Like Us

Why all the anger
Why all the fuss
After all these people
Don’t look like us

Why do we debate
Why should we discuss
These people don’t
Even talk like us

Mistakenly ensnared
Thrown on a bus
What’s the big deal
They don’t act like us

I shouted you can’t arrest me
Thought I’d gained your trust
They answered me quickly
Michael, you are not one of us

First they came for the Communist
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

Is Jesus A Christian

We have to make a decision
Do we need to let Him in
If He really is a Christian
Why does He ignore their sin

If He really is all righteous
And holy and all good
Why does He ignore their evil
Why not destroy them as He should

Why tolerate their perversions
Their lustful, selfish appetites
Why not send them straight to hell
If He is Christian that’s what’s right

Just keep Jesus out there
While we finish this debate
Until we have decided
Tell Him He must wait

For we know we are believers
The chosen and the best
But this Jesus at the door
Can’t pass our stringent test

One thing we’re very sure of
One thing is very clear
He will destroy our religion
If we let Him come in here

Revelation 3:20 KJV
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

John 8:7 KJV So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

Two Sons: One Pony

This story is an adaptation of something my mother told my brother, sister and me when we were children. A father had two sons, one whom he could never please, no matter what he gave him. The other son would take joy in everything that came his way from the father’s hand. It never seemed to make sense. No matter how much the father tried, the son who would seem to have the greatest favor, was the least thankful, while the other son, who received the leftovers was always full of glee and gratitude.

The father tried an experiment. He bought the self-absorbed son a gift pony, put a big ribbon on it and presented it to him in the presence of his brother. As expected, the selfish son accepted the gift, pouting that it was the wrong color and too short. He did the lead the pony out of the barn, however, grumbling as he left. His brother bolted into the stall where the pony once stood and immediately started shoveling through the manure pile, singing and laughing all the time. His father was alarmed and rushed in to stop what seemed like an obvious fit of madness. “What are you doing my son? Why are you shoveling this pile of manure?”

The son explained. “I saw the one pony and I know there must be another one hidden in this pile of manure somewhere!”

The point my mother was trying to make was it is so easy to consider the trappings of wealth and privilege as giving someone the joy of living. The opposite is actually true. The joy of living does not come in what we possess. It comes by recognizing the simple advantages

I Married A Sinner

There’s a single thing
On which we both agree
I married a sinner
And so did she
The color of the walls
Which movie to see
Not eye to eye
Both sinners are we
Your way is dumb
She says to me
That's stupid I say
Both sinners are we
Both of us must repent
For repentance sets free
Both of us need more Jesus 
Both sinners are we

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:23 KJV

He Ruined My Hate  

He entered my life
Said He’d make me think straight
You must love and forgive
He ruined my hate

I saw anger as destiny
I deemed it as fate
Showed me love as direction
Yes, He ruined my hate

Interrupting my intention
To remain always irate
He called a vicious cycle
He ruined my hate

The problem with Jesus
He commands, not debate
He loves without merit
And He ruined my hate

Matthew 5:43-48 have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor [a]  and hate your enemy.’But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  45  that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.   If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect

Open Wound: Healed Scar

In learning to forgive
This proverb takes me far
A wound that remains open
Is more lethal than a scar

The wound will stink and fester
Allows the microbes to increase
Can lead to more infection
A healed scar hurts the least

I can either irritate the injury
I can remember the offense
Or I can choose to let it heal
Drop my guard, stop my defense

Forgive the ones who hurt me
Let them move on with life
For God to heal my wound
Forgiveness is the price

Ephesians 4:32, "And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ
also has forgiven you."

Matthew 6:15 KJV: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

I Met Me

I met a younger me
And quickly I decided
How terrible I was
How selfish and misguided

How arrogantly presumptuous
Judgmental and full of anger
Slow to forgive or show mercy
I did not recognize the danger

That I posed to those around me
Whom I claimed to love and cherish
Family friends and fellow workers
Whom, if left to me, should perish

Their mindsets were so awful
Their beliefs full of evil intent
If God had given me the power
I know where their souls were sent

Even I couldn’t meet my standard
Called myself unworthy and unwanted
Subjected to my own judgment
Teased, ridiculed and taunted

Then Christ came and touched my mind
Showed me how He’d help me grow
From the person I’d left behind
From the me I used to know

And how He had forgiven
How He overlooked my past
The future me will still look different
There still will be great contrast

Have you forgotten where you came from?
Have you considered the former you?
Do you hold those same convictions?
That close minded point of view

Can you give others the same grace?
Allow them to change their minds
And even if they don’t
Let them seek the truth and find

That they are also mortal
Fragile, imperfect beings
Then they will see themselves
Like the old you, you are seeing

I Am Elected

The election is over
And let it be noted
My name’s in the book
It’s my Savior who wrote it

Yes I’ve been selected
My name’s a write in
One of the elected
He paid for my sin

I no longer worry
I no longer fret
This world’s not my home
I’m with the elect

2 Peter 1:10 NIV. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,

Revelation 21:27 NIV
Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Romans 8:28 NIV
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose

Romans 8:33 NIV
[Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.

