texas, we took the plunge and bought 10 acres of undeveloped land in Krum, Texas. It was pure country and it was absolutely beautiful!

I could just sit and stare at the land for hours. In every direction we looked, it was green, it was big, it was peaceful, and the sunsets were amazing.

Harold dove in immediately and began putting up fencing. Within a few days, we made a trip to the local ER after he busted his hand and broke his thumb with a post hole digger. Ouch!

A few weeks later we began the next chapter in our lives and moved out of our Lewisville apartment and on to our new land, and into a little travel trailer.

It was a really old travel trailer.

And did I mention it was little?

And that there were four of us!

It was so small, when the girls were sleeping, we had to climb over their bed (couch/hideaway-bed) to get to the kitchen. We didn’t even own it; we rented it.

While living in the travel trailer we built a 12-stall drive-through barn and made 4 of the stalls into living quarters:

⁃ one stall for the kitchen/bathroom

⁃ one stall for the living room

⁃ one stall for our daughters’ bedrooms

⁃ and one stall for our bedroom.

It was kind of like a log cabin except instead of logs the walls were made of untreated 2 x 4s. Our bedroom was located next to the horse stall and on many an occasion the horse would wake us up by kicking the walls. Ha! We also had a few roosters 🐓 but that was very short lived because they “cock-a-doodled-do” way too early in the morning (I’m talking, like, 4:00 a.m.) so we gave them away to the first neighbor who would take them!

When the living quarters were finished we moved out of the travel trailer and into the barn. Actually our neighbor to the east of us needed a travel trailer so he took it and used it while he was having his home built.

Michelle wasn’t very fond of living out in the country, and was even less fond of living in a barn, although she did like the horses.

Megan was just the opposite. She absolutely loved living on the farm and loved all the animals. In addition to the horses and a dog, we managed to acquire a few cats, rabbits, donkeys, goats, sheep, and cows too.

We also had some emus but suffice it to say that didn’t turn out very well. They were not very friendly.

So having lived my entire life in the suburbs up until this time, living in the country was quite the culture shock for me. Living in a barn was very different than what I’d ever experienced before, but I decided to treat it like an adventure. It started reminding me of the old TV show, Green Acres, staring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor. It wasn’t long before I found myself walking around singing the theme song to Green Acres:

Green acres is the place to be!

Farm livin’ is the life for me!

Land spreadin’ out so far and wide.

Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside. (As sung by Eddie Albert)

New York is where I’d rather stay!

I get allergic smelling hay.

I just adore a penthouse view.

Dahling I love you but give me Park Avenue! (As sung by Eva Gabor)

The chores! (Eddie Albert)

The stores! (Eva Gabor)

Fresh air! (Eddie Albert)

Times Square! (Eva Gabor)

You are my wife! (Eddie Albert)

Good bye, city life! (Eva Gabor)

Green acres we are there! (In unison!)

Not surprisingly Harold absolutely loved everything about living in the country, and he was just fine with living in a barn. So much so that I was a little concerned that we were never going to get around to building that new house that he’d promised me when we first bought the 10 acres.

So I prayed about it.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6

When we were first married back in 1980, I remember thinking about our future and about having children; I daydreamed of having three children one day. God blessed us with Michelle in 1981 and Megan in 1986. But during this time, I also suffered several miscarriages. So, by 1996, and in my early 40s, I had long given up on my hope of having three children, but God had other plans.

Then, while living in the barn we had a little surprise; I became pregnant and gave birth at age 42 to our third daughter, Mackenzie!

He completed our family, in His perfect timing, on December 23, 1996. Here’s our newborn, Mackenzie Anne Crandell, held by her sisters, Megan and Michelle, on December 25, 1996.

“Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

Now our address was in Krum, but we actually lived closer to Ponder; so that’s where the girls went to school and where we attended Ponder Baptist Church.

Michelle and Megan came to faith in Christ at First Baptist Ponder and were baptized, and my faith grew as well. I was involved in several ministries: visitation, VBS, Kid’s Hope, choir, and teaching high school girls’ Sunday School. It was during this time that I began increasing my offering at church and was also convicted to tithe for the first time. I believe God was supplying the resources as I was doing more and giving more.

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7

So in 1997, after 17 years of marriage, and after approximately a year of living in that little trailer, and a year of living in the barn, we moved into the first home that we could call our own. Harold was 48, I was 42, Michelle was 15, Megan was 11, and Mackenzie was just a few months old.

