REJECTED
(Author, V.M. Rodebaugh)
Copyrighted 1938
A stranger stood at the gates of Hell,
And, the Devil himself had answered the bell;
He looked him over from head to toe, And said, “My friend, I’d like to know
What have you done in the line of sin;, To entitle you to come within”
Then Franklin D., with his usual guile,
Stepped forth and flashed his toothy smile.
“When I took charge in thirty-three, A nation’s faith was mine,” said he.
“I promised this and I promised that,
And I calmed them down with a fireside chat.
I spent their money on fishing trips,
And I fished from the decks of their battleships;
I gave the jobs on the W.P.A., Then raised their taxes and took it away.
I raised their wages and closed their shops;
I killed their pigs and burned their crops;
I double-crossed both old and young, And still the fools my praises sung.
I brought back beer, and what do you think?
I taxed it so high they couldn’t drink.
I furnished money with government loans,
When they missed a payment I took their homes.
When I wanted to punish folks, you know, I’d put my wife on the radio.
I paid them to let their farms lie still, And imported foodstuffs from Brazil.
I’d curtail crops when I felt real mean,
And then shipped corn from the Argentine.
When they’d start to worry, stew and fret, I’d get them chanting the alphabet---
With the A.A.A. and N.L.B.,
The W.P.A. and the C.C.C.---
With these many units I got their goats,
And still I crammed it down their throats.
My workers worked with the speed of snails,
While the taxpayers chewed their finger-nails.
When the organizers needed dough,
I closed up the plants for the C.I.O.
I ruined jobs and I ruined health,
And I put the screws on the rich man’s wealth.
And some, who couldn’t stand the gaff,
Would call on me, and how I’d laugh!
When they got too strong on certain things,
I’d pack and head for old Warm Springs.
I ruined their country, their homes and then,
I placed the blame on “Nine Old Men.”
Now Franklin talked both long and loud,
And the Devil he stood and his head he bowed.
At last he said, “Let’s make it clear, You’ll have to move. You can’t stay here,
For once you mingle with this mob, I’ll have to hunt myself a job.”
Extra
copies may be obtained for 30C in stamps per 50; 250 for $1.00 cash or
check, postpaid from H. C. Chappell, Middlesboro, Ky.
Sunday, January 13, 2019
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Insights and Musings on Father's Day re: Father of the Bride
I will end today's post with a Father's Day thought; I promise. But first there is another journey.
There's a feminist slogan that appears in several forms:
No matter whose voice was used, the concept originates from spiritual rebellion against God. And KatieLyn's (the runaway bride's) family is filled with a deceptive form of feminist rebellion where they play roles that do not match the desires of their hearts.
But let me back up a bit. A couple days ago, I was asked about Genesis 3:16. God is speaking to Eve, and the verse ends with, "Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
Remember that the Lord said this to Eve before there was a long-established world culture. If we look at this through the eyes of a 21st century romanticist, we are going to get it wrong.
The Expanded Bible, a translation which puts comments about nuances in brackets, delivers that part of Genesis 3:16 this way:
In Cain's case, 4:7, I think that there was some unseen, but very real spiritual entity that was close enough to attempt to influence him, but not possess him, hence "positioned at the entrance way" to his soul. This was not a sexual-seduction desire, but it was the desire of the Sin-entity to gain control over Cain. At least, that is what makes the most sense to me, and it dovetails with the 'desire for control' interpretation for Genesis 3:16.
Some respected commentators, however, regard this as just a Cain and Abel dispute, no evil spirits attached, and therefore it means that if Cain "does well," perhaps by repenting with a sin offering, then he can regain the his elder-brother authority, paralleling the Adam-position of a husband's authority, and that Abel would look up to him and respect his first-born rights in the same manner that a woman looks up to, respects, and desires her husband. 🤔 Got that?
My problem with this is that for the meaning of "desire" to be consistent across the two uses of the word, then a husband carries a great deal of responsibility for keeping his wife from becoming bitchy in her second-position role, just as Cain would be expected to behave in a way that would keep Abel from becoming jealous in his second-born status. Actually, there are some major advantages for women if this were the case: If I am a crabby shrew, it's my husband's fault! And yes, when a woman is not feeling loved, there's a strong impulse to move in that direction, so a husband certainly does have an obligation to communicate love toward his wife, however...
working our way around to its relevance to the Runaway Bride...
