Hello! Welcome! Greetings! and most of all, MERRY CHRISTmas 2014! I am composing my
Christmas card letter on December 18, 2014 from
Redondo Beach, California…just
happens to be the morning after a tragic accident last night outside St. James
Church where I...
periodically
attend church services…albeit I was not here last night when, after a Christmas
concert at the church, a group of eleven or so were hit by a car in the
intersection of PCH & Vincent and three were killed (two elderly, one age
36…maybe a mother )…so I happened to come to the church service this morning
and saw a bit of the police press conference (the police dept is just around
the corner from the church)…so that’s a SAD note to start this Christmas
letter (for full story, see
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/18/car-hits-crowd-redondo-beach/20575453/ ),but I always try to incorporate REALITY into my correspondence, rather than sugarcoat everything, , and that’s a tragic reality of the moment as of 10:17am (pst). So add this matter to your thoughts & prayers as we countdown to CHRISTmas. And let us remember that Christmas is MORE than one day but a season for GIVING not just getting.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/18/car-hits-crowd-redondo-beach/20575453/ ),but I always try to incorporate REALITY into my correspondence, rather than sugarcoat everything, , and that’s a tragic reality of the moment as of 10:17am (pst). So add this matter to your thoughts & prayers as we countdown to CHRISTmas. And let us remember that Christmas is MORE than one day but a season for GIVING not just getting.
Let
us be CHARITABLE in deed and in spirit, remembering the ultimate sacrifice of
care & love & kindness our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ made for us,
2000 years ago! And let me tell you how I am doing as we approach the year of
our Lord Two-Thousand-&Fifteen !
**********
I am okay! Some of you know I have dealt
with physical chronic pain issues after an incident that happened around 2000.
It’s been fifteen years dealing with this pain…lots of MRI’s, x-rays, even a
cat-scan …all in an effort to pinpoint the source of the pain…which as best as
everybody can tell is coming from my spine (c5, c6 and maybe some of the lumbar
areas as well)…so I was considering surgery but suddenly something happened
that caused me to become disillusioned by the medical system here in
California, and I simply decided to STOP going to the doctors. I decided I
would simply LIVE with the pain, and only go to my primary care doctor for the
most grave matters. Once I made that decision, despite the pain still being
present, in some ways my life became easier. And so I just leave it at that for
now.
**********
Meanwhile,
life & ministry & evangelism and telling the Good news, the joyful
gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord must keep being proclaimed! We must keep
telling the world what the REAL MEANING of life is all about! Albeit we must do
so thoughtfully and with genuine care & concern for people, not just as a
“job.” One thing I thought of recently …given I attend many different churches
and services and observe various pastors, priests, church leaders et al is that
what “the people” need and want more than a “leader” or a “father” is a
“BROTHER” (or sister in some cases).
We want to “go to church” to be amongst equals, not in a “pyramid
scheme” where the parishioners are at the bottom and the leaders are at the
“top.” I think the “parable of the workers”
(as well as the prodigal son) is
a good example of what God intended to convey about new people at a church not
feeling as if they are inferior …but that they should be made to feel as if
they are equal, even celebrated. Let us keep our pastors in prayer !
Too often when I go to a new church I am aware
that sometimes whoever just greeted me is cognizant that they have never seen
me before at “their church” whereas they have been lifetime members …and so I
am “below” them on the “chain” of command so to speak.
That’s
NOT how we should see others at church…in fact we must be more intune and in
touch with the church as the Body of Christ,much larger than our local
congregation, more than a building at the end of the block…but the worldwide
BODY of CHRIST…protestants, catholics, orthodox, et al…all those who profess
faith in Jesus Christ.
I must admit I am concerned about some “independent”
churches that do NOT recite the Nicene Creed, and I am concerned when I hear
“bashing” of other congregations (ie protestants bashing catholics or
vice-versa).
