He is a sophisticated man. Every morning his mirror smiles at him. His white hair and beard are perfectly coiffed. Each hair is examined, snipped, combed, and smiled upon. His custom tailored white shirt fits as demanded and every onyx button is stitched securely in place. The lime and blue woven iridescent silk tie from Italy is the perfect accompaniment to shirt and suit.
Inspiration and Challenge are two words that I would use to describe the purpose of my blog. I want to bring inspiration to people who may seem lost or lonely. I want to challenge the followers of Jesus Christ to keep their hearts open to Gods searching presence.
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
A Sophisticated Man
Monday, October 19, 2020
The Old Piano
The old upright piano seems nestled, she wouldn't say it that way, in the debris on the side of the village street. Her top and keyboard were covered in dust and soot from diesel engines. Missing cobblestones attempt to embarrass her as one of her legs is tipping towards the rubble at her feet.
The dust and dirt on her top looks streaked as though tears ran down the angled top. Her many fingers, once bright and clean, now covered in dust try to hide the missing ivory caps on five of her fingers. Fingers that could sense the spirit of the musician even before his long and excellently manicured fingers touched hers, now they are silent.
The genius of Mozart and Bach, Chopin and Beethoven had given life to her beauty of wood and wire. The beauty and flow of the wood fibers would come alive, like the breath of divinity giving life to wood that yielded itself to the saw many years before. Now in her humiliation she gives up this life, like so many strewn around her. Will anyone mourn her passing?
This piece was the result of a photograph from WWII taken from a French village.
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Does it Really Matter?
Does it really matter? Our federal election is just five weeks away. We will either elect a new president or re-elect our current one. But, does it really matter who gets elected? Aren't all politicians just puppets who sing and dance at the whims of big business and global powers?
How you answer the above questions might tell quite a bit about your attitude towards government and ours in particular. It might also indicate how you view voting. I have vivid memories of the first free elections that were to take place in Iraq. Never mind the politics. Focus on the Iraqi people. People walked, rode bicycles, drove old rickety cars, just to get to a polling station, stand in the oppressive heat, and cast their ballot. Once they voted they dipped their forefinger into blue ink.
Old men and women, looking worn out from war and death, smiled for the camera and held up their ink stained finger. Their vote was important and they held the conviction that it mattered. They faced the rumors of attacks being planned on the voters and in every town where voting was to take place. Facing violence was more important than not voting.
Their choices were important to them. Our choices as we enter the election time and the voting booth are critical this year. I'm going to be right upfront here. I did not like our current president. During the primary I voted for a different person and was saddened that he did not win. In retrospect he probably would have lost to the challenger. My dislike for the president was based on quite a few reasons that are personal.
Our current president has been a strong leader. He has tried to keep the promises he made while on the campaign trail. His is a staunch advocate for every unborn child. He has stated that every child is designed by God and is a gift. His conviction is obvious and not some pandering move to appease people.
Our president is unequivocal in his belief that America is an exceptional country and a beacon of freedom in the world. That ethos resounds within my soul. The price that men and women paid in their shed blood for the American Dream demands my respect and allegiance. My father and uncles fought the Nazi and Japanese powers to protect our liberty.
I hope and pray that you will vote on election day. You must vote your conscience. When you enter the voting booth remember the power that your vote has. I will remember the image of an Iraqi women draped in tattered material smiling an almost toothless grin, holding up her ink stained finger for the world to see.
Thursday, September 24, 2020
How Much Longer
How much longer will God withhold His righteous judgement? How much longer will He withhold the reckoning that is coming? How much longer will He stay His purifying hand?
Just this week the news reported that the abortion industry has been selling parts of babies to science firms in California. We have known that for some time. What we didn't know was that some babies still had a heart beat when the were killed. What we didn't know was that a babies brain was worth a lot of money and the skull should still be attached.
The abortion industry is not the only issue that is deserving of wrath. Society is disintegrating around us. Violence is filling almost every major city. Men and women dedicated to protecting citizens and their property are being killed every day. I ask this question. What will your life, mine as well, be like when men and women no longer put on the uniform and badge to protect us?
Our identity can be our choice regardless of biology and DNA. We are free to reject science and believe that on any given day of the week we can become one, or more of, thirty genders recognized by some local governments. The suicide rate among gender confused has skyrocketed. We were designed and created to live as men and women.
The state of California recently passed a bill that would allow pedophilia. A consenting juvenile can enter into a sexual relationship with an adult with an age difference of ten years. NAMBLA is ecstatic over such a law and it opens the door for the destruction of untold innocent children. No child is able to understand and emotionally process sexual encounters.
