Blame, Shame, Ridicule, and Humiliation

You probably never have a problem with this but I often find myself caught in this trap.  When someone thinks differently than I do, or disagrees with me, or acts and lives in a manner in which I do not understand I find it is much simpler to shame and ridicule that person than to try to understand.  After all, my way of thinking is the wisest, and my way of living is best, and everyone should be just like me.  Also, how dare you disagree with me!  I'm always right!  Of course there was that one time when I thought I was wrong but it turned out I was right after all . . . so that doesn't count!  (That was sarcasm for those of you who don't recognize it, not an actual claim that I am always right!)  However, if you choose to think that I am always right I have no objections to that.

The eagle above is magnificent, breathtaking, and beautiful, unless you happen to be the fish he is about to snag!  The tiger to the right is an amazing creature.  He is beautiful, majestic, savage, a force to be reckoned with.  Every tiger has a unique stripe pattern.  When I go to the zoo I can stand for hours, well . . . minutes anyway, staring at this amazing predator.  I can be like both of these when I deal with people.  I can soar in quickly for the kill, or pounce and rip like the tiger.  More amazing, I can do it all with my words!  Even worse, I usually do it deliberately.

Study the picture on the left for a moment.  The butterfly, lovely and delicate, sits on the finger of a mother, and holding that finger is the tiny hand of the little girl carefully studying that beautiful butterfly.  Should I have a truth to share with someone who is unaware of that truth, is this not much more effective than soaring in for the kill, or pouncing and ripping someone apart?  I believe that if I offer truth to others like this loving mother I will be much more effective as a communicator.  The truth is, blame, shame, ridicule, and humiliation are destructive and predatory.  A gentle answer turns away wrath.  The words of the godly are like sterling silver.  The words of the godly encourage many.  Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything!  Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.  Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.  These are all from Proverbs, and words to remind us how we should communicate.

Proverbs 14:21 in the NLT hits us hard.  "It is a sin to belittle one's neighbor; blessed are those who help the poor."  I can't help poor people unless I take the time to get to know and understand them.  Many of them are caught in a vicious trap, thinking that they know, instead of being willing to listen.  Can I help them?  With patience, showing them the beauty of God's truth like the mother showing her daughter the butterfly, I can keep truth out there.  But if I blame and shame, if I ridicule and humiliate, I will lose any ability to communicate truth.

The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing.  But mockers hate to be corrected, so they stay way from the wise. Yet those who have wisdom to share can still lure even the mockers toward truth.  A glad heart makes a happy face.  For the happy heart, life is a continual feast.  If I allow my light to shine in such a way that people see my good works and see that they are from God, and glorify Him, I will lure people toward His truth.  Solomon was right when he wrote that for the despondent, every day brings trouble.  A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.  Didn't Solomon say that when people's lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them?  Living my life with a glad heart, rejoicing, constantly praying, and being thankful makes me appealing, even to my enemies.

The last three pictures have been of painted turtles.  Those who grow up around these beautiful turtles often fail to appreciate their beauty.  But show one to someone who has never seen it before, and they are amazed.  Recently I showed my Western Painted Turtle to someone who had never seen one before.  Listening to them comment on the beautiful bright colors, the contrast of the red against the black, reminded me that what I take for granted, may be for someone the very nugget of truth they need to see the beauty of God's creation, and His truth.  Take nothing for granted!

Solomon said it this way:  The path of the virtuous leads away from evil; whoever follows that path is safe.  We want people to follow that path, to be safe.  Kind words are like honey–sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.  As you communicate truth today, remember the picture of the mother showing the butterfly to her daughter.  Be careful.  I'm going to try to be very careful.  

The Fruits of our Labors

Occasionally one comment leads to a whole train of thought, and in my case, as I listened to a pastor on the radio, I thought I had an epiphany, which turned out to be merely a connection between a book I'd recently finished and what the pastor was saying.  Yet the whole train of thought intrigued me, and I turned off my radio and thought about that connection.  Being an avid historian I had to admit that somehow America, my beloved country, was involved in something very destructive.  That was the connection to the book I'd been reading.