We are supposed to be UNITED…as they say “united we stand, divided
we fall”, which is why I have started the PRO-CATH-ORDOX faith. This is to help
keep people cognizant of the greater unity of Christ beyond the walls of the
neighborhood church. It's also been encouraging to see the catholic pope & orthodox pope agreeing to more unity !
Unfortunately, too many pastors are focused and concerned
solely upon their local needs…paying bills, maintenance, new building projects.
Sometimes they grudgingly mention ecumenical matters, but they are still more
concerned about the matters of their parish, their parishioners, their
congregation…and all the logistics of scheduling, planning, etc.
When
the local needs of a parish become MORE IMPORTANT than the larger needs
of the whole body of Christ, the church has lost it’s focus. The pro-cath-ordox
(ie protestant, catholic, orthodox united) faith is NOT meant to take people
away from their local church. You can be pro-cath-ordox and also be simply
protestant, simply catholic, simply orthodox and continue to attend your
neighborhood church and to put the pastors at ease continue to contribute
financially to your local church.
However, if you join the pro-cath-ordox faith
you always remember that you are committed and united with the larger body of
Christ worldwide. We do NOT solicit or accept financial contributions…this is
not an appeal in that regard.
*********
IN
other matters…some of you know me from here or there…some of you know me from
my family..maybe from my Grand Rapids years…maybe from my southern California
years…maybe from a semester in Spain, or from my time in Hawaii, or my mission
in the Philippines or Costa Rica, or Africa, and the list goes on…; so many
different experiences …different schools
(calvin college, calvin seminary, fuller seminary, chaminade university of
Honolulu, cal state long beach, university of spain in denia, even a little bit
of law school at wayne state Detroit; also intern work at st mary’s emergency
room in long beach, and at ucla medical center, among other things…;and then
the church experiences ...disaster relief in Costa Rica with the CRWRC
(Christian Reformed World Relief…I think it’s “World Renew” now)..and CRWM (CR
world missions ) in the Philippines..; and growing up in the CRC mostly in
Grand Rapids (1st CRC) but also Iowa (where I was born when my dad
was a CRC pastor) and in southern California (Bethany CRC was a home of sorts
for a while as well as the former Crystal Cathedral for many years…that’s a
whole different story)…and I should mention Church of the Servant in Grand
Rapids as well as a few other CRC’s in west Michigan that were influential to
me…and I should mention how the Roman Catholic church has begun to influence me
here in southern California…
...given their larger presence than the CRC in this
area). I would be remiss if I did not also mention the various Orthodox
congregations in southern California that I have participated with in worship
over the years..even enjoying the fact that given their different calendar I
can participate in Christmas services TWICE a year in some cases.
And
the important thing about attending church services is that it facilitates
growth in Christ…; that is what I seek when I attend a church service, or
participate in a gathering of sorts. All of the above have been a positive
influence on me along with my educational and seminary experiences. I have
heard some pastors at some independent churches scoff at seminary (apparently
some of these churches do not require seminary education to become a pastor),
but I disagree that seminary is unimportant to church leadership.
I think
seminary is a difficult experience but in some ways necessary to be at least somewhat
exposed to in order to become aware of the various church issues and history in
a larger manner. However, I am also aware of the danger of seminary, and the
fact that at some seminaries there are even possible nefarious forces at work,
of which we must beware. I will not mention names here..in the Spirit of
CHRISTmas I will refrain from name-blame, but trust me when I say that not all
persons at all seminaries are always truly in the Spirit of Christ!
**********
And
so I will review a bit about how I have ended up where I am now…still dedicated
to the body of Christ worldwide but also an independent evangelist of
sorts…still committed and cognizant of my roots as a Dutch-American Christian
Reformed Church kid, but also commited to the larger body of protestants,
Catholics, & Orthodox. In my heart of hearts when you really push me the
CRC is part of my DNA. I grew up in the Christian schools in Grand Rapids (MI)
albeit also attended the local public school thru 4th grade (Alger
Elementary) and so I was a little bit “different” from many of my Christian
school classmates who knew only the Christian school experience. The short
sampling of integrated education definitely had an impact and influence on
me…and even separated me a bit from my siblings who for some reason did NOT go
to the public school as I did (I still do NOT know why my parents kept me at
the public school thru 4th grade but sent all my siblings only to
the Christian schools). Why was I treated differently? I have my theories but
still have no answer from them.
