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The Rolling Fog

A silent confusion has drifted almost imperceptibly across the United States landscape.  On many university and college campuses a significant number of professors bombard students’ minds with philosophical relativism guised in the cloak of science; that is, no scientific evidence supports the claim of absolutes.  Students who fail to scrutinize this arbitrary declaration in the light of all evidence often fall prey to this insidious fog!

Indeed, it’s profoundly amazing how doors to very relevant and enlightening avenues of exploration have neatly been sealed off from discussion, and at the same time, mere statements become hinged to the clout of position and prestige to lock those doors of exploration!

But sometimes integrity and stubborn pursuits among those whose inquisitive minds refuse to dismiss any evidence become the only role these mavericks willingly play.  Their unwillingness to compromise has sometimes provoked ostracism, even to some of those who have earned the role of expertise in fields of science.  Sadly, these well qualified and soundly based scientists who have rendered convincing documentations to support their conclusions are quarantined from the mandarins of established science!

This brings to mind this keenly relevant observation:  There are none so blind as they who refuse to see!

But leave it to the very honest and open common people to perplex the minds of those who feel that the universe revolves around themselves and that their words are always invincible, irrespective of any criticism!  The following interaction may well illustrate this point:

“Over here, Gus,” came the shout at the gate.

“Zach,” Gus greeted as he quickly moved toward Zach with an outstretched hand.  “Boy, it’s good to be back in my old stumping ground and especially to see you, my favorite cousin.”

“And good to have you back, old buddy,” Zach responded.  “But you are sporting something you did not have before your departure from here to pursue your academic quest.”

“Huh?” Gus questioned, a puzzled shadow falling across his expression.

“Oh, you know,” Zach insisted.  “Your credentials, your PhD earned at prestigious Yale!”

“I’ll admit,” Gus chuckled and looked toward the ground, “it’s a good boost to establish my ends, but that’s about all there is to it.  I mean, friendships—like yours—mean more to me than placing myself on some sort of pedestal.  As a matter of fact, my educational pursuits have taught me much more tolerance toward everyone else.  Gives me a sense of peace to know I really have no enemies”

“Hmm,” Zach pondered momentarily and responded, “I’d like to learn more, but first, let’s get settled in.  Here’s my car.  Let’s load this luggage of yours and get home to a good meal first.”

“Good idea,” Gus agreed with a smile.  “I’m anxious to learn about your relationship progress with your close friend, Renee.  I haven’t had any communication from you about her for several months, now.”

“There’s a good reason for that,” Zach started with a heavy gravity in his voice.  “As you have also noticed, I’m sure, until I called you last week to wish you the best at your graduation, I’ve written you only every three or four weeks.  Yes, for a good reason.  I’m sure I had mentioned to you that Renee and I had seriously considered marriage.  She was reluctant to consent.  Then, I found out from a dear friend of hers that she suffered from cancer in the last stages.  Then, I found that in spite of her love for me, she did not wish to… to… uh…”

“Oh,” Gus interrupted, “she felt she loved you too much to drag you into her plight.”

“Well…uh… yes.  Kinda,” Zach conceded with a tear trailing down his cheek.  “I tried.  Really.  But she wanted us to be friends with no obligations.  Then, suddenly about a month ago, she… she succumbed to the cancer.”

“Buddy,” Gus spoke softly with a bit of pathos moving him, “I’m so sorry.  I just had no clue about how things were going with you and Renee.”

Then the two continued to catch each other up on other news about acquaintances and events as they traveled down the highway.  Soon, however, they arrived at Zach’s small house at the end of a street arched with tall trees over the street from each side. 

Shortly, the two had settled in and found themselves seated at a table where Zach’s mother, who had come to prepare the meal, visited with them.

“Now as soon’s I asks the blessings, you guys just dig in,” Mrs. Dodge instructed as she seated herself.  “Dear God, bless us and make us so appreciative for all your bounty and help us to see the Giver much more than the gifts!  And thank you fur Gus and Zach.  Give ‘em enough time to get acquainted all over again.  In Jesus name, amen.”

Consuming the meal in the midst of laughter and small talk, much about old times together, the three glanced frequently at each other with a twinkle in the eyes that marked a delight to be back together with each other.

