Author: Have You Considered...?

            There it stands, the lonely sign on the side of the highway or at an intersection.  Alone, solo, single. When the sun shines the sign will shine and glow.  At night when headlights fall upon the sign, it beams and sparkles.  When a car has passed, the sign is left behind alone in the dark.

            By itself at night, when the traffic slows, it stands lonely again.  Dark and cold, only an occasional critter scurrying around; the sign stands alone.  No warm covering, and no intended visitors.  It has no way to move from the place it stands.

            When I pass a sign, I get this lonely feeling that I cannot quite describe.  It is a feeling of an empty or lonely place, like walking down the highway by yourself.  Cars come and go but when they are gone there you are alone.  The same feeling that you might feel standing next to a giant forest by yourself at night!  The loneliness falls on you like a blanket.

                        “May the flood of water not overflow me nor the deep swallow me up nor the pit shut its mouth on me.” 

Psalm 69:15

            Are you that lonely sign?  Stuck in loneliness and fear?  Do you have that lonely feeling in the pit of your stomach?  A feeling you cannot quite describe.  Does the darkness envelop you leaving you cold, lonely, and empty?  Do the critters that visit you occasionally, come and go, not offering any real light and warmth; they only visit out of necessity?

“I lie awake, I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.”  Psalm 102:7 

            Being alone is not always a bad thing.  It can be a nice quiet peaceful time to reflect or relax.  It is the deep-down lonely feeling that is dangerous and debilitating.  In this place we do not want to stay for a long time.  How do we get out of this place and escape these feelings?

            I remember, when I was younger, my mom described a feeling like going in a hole and hiding there, and not being able to get out.  She would say that she felt like crawling in a hole and dying.  Now I realize, at those times, she was probably in a deep depression.  Mom found ways to get out of the hole.  If she were here today, she would tell you that any progress forward in her life was God working in her life.  She would testify that God sent literal angels her way, at just the right time, to bring her light.  She dug out of that hole many times.  I wonder if she thought about the lonely road signs like I do.

            Each one of our lives have different challenges, with many ups and downs.  We have many options for getting through each day.  God has a plan for each one of our lives and it is up to us whether we are going to give our life over to Him to accomplish this.  As recorded in the Psalms, King David suffered horrible lows emotionally, but our Heavenly Father always made a way out of the darkness for him.

1 Give ear to my prayer, O God;

And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.

2 Give heed to me and answer me;

I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted,

3Because of the voice of the enemy,

Because of the pressure of the wicked;

For they bring down trouble upon me

And in anger they bear a grudge against me.

4 My heart is in anguish within me,

And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

5 Fear and trembling come upon me,

And horror has overwhelmed me.

6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest.

Psalm 55:1-6

16 As for me, I shall call upon God,

And the LORD will save me.

17 Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur,

And He will hear my voice.

18 He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me,

For they are many who strive with me.

19 God will hear and answer them—

Psalm 55:16-19

            The above scripture is an example of David crying out to God and how God will answer him.  (I cut out some of the chapter to make the point but encourage you to read the whole chapter.)  I have read much of the book of Psalms which continues to minister to me.  I feel that David experienced the same emotional struggles that I do.

            Our Heavenly Father can be that sunshine that lights up your day.  He can be the “headlights” that make you stand up tall and shine.  He will visit you with His Holy Spirit to counsel you.  He will send His angels to minister to you. 

            Each day is not going to be perfect for us, but God will be there with us through it.

*All scripture is from the NASB unless otherwise noted.

A man who lived on the edge, daring, private, and successful.  Both loved and hated.  Was he really loved, in the end who was there?  Who really loved him?

I had not heard of Mr. Cohn before I watched a documentary about Donald Trump.  I became interested in this intriguing young handsome charismatic attorney.

I watched the documentary Where’s My Roy Cohn? about this famous American attorney.  I was left with an eerie feeling of sadness and dread.  His goal in life was to die poor and in debt to the IRS.  He was successful in doing so.

Maybe his mother, who was said to be ugly, thought he was the most beautiful thing.  He was spoiled by her and seemingly he was her whole life.  So, what went wrong?

Where did he get his ruthless and evil presence?  What drove him in his pursuit of power?

