Hello again from up in the country. 58 degrees was the high yesterday, breaking an
almost 50 year old record. Today the heating
system is running and I’m wearing a jacket.
No worries though. We’ll just keep
rolling with the changes. And boy, are
we seeing changes in our state, changes that many of us thought would only take
place somewhere else, maybe in another country far, far away from the “Bible belt.” And yet, here we are, experiencing the
effects of the desensitization of our consciences by the constant bombardment
of a culture of people that is intent on bending and breaking any and every physical,
emotional, relational, financial, and spiritual law that God has ordained since
creation. Maybe you think I’m exaggerating
or that I’m overstating the current reality in America. I don’t think I am.
When I lived in Florida, my daughter was in high school in
the band. One of the “privileges” of
having a child in the band was the duty to help in the Band Parent Organization
as a volunteer. We all took our place
wherever and whenever the band needed support.
I remember working in the concession stand one Friday night and meeting
one of the members of the marketing team for Pepsi. Every other year, I think, Pepsi and Coke
would vie for the profitable business of serving their products to the school
and the local high school community.
Coke had the privilege for the past six years. Pepsi was now the incoming provider. Everything and I mean everything on the
school grounds that had the word “Coke” on it had to be removed and replaced
with everything that had “Pepsi” on it from vending machines, ice machines,
cups, napkins, signs, and symbols to every scoreboard on every athletic field
and building. These companies spent
literally thousands if not millions of dollars on having the privilege of
selling their products to the school system.
I asked the Pepsi representative I met that Friday night how his company
could spend so much effort, time, and money to have that privilege. His remarks were thought-provoking and
somewhat frightening. He said that if
Pepsi could get their products into the hands of the children, preteens, and
teenagers at school every day, every week, every year throughout their years of
education, then what would you expect them to do after they move on into
adulthood? Answer: Drink Pepsi, not Coke and eat Pepsi products,
not any other brand’s products. My eyes
were opened.
What has been happening in America over the past, say 50 years? Just like the above illustration, there has
been a subtle, ever growing, now drastic change in our culture perpetuated by
every mode of the media and embraced by many in positions of authority. Entertainment has replaced the joy of
learning. Sports often dominate the
arts. Worldliness has replaced godliness. Sin has replaced righteousness. In the hearts and minds of too many, God has
been replaced. In my life the joy of
learning remains. I enjoy sports, but
not as a replacement for the arts. I do
not love the world or the things it the world.
I love God and seek to follow His word, the Bible. The world belongs to God and He sustains it
and provides for it. I am in it and
enjoy it, but the world isn’t first in my life.
God is alive. He sees. He knows.
He hears our prayers. I am
praying now more than at any other time in my life. I need God’s grace and guidance. America needs it. The world needs it.
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