We also added a pond (aka a “tank,” as they call them in Texas) in the front yard and a pool in the back yard.

It was all so very beautiful, but eventually we found that the 10 acres required a lot more work and time than we were willing to do.

So, in 2003 we sold the 10 acres and moved to a new home in the suburbs, in a two-story 2,900+ square foot corner lot home, within walking distance to several restaurants, doctors’ offices, a movie theater, a gym, and several small shops and stores.

I look back on those years spent on those 10 acres with a smile and recall the many sweet memories we made there together as a family, including having my mom live nearby for several months in 1994. God is faithful.

“Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.” Psalm 36:5

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 107:1

Back To The Future

I was a big fan of the Back to the Future movies from the 1980s and early 1990s. The movies starred Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown. The first movie, which was my favorite, came out in July of 1985. Parts II and III came out in 1989 and 1990, respectively. They featured a time-traveling car (a DeLorean), a memorable quote from Doc Brown, “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads,” and my favorite quote from Marty McFly, “Eastwood, Clint Eastwood.”

The movies were so popular that Universal Studios Florida created a Back to the Future theme ride in 1991, which I rode on sometime in the early 1990s. The DeLorean sat near the entrance to the Back to the Future ride at Universal Studios Florida for many years. The ride has long since been replaced with another ride, and the DeLorean was purchased by a car museum and relocated to Los Angeles.

Now the DeLorean was a pretty cool car in and of itself, but this particular DeLorean DMC-12 was a one-of-a-kind Space-Time Continuum DeLorean equipped with a flux capacitor. Ha!

Actually, I like a variety of movies, lighthearted comedies, action adventures, and well-written dramas that tell a story, but a lot of my favorite movies are those that make me think about the past. Movies such as, Back to the Future, Going on 30, Forever Young, The Family Man, and Groundhog Day, to name a few.

It’s movies like these that make us all ponder and think back on the events in our past. We think, wouldn’t it be interesting to go back in time and relive some of our most memorable moments with our family and friends? Or, what would it be like to go back and change something I did or didn’t do in the past? Or, what if I’d done this instead of that? Or, why did I choose to do certain things or not to do certain things? The list is endless.

In actuality, no amount of daydreaming about time travel, or escaping into the world of movies, can erase or change the events or choices we’ve made in the past; even events that weren’t in our control, but wish we could have changed in some way.

In reality, we all have a past, and very likely have some things we’d like to go back and change, but that’s not possible.

What is possible, however, is having a relationship with the only One who has the power to forgive our past, know us in the present, and that we can trust into the future, Jesus Christ.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

So while it’s good to remember the past, we shouldn’t spend time worrying about it. What’s done is done. Nor should we worry about the future. Don’t worry about what life will be like next year, or in 5 or 10 years.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34

What we should do is take care of what we need to take care of today. Is there something God is prompting you to do? Then do it. Tomorrow may be too late. Don’t let the cares and distractions of this world keep you from being the person that He made you to be or in doing the things that He prepared in advance for you to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

And,

“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Ravi

Christian apologetics, in simple terms, is the practice of defending Christianity against objections. Probably one of the most renowned Christian apologist in our present day was Ravi Zacharias. He was also the founder of RZIM, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. Since his death in May of 2020 and in light of an official investigation initiated by RZIM, and the subsequent results of that investigation, what he is actually known for today is quite different from that which he portrayed himself to be.

A few months after his death I started hearing some rumblings of impropriety about Ravi, so I did an internet search and found some information from 2017 that was definitely troubling. It was during this time that Ravi sued a woman and her husband who he claimed were trying to extort money from him. Ravi also claimed that the woman falsely accused him of sexual impropriety via texts. Looking back, I think this was a defining moment in time for him; a point in time that we begin to see a crack in the veneer of his otherwise esteemed reputation.

Fast forward to 2020, at least three other women came forward with allegations of sexual impropriety against Ravi within a few months of his death. RZIM hired a lawyer to look into the allegations, putting out a statement in December of 2020, and then publishing the full report in February of 2021. According to RZIM, the law firm confirmed that the allegations against Ravi Zacharias were indeed found to be credible. As a result of the investigation, they found several more women who were involved with him sexually. They also found improper and sexually explicit photos on his phone, and evidence that he had misused tens of thousands of ministry funds toward supporting women who he used as “massage therapists.” Over the course of several years he frequented and held ownership in massage parlors. There’s a lot more detail given in the official investigative report but suffice it to say, this information alone is enough to discredit anyone, even a world renowned Christian apologist.