“As good as this is,” Zach remarked after each had finished the desert and sat for a few minutes, “I’m going to steal Gus for awhile in the living room to bring me up to date on his school experiences.”

“It’s like old times,” Liz Dodge, Zach’s mother, reflected.  “I remember when you two would spend hours playing together years ago.  You two just retire and catch up on everything as I tidy and clean the dining room.”

“Oh, Aunt Liz,” Gus protested, “you can just let those matters go and join us.”

“Nonsense!” Liz insisted.  “I won’t hear of such.  Y’all just shush on away and get caught up on news.”

As the two seated themselves on the couch, Gus yawned and sighed as he stretched his arms high.

“Gus,” Zach called, “you look pooped.  It might be a good time to catch a little shuteye before we get into your experiences.”

“You know, Zach, old buddy, you’re absolutely right.” Gus conceded.  “Yes, but only as I have a chance to share with you for a little while, at least.”

“If you insist,” Zach allowed, “but only if you’re sure you’re up to it.”

“Absolutely.  After all, this ol’ Nigger done showed them white folks how to succeed,” Gus mocked with a rolling laughter.  “Here in ol’ Mississippi, nonetheless!”

“Gus, you were always one to speak without reservation, but—really—you could have gone on without that slur!”

“Oh, now come on,” Gus rejoined.  “You offended by Nigger?  Why, I remember some of your best friends from the white neighborhood would say such things as y’all are real good Nigger boys!  And I mean they treated us like family.”

“Now, get off it, Gus!” Zach protested.  “You know very well that they used that slur in ignorance.  We don’t have to perpetuate such language.”

“Still the same old Zach,” Gus mused.  “You never did care much for off color humor, did you?”

“I just don’t see the point of it.”

“Now, you two sound just like old times,” Mrs. Dodge echoed from the kitchen, “picking on each other and needling each other—yeah, just like the best of buddies!”

“Right on, Aunt Liz,” Gus cheered.  “We do have fun returning the ball to each other’s court and in the end find ourselves to be fairly close to agreeing.”

“But we’ll see about where we end this time,” Zach cautioned.

“And as I indicated, Zach, old buddy,” Gus stressed, “since I’ve had the fortune to soak up the finest education, ending up graduating from Yale, the big lesson I learned is tolerance.  I assure you I respect your views because each of us is right in creating his own world of views to suit himself.”

“Well, Gus,” Zach began in a deliberating tone, “I’m quite familiar with humanistic/materialistic philosophical approaches to relativism.  I seriously question the validity of those presuppositions leading to that perspective.”

“Wow!” Gus exclaimed.  “You have done a lot of reading, haven’t you, old buddy?”

“Oh, yes.  I’ve read some, and even books that I totally disagree with, just to get a feel for how the academic world deals with issues.”

“Really!  I’m quite flabbergasted!” Gus reflected.  “Why, you almost sound like some of my professors.  You would have made a good student to bring out their expertise to deal with your ideas, especially since you’re so very well versed on ideologies.”

“However,” Zach hastened to add, “no other book can stand up to the foundational revelation through the Bible.”

“Excuse me, my friend,” Gus cautioned.  “Although I have a lot of respect and believe people have a right to develop their own religious outlook, religion is religion and the real world fostered from scientific research are two separate worlds!”

“Really?  And scientific research is based on facts?” Zach reflected.  “Does that mean that scientists recognize absolutes, after all?”

“Well, facts only reflect observable, measurable and definable substances and/or behavior that provide possible predictable outcomes that can be subjected to testing in order to demonstrate validity of proposed theories,” Gus spouted off nonchalantly.

“Don’t circumvent the issue!” Zach reproved.  “As a matter of fact, old boy, you have succeeded in over complicating the starting point of the scientific method!  Now, let’s go back to facts.  Is what you observe, measure and define reality?  In other words, are they absolutes?”

“OK!  OK!  If you put it that way,” Gus conceded, “we tend to treat them as absolutes, but they mirror the end of aimless, random and accidental coalition of matter and reflect no intelligence or purpose.  We attribute values to them out of our need to bring meaning to give ourselves some sense of direction or purpose.”

