Thoughts

Perverted Justice

Scripture: Isaiah 53:4-12 Have we ever really considered this passage? Today as I was reflecting and meditating it, I began to think about how many times I have added a stripe to the back of our wounded savior just today. I find it quite easy to add stripes since it is an election year and I am a product of a very passionate family. I love my family and would not change a thing about them, to be fully honest. I have not seen a group so passionate about their stance, speak so boldly about it, and yet act so loving when it comes down to living out their faith even around people that disagree with them. It is probably why I have so much trouble listening to many of the political ads. “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people.” By a perversion of justice our Lord was lead to His death. Have we ever really considered what this means? I have several passions: history, political science, theology, and spirituality to name a few. Which is a very odd combination. Over the recent years my passion for politics has decined as I began to recognize that historically we keep fighting the same fight. Which means that the same problems have been around for centuries. For centuries…in every nation around the world…which means there is a perversion of justice still. This tells me something very significant. We as Christians have a great opportunity. If we would look at the world around us we will see where we have an opportunity to provide justice. I know that some people would say that social justice is a code for liberalism, but social justice is what we are encouraged to do in scripture. Social justice means changing the world we live in, and to make it better. Opening a facility to provide care to elderly is social justice, because it is providing a better world for those that are helped. Educating the youth is social justice if it is in a public school or a private religious based school. These are things we should be doing. Yet we make them political talking points and pervert justice. Jesus died for our people and all people because we pervert justice. We use justice for personal agendas. In the process people do not receive what they need and we add stipes to the back of Christ. He said that what ever we do to the least of these you have done for me. Scary thought, what have we done for the least? Not what has the government done or some ministry but what have we done personally? These political issues are issues because we have failed as a people to bring justice to our communities. I often wonder if we did more justice if maybe we would be less likely to speak so passionatly about how bad a canidate is. If we were to be just in our community maybe some of these problems would just go away. Every Meeting of worship or church has what they need to minister in the way God is calling them. This is a bold statement but it is coming frm a pastor of a Meeting with less than 30 people, and we are ministering. We are actually considering things that we have not thought possible, like opening a school, because we were focused in the wrong areas. Our community needs a good school not because they need a Christian based education, but because our schools have been proven to be failing. The just thing is to educate the youth. The perversion of justice is to use this for control. We are passionate people and thank God for that! Let us take some ownership of our communities and bring real justice. Let us help the people God love become the people He created them to be, even if it means we lose the power we seek.

Hand-Made Rosary

This is a hand-made rosary, that I have just finished. It is made from tarnish resistant copper, using a chainmaile knot for the beads. I am currenty selling this one for$150.00 or best offer

The rosary has been utilized as a prayer tool in many Christian denominations, and a form of prayer beads are used in many other religious groups. Many of you may ask why a Quaker pastor is making rosaries, well the sort answer is they are a beautiful tool to encourage prayer. I do not use them in the traditional manner, but I have used them to assist my prayer. When I use a rosary I usually hold the necklace in my hands and run the beads through my fingures as I contemplate a scripture.

I have currently made three of these and plan to make more. Feel free to contact me if you are interested.

To buy this one contact me!

Unbelief

Today’s Scipture: John 12:36-43

Though Jesus did many signs before them,they still didn’t believe. How depressing that is to those of us that are concerned and active in helping people turn their lives around and to assist them in their walk toward God. They could not believe is the answer that John points our. They could not believe because of their blind eyes and their hard hearts. He states that God Himself caused this, but human nature and desires do not really make that a hard job. We often refuse to believe because we can’t fully explain what has gone on.

I wonder what people would do if they took the same approach to God as the countless technological marvels we live with today. Personally I have a car and it vibrates. I am not an engineer I could not tell you a thing about the structural integrity of it. I’m not a mechanical engineer so I know nothing of how the engine, transmition, and countless other parts work together to allow this vehicle to take me from point A to point B. Yet I still get in and drive this mystery to work every day. I have faith that it will do what the person that sold me it said that it could do, and I know from experience that if I discipline my life to take care of this vehichle it will carry me tens of thousands of miles. Yet it vibrates and I am left to wonder what should I do.

We don’t understand a lot about the things around us. I would venture to say we are ignorant about most things. Yet the majority of us will hop into our cars, ride a bus, buy tickets for airplanes and trains even though we know nothing about any of them. We will even go out to eat ordering items off of a menu that we can’t even pronounce, and alow our kids to do the same thing. But when it comes to God we harden our hearts. Why?

We tend to hold God away because we don’t see Him around. Some around us sing His praises when they somehow find the ability to pay a bill when they thought they couldn’t or when they recover from a surgery. They say God gave them the money or that God healed them. We often will say to them that someone gave them the money or the doctors abilities allowed for these things to happen but we are still left with a mystery of what if it is true.

I used to live in a what if place. I tried to explain away several things using science or technology. I found that behind every one of those explainations was just more mystery leading me to the greatest mystery of all. What if God is really behind it all.

These ancient people saw amazing things, today we can explain most of them yet we forget that it is still amazing. And many didn’t believe. I ask you, what if God really is behind it all, and what if you could join Him in the dance of life. How would that affect how you lived. Belief doesn’t make one uninteligent it makes them open to posibilities. When we learn we can release the larger things to God. When we are unsure we can calmly say its in His hands. I’m better off for knowing Him I’m still just as curious if not more curious yet I can live free knowing that if I cat explain how it works someone can, and if they can’t God can.
Lord help our unbelief!