Whatever
the case may be, I know that attending Alger public thru 4th grade
gave me greater awareness and exposure to people of different backgrounds:
socio-economic, racial, ethnic, etc. I played basketball with kids from
different backgrounds, different skin color, ethnicities etc. It was the early
70’s…still somewhat the beginning of the “integration” experiment. My dad was a
CRC pastor working at Pine Rest Christian (psychiatric) Hospital as a chaplain
(& CPE supervisor) and my mom was a piano teacher and housewife for the time being (later she
would go back to work as a full-time teacher).
We
lived on Griswold street, a stone-throw away from Alger…back when they still
FLOODED the entire basketball court & tennis court in the winter to make a
large ice-skating rink…it was a GREAT time…( have they ever done that again
after those few years in the 70’s, I don’t know..but I know they discontinued
doing so after a while, maybe for budget reasons). …we would play hockey, and
“hat-snatch” and just have a good ol’ time…warming up in the little shack from
time-to-time. And in the summer we would play basketball and tennis at alger
(the old building not the new).
And
then I started going to Seymour School, a little further away and made new
friends..I called my “Christian school friends.” …so I had my “public school
friends” ..and my “Christian school friends”…and later in life they all were
just my “friends” in general..still think and pray for all of my friends from
west Michigan..fun trying to find them on facebook and linked-in these days.. ;
and I hope they know Jesus Christ as their Savior and are dedicated in some
small or big way to the greater cause of the kingdom..and that we will all be
united together as friends in heaven some day !
Playing
football, by the way, was a big part of my life in Grand Rapids…starting with
rocket football..I played with Mike Waalkes for many years. ...
He
was a public school kid and went on to
Ottawa (back when they were still called “the indians” ) and I went to
Christian high (“the eagles”)…we were only a few blocks away from eachother,
but I never socialized much with Mike after I switched to the Christian
schools…nonetheless I knew he was the quarterback for the Indians..and I was
the strong safety…and I was ready for the big game against them in the 1984-85
season …they were on top of the city league that year…and we were in the middle
of the pack; Christian High was never much of a football school (in comparison
to the heavyweight Catholic Central & a few of the other stronger football
schools in the city league) . We were more of a basketball, golf, cross-country
school I suppose (albeit much later in time around the 2010+ year I noticed
GRCH became a powerhouse for a while)…’;
Anyways,
we kept the game close versus Ottawa but they squeaked out a win…I was happy
nonetheless to have at least intercepted Mike and got mentioned in the GR Press
…only saw Mike a few times after that…once at West Michigan where he was a
roommate of another close friend of mine, the late Rick Byle (who died in a
snowmobile accident later in life, God rest his soul..), and once again at
Calvin College..he happened to be doing something there when I was still a
student (or a returning student)…hope all is well for Mike..I noticed online
that he is helping out with rocket football …I really LOVED rocketfootball..it
bringsback some of my most happy memories…
Meanwhile
back to the present time…as I was going thru seminary…which came AFTER all the
missionary work I did…and AFTER the teaching I did in COACHELLA (which is now
known for the music festival but when I was there the music festival had not
yet arrived)…both calvin & fuller seminary I started my OWN
MINISTRY…originally mustard seed ministries..which has evolved over time in a
good way, and includes media production (for the Kingdom)…& I continue to
plant small seeds here & there around southern California &
occasionally I go further away…sometimes northern Cal (was there at the time of
the world series…giants win again !) …and even sometimes outside California..I
particularly concentrated on the entire country for a while as I drove
cross-country in a state of heightened vigilance re prayer for our world,
country, states, cities, local communities…amazing how much more connected we become to others
when we physically enter into their communities and become part of other
communities if only temporarily as uncomfortable as it may be at first; I think
it is important for us to experience this temporary discomfort in order to
create new spaces…and I have realized that in the long-term it leads to greater
sense of community…even a larger sense..more connectedness,…and when we do this
for a larger, higher purpose, especially for the kingdom of Christ we also feel
more meaningful in all of our daily interactions, whether or not we are overtly
professing Christ or otherwise (sometimes we can be “evangelical” just by our
presence).
