Sturm und Drang

The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them."

- Genesis 6:5-7, NIV

How much time passed between Adam and Noah? Some Biblical scholars believe that the genealogy in Genesis 5 is comprehensive, that it is possible to "crunch" the numbers to get an accurate time span. Others argue that Moses had "summarized" the lineage, that listing to listing could actually cover tens, hundreds, if not thousands of generations.

Whether the time measurement was around a thousand years as suggested by the former, or possibly millions of years as implied by the latter, my interest rests in this question, "How long did it take for human kind to become so corrupt that its Creator decided to wipe it from the face of the earth because He was 'grieved that [He] had made them'?"

The previous post, The Antagonist, pointed to the fact that God created men and woman as free beings able to exercise their wills independently, even when their actions disobeyed God's commands. While there were consequences, He allowed them to continue to exist, to continue to behave freely.

This scripture passage, Genesis 6, reveals two insights into God's relationship with the human beings:

1) A level of insubordination can exist that God will no longer tolerate, one where He will exercise swift and global judgment. Not only did He intend to extinguish the entire human race, but verse 7 reported that He planned to take out the "...animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air." He wasn't "playin' around" anymore.

2) As the Supreme Judge and Executioner, He was still willing to spare those who remained loyal. Except for one man, His entire creation had turned its back, and yet His love and compassion bore one last chance at mercy.

Of course, as the story recounts, God commanded Noah to build an ark informing Noah that He would soon flood the earth and destroy the inhabitants. Noah obeyed, the rains came, the people and the animals drowned. God did as He said He would. He destroyed the earth. He saved Noah and his family.

Considering the state-of-the-world described in Genesis 6:1-7, it is quite possible that Noah had thought to himself, "the world is crazy, now what?" In this case, the "Sturm und Drang" was right around the corner. God answered his question.

Get in the ark, Noah. I am about to address the insanity...


Read the previous post in this series:
1) The World Is Crazy: Now What?
2) Cue The Lights
3) The Antagonist

Read the next post in this series:
5) Enters Stage Right: Israel

The Antagonist

How could God let children around the world starve to death?

Free will.

How could God allow selfless and charitable human beings die from cancer while murderers live full and privileged lives?

Free will.

Why doesn't God put an end to all the genocide taking place throughout the world?

Free will.

And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

- Genesis 2:16-17 (NIV)

From the start, the Creator of the Universe, He who spoke our reality into existence, bestowed freedom upon the human race. Adam had permission to eat any of the fruit in the Garden of Eden, except that from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The fact that God told him not to eat from this tree implied that Adam had the ability to choose whether or not to obey. This cannot be emphasized enough; the All-Powerful Supreme Being created man to be free.

Enters Satan, stage-left (Genesis 3:1, NIV).

The Serpent convinces the woman, who convinces the man, to exercise their freedom to disobey God. The Serpent didn't make Adam and Eve do anything; they chose to do it.

Of course, God knew all, and He confronted His creation regarding its insubordination. Now think about that. Just a while before this episode, He willed all that we know into being: the trees, the water, the laws of physics, energy, matter, etc., etc. This same Power confronts the offenders. He didn't annihilate them. He didn't will them out of existence. He allowed them to disobey Him, continue to exist, and then took the time for dialogue with what He made.

Genesis 3:14-19 records God's judgment. There are two tenets of His pronouncement that must be examined here because they lay out the story line for the rest of the drama.

The first is in verse 19 when God says, "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

The ultimate punishment. Death. Adam is told that because of his choice, the protocol called for his demise, that he would "return to the ground." The grand opening was glorious. From nothing, the earth was created. The Master Composer conducted a symphony of light, of colors, of life. The overture was short-lived, however. After only a few pages into a massive script, the mood changes to darkness and mortality.

