Mental Musings

This is part 2 in a study of Romans 12. Begin with part 1: Sacrificial Lifestyle . What do these people have in common: Jim Bakker, Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods, and Jane Fonda? They all were at the top of their game and thought of themselves as untouchables when their mistakes in judgment brought them tumbling down. Proverbs describes it as pride. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 (ESV) Many people think of pride as a danger for Type A people, but it is something that can easily dig into the hearts and souls of anyone. I believe that everyone must fight off the grasping tendrils of pride. Most people are competitive in nature and the sin or pride takes root in our accomplishments. Looking better or dressing better than others, having a nicer home or car than others, having more awards or trophies, etc. Even in churches we see pride slip in as pastors and church leaders begin to take the credit for the increased attendance or gi...

As a teenager I remember one business meeting when our church was voting on the Vacation Bible School Director. The Nominating Committee presented one of the women for the position. Several men were very upset that a woman was going to serve in a leadership position (I attended a very conservative Mississippi Southern Baptist church). Since the men were opposed to a woman serving as the VBS Director, the pastor asked which of the men would volunteer to be the Director. After a long silence one elderly man spoke out and said, “As long as she does all the actual work, I will agree to be the Director.” He was elected as the VBS Director and never lifted a hand to help with VBS. The era of volunteerism in churches has been in a decline for a long time. Church leaders have moved beyond advertising or asking for helpers and have now found it necessary to beg for help in many ministry areas. Begging often encourages people who don’t really want to, and, very likely, are not called to s...

I grew up out of control: impulsive, compulsive, easily distracted, overly talkative, impatient, a daredevil, and often interruptive. Why? Because I have ADHD. I have never been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder by a professional, but there is no doubt that I am ADHD. I knew I was ADHD before I had ever heard the term. I knew from an early age that I could not control myself. I exhibited all of the characteristic attributes of an ADHD child. My impulsiveness often got me into trouble. People might tell an ADHD child that they need to act before they think, but the truth is that most ADHD children think so quickly that they are 20-30 steps ahead of a non-ADHD person sometimes known as a neurologically typical person or simply NT. It is not that an ADHD child is not thinking, it is that they have thought of so many things that they often cannot process all of that information in time to prevent them from doing something that may be inadvis...

One thing I have noticed about Christians: they love to laugh at themselves. Christians are not politically correct when it comes to making fun of fellow Christians. If you are a Christian that is easily offended, you need to learn to laugh at yourself. After all, what other group of people would require a standing committee to recommend a sub-committee to study the situation before bringing it back to the full body through a motion in order to allow discussion followed by the question and an official vote, if not tabled, for the purpose of purchasing a copy machine for the church office? Today I discovered a website that makes fun of Christians through fake news and columns. Many of the articles in LarkNews look as though they could be true, which in reality is a sad statement about many of our churches. If you want to waste a couple hours, go visit the site. While I was perusing the site, I saw the link for Horoscopes. I was curious as to why they would include that on a ...

What is the problem with America? Many will immediately point to the immorality displayed on television or through the music industry. Others will point to the every changing perversive and permissive sexual nature of the culture. Some may point to certain political parties or even the acceptance of religious cults such as Islam. While all of these may contribute to the continual immorality of our nation, I would argue that the problem with America begins with Christians who have opted to blend into the society rather than stand out as those who have been set apart by God. Granted, even the great apostle Paul had trouble living Christ-like always. "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what i do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that goo...

One among the billions wandering through the street Liars, cheats, and scum were all that I would meet Wailing, screaming, pleading, no help could we find there For each and everyone had nothing but despair Our sentence had been ordered, guilty everyone No room was there for recourse; we knew what we had done The words the judge declared rang throughout my head “Found guilty on all counts, you’ll hang until your dead” There was no hope for me, the die at last was cast I hungered for the day when I would finally breathe my last Standing on a hillside he looked on my disgrace Tenderness and mercy could best describe his face He looked on me with sadness; a tear fell from his eye I heard his voice inside my head as he began to cry “Father, these are mine, you promised them to me I’ll pay for all their crimes, I’ll set the captives free” Then riding on a donkey, the people gathered round The crowd was all excited at this man that they had foun...

The title of this post alone might cause some people to question my sanity. I admit that if I were to see this I would immediately think that it was some secular-humanistic way to excuse immoral behavior. But the title comes basically from my recent study of an exposition on “Morality and Psychoanalysis” by C.S. Lewis in which he discusses the differences between making moral choices as opposed to actions based on the raw materials of an individual. While Lewis was far more adapt at handling the psychological aspect of this discussion, and any desire to fully understand this one premise would necessitate a prior reading of his arguments on The Law of Human Nature, I will attempt to give a theological summation (which in itself seems to be an oxymoron) of what Lewis so eloquently explains based on logical reasoning. The mere act of choosing, whether right or wrong, is something that we each have the ability to do because of free will. The Law of Human Nature stipulates that there...