“Sounds to be a neat way to evade responsibility and accountability in life, Gus,” Zach reasoned.  “But such dismissal speaks nothing concerning the origin of human conceptions of intelligence, purpose or values.  Just how could that come about without having any reason or source?”

“Just the same way the whole universe originated out of meaninglessness and accidental coalition,” Gus insisted.  “We as observing beings attribute causes to what we see from the accidents of the end product of random, senseless motions.”

“So-o-o, when you reason back toward your nothingness, you arbitrarily decide that what did not exist gave birth to existence,” Zach mused.  “Just where in all of human experiences do you have a concrete example how such could happen?”

“Oh, boy!” Gus exclaimed.  “Not to have ever attended a university, you certainly know how to keep pushing, don’t you?  Well, we only pursue from what we know—not from what we do not know.  For example, we can observe nature.  We see how nature gives rise to patterns and orderly complexities.  But the simple gives rise to that developmental avenue—evolution, if you will.  Things evolve from the simple to the complex intellectual ends.”

“So something different keeps coming out of accidents?”

“Hardly,” Gus declared emphatically.  “Adaptation is the word.”

“But adaptation implies an inward sensitivity to survival modes,” Zach pointed out.  “The need to survive in and of itself can scarcely translate into a meaningless happenstance!”

“I tell you, Zach,” Gus responded with a heartily laughter, “I am shocked that you are turning out to be a very worthy opponent.  You argue from a viewpoint based on a presupposition of meaning.  I simply say that the concept of meaning evolved through an evolutionary process of millions of years.”

“I don’t want to sound unkind or insensitive, Gus,” Zach responded, “but you may not be aware of your skill to evade and beg issues.  Please allow me to press you back to consider the earliest and simplest cells.  Even the one-cell organisms have complexities of DNA and RNA.  DNA provides a whole library of information that determines the very nature and function of the one-cell organism.  The RNA houses the mechanisms to translate that information into the structures that provide highly specialized functions.”

“Again, you are quite right in your knowledge of DNA and RNA, Zach, but those building blocks evolved over more than a billion years.”

“What?” Zach pressed.  “Were you around to make that observation?  Of course not, but I have a point to stress.  Just suppose there is a planet four times the size of earth.  In our imaginations let’s pretend hypothetically that we have advanced to the level that astrologists could observe that planet that existed more than a hundred light years away from earth.  Just for the sake of our point, suppose that they also determined that this planet consisted entirely of marble-sized crystals.  Through some miraculous means, they were able to determine that every crystal was black, except for a single one that was bright white.  Now, they also made an amazing discovery as they continued to study that plant.  They were privy to its explosion that suddenly came to earth from a hundred years ago.  They knew that the explosion scattered all the crystals in all directions throughout our galaxy from that explosion a hundred light years ago.  Further calculations determined that about four million years into the future one or two of those high speed crystals had about one in a million chances of reaching earth.  There would be another of about one in a million chance that the speed of the one or two crystals could be coordinated with the movement of the earth by that time as to survive the atmosphere and land somewhere on earth.  Suppose a child in the yard of his house were holding a bucket up such that one crystal would fall into his bucket.  That crystal turned out to be the white crystal.  Now, my friend, could you project the probability of this happening?”

“Totally incalculable!” Gus exclaimed.

“And, knowing you, Gus,” Zach continued, “I think you know where I’m headed with this.  As with that simplest cell, for all conditions and all elements to come together at the right place at the very split second even over the expansion of billions of years would be less likely than the child having that only white crystal from the exploding planet fall into the bucket in the child’s hand.”

“I’m not so sure about your illustration,” Gus cautioned.  “It could be a bit askew.   However, I catch your drift.”

“To be honest with you, Gus,” Zach added, “I just could not rally enough faith to believe in such a very far-fetched theory that seeks to counter the compelling evidence of intelligence.  While you may be too reserved to draw such a conclusion, intelligent design gives a much more plausible explanation.”

“Of course, I respect you too much to interfere with your right to stack your world the way that best serves you,” Gus assured.  “But I’m very interested in how you came to be so well versed on such issues.”