Cain's story may seem off-topic, but it was important to show how Sin's desire was a control issue, a desire to control. But God told Cain to man-up and rule over sin instead.
Similarly, when the woman fell into sin, along with that came a desire to control her husband. But God said that her husband would need to man-up and take some responsibility.
Throughout this blog, the Lessons have sprung primarily from the Bride, and to a lesser degree,her relationship with the Mother of the Bride. What has been barely touched on is the Father of the Bride. But having laid a foundation, it's time to have a look at the passiva pater.
In his book, The Anti-Theology of Jesus, Michael Berner writes:
He let his wife, Gwen< run the household because ... who really knows? Because it was less work? Maybe. But based on KatieLyn's caving in to stop the fights with her mom, I'd guess that avoiding an argument was a more likely motive.
Katie's dad ought to have known God's will for his daughter. He ought to have actively stood up for GOD's WILL even though it meant (gasp) he would have to over-rule his wife on this one! But he didn't. Notice my very deliberate phrasing? The father ought to have found out God's will for his family and then actively obeyed it. I did not say that he needed to side with his daughter over his wife. Oh, I'm 99% sure that is how Gwen would have interpreted it because it would have looked that way to her. Once KatieLyn ran back home in the middle of the night, Gwen framed everything with us vs. them 'sides.' And she saw herself as the righteous victor who was noble enough to empathize pity on the loser.
The Lesson
It is about Control. And about refusing to take Control. KatieLyn's dad failed to be a father to her. He did not protect her from missing God's will. He was like Adam in the Garden, just standing by and letting it happen. And there is a BIG POOL of men out there who have NO IDEA that they are going to be held accountable for the messes they never wanted to get involved in.
If feminists insist on comparing themselves to fish, then I submit that they do need bicycles to stay balanced. They are as far off the mark as KatieLyn's father because they are equally confused about what God's plan for them is - they get stuck on raging at the world because they feel stuck in the servant role, never realizing that God has progressive promotion in mind. servant > daughter > bride.
AND EVERYBODY SUFFERS WHEN FATHERS ARE PASSIVE. Feminism would go away if fathers would start acting like competent, compassionate men. Occasionally you can find one who ran into the ditch on the other side of the road—yes, there are a few bully fathers out there, ut sooner or later they usually get called on it. Today's blog post is about the ones who sit there like a lump and make excuses, often excuses that blame others, for their failure to man up.
Upon reflection, we learned that KatieLyn was afraid of masculinity, and a heap of that blame gets owned by the Father of the Runaway Bride who rarely, if ever, showed her how that works.
Footnotes
¹ Quote Investigator
² Scripture is not specific as to whether Cain ever tried to figure out the real reason he was angry. If he did, we don't know how long he struggled with it, perhaps years. In the end, he came to the wrong solution. Here is where the Lord instructs Cain on the
A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.The history is a bit murky, but the imagery became popular by 1976 when Gloria Steinem used it in speeches. She has credited an Australian, Irina Dunn, with the quote. There's no solid proof that Dunn came up with it, but she claimed that she vandalized a public bathroom by writing that statement on the wall.¹ 'Sounds like something a belligerent clod might do.
A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.
No matter whose voice was used, the concept originates from spiritual rebellion against God. And KatieLyn's (the runaway bride's) family is filled with a deceptive form of feminist rebellion where they play roles that do not match the desires of their hearts.
But let me back up a bit. A couple days ago, I was asked about Genesis 3:16. God is speaking to Eve, and the verse ends with, "Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
Remember that the Lord said this to Eve before there was a long-established world culture. If we look at this through the eyes of a 21st century romanticist, we are going to get it wrong.
