Was Jesus a Good Christian? 2017-39

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                                                   Was Jesus a Good Christian?  2017-39

Of course not!  He was of the Jewish heritage and most likely WAS a good Jew for his time. That is to be expected, BUT the Jewish leaders did not think so.  They connived with each other, and baited him to expose his thoughts about the Hebrew religion.  They persevered and managed to trap him into a situation where they could take Him to the Roman authorities to be found guilty of a charge they wanted to make against Him.

Jesus was a Rabbi and, as such, was a teacher of the Hebrew Scripture. He KNEW the past writers of this religion and could bring up passages that made His sermons standout. 

I do not know what a “Good Christian” today would be. Who decides? Who dictates to those around them that someone is a good this or that?  If that happens, then those people are being judgmental and that says something about them and not the one they judge.

Being able to quote Scripture at moment’s notice, does not make you a good Christian. Knowing the stories of the Bible does not make you one either.  It shows that you have a great memory at least, but not necessarily a great pious person. 

I would think it takes effort on one’s part to LIVE the life of what Jesus would want you to do, and using his teachings, as a guide to life. It is HARD to live a life like that of someone (Jesus) who was practically perfect. OK, some would say absolutely perfect, but I am sure he had some faults not reported in Scripture.

To strive for perfection or at least betterment of self would be a great goal. To NOT be discouraged in the process is probably a good reality, but the important thing is to try.

Den Betts

Change Direction 2017-38

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 CHANGE DIRECTION   2017-38

What does it take to do something, to “change direction” in our lives? What exactly is it to do so and what directional change could we make? Sometimes it takes something to make us do something!

Recently, a friend of mine had a life-threatening health diagnosis that gives this person the opportunity to change direction in their lives.  Or, it gives them the chance to decide on doing something different other than just continuing in their lives the same way as it has been before the health news.

Yes, we can do nothing different.  We can seek treatment in some way that might make us better. We can do more though, by making a change in our lives in many other ways.

To change direction involves many things.  It may involve having a lifestyle that uproots our normal way of existing to one of having better habits, more exercise, eating different things, a disciplined way of using our mind towards a complete change of our Self.

Our attitude of living can be challenged to the point where we will no longer be seen as the person before. Perhaps, we will get closer to the God we were ignoring and become more cognizant of His presence towards us.  Or, maybe we will have a feeling of empathy for those we shunned or did not see in front of us, or among us.

Many things can happen that will involve our direction in life, which will completely make us a better person in the process. The old us, will become the new beginning of the newer us and this change will be startling to some, because it is not the old us in front of them now.

I remember a movie that involved “The Bucket List”. This showed two men who decided to make a change in their lives and begin to whittle down a list of things they wanted to succeed doing before they died. Perhaps we can start a list of those things we have put off in our lives because we were too busy, too scared, or too poor to do them in the past.  Maybe, we ALL should make a bucket list and check off those items we have not done in our lives.

To change direction requires us to make decisions.  We MUST start somewhere, and I ask this: When is the time to start?  When must we begin to change direction in our lives?  Also, consider this: What if we never change and the life line of life ends before we even get a chance to make a change?

If so, so be it.  We just did not decide on something we could have done that might have made a difference to someone else besides ourselves, which would be sad to a degree. This time on Earth has an ending, and we are all subject to this point in time.  

The ending on Earth does not mean, in my mind, an ending of life, just the ending as an Earthling.  I went to a funeral and the Priest said, “Our lives are like a trilogy, a beginning by being born, a middle where we live on Earth, and the third part, our eternal living after we die.” What if he was correct?

Can we, should we, really take a chance and not live our lives on earth with gusto and finally make a change in direction, and realize the third option of having life hereafter can be a reality?

Den Betts

Light of the Son 2017-37

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The Light of the Son 2017-37

 

The light is there for all to see

                But is unseen because of the blindness of man

The light of the Son is brighter than,

                The light of the Sun of the Universe

The Son’s life gives birth to life forevermore

                It promises eternal living to those that see

A promise of forever more to those seeking the way

                The way is the only way for all

Darkness cannot comprehend the light and

                Can only be illuminated by it

Life gives hope and hope of human existence

                Is the Light of life!

Light is shared and shows the way

                As it becomes the light of the world

Look for the light and grasp it,

                Enjoy it, relish its existence

Rejoice, for you have seen the light!!!!

Den Betts

It Doesn’t Matter 2017-36

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It Doesn’t Matter!   2017-36

Well, all things matter, but some things, just don’t matter in life.

I use the phrase “Oh Well!!!” many times in life now. I have done so since I had a horrific automobile accident that changed my life forever. It is my way of coping with life.