From what I saw in the documentary my perception is that it wasn’t about the money.  If a man’s goal is to die poor and in debt it can’t be about the money.  It seems that it was about control, power, and success.

At the pinnacle of his success, the rich, powerful, elite, and criminal sought him out to represent them.  He hobnobbed with the very top of the political, industrial, and criminal society.  Riding on the wings of deception, denial, and influential connections he became successful.  Seen as an intellectual genius, even when he lost, he considered himself a winner.

His influence and seemingly successful law career appeared to help those that he represented to rise even higher in power.  He was able to convince them of his credo:  even when you lose you have won!

This man, Mr. Cohn, seemed to have an evil, charismatic presence and brought fear to those that opposed him.

Sadly, Mr. Cohn died sick, lonely, poor, and in debt.  He was disbarred, stripped of what had made him so powerful.  His trip through this world was a short and disastrous one.  In the end I picture him in a cold, antiseptic white hospital room, alone, not knowing who he was.  Sick, confused, weak yet, still fighting to live a lie.

Where were all those that purportedly loved him?  Where were those rich and powerful people that he had invested so much energy into?  Where were they to help lift him out of his bed of death and poverty?  Nowhere.

1 Corinthians 1:19-21 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

¹⁹ For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”

²⁰ Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

One cold day I was driving through the campus area in our town.  As I was tied up in traffic, I started to people watch.   I saw a person all bundled up for the cold weather.  The person was faced away from me, but the style of coat they wore, I perceived that it was a woman.  The hood of her coat was drawn up over her head and she was wearing what looked like warm gloves and comfortable shoes.  She was appropriately dressed for the cold weather.

I wondered, where is she from, does she attend college, and is she from another country?  I thought about how she walked and what that could tell me about her, such as age, race, etc.  Why though?  Why did I need to know those things about her?  The truth is, I didn’t need to know anything about this person.  My mind automatically tried to analyze more than what was on the surface.  Why?  I don’t know, accept that I’ve been taught, or programmed by society to do so.  Yet, I don’t want to do that!

I thought, “what if we all wore coats all of the time“?  If we all wore something that covered our skin, or hid anything that would show that we are different.  We could wear any style, color or combination of colors and designs.  How would we treat each other then?  We wouldn’t be able to tell the color of each other’s skin.  Everyone’s “skin” would be different.  There would be thousands of combinations and designs.  There wouldn’t be just black and white.  How would we treat each other under those conditions?

Somehow, we must stop profiling and categorizing people based on skin color, ethnicity, or anything that makes us different.

The lady in the coat was never identifiable, to me, as any color, ethnicity, age, or gender.  I never saw her face or skin.  This frustrated me because I couldn’t put her in a category.  Do we all try to categorize people?  I admit this is wrong but how do I get past this?  How do I change the way my brain has been programmed?

God, our Heavenly Father, has the answer to this problem.

Romans 12:2 (NASB)
” And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

A person who is black or white cannot change their color.  A person with big ears, short fingers, blue, or brown eyes cannot change those features.  People are born the way they are, they did not ask to be a certain color, height, or nationality.  A person who has hundreds of tattoos most likely are not going to get them all removed even if they come to a point of hating them.  Why hate a person for something that they can’t change?  Why hate a person at all for any reason?  I wonder if these differences scare us therefore, we try to find people who are similar so that we don’t feel odd.

Acts 17:24-28 (NKJV)
“24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’”

Philippians 2:3-4 (NASB)
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

I realize that you can’t ignore the differences in people or pretend that they’re not different.  Make the differences matter.  Enjoy each person that is different from you; it would be a boring world if we were all just like you or me!

Have you considered what’s deep in your mind and heart regarding people being different?  Let God change your heart and mind; let Him renew your mind with His word and the Holy Spirit!  Pray and ask God to change your heart and mind to see people as He sees them.

I hadn’t driven very far when I remembered “he’s” coming to town.  Darn, and I’m going right through campus.  Too late now, maybe I can miss the traffic, maybe he hasn’t arrived yet or has already been here.  Then I saw it, the sign, “Bark for Bernie”, a young couple and their dog walking toward campus proudly displayed a large handwritten sign.  Nope, looks like it hasn’t started yet.