The Expanded Bible, a translation which puts comments about nuances in brackets, delivers that part of Genesis 3:16 this way:
You will greatly desire [the word implies a desire to control; 4:7] your husband,The 4:7 refers to the next chapter where the same Hebrew word for desire is used. In that passage, the brothers Cain and Abel have just given offerings to the Lord. The Lord accepted Abel's gift but 'did not look with favor' on Cain's. When Cain throws a hissy fit, the Lord asks Cain to reflect, "Why are you angry?"² The Lord continues to speak:
but he will rule over you.
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; you are its object of desire, but you must master it.Desire, in both verses, implies longing and craving. There is no argument among the commentators that in 3:16, the woman desires the husband. But for 4:7, one finds several conflicting views. The differences stem from dissent over how literal, metaphorical, anthropomorphic, or esoteric "sin crouching at your door" is.
In Cain's case, 4:7, I think that there was some unseen, but very real spiritual entity that was close enough to attempt to influence him, but not possess him, hence "positioned at the entrance way" to his soul. This was not a sexual-seduction desire, but it was the desire of the Sin-entity to gain control over Cain. At least, that is what makes the most sense to me, and it dovetails with the 'desire for control' interpretation for Genesis 3:16.
Some respected commentators, however, regard this as just a Cain and Abel dispute, no evil spirits attached, and therefore it means that if Cain "does well," perhaps by repenting with a sin offering, then he can regain the his elder-brother authority, paralleling the Adam-position of a husband's authority, and that Abel would look up to him and respect his first-born rights in the same manner that a woman looks up to, respects, and desires her husband. 🤔 Got that?
My problem with this is that for the meaning of "desire" to be consistent across the two uses of the word, then a husband carries a great deal of responsibility for keeping his wife from becoming bitchy in her second-position role, just as Cain would be expected to behave in a way that would keep Abel from becoming jealous in his second-born status. Actually, there are some major advantages for women if this were the case: If I am a crabby shrew, it's my husband's fault! And yes, when a woman is not feeling loved, there's a strong impulse to move in that direction, so a husband certainly does have an obligation to communicate love toward his wife, however...
working our way around to its relevance to the Runaway Bride...
Cain's story may seem off-topic, but it was important to show how Sin's desire was a control issue, a desire to control. But God told Cain to man-up and rule over sin instead.
Similarly, when the woman fell into sin, along with that came a desire to control her husband. But God said that her husband would need to man-up and take some responsibility.
Throughout this blog, the Lessons have sprung primarily from the Bride, and to a lesser degree,her relationship with the Mother of the Bride. What has been barely touched on is the Father of the Bride. But having laid a foundation, it's time to have a look at the passiva pater.
In his book, The Anti-Theology of Jesus, Michael Berner writes:
With the seed of doubt sown, sin was inevitable. Eve ate the fruit and immediately shared her delight with Adam, who so blatantly violated the law of active obedience. Passivity always precedes sin.Even without any setup, the meaning is clear. If you are confused by the Law of Active Obedience, there is a parable for that; see footnote³. I used highlighter on "Passivity always precedes sin," because this is the point at which he utterly failed his daughter—and neither will admit it.
He let his wife, Gwen< run the household because ... who really knows? Because it was less work? Maybe. But based on KatieLyn's caving in to stop the fights with her mom, I'd guess that avoiding an argument was a more likely motive.
Katie's dad ought to have known God's will for his daughter. He ought to have actively stood up for GOD's WILL even though it meant (gasp) he would have to over-rule his wife on this one! But he didn't. Notice my very deliberate phrasing? The father ought to have found out God's will for his family and then actively obeyed it. I did not say that he needed to side with his daughter over his wife. Oh, I'm 99% sure that is how Gwen would have interpreted it because it would have looked that way to her. Once KatieLyn ran back home in the middle of the night, Gwen framed everything with us vs. them 'sides.' And she saw herself as the righteous victor who was noble enough to empathize pity on the loser.
The Lesson
It is about Control. And about refusing to take Control. KatieLyn's dad failed to be a father to her. He did not protect her from missing God's will. He was like Adam in the Garden, just standing by and letting it happen. And there is a BIG POOL of men out there who have NO IDEA that they are going to be held accountable for the messes they never wanted to get involved in.