“Daddy Dan,” Zach responded.  “He…”

“You mean to tell me that old Daddy swallowed you up in his niceties?” Gus laughed.  “Why, that old white guy gathered a mixture of whites, blacks and Mexicans and ran them around town doing yard work for senior adults, feeding the hungry and needy people and in general talking about the Bible all the time.”

“Yes, the same guy,” Zach affirmed proudly, “but he saw my zeal and really took me under his wing.  He made me his assistant!  Can you believe that?  A struggling young Negro as ignorant as they come and not very refined—even uncouth—at best.  He took a lot of us guys proudly right into his church.  You know, that old, old church building on the corner of Jesse and Starford Streets.”

“Ah, yes,” Gus admitted.  “That old Baptist Church that burned a couple of years ago.”

“Yes, the very same.  How I miss it!  And strangely enough, that was the same night that Daddy Dan was shot and killed by a drug trafficker he caught dealing in illicit drugs—very, very sad!  When I lost him, I lost a real dad—I mean, since my real dad died before I was eight years of age, he really took the place of my real dad whom I never had a chance to grow up with!”

“Oh, I’m sorry.  I didn’t know.  You never mentioned him in your correspondence with me.  I…”

“I know,” Zach explained.  “It had always been a sensitive matter between us.  You always suspected him to have some ulterior motive and didn’t spare your expressions of indignation toward him—even to his face.  I saw no reason to stir up hard feelings all over again between us.”

“Of course,” Gus acknowledged.  “You know, I could have been wrong about him.  I just could not understand that anyone could give so much to others without manipulating them toward some sinister end.  But if he had been up to no good, it would have surfaced sooner or later.  I’m very sorry, Zach.  At least, now I’m a bit more tolerant and a little less suspicious.”

“Well that’s water under the bridge,” Zach assured.  “The important thing now is that we can look to the future.  Daddy Dan helped me do just that.  Even in his death he willed me all he had—to carry on in his footsteps.”

“At least, you did get a little toward helping you.”

“I don’t consider nearly a million dollars little assets!”  Zach rejoined.  “He accumulated much from his investment savings.  He had great dreams of expanding missions work throughout the United States and eventually to the ends of the world.  He had always given much all his life, but also had this automatic investment savings that grew over the years.”

“Wow!”  Gus exploded with glee.  “Here I am speaking to a rich man!  Can you imagine—you, rich, and still living in this… this little shack?”

“Woe!  Hold on!”  Zach cautioned.  “I’m reinvesting all this into mission work—just as Daddy Dan envisioned this taking place.”

“You don’t mean to say,” Gus stressed boldly, “that you can’t use some of this for yourself?”

“Legally, I could,” Zach explained, “but as a Christian who shares Daddy Dan’s vision, I would not place myself into such bondage.  I love giving it all for God’s use.  After all, He owns everything and we are His stewards.”

“Hmmm,” Gus mused, “I’m beginning to sense genuine authenticity in you.  How wrong I must have been about Daddy Dan since I can now see that he must have passed that genuine attitude and love on to you.”

“I have always thought highly of you, Gus,” Zach reiterated, “but I feared you had drifted into the clutches of a naturalistic and relativistic world view.  I hope I now see some light in your concession here that you see genuineness in Daddy Dan and me.  If so, I think you are on the right tract.”

“And I think the world of you, too, Zach,” Gus assured, “but I don’t make any promises.  However, I will give a lot of thought to what I have learned from you.  I’m going to try my best to sort through things and research a bit.  All I can really say at this point is that we’ll see.”  (Also see Relativism)

 

The Son’s Shine Dissipates the Fog

As an executive representative of DETEME Enterprises, a corporation nearby that Gus chanced to tie up with, Gus returned from a schedule business meeting in Europe.  Since Gus and Zach had discussed issues earlier, Gus welcomed his return as an opportunity for visiting Zach to explore once more certain issues that he felt uncertain about and which he could not easily dismiss from his mind.

The two arranged to meet in a downtown park on a warm and sunny afternoon.

“So, Gus, I’m here as we scheduled,” Zach began, “but are you sure you will not allow me to treat you to a meal.”

“No, no,” Gus assured, “since you had already eaten, I had a sandwich on my way over.  I’m fine.”

