A plea for revival in America

II Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

This scripture has commonly and correctly been referenced to speak of the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit of God regarding the rapture of the church and subsequent departure of the indwelling Holy Spirit. I do not wish to diminish that thought today, but as I have read and heard of the tragedy in Connecticut and the horrible act of wickedness, the taking of so many lives, I could not help but see this scripture from a different perspective. 

The wicked one, the adversary of righteousness, is alive and well today and active on planet Earth. Many will ask why or how something like this could happen if there really were a God in heaven. The question that should be asked is, "How much more will we remove God from our lives and allow these things to take place more and more?" Without the authority of God and His word ever-present and at work in the world today, it would be far worse. The power of God lived out in His people acts as an influence in society. This influence was once a prevailing force in society, when the truth of the Bible was revered, the holiness of God was respected. Now we watch as that influence is diminished in society by the dilution of political correctness and globalism. The concentration of all that at one time was good and right in America has now been watered down to a cloudy scum pond fostering the growth of immorality and violence. As we have, for all intents and purposes, taken God out of the way, what is left to stem the tide of these actions in our land?

O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.

The best view of the best shooting stars, ever

Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays! Oh forget that...Merry Christmas! It is my favorite time of the year. It is for a lot of people, but for me, Christmas highlights why I love to be a "family" man. Many will say that Christmas is just for children. Sorry, I'm not going for that. Because Christmas is about a person, not all of the stuff and fluff, everyone can and should enjoy the blessedness of the season. Anyway, with all of our traditions and their corresponding memories, I find it so easy to love being a husband and father. I so enjoy time spent together and giving of gifts, etc. etc.

Well, last night I was reminded how totally awesome it is to be a daddy and it really had nothing to do with Christmas. After getting home from coaching my son's basketball team (great stuff all by itself), and seeing on Twitter that many friends were out watching the meteor shower, we headed out the back door. Now, I have always loved where we live because we have always had a great sky view, but last night was perfect. The sky was cloudless and because we live in the boondocks, we have little to no light pollution. Before long, there were four bodies side by side by side, me and my three kids, laying flat on our deck with nothing but wide open sky and the Geminids straight up. All of us were sharing one huge quilt, and there we lay for over a half hour. We "Ooohed" and "Aaahed", counted, compared, and shivered. The only thing that hindered our view of the night sky was the thick clouds of our own breath. We scooched as tightly together as we could to keep warm and laughed at how cold and crazy we were.

In spite of the 27 degrees, I forgot how cold I was for a while as I laid there listening to the wonder and excitement of three people that bring the same to me. I was reminded of the great privilege I have had to be a part of God's great plan for three people who, I am sure, will change the world; three individuals with the awareness of a great God, His awesome creative power, and His ability and desire to create something wonderful in them. I was reminded how great it is to spend time together without a TV, DVD, Wii, or anything else; just each other, a blanket, and a God who loves us. It could be said that last night was exceptionally special for one of my kids who said, "Don't you know? It is my lifelong dream to see a shooting star?" Well, there was her dream come true, but from my Perspective, my dreams came true 19, 17, and 12 years ago, and I am reminded that they keep coming true as I watch my children, like shooting stars, burn brightly across the sky of my life, unfortunately far too quickly.