If feminists insist on comparing themselves to fish, then I submit that they do need bicycles to stay balanced. They are as far off the mark as KatieLyn's father because they are equally confused about what God's plan for them is - they get stuck on raging at the world because they feel stuck in the servant role, never realizing that God has progressive promotion in mind. servant > daughter > bride.
BUT THAT'S THE KIND OF STUFF GOD INTENDED THE FATHERS TO TEACH THEIR CHILDREN!
AND EVERYBODY SUFFERS WHEN FATHERS ARE PASSIVE. Feminism would go away if fathers would start acting like competent, compassionate men. Occasionally you can find one who ran into the ditch on the other side of the road—yes, there are a few bully fathers out there, ut sooner or later they usually get called on it. Today's blog post is about the ones who sit there like a lump and make excuses, often excuses that blame others, for their failure to man up.
Upon reflection, we learned that KatieLyn was afraid of masculinity, and a heap of that blame gets owned by the Father of the Runaway Bride who rarely, if ever, showed her how that works.
Footnotes
¹ Quote Investigator
² Scripture is not specific as to whether Cain ever tried to figure out the real reason he was angry. If he did, we don't know how long he struggled with it, perhaps years. In the end, he came to the wrong solution. Here is where the Lord instructs Cain on the
And the Lord looked with favor upon Abel and his offering,³ The Parable of the Vintner's Sons — read it in Matthew 21:28-32 where the father has told his sons to go work in his vineyard. One says No, but later repents and does his work. The other son says Yes, but never shows up for work. When Jesus asks which son did the will of his father, the answer, obviously, is the one who responded in active obedience, not the one who said he would
but upon Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.
And Cain burned greatly with anger, and his face fell.
And the Lord said to Cain, “Why does it make you burn with anger,
and why has your face fallen? If you mean well,
will your face not be lifted up? And if you do not mean well,
at the door couches Sin. Toward you is his longing,
and it is you who must rule over him.”
Thursday, June 7, 2018
Just when you thought there was nothing new...
I had been thinking about closing out this blog.
But then while working on something totally unrelated, I got this:
KaiteLyn did that to herself. Yes, Gwen was pushing her. But she chose to listen to her mom's voice over and above any of the three voices that ought to have been more important to a bride:
Over and above her own voice.
Over and above the groom's voice.
Over and above the Lord's voice.
When she ran back home in the middle of the night, she trampled on love and respect.
The Lesson
No matter how much Katie tries to convince herself that she "did the right thing," no matter how angry she gets at the suggestion that she did not do the right thing, the facts remain:
She was disrespectful and she trampled Love. That was foolish.
That does not mean she cannot be forgiven, but it does mean that she was too proud to admit the truth. And God is unlikely to send her a second chance when she is in unrepentant rebellion.
But then while working on something totally unrelated, I got this:
Love is a partner with respect. Love & Respect. If something sort of feels like love but fails to meet the "Doth not behave itself unseemly" qualifier of 1 Corinthians 13:5, then it is hankering or enchantment, but not biblical love. Adulation with no foundation for fidelity.
KaiteLyn did that to herself. Yes, Gwen was pushing her. But she chose to listen to her mom's voice over and above any of the three voices that ought to have been more important to a bride:
Over and above her own voice.
Over and above the groom's voice.
Over and above the Lord's voice.
When she ran back home in the middle of the night, she trampled on love and respect.
The Lesson
No matter how much Katie tries to convince herself that she "did the right thing," no matter how angry she gets at the suggestion that she did not do the right thing, the facts remain:
She was disrespectful and she trampled Love. That was foolish.
That does not mean she cannot be forgiven, but it does mean that she was too proud to admit the truth. And God is unlikely to send her a second chance when she is in unrepentant rebellion.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Seven months later...
Seven months have passed since my last post. KatieLyn, whose first two decades of life were spent pursuing her God-given dream of becoming a wife has now deceived herself into an almost surely futile attempt to embrace singlehood!
I doubt that trying to convince herself that she has "a call to remain single" on her life will end any better than her pursuit of the boyfriend that her Mom chose for her. Maybe a little better, because Gwen will resume her less proactive "I support my daughter (when it's in my best interest)" role.
