April 4, 2010

Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)

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Playing my first round of the year with one of my best buddies with thoughts of playing a round or two with my dad in the next few days, I made the turn with a very respectable score: seven pars and two others.

The back nine didn't go as well; reminding me that my chances of qualifying for anything anymore in any athletic event is as remote as paying off my plastic in time to lasso my dream as sighted on page 330 of HD's 2010 big book.

When my drive on 10 went 300+ yards over two fairways to the right and nearly nailed a dozing ranger, my buddy discerned what was simmering within despite being concealed by Duvalish shades and Tigerish pursed lips: "It's gonna be O.K., Bob. If you need some perspective, look at the cross that you're wearing."

Thanks, I needed that.

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A friend in California wrote late on Good Friday: "Our Savior paid the price for our sins in the most horrible ways...His blood washed away the sins of the world in substitution for the price we were meant to pay. He fulfilled all prophecy to the very last breath - the number of those prophecies being beyond our feeble grasp to count as are the sins for which He gave Himself that we might grasp the Father's forgiveness and gain eternal life...We cannot comprehend the enormity of the love which we inherit. We cannot fathom the magnitude of the pain He suffered to show us that love...We are the most wretched of penitents, the humblest of recipients, the chosen sons and daughters of the King of Glory."

Thanks, I needed that.

What I need doesn't always correspond to what I want.

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When I was in seminary, Big Mac often attacked mis-pronunciation of amen.

The Greek is pronounced ahmein; and the Hebrew is somewhere in that neighborhood.

Anyway, he'd say, "It's pronounced looooooong amen when spoken and short ahmen when sung."

When I first heard him say that over 35 years ago, I checked it out in several dictionaries because, well, uh, geez, sigh, I'd been saying it as I'd always sung it contrary to his correction for almost a quarter of a century.

He was/remains right.

Of course, nobody seems to care; and, admittedly, the Kingdom doesn't rise or fall on it.

Lots of people don't mind thinking what's wrong is right.

Congress.

Mainliners.

Even if what's wrong is exposed by juxtaposition to what's right, lots of people prefer acting out what's wrong rather than what's right.

It goes back to the garden.

Though this is just a metaphor for more serious concerns, I'll never forget instructing a son on the correct contextual pronunciation of amen after my first Big Mac attack.

He looked at me and said, "My Sunday School teacher says you're wrong."

Then he walked away.

A disturbing dogma comes to mind.

Lots of people walk away from...

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Moving from pronunciation to prophecy, I'm a tad troubled by BBPBHO's repeated references to Armageddon.

Yeah, I know he's just mocking folks who believe in that kinda stuff or don't swallow his kinda stuff; but it's getting kinda spooky.

For somebody who labors so carefully/rhetorically/eloquently/vacuously to distance himself from Biblical Christianity in a syncretistic secularized religion that features ___ (fill in the blank) in revelation/auto-suggestion revised to the navel not Bible, you gotta wonder why Armageddon keeps coming up in his daily/hourly homilies, uh, I mean speeches/interviews.

Parenthetically, there must be clones of BBPBHO; 'cause he's on television live almost every day around the clock.

Spooky.

Despite calling out the Supreme Court, Rush, Beck, Sean, Sarah, GOP, blue dogs, Libertarians, Rome, NRA, NCAA, and anybody else by name who disagrees with him or even questions him as if that's some kinda neo-apostasy while he bends forward for Islamists and everybody else who disses America and Christianity, there's too much talk about BBPBHO being the Messiah or Antichrist.

Spooky.

A friend in Pennsylvania wrote on Holy Saturday: "Thanks for taking the middle road on the President. He's not the Messiah. He's not the Antichrist. I think he's somewhere in the middle like the rest of us."

O.K.

A friend in Ohio wrote on Easter Day: "Mr. Obama is not the Messiah. Jesus is! Mr. Obama is not the Antichrist; but I'm beginning to think he's one of the prophets to the..."

Thanks, I needed that.

Have you ever noticed how humor hints at truth?

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Getting back to BBPBHO's thing for Armageddon, Biblical Christians have always recognized the special existential/eschatological place of Israel in God's heart.

Genesis 12:2-3, for example, comes to mind.

While I'm not a historian as a subscriber in New York insists on reminding me, nations that have mistreated Israel have always seemed to set up themselves for some kinda judgment in time as well as after it.

BBPBHO seems to be cozying up to the nations that are dedicated so religiously to Israel's demise.

A brilliant lawyer in Illinois: "Obama is willing to negotiate with Iran without preconditions; however, he places preconditions on our ally Israel...Iran continues to ignore America's traditional support of Israel while threatening Israel with complete annihilation; probably because our President seems more concerned about Israel's settlements than Iran's nuclear designs."

Then there was BBPBHO's snubbing of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the latter's visit to D.C. in late March - no red carpet, photo ops, or din-din together.

Odd for a President who seems to live for that kinda stuff.

A prophetic type in Kansas warned, "The USA's current leadership appears to be turning its back on Israel; and the Bible says God sees that as turning its back on Him. Our first truly secular President does not see the perils of abandoning Israel."

Thanks, I needed that.

Do you think there's any connection between America's declining support of Israel and America's decline?

I don't know.

But I'm paying more attention to the spiritual side of BBPBHO's politics.

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I'm going to see my parents in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

It's become a week-after-Easter tradition.

Complaining about my dad whistling and jingling change in his pocket while I was putting about 15 years ago, a friend in the foursome warned, "Love him while you've got him."

Thanks, I needed that.

When I play with my octogenarian dad these days, I'm just happy that we can still hit the links together.

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Everything/everyone seems fixed in time.

Love 'em while you got 'em.

America comes to mind.

Mainline churches come to mind.

Connected inevitabilities.

2 Chronicles 7:14 comes to mind.

Only dumb dogs don't bark as danger approaches.

Fore!

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Blessings and Love!