That “Blue Moon” Feeling

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Blue Moon, Ministry, Preparation

Last Friday (July 31^st) my wife and I sat on the knoll by the firepit behind the house and watched the “Blue Moon” rise over Bug Ridge.  It was a clear West Virginia evening as we faced southward and gazed upon the beauty as far as the eye could see.

“Blue Moons” are not necessarily blue, unless there is a unique phenomenon that causes the moon to have a bluish tinge.  The phrase actually refers to the rarity of these events and not the color of the moon.  The event is the lunar form of a leap year and happens when two full moons occur in a single month.  The result is thirteen full moons is a single year rather than the normal twelve.  July 31^st adjusted for the accumulated “error” and reconciled the lunar calendar.

The “Blue Moon” is a natural reset.  It happened to coincide with a personal reset that occurred just two days earlier on Bug Ridge.  That “blue moon” feeling came over Lindy and I when we sold all our personal and real property at an auction in preparation for moving our ministry to Panama.  It was a strange to wake up the next day in another man’s house, in another man’s bed, sitting in another man’s chair, watching another man’s TV and driving another man’s vehicle.  Almost everything is gone and what remains is on loan by some benevolent bidders.  Resets are painful and yet necessary to maintain balance in both our natural and spiritual lives.  This past “Blue Moon” was a reminder to us that God owns all these things and they are under His control.

I believe that “Blue Moon” feeling is about to touch more than those of us living on Bug Ridge.  It seems the recent signs in the heavens are announcing a significant reset that is about to take place.  The 2014-15 tetrad (four consecutive “blood moons” on the Jewish feast days of Passover and Tabernacles) will be completed this September.  The “Bethlehem Star” (the merging of Jupiter and Venus) returned on June 30^th in the constellation “Leo,” the lion.  Astronomers tell us it appeared two thousand years ago (2 BC) in the constellation Virgo, the virgin.  The lunar calendar just reset a few days ago.  This is all happening within the last year of the 7-year Biblical cycle known as the “Shemitah.”  It appears the heavens are warning of a major reset in the near future and prior to the second advent of the Lion of Judah.  The reset effect will be felt worldwide and many people will be caught unprepared.

The skies may be clear and blue at the moment, but dark clouds are on the horizon.  This is the calm before the storm.  The wise man sees the trouble ahead and makes preparation, but the fool continues on ahead and comes to ruin.  This is the time to reset ourselves in the place God has called us and brace for impact.  It is time to set your house in order and hunker down until the storm passes.  Remember this above all else, Jesus Christ is our only refuge.  All of our meager efforts will not be sufficient unless they are built on the solid Rock of our salvation.

Redemption is like Golf

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Golf, Greenbrier, Redemption

I had the privilege of playing the Meadows Course at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV, recently.  The Greenbrier experience was awe inspiring but my golf game, not so much.  I always learn something every time I play and that round was no exception.  

I met my playing partner and his young wife at the first tee and he apologetically informed me he was a “rookie.”  He expressed his concern about making too many bad shots in an attempt to prepare me for the worst.  I responded with, “there is no such thing as a bad shot.”  It was an awkward moment so my consoling words came out before my mind engaged.  We too often say things with good intentions but our words are disconnected from reality.  I regretted those words all the more as we traversed the course.

Lesson #1

Your game may not be up to par when, after your last shot, the “rookie” says, “at least it didn’t go in the sand trap.”  I knew he was trying to make me feel better but that statement, especially from a rookie, was an indicator of my meager efforts.  We tend not to condemn others on the golf course because our next shot may be worthy of greater condemnation.

Lesson #2

The reality is there are “bad shots” in golf.  Denial of this fact is like believing that your confession alone will change your reality.  I have often said that our response to what happens is more important than what happens.  The proper response is when our words move us to action and as a result our reality changes for the good.