According to the author of that book the 1960s marked the second American Declaration of Independence, our declaration of independence from God.  I think he was correct.  Since I lived through, and remember the 1960s, and the decisions that were made early on in that decade, I concurred.  What the pastor on the radio mentioned was that the church had followed suit.  That was obvious in the fact that even the unbelieving world cannot tell the difference between Christianity and the world today.

One might expect far-reaching consequences, both moral and legal, from such a declaration, especially in the church.  Before 1960 most Americans and Christians believed that the law was based on a set of underlying moral principles that came ultimately from the Bible.  I can honestly say that aProtestants, Catholics, and Jews differed on theological points, but when it came to moral questions they were pretty much in agreement.  Concepts about the sanctity of marriage included, both by law and by social pressure, discouragement of premarital sex.  Educators up to and through the university level did what they could to prevent it.  That all changed in the 1960s.

The underlying moral code rarely had to be defended because it was rarely challenged.  However, in the 1960s new religious assumptions that had been gradually gaining ground began to have practical effects.  When God's existence is no longer a fact but instead a subjective and highly controversial belief God's authority disappears.  As a result a drastic change in the nature of marriage immediately followed the change in the ruling philosophy of our culture.  When we changed from being a theistic society to a materialistic society restrictions on divorce and the social stigma evaporated practically overnight.

Odd, isn't it, to think in these terms?  Marriage ceased being a sacred covenant involving God and the community as well as husband and wife.  It became, instead, a simple and very ordinary contract that could be ended by either party practically at will.  And with the divorce revolution came the sexual revolution, as the effective burial of God and His purity and the availability of media, the rise of the television and movie industry and its immoral philosophy, contraceptives, a marked change in lyrics of popular music, and opportunity thrust our population into a new era of immorality.

Since then we've seen the feminist revolution, especially the radical wing that explicitly rejected the traditional family model that had previously been regarded as the backbone of society.  Feminism demanded an unrestricted right to abortion, which the Supreme Court duly read into the Constitution and imposed on a reluctant nation.  The homosexual liberation came next, and homosexual activists quickly gained "victim" status and consequent support for their cause from the media.  Again the supreme Court fell compliantly in line with the cultural trend, managing to find in the Constitution a principle that laws based on "animosity" toward homosexuality are unconstitutional.  Once the crucial change in the established religious philosophy was made the moral and legal reversal was seemingly unstoppable.

Are people less moral today than previously?  I think it would be more accurate to say that their morality took a different direction when its foundation shifted.  Those who believe that God is dead and His moral laws are no longer acceptable can be as firm in their moral convictions, and as legalistic in enforcing them as were the fundamentalists of the Puritan era.  Political correctness then becomes just as coercive as traditional religion, and just as capable of stifling free thinking.

Now we have legal barriers to ensure that only the established view of "religion" (materialism) is taught in the public schools.  At one time it was illegal, at least in some states, to teach evolution.  Today it is unconstitutional in all states to teach or advocate creation.

It all sounds very depressing, doesn't it?  Our country is reaping the fruits of its labors.  Instead of worrying about students running in the halls or chewing gum in class we now have to worry about STDs, students bringing guns into the classroom, gangs killing each other and innocent bystanders, and much more!

When I went to elementary school we didn't have a lot of emotionally disturbed (ED) kids.  Today we have entire classrooms set aside for them.  Hours are spent in meetings with psychologists, teachers, attorneys, principals, and parents in dealing with these problems.  Countless thousands of dollars are spent to accommodate ED students.

My epiphany had to do with punishment.  The fruit of our labors in killing God and dumbing down America morally is the punishment of our children!  More and more I see our children bearing the brunt of the brutality of such a culture.  Child abuse, physical and mental disabilities from babies born to mothers on drugs, or smoking, or drinking during pregnancy abound.  Children who are murdered for convenience or even fear through abortion receive the ultimate punishment of our immoral society.  But under the new "religion" of our culture they are not victims.  Merely a byproduct of an immoral society they are labeled and treated, but the root causes behind their situation are rarely addressed!