To get the second component, it is necessary to back up to verse 15: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

This was the sentence given to the serpent, the antagonist in the story, the character whose opposition is introduced and of which will continue until nearly the script's end. In what seems to be a short story, a sad tragedy, the Protagonist adjusts the mood. He cues a "yellow wash", a glimmering light of hope, a way out. It is through the woman's seed, that the Messiah would come, the One that would pay the price for this Original Sin and all to come thereafter. It is this reference that shook the walls in the opening scene of The Passion of the Christ where Jesus crushes the detestable, slithering snake that creeps its way to His feet during prayer.

Why is the world "crazy"? This is why, "because it can be..." It made this choice long ago. The choice had consequences, but so that the descendants of the original man and woman have the opportunity to make the right choice, the ultimate judgment has yet to come. Because generations after generations have made the wrong choice, we continue to ask the question.


Read the previous posts in this series:
1) The World Is Crazy: Now What?
2) Cue The Lights

Read the next post in this series:
4) Sturm und Drang

Cue The Lights

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light." (Genesis 1:1-3, NIV)

That's it. Lights up. The show begins.

In this theatrical masterpiece, however, we get to watch the Set Designer build the stage. Now, how are sets usually constructed? The set designer makes some sketches. The master builder and associates gather the materials. They cut the wood. They hammer in the nails.

The lighting designer drafts a lighting scheme. The master electrician connects the wires. Bulbs are checked. Lights are hung and connected to dimmer packs. The light board operator runs the cues...etc., etc...

"Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light." (Genesis 1:2-3, NIV) [emphasis added]

The earth was "formless" and "empty". God didn't have to purchase any materials. He didn't have to order any spotlights. He simply said, "Let there be light" and the lights came on.

From the very beginning, it has been obvious that God is in control, that He has power beyond anything known in this world. He simply speaks things into existence. In verses 6-8 of the same chapter, God "separates" the waters and creates the sky. On the third day, He speaks the "land" and the "seas" into existence.

In Genesis chapter 1, Moses records the six days in which God created everything that is our reality, simply by speaking it into existence. The land, the sea, the birds, the sky, the animals, the fish, the moon, the sun, the stars. Everything, He created. He willed it into being.

We worry about our 401Ks. We worry about the election. What does the future hold? How will we pay our bills? How will we pay for health care?...

He spoke things into existence. He said it, and it was there. He didn't do this and then "walk away". He started things, and He can surely finish them. He will.


Read the previous post in this series:
1) The World Is Crazy: Now What?

Read the next post in this series:
3) The Antagonist

The World Is Crazy: Now What?

This was the title of a message that I presented during a recent Saturday evening church service. The title begs the question, "Is the world really crazy?" I think so, but you don't have to accept this premise to consider what will follow.

Every generation seemingly thinks that it has it worse than the one before it, that somehow the current state of the world is unprecedented. We hear things like, "this economy is the worst ever", "everything is 'going to hell in a hand basket'". The "religious" folks list the plagues of vices: homosexuality, gambling, pornography, murders, drugs, etc., etc. The "environmental" folks site the impending doom that awaits a society of pollutants. "Peacemakers" decry a world at war, genocides throughout the globe.

This is what I see: a world that has turned to itself to solve its problems. I see a world of agendas. Truth exists only if it serves a purpose. The quest for power has replaced the desire to know "what is".

Dear God, when will this change? How can things change when what is real is what it needs to be?

Just like "wars", "genocide", and the "Seven Deadly Sins" are not original to the present, neither are my prayers. Since Adam and Eve ate the apple, and order turned to disorder, men and woman have asked these very same questions for millennia.

Here is what is fascinating. God has answered this question over and over. Not just to me, but to the billions and billions of those He created. Many of the Old Testament prophets asked, "God, when will you fix things?" Jesus' disciples would ask, "Jesus, when will you fix things?" By reading Paul's letters in the New Testament, it was obvious that the church was asking, "Paul, when will God fix things?"

The answer is quite clear. We have asked over and over, and God has been patient and answered it again and again.

It is my intention to explore God's answer in upcoming posts. As presented at the Saturday service, like a playwright, God has provided an epic script. The curtain has fallen on many of the acts and scenes, but the exciting conclusion to History's story is readily available for any who have interest...