It was several years ago that I first started listening to Ravi Zacharias’ on the radio. Actually it was sometime after I read his book, “The Grand Weaver,” which was published in 2007 and recommended to me by one of my friends at Delta Air Lines when I worked in the Dallas office. My favorite quote from that book was,

“Jesus does not offer to make bad people good but to make dead people alive.”

What I originally thought was a brilliant evangelical statement from a man of God, has now become (to me) a statement from a person who was merely able to manipulate words as skillfully as he was able to manipulate people.

While I prefer listening to evangelists more than apologists, after listening to Ravi a few times on the radio, I did think that some of the things that he said were somewhat profound and that he was a good story teller. He often quoted various Christian leaders, Bible verses, and Bible stories, and interjected interesting human interest stories with seemingly perfect timing. So a few years ago I downloaded the RZIM app and I would catch an occasional podcast from him from time to time. The only thing that raised a red flag to me during that time was in 2014 when he spoke with Mormons at the Mormon Tabernacle. I learned later that he’d also spoke there in 2004. I questioned why he would speak there at all. Mormonism is basically a false religion based upon the writings and beliefs of the heretic, Joseph Smith. Mormons do not worship the same Jesus as evangelical Christians do. In retrospect, the fact that he conducted himself in a manor that assumed a position of salvific equality with Mormons should have been enough for me to question both his theology and his ministry at that time, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt and continued to listen to his podcasts.

When Ravi spoke, he often told of his “conversion” experience. Born in India in 1946, he attempted to commit suicide at age 17 because of the shame and anguish he felt from being a poor student. While recovering in the hospital, a youth pastor brought him a small Bible. Sometime after the pastor left he prayed inwardly saying “Jesus, if you are the One who gives life as it is meant to be, I want it. Please get me out of this hospital bed well, and I promise I will leave no stone unturned in my pursuit of truth” and “five days after being wheeled into the E.R.,” he “left a changed person.”

In retrospect I find it interesting that this often repeated conversion story fails to mention sorrow for sin or conviction of sin. While it’s not my place to question Ravi’s salvation experience, I do believe it is safe to say that Ravi gave into to sexual sin and it was that sin that eventually overtook his life. It distorted his judgment. It destroyed his testimony, and likely devastated the lives of numerous people.

As a Christian, I’m more than just disappointed in Ravi. As a Christian who is also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, it makes me sad and a little sick at my stomach. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a hard time trusting people, so for me, finding out about Ravi Zacharias’ double life only serves to exasperate those feelings.

So in my disgust of Ravi Zacharias, l deleted the RZIM app, went through my Twitter and Facebook posts and deleted any of his quotes I had posted in the past. I also discarded a book written by his protégé, Nabeel Qureshi, “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus.” I bought it in March of 2020 upon recommendation of a friend from high school, after I had shared my faith with a Muslim Uber driver one day. I really had never heard of Nabeel Qureshi or his book before this time but realized after I got the book that he was a close associate of Ravi Zacharias and a frequent speaker for RZIM. Interestingly I never get past the first chapter anyway.

I’ve decided on five takeaways from all of this. They’re really just reminders of things I already knew. I’ve included corresponding Bible references:

1. We’re all sinners in need of a savior.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

2. No man should be held in higher esteem than another. Being famous or world renowned for anything that you do doesn’t make you more important in the eyes of God.

“So Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality.’” Acts 10:3

3. If you call yourself a Christian yet your salvation story doesn’t include an awareness or conviction of sin, and a turning to Jesus in repentance and faith, it might be a good time to re-evaluate your salvation. The Roman’s Road is a good place to start. https://www.gotquestions.org/Romans-road-salvation.html

“Therefore,…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:12

4. If your walk does not match your talk, you can be sure that one day you’ll have to deal with the consequences. Better now than later. There’re no exceptions including and especially everyone who claims to be a Christian.

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:5–10

5. Never think for one moment that you’re above temptation or that you’re not capable of sin. Sin comes in all shapes and sizes. Sin includes acts of commission and acts of omission.

“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12,

“If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:7

To Ravi’s family and friends, may God help you get through what has probably been one of the worst periods of your lives to date. May you place your hope and trust in Jesus Christ, and in Him alone if you haven’t done so already.

To anyone who was lead to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ as a result of listening to Ravi Zacharias or a RZIM affiliate, please remember and know that it is Christ and Christ alone who saves, not the person who delivers the message to you.