We can either deal with life as it is or try to change it. Some things cannot be changed and now we have a choice of either living with it or suffer the consequences by fighting it and either winning or losing something in the process.

“Oh Well” has helped me as I said.  I do NOT especially like something that has happened, but saying these two words, gets me by and allows me to continue with life as it is.

Recently, I have also added, “It doesn’t matter” in my list of sayings to state, when the little or big things occur. 

What these three words do, is get me beyond the present moment and makes me realize that, in life, many things JUST DON’T MATTER, in the long-term way of life.

Of course, things DO matter, but many of the little things that get to us, can be put in the bin of discards of life as not being important in the long-term.

How many of us get upset at many of the small occurrences of life and allow them to irk us, annoy us, or at times, control us and our actions?  

This is where my new utterance of “IT doesn’t matter” helps me, again, cope with daily life. I do NOT want to be controlled by stupid, petty, things that are not important.  I have enough problems just dealing with daily issues that are a result of my accident to have little things get in the way of the enjoyment of life.

I have and do, hide, when I can, the effects of a closed head brain injury from the accident, that I deal with EVERYDAY. Most people do not realize how I feel in the daily activities of my life, and I don’t go out of my way to express them to others. I hide my emotions, my physical feelings, to allow me to get on with life in as normal of a way as I can and not because I am ashamed or trying to be acting like normal. I don’t and have not done this since April 1997.

Anyhow, “It doesn’t matter” is my way of dealing with life and it makes me cope with everyday events by putting a feeling of scale of what does and what does not mean something to me. 

I do care for others and how they feel, but for myself, I deal with me in the way I want to and will continue to do so; period.

Peace be with you,

Den Betts

Faces of Jesus Christ 2017-35

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Faces of Jesus Christ  2017-35

There are many renditions of artist interpretations of what Jesus Christ looked like, and these have been portrayed through the ages.  One of the most common pictures is the “laughing Jesus” that is shown with Him laughing about something and it shows him with flowing hair on his head, facial hair, and features, very much like an everyday guy you would see in the streets of America , with long hair.

Lately, artists have given us examples of what a typical mid-eastern man would look like who lived in the then Israel of the 1st Century.  It is different than the laughing Jesus, and looks Arabic to a degree.  These pictures show a ruddier complexion, shorter and darker hair, larger nose, etc. that could be more accurate of the then Jesus. 

Since, Jesus is not described in Scripture of the Bible, any rendition could be accurate.  It does not matter, because that was then and he fit in as a native of the area, when he lived in that area.

I have this scenario for consideration.

When I made a statement about someone who I was trying to convince there was a God, and Jesus Christ as the son of God,  I stated that “If Jesus Christ were to knock on the door, he would probably go and answer it and tell the beggar to go elsewhere.”

I wonder if I was suggesting that Jesus would look like the typical picture that was common and would have come dressed as he would have when He was alive?   Or, would he look like a modern-day man with a suit on, with shoes and overall garb that made Him fit in today of the 21st Century?

That got me thinking.

What if Jesus were to make himself known to individuals or a gathering of people today; how WOULD He look to each of us? I don’t know, but it would be neat to experience that moment again.

I have presented my past experience years ago, of meeting Jesus in what I titled, “The Happening”, but I do NOT recall or remember what Jesus looked like then.  That was not the crux of the experience really, and how He looked was not the important part of the moment then. 

My point is this.  What if every person of any nationality, creed, ethnic background, could see Jesus in THEIR minds how He would look like, to them, and each of us could accept how he looks as our own. A white man would see a white man, a black a black and an Asian an Asian, etc. 

Why not?  There would be discourse because each would argue that Jesus looked like them, and not the other, but that is a minor thing. 

 I read in Scripture, about a meeting of various people in the Bible got together with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:1-13, those in attendance all spoke their own language and could understand each other, that was an example of how looks could be the same thing in acceptance.

Den Betts

Mean Spiritness 2017-34

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Mean Spirited   2017-34

 

I had a nonviolent run in with what I would call a “mean spirited” person the other day.  Some would have called him a bastard with mental problems, but I will not do so. The details are not that important, but the thought that there are people out there that are like that, is in-settling.

What exactly is mean spirited? One definition of mean-spirited is someone that is unkind, motivated by cruelty or intended to be hurtful. An example of a mean–spirited person is someone who loves to see others fail. That is one definition, but there are many that can be used to describe this person.

I know of one that claimed to be a racist and in the way he told me, I could tell he was, somewhat, even proud of the fact he was one of “them”. How the H     can you be proud of being a racist with all the things that are known about the past ones and how they acted?

I think he was also a typical (if there is a typical) mean-spirited person.  He is, in my mind, a very unhappy person, has ills that make him look at life in a negative way, and his life might have been not what he wanted it to be.  Not sure of the last one, but he does not brag about how his life was in the past.