Bernie Sanders, the well-known 2020 Democratic presidential candidate was coming to our town today.  Welcome to town Bernie!  There are just a few things I’d like to ask you.  How’d you get here?  Were you keeping the Green initiatives in mind when you showered, dressed, and traveled?  Did you think of protecting my air and my children’s and grandchildren’s air?  What was your carbon footprint like today?

Bernie, did you ride in a limo, or a Cadillac, Lincoln, Mercedes, or a mere hybrid?  Still looks pretty good compared to my newest mode of transportation:  a 2007 Ford Escape, bought and paid for mind you.  Approximately 12 years old.

Bernie, did you have an escort?  When you needed coffee or a drink did you stop at the local “get-n-go” and run in and stand in line to pay for it?  Did you use the facilities because you couldn’t wait till you got to your destination to “go”?

Bernie, did you have armed guards?  You know, the ones that carry weapons like, (heaven forbid), semi-automatic rifles?

Bernie, did you mingle with the crowds of people that walked, drove, bicycled, scooter, or ran to see you?  Did you invite them to your home to visit?

You see, Bernie, I ask these questions for a reason.  While you stand up there on your podium well protected, financially secure, and catered to, my family is working and wondering if their car is going to make it to the grocery store.  We wonder if we can have the privilege of being armed for our own protection and our children’s.  Bernie, we are tired when we get off work, and yet drive ourselves to the store and wait in long lines.

When you talk about democratic socialism, free college, and free health care I don’t believe you one bit.  Just tell the truth, it’s not free, neither one will be free.  To the recipient it will seem that way but to the taxpayers no.  You and I know that we all will have to pay so no, it’s not free.  Just say it.  Why is that so hard for you to say?  Oh yes because you know that all those young 18-25-year old Americans will vote for you, and their population is growing, and they squeak a little louder than us older folks.  Squeaky wheel gets the grease!

Nothing’s for free.  Jesus is free, yet even that comes with a price or sacrifice on the recipient’s part (the bible tells us to count the cost).  If it’s too good to be true, it’s probably not true.  It’s not true that there will be free college and health care.

You see, I like the idea of free college and free health care.  I think yes if you want to pay for it, I’ll take it!  If you paid for my college and health care, would there be strings attached or “conditions”?  Am I going to get a quality education or quality health care?  Will I be indebted to you or feel that I am? Since you’re paying for my college and health care can you drop in on me anytime to check up on my “well being” invading my privacy?

My husband says you get what you pay for.  Might not be very good college or health care.

It just doesn’t fit, Mr. Sanders, you can fool some of the people all the time, but not all the people all the time.

I talked to my daughter once and asked her why we can’t have free college and health care without killing babies.  She responded (I paraphrase), you must give up something to get something else, or in other words, pick your battles.  You have accomplished your goal with her and many others that I know, but not me.  I neither trust you nor believe you.

Don’t play the little old man game with me.  Some people (mostly women) I know think that all rich white men are evil, so why don’t they think that about you?  You’re a white man, you’re wealthy (rich), so why do they hate President Trump and not you?  It’s very simple, you want to give them free reign to kill their babies and he doesn’t.  I don’t think President Trump acts like something he’s not.  He knows he rich, he knows he’s conceited, he knows he’s white, he knows he loves this country and he knows he a capitalist.  Do I like that about him?  Not all of it, but I think he is more honest than you.  You on the other hand you have rode on the wings of capitalism to get to the height of having the opportunity to have the power to take it away from everybody else.

Mr. Sanders, if I sit at home and crochet hot pad holders, (do you know what those are) then go open a store to sell those hot pat holders, I am capitalizing on my creativity.  I have earned wages for my hard work.  What’s so wrong about that?  Let’s say my mom gave me $100.00 to get the supplies to make the hot pad holders and I keep all the income from the business, it’s still a good thing.  If I make a billion dollars from my $100.00 hot pad holders it makes it no worse.  If the American people can’t capitalize on their creativity, keep the income, and spend it how they want, why do anything at all.  That’s one of the wonderful things about this country, capitalizing on an idea!

Bernie, I’m only slightly college educated, middle aged, I’m not classified as a genius, and even I know socialism, (or whatever you want to call it), is very dangerous for this country; those that swallow your lies, don’t really understand what freedom is.  Because, Bernie, they won’t be enjoying the same freedoms that you will be enjoying as leader of this country.  Like being escorted for your safety, like having armed security all around you, like not having to stand in the bread and cheese line while your children are crying for food, and like having to use the public facilities.  Having the money to send your children or grandchildren to a private college. This is the country that you want.  You won’t take advantage of the free college or free health care because it won’t be to your standards—you will be privileged!