To the RZIM organization, I hope you’ll prayerfully consider either changing the name of your organization or closing your doors altogether. No matter how esteemed Ravi Zacharias once was in the world of Christian apologetics or how eloquent his words once were, he has ultimately done more harm than good for the cause of Christ. My point and the ultimate irony is this:

How does a genuine Christian apologist spend the bulk of his life defending Christianity against objections, while simultaneously living such an objectionable life?

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9

Sunday Scripture

The Great Reset

“You’ll own nothing, and you’ll be happy.” The World Economic Forum

Hmmm 🤔

Interesting you never hear or see anything about the World Economic Forum in the mainstream news. Long story short, in the last quarter of 2020 I came to the conclusion that the mainstream news media can no longer be trusted. In my opinion, the average network news program toggles between the truth, half truths, and propaganda, with the token “heart warming” story at the end of the program. Nowadays I try to get my news and information from a variety of sources, including podcasts, Twitter, Rumble, American Family Radio Network, Newsmax, Redacted, YouTube, etc.

So in 2020 I started looking into The Great Reset after seeing some random posts about it on social media. I found several people speaking up about The Great Reset here and there, but I wanted to find out exactly what it was and specifically, and I wanted to learn about it from a Christian perspective. So I started listening to the first of four YouTube videos by Keith Malcomson, a pastor from Ireland. Initially I wasn’t sure about him, so I checked out his church (Limerick City Church) and their mission statement, what they believe, etc. I found his church to be of sound doctrine concerning the essentials of faith, and proceeded to listen to his first, then second, then third video.

I was convicted to go back and listen to the first three videos all over again when he came out with the fourth video in late December. The first three videos were made in October and November.

1. Part 1, published 10/16/20, THE GREAT RESET, The Coming Economic Crisis.

2. Part 2, published 10/30/20, THE GREAT RESET, The Coming Economic Crisis.

3. Part 3, published 11/24/20, THE GREAT RESET, The Coming Economic Crisis and The Rise of a World Socialist State.

4. Part 4, published 12/21/20, THE GREAT RESET, The Coming Economic Crisis and The Fourth Industrial Revolution.

First, a quick review about the first three Industrial Revolutions, which I’m sure we were taught in high school but most of us have long forgot. As a side note, I do remember thinking back then, “Do we really need to learn about this kind of stuff?!” And now, all these years later I wish I would have taken the time to actually learn about this sort of thing back then.

Actually I wish I would have done a lot of things differently back then and taken a lot of things more seriously.

Ah, hindsight.

But thanks to an quick internet search, here’s a simple outline of the first three Industrial Revolutions:

1. The First Industrial Revolution: “The first wave of the Industrial Revolution lasted from the late 1700’s to the mid-1800’s. It industrialized the manufacture of textiles and began the move of production from homes to factories. Steam power and the cotton gin played an important role in this period.”

2. The Second Industrial Revolution: “Historians have labeled the years from 1870-1914 as the period of the Second Industrial Revolution. While the First Industrial Revolution caused the growth of industries, such as coal, iron, railroads and textiles, the Second Industrial Revolution witnessed the expansion of electricity, petroleum and steel.”

3. The Third Industrial Revolution: “The third revolution began in the late 1900’s and brought forth the rise of electronics, telecommunications and of course, computers. Through the new technologies, the third industrial revolution oped the doors to space expeditions, research, nuclear energy, and biotechnology.”

The coming Fourth Industrial Revolution, as envisioned by the World Economic Forum (WEF), is problematic:

The Great Reset is about a global socialist elite power network (The World Economic Forum) that seeks to control us economically, politically, biologically, physically, and spiritually. They are anti-salvific at its core. They will not stop with technology being around us; they want to make it a part of us. They want technology to envelop us and be embedded in us. The WEF is the driving force behind The Great Reset. The WEF wants to change our way of living from capitalism to socialism, control everything we do, and usher us into their version of Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Here’s a quote from a 2016 article titled, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution, What it Means and How to Respond.” by Klaus Schwab, the leader of The WEF: “Now a Fourth Industrial Revolution is building on the Third, the digital revolution that has been occurring since the middle of the last century. It is characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.”

Hmm… Interesting choice of words.

In June of 2020 Klaus Schwab spoke at a summit meeting outlining The Great Reset master plan and of the advantages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting attendees included powerful and wealthy world leaders, including members of the IMF (International Monetary Fund), The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations. Klaus Schwab stated that Covid-19 was a catalyst in advancing The Great Reset agenda and that, “COVID-19 has accelerated our transition into the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We have to make sure that the new technologies in the digital, biological and physical world remain human-centred and serve society as a whole, providing everyone with fair access.”