Yet I do not find this challenge depressing!  Instead I find it a reason to put on the full armor of God.  To put on love.  To earnestly contend for the faith which was once for all delivered.  To persevere!  In the midst of the darkness that is this godless culture we are the light of the world!  Followers of Jesus, lets get to work.  The fields are white unto harvest!  

Official Dog Crap . . . Oops! Dogma!

Blanding's Turtle

It seems these days that anyone who takes a stand for freedom of thought runs smack into a wall of official dogma.  More and more I see authorities using "law" (quotes intentional because the Supreme Court is not a law-making body under our constitution) to intimidate dissenters and to discourage citizens from thinking for themselves about everything from "global warming" (quotes intentional indicating that said concept is absurd) to fiscal responsibility, a government of the people, for the people, and by the people, all the way to the "theory" (intentional) of evolution.  Yes, we have laws saying that only Darwinism may be taught in the schools.  However, we got those laws from the Supreme Court, not the legislature.  (Those of you who are already up in arms need to read the constitution.  I DARE you!)  Anyway!

That 1987 decision by the Supreme Court held unconstitutional a Louisiana state law that attempted to require balanced treatment for creation and evolution in the public school classroom.  Of course the majority decision said that a state may not require that the "religious viewpoint that a supernatural being created human-kind" be given fair treatment as an alternative to evolution in science classes.  Basically that means that the opposite opinion – that mankind was created by a purposeless natural process–would be taught as unchallengeable fact.  Really?  Yes.

Bog Turtle

Only Justice Antonin Scalia argued in dissent.  According to his words people of a state, "including those who are Christian fundamentalists, (Don't you love how they label us?) are quite entitled, as a secular matter, to have whatever scientific evidence there may be against evolution presented in their schools."  The majority of justices disagreed emphatically.  Only "evolution" (intentional) may be taught in the schools.  I borrowed this word from John Grisham.  Thintelligence.  That is what I see happening all around me when it comes to official dog crap!  Oops!  Dogma.

Sadly, because of thintelligence evolution, like so many other subjects, has become the focus of a culture war instead of a subject that can be discussed constructively in educational institutions or in the political realm of negotiation and compromise.  Right here in Southern California we've seen a similar situation played out.  A young woman wore a T-shirt with the Republican Romney depicted.  She was ridiculed (really) and told that her school was a Democratic school, and wearing that shirt would be like the teacher (an African American) wearing a KKK T-shirt.  I kid you not!  Silly little terrorist!  What was she thinking?

Chicken Turtle

The debate a few nights ago is another great example!  If Romney made the kind of poor showing that Obama did the press would be painting him stupid, moronic, an idiot, unworthy of the position to which he aspires.  So what was the excuse for Obama.  THE ALTITUDE?  Really?  Welcome to the world of thintelligence.  I'm quite sure that global warming played a part as well.  Oh!  So did evolution!  Romney has evolved into a much more intelligent debater than our esteemed president!

Does anyone see where things are heading?  When a scientific establishment starts to act like a governmental body with an official ideology to uphold it is no longer scientific.  When a political party starts to act like it is government with an official ideology to uphold it is no longer a government of the people, for the people, and by the people.  (I'm such a radical!  No!  Now I'm a terrorist!  I probably have a plan to destroy the embassy in Lancaster, California!)  There's a high price to pay for our science community and political community to hold this position.  They are defending things they shouldn't be defending with methods like doubletalk, intimidating threats of legal action, and public ridicule.  Eventually this leads to mass hypocrisy and self-deception.  (Sounds a lot like an established religion, doesn't it?)

Florida Cooter

One also loses the ability to think critically about his or her own beliefs in thintelligence.  Unable to admit that people have valid reasons for objecting to the materialist philosophy presented in the name of science or party these individuals set themselves up for embarrassment and humiliation.  If one is going to be honest instead of a dogmatist, that means beginning to deal honestly with those objections.  Unfortunately for those blinded by thintelligence this is all but impossible.  It shouldn't be, but it is.

Here's the rub.  I can be as dogmatic as the next person!  Exhibiting thintelligence is not exclusive.  You think not?  Did not Jesus pray in John 17 that the church would be one, as He and the Father are one?  And is the church one?  Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I rest my case.  It's fun to ridicule others and pretend that I am wiser than they!  So let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall!

