Forever His  

An Intro 

Why am I up at this early hour?  ( 5 a.m.)  I’m a night owl not an early bird.  Maybe it’s because I actually went to bed early last night – 11:30 pm.  I actually woke up about 4:30 a.m.  I tried to go back to sleep but I couldn’t.  As has happened of late (the last 2-1/2 years) I’ve had problems sometimes going to sleep.  That’s unusual for me because I have lived on sleep deprivation for years. 

My wife has commented for years how I’m asleep almost as soon as my head hits the pillow.  So why have I started having times when my mind won’t shut down?  Why do the thoughts continue to race through my head?  I don’t know, and I doubt that the answer will be found in this written “drama”.  Suffice it to say that it is troubling at best, and frustrating to no end. 

Maybe it’s because of the Coke that I constantly sip all day and late at night.  It’s my “coffee”.  If that were the case, though, then it should have been happening for all the prior years, too.  The Coke habit (we all have to have a vice, right?) has not changed in volume or frequency for untold years.  If it’s the Coke, then why did I suddenly wake up around 4:30 a.m. this morning?  I drank less of it last night.  (My wife is on me to cut back – possibly because my dentist is also – something about the constant bathing of the teeth in all that acid and sugar resulting in the condition of some of my teeth.  Let’s not talk about the medical doctor who also recently said something about reducing my caffeine intake.)

Lest you think I’m addicted to the caffeine or the Coke, I’m not.  I’ve gone for long periods of time without it when I was somewhere where it wasn’t readily available, and I suffered no side effects.  So, it’s not the caffeine, or the Coke; it’s the need to “sip something”.  I’ve tried just water before, but after awhile, it’s “boring”.  The palate desires something “better” – a little “bite”, a little flavor, a little “something”.  Alas, I’ve tried grape juice in the past, but that is acidic and is full of sugar.  It’s also more expensive than the Coke. 

Let’s just clarify for a moment that the Coke I am talking about is Coca Cola – Classic.  The original – “Coke”.  I wouldn’t want someone to wonder if maybe my references were in reality referring to a white powder.

So, why am I up at this early hour?  When I woke up my mind started processing things of the previous day.  I can’t tell you what all things it was processing because I don’t remember, but I do remember one thing that it was processing.  We had my high school class’s 40^th reunion this past weekend – Class of 1971.  Yeah, hard to imagine that it was 40 years ago, but the calendar doesn’t lie and contrary to some people’s perception, there is absolute truth and the absolute truth is that 2011 minus 1971 is 40.  Really.  Trust me.  I made A’s in math and it’s simple arithmetic. 

One of our classmates, Jo Beth, was leaving and I hadn’t talked to her very much.  I felt compelled to bid her farewell (that’s a fancy way of saying “goodbye”) so I went over and talked to her.  I knew that she was a strong Christian, so I shared a little bit about why I had recently moved to Enid, America.  For simplicity I had not shared the full reason with most who asked.  My short goodbye ended up being a few minutes of both of us sharing a split-second snapshot of our faith, and a mini-synopsis of the ministry that God has placed at my feet.  Jo Beth said she wanted to know more about the ministry and we both said we would like to keep in touch regarding that. 

She followed up with a Facebook reply to me stating that she wanted to “hear more about your life/ministry/spiritual journey”.  She also said that she and her husband “thoroughly enjoy listening to other people’s stories and rehearsing the remarkable ways God is working to accomplish His purposes.”  Wow, now that’s a story!  That would be why I’m up this early.  That is what was racing through my mind.  God has placed in my mind to do just that – tell my “story”.  Not just to Jo Beth, but to anyone else who would read. 

It was that “spiritual journey” that she wanted to hear about that is the tough one.  That’s not a simple tale.  That’s not a short story.  That’s not something that is briefly told in a quick conversation - not if you really want to know.  It’s more like an epic tale.  It’s a story about the battle between good and evil.  It’s about God and the Devil.  Yes, skeptics, there really is a Supreme Being in control of it all, Who created it all, Who sustains it all, Who watches over us and cares for us – and, yes, there is a devil also.

