Mark's Views, Perhaps — from behind my eyeballs
It is very sobering indeed to consider that if I do not forgive a person who is mean to me and then sincerely apologizes seven times a day—and if this is my usual spiritually sloppy and self-satisfied habit—then it would be better for me if a millstone were hung around my neck and I were cast into the sea.
Do read the rest of Andrée Seu’s piece over at World magazine: New thoughts on not offending.
Christian parents abandoning their children seems so contrary to logic. At least.
Contrary to God. At most.
Oh, I don’t mean abandoning them in the sense of leaving them derelict and alone to fend for themselves somewhere. Or even abandoning them to the care of someone else.
I mean abandoning them in their own home.
A friend of mine on Facebook (yeah; I know) linked to this article by Rachel Jankovic. Read it to learn what I’m driving at above.
Have you given your life to your children resentfully? Do you tally every thing you do for them like a loan shark tallies debts? Or do you give them life the way God gave it to us—freely?
It isn’t enough to pretend. You might fool a few people. That person in line at the store might believe you when you plaster on a fake smile, but your children won’t. They know exactly where they stand with you. They know the things that you rate above them. They know everything you resent and hold against them. They know that you faked a cheerful answer to that lady, only to whisper threats or bark at them in the car.
[…]
Sacrifice for your children in places that only they will know about. Put their value ahead of yours. Grow them up in the clean air of gospel living. Your testimony to the gospel in the little details of your life is more valuable to them than you can imagine. If you tell them the gospel, but live to yourself, they will never believe it. Give your life for theirs every day, joyfully. Lay down pettiness. Lay down fussiness. Lay down resentment about the dishes, about the laundry, about how no one knows how hard you work.
Stop clinging to yourself and cling to the cross.
I don’t know much of anything about the author. Nor do I know much of anything about John Piper. But I do think it worth your while (be you mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, or none of the above) to read the entire piece: Motherhood Is a Calling (And Where Your Children Rank).
Cal Thomas published yesterday,
Intellectually, I understand the Supreme Court’s 7-2 decision that the First Amendment protects the most violent of video games.
Well, I don’t understand.
Because I thought the First Amendment was intended to protect political speech.
But I can’t see that it says so expressly:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
So we’re “stuck” with going by what it actually says.
I still say the modern-day usage of the First Amendment has become mangled, perverted, and distorted.
And inconsistent. For example, how does the government get away with fining broadcasters for using certain language on the air waves? And for another example, how come imaginary hate speech isn’t protected?
Politics.
Humanity.
Imperfection.
Oh well.
I must say, though, that I’m very thankful for the First Amendment.
And I’ll also say that I agree with Mr. Thomas’ closing statements:
In a perfect world, children would listen to, respect, and obey their parents. But this is far from a perfect world and parents could use occasional help from the state in preventing violent culture from undermining what’s in the best interest of the child, and the country. This ruling by the Supreme Court does not achieve that end.
Here are some excerpts from the first page of an Associated Press piece I read a few minutes ago:
Now, what started as a custody battle over little Isabella Miller-Jenkins has turned into a global manhunt, with indications that Mennonite pastors and other faith-based supporters may have helped hide the two in Nicaragua and are now coming to the aid of one who the FBI says helped Miller.
Eager to keep the girl away from Jenkins and what they consider a dangerous and immoral lifestyle, they liken their roles to that of underground helpers aiding runaway slaves.
“God’s Holy Law never recognizes a gay marriage,” said Pablo Yoder, a Mennonite pastor in Nicaragua, in an email message to The Associated Press. “Thus, the Nicaraguan Brotherhood felt it right and good to help Lisa not only free herself from the so called civil marriage and lesbian lifestyle, but especially to protect her nine year old daughter from being abducted and handed over to an active lesbian and a whole-hearted activist.”
[…]
In 2009, two months before the judge ordered the custody change, [Lisa] Miller and the girl flew to Central America and took up residence for an unknown amount of time in Nicaragua before vanishing again.
So says the FBI, which revealed in April that it had arrested Nicaraguan missionary Timothy David “Timo” Miller and charged him with abetting an international kidnapping by helping arrange travel and lodging for the two. He is awaiting trial.
[…]
Timo Miller has pleaded not guilty and is free on $25,000 bail, awaiting trial.
[…]
Yoder, who works the remote village of Waslala, 161 miles from Managua, told The Associated Press she celebrated her daughter’s birthday in his house last year. He wouldn’t say more.
Read the two-page story here A fight over a girl, and God’s law.
At this point, I have no further comments to add to those I’ve already made here.
Longer ago, someone much wiser than Judge Longoria wrote:
Mr. Longoria, today we need to return to that wisdom from long ago, that wisdom from above.
I recommend for your online reading: Five Pointers for Disciplining Children
And here are some books for your consideration:
Woe to the parent who abuses a child under the guise of discipline!
I’ve never seen anyone drowning.
This article is sobering to me in a stunning sort of way. Read it all
It is very difficult to hate babies.
It takes a special person.
[…]
But the human being does have to learn to hate children and babies, and to regard the torture and murder of them as morally desirable acts. It takes years of work to undo normal protective human attitudes toward children.
That is precisely what the Nazis did and what significant parts of the Muslim world have done to the word “Jew.”
[…]
Yet, when Pakistan was yanked from India and established as a Muslim state at the very same time Israel was established, that act engendered 12.5 million Muslim refugees and about a million dead Muslims (and similar numbers of Hindu refugees and deaths). Why then doesn’t “Hindu” equal “Jew” in the Muslim lexicon of hate?
Here are some answers in brief:
You can read the full article here: The Other Tsunami.
Know this, though: Matters will get worse. Much worse. And it will seem even more normal. And nothing by which to get unduly exercised. As has abortion. Which also takes “a special person” to perform, accept, tolerate, and/or ignore.
Christians, don’t forget this: Americans, Arabs, Hindus, Japanese, Jews — we all need Jesus to the exact same degree.