Archive for June, 2011

A Contrite Sinner

Friday, June 17th, 2011

In the 1980s, Aileen Wuornos became an infamous serial killer. She was born in 1956; her parents were violent, and they had a tumultuous marriage. Her dad was arrested, then he joined the army, and she never met him. He was later convicted of rape, and hanged himself.

Aileen’s mom abandoned her. Her grandfather raised her, and abused her. This horrific treatment made her an extremely angry person, and she probably suffered from a personality disorder. She had sex with her own brother, and with other boys (at age 11), for spare change. She used the money to buy drugs. She was raped, and she became pregnant at age 14. The baby was adopted out before she ever even saw it; and, of course, she received no counseling.

She ran away, and later she was kicked out of the house. She became a prostitute, and she abused alcohol and drugs, and attempted suicide many times. She became a lesbian, and she and her partner lived like Nomads. She was guilty of robbery, grand larceny, and twelve counts of murder. She went to prison at age 34, and she eventually asked for the death sentence. She was executed in 2002 at the age of 46. She never figured out why her life didn’t work.

When she was in prison, she constantly read the Bible. She believed in God, and in hell. In trying to make things right with God, she listed her many transgressions in a journal, and wrote about how she was always heading further into evil. She admitted to many sexual sins, hate, violence, and an uncontrolled temper.

She wrote, “Dear Lord Jesus, I know I’ve done some wicked things in my life, and I know I deserve the rot of hell… I need to bring myself to your throne, begging, if you’d forgive me for all the overwhelming evil I’ve done in this world… “God, forgive me and bring me home eternal ever more.”

I’ll make two observations:

1) I am blessed because I’ve never been subjected to the abuse that Aileen suffered as a child. In an environment like that, and with our fleshly sin nature, any of us could lash out with behavior like Aileen’s, or worse.

2) Yet, through all of life’s woes, I believe that Aileen felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. Although we don’t know what’s in another person’s heart, I believe that her contrition was sincere, and that she was a true believer. Who among us couldn’t say, “Dear Lord Jesus, I know I’ve done some wicked things in my life, and I know I deserve the rot of hell?” That’s why Christ died on the cross–for all the wicked things that all of us have done. We deserve to rot in hell for our sins, but Christ’s perfect sacrifice atoned for our sins. I believe that I’ll see Aileen in heaven someday.

The Money Barrier

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

When we think about the money barrier in America, we usually think of those who are tragically poor, uneducated, and unemployed.  However, I want to address the money barrier that is caused when we violate God’s commandments by becoming lovers of money (1 Timothy 3:3, 2 Timothy 3:2). 

1 Timothy 6:10 explains, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”  The accumulation of money changes us, and usually for the worse.  Although it enables us to share more with others, it’s almost impossible to overcome the powerful hold of the greed of the flesh.  Unless we’re extremely careful, bad things will happen when we accumulate money. 

We become eager for money and wander from the truth.  Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'”  In Acts 8:20, Peter told Simon the Sorcerer, “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!” 

A recent Reader’s Digest article exposed the cheating epidemic on college campuses.  One of the biggest categories of students who cheat are “lazy rich kids.”  Colleges are a perfect launching ground for them, because our educational institutions are built to reward the rich and to forgive them their laziness.  The successful among us are not always the best, the brightest, or the most ethical.  The lazy rich kid is “poised for a life of paying others and telling them what to do.  Indeed, he is acquiring all the skills he needs to stay on top.” 

It’s both ironic and tragic how the money barrier inhibits the personal growth of those with too little wealth, as well as those with too much.

Cheating

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

There is a revealing article in the May, 2011 issue of Reader’s Digest by Ed Dante (a pseudonym) about the cheating epidemic on college campuses.  Dante is a ghostwriter who writes papers for college students for a steep fee.  He makes some $66,000 per year, earning as much as $2,000 for a 75-page essay. 
One of the biggest categories of students who seek Dante’s services are those that he calls “lazy rich kids.”  He says that Colleges are a perfect launching ground for them, because our educational institutions are built to reward the rich and to forgive them their laziness.  The successful among us are not always the best, the brightest, or the most ethical.  The lazy rich kid is “poised for a life of paying others and telling them what to do.  Indeed, he is acquiring all the skills he needs to stay on top.” 