Read the next post in this series:
2) Cue The Lights

This Rocks

Cult of Personality


Look in my eyes, what do you see?
the Cult of Personality
I know your anger, I know your dreams
I've been everything you wanna be ohhh…
I'm the Cult of Personality
Like Mussolini and Kennedy
I'm the Cult of Personality
the Cult of Personality
the Cult of Personality

Neon lights, Nobel Prize
When a mirror speaks, the reflection lies
You won't have to follow me
Only you can set me free

I sell the things you need to be
I'm the smiling face of your T.V. ohh…
I'm the Cult of Personality
I exploit you; still you love me
I tell you one and one makes three ohh…
I'm the Cult of Personality
Like Joseph Stalin and Gandhi ohh…
I'm the Cult of Personality
the Cult of Personality
the Cult of Personality

Neon lights, Nobel Prize
When a leader speaks, that leader dies
You won't have to follow me
Only you can set you free

You gave me fortune, you gave me fame
You gave me power in your God's name
I'm every person you need to be ohh…
I'm the Cult of Personality

- Living Colour, from the album Vivid, 1988

Have you heard this song? It rocks!! Vern Reid's raw, guitar crunch had people moshing before the Seattle grunge movement swept across the land. I've listened to it many times. Pumped it through the headphones while blowing off steam on the drum kit. Tried in vain to reproduce the insanely sick guitar solo. It was today that the song balanced my incredulity regarding the election.

My prediction: reminiscent of Reagan's "landslide" victory over Mondale in 1984, Barack Obama is going to win 49 of the 50 states.

How can I say this? Unprecedented devotion to a man running for office. This is the 5th election in which I can vote. I have always been intrigued by the reasons for which people vote. I have never seen anything like this before...

Barack Obama spent 143 days in the Senate (days Senate was in session) prior to announcing his candidacy for President. This was the extent of his experience on the national level. 143 days!! John McCain selects Sarah Palin as his Vice-Presidential running mate. Obama supporters clamor that she doesn't have the necessary experience to be Vice-President of the United States. What????

Barack Obama is a staunch supporter of "Abortion Rights". In the Illinois Senate, he even voted down a bill that would have required medical personnel to provide care to children who survived abortion attempts. Reason would suggest that those who are "Pro-Life" would find this offensive. Some, yes. I have spoken to many others, however, who claim that abortion is wrong, yet they will "stop on a dime" to defend Obama and what a compassionate human being he is, how he cares about people. What????

Barack Obama wants a government-controlled Health Care Industry. He wants more government programs to "spread the wealth". In 2007, he was labeled as the most liberal senator by the National Journal. I hear people complain about taxes. I hear people complain about how those living on welfare have more groceries and better stereos than those who work 40-hr weeks. "The government rewards irresponsibility and punishes success", they say. Suggest to these people that Obama will promote a welfare state, one where he will take from those "according to their ability" and redistribute to those "according to their needs", and they come unglued. How dare you accuse Obama of socialism!!! What???

Like I've said in previous posts, so many people live conservative lives, have conservative values, believe conservative principles, yet they are voting for 2007's most liberal senator. I've spoken with some who cannot stay calm for 60 seconds. Introduce raw facts, and they quickly switch to Ad Hominem arguments: "Well you just...you think...you're a..." Some even dispute elements that are as true as the sky is blue.

How can there be an intelligent discussion, a rational debate when one side is so invested in a "personality" that the mention of legitimate concerns result in an inquisition of the "unbeliever"? Where does this end?

Explain This To Me

I have some questions. As apparent in tonight's debate, Barack Obama (along with many of the politicians in the legislative branch), wants to tax the "you-know-what" out of American Corporations. Maybe he has insights into a free-market, capitalist economy that no one has ever had before in history. Maybe Obama supporters know something that I don't...

