It was a real blessing to take part in a traditional Jewish Seder meal and listen to the Messianic Jewish host explain the meaning and significance of each element of the meal. When we were finished, the host encouraged all the Christian participants to observe the traditional Jewish Sabbath. It was a moving experience and launched me into prayerful study to determine how my wife and I should approach the Sabbath. In the end, neither my wife nor I felt led to observe it on a weekly basis as do the Jews. Speaking for myself, I felt that way long before ever attending the Seder meal. What the study did do for me was to show me why I feel the way I do about traditional Sabbath observance. Such is not unusual, for simple discernment often precedes deeper understanding.

Controversial as the subject is and having had my fill of so many self-appointed defenders of man’s religious kingdom who are threatened by the many tithe articles the Father led me to write, I never figured to write anything about the Sabbath. That is until recently when I heard a man argue for keeping the 4th commandment with the following twisted logic: “I recently informed my wife that I will begin sleeping with other women because of this new found freedom (that) I have in Christ to disregard the 7th commandment which says ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery’.” The man’s inference being IF in Christ the 4th commandment concerning the Sabbath no longer applies, then neither does the 7th commandment concerning Adultery. I hope dear friends, that you find the man’s crass and manipulative analogy as nauseating as I do.

Reading from Matthew 25:31-40 it says: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. (32) Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (33) And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. (34) Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (35) For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, (36) I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ (37) Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? (38) And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? (39) And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ (40) And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Did you notice that there are 3 groups of people in that story: “sheep”, “goats”, and “my brothers.” All too often when people read that passage, they see only 2 of the 3 groups, “sheep” and “goats”. When interpreting it, readers tend to assume that the “sheep” and “my brothers” are one in the same. If that’s correct, then for all practical purposes Jesus is commending the “sheep” for serving themselves, feeding themselves, clothing themselves, visiting themselves, etc. In what seems to me like a serious contradiction, Jesus condemns the “goats” for serving themselves. Thus the only difference between the sheep and goats is that the sheep served themselves in community, whereas the goats served themselves selfishly. For that reason, together with a closer look at the original Greek language, I reject the 2 group view of the sheep and goats story.

1988 was the first time I lost 100 pounds. I’d dieted before and lost as much as 40 pounds but this was the big one; the diet to end all diets. Reaching my ideal goal weight according to a medically accepted height to weight table, took 10 months on a pre-packaged meal plan with rigorous daily exercise. Naturally, when I reached my goal weight, friends and family were thrilled and wanted to celebrate my success with a festive meal. Here and there I slipped a bit, all the while reassuring myself I could balance out the pounds gained by cutting back “next week”. But next week never came.

A year later, I had regained all the weight and then some. Compliments ceased and my self-esteem nose-dived. When finally I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, I hoped it would be the solution to my obesity. Sadly, the pounds so easily gained with a slow metabolism, didn’t come off when I began taking Synthroid. At least I had more energy and my frequent bouts with lightheadedness subsided, caused by very low blood pressure and a slow heart rate. Still it saddens me that 5 or 6 doctors over as many years didn’t suspect thyroid problems in a chronically dizzy and exhausted fat man with the resting heart rate of a marathon runner.

There is a notion among many believers that we must all walk arm-in-arm, agreeing on all things together, while making our way to the kingdom. Church sign boards and Sunday morning bulletins often boast slogans such as “come, let us grow together” or “come let us worship together”. Proponents of line-dancing our way into the kingdom often cite a scripture in support of that notion:

Can two walk together unless they are agreed? (Amos 3:3 MKJV)

The way I’ve come to see it, two people walking together really only need to agree on which path to take, how fast to walk, when and how long to stop and rest. There is no need to agree with everything another person believes in order to walk together for a time. There can be agreement in simply taking time to marvel at the beauty of God’s creation while walking and talking together.

There’s a joke about an elderly woman who when her young doctor suggested she get hearing aids replied “thanks sonny, but I’ve heard enough”. How true is that today? Hearing enough, I mean? While I’m not yet deaf, I have a similar reaction to the cacophony of self-appointed prophets whose many contradictory dreams and visions have led to much confusion and division among believers. Why it’s enough to make me thankful for tinnitus and the need for peace and quiet to manage my condition.