River Cooter

 In all of this there is only one thing we can do that makes any sense at all.  Rejoice.  Never stop praying.  In every-thing give thanks, for this is God's will for your life in Christ Jesus!  Don't get your grapes wrinkled over what people say.  One tends to end up looking like a raisin!  And don't be a dried old prune!  Let your light shine in such a way that when others see your good works they give glory to God!  I'm not going to be able to influence anyone until my own heart is full of God's light and mercy.

Don't talk about the parties, or candidates, or propositions without utmost respect.  Let's not divide over such silly matters.  Instead, talk about God's Word!  Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you as you speak to one another and admonish one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs!  Note that the words are not mine, but His.  May the Lord be with you as you face these end times, with the mockers and haters of good.  The ride may be bumpy but the destination is worth it!  

For My Grandchildren

Three-toed Box Turtle

PROVERBS

Becoming a Man of God

For My Grandchildren

When your dad reached the age of 14 we went through this book of the Bible together.  At the finish of our study I told him I'd taught him everything I knew about being a man, and that I now expected him to be one.  Your dad did not disappoint me!  He became a godly man I could trust completely.  Don't misunderstand!  Your dad wasn't perfect.  Like all young men he made many mistakes, took many wrong steps, made many bad decisions.  The way he handled those things is what made me so proud of him.

You see, your dad wasn't afraid to try and to fail.  He knew that I would love him just the same if he succeeded or failed, just as the Lord loves us equally in either circumstance.  Your dad knew to get up, dust himself off, try again, and keep on trying.  It wasn't about strength or ability!  Faith, character, determination and commitment were the keys to success.

Eastern Box Turtle

When he started driving I gave your dad my ATM card and the code to use it, and he carried it more than I did.  That's how much I trusted your dad.  With great joy I watched him struggle into the man he is today.  No father could be prouder of his sons than I am of mine.  And now I'm passing on to you the same things I passed on to your dad.  You see, your dad didn't become a great man of God because I was his father!  No indeed!  He made the choice to listen to the Lord, and to follow His teachings.  Far from a perfect dad I made many mistakes along the way.  Our family values became the undergirding framework of our relationships with each other.  God first • Love well • Forgive quickly • Praise often • Walk the talk.  We all decided to listen to the Lord, and to follow His teachings.  Please make that same choice.

Let's begin.

Chapter 1

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:  To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding, to receive instruction in wise behavior, righteousness, justice and equity; to give prudence to the naive, to the youth knowledge and discretion, a wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles.  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:1-7 NASB

Florida Box Turtle

Solomon is credited with the authorship of a large portion of the Proverbs.  According to the Bible he was given great wisdom.  In chapters 30 and 31 are found the words of Agur and Lemuel.  Nothing is really known about Agur other than that he is named as the writer of those words.  Lemuel means "belonging to God."  Nothing about Lemuel is known, except that to him the admonitory apothegms of Proverbs 31:2-9, were addressed by his mother.

Apothegms or apophthegm from the Greek apophthegma is a word that means a short, pointed, and instructive saying:  a short usually pointedly concise formulation of a truth or precept:  a terse aphorism.  (It's always good to learn new words!)  Use a dictionary and look up any words you don't know.  You may not know what the word aphorism means.  Look it up!  No . . . look it up right now.  Write down what it means and tell your mom or dad about the new word you just learned!  Actually, as we get back to our study, rabbinical commentators identify Lemuel with Solomon, which seems the most likely conjecture.

Ornate Box Turtle

Proverbs is an amazing collection of moral and religious maxims containing instruction concerning right living.  Also included are brief discourses on wisdom, justice, temperance, industry, purity, and other subjects.  In these pithy sayings a sharp contrast is drawn between wisdom and folly, righteousness and sin.  The main theme of the book is moral instruction, especially for young people.  A principle verse would be 1:4.  A key thought in the book is "the fear of the Lord," which occurs fourteen times.