Hmm…. Interesting choice of words once again.

It’s about “Build Back Better,” Joe Biden’s catch-phrase, that he coincidentally borrowed from the World Economic Forum, and the Trojan horse of the merging of capitalism with socialism under the guise of Steak Holder Capitalism. It’ll still be socialism.

It’s about a Wealth Redistribution Plan that touts a digitalization of our entire economy, a cashless society, (CBDC’s) Central Bank Digital Currency, and a standard income based upon socialist idealism and control.

It’s about a revamping of our entire educational system into a Global Digitalized Education System where teachers no longer teach but are mere facilitators of the woke philosophies of the WEF.

It’s about the Green Agenda and Climate Change, Trojan Horses of the population control agenda.

It’s about the World Health Organization (WHO) controlling people worldwide by the use of vaccine passports; a QR coded digital permission system that will allow or restrict people to travel. Obey their rules = freedom to travel. Disobey their rules = no travel allowed. i.e. quarantines, lockdowns, etc.

It’s about Event 201, Agenda 2021, Agenda 2030, and Globalization 4.0 involving the digitalization of everything with the goal of merging of the physical, the digital, the technological and the biological; a trans-humanism society of designer evolution.

It’s about evil forces who’re attempting to destroy God’s creation and plans, and attempting to replacing it with man’s creation and plans. Worshiping the creation rather than the Creator.

“For they exchanged the truth of God for falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature ratherthan the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” Romans 1:25

Folks, we are nearing the Last Days.

Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matthew 24:42-44

To be clear, I believe The rapture is imminent; no other biblical prophecy needs to be fulfilled before the rapture happens. The good news for born-again believers is that we’ll be taken up to heaven at this point. The bad news for everyone else is that they’ll be left behind at this point.

After the rapture, a satanically empowered man will gain worldwide control with promises of peace. This man is the Antichrist. He will be aided by another man, called the false prophet, who will head up a religious system that requires worship of the Antichrist. The seven year tribulation will follow. During the tribulation, there will be terrible wars, famines, plagues, and natural disasters. God will be pouring out His wrath against sin, evil, and wickedness. The seven year tribulation will be the darkest moment the world will have ever seen.

Today is the day of salvation: “Today, if only you would hear his voice, Do not harden your hearts” (Psalm 95:7–8).

“I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

To learn more of The Great Reset, here are the links to the videos that I referenced above. Pastor Malcomson goes into great detail explaining The Great Reset, from a Christian perspective

Merry Christmas 2020

EDIT

Since our girls are all grown with families of their own now, we sometimes celebrate Christmas on days other than December 25. It may just be a day before or the day after, but in 2020 we had out of town business plans in late December so we planned our family Christmas for December 13. We decided it would be fine as this would give our girls a little extra time this year to celebrate Christmas in their own homes, visiting in-laws, travel, etc.

So on December 13, we started off with prayer, a BIG country breakfast, and a reading of the Biblical account of Jesus’ birth according to Matthew. We played a couple of games, including Spoons, caught some kisses under the mistletoe, had a gift-exchange between the grandkids, and a white elephant gift exchange for the adults.

We also sang “The Twelve Days of Christmas” with singing 🎶 parts for each of us. It was fun!

We also talked about the folklore of the hidden meaning of the lyrics to The Twelve Days of Christmas. While some may dispute the origin and intent of the song lyrics, the popular folklore is that it’s a song of Christian instruction with hidden references to Christ and the Christian faith. Dating as far back to the 16th century, a time during the religious wars in England, the folklore is that the song was actually a device to secretly teach the basic principles of Christianity to children.

Thus,

1 The partridge in the pear tree represents Jesus Christ.

2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments.

3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity.

4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels.

5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the “Pentateuch,” which gives the history of man’s fall from grace.

6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation.

7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes.

9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit.

10 Lords A-leaping = the Ten Commandments.

11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles.

12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed.

It’s my hope and prayer that each of our children and grandchildren always remember the reason why we celebrate Christmas. It’s not about Santa. It’s not about traditions. It’s not about the food and it’s not about the gifts. All these things are fine to enjoy, but Christmas is about Jesus Christ. One of the most important things we will ever do is share our faith with our loved ones. I pray for each one of our family members to come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, in God’s perfect timing. The truth is, it doesn’t matter what day you celebrate Christmas, the most important thing is that He is your Lord and Savior.