Where do jobs come from? Do they grow on trees? Do they exist independently of corporations? Do they just appear out of thin air? Hey, I was just standing there waiting for the bus the other day when, out of nowhere, a job just appeared right next to me. It was the most amazing thing!!

Now...hmmmm...where do jobs originate. Well, I thought it was businesses that created jobs. Manufacturing companies need workers to build and sell the products. Service companies need workers to perform the services. Oil companies need people to build the refineries, to "refine" the oil. They need workers to transport the oil. Gas stations need workers to sell the gasoline. Auto companies need workers to build the cars, workers to sell the cars, workers to deliver the cars. Electronics companies need workers to build, distribute, and sell the electronics. Newspapers need people to gather the news, to sell the adds, to make the papers, to deliver the subscriptions. Grocery Store companies need workers to stock and sell the groceries. Restaurants need cooks to cook, servers to serve, managers to...

Wait a minute!! Many of these types of companies exist that make well over the $250,000 maximum after which their taxes will be raised drastically. What happens to the oil truck driver when the company has to pay more taxes? What happens to the auto worker when, since the oil company has to pay more taxes, it has cut production which has, in turn, raised demand which has, in turn, caused gas prices to increase which has, in turn, caused people to buy less cars? On top of it all, taxes have gone up on the auto worker's company. Will he or she still have a job?

The guy who works on the electronics assembly line, what will happen to his job when the company realizes that it can flee the country and manufacture the product in another nation where the taxes are less oppressive. Of course, this is great for the worker in Taiwan who will get a new job, but now how does the "electronics-assembly-line" guy pay his bills?

Now the oil truck driver, the auto worker, and the "electronics-assembly-line guy" have all lost their jobs. All three used to call the "plumber" (maybe the same one that Obama wants to use to "spread the wealth") to "come and fix the sink" (a little "The Electric Company" lingo there). Now the three workers/consumers cannot afford to pay the plumber to "fix the sink". The plumber, recently having his taxes raised and not having the same demand for his company's services as before, now has to "let go" of some of the other plumbers.

Now we have plumbers, oil truck drivers, auto workers, and "electronic-assembly-line" guys out of work. They all saved a little money for hard times such as these so they still have some money to buy food. They go to the grocery store to buy food and...oh no...how did this happen? Food prices have sky-rocketed.

The plumber, the oil truck driver, the auto worker, and the "electronic-assembly-line guy" all go to the grocery store manager and say, "Hey, dude!! We've all lost our jobs, and now you're raising grocery prices??!!!"

The grocery store manager explains, "When oil prices went up, gas prices went up. When gas prices went up, the transportation companies raised their transportation prices. Since it costs more money to get the food from 'here to there' our costs went up. Also, our taxes went up causing our costs to go even higher. Recently, our deli needed some plumbing work done. The plumber has raised his prices so, again, our costs have gone higher...and oh, I almost forgot to mention that we had to install a new overhead sound system to play all the 'jammin' elevator music that our customers have come to enjoy, and would you know it, the electronic prices have gone up which, in turn, have raised our expenses."

"You see, Mr. Plumber, Mr. Oil-Truck-Driver, Mr. Auto-Worker, and Mr. 'Electronic-Assembly-Line-Guy', for us to stay in business, we had to raise our prices. If you look down the fresh produce isle, however, we do have a special on celery..."

Now, I have just one more question: Why, pray tell, is a vote for Obama a good thing for the economic health of this country?

A Bible Story

It is time for a Bible story...

In the Old Testament, the people of Israel went through a continuous cycle. It went like this: Israel follows God, Israel is prosperous; Israel turns away from God, Israel suffers; Israel repents and turns back to God, Israel is once again prosperous.

By the time of Samuel, Israel had completed the process a plethora of times. Samuel was a Godly and strong leader in the land of Israel during a point in history where the nation was directed by "judges". In chapter 8 of I Samuel, Samuel had grown old, and the people of Israel demanded that he appoint a king for them.