Lesson #3

Don’t let regret effect your next shot.  Mark Twain is attributed with saying, “golf is a long walk spoiled.”  Golf has caused many people to loose their religion while others have seemingly found it.  Prayer and the name of God can be heard between the tee and green on any given day.  Calling on God under these circumstances is an expression of regret and has never improved anyone’s game.  We can chose to live in regret and throw the clubs in the lake or refocus, address the ball and make your next shot your best shot.  Letting go of regret and embracing the value of the experience, including the bad shots, is the difference between mediocrity and mastery.

Lesson #4

The game of golf, as with the game of life, can be redemptive.  A bad shot off the tee can be redeemed with the next shot.  If the next shot is bad, it can be redeemed as well.  The difference can even be made up on the next hole.  Redemption is regaining possession of something that was lost, stolen or otherwise relinquished in exchange for payment or clearing a debt.  In golf, redemption is reconciling the good shots with the bad in order to win the game.  In other words, the good shots must offset the bad or you loose.  The exchange is the expenses paid and expertise gained from all the previous games.  The hope is that we are more capable of redemption than our opponent.

Lesson #5

Shooting the perfect game is impossible.  The only person who has ever claimed to have accomplished the impossible is the president of North Korea.  The idea of shooting a hole-in-one on eighteen holes is outside the realm of reality.  Many who chuckle at such insanity have made similar claims in their lives.  They may not claim a perfect score but their sense of perfection comes from the opponents they have beaten.  The reality is the course beats them every time.  All their good shots will never equal a perfect game.  Therefore, they will remain imperfect in the game of golf, as will the North Korean president.

In life, which is reality, redemption is God regaining possession of something He lost in the Garden – a righteous creation.  The exchange was the life of His Son for the lives of fallen mankind.  Jesus scored a perfect game and He alone is able to reconcile all of our bad shots.  He who knew no sin, became sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).  It sounds too good to be true.  It’s not.  How is that possible?  It’s simple, He plays and we caddy.

Redemption includes both forgiveness for sins and a changed life through repentance.  It is about accepting responsibility for our mistakes and past failures, learning from the experience and applying our new found expertise to future choices.  The latter part is called “repentance.”  Forgiveness apart from repentance only leaves a residue of remorse and the fate of a repeat offender.  Redemption is always available, has the hope of a new reality and is necessary to alter your future.

The perfect game will always allude you.  Your good shots may be good and they may beat your opponent but they will never beat the course.  Someone will always be there to say, “at least it didn’t go in the sand trap,” and they won’t always be nice.  Redemption comes when we admit that all we got isn’t good enough and we need someone to play the game of life in our stead (John 3:16).

Have a good game.

West Virginia Sunday Hunting Referendum

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Primary Election, Property Rights, Sunday Hunting, West Virginia

“My Land, My Choice,” or Not

Political signs are going up all over West Virginia in preparation for the Primary Election on Tuesday, May 13.  On the ballot will be a referendum to approve Sunday hunting on private land in seven counties, including Braxton.  The proponents of the referendum are using blue signs with white letters stating, “My Land, My Choice,” to justify their cause.  

“My Land, My Choice” sounds very American and patriotic but in reality is a false premise.  You may have a deed recorded in the courthouse with your name at the top but it is no longer your right to do as you please with your land.  Before you strut around like a Spring gobbler, let’s test the argument with some obvious questions.

Can you burn brush on your property anytime you choose?  No.  The State of West Virginia grants the landowner permission to burn at predetermined times of the year and during certain hours of the day.  We are in the fire season and your brush on your land can only be burned between the hours of 5:00 pm and 7:00 am.

Can you make improvements to your property anyway and anytime you choose?  No, especially in counties with a planning and zoning commission.  Their permission (permit) is required before any improvements or modifications can be made on your property.  A building permit, issued by the Tax Assessor, is a minimum requirement in all other counties.

Can you develop the “wetlands” on your property anyway and anytime you choose?  No.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has jurisdiction over all real estate they deem as wetlands and a property owner needs their permission to develop those areas.

Can you hunt anyway and anytime you choose?  No.  The State of West Virginia determines the hunting seasons and requires a hunting license so you can hunt when and where they choose.  An exception to the license requirement is a private landowner but they must abide by the same rules and regulations as everyone else.  Violations of the law or rules are subject to fines or imprisonment and possible confiscation of your firearms.