"For God is not willing that any should perish. But that all may come to eternal life. The Lord is not slow, as some think, to keep His promises. But wants all to come to repentance." God is very patient with mankind, but let's not play Him for a fool. This madness will come to an end. The killing of innocent children will end. We will eventually pay the piper.
God help us. Lord Jesus come quickly.
Friday, September 4, 2020
We are Living in Debasement
The question to answer is: Can a political platform be the tool that contributes to the debasement of individuals?
I believe that men and women are created in the image of God. That meaning, humans have the ability to sense God, to know God, and have communication with God. Mankind finds its greatest purposes when in communion with God. Our greatest pieces of music were those dedicated to God. The great works of art throughout the world are those dedicated to God. Hymns and poetry have touched the hearts and souls of millions. Man's greatest pursuit is in grasping the knowledge of God and thereby attaining His likeness.
People who have encountered God, in His grace, compassion, forgiveness, and mercy are filled with the desire to have His life reflected through ours. We learn of His will and desire through Holy Scripture. We understand His priorities and purposes though His Word to mankind. We come to understand what He has ordained for His creation.
He has ordained the beginning of life as the moment egg and sperm join in conception. His word gives us very clear and vivid imagery of conception and growth. He has said, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you and ordained you." Again he said through His spokesman, "He knit me together in my mother's womb. I am fearfully and wonderfully made." For those who will plainly see there can be no doubt about God's stand on the gift of life.
God ordained the relationship that was to be the basis and foundation for society. In the Old Testament God ordained the coming together in sexual union of Adam and Eve. Their union was to be helpers and companions upon the earth and to bring forth children establishing the family. The family, for centuries, has been the bedrock of civilization. Jesus Christ blessed the union of a man and a woman. He went so far as to give us a command about the union, "What God has joined together let no man put asunder."
We are living in a society, and in a time, of great debasement. A political platform stands firmly on the destruction of the unwanted child. That destruction can be pronounced even seconds before a breath fills new lungs.Such a heinous act is law in many states.
That same platform has succeeded in redefining family, marriage, and gender. They have opened a Pandora's box that will lead to greater debauchery and confusion in the minds of millions. New calls for alternate marriages happen today. In a few states as many as thirty one gender identities have been labeled and codified.
Not every person within such a party agrees with the platform. A problem arises in the soul of the one who disagrees with such a platform, yet remains within the party. Is guilt by association a valid complaint?
Each of us will be held accountable for our convictions and actions. That includes me and you.
Thursday, July 16, 2020
Spiritual Courage
After we have been brave enough to admit and confront the spiritual hindrances that keep us from displaying transformational love, we must look to the source of that love. As the issues that impede us are spiritual they must be dealt with in the spiritual realm. Confession and repentance are not welcome nor are they common practices in the life of many churches today. But, they are serious matters that must be dealt with in the manner God sets forth. The writer of Chronicles states it pretty plainly, "If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." So then, it is plain that God wants to heal His people and His land, transforming society.
In this time of Covid many people are afraid. They are afraid for their life and the lives of their loved ones. Their fear can certainly lead to insecurity. We fear the unknown and what might be lurking behind the proverbial corner. The questions arise. Does God really care? Does God know what is going on? Our souls must be able to resound with, yes He knows, yes He cares.
Added to this time of illness and questioning is the madness and violence overtaking the country. Violence has led to the killing of innocent people and those who took an oath to protect us. Lies have turned to truth and foundational truth has been spit upon.
One might ask if we are reaping what we have sown. We have certainly allowed the moral fabric that held us together to be weakened and shredded. Allowing 60 million infants to be sacrificed on the altar of liberal politics and thought has certainly had an impact upon the Almighty and how favorable He looks upon us.
Repenting and seeking forgiveness is the soul cleansing priority of each follower of Christ. As we draw close to Him, He will always draw close to us. When Moses came down from the mountain after meeting with God he was transformed and glowing. People know when a follower of Christ is spending time with his God, it is evident, it shows in their actions, words, and essence. Communion with God magnetizes the one communing, drawing people, as the Holy Spirit has been leading the one in need.
Open yourself to the transforming movement of God, draw close to Him in prayer, confession, praise and begging Him to use you as a source of transforming love. Do not fret about how God will do it, or what might happen, He will empower you to shine and He will bring people across your path that are hungry and thirsty for the real experience with God through Jesus Christ. An old chorus comes to mind, the author escapes me. "Swing wide the door of your heart to the King of Kings, bid Him enter for wonderful peace He brings. He will shelter you under His outstretched wings. Swing wide the door of your heart to the King of Kings."