As for English-as-a-Second Language students and the hopelessly deficient students, our colleges are utterly failing them, primarily due to the focus on evaluation rather than education. 

Nursing students account for one of Dante’s biggest customer bases–reports on nursing ethics, and essays on why nurse-practitioners are light the way to the future of medicine; and even pharmaceutical-treatment courses for patients. 

Dante says that seminary students are among the biggest cheaters.  He says that they “seem so blissfully unaware of the inherent contradiction in paying somebody to help them cheat in courses that are largely about walking in the light of God and providing an ethical model for others to follow.  I have been commissioned to write many a passionate condemnation of America’s moral decay as exemplified by abortion, gay marriage, or the teaching of evolution.  All in all, we may presume that clerical authorities see these as a greater threat than the plagiarism committed by the future frocked.”

Remember the Poor

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

I want to share a sad and self-explanatory e-mail that I recently received from a poor person.  The subject line said, “Oppression of the poor and someone trying to change themselves and no help.”

“Here is Stumbling blocks to the poor…, judging the poor wrongfully.  In the past I have applied for many jobs—denied—denied–so be it.  Tried to go for different trade in school and denied by phycologists and highly educated scholars.  That get paid to deny someone a means of trade to get out of the government programs.  With their IQ test.  Get big bucks for this.

Go to all different jobs and turned away.  No hire because of stumbling blocks and obstacles.  Need high school diploma along with PhD or bachelors or certificates.  Among many demand of technology and big education.  Judged because of speech impairment and no teeth for beauty.  If I went around the neighborhood and truly do what is in the Old Testament I would be chased away.  I mean go and offer to the rich neighbor to do their mowing or plowing snow for money to help me the poor.  They turn you away. 

To set obstacles that cause us to trip in trying to find our job to make money to live without the government.  I am very not happy of this conditions and I find no cooperation in the US.  I also find we get punished for trying to get off the system and penalized.  People that have jobs are braggers and like to call us freeloaders and employers that choose who they hire and will not hire some poor people.  Where does this oppression belong too?

I find you are making comments to the poor. So let me cry unto you for a job that could pay my way and sky rocket rent and heat and food.  In the modern day it is applying for jobs at stores or corporations, or restaurants or whatever it is.  They don’t have on job training as much as they use too.  They have set all kinds of demands to get a job to qualify and no one wants to give another person a chance without a big education among experiences.

So I say just like the prophet said they are turning to poor from their right.  Then blaming us for the nation’s problems.  Some of us are crying of bondage and oppression.  God does open the ears of the one being oppressed. 

My idea is that rent is way too high even for the working middle class.  My idea is to that housing should rent to buy the house and they would not have to keep paying every month.  I find that not right that the government has to pay our rent.  If they did not I would be living on the streets.  I do have Jesus Christ living in me.  I find cities are exploiting the poor by their new inspections every year to make themselves jobs.  Help with ideas of getting out of this mess of oppression and them exploiting rental clients to expand government power and hold us more in bondage. 

Thank you for your insights.  Please give me feedback on how I could get a living going to flee out of this trap of poverty I did not ask for.  If people are going to call us free loader they need to help us out of this bondage instead of finding fault.  Take action to help and serve.  There is some that are not happy in this life style.  US is not what is was based on and thing are upside down.

I hope you see the oppression that is happening to the poor.  There are many making harsh comments about us and some are drinking and drugging.  But not all.  It really hurts me to see others held back too…  But this is only my case and it happens to other people…  We need God’s kingdom here.  Then we will all have our own tree and own land to have our own house.  Plus peace and walk God’s way which his laws on base of LOVE. Please cry out for the poor of the oppression and exploiting the poor.  I hope I was not too bold.  But I get sick of people  saying  we are bums, lazy, dumb, fools, freeloaders, and drug attics or drunks when I one don’t and I know some others that don’t drink and drug.  If they want to make these comments they need to help the oppressed and fight to help the poor get out of the trap of poverty.  This includes big businesses.  God makes rich, and He makes poor.  I hope this shed light on the problems that we face.  There is more than one side of a story.”