Matthew 24:31 NIV
And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

My Glue Sniffing Wife

To my wife’s credit, she had no intention of making this a lifelong habit. It just happened. She confessed to me the overwhelming sense of lightheaded dizziness which required her to roll down the car windows. Driving under the influence of glue was clearly dangerous. Before I move forward with this story, let me set the scene.

While serving in Nairobi, Kenya, we would often interact with young men and women and even boys and girls living on the streets. We would awaken on some mornings, take them breakfast and on several occasions do clinics on the streets. We would provide them with whatever medications we could fit into the trunk or back seats of our cars. We would also cook big pots of stew and loaves of bread for them to eat while standing in line to be seen by us and the volunteer doctors and other students.

We wanted to add a little lightheartedness to these occasions. We would bring games and if we could find a reasonable site, hold parties, outside picnics and on one occasion use the building of the YMCA. That’s when it happened.

We understood the YMCA would not allow glue sniffing in their buildings. We required everyone to surrender their bottle of glue before entering the building. There was no safe place to store their intoxicants. So, we made the Solomon like decision to put them in the back of our car. Several dozens of bottles of glue were placed in a closed environment heated by the sun for much of the morning hours. It just so happened that we required more food for the occasion and my wife was tasked with going to the store to purchase these extra items. Within less than one minute of driving she recognized something was wrong. She rolled down the windows it was the only way she could accomplish this otherwise simple errand. She returned to the site, safe and sober.

At the end of the event after everyone was well fed and had played several games with balloons, soccer balls and field activities, it was time to go home. At least Kay and I went home. Those living on the streets returned to the streets. They slept under trees, in the alleyways on the doorsteps of local shops. They returned to being harassed by police, security guards, shopkeepers and ordinary citizens.

They returned to the hunger and deprivation that we tried to stave off for a few hours of a single day of the year. We recognized we had done nothing to address the long-term situation. We must give them their bottles of glue. They deal with the reality by trying to escape it with getting high. It would be unfair for me to tell them stop using glue unless we could help them escape with better alternatives. That life would require changing the attitude of the entire system that ignores their humanity. I would like to tell them to just stop!

Upon our return to Philadelphia three years later we found the same type of deprivation amongst the poor. The difference here is that many of them have jobs, houses, access to food and even healthcare. However, they are still using legal drugs, such as tobacco and alcohol, and of course the legal and illegal intoxicants purchase off the corner or by prescription. Again, I would like to tell them to just stop! I don’t dare do that, unless I can address what is driving them to sniff, snort, smoke, swallow and shoot things into their veins and skin which ultimately hurt them. Many of them have been impacted by sexual abuse, murder, incarceration within their own homes. Families have disintegrated, justice systems have exploited and healthcare systems have disappointed. They find living on the streets no worse than living in homes without heat, water or roofs. The shelters have very limited personal space, no security for belongings, and often smell worse than open air vents.

It was easy for Kay not to become addicted. She just had to roll down the window, hand back the bottles of glue and return to a house full of food, soft mattresses, warm blankets and clean water. So even when I see those living on the streets here at home, I must recognize that unless I am willing to meet or understand their needs, I dare not take away the things that provide them comfort.

Covered in fleas

You said I could live as I wanted
You said I could do as I please
So I continued living boldly undaunted
And now I am covered with fleas

I thought it was so amazing
Every dog was wagging its tail
As I stood on the outside just gazing
Barking and even shrieking wolf wails

It seemed they were having such fun
Scratching wherever they pleased
Nothing secret nor private undone
I joined in and soon covered with fleas

It wasn’t with pleasure I scratched
The desires I once enjoyed
Had long since larvae hatched
These desires now just annoyed

So I have learned life’s bitter lessons
God told me you may do as you please
But being with people of bad reputation
Is laying down with a dog who has fleas

‭‭1 Corinthians 15:33 ASV‬‬
Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals.

Proverbs 12:26 ASV‬‬
The righteous is a guide to his neighbor; But the way of the wicked causeth them to err.