Jesus told us that we would be the light of the world, a city set on a hill. It will not be our dogma, doctrine, creeds, hymns, nor our knowledge of God that will transform people. It always has been and will continue to be, followers of Christ who have a personal experience with Transforming Love.
Friday, May 29, 2020
God Loves Freedom
The stories of people escaping from East Berlin, remember that time, always gripped my heart. Some fantastic escapes took place by men and women and entire families. Ideas from hot air balloons, zip lines, to extensive tunnels, were used by very brave men and women. The images of those who died trying to escape must have been ever before them. Yet, they kept trying to escape.
Oppression is an evil power that has given millions of people the inner desire and drive to be free. There is some God-given inner voice that whispers to the soul of mankind, "I want to be free, I need to be free, I must be the one who decides my destiny." That voice, the desire to be free, has indeed brought that very freedom to millions across the earth.
I believe it was that voice that filled the hearts of the earliest settlers in this land. Many left their homeland yearning for religious freedom. Their conscious could never give in to the dictates of a government trying to regulate the voice of God within their heart. In their desire to worship God according to their own spirit they were willing to pay a very high price. Weeks and months on the high seas is taxing to the very hardiest of men. The families that took such voyages were brave to the extreme. Yet, they would never confess to bravery.
The dream of a land of freedom brought thousands upon thousand to our shores. Almost every person in this great land would find their roots in the family tree of those brave souls. I am aware of the countless who were brought here, not of their own accord. Indentured servants and slaves by the thousands were brought here, to the land of freedom. With free men and women all around them their hearts must have yearned all the more to taste the sweetness of broken chains and writs of servitude torn in half.
Our forefathers used a couple of phrases that I want to mention. The first being this land was the, Second Israel. A land of men and women who were seeking the heart of God and desiring to build a land that would honor him. The second phrase being, A Great Experiment in Self Government. They knew that it was indeed an experiment and that many things could go wrong and some things would go wrong.
The long journey across the treacherous and deadly Atlantic did not allow for the spirit of ease, nor complacency. Our journey today, I'm afraid, is filled with both evils.
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Painful Lessons
His son, his namesake, pledged to never see or speak to him, never to enter the house until it was funeral time.
On his bed his hands are shriveling and gnarled, evidence of years of toil, toil he thought so unappreciated, work ignored, sweat unnoticed.
His stomach churns and his legs move to curb the pain.
If only you would have tried to reach me, tried a small amount of kindness.
Soon all your pain and ugliness will end.
Monday, May 11, 2020
The Folded Flag
My mother and father were seated on metal folding chairs close to the grave and the artificial turf that was trying in vain to disguise the hole. The honor guard stood at the rear of the hearse and the shinning black and chrome door swung open. The men from the funeral home were quiet, yet direct in their instructions to the honor guard. As the casket rolled from the hearse the men took their position, bearing their burden to the tent and the waiting grief stricken family members and the multitude of friends.
The flag seemed to wrap the casket like a cocoon, her colors were vivid and brilliant. I had never noticed the sharp contrast between red stripe and white stripe as I did that day. Each white star seemed to shine against the deep blue background. My family, and the others, were gathered in the presence of something sacred, dare I say, almost holy.
More words were said about the young Marine, my brother. Words about selflessness and willingness to serve were offered. The chaplain spoke words of ashes to ashes and dust to dust and then he prayed. As soon as he finished his prayer he stepped back from the casket and the honor guard stepped forward.
The flag seemed to float from the casket as expert hands moved in perfect unison and harmony and the rectangle was transformed into triangle with her stars shinning again. With fluid motions and grace the man in the dress blues bent low and placed the flag into the hands of my mother. He moved back to his position and plain and clear orders were given. The rifles cracked their salute to the Marine.
Before the wind could be heard again the mournful sound of the bugle announced, "Day is done". Most eyes were stinging as Taps brought tears to cold cheeks. The mournful sound from the bugle and the crack of the rifles is a combination seared into the soul of those who must experience it.
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Risk Taking- During this Time
I escaped death that day, because I had an early morning paper route and every cop in Riverview knew my dad and all of my uncles. My zest for risk taking took a small vacation and I walked the boring and dreary path of complacency. Gladly the days of boredom didn't last long. Soon my brother and I were in the fields across Pennsylvania Road playing in the pond and catching frogs and germs. That is, until Todd almost cut his foot off from an old can that on the bottom of the pond and not seen. To this day he credits me with saving his life, I carried him on my back for a while. I used to remind him of how much of a favor I did for him.