In order to study this book we need to build a proper foundation upon which to build understanding.  God begins His instruction for us with a proper foundation and a properly laid cornerstone.  The entire purpose of this section is to help us know wisdom and instruction.  I'm not talking about "head" knowledge!  What God is offering is a long-term growing relationship with wisdom and instruction.  Guess what?  Learning never stops!  I'm writing this to you at age 60 and I'm still learning everything I can, discovering things, amazed by my Lord every single day!

Desert Box Turtle

We get to be detectives!  To discern means to sense or come to know or recognize mentally especially something that is hidden or obscure.  It means we go deep, get to the bottom of things, and understand as fully as possible God's mind!  And, as we discover, God will teach us wise behavior, righteousness, justice, and equity.  Prudence is wisdom shown in the exercise of reason, forethought, and self-control and is contrasted with naiveté which exhibits lack of instruction, experience, perception, learning, ready acceptance without consideration.

Young men and women can have knowledge and discretion!  There is no age limit on being useful to God or being a leader.  I Timothy 4:12–Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.  (NASB)

Berlander's Tortoise

Wise men and women listen and learn.  Men and women of wisdom actually go looking for wise counsel.  They do research, study, and seek out people that they know have wisdom to share.  (Trust me, you're not going to get any wisdom from television, movies, or video games!)  Those who wish to understand the deeper things of life do this constantly because they want to be more useful to God.  However, there is a warning included, because not all who seem wise actually possess wisdom!

Only someone who fears the LORD is wise.  There are many in your world who have lofty titles.  Some have achieved a doctorate degree and teach in universities.  Just because they succeeded in school does not mean they are wise!  I've met many who wear the title "Professor" who are dumber than my pet rock!  Psalm 41:1–The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." (NASB)  Anyone who denies God and His Word is a fool.  Any questions?  Many people seem very wise and carry themselves as though they have deep wisdom.  Yet if they deny the Lord and His Word they are fools.  Don't listen to them!

Desert Tortoise

Carefully consider this:  You need to know why you believe what you believe.  It's not enough to believe something.  Knowing why you should believe it is of paramount importance.  I suggest you study the Westminster Larger Catechism or Luther's Small Catechism.  When I say study, I mean exactly that!  Study that book!  Memorize the Scriptures and answers to the questions.  Ask your dad to test you!  By the time you reach your sixteenth birthday you should know that book and your Bible inside out!

Have you read the entire Bible?  Get a copy of the One Year Chronological Bible and when you're done with this study in Proverbs read it from cover to cover!  Again, do it with your dad, or ask him to test you on what you've been reading.  If you read the entire Bible, and know why you believe what you believe, you will be able to determine who can teach you.  Even then you can be fooled!

Gulf-Coast Box Turtle

You won't be fooled for long!  Because you know what is in your Bible, and you know why you believe what you believe, you will soon discern when a man is a deceiver.  Know the truth.  The truth of God makes you free.  Live without fear.  Perfect love casts out all fear!  Jesus loves you perfectly.  I love you, and your dad loves you.  So live your life without fear.  Get into God's word and learn it.  Talk to other believers, especially to those you know are committed to following Jesus!

You should make a plan to read through the entire Bible at least once each year.  Tear into the individual books and study them carefully, learning everything you can about each one.  I've been studying this book for 54 years and I'm still learning new things!  God wants to teach you, to make you wise, to help you live without fear.  That's why He wrote this letter of love to you.

Ornate Diamondback Terrapin

There are no books you can study that are more important than the Bible.  Your Bible should look like mine.  The pages should be wrinkled from constant use, highlighted, written in, and the binding should be falling apart because you use it so much.  Yes, I'm talking about an actual bound book, not your I-Pad, or Kindle Fire, or phone!  Trust me!  Of course, you should have your Bible on those other things as well.  But for your personal study time alone with the Lord you should have the printed Word before you.

Here is your assignment for these first seven verses.  Memorize verse 7.  Write it on a 3x5 card or a piece of paper three times.  Put one piece on your mirror, another on the fridge, and the third in your pocket.  Look at it often and say it aloud.  Have your dad test you at the end of the day, and two days from now to be sure you still remember it.  I love you.