*****Well, I attended two sad mass/worship services at St. James today (8am &noon) with numerous news trucks outside the church & a growing memorial of flowers on the sidewalk at the intersection. It’s a reminder of how quickly things can change. Those three people walking out of the church had NO IDEA that a few seconds later they would be SWEPT AWAY, hopefully to a better place...
And
yet we are at a time of new beginnings. CHRISTmas is a reminder of the birth of
Christ and our new life in Christ…whether that new life is in heaven or here on
earth.
It’s
been raining here in southern Cal the last few days…or a week now…we need it
but it won’t do much to help the drought. Big waves make the surfers happy. I
don’t surf…having grown up mostly in Michigan we enjoyed the beach but never
got into the surfing scene and I never picked it up when we moved to
California. However, I have become a fan of surfing, particularly pro surfing,
and am keeping my eye on the current asp finale at pipeline in Hawaii (“pipemasters”).
In
fact as a surfing fan I try to attend the various events they have here in
southern Cal, especially the big one at “trestles” by San Clemente (which
impacts the rankings), as well as the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach
(which is big in terms of attendance & money, but doesn’t impact the standings for the
world title)…
…right
now as of 12/18/14 the world title is on the line for a guy from Brazil named
Medina…hoping to bring home the first world surfing championship for a
Brazilian; albeit our great American champion Kelly Slater still has a
slim hope for a 12th world
championship. He’s been SO MUCH FUN to watch and to cheer…a really great
American champion…the whole surfing scene is a nice diversion from some of the
less edifying aspects of life in southern California such as traffic, a few
angry people, violence & crime & things of that sort. …
…my
time in Hawaii at Chaminade University exposed me to great waves…my roommate
ron foo was a surfer…he still lives in Honolulu…for some reason my time in
Hawaii brings back some of the most happy thoughts of my life…I just LOVE the
Hawaii spirit and have found a way to re-ignite those memories by attending
various hula shows they have here in California…
…back
to speaking of violence & crime however, I must mention the unpleasant fact
that my car was broken into at dodger stadium (actually parked just outside the
stadium) while I was attending a game…when I got back to the car the window was
broken…my laptop was gone..and the car battery too! The laptop was old,
fortunately..not worth much, but it did contain intellectual property that I
wish I still had (some of it was backed up on flash drives…others not)…;
unfortunately, in the process of taking the battery they also, seemingly
intentional, yanked the wires out of the fuse box, so that I couldn’t just
replace the battery (which was getting old) but had to get the fusebox
re-wired..which of course the mechanics told me was very complicated and
therefore expensive as well (what’s new? Is anything not complicated and
expensive for mechanics these days?).
I
spent a few days and hundreds of dollars getting everything fixed…new window,
re-wired, new battery, …etc but never got a new laptop…been living without a
laptop ever since..
…and
there are a few other crimes I could mention but why focus on the negative?
*******
…back
to the positive…the glorious hope of salvation…I've always found the water i.e. the waves & beach...and ocean (or lake michigan and other nice lakes) to be a symbol & reminder of baptism...and a renewal of the Holy Spirit...