Moving from my hometown to a small one bedroom cabin for my senior year was a risk the entire family took. The impact was greatest on the five of us who made the move. I left Riverview with one year of high school to go. At the time I didn't think much about it. We loved Northern Michigan and had talked often about living in the woods. So, a small one bedroom cabin with a kitchen and screen porch became home. That time of risk taking was done in ignorance and desperation.
The move to Zambia was a great risk, yet it was in a way, no risk. We were following the path that had been opened to us after ten years of waiting. A young American family moving to the bush of Zambia, facing the unknown with zeal and an adventurous spirit. Yes, there was a lot of risk. Every time you drove down the roads you were placing your life in peril. I witnessed cars driving down the roads with no windshields, doors and even rubber on their wheels. Mammoth trucks would drive at night with no tail lights. Road accidents claimed hundreds of victims each month.
Taking a risk can be costly. Insecurity lives within every risk decision. The fear of the unknown, or the known, awaits all risk takers. After our time in Zambia my desire to take risks was pretty well gone. The Zambian risk almost cost a daughter and wife to be swept away. Four years after returning to the states I took another risk, resigning from officership. The doors opened for us to buy a small apple orchard near Hubbard Lake, Michigan.
Donna and I both found jobs and I thought, "Genesis Farm" would indeed be a place of new beginnings. The fact of the matter is quite simple. I decided to resign from ministry based on a flawed institution. Isn't everything run by man flawed? My resignation did not mitigate God's call and impress upon my life, nor Donna's life. Some years after our move I stepped out of my secluded acreage and pastored a small church. That risk was richly rewarded by the blossoming and determined life of Ana. For five years that little girl caused quite a stir in Lily white Alcona County. Her basketball and track prowess brought love from her friends and families and vile statements from bigots and haters.
The time in Alcona came to a close when I was rushed into the hospital for emergency spinal cord surgery. The surgery went as well as could be expected, the recovery, well, it did not go so well. My spinal cord suffered permanent damage and left me with partial paraplegia. Seems like my risk taking days would be over. I fought that idea and want to continue fighting it. I began writing a book as part of my own personal therapy. The book, "A Mother's Heart Moved the Hand of God", chronicles the life struggle of Ana and the events that surrounds her miraculous journey.
I have sat, not really, on that manuscript for a few years. As I hate rejection I have just given lip-service to publication. I know that there is a powerful message of inspiration and challenge to individuals and the church within the pages. A number of people have told me so. I know that a major publishing house is not the route for this book. I have tons of information on self-publishing and also tons of information on how much it costs. Any and all routes will demand taking a risk. I know and understand that the risk will be worth it as the rewards will be the accomplishment of completion and the unknown blessings that would come to those who would read the pages and understand the message.
Please pray for me that I would take the risk and get off my rear, which I can't feel anyway.
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
The Pine Tree
Sunday, April 5, 2020
The Seed Falls
Friday, April 3, 2020
Brow to the Sky
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Peace, Sweet Peace.
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Paradox of the Cross
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Sexual Anarchy part 2
The cohabitation rates among the religious population shows only a minor level of disapproval. Black protestants show the biggest disapproval rates and Catholics show the greatest approval rates. The belief in the sanctity or holiness of marriage is in direct proportion to the cohabitation percentages. The less people view marriage as a holy or sanctified relationship the less weight it carries in the decision making process. Simply put: If I don't believe God is involved, why should I care.
I believe there is a direct correlation between views of sanctity of marriage and the sanctity of the unborn. When the population looses touch with God many things happen. I will elaborate on a few. First, without a conscious understanding of God he has no influence on our decision making process. A sense of shame and embarrassment has been removed from our social consciousness. Nothing is wrong unless I think it to be.
Next, the power of the abortion movement is beyond my imagination. Billions of dollars are in the coffers of those who smile at us and display their ashen marked forehead while their donors suck a living child out of a woman's womb. Never in the history of any civilized land has such barbarism taken place. Fifty years ago the church was complacent and asleep in regards to abortion. If the Body of Christ had raised their voice to protect the body of the unborn we might be living in a different era.
The next is the celebration of evil. Many of the marches and parades that the gay and lesbian population promote are dark and evil. When children are made subject to them it is evidence of utter depravity and no moral conscience. The book of Romans has very dire descriptions of our modern era. Words such as depravity, reprobate, darkened, and others are used to describe our land. The lewd and depraved have no pangs of guilt because their mind is dark.