Perhaps you’ve noticed the clamor of so-called prophetic warnings; young and old sharing dreams and visions within hours of having them. Never questioning whether they’re intended only as a personal teaching dream. That Jesus who taught by parable might continue teaching us through symbolic dreams and visions intended only for the person He gave it to? Nah! Dreams and visions are to be shouted from the rooftop for everyone to hear and apply, for the church and the whole world. Fledgling prophets and prophetic ministries springing up over night complete with web pages, Spew Tube channels and even donation portals to support their groaning (er, I mean growing) prophetic ministry! It’s a chaotic whirlwind of disparate dreams and visions out there. So what’s a believer to make of it all?

It was deeply unsettling when I first began to hear the Father’s call to come out of man’s religious system – a system I was deeply devoted to – a system I’d ministered within for many years as a performing songwriter. That same year I first heard Him call me, Warner Brothers released “The Matrix” which inspired a lot of discussion on a forum I frequented called “New Wineskins”. Thereafter members often talked about being “red-pilled” by the Holy Spirit concerning the churches they attended and how having their eyes opened, couldn’t remain and left to join Jesus “outside the camp” (Hebrews 13:13).

My own experience I likened to Jesus healing the blind man by rubbing mud in his eyes and instructing him to wash. Metaphorically, it’s like forcing someone to look at the filth of this world together with the word of God. Death and life – filth and truth – side by side – mixture – until finally comes the day we see the difference and cry out “Give me Jesus! Give me Truth!”

The topic today is deeply personal for me; one that many believers are forced to reckon with when their spouse abruptly leaves the marriage for someone else. Bearing no fault, the wronged spouse is still subjected to a kind of leper treatment by family and friends who pull back, take sides and judge harshly. If children are involved, the grandparents turn every family event into a kind of intervention to advocate for their interests. What little visitation time a court grants to the father must now be shared with grandparents. Most hurtful was missing my daughters who were daddy’s girls and wanted to live with me. But since we had been a single-income family and my ex-wife a stay-at-home mom, the court refused to upset the status-quo even if the decision meant placing the girls in a very unhealthy environment. Someone has to bear the brunt of punishment meted out in a divorce and that, was me.

Forced to endure Job-like devastation I ran to the Lord with my broken heart and crushed spirit. He made His presence known in the midst of the fire and has remained close ever since. Like Job, I can look back and see the hand of God who restored me completely, and then some. How great is He who makes all things work together for good of those who love Him and whom He calls for His purposes.

I’ve had enough.

Television lost its appeal years ago when I began to recognize the repetitive and predictable story lines. Canned laugh tracks, musical crescendos and commercial interruptions timed to stimulate viewer excitement, annoyed me even more. And the news programs so obviously crafted to influence my thoughts and monopolize my attention, grieve me deeply. What little news I take, is carefully curated from reliable internet sources. But the agendas of news web sites are no different than broadcast news.

Years ago I read this, which even today is an apt assessment:

Cable news is a cancer. It is not even news anymore. Whether it’s CNN … FOX, or MSNBC, there is almost no news. The programming is primarily designed to keep you angry and outraged and self-righteous. Cable news also manufactures an alternate reality that doesn’t exist out here in the real world — it’s a propaganda machine designed to influence opinion-makers and most especially lawmakers … Living in the cable news ecosystem completely skews your perspective away from reality and what actually matters — like jobs and security. From an article at Daily Wire ( https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-cut-cable-cord-america-whats-stopping-you-john-nolte ).

It seems like everyone is offended these days. Whether social media, talk shows, news programs or the print media, the self-appointed politically correct police are always on the lookout for someone to vilify over a slip of the tongue, or worse yet, a statement they disagree with.

So what does the Bible have to say about “offense”?

In John 6, Jesus is telling His followers a solemn truth:

“I am the living bread come down out of Heaven. If a man eats this bread, he shall live for ever. Moreover the bread which I will give is my flesh given for the life of the world.” (John 6:51 WNT)

How did the crowds react?