Christmas 2021 was celebrated on December 26.

Christmas 2025 was celebrated on December 27…

…and also on January 4, 2026!

The Return

Have you heard of The Return? It’s been heavily advertised lately on TV and various social media’s so if you haven’t yet, I would be surprised. It’s headlined by Jonathan Cahn, a Messianic Rabbi/Pastor/Author, as “a national and global day of prayer and repentance” in Washington DC on Saturday, September 26, 2020, and touts over 50 guest speakers.

Do we all as sinners need to repent? Yes

Do we all who have wondered away from God need to return to Him? Yes

Do we all need to pray? Yes

All very good and all very well and true, but……

Christians need to be careful of who they’re following. Jonathan Cahn claims to have special revelation similar to that of biblical authors and has made lots of money writing books, (The Harbinger, The Mystery of the Shemita, The Harbinger II, etc.) all of which contain a mix of fiction, truth, mythology, suspense, and prophecy. That is problematic as well as his claim that America is the new Israel. America is not the new Israel nor does America have a special covenant with God as Jonathan Cahn claims. What he refers to as deep mysteries of biblical truth is more mythology than theology. His promotion of “new prophetic truths” makes his theology more akin to false teaching.

Quoting Marsha West of the Berean Call: “Only Israel was directly established by God and had a binding covenant mediated through Moses who God chose and appointed. America has neither a Moses nor a binding covenant. We are not the new Israel and never have been. The moral laws of God that do apply are found in the Bible and they apply to all people in all nations.”

At this event called The Return, of the 55 guest speakers, there are only 8 of which I am familiar with as Christian leaders. I’m assuming they’re lacking some level of discernment rather than actual Jonathan Cahn followers. America is blessed with solid Bible believing pastors and teachers, and that’s who we should be learning from, not authors of fictional prophetic books. And while repentance, returning to God, and prayer will always be the right direction for us as individuals and as a country, it is problematic when it’s led by someone who’s taken the mantle as a modern day prophet and refers to America as the new Israel.

So, will I pray on September 26? Yes.

Will I follow Jonathan Cahn? No.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4

“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” Matthew 24:24

The Ark

I used to love action-adventure movies! I remember when the Raiders of the Lost Ark movie first came out back in the early 1980’s. I was fascinated with it and also with the two sequels as well. I still have all three movies on VHS tape, but no longer have a VHS player. 😂

In the early 80’s my spiritual life was just picking up from where I left it, somewhere back in the 1970’s. Like a lot of people, I was raised up going to church, made a profession of faith at a young age, then drifted away from Christ in my teens and early twenties, and pursued my own way of living.

Then in the early 1980’s I began my journey back toward God. Looking back now, I can see how spiritually immature I was. I remember thinking that The Raiders of the Lost Ark movie was a Christian movie. After all, it was about the Ark of the Covenant, right? Wrong. Actually the movie wasn’t biblical, and it wasn’t about the Biblical account of the Ark of the Covenant. In reality it was just an action-adventure film.

The Bible reveals that the Ark of the Covenant was built by Moses. as commanded by God, to hold the Ten Commandments, which was in the form of two stone tablets, as told in the Book of Exodus. It was a symbol of the covenant between God and His people.

Recently I came across the following quote from Charles Spurgeon’s devotional, Morning and Evening, and it introduced me to another way of thinking about the “Ark.”

“Reader, can you find rest apart from the Ark, Christ Jesus? Then consider that your religion may be in vain.” #CharlesSpurgeon

Charles Spurgeon speaks here of Christ as the Ark: Christ as the source of our happiness and the source of true rest in Him. Christ, whom we can not live without and the one who feeds our souls. Christ, to whom our soul can sing!

I found this “Ark” when I turned back to Christ in repentance and faith back in the 1980’s. What a difference He’s made in my life ever since. It was not until I saw the sin in my life and called out to Him to forgive me, that change began in my life. Looking back, I really don’t recall growing in Christ in my teens and early twenties, but I do recall growing in Christ after I repented of the sin in my life, and discovered the joy of knowing Christ.

Spurgeon further elaborates along this line of thought when he says:

“Are you satisfied with anything short of a conscious knowledge of your union and interest in Christ? Then woe to you. If you profess to be a Christian while finding full satisfaction in worldly pleasures and pursuits, your profession is probably false.” #CharlesSpurgeon

A gentle but sober reminder that growing in Christ should be the Christians primary source of satisfaction, interest, and place of rest. If this isn’t true in your life, ask yourself why not. Actively seeking and growing in God is the business of believers, and if you’re not, well, that’s probably a big red flag….