“So-o-o-o, tell me all about your European tour,” Zach suggested as he leaned heavily back on the park bench.  “I’m dying to know how everything went.”

“Really, Zach, I’m not going to bore you with all the details, for I was too engaged in business matters to find time to explore the landscape and the people.”

“Man, since you’ve been wrapped up in all this executive stuff,” Zach observed, “you’ve hardly come up for breath.  Wouldn’t you like to get things off your chest?  I’m sure all the pressures keep building up.”

“Oh, you’re absolutely right, my friend,” Gus confessed, “but, really, it’s the kind of work that’s down my alley.  I eat this kind of pressure up, but to be honest, there’s another kind of pressure that gets to me.”

“Oh?”

“Well… like we discussed last time.  I mean, whether you knew it or not, you gave me an awful lot to think about!” Gus mused seriously.  “Not that everything has been settled, mind you, but you’ve… you’ve kinda overturned some stones and showed me some worms I was unaware of—like serious problems with the origin of the universe and how evolution is… uh… is a perspective with a huge problem to overcome in terms of the odds.  Oh, yeah, I’ll admit that I have done extensive research and… uh… uh… well, darn it all, a lot of evidence poses serious questions about the whole matter!”

“You mean about the whole area of evolution?”

“That and the great leap from nothing to the origin of the universe itself,” Gus emphasized.  “I thought I had everything settled in my mind and the navigation through the universities made great sense to me… at least, on the surface then—but now… I don’t know.  I… I’m unsettled on the whole matter.”

“At least, you have taken a big step forward!” Zach insisted.

“How so?” Gus questioned.  “I feel that I’ve taken a step off the edge—that there are really no solutions!”

“Right!” Zach emphasized.  “You’re now off center.  You have entered the domain of realizing that your playhouse was just that—a playhouse and not the real world.  The real world goes far beyond you.  Now, that places you in a teachable disposition so that you can receive the light when it comes.”

“Speaking of enlightenment,” Gus spoke as he pointed his finger, “what’re those two books right beside you there on the bench?”

“Oh, yes,” Zach acknowledged with a smile, “one’s the Bible and the other’s C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.  I got here a little early and read a bit.”

“Oh, boy, you’ve really taken to reading a lot,” Gus reflected.  “And it showed during our last conversation.  And come to think of it, I did notice quite a few books at your house.  You don’t belong to one of those book clubs, do you?”

Zack chuckled and explained, “Oh, no.  All my books came from Daddy Dan.  He passed his entire library to me through his will, as well as his other wealth.”

“So this is how you came by your education?”

“Well, I just used what I had by the Grace of the Good Lord,” Gus related.  “I don’t lay claim to being an expert or blessed with a formal education.  I’m just using the mind the Lord Himself gave me, but I am not swayed by dishonest claims—like evolution or relativism promoted by scientists who pursue selected avenues and discard all other avenues that bring questions to their arbitrary conclusions.”

“But it’s interesting that you have C. S. Lewis there,” Gus declared.  “I’ve run across his writings in some of my research.  He’s a guy who makes you think.”

“And I’m glad you’re open to a broader exposure now,” Zach commended.  “You need to inspect all sides of issues.  I know, for I also read books by authors who stand completely opposed to all I believe.  It sharpens my understanding and reinforces my perspective of the truth.  Yet, center to it all is the Bible.  And many of the other books I read do shed light on the dimensions within the Scriptures themselves”

“And I admire that about you, Zach!” Gus underscored.  “However, I still have problems, even though I can see a good deal of sense in your perspective.  For example, I struggle with the notion that a good God could allow evil—suffering, loneliness, hopelessness, death and injustice in the world.”

“I’m glad you brought this up, Gus,” Zach responded.  “Believe me, I’ve been there.  I’ve struggled with that issue along with why a good God could allow people to end in hell.”

“Oh, yeah,” Gus agreed.  “That is one of the worst things imaginable!”

“Well, believe it or not, the Bible itself does shed light on those very problems,” Zach pointed out with a smile.  "And really, I have a copy of an article that came from a website.  It’s entitled Cosmic Conflict.  Here, I have it folded in my Bible.  I thought I’d let you look it over to see what you think.”

“Oh, yes, of course, Zach!” Gus enthusiastically reached for it.  “I’ll get on it right away and let you know my thoughts on it.”