God is a God of fresh starts. His mercies are new every morning. The prophet Jeremiah recognized this even as he lamented the distressing state of his country. In writing of his hope he said, "The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I have hope in Him.'" Lamentations 2:22-24
But the thing about fresh starts is they follow an ending of the previous thing. Ending is not the same as quitting. KatieLyn quit more than she ended.
The Lesson
...still pending
I doubt that trying to convince herself that she has "a call to remain single" on her life will end any better than her pursuit of the boyfriend that her Mom chose for her. Maybe a little better, because Gwen will resume her less proactive "I support my daughter (when it's in my best interest)" role.
But the thing about fresh starts is they follow an ending of the previous thing. Ending is not the same as quitting. KatieLyn quit more than she ended.
The Lesson
...still pending
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Many Hands Make Spoiled Broth
Today's title is a mashup of two common cliches:
Scripture can be twisted out of context with similar effect. When that happens, it is easy for a person to be in bondage to a false paradigm.
I believe this explains much of what went on with KatieLyn. We know that when Christ (the Word) was tempted in the wilderness, Satan used scripture (the Word) in his attack. Fortunately, Jesus rightly divided the Word and did not fall for the intended deception.
There was a Star Trek episode that used this plot device: A powerful alien bot seemed unstoppable until the last five minutes of the show when Captain Kirk pointed out an error in its reasoning. Since the bot was programmed to destroy everything that was illogical, it had to perform a suicidal roboticide.
Similarly, KatieLyn could not find the truth between apparently competing scripture and killed her own wedding.
Here was her dilemma:
Four days before the ordained wedding, KatieLyn chose to not oppose her mother. In doing so, she opposed God's plan for her life and put the Whammy on a lot of other people. Now God will have to fix that for them.
Notice that while the leaving houses and family scripture speaks of inheriting eternal life, the honoring parents one has a promise of "long-lived on the earth." The Gospel of Mark even adds the death angle:
Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
The Lesson
If she had first sought the Kingdom of God instead of her mother's advice, then KatieLyn would have found what God told her in the first place: That He had ordained this wedding.
Instead, the sorry truth is that KatieLyn failed her time of testing. She demonstrated that she could not trust either God or Joe as much as she trusted her mother.
Many hands make light work.Both statements are true when they are applied in the proper context, and yet when put side by side, they seem of conflict with each other.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
Scripture can be twisted out of context with similar effect. When that happens, it is easy for a person to be in bondage to a false paradigm.
I believe this explains much of what went on with KatieLyn. We know that when Christ (the Word) was tempted in the wilderness, Satan used scripture (the Word) in his attack. Fortunately, Jesus rightly divided the Word and did not fall for the intended deception.
There was a Star Trek episode that used this plot device: A powerful alien bot seemed unstoppable until the last five minutes of the show when Captain Kirk pointed out an error in its reasoning. Since the bot was programmed to destroy everything that was illogical, it had to perform a suicidal roboticide.
Similarly, KatieLyn could not find the truth between apparently competing scripture and killed her own wedding.
Here was her dilemma:
Ephesians 6:2Her mother had been manipulatively whining for months that KatieLyn was going to leave; that Joe was doing something cruel by "taking KatieLyn away" from her.
Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you and that you may be long-lived on the earth.
Matthew 19:29
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
Four days before the ordained wedding, KatieLyn chose to not oppose her mother. In doing so, she opposed God's plan for her life and put the Whammy on a lot of other people. Now God will have to fix that for them.
Notice that while the leaving houses and family scripture speaks of inheriting eternal life, the honoring parents one has a promise of "long-lived on the earth." The Gospel of Mark even adds the death angle:
Mark 7:10She did not realized that these scriptures were not in conflict. Here is the part she missed:
For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother; and, Whoever curses father or mother, let him die the death.
Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
The Lesson
If she had first sought the Kingdom of God instead of her mother's advice, then KatieLyn would have found what God told her in the first place: That He had ordained this wedding.
Instead, the sorry truth is that KatieLyn failed her time of testing. She demonstrated that she could not trust either God or Joe as much as she trusted her mother.