“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.” 2 Peter 1:10

If You Have Love For One Another

I was in junior high school when I first remember learning of the Holocaust. I didn’t understand what it was all about at the time and I didn’t really grasp the horror of it all until some time later when I was looking at a magazine. I think it was Life Magazine. I saw several full page photos of the victims. It was shocking and made me wonder how could anyone do that to anyone, let alone to an entire group of people. So I did what a lot of us do when we see something horrible and we’re not quite ready to process it; I set it aside in the back of my mind.

Memories of the initial horror of seeing those holocaust pictures in the late 1960’s were revisited recently when I came across a New York Times article about the holocaust. As horrific as the killing of thousands of innocent Jewish people was, I was sickened to learn in this article that the Nazi’s gathered groups of disabled people and murdered them as well. This was especially hurtful to learn as I’ve long held a special place on my heart for the disabled. My dad was crippled by polio in the early 1950’s, my sweet little brother Doug, was born mentally retarded (now called mentally disabled) in 1957, our beautiful daughter Megan was born with Spina Bifida in 1986, and our sweet granddaughter Remi, was born with Down Syndrome in 2021.

The holocaust was born out of Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in Germany. He was a German political leader in the 1930’s who rose to the rank of Fuhrer in the 1940’s German Nazi party. He believed that the Jews were Germany’s enemies, and that they were an inferior race. Full of hate and racism, he sought to get rid of the Jews by killing them, and create a country full of “perfect” people of which he, of course, would be their leader. Interestingly he did all of this while claiming to be a Christian, and denouncing Christianity at the same time.

It’s also interesting how he got so many people to follow him.

Thinking about all of this made me wonder if Hitler’s hatred for the Jews may have been fueled by his misguided so-called Christian beliefs. Regardless, whatever Hitler thought and did was wrong on so many levels. His basic beliefs were skewed to say the least. I suspect if he had a Bible he didn’t read it. If he’d actually read and studied the Bible, he might have learned that the Jews weren’t responsible for Jesus’s death on the cross, but it was us; it was actually our sins that nailed Him on the cross:

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2

By canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:14

Secondly, all of us are disabled in some way or another. None of us are perfect; there is no such thing as perfect people or the the perfect race. We all have flaws and imperfections, physically, emotionally, and spiritually; including and especially sin.

Anyone who thinks they’re perfect and are constantly seeking perfection, are guilty of the sin of pride, and that’s regardless of whether they realize it or not.

Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the unplowed field of the wicked, produce sin. Proverbs 21:4

Only God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are perfect, and it is not until we receive Jesus in repentance and faith does God change the way He sees us. If Hitler had read the Bible he would known this as well:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. Psalm 18:30

Fortunately I’m not Hitler’s nor anyone else’s judge, but the Bible tells us that when we become a believer there should be a change in our life, in the way we think and in the things we do; life before Jesus and life after Jesus, there should be a difference. In John 13:35 Jesus tells of one distinguishing characteristic of the believer:

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

My Creed is Jesus Christ

Here’s a picture of me and my 5th grade Sunday School class sometime around 1964 or 1965. I’m on the second row, second from the left.

And, here is a 1966 newspaper clipping of my 6th grade confirmation class. This was at Southport Methodist Church in Southport, Indiana, which was the church our family attended and of which we were members while I was growing up in Indianapolis. I have a lot of fond memories from when I attended this church, especially when I was young. It was here that I first trusted in Christ around the age of 12, although I don’t believe it was a saving faith.

Two or three years after this photo was taken, our church changed its name to “Southport United Methodist Church.” I continued my membership there into my young adult years, with increasing periods of inactivity off-and-on during my late teens and early twenties, and then a resurgence in my mid-twenties. God got my attention one night after listening to Billy Graham speak on TV a few nights earlier. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about all the sin in my life, and I cried out to Him in repentance and faith. I believe it was at this time that I was born again, as it was from this point forward that my life began to change. I began reading my Bible and started going back to church. However, after a while, a couple of things began to bother me. My Sunday School class studied books that seemed more philosophical than biblical, and many of the pastor’s sermons were light on Bible verses and heavy on modern-day stories.

Around this same time, I was listening regularly to Charles Stanley from First Baptist Atlanta, on the radio. His sermons were jam-packed with Bible verses and Bible stories. This style of preaching was new to me and I found myself very drawn to it. While I liked my old church and the people, but God had different plans for me.