The years from the seventies into the eighties brought another sweeping and inimitable force.The trans movement came at us like a tsunami. In my opinion transgender and transvestite forces work as one. And, that is because they are wanting to be, or pretending to be, something they are not. Genetics, biology, and common sense dictates that if you are born a biological male or a biological female that decision was made at conception.
From the Trans movement the next wave to attack our values and way of life was just a natural progression. The next opinion piece will lead us into the gender identity morass.
Your opinions and comments are always welcome.
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Sexual Anarchy is Upon Us.
The first Great Awakening took place in the early 18th century. Reasoning began to dispel the need for spiritual enlightenment and faith. The Great Awakening is believed to be partly responsible for the early colonialist to believe God had a plan for their lives and country.
The seed of sexual anarchy was planted during a great time of civil unrest here in America. The mid to late sixties, lasting to the early seventies brought upon us the distrust of leaders and the government.Massive demonstrations and the birth of the counter-culture movement set the stage for social revolution. The Peace Movement's chant of free love found fertile soil in the minds of millions of young people.
Sexual relationships outside of marriage have always been taking place. But, those relationships were kept quiet and not celebrated. With the birth of the Peace Movement sexual relations outside of marriage were celebrated. Within the span of less than a generation cohabitation became commonplace. The sanctity of marriage vows were left by the side of the road or scorned altogether.
The societal perfect storm came together with the Roe v. Wade decision and the assassination of Harvey Milk. Now the termination of the unborn was protected and the child living within the safety of the womb became a target of choice. Millions celebrated in the streets of every major city that now a pregnancy of inconvenience could be exterminated. Sexual anarchy decided that the sanctity within the womb could be nothing more than a glob of cells devoid of protection.
The push to celebrate gay rights rocketed out of the gates with the unfortunate death of Harvey Milk. As tragic as his death was the societal push behind his death was pure politics in favor of the gay rights movement. In a matter of a few years almost every major city was subject to the flaunting of gay and lesbian lovers. As with the changing of the view of marriage so it is with marriage between a man and a woman.
Sexual anarchy is taking a hammer to the foundations of marriage and sexual identity.
I will give my opinion more on this on my next posting.
Sunday, February 9, 2020
Dead yet Alive
In Luke's gospel Jesus is talking with the disciples about the crowds of people and who they thought he was. Some in the crowd thought Jesus was an Old Testament prophet, back from the dead. When Jesus asked Peter, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter quickly proclaimed, "You are the Christ of God."
Just moments after this confession Jesus made some of the hardest demands upon His followers. The demands that point to my statement, God Wants Me Dead. For, Jesus said that whoever wanted to be His disciple must deny himself daily, take up his cross and follow him. The cross leads to death. Jesus and the two criminals died on the cross. Their bodies were taken down, lifeless and limp.
Now what is the truth that Jesus wanted to help the disciples, and us, understand? It is very simple, yet it is probably the most difficult task in being a Christ Follower. God wants me dead to my own selfish nature. The apostle Paul reminds us, "I am crucified with Christ, never the less I live. Yet it is not I, but Christ who lives within me. And the life that I live, I live by the faith of the Son of God."
Each day I must be willing to put my own will aside. If I have to have things done my way. I must stop demanding my way. If I think I am always right. I need to admit that I am not right 100% of the time, no person is. When God calls on me to do some task I need to complete the job. If God has put upon a human heart some great burden than God expects it to get it done, in spite of how one might feel at any given moment.
The early Church turned the world upside down because they believed that Christ gave them life. They knew that the life of Christ must be lived out in an openly hostile world and they were willing to give their life for Christ. It was the blood of the Apostles and countless disciples that fertilized the barren heartlands and transformed them into flowering oasis's.
Sadly, today the western church is prosperous in property, programs and professionals, yet destitute in selfless living. Church's argue and split because of money, immorality, greed, gossip and at times physical attacks. The symptoms of the selfish church abound, in sharp contrast and contrary to the words of our savior.
Jesus made it very clear that the world judges the church and His followers by the way we love each other. And believe me, there are days that the only way I can love some of the people I deal with is to count myself dead.
I Must be Dead to the World and Alive Unto God
Tedd Galloway is the author of, A Mother's Heart Moved the Hand of God and Encounter at River's Edge. Both books are available through local bookstores, Amazon, and directly from the author. His website is www.teddgalloway.com At the site you can watch the trailers for both books, access the blog articles, read his bio, and find contact information.