You see, that’s part of the story.  It’s my walk away from God and the battle that God fought against the Great Deceiver to win me back.  It may not be as exciting as Star Wars or Braveheart or other “epic” tales, but it’s better because it’s actually real – and for the females that might be reading, it’s a love story. 

Don’t believe in the Devil, or all that other fairy tale stuff?  That’s okay, neither did I for awhile.  Don’t believe in God or not sure if you do?  I’ve been there, done that.  Are you curious, want some answers?  Perhaps you can find some here.  Perhaps, if you follow this tale as it progresses, you can identify with some of it, maybe all of it.  Want to argue with me about the “Devil” or God?  I’ll provide you an opportunity.   

A questioning mind is a good thing, as long as the mind is open to truthfully analyze ALL facts and points of view.  It’s fine if you have a preconceived notion or idea – we all have them.  I will simply provide you with information and ideas that might be new or different from what you’ve heard, seen, or read before.  Just promise yourself that you’ll openly analyze them and verify their authenticity – their truth.  There are absolute truths out there and we will explore them.  If you doubt that there are absolute truths (in other words, you believe that the following statement is true – “There are no absolute truths”), then I ask you to simply answer this question – “Are you ABSOLUTELY sure about that?”

If you fail to see the contradiction, then we have a lot of work to do, and you’d better buckle your seatbelt because it’s going to be a long road ahead.  If you do see the contradiction, then you already are where you should be, or at least you’re on the way.  For some people they can’t get past the contradiction because they have been so thoroughly ingrained (brainwashed) with truth being relative and not absolute.  So that you understand, brainwashing is not what you think it is. 

Some people think that brainwashing occurs by “forcing” a person to believe a certain belief against his will.  That’s because they’ve been brainwashed.  Brainwashing is the process whereby you convince a person of a falsehood by subtly providing them with misinformation in such a way that they don’t even know or realize that they are believing a lie.  If you try to force your views on a person, they will put up defenses to protect and justify their beliefs.  They will hold to their beliefs more strongly. 

Satan aka the Devil, the Great Deceiver, etc. is the expert in this field.  He’s extremely masterful.  Look at his first role in the Bible.  He didn’t come to Eve and blatantly tell her that God was a liar.  He came to her and put doubt in her mind about what God actually said.  “Did God really say that you can’t eat from any tree in the garden?”  Eve corrected him and told him that it was only the “tree in the middle of the garden” and to touch it would mean death.  Satan said, “Oh, it’s not that you’ll die, God knows that if you eat of the fruit from the tree that your eyes will be opened, and you’ll be like God knowing good and evil.”  (These verses are quoted from Kirt’s unofficial translation – for the real thing I suggest you try the NIV or your own personal favorite translation of Genesis 3.)

First, Satan knowingly casts doubt – “did God really say”.  Then he purposefully makes a false statement – “can’t eat from any tree”.  Eve corrects him to say that it’s only one tree they are not to eat from.  Next, Satan offhandedly calls God a liar without saying “God’s a liar”.  He tells Eve that the real reason God doesn’t want them to eat from the tree is that she and Adam will become like God – not that they will die.  The devil is very familiar with wanting to be like God as that is what caused Satan’s fall.  He knows it’s a perfect trap for Adam and Eve.  The rest, as they say, is history.

The Great Deceiver did just that – he deceived.  He brainwashed Eve (and Adam). Deception is subtle.  It’s not blatant.  It’s not “in your face”.  It may even be gradual over a long period of time.  After all, the Devil has your whole life to deceive you.  Why rush into things?  But he does like to get started early.  The earlier the better, when it’s easier to mold and manipulate impressionable minds. 

So, not only is this going to be about my spiritual journey, it’s also going to be a part of the ministry.  The ministry, after all, is about helping people understand the Biblical Worldview.  It’s about helping them to use discernment in deciding what the truth really is.  It’s about discussing all of those aspects of everyone’s life – the conflicts, the struggles, the questions, the answers, the thought processes – on the road of life, and ultimately, about their salvation or lack thereof.  Such is my journey.  Such is everyone’s journey.  Perhaps, someone can benefit from reading about my journey and help them in theirs.  Perhaps that someone is you.  You will only find out by continuing to read.