In 1988, I was convicted to be baptized by full water immersion at age 33, and become a member of Providence Baptist Church in Riverview, Florida. It was a series of events that led up to both my change in church membership and in my relationship with God. I wrote about this experience in a previous chapter titled “Another Gospel.” In short, God was calling me to draw closer in my relationship with Him.

Nowadays I do lean more toward Reformed (aka Calvinism) theology. I respect the heroes of the Reformation such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Jonathan Edwards. I like John Bunyan, a Puritan who wrote Pilgrim’s Progress, and Charles Spurgeon, a renowned 19th-century Baptist preacher. I agree with and appreciate his position on water baptism, or credobaptism—also known as believer’s baptism.

Spurgeon wrote, “Conscience has convinced me that it is a duty to be buried with Christ in baptism, although I am sure it constitutes no part of salvation.” In his testimony, he says, “I had no superstitious idea that baptism would save me, for I was saved, even prior to being baptized.” Thus, baptism was an act of obedience for Spurgeon. He answers his own question: “Why was I thus baptized?” “Because I believed it to be an ordinance of Christ, very specially joined by Him with faith in His name.” So, even though he didn’t believe baptism was essential for salvation, he did consider it an important step of obedience.

The Bible contains many verses about baptism, some of which may seem to imply that baptism is required; however, based on the whole of the gospel, I, too, do not believe that baptism is required in order to be saved.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8

In my own personal experience for example, I was 33 years old when I was convicted that I should be baptized by full water immersion. I understood that baptism is a step of obedience, and an outward sign of an inward change. In my case, I had repented of my sin and turned to Christ a few years earlier but was not convicted about full water baptism until the age of 33.

Whereas, at age 12, I was corralled into a Methodist Confirmation Class along with a group of other 6th graders simply because of our age. Once the class was deemed concluded, I was “sprinkled” along with a group of my classmates in a Sunday morning church service. I was later convinced that neither the sprinkling nor my salvation at age 12 were valid.

Comparing my voluntary and obedient baptism as an adult to my own personal experience as a 12-year-old reinforces my belief that baptism is not a requirement of salvation. I believe people who get baptized because they’re told they “have to be baptized in order to be saved,” are under a false assumption.

Concerning infant baptism, while I understand some Reformed churches still practice this today, I prefer Charles Spurgeon’s viewpoint on baptismal regeneration, the unbiblical practice of baptizing unbelievers and infants. Charles Spurgeon stated, “We will confront this dogma with the assertion that baptism without faith saves no one.”

Over the years, I’ve read many wonderful quotes and biblical teachings from Charles Spurgeon’s writings. In fact, I’ve been using The Spurgeon Study Bible since 2019 for my personal Bible study. He’s one of my favorite Reformed preachers. The late Dr. John MacArthur, the late Voddie Baucham, Alistair Begg, Paul Washer, and Sinclair Ferguson top my list of favorite present-day preachers.

At the same time, I also like Arminian preachers and evangelists such as the late Dr. Charles Stanley from First Baptist Atlanta, the late Dr. Adrian Rogers from Love Worth Finding, and of course, the late Dr. Billy Graham, who is probably the most well-known evangelist of the 20th century. I also like and use some of the evangelism tools from Ray Comfort’s Living Waters Ministries. I believe God uses both Arminians and Calvinists to preach the gospel message and to teach us about the Bible. I appreciate this quote from Arminian pastor Leonard Ravenhill,

“Think like a Calvinist, live like an Arminian.” #LeonardRavenhill

I also like this quote from Martyn Lloyd Jones: “I am a Calvinist: I believe in election and predestination; but I would not dream of putting it under the heading of essential. I put it under the heading of non-essential… You are not saved by your precise understanding of how this great salvation comes to you.”

So, whether you lean toward Arminianism or Calvinism, it’s really a non-essential issue, as far as I’m concerned.

I find debates between Arminianism and Calvinism interesting to a point, but don’t like it when it turns into a soteriology argument. Those who find themselves in frequent debates on this subject would make much better use of their time by sharing the gospel with a lost and dying world. Our job is telling, God’s job is saving.

I like the response that Charles Spurgeon once gave to someone who asked him about his theology. Though he preferred to think of himself as a “mere Christian,” he also said, “I am never ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist,” and, “I do not hesitate to take the name of Baptist, but if I am asked what is my creed, I reply, ‘It is Jesus Christ.’”

Treasure In Jars of Clay

My life story and journey of faith.