Mean-spirited people have their own agenda based on sometimes cowardly and petty actions they have done, timidness in nature, weak minded overall and just plain MEAN in nature.

At times, we have to put up with these people, due to a relationship of some sorts. This can be a short and if they are a large part of your life, it could be a long term and emotional pain of dealing with them.

I remember the racist one I know.  He would bait me and say things to see if I would argue with him, and I did NOT play into his power game of life.  I did not want to get into an attitude of being like him, mean-spirited in a negative way, because I would have been just like him.

I ended up not seeing this person again and do not try to contact him, go to breakfast or any other way of communicating with him.  I feel better in doing so.  I do not have to grit my teeth when listening to him spout off about subjects I feel are wrong.

It could be that he needs help in some way professionally, but I am not his keeper, and the distance is too long for me to get involved on a regular basis.  I would not be surprised he does not miss me, and is happy, in his way, with his life. Don’t know; don’t care; moving on!

We control our surroundings for the most part and happiness is up to each of us to attain. Taking personal responsibility for our actions IS the road to happiness.

Den Betts

Is Religion Dying Out? 2017-33

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Is Religion Dying Out? 2017-33

No, Not dining, dying.  I don’t know! Though, I do see signs of religion not being that important to people today. 

As we, in the more civilized world, have become more affluent and as we feel we are more secure in our environment, and even more educated perhaps, it is possible that people, in general, are becoming more rational and less in need of religion.  Many areas of the world, and in certain cultures, are divorced from the domination of religious affiliations, and influence. Religion, for many, is becoming less important in everyday life in the upper advanced cultures. I will not even mention anything like moral reasons at this time.

When I travel to my church on Sunday morning, I feel, that I am the only one up and the roads are NOT busy, not crowded, and not full of vehicles going to their church for services.  Since I live in an Amish community, I must say, there are horse and buggies on the road, so I must watch out for them.

I would think that, as improved living conditions occur, a decline in a religion also is the result. The feeling of need is lessened or unimportant.  I remember 911 and the uptick of religious feelings for a small period of time afterwards.  We were fearful of the unknown and church attendance had a surge of recurrence right afterwards.

The decline has occurred worldwide and I read that many modern secular democracies, more and more people are identifying themselves as non-affiliated with religion. I realize that it is “uncomfortable” to discuss this subject with people, because of many reasons. I do know some people that said it is convenient not to go to church for many reasons. Those that said this do not have a logical reason, but it could be said by some, their reasons are petty at best. Everyone is different, and I realize this as fact.

I do not believe that those that say they are non-affiliated, can be called atheists, but instead belong to the secularism group of people. When I looked at my notes from my teaching Sunday School at church, I could see that Christians made up about 31% in the world then, and declining, Muslims around 23% and growing, and the non-affiliated about 20%. So, religion is not dead, just not doing well today.

In addition, many people state they do NOT belong to an organized religion, but are spiritual, whatever that means to everyone stating this. Instead of dying out, religion may be, becoming dormant. I do not think atheism will take over, but those leaving religion will become members of a less defined religious belief or just simply unaffiliated overall.  I know, I consider myself, Spiritual and Religious, two different words meaning different things in my mind.

In a contradiction, I read that places like China, Christianity is growing the fastest, which is strange.  Some places, like Australia, where church attendance is about 10% is somewhat holding at that percentage, but they were always thought of as a predominantly secular country.

This discourse has many source references so I did not list any.  I do not know what Wikipedia has on this, which is weird, my not going there for data.

Anyhow, I believe that there is a God.  God is alive, God is active, God is aware, God is Present and around and in us always.  He, as the living God, loves us regardless.

Den Betts

Ashamed to be a Christian! 2017-32

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                                                                                          Ashamed to be a Christian? 2017-32        

WHAT!?   How can anyone be ashamed to be a Christian?

I am not talking about those that abhor the Christian faith or how some people that claim to be Christian that do things, say things, and promote things that are NOT in keeping with the teachings of Jesus Christ. 

Those that do so, as Christians, are INDIVIDUALS doing the things they feel are right in their minds, good or bad. They use the word Christian as a rallying cry to perhaps “prove” their point in some way, perhaps based on Scripture, where the Bible is then used as a weapon to make a point.

What I would like to suggest is this. Using the story of Paul as an example, I feel that Paul was an ambassador or apostle of Jesus.  He would travel and proclaim that Jesus was the Messiah and he DID travel far and wide to do so. He did it without worrying about being ashamed to spread the word.