Monday, October 31, 2016
A Real Witch & Ghost Story 👻
1 Samuel 28
The cast:
Samuel, a prophet, deceased
Saul, the king
woman at Endor who had a familiar spirit
In those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war...
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his home town.
Saul had expelled the mediums and necromancers from the land.
When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.
When Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, neither by dreams nor by prophets.
Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes and came to the woman at night.
Saul said, "Conjure up for me, please, and bring up whomever I name.
But the woman said to him, "You surely know what Saul has done, how he has killed the mediums
and spiritists in the land. Why are you setting a trap for me to get me killed?"
Saul vowed to her by the LORD, saying, "As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing. ... Bring up Samuel for me."
The rest of the story is copied at the end of this article if you need to review. Lord Byron said of this account in scripture:
1. They both started out well, loving and serving God.
2. They both were subjected to outside attack; Saul by the Philistines and Katielyn by a brigade of demonic doubt.
3. They both became afraid as terror filled their heart.
4. They were both in a position where they could no longer hear God.
5. They both made really stupid decisions when they tried to work around that in the natural.
6. They both went and did things that in former times when they had been walking with the Lord, they had vowed never to do.
7. They both resorted to deception in an attempt to get out of a bad situation.
8. They both lost Big-time because of it. Saul lost his life, and KatieLyn lost what God had planned to be the love of her life.
The Lesson
Today, KatieLyn is stuck in a dead zone. She is in a relationship where she has to work at being loved; love is no longer lavished upon her. Satan leaves her alone now because he no longer has to work very hard at keeping her out of the center of God's plan. Her own cocktail of pride and poor self-image keeps herself in a "comfortable religion" where she doesn't have to deal with audacious ventures of faith.
1 Samuel 28:12-17 The story continues...
12And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. 13And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. 14And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
15And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. 16Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? 17And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:
The cast:
Samuel, a prophet, deceased
Saul, the king
woman at Endor who had a familiar spirit
In those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war...
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his home town.
Saul had expelled the mediums and necromancers from the land.
When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.
When Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, neither by dreams nor by prophets.
Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes and came to the woman at night.
Saul said, "Conjure up for me, please, and bring up whomever I name.
But the woman said to him, "You surely know what Saul has done, how he has killed the mediums
and spiritists in the land. Why are you setting a trap for me to get me killed?"
Saul vowed to her by the LORD, saying, "As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing. ... Bring up Samuel for me."
The rest of the story is copied at the end of this article if you need to review. Lord Byron said of this account in scripture:
"I have always thought this the finest and most finished witch scene that ever was written or conceived, and you will be of my opinion if you consider all the circumstances of the actors of the case, together with the gravity, simplicity and density of the language. It beats all the ghost scenes I have ever read."Byron was certainly correct in his observation about the "density of language." Many lessons are packed into a relatively short narrative. Today, I want to point out some similarities between KatieLyn and Saul:
1. They both started out well, loving and serving God.
2. They both were subjected to outside attack; Saul by the Philistines and Katielyn by a brigade of demonic doubt.
3. They both became afraid as terror filled their heart.
4. They were both in a position where they could no longer hear God.
5. They both made really stupid decisions when they tried to work around that in the natural.
6. They both went and did things that in former times when they had been walking with the Lord, they had vowed never to do.
7. They both resorted to deception in an attempt to get out of a bad situation.
8. They both lost Big-time because of it. Saul lost his life, and KatieLyn lost what God had planned to be the love of her life.
The Lesson
Today, KatieLyn is stuck in a dead zone. She is in a relationship where she has to work at being loved; love is no longer lavished upon her. Satan leaves her alone now because he no longer has to work very hard at keeping her out of the center of God's plan. Her own cocktail of pride and poor self-image keeps herself in a "comfortable religion" where she doesn't have to deal with audacious ventures of faith.
1 Samuel 28:12-17 The story continues...
12And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. 13And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. 14And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
15And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. 16Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? 17And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:
Friday, October 21, 2016
Christmas Shopping
Book Lady Necklace ← This is a link for purchase. But if you are viewing this years from now after the merchandise has changed, the necklace looked like this:
This is a fairly good representation of KatieLyn, who refuses to interact with the real world.
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