“And oh, yes,” Zach added, “if you’d care to explore links from that article, the web address is on there, too.”

“Thanks, I just might do that,” Gus declared.

And so it was that the two departed with intentions of meeting again soon.

That time came about three weeks later at Zach’s house.  Once again Zach’s mother had fixed and served a home-cooked meal.  After an hour or so of fellowship and sharing updated news with each other, Zach and Gus once more found themselves deeply involved in conversation in the living room.

“Tell you what,” Gus started after a brief moment of small talk, “that website you referred me to set up a linking that excited my imagination and my understanding.  I’m traveling down the trail toward a glow I’ve never known existed—Man, of light that begins to clear the cobwebs in my mind!  Really, I search for words to express that deep well of awareness which has overtaken me.”

“Right!” Zach concurred.  “That’s kindred to my experiences also.  I’m certain that all this moves us to focus on Christ—especially, the Christ of the Bible.”

“Yeah!  Yeah!” Gus exclaimed excitedly, “It’s… uh… uh… like parts of a puzzle coming together to form meaning and purpose.  Everything starts fitting together—even the presence of evil and all that dark stuff.”

“I’ve been praying for this,” Zach revealed.  “God is wonderful to open doors by His grace, and as long as we are willing to accept His Presence, He will.”

“But…” Gus started with a sigh and then paused.

“But?” Zach pressed.

“Well,” Gus deliberated slowly, “I’m… I’m still struggling with some peripheral shadows.  You see, while I want desperately to believe the Christian world view, I’ve been also researching the other side of the issues.  Some strong arguments from opposing views tend to muddy the water a bit, just enough to feed these nagging little doubts that keep me from taking the final step across the line.”

“Oh, I’ve been there myself,” Zach acknowledged.  “There’s always going to be the opposing side on any issue.  The powerful enemy, Satan, has far greater knowledge than any of us who oppose him and spurs his advocates on by providing them deceiving lures.  You see, the Bible provides us encouragement in first John 4:4, which says Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.  Even though scientific evidence has a broad base and is in and of itself very compelling in supporting revelation through the Scriptures, there can be no absolute proof that God’s revelation of Himself is true from a scientific perspective.  But you and I can experience that reality through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  We can know it within our hearts because what God does reveal resonates deeply within our hearts.  It’s a natural outcome of exercising faith in God through Jesus Christ.”

“Yes, I know what you are saying and want to believe it all the way,” Gus pressed, “but… well… I mean, why can’t there be some kind of… uh… real proof so that we can be absolutely sure?”

“Gus, I appreciate you and can relate to your dilemma quite well,” Zach conceded.  “However, let me take you a couple of steps further.  How can finite beings, such as we are, comprehend the infinite?

“Well, you’re right about that, but we can have some kind of reference to the infinite, can’t we?”

“We sure do in Christ Jesus,” Zach assured.  “Although we can never be able to know fully the infinite God, we do have a manifestation of His real presence in Christ Jesus, Who exhibited the very nature of God.  He became our sin so that we can receive a full pardon from God, and He lives within us.  He is the righteousness of God within us, a power that regenerates us, making us new Creations in Him.  This realization of God’s presence through our oneness with Him by His Holy Spirit generates genuine life that flows through us.”

“That does make sense,” Gus agreed, “but I still want to be certain!  I want an air-tight case that I can convince myself and others.”

“Why?” Zach pressed.

“Well… uh… You know,” Gus responded.  “I guess I just need security in my decision.”

“Let me ask you something, Gus,” Zach began with a distinct pathos in his voice.  “Even though I am completely convinced and have full assurance of God and Who He is in my life, let’s just pose a hypothetical situation here.  Just try to imagine that Christianity grows out of a strong delusion.  There really is nothing beyond death other than total oblivion.  If that were the case, what difference would it make whether we had been a Christian or atheist?”

“Well… nothing, I suppose,” Gus conceded.

“Then, why do you suppose the atheists try to convince everybody else that they are right, if such would mean nothing in the end?”

Gus chuckled and shook his head.

“Well, what would it matter if the Christians had been right all the time?” Zach insisted.