Paul, then, was also a preacher, who was bringing the good news of a man, who was God’s Son, that promised salvation due to His dying on the cross.  Paul was not ashamed to do so, even though he spent about 25% of his ministry time in jail, due to his words about Jesus.

He was by default a teacher evangelist by bringing individuals to the point of committing themselves to Christ. It was his duty to teach them how to live a life of a Christian, to discipline them, and have them grow in their faith.  He did so without being ashamed for his actions.

I therefore make a claim that we, I, you, should NOT be ashamed to state your faith in Jesus Christ as a Christian and most importantly, LIVE a life that the teacher Jesus taught us, living the life of and how a Christian would do. And NOT BE ashamed to do so. Do NOT be ashamed to be a witness for Christ in the process. If we suffer for Him, be willing to embrace suffering with Him.

The old saying, shit or get off the pot is saying, make a decision! Stand up for what you claim to be. If you are a Christian, say you are one, show that you are not one by name, but one by the actions you do. If someone states they are doing something as a Christian, question them on their intent and remind them that Jesus taught certain things, and ask, are their actions per His teachings?

Christianity is not just about going to church. It is, again, living the word of Jesus. The one word that stands out to me is L O V E.  That word is one that Jesus taught more than anything.  We need more love in the world. Maybe WE can start loving our fellow man more, and that will make a change. 

Peace,  Den Betts

Confederate Flag and Statues 2017-31

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 Confederate Flag and Statues   2017-31

 I have been thinking about the flag and statue issue in the U.S. lately.

The confederate flag is a symbol. A symbol of a lost cause. It has other meanings as well, for many people in this great land of the United States…     

“The Confederate battle flag was never adopted by the Confederate Congress, never flew over any state capitols during the Confederacy, and was never officially used by Confederate veterans’ groups. The flag probably would have been relegated to Civil War museums if it had not been resurrected by the resurgent KKK. Supporters have labeled attempts to display the flag as an exercise of free speech, which it is, although a bad one.

On May 19, 2016, the United States House of Representatives voted to ban the display of Confederate flags on flagpoles at Veterans Administration cemeteries, by a 265-159 vote. The ban was contained in an amendment (House Amendment 592, 114th Congress) to House bill 2822, an appropriations bill. The author of the amendment was California congressman Jared Huffman, who stated that the flag represented “racism, slavery and division. Per Wikipedia”

You can show it, but it also shows something about YOU. What? Don’t really know what, because you might be a very nice person and to suggest you are not is not for me to state. It is, today, an archaic symbol, used by some for many reasons.

I lived in the south for many years and found out some interesting things about the people of the south.

Most are decent, law-abiding, and gracious people. Many would do anything for me when I asked or even if I did not ask. Many went to church regularly and believed in God, Jesus Christ and the Holly Spirit and showed this by doing Christian things as an everyday thing to do.

I do know that by showing this flag is telling me you have beliefs of some sorts. For a lost cause of the past or a challenge of the now or future, that is up to you to say. I do know it is offensive to many because of the past and the Civil War. My great-great grandfather fought and was wounded in the Civil War for the North, and in a way, your showing the flag is telling me you don’t care about what he did or what happened.

That is a shame in a general way, but you can continue to fly this symbol because you have a right entitled to you by the U.S. Constitution to do so, even though it is a disgrace to do so in my mind.

As such, the statues that have been erected during the Jim Crow era that was enforcing racial segregation and in the 1950’s were done so in retaliation to the things happening then. They are a symbol of slavery not heroes for a lost cause. Itis probably time for them to end up in a museum or a junk yard. If any have a problem with this, that is your problem not mine. 

Den Betts

God’s Glory Shown 2017-30

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God’s Glory Shown 2017-30
WOW!!!!
So, I was outside, with ISO glasses, looking up at the Sun and Moon. Of course, the Moon was showing its dominance by blotting out the Sun, or at least partially, here in the Cleveland area.

I will share them with you, on what I was thinking.

God’s Glory was evident to me, totally and not partially. He was there for me, showing me His power and might. As Moses asked, “Please show me your glory”, so God did so with millions of people today, as he does always each day in different ways.

When I pray, I tell God, “Thank you, for your Glory, God!” That is one part of my prayer to God, when I pray to the only God of the Universe; my God, your God, our God.

I also, pray other things each time also, but firstly, the thanking of God for his Glory is foremost. He shows His Glory in ways that we experience with, besides sight, by hearing Him, touching Him, tasting things, He creates, smelling the goodness of His creations, and other ways such as feelings of closeness that He shares with us. All part of the senses of life that we enjoy daily.
God is alive, He is active, He is aware, He is Present with us always. We only have to take the time to realize His Glory is given to us for us to appreciate, to love, to give thanks for to Him.

God is good, God is great, Thanks be to God.

Den Betts