Enemy at the Gates

Link to online Bible: https://www.biblegateway.com/

As Orlando is still recovering from the terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 49, now Istanbul suffers a blow.  Why?  How could anyone have so much hate in their heart? Because we aren’t like them.  This is the religion that claims to be the religion of peace, and yet, it always seems to be Islamic terror that is responsible.  According to http://www.thereligionofpeace.com, which tracks terrorist attacks, in May alone there were 231 attacks worldwide in 31 countries that killed 1,883 people and wounded another 2,206.  This site also claim that Islamic terrorists have carried out more than 28,707 attacks since 9/11/2001.  That’s a staggering number, and it helps us to understand the determination of the enemy.  This is what a war waged on an ideology rather than political gain looks like.

All in the Family

Link to online Bible: https://www.biblegateway.com/

This past Sunday was Father’s Day; a day set aside to honor the men who made us.  While the first Father’s Day was celebrated in my home state of West Virginia, as was Mother’s Day, it didn’t receive much publicity.  So, most people look to the celebration that took place in Washington in 1910 as the birth of the holiday.  Either way, it became a time for people to honor their fathers as they had done on Mother’s Day earlier in the year.

Something has happened over the years, though.  Fathers, who used to be looked upon as the wise, stern and loving leaders of their homes, are now looked upon as bumbling, laughable idiots who always run around half-cocked with some hair-brained idea before his wife sets him straight.  Look at the differences in how fathers were portrayed as Andy Taylor and Charles Ingalls and now as Homer Simpson and Phil Dunphy.  There has been a breakdown in the family structure.  Due in part to the “liberation” movements that swept the nation, it became less and less popular to maintain a traditional view of marriage.  What we are seeing is the result of an abandonment of God’s structure and the implementation of our own design.  Let’s take a look at a less-than-popular passage of Scripture that has been severely misrepresented and misinterpreted over the years to find out what God’s plan is. 

Dark Side of the Loon

When people look at me, they see one of two things: A pastor who is focused on the task at hand or a nutty kind of guy who likes to laugh.  While I am both of those things, I am much more than what is going on with the outside.  I am a pastor, and I am focused, especially on Sundays.  I have prepared all week for this moment, and I have an important job to do.  Throughout the week, I am usually a little looser.  I like to joke and have fun when I’m not fulfilling some official capacity.  I enjoy those times of laughter and levity.

But people can’t see what’s going on underneath the surface.  Depression.  That’s almost a dirty word in the church world.  Why?  Because we don’t understand it, and because it is hard for people to explain.  I have heard things said along the lines of, “Don’t you trust God?” or “You don’t have enough faith!”  One of my favorite lines is “Suck it up and get over it.”  While most of these are spoken from a place of genuine concern, they show little understanding of what it actually means to struggle with depression.  It is my hope that by sharing my story, it may help shed some light for others.

The Onus

Onus is a word that isn’t used much in our vocabulary.  At first glance, it can be mistaken for another word.  One could argue that by not taking the former, you become the later, but that is a different post for a different day.  What does onus mean?  According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it means “the responsibility for something.”  Used in a sentence, it would look like this: “Despite the cultural stigmata surrounding semi-automatic sporting rifles, the onus of the attack belongs upon the shoulders of the gunman.”

We live in a society that hates taking responsibility for its actions, and this isn’t something that has happened overnight, nor did it start with this generation known as “Millenials.”  We sue the condom company when someone gets pregnant outside of wedlock.  We blame the victim for dressing inappropriately and getting raped when we have taught her that she is nothing more than a sex object.  We blamed McDonald’s because the coffee we spilled on our laps was too hot.  We blame society for our chronic tardiness.  When the policeman pulls us over for breaking the law and speeding, we blame everything else but ourselves.  We lie, cheat, steal, murder, abort, smear and destroy, but it isn’t really our faults, is it? 

A Brief Leave of Absence

Due to an unexpected and tragic loss in my family, I was away for a little while.  I needed the time to rest and refocus.  I still feel overwhelmed and at a loss for words at times, but I understand that Gabriel, my nephew who passed away, has left us who are dying to be with God and the forever living.  We will see him again, but only in the life to come.  I appreciate your prayers, and I promise that I will be back on here soon.

Thanks and God bless,

Joshua