Samuel was deeply disappointed and troubled. Before then, Israel had always been governed by God via the judges. Now they wanted a "king"; they wanted a king so that they could be "...like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." (I Samuel 8:20, NIV) Sound familiar?

...We need to repair our reputation with other countries...We need to be more "sophisticated" and "progressive" like Europe...We need Universal Health care like Canada...

They wanted a leader to "take care of them". Samuel, a wise man, knew the costs. He went to God in desperation telling Him what the people had requested. God reassured Samuel that the people had not rejected his leadership, that it was God Himself that they were rejecting. God instructed him to grant the request on the condition that he warn the people of the potential consequences. Samuel could appoint a king with the caveat that the people understood exactly what it was that they desired.

Samuel obeyed God and said what God has instructed him:

This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.

- I Samuel 8:18 (NIV)

Samuel warned them. He warned them that the King would take over all aspects of their lives. The king would control the economy. He would take a "tenth" of their possessions. Samuel finally foreshadowed a dark day when the population would realize the danger that had accompanied their request; however, it would be too late. By then they will have traded their freedoms for security and the king's power will be so entrenched that there will be no return to the days of Samuel.

Since the days of "The New Deal" implemented by F.D.R., the United States has engaged an incremental, yet steady move away from ideas of freedom and democracy espouse by Thomas Jefferson, and instead toward the principles of Socialism promoted by Karl Marx.

Sadly, a majority of Americans cannot even articulate fundamental teachings of Thomas Jefferson or Karl Marx. They do not know the difference between capitalism and socialism. They do not know the difference between a Republic and Communist forms of government. Don't believe me? Watch "Jay Walking".

They do know that they want Health Care. They know that they want more social programs. More "Income-Earned Tax Credits" (this is supposed to be funny for those who do not know what this is: a tax refund for those who did not pay any taxes). More social security benefits. More assurance that the government will pay for their home loans. More government money (otherwise known as taxpayer money [for those who needed the above explained]) doled out for education. They want the government to pay for their children. They want the government to pay for their food. They want the government provide for them...to "rule over them".

Folks, John McCain, is not the answer. He is a consolation, the lesser of the "two evils". Considering the desires and outlooks of many Americans, he is the delay of the "inevitable". He is another George H. Bush. He is another George W. Bush. Another point in the time line toward socialism.

Barack Obama, however, is different. Unlike any other presidential candidate in history, he is a socialist from head to toe. He hasn't hid this until he started running for president, and even then, he has campaigned on policies that are unprecedented.

In the last debate, McCain finally "sacked-up" and called Obama out on his Universal Healthcare Plan, pointing out the fact that Obama's plan will fine parents that choose not to carry health insurance. For sure, he will deny this, I thought when I heard it. He didn't!!!! Oh, my!! He rambled on for a few minutes with the classic cliche used to stifle freedoms, that it was for the children...

Folks, I have said this before, but not directly in reference to Obama. Barack Obama believes that it is government's job to ensure the welfare of its citizens. This is in stark contrast to Thomas Jefferson's view that the government existed to protect "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"!! [emphasis added]

Folks, look around the world!!! This is how communist governments implement their policies. It is how Cuban leaders imposed the communist regime, that the removal of freedoms were necessary for the greater good of the state. It is what Communist China believes, that the people must sacrifice freedom for the greater good, so that government can provide food, housing, and education.

Is this what you want?!!! Are you ready for "a king"?!!! Do you know for what you ask?!!!

Does Cuba have an immigration problem? Does Europe have an immigration problem? Does China have an immigration problem? No, no, and no!!! The world wants to come here to live. Why, because of freedom!!!


To find out what happened to Israel and its kings, read I Samuel in the Old Testament and the ensuing chapters. I am not anywhere close to being in the same league as such a Godly man as Samuel, but consider yourselves "warned"...

Pardon the Interruption

Forget for a second for who you were rooting. Set aside your party affiliations for a moment, at least until you finish reading. Stop the campaigning. Turn off the scoreboard and ponder this...

