My redefinition of race, ethnicity and value (sorry Webster).

REV rather than CRT

I submit that there is one “race”, the human race (Acts 17:26,27). It is not a man-made social construct but one of God’s Creation. Within that Creation are many ethnicities representing different phenotypic (physical) characteristics and cultures. Man, male and female (Genesis 1:27), throughout “fallen” history, and in rebellion to God, has assigned varying levels of a hierarchy of value to these ethnic differences resulting in ungodly prejudice. None of these differences are innately superior or inferior relative to comparison or value. 

I submit that the problem in our American culture, and indeed the world, is not “racism”, but “valuism” (my word). It is the “valuism-ist” who refuses to see that man, male and female, created in the image of God is to be valued equally, regardless of ethnic (physical/cultural) differences. I submit that the valuism-ist will always treat others with subordination, regardless of culture, ethnicity, skin color, or societal position. 

I submit that man is not an unwilling slave to valuism but a willing participant-driven by, again, the fallen, rebellious characteristics of self-righteousness, self-centeredness, and greed. I submit that neither culture nor nationality forces man to be a valuism-ist. Personal agency, personal responsibility, and our ability to act upon and within our personal value system cannot be taken away by nations or man. 

Our character relating to personal agency may be revealed by others, but our ability to accept personal responsibility for our actions cannot be removed. Godly values are written on the hearts of all men, and revealed in ancient writings (Bible, Romans 2: 12-16); therefore man has a choice to follow Godly values, or fallen man values (James 1:13-15).

I submit that God is, and is not, “color-blind”. Does God see our skin color? Yes! Does God value one skin color above another? No! Does God see and value individual differences and industriousness expressed through talents, abilities, ethnicities, and gifts? Yes! 

Does God create a hierarchy of value based upon these differences? No! 

Does “skin-color-blindness” cause me to be blind to injustice? No! 

Does skin color-blindness prevent me from seeing a person as a beloved creation of God bearing His image? No! God created diversity within His Creation…” and it was good” (Genesis 1) It is fallen man, and fallen angels that turn God’s morally steadfast objectivity into self-centered subjectivism.

I submit that a person expressing their God-given gifts and talents does not “automatically” marginalize, oppress, suppress or enslave another person. Is merit resulting from hard work and industriousness bad? No! Should I feel bad about winning, or accomplishing, or being able to do something better than others? No…unless these becomes my obsession…my god.

In the words of the poem, Desiderata (things desired): “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater or lessor persons than yourself.” See 1 Corinthians 12 and 13, Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139, Job 8, 2 Chronicles 2:13-14.

I submit that our life experiences, subject to God’s sovereignty, are meant to turn us toward Him, not turn us away from Him or one another. Only the valuism-ist will refuse to see God molding, shaping, forming him or her, through their experiences, to do His work, be his hands and feet, and fulfill their reason for being. The person will only see oppression and enslavement. The valuism-ist’s focus is on self rather than on God and others. See Paul’s story in 2 Cor. 11,12.

In the words of Solomon, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13,14

Today…be blessed, be encouraged.

Mike

Are you amused or are you amazed?

Amusement: An activity that is diverting and that holds the attention.  A pastime, play, game, anything which pleasantly diverts the attention.

Amazement: a feeling or sense of great surprise, awe, or wonder.

I was watching a “Christmas Special” movie with Caroline the other night.  It was a beautiful, western, country setting.  The fire crackling in the log home, yummy Christmas goodies, Christmas dinner with all the fixens, snow gently falling in the mountains, a huge Christmas tree with gifts. 

The movie also contained other scenes which included family arguments and dysfunction, a blizzard, an avalanche, a broken furnace, and emotional memories of missing family members.  The movie and acting were done well enough to hold our attention. 

However, unfortunately, this “Christmas Special” focused completely on the world, both its beauty and brokenness.  No hint of the ancient origins of this “holiday”, its original meaning and purpose, its spiritual impact, or how the One born that original day is personally involved in both the beauty and the brokenness in our world. 

It was a distracting amusement.  There was, sadly, no amazement.