“Yeah,” Gus burst forth with radiance in his expression, “either way, Christianity is far better.  And to think, Christianity has meant a lot of good in the world, reaching out to meet needs, to share good news of God’s love… and… and… it never ends!”

“Does that mean you are now ready to receive Christ as your Lord and Savior” Zach questioned with a smile, “in spite of the fact that the world sees a lot of counterfeit Christians who give Christianity a bad name?”

“Surely,” Gus began in a joyful tone, “you’ve seen a difference in me already.  A burden has been lifted.  As you were speaking I confessed my horrible sinful state to God and asked Christ to forgive me and receive me.  Oh, what peace and joy.  Now I really know that God is real!!!”

“Oh,” Zach said with a keen look and a grin, “I did see that radiance come over you like an awakening, an awareness that says to the world now I know!  You’ve now joined the ranks of the entire stalwart Jesus’ freaks.”

“Freaks?”  Gus responded with a bewildered frown.

“Don’t look so shocked, Gus,” Zach comforted.  “You might as well get used to terms such as freaks, radicals, far right.  You and I belong to that group first called Christians as a slur against Christ’s disciples during New Testament times.  That term was meant to belittle those followers as trying to be like little Christs.  It intended to make them look very foolish.  But Christians took to that descriptive term because they sought to be as Christ-like as possible.  Yes, many suffered persecution and death for their stand.”

Gus nodded and said somberly, “Yeah, I’ve read of a few great Christian martyrs—not only of early Christians, but of people in the world today willingly tortured and dying for Christ.  I… I…”  Gus stuttered with tears trailing down his cheeks… “I do now feel a kindred spirit with them.  Zach, I’m now open to learning all I can so I can take my stand with Christ!”

And from that meeting forward Zach and Gus became very bold brothers in Christ in the pursuit of growing together in Christian values and Christian ministries toward reaching the world!

Also see Cosmic Conflict.

<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>

Herman and Ross Tidbits

Herman:  Hey, Ross, I see you’re walking home today.

Ross:  Well, yeah.  Really it’s such a nice spring day that I decided not to ride the bus.  Man, I need the time to think.

Herman: To think?  Come on, you’re not getting philosophical on us, are you?

Ross:  Who?  Me?  Nah, I’m just so mad I could kick a skunk!

Herman:  Tell me, what happened?

Ross:  Baseball.

Herman:  Baseball?

Ross:  Well, yes, but I’m too mad to think about it.

Herman: Come on.  I thought I was your best friend.

Ross:  Oh, you are… but…

Herman:  You can tell me, old buddy.  I promise not to whisper to anyone else.  Honest.

Ross:  Oh, it’s that we had this baseball game with Geer High after school yesterday.

Herman:  And?

Ross:  We were doing great and the other team was up to bat.  Then, I pitched a high fast ball.  George, the batter, stood still and the ball hit the bat and bounced up under his chin.

Herman:  Oh, and they had to take him to the hospital?

Ross:  Nah.  It just grazed him under the chin.  He didn’t hardly have no blood.

Herman:  Great!  Then everything was all right?

Ross:  No, he got mad and started to throw the bat toward me, but the coach called to him.  Then, the coach talked to him a long time.  I was afraid because he’s the principal’s son.

Herman:  But baseball rules could not apply to you since you pitched and the ball did hit his bat.

Ross:  Yeah, that’s what I thought, too.  Only… Only, they talked to me and asked me to leave the game for this pitching turn.  They told me that they would give one of their pitchers from that other team a chance to pitch to him.  

Herman:  Woe!  Woe!  They can’t do that.  That’s not according to the rules of baseball.  And on top of that, using their own pitcher to pitch to his own teammate could allow him to throw a good ball to knock it out of the ballpark.

Ross:  How did you know?  That’s exactly what happened!

Herman:  And you didn’t protest?

Ross:  I sure did—after the game.

Herman:  And they made it right?

Ross:  No!  All they told me is that if Congress and the President can change the rules in Congress and ignore the Constitution about the healthcare bill, they could stretch the rules of baseball to do what they saw to be fair to the principal’s son!