What happens if you fail to pay real property taxes?  The State of West Virginia will confiscate your land and sell it on the courthouse steps to the highest bidder.  In Bible times, your property would be returned to you within seven years.  That is not the case under our current condition.  Your property, that you or your ancestors paid for with hard-earned money, is confiscated by the state and sold to recover the past due taxes.

“My Land, My Choice” used to be the rule of the day.  Our founding fathers believed there were three basic rights that come from our Creator.  They are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  The right of private ownership (pursuit of happiness) comes from our Creator, not the government.  They also held the belief that our God-given freewill comes with accepting responsibility for our choices.  This May we will once again be faced with the choice of honoring the One who has given us our rights and this great land or sink further into the pit of self-serving pursuits.

Over the years we have acquiesced our rights in exchange for the government’s failed promises of security and safety.  It may be “your land” but you no longer have the right to do as you please without permission from the government.  On the other hand, our Creator has given us the right to do for ourselves six days out of the week and reserved one day for Himself.  Is it reasonable to honor Him in the manner He has prescribed?  I believe it is the right and proper thing to do.

All citizens of their respective county have the privilege and freedom to vote in favor of this referendum but be honest about your intentions.  Please do so on the premise that you want to please yourself rather than God or use the excuse, “everyone else is doing it,” and not some phantom patriotic notion that you can do with your land as you please.

Beatitude #10

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Beatitudes, Heart of Jesus, Sanctification

Matthew 5:12 (NASB)  “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

Beatitude #10 – the tenth step to blessedness is to be exceedingly glad and full of cheer knowing your reward is waiting in heaven.  The blessing is knowing that our heart, soul and mind belongs to heaven and that we are not alone in our suffering.  Others have given so much more and this is our meager contribution.

Walking in the blessing of heaven will edify and strengthen one’s life, even while the world is doing everything it can to tear you down.  The Beatitudes teach us to walk above the fray and not be involved in all the drama.  We are in the world but, we don’t have to allow the world to get in us.

The Beatitudes also reveal the heart of Jesus.  The multitudes seek His hand but only a few possess His heart.  The invitation is to walk as He walked and, in so doing, have His heart.  May you be blessed in the pursuit of knowing Him.

Beatitude #9

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Beatitudes, Sanctification

Matthew 5:11 (NASB)  “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

Beatitude #9 – the ninth step to blessedness is being ridiculed, pursued and slandered because of the name of Jesus.  The blessing is for Him to increase so that we might decrease.

Beatitude #8

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Beatitudes, Sanctification

Matthew 5:10 (NASB)  “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Beatitude #8 – the eighth step to blessedness is suffering unjustly for not conforming to a lawless system that stands in opposition to God’s standard of righteousness.  There is no higher calling in the kingdom of God than to be persecuted for the cause of Christ.

Beatitude #7

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Beatitudes, Sanctification

Matthew 5:9 (NASB)  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Beatitude #7 – the seventh step to blessedness is being known as a child of God who shares the peace they have received from God with others.  The outcome cannot be predetermined but the offer should be free and impartial.

Beatitude #6

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Beatitudes, Sanctification

Matthew 5:8 (NASB)  “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Beatitude #6 – the sixth step to blessedness is to be continuously cleansed, in a spiritual sense from the pollution and guilt of sin, as our attitudes are conformed to the will of God.  Purity of heart and soul are the lens by which we see God more clearly.

Beatitude #5

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Beatitudes, Sanctification

Matthew 5:7 (NASB)  “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Beatitude #5 – the fifth step to blessedness is to show mercy by doing everything possible to alleviate the consequences of sin for others and, thereby, receiving the same in return.

Beatitude #4

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Beatitudes, Sanctification

Matthew 5:6 (NASB)  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Beatitude #4 – The fourth step to blessedness is being in a perpetual state of needing and desiring the righteousness of God to satisfy our spiritual cravings.  The “hungering and thirsting ones” need to be filled and replenished daily as their energy (righteousness) is depleted.