...in fact, I spend as much time as I can renewing my spirit by swimming in the Pacific Ocean...often times at Corona Del Mar in Newport beach...there's a spot called
"little corona" beach where I will swim out to a buoy several hundred
yards away & back for a good workout, or other times I will simply
go snorkeling...sometimes the water will be crystal clear there...reminding me of Hanauma Bay in Hawaii, albeit not as many fish to see in Newport. You might see a few orange girabaldi, maybe some lobsters..a few other small fish but not too much more unless you really search and go deep.
However, the funny thing is that just last year I happened to be there and lo & behold some whales came swimming thru
CDM (corona del mar)...right thru little & big CDM...; they do have
lots of whale-watching tours in this area but the whales are usually
out there a ways and never have I seen or heard of them coming in as
close as the swimming area...it was a sight to see...one whale with a
baby following closely.
Speaking of whales, several years ago I took a trip to the famous San Ignacio bay in Mexico to see the whales up close. What a trip that is! I don't know of anywhere else inthe world where whales are so numerous and come
up close to the boat (and by the way, we are in simple boats...like
canoes...maybe a bit bigger, with an outboard motor...with a Mexican
guide)...
it
was very exciting! and getting there is part of the adventure...it's so
remote..I was alone..having rented a car and drove for
hours on a dry, dusty, dirt road thru saguaro fields to get there..no
stores, no gas stations...make sure you have food, gas, & water for
24 hours...
...that was during holy week. I think I have some video online still...albeit some of my youtube sites are no longer available because I was sabotaged.
...I still remain active online..that's my favorite formof evangelizing...often using inspirational Bible verses along with photos of current events, and/or the news, and other blogs devoted to various issues...
...but I also do street evangelism, mostly handing out tracts ...putting them under windshield wipers rather than interacting with people (unfortunately, most people don't want to hear it & will turn away immediately)...
...I really believe America is the most difficult mission field even if it may be the most comfortable in terms of material things. In fact, maybe the two are correllated...the more material wealth, the less spiritual interest..sad-to-say.
I also have focused on reaching the hollywood crowd, even doing a little "extra" work for various movies so that I might become a familiar face and a representative for Christianity inside "the industry" as they say. They let me know from time-to-time when something is available, if I am interested. Needless to say, there's nothing that glamourous about making a movie. You really have to have a purpose to remain in it. For some it's money; for others it's self-expression; for me, it's to tell the Good News!
Also,for a while up until the end, I was a regular at the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Not a guest, but in attendance at the taping of the show. It was the most accessible show to attend. Most of the time you could get same-day tickets and parking was close & free in Burbank. I was really sad to see it come to an end. I hear Leno is going to have a new show soon, dedicated to his love of cars. I wonder if that will have an audience?
But keep in mind hollywood and los angeles...keep the secular community in your prayers, as I also keep you and your community wherever you may
be in the world in my prayers...[ i really do ! with intention!]...
...speaking of prayers, ... the prayerful life is becoming ALL the more important and meaningful to me lately...I have found solace in prayer, as the increasing realizing of powerlessness has set in upon me. I don't mean physical powerlessness. I am still in decent physical condition even if in constant pain, but physical power has NO significance inthis world as an educated person. I don't use my strength as I did in Michigan to shovel snow, to deliver newspapers , to chop wood, or even play football anymore. I might use it for swimming...sometimes hiking and various exercises, but being a physically fit or muscular person by itself doesn't help accomplish anything. IN fact, people around southern California will turn it against you, with some of them playing the "scared little me" act, and making others out to be potentially dangerous, and the bigger or more muscular are, the easier it is for them tomake a case against you. It's part of my gripe about the de-masculization of the American male (or to be exact the word is "emasculazation" but de-masculization seems to convey it better...maybe that should be a new word).
In seminary we talk about Biblical manhood & womanhood. SOme of that ties in with today's problem of de-masculzation . I don't want to get too political here, but I do think America is in danger if we allow feminism to go too far. I think there have been some good things done for women in terms of giving them more equality, but if you take it too far, without Christ in the equation, you have the potential for a time-bomb. And I think it's ticking already.