The biblical account of the origins this celebration we call “Christmas” describes ordinary people who were not amused by what they had heard and seen but were truly amazed.  So amazed that they had to tell others.

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,  and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  Luke 2:17,18

So…are you amused or are you amazed?  Perhaps, like me, you have taken the time to watch a Christmas Special Movie, but have you taken the time to read the historical, biblical account of the amazing birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world?  The movie will amuse, it will distract.  The biblical account will amaze.  Read Luke 2:1-20 to begin your amazing journey.

My Christmas prayer for you is that your celebration does contain some amusement, some distraction from the brokenness and worldly dysfunction.  I pray your celebration includes a warm, crackling fire in the fireplace, Christmas goodies, a beautiful tree with gifts, the love and warmth of family and friends.  I pray you are spared the blizzard, the avalanche, the difficult memories, the family arguments, and the broken furnace.

But do not let either the beauty or the brokenness of this world distract you from your ability to be amazed. 

Merry Christmas!  Be blessed!  Be in awe! Be amazed!

Mike

There is a “virus” that has infected many in our country and world.  It is more deadly and contagious than COVID-19.  This virus results in the disconnect condition of “Mental Myopia” in those who have been infected. It seems to have infected mostly big-city-dwellers, though not exclusively. 

This blinding virus prevents those infected from seeing the connection between a dead tree and the wood used to construct their high-rise apartment, mansion, and dining room table. They simply cannot understand the connection between sustainable forest management, which includes logging and loggers (real people and families).  To realize that logging and forest fuels management can be synonymous with caring for the Earth and can be a tool to prevent catastrophic forest fires is beyond them. 

They cannot see the connection between the metal in their fancy freezer/refrigerator and fancy car to the mining industry and the mining families.  They do not understand that the ice cream in their freezer has its origin in an animal called a cow.  They will eat it gleefully while condemning the farming/ranching industries for polluting the environment with bovine-produced methane.  

It prevents them from understanding the correlation between the food in the grocery store to the farm and the farming families who make their living outside of the big city and put food on their wood table.  

It prevents them from connecting the gas in their car and the heat from their furnace to a hard-working family in the fossil fuel industry. 

It blinds them to the truth that the little, unborn girl and boy in their mother’s womb also have individual bodies, are “persons”, and should not be sacrificed on the alter of “choice”.  The meanings and application of volition and personal responsibility are manipulated to justify murder by those infected with this virus.

This virus creates the illusion that bigger government, more bureaucratic regulation, and higher taxes results in greater freedom and prosperity.   This virus alters the mind to believe that government should not be the servant of the people but the caregiver of the people.  It prevents the ability of those who are infected to realize that every power-hungry autocrat and bureaucratic will, with a big smile, apply for the job to be their nanny and will promise Heaven on Earth, “If you give me the power”. Historian and moralist, Lord Acton (1834-1902) stated: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  He applied this statement to mankind.  I think he was correct.

I must admit that I too, in many ways, have been infected by this virus.  This emotionally heightened and volatile political season (worldwide) will at times bring it out in me (see above).  I can demonstrate “blindness” and a callous attitude to certain situations and philosophies.  I can lack understanding and connectedness to others. I have the ability to be myopic.  It is the condition of fallen mankind of which I am a member.

 I am thankful there is a vaccine.  And I am confident it is not man-made government.

Jesus was recorded to have said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

Amid all this worldly unrest, may we “come”. May we be encouraged as we look forward to His promised virus-free world.

Mike

At the end of August 2020 there were at least 77 large complexes of wildfires burning in 15 states across the United States. Almost a third of them in California.

The many damaging forest fires around the U.S. are, in great part, the result of 75 years of Smokey the Bear, emotionally-driven forest management. Some have termed adherents to these forest management philosophies as “nature fakers”. It is a “hands-off” approach resulting in the suppression of naturally caused forest fires and the unnatural build up of forest debris, and fuels. In a season of high temperature, such as we are in now, the results can be devastating to the ecosystem, lives, and property.

