Just A Thought

 Time-traveler from the 15^th century: “That is crazy! If you believe that, I have a bridge I want to sell you”

Twenty-first century guide: “No, I’m dead serious. There are thousands of words and pictures traveling through the atmosphere, all around us. All you need is a device that can detect and decode them.”

Time Traveler: “I don’t see or hear anything, and I’ve never heard anything like it in all my life!”

Guide, as she takes out her cell phone and clicks on her favorite app: “Let me show you. See, I am making a video call to my sister in Australia. Hi Sarah, I just wanted to crash Tina’s party…See, that is my niece opening her presents. Today is her birthday. You can’t see the words and pictures traveling through the air, but here is the evidence.”

If time travel were possible, we can all imagine how difficult it would be for someone to believe in some of the things we take for granted. I wonder if a similar conversation may have taken place 2000 years ago on another topic. It may have gone like this:

Mary: “I am telling you the truth. An angel just appeared out of nowhere and told me I would become pregnant.  Then another angel showed up in my fiancé’s dream and told him I was going to have a baby, but that he should not be afraid to marry me, because I had not done anything immoral.”

Skeptic: “I don’t believe you. I have never seen an angel.”

Mary: “But look, there is Jesus, my son, performing miracles. And, I had never slept with a man when he was born. Besides that, angels appeared to shepherds on the night he was born and told them where to find us.”

Skeptic: “I still don’t believe you.”

Mary: “Sadly there are many people who don’t have the faith to believe in and experience the supernatural world. But it has been a great blessing to me, and I have been given one of the greatest honors that could be given to a human being.”

There are so many things we can’t see or fully comprehend; like forgiveness, the infilling of the Holy Spirit, healing, angels, and eternal life. But believers all over the world have been experiencing little evidences of those things for centuries. The skeptic may never believe, but those who have faith, and are sensitive, will experience the miraculous and lay hold of eternal life – believe it or not!

# posted by John W. Hanson @ Sunday, May 23, 2021

 It is an abomination to God; wicked, vile, exceptionally loathsome, hateful, and sinful. Satan used it to inspire the first sin. It was a motivator in the first recorded murder. It has been the reason for, and the theme in, most wars since the beginning of mankind. It has been used by tyrants to justify the murder of millions, by educators to impose godless values on malleable minds, by crooked politicians to win power and by devious lawyers to get unjust verdicts. It has taken the form of sexism, racism, tribalism, and classism. It can be summarized in one phrase: “divide and conquer.” It can be expressed in one word: “division.” God hates it!

Social engineer, Jacque Fresco, explained how division is used politically: “If you make people uniform, you can control them. If you teach people to read, and think, and question things, you lose control. So, the best idea is to separate people if you wish to maintain a monetary system. It's called divide and conquer. By dividing people, they're not a threat, you can control them.” He just described a favorite tactic of Satan, who routinely uses division to control mankind. According to Scripture, God created mankind to be free, but Satan set out to control mankind. Whenever people have fallen for this tactic of the Enemy, everyone has always lost in some way. Division between God and man (sin) and division between people have mangled the human race and inflicted incredible pain and suffering on our world. 

But God had a solution. He stepped into time and into human culture to show us a better way. As He walked the earth, in the form of Jesus Christ, He modeled the solution to sin and division. Note that He did not try to solve the race problem, the class problem or the gender problem through laws, through legal action or through protests. He just loved people. He ministered to everyone: Jew, Gentile, male, female, young, old, physically impaired, immoral, sinful, elite, outcasts, demon possessed, lepers, and the poor. “God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16). Everyone benefited.

It worked. The love of God has changed the world wherever it has been spread. With God’s help, people have come together to create loving families, wonderful churches and decent societies. Love has built hospitals, homeless shelters, schools and missions. Love has elevated the lives of millions of people. Of course, just as Jesus was politically railroaded and executed, good people have often been opposed. But if enough of us will keep hating what God hates and loving what God loves, division and war will lose their power, and mankind will be a just little more free. 

# posted by John W. Hanson @ Friday, May 14, 2021

 Motherhood is an adventure in loving. There are no guarantees and no guidebooks that can adequately prepare mothers for their incredibly important task. Only massive doses of love can insure the job is done properly, because there is no tougher job than tending a garden of souls. Stories like this one remind me of how unpredictable and interesting a mother’s job can be:

My niece was fixing lunch at the stove when her three-year-old daughter walked in and asked, “Is ‘Tonic Water’ water?” 

The mother answered, “Not really. It’s a little different. Why? Do you need some water, Honey?”

“No thanks,” her daughter replied, “I had some of the dogs’. It was real good.”

My mom raised five children. When our family reminisces, many such stories surface. Some of the stories bring laughter and others bring tears. I am often amazed that we put our mother through the things we put her through. Nothing compares to a healthy mother-child relationship. My wife and I had a child of our own and I had front row seat as I watched my wife give her life for her son. In our case my wife forfeited a career in order to homeschool her only son. They explored books and museums. They did crafts and projects. As someone with a degree in teaching, I observed that they had a richer education than those who attended multi-million-dollar institutions. He far exceeded our expectations, graduated with a masters’ degree from a highly rated college, and enjoys a great career as he raises children of his own. It’s no wonder tough guys get “mom” tattooed on their biceps. 

Kudos to all the moms out there who are steering their brood through the many challenges of life. With the unexpected challenges of COVID added to the typical hazards that parents face, it is more important than ever that we make sure Mom knows we appreciate her and have her back. Maybe she deserves a little extra down time this month. How cool would it be if Mother’s Day was more than a routine holiday, and more of a genuine celebration?  That is what you can do to make sure the loving adventure continues in your world. 

# posted by John W. Hanson @ Friday, May 07, 2021