I have also made a point of defending unborn life, and will continue to do so. I hope you too will stand strong in defense of innocent life in the womb which cannot defend itself. For those who have issues about keeping their baby, let us make adoption the only option!
and then there is "police problem". ...as everybody is aware there has been a few incidents this year that have caused protests...mostly about so-called "white cops" versus "un-armed" non-white persons ...I'm not taking sides here...and am not saying the cops are always wrong. Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't.
However, we still have much improvement to make in terms of police-citizen interactions in general, not just in terms of white-black relations.
I myself was the victim of police many years ago...about which I willnot go into detail here...but suffice to say they used excessive force against me at the scene of a traffic accident where the other driver had run a red light and they tried to blame me! When I hear about these incidents where black persons are killed by cops, I hear it differently than the average conservative who defends the cops. I personally know how what really happened can be completely transformed into the cop being "poor little me" versus a "monster" when in fact it is usually the cop with the most power in all aspects. In fact I believe they are trained and coached ex-post facto as to what to say to defend all their use of whatever force they employ.
HOwever, once again I will try to refrain from any rants on the matter at this time. In fact I have blogs and other resources dedicated to praying for our cops ("the good, the bad, & the ugly" ) to try to improve our police and our police-citizen relations. There are too many good cops to generalize all as bad. Let us keep them all in prayer . And let us pray for better race relations as well!
Speaking of race relations, in a strange segue, I miss my golden retriever Lola,
who was with me for 14 years. She was the most beautiful golden dog..and full of so much energy & excitement. She was with me from Grand Rapids to Jackson Hole Wyoming to Coachella, back to Grand Rapids, back to southern California...to the top of Mt Whitney (!)...and even had eight or nine puppies along the way (all black!)...what an inspiration she was to me. She loved people! Why can't we love people, all people, as much as Lola ?! That's the spirit of Lola! That's the Spirit of Jesus! LOVE! LOVE ! LOVE!
Recently, the media wrongly reported Pope Francis as having said dogs may be in heaven as well. Well, the media may have wrongly reported it, but I contend that there will be good dogs, soulful dogs (& soulful other animals) in heaven as well. I say it because I want it to be so! That's the power of faith! of believing!
And speaking of soul, sad to say it came to my attention as I was going thru fuller seminary that not all "Christians" believe in soul. IT was a SHOCK to me to be confronted with such a reality, and I put such persons in quotations as "Christians" because I don't know how you can call yourself a Christian if you don't believe in soul. IN fact I don't get the point of being Christian if there is no soul. (also see http://savingsoul.blogspot.com/
...that was during holy week. I think I have some video online still...albeit some of my youtube sites are no longer available because I was sabotaged.
...I still remain active online..that's my favorite formof evangelizing...often using inspirational Bible verses along with photos of current events, and/or the news, and other blogs devoted to various issues...
...but I also do street evangelism, mostly handing out tracts ...putting them under windshield wipers rather than interacting with people (unfortunately, most people don't want to hear it & will turn away immediately)...
...I really believe America is the most difficult mission field even if it may be the most comfortable in terms of material things. In fact, maybe the two are correllated...the more material wealth, the less spiritual interest..sad-to-say.
I also have focused on reaching the hollywood crowd, even doing a little "extra" work for various movies so that I might become a familiar face and a representative for Christianity inside "the industry" as they say. They let me know from time-to-time when something is available, if I am interested. Needless to say, there's nothing that glamourous about making a movie. You really have to have a purpose to remain in it. For some it's money; for others it's self-expression; for me, it's to tell the Good News!
Also,for a while up until the end, I was a regular at the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Not a guest, but in attendance at the taping of the show. It was the most accessible show to attend. Most of the time you could get same-day tickets and parking was close & free in Burbank. I was really sad to see it come to an end. I hear Leno is going to have a new show soon, dedicated to his love of cars. I wonder if that will have an audience?