Myopic, anthropomorphic forest management is not a good policy nor a strategy that benefits the forest ecosystem. Creating human-like characteristics or fictional personas in trees and other forest populations, such as Smokey the Bear, does not result in a healthy forest ecosystem. It only makes fire the enemy.

People, bears, deer, and other such critters are only a small part of a comprehensive forest management plan. There is as much “forest” below the soil as there is above. As a professional forester for over 20 years I wrote and executed management plans on large, private landholdings that were surrounded by State, Federal, Tribal, and other private lands. I can testify that it is a very complex process ecologically and relationally.

Should emotions have a role? Sure. They can give us a meaningful connection to other creatures, including trees. This empathy can be healthy and helps us care for other living creatures and systems. But creating a comprehensive management plan that places emotion in its proper, controllable and helpful position in the plan is necessary. When emotion is the overriding governing policy, the result in a natural ecosystem can be devastating.

Nobody likes to see living things die. However, in our current “fallen” ecosystem (world) death is a necessary part of life. Trees are biological systems with natural life and death stages, and cycles. Each stage, each completed cycle benefits a healthy forest ecosystem.

Best Management Practices are not myopic or overly emotional. Fire is a necessary part of a healthy ecosystem and can be productive, not damaging with proper management.

Time to put Smokey back in the forest where he belongs!

Mike

Author Max Lucado wrote: “For all its peculiarities and unevenness, the Bible has a simple story. God made man . Man rejected God. God won’t give up until he wins him back.”

There it is! The solution to all this chaos.

Stop rejecting the call for a relationship with your Creator. I’m not suggesting a works-based religion, trying to earn His favor. That is not how He wants to win your heart. It is through a volitional choice on your part to engage in that relationship. And when you do, He will put His arms around you and say, “Bring all your stuff, your baggage, your hurt, your pain, your doubts, your questions. Move in, and we will work on all that together.”

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Jesus as recorded in Matthew 11:28

Today…be encouraged.

Mike

Note: God made “man” male and female. See Genesis 2:27

Abolishing Positive Commitment. Another battle in the culture war.

Commitment: The state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity: synonyms: dedication, devotion, allegiance, loyalty, faithfulness. Oxford dictionary.

The message on some billboards in WI and MN read: “Tired of poverty? Finish School, Take Any Job, Get Married, Save & Invest, Give Back To Your Neighborhood.” The billboard was created by the Center For Urban Renewal and Education in Washington DC. An organization founded by a black women named Star Parker, who stated:

“I lived criminal activity, drug activity, sexual activity. I barely graduated high school literate. I was in and out of the abortion clinic, after clinic. I lived on welfare.”

She said it was these five precepts that pulled her out of poverty. Apparently, many have stated that this message is sexist and racist, including many on the political far left and some of the leaders in the BLM (Black Lives Matter) organization who pressured the billboard owners to remove the message. One person was reported as stating: “To every woman, that’s damn near ‘keep her barefoot and pregnant,'”. Hmmm, I just don’t see that.

I see these precepts as encouraging positive commitment. Commitment to yourself, your employer and fellow workers, to a very special person & life-long relationship, to financial security and to selfless concern for others within your community. This is the foundation of “hope”…the ability to see yourself in a better place, a better way, a better situation in the future. The opposite of these precepts breeds “hopelessness”!

Look at the information below relating to worldwide poverty and the connection to education in the article, Understanding the Connection Between Education and Poverty Feb 07, 2020 – Globalcitizen:

“Nearly 60 million people could escape poverty if all adults had just two more years of schooling, and 420 million people could be lifted out of poverty if all adults completed secondary education, according to UNESCO. Education increases earnings by roughly 10% per each additional year of schooling.” The author asks: “Why does poverty stop girls from going to school?” “Poverty is the most important factor that determines whether or not a girl can access education, according to the World Bank. If families cannot afford the costs of school, they are more likely to send boys than girls. Around 15 million girls will never get the chance to attend school, compared to 10 million boys.”