Last Thursday's debate spawned a plethora of post-event analysis. Some didn't like the way Palin spoke. She's too common. She sounded like she was in a "spelling bee". Some thought that Biden was the archetypal "good-ole-boy", a perfect example of the "Washington Elite" talking down to the normal folks. Regardless of ones conclusions based on such trivial subject matter, two very different ideologies were presented. Those who have focused on Palin's vocal intonations or the fact that Biden's eyebrows never moved have sadly missed the important battle that is being fought in this election.

More than once, Palin referenced Ronald Reagan, arguably one of this nation's greatest presidents, a man who wanted human beings to be free. Much of his administration was dedicated to the opposition of communism, and historians attribute his efforts as being a major factor in the fall of the Soviet empire, the Berlin Wall.

Palin iterated, "It was Ronald Reagan who said that freedom is always just one generation away from extinction. We don't pass it to our children in the bloodstream; we have to fight for it and protect it, and then hand it to them so that they shall do the same, or we're going to find ourselves spending our sunset years telling our children and our children's children about a time in America, back in the day, when men and women were free." [emphasis added]

Contrast this with Biden's responses during the debate. Throughout the evening, he implied that it was government's job to provide health care for its citizens, to pay for "Mom's MRI". He suggested that it was government's job to ensure that our kids can attend college so that "...Mary can [go] back to school next semester." He went on to say that government should have a role in making sure people can heat their homes.

He wants to impose more regulations on private enterprises. He wants to tax the oil companies into oblivion. Good call, Joe. I bet that will do wonders for gas prices!! For those of you cheering for the oil companies to get socked, you may want to take a look at your retirement portfolios. The odds are that you own part of these oil companies...Go ahead keep on cheering, more taxes should really improve your investments!!!

While we are on oil and freedom, it is politicians that have prevented private companies from building new power plants, from building new refineries, from drilling for oil in the US. Let's see here, demand goes up (i.e., China), politician's limit the supply with regulations, and now the price has gone up...never mind, I'm not even going to waste my time on this one.

The point is, is that the other night's debate showcased two opposing philosophies. One says that the government exists to protect the rights of its citizens to pursue the three "inalienable rights". The other leans toward socialism that says the government exists to provide for the three "inalienable rights".

Freedom comes at a price. Senator Biden, I am responsible to provide health care coverage for my family. Not you. Not the government. I am responsible for making preparations to send my kids to college. Not you. Not the government. I will do what I can to pay for heating in our home. And guess what, Mr. Biden, Along the way, as a free individual, I will try to help others that are in need. I will give at church. I will give to charities. We will help those in need. We will help those who have not, attain independence. For those who are not able to live independently, we will help them too.

You, Senator Biden, on the other hand do not have the same motivations. It is for the greater good that you provide universal health care, and oh, by the way, the government will now control the entire health care system. As a citizen, we will be REQUIRED to have a health care plan, no more freedom to choose. The government will consume any private entity. It will regulate prices. It will determine what doctors people can go to. It will choose specialties for providers. Etc., Etc.... But don't worry, its all for our good, right?

No thanks, I would rather die as a free man from a terminal illness because I can't afford its treatment rather than live as a ward of the state as though you are my parent. If I need help, I will ask God. He is always there to help, and He is pretty good at it. He created me, and He still lets me make choices and live as a free being without any strings attached.

Yes, freedom is only "a generation from extinction". It is in jeopardy when the generation has become one of dependence rather than independence, one that deliberately chooses irresponsibility over accountability. It is at risk when the people "feel" rather than "think", when it is ready to surrender its free will in order to solve problems. Freedom is endangered by laziness. It is much easier to vote someone into office who will do things for us so that our TV schedule will not be interrupted. Sure, take over another part of my life, just make sure that CSI is still on three times a week.

...okay, you can go back to your TV programs, rooting for your favorite political party, etc., etc., but by all means, please continue to ignore the issues that could change this free nation forever. I apologize for any inconvenience.