 

Zach and Gus Focus on an Issue

Sometime during early March Zach and Gus found themselves seated in Zach’s shack as his dwelling had become referred to.  Zach picked up his napkin and mopped around his mouth and commented to Gus, “Gus, I see something must be bothering you. You seem so-o-o out of it!”

“Wha-a-a… I mean, oh, yes,” Gus muttered.  “I didn’t mean to ignore you, Zach.  It’s… It’s… uh, well, I’m just struggling with matters.”

“Care to open up to me?”

“I’m not sure I want to drag you in on this,” Gus spoke in a monotone that reflected hesitation.

“Well, you need not,” Zach assured.  “I just thought…”

“Oh, why not?” Gus conceded.  “I guess I do need to share it with someone and you’re certainly a special friend.  I’ve just felt betrayed by… by disgraceful arrogance and brazen lies flowing from Washington—the politicians up there.  I mean, power hungry takeovers and brutal disregard for the Constitution and rules of Congress.  What is this?  Plunging us under a dictatorship stinks to high heaven.  Where’s the real country our forefathers started—a representative democracy under the decency of the Judaea/Christian heritage?  I mean, this is not the nation I grew up in.  Look, we’ve had racial problems, faults in the way our nation has negotiated and so on, but we’ve always had an echo of the people’s voices that brings us toward fairness and settlements in the end.  This notion that Washington must dictate even what our thoughts must be and take away our input in every avenue and… and…”

“Hold on, old pal!” Zach called, holding his palm up in gesture.  “I’m not sure I agree with you in all this—especially the defeatist attitude you exhibit.  Let me point out something.  Where do you think our stand should be?  I mean, should we allow our attitudes to be controlled by the world view coming from those politicians?  Tell me, who’s really in control?”

“Well, God, of course, but do you think God is pleased in the direction our government is headed?”  Gus returned.

“Of course, God is never pleased in any wrong attitudes anywhere—even in us!” Zach responded strongly.  “Do we have the right to surrender to the tactics the enemy employs?  They do lie and cheat and act like gods.  Does that mean we need to come back on the terms the enemy sets?”

“I’m horrified!” Gus roared.  “You surely don’t mean I am guilty of lying or cheating?”

Zach chuckled and continued, “You know me better than that, Gus.  Of course not.  But certainly we should not come back in the same groove with facts, which only create and endless war.  We can’t win that war, for that is beyond our jurisdiction.  We’re not asked to take up God’s role!  Everyone, including each of those politicians, comes under God’ jurisdiction.”

“Are you saying we should resign to these out of control politicians and let them destroy our nation?” Gus reasoned.

“Historically, God has always allowed nations to choose.  They remain nevertheless accountable to God,” Zach explained.  “Even if we entertain a deep desire to see the execution of justice upon those in positions of responsibility, we must learn that this world is not the place of final accounting before God.  Here we see sometimes the measure of justice against some evil people, but the complete justice will be brought by God against us all.  You and I have already had our deeds and attitudes taken care of in Christ.  We must forgive others as Christ forgave us.”

“In other words,” Gus said somberly, “We need do nothing about the sad affairs except pray?”

“Absolutely, we must always pray that we become one with God,” Zach explained.  “However, God does lay upon our hearts that we use the talents we have for Him.  For instance, the talent of the vote can be a measure of our accountability before God.  The same is true about keeping in touch with our congressmen and letting them know how we stand.  These are opportunities to change the landscape through our voices, even if that vote or contact could conceivably be ignored by power grabbers.  We’ve used what God has given and executed our responsibility in that area.  But let’s pose a possible outcome.  Say, our nation becomes a terror to every citizen and persecutions become rampant.  Are we better than the New Testament church which suffered many deaths under heavy persecution?  And in each case, was not God’s grace sufficient?”

Gus dropped his eyes toward the floor as he bowed his head and exclaimed, “Enough, Zach!  I am so ashamed.  I see where you’re going.”

“Don’t feel too badly, Gus,” Zach encouraged.  “This does not suggest that we feel no anger or sadness over what’s happening.  We can’t allow the enemy to pull us into his tactics, though.  In the end God will work out His purpose.  And one other thing, Gus, this world is not our home.  Our eternal home will make all the suffering and struggles here pale by comparison!”

And with that ended another episode between Zach and Gus. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

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