It is clear that this research, which I believe could be applied to any nation, shows it is not finishing school, or simply a lack of education that will keep girls/women “barefoot and pregnant”. Educated parents can escape poverty and raise their children out of poverty. Their educated children can go on to raise their children out of poverty. Seems like a good plan to me. And these statistics, though related, do not address the positive impacts from the other four listed precepts on the billboard. All of them together are very powerful!

So…since when did positive commitment start to become negative? I’m not sure exactly; perhaps at the very first rebellion against God. However, it was predicted some 2000 years ago that the “last days” would show an increase: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents , ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) A stark warning!

Regardless of where we are in this time-line, the human characteristics listed in this Scripture are not positive and should be avoided. It is these that will keep women “barefoot and pregnant” and in poverty.

The Prophet Isaiah stated: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” Isaiah 5:20.

I think, as important and positive as these five precepts are, they are not complete. I would add two more: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”. And, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus, as recorded in Luke 10:27.

I pray these billboards and this message are restored and lives are changed through positive commitment.

Mike

An Open Letter to my Son, who is angry and questioning, rightfully so, why skin color and gender have played such a huge and dramatized role in Biden’s pick for VP.

Son ,I fully understand your anger and why you are asking this question. The answer is because “politics”, affairs of the cities, as it is currently practiced and applied by man (male and female) is a man-made system born out of self-centeredness. With “man” in power it is not altruistic.

From a biblical perspective, the prophet Samuel warned the people of Israel what lies in store for them if they have their wish granted that a king, political ruler, rule over them instead of God. The warning was that the king, political rulers, will take, take, take and tax, tax, tax. Not just a warning to Israel but to the world! Under the guise of altruism man-empowered politics is about power. And that is truly what a career politician like Biden wants. His choice of a woman of “color” has nothing to do, in my view, with equality for women or people of color. I believe, he believes, it was a strategic, political choice to gain power. Rather than do what a true Statesman would do, which would be to choose the most qualified person for VP regardless of gender or color, he bent his knee to the extreme elements of his political party. His agenda is power, not people. That is your answer.

I do fear for our country right now. I do also, however, believe our Constitutional Democratic Republic and Federalist Separation-of-Powers, which are unique in the political world, will sustain our God-given and Constitutionally guaranteed rights and privileges for a while yet. There is an interesting statement attributed to a Scotsman named Alexander Fraser Tytler. He said:”A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy”.

I see this happening in our country right now! Just replacing one form of man-made system and human “king” for another; embracing power and self-centeredness. The anarchy, destruction, senseless murders and news accounts showing people looting are symptoms of an eroding culture that is embracing self over others’ and replacing God with idols. Our Constitutional Democratic Republic, “One Nation Under God” is in jeopardy! However, until the man-made systems are replaced by a God-made system we will continue with this upheaval and turmoil in our country and world. And, biblically, we are promised this will happen in God’s timing. Until then we must maintain a measured level of participation in our political system, recognizing the people in power are the people whom God allows to be in power, but knowing this system or those leaders are not where our true hope lies.

Trust in God during these difficult times; turn those within your sphere of influence towards Him. Channel your anger into a positive, others-centered focus. Pray…respond to others with whom you don’t agree; don’t just react in anger. All else is like chasing after the wind. You will never catch it.

I love you Son!

Dad

The thoughts of Dr. Wayne Grudem: (research professor of theology and biblical studies at Phoenix Seminary as quoted in the book,
“True Courage: Emboldened by God in a Disheartening World” by Steve Farrar).

“According to the teachings of the Bible, government should both document and protect the ownership of private property in a nation. The Bible regularly assumes and reinforces a system in which property belongs to individuals, not to the government or to society as a whole.”

My thoughts:
I believe Dr. Grudem is correct.  I also believe that with private ownership comes responsibility; to be a good steward, to share wisely and to not covet the private ownership of others.  I wish I was better at all three.

My hope and prayer, as we continue in this seasonal celebration of thankfulness, giving and receiving, is that we focus more upon that which Christ had and was willing to give away than upon that which we don’t have and want to get.

May your Christ-mas celebration be blessed.

Michael Rueffert