But keep in mind hollywood and los angeles...keep the secular community in your prayers, as I also keep you and your community wherever you may
be in the world in my prayers...[ i really do ! with intention!]...
...speaking of prayers, ... the prayerful life is becoming ALL the more important and meaningful to me lately...I have found solace in prayer, as the increasing realizing of powerlessness has set in upon me. I don't mean physical powerlessness. I am still in decent physical condition even if in constant pain, but physical power has NO significance inthis world as an educated person. I don't use my strength as I did in Michigan to shovel snow, to deliver newspapers , to chop wood, or even play football anymore. I might use it for swimming...sometimes hiking and various exercises, but being a physically fit or muscular person by itself doesn't help accomplish anything. IN fact, people around southern California will turn it against you, with some of them playing the "scared little me" act, and making others out to be potentially dangerous, and the bigger or more muscular are, the easier it is for them tomake a case against you. It's part of my gripe about the de-masculization of the American male (or to be exact the word is "emasculazation" but de-masculization seems to convey it better...maybe that should be a new word).
In seminary we talk about Biblical manhood & womanhood. SOme of that ties in with today's problem of de-masculzation . I don't want to get too political here, but I do think America is in danger if we allow feminism to go too far. I think there have been some good things done for women in terms of giving them more equality, but if you take it too far, without Christ in the equation, you have the potential for a time-bomb. And I think it's ticking already.
I have also made a point of defending unborn life, and will continue to do so. I hope you too will stand strong in defense of innocent life in the womb which cannot defend itself. For those who have issues about keeping their baby, let us make adoption the only option!
and then there is "police problem". ...as everybody is aware there has been a few incidents this year that have caused protests...mostly about so-called "white cops" versus "un-armed" non-white persons ...I'm not taking sides here...and am not saying the cops are always wrong. Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't.
However, we still have much improvement to make in terms of police-citizen interactions in general, not just in terms of white-black relations.
I myself was the victim of police many years ago...about which I willnot go into detail here...but suffice to say they used excessive force against me at the scene of a traffic accident where the other driver had run a red light and they tried to blame me! When I hear about these incidents where black persons are killed by cops, I hear it differently than the average conservative who defends the cops. I personally know how what really happened can be completely transformed into the cop being "poor little me" versus a "monster" when in fact it is usually the cop with the most power in all aspects. In fact I believe they are trained and coached ex-post facto as to what to say to defend all their use of whatever force they employ.
HOwever, once again I will try to refrain from any rants on the matter at this time. In fact I have blogs and other resources dedicated to praying for our cops ("the good, the bad, & the ugly" ) to try to improve our police and our police-citizen relations. There are too many good cops to generalize all as bad. Let us keep them all in prayer . And let us pray for better race relations as well!
Speaking of race relations, in a strange segue, I miss my golden retriever Lola,
who was with me for 14 years. She was the most beautiful golden dog..and full of so much energy & excitement. She was with me from Grand Rapids to Jackson Hole Wyoming to Coachella, back to Grand Rapids, back to southern California...to the top of Mt Whitney (!)...and even had eight or nine puppies along the way (all black!)...what an inspiration she was to me. She loved people! Why can't we love people, all people, as much as Lola ?! That's the spirit of Lola! That's the Spirit of Jesus! LOVE! LOVE ! LOVE!
Recently, the media wrongly reported Pope Francis as having said dogs may be in heaven as well. Well, the media may have wrongly reported it, but I contend that there will be good dogs, soulful dogs (& soulful other animals) in heaven as well. I say it because I want it to be so! That's the power of faith! of believing!
And speaking of soul, sad to say it came to my attention as I was going thru fuller seminary that not all "Christians" believe in soul. IT was a SHOCK to me to be confronted with such a reality, and I put such persons in quotations as "Christians" because I don't know how you can call yourself a Christian if you don't believe in soul. IN fact I don't get the point of being Christian if there is no soul. (also see http://savingsoul.blogspot.com/
…[to be continued]