Why do we have to try to be like other countries?  Let’s be our own country, with our own ways, and lead by example so others will want to be like us, not the other way around.  Which seems to be the reason why we have a border problem because we are prosperous and free, and others want that.  So maybe you really do want border control, just in a different way.

You should be ashamed of misleading the American people.  Using free college, climate change, and free health care to the young people as a vise to get them to do your will.  You are evil!  But are you really?

I have a few theories:

1. You really believe what you’re doing is the best for this country and its people.
2. You are very ignorant.
3. You really know what you’re doing and like being evil.

On top of those theories, you really can’t take credit for any of it.  Sorry to break it to you, but there is one who is much wiser than you, as much as I hate to say it.  He’s been around for a long time and is pure evil, that is Satan.  With all three of my theories he’s still the author of hating people and stirring up all kinds of trouble.  So, although you don’t believe in the One True God of the scripture, you are just a pawn that plays into what His prophesy already says.

Because of the above facts I find it to be necessary to forgive you, as hard as that is.  I just wish that you would wake up to the truth.

Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  NASB

          Revelation 22:11 “Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.”  NASB

M. Newberg September 22, 2019

By M. Newberg

I want to talk about violence against diversity.  Violence toward someone because they may be different.  Is it beneficial to anyone to be violent toward people that seem different?  Is it beneficial to God?  Is it beneficial to the victim?  Is it beneficial to the offender?  If I don’t react violently or in an aggressive way, am I condoning their diversity?

My daughter told me about such an incident recently at her cousin’s high school graduation.  My daughter picked up her cousin’s friend for the graduation.  This friend is having gender identity issues.  The friend, I’ll call Audrey, happens to have recently attended church.  This church also recently kicked her out of the congregation because of her issues.  At the graduation the pastor of the church confronted Audrey and told her that she was not allowed to be there.  The pastor had Audrey cornered, was very aggressive and used inappropriate language.  My daughter stepped in to protect Audrey and to defend her; the situation came close to ending in a fist fight!

How did this violent behavior benefit the pastor?

 “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”  Galations 6:1 NASB

This pastor has failed to study her scriptures closely.  We don’t know why Audrey is struggling.  We don’t know what may have happened to her, or why she is tempted in the way that she is.  To approach her with violence and aggression does not fit with what God Elohim says!

 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.  But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Matthew 18:15-17

We are to gently restore those that have fallen.  When we confront them, it should be in private not in a public place violently.  What about the biblical laws that call for stoning sinners?  I believe that all of God’s laws are still in place; however, what would supersede this stoning?

John 8:1-11 gives an account of a woman caught in adultery, which, according to the law, would be punishable by stoning.  The pharisees and scribes tested Jesus whether the woman should be stoned based on the law of Moses.  He responds with, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  One by one they all left who were accusing her.  She was left alone with Jesus who says, “I do not condemn you, either.  Go.  From now on sin no more.”

So why didn’t Jesus stone the woman?  He could have stoned her because He was without sin.  I submit that it was better for her to repent and to be saved than to die in her sin.  God’s grace.  It is better for people to be gently restored unto salvation than to continue in their sin or to die in their sin and perish forever.

“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” Romans 2:4

Audrey is left with fear, shame, and possibly hatred toward someone who supposedly is a “Christian”.  Has this drawn her closer to the Messiah?  Has it healed her?  I doubt it.  She may never trust a believer again.  More importantly she may never trust God Elohim again.  What kind of witness was this behavior to my daughter?

This time violence has not solved anything.  The scriptures teach us to be like Jesus.  Was this pastor lady being a good representative of Jesus?  Not according to Romans 2:4.

I’m sure you have heard the old saying, “you catch more bees with honey than vinegar”.  Just because I am not violent or aggressive towards someone because of their sin doesn’t mean that I condone their behavior.  I believe that I can be a better light with gentleness.  Talking to and witnessing to someone, I believe, involves listening to them interacting with them, and showing them the love of God Elohim.

Believers, have you considered how to react when you encounter diversity?  Something to think about!