A Time For Such As This

From The Desk of a Geek: 

A Time For Such As This 

The book of Esther has a huge caution for anyone with feelings of hatred towards others.

There is much that can be discussed and learned from reading the Old Testament Book of Esther.

Often times we take away from it lessons of courage, faith, and God’s sovereignty. But what about the story’s villain, Haman?

Looking from Esther’s perspective, we see a story of triumph and God’s control. From Haman’s perspective, we see the sad consequences of what happens to someone when they’ve become so consumed with hatred and prejudice.

Haman is introduced in the third chapter of Esther after he has been promoted to a ranking so high that everyone in the land must pay homage to him and bow.

The trouble begins when Haman sees Mordecai, a follower of God, refusing to bow down...

“When Haman saw that Mordecai was

not bowing down or paying him homage, he was filled with rage. And when he learned of Mordecai’s ethnic identity, it seemed repugnant to Haman to do away with Mordecai alone. He planned to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout Ahasuerus’s kingdom.” – Esther 3:5-6

Haman didn’t just want Mordecai dead. In his rage, he wanted the entire Jewish race slaughtered. And when Haman's wife, Zeresh, suggests he builds a gallows to execute Mordecai, it says that this delighted him.

Haman made a plan to execute Moredcai, but in the end it backfired spectacularly.

First, Mordecai's plot was uncovered. Second, he was forced to honor his enemey Mordecai publicly. And finally, the king ordered that Haman be hanged on the very gallows he built to execute Mordecai.

In fact, not only did Haman’s hatred get himself killed, but his family suffered as a result too.

God's Word is full of warnings for those who act like Haman.

 In the book of Micah, the prophet condemns those who plot evil, and God says they will be repayed for their hatred: “I am now planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity.” 

So how are we to live instead?

The Great Commandment, given by the Jesus, states that we are to love God and our neighbor.

And we are also told that every one of us will have to face Jesus someday and be held accountable for what we’ve done. 

Now it may be easy to think this doesn’t apply to us so much because we’re not as evil as Haman was.

But we need to remember that God knows our hearts. He knows our unkind and unloving thoughts.

Personally, I’ve had to ask myself several times if I am doing my best to love everyone, just as Christ called me to. 

Often times I have to confess my sin and repent. I have to ask God if there’s any favoritism or pride that is holding me back from Him.

Even if there’s just one person out in public, church, or my job that I hate, that is disobeying what Jesus instructs me.

All it took was Haman hating just one person, and look how that turned out.

Let's thank God for His salvation that covers our sin and changes our hearts, and look to individuals like Esther and Mordecai for inspiring faith and courage. 

But let us also remember Haman, and the sad truth of what blind hatred can do to a person.

Lonnie

From The Desk of a Geek: Cowboy

From The Desk of a Geek 

Cowboy Up

When I (on rare occasions) ride horses with my wife, I always imagine I'm a US Marshall like Wyatt Earp, or a gunslinging gambler like Doc Holiday.

I love to watch Western themed movies. It doesn't matter if it's the Lone Ranger of the 1950's, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly with a young Clint Eastwood, or the movie I watched tonight...

The Magnificent 7, a remake of a 1960's classic. 

The story goes like this..

Looking to mine for gold, greedy industrialist Bartholomew Bogue seizes control of the Old West town of Rose Creek. With their lives in jeopardy, Emma Cullen and other desperate residents turn to bounty hunter Sam Chisolm for help. Chisolm recruits an eclectic group of gunslingers to take on Bogue and his ruthless henchmen. With a deadly showdown on the horizon, the seven mercenaries soon find themselves fighting for more than just money once the bullets start to fly.

In old western movies, when trouble came and you had to get away from the bad guys, the stagecoach driver was the one that kept the wagon moving so not to give the bad guys an easier way to get control of the wagon. But there was another guy up front that carried a shotgun and would use it to protect the driver and passengers from the would-be attackers. This is where we get the famous phrase, “riding shotgun".

1 Corinthians 16:13 reminds us..

"Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong".

From this Scripture, one could say that the stagecoach driver is God, and He is calling us to ride shotgun. The verse tells us to “be on our guard” and spot the dangers that could destroy us and our precious cargo (which in most cases, would be our family). We are called to guard our families from the devil and his evil schemes! How do we do this? We are to pray, love, and protect our spouse and our kids.

We are told to be courageous, to be strong, and stand firm when the enemy attacks. We are to build our family up through providing words of encouragement and acts of kindness so that when temptation rears its ugly head, they aren’t lacking these things and fall to temptation. We need to fill our kids’ minds with the truth of Scripture so that they can stand firm in the face of an attack. We need to take advantage of every opportunity to show them how to fight spiritual battles with the supernatural weapons of God.

Satan would love nothing more than to destroy us and our families. This is why we as husbands and wives and fathers and mothers need to ride shotgun—always on guard, standing firm in our faith and being courageous!

At the end of the movie 

The Magnificent 7, Ms. Emma makes a great and truthful quote.... she says

"What ever they were in life, here, at the end, each man stood with courage and honor. They fought for the ones who couldn't fight for themselves, and they died for them, too. All to win something that didn't belong to them. It was - magnificent."

What ways are you riding shotgun for your family? 

What areas do you need to be more on guard in order to protect yourself and your loved ones?

Lonnie..

From The Desk of a Geek: To The Batcave

From The Desk of a Geek:

To The Batcave..!!

Holy anniversary, Batman! It’s been 55 years since the Batman TV series burst onto our screens, catapulting Batman, Robin and a cavalcade of fearsome foes into viewers’ homes. Its run may have been relatively brief three series and one movie, and its budget minuscule in comparison to Batman’s later big-screen appearances, but the impact of this show shouldn’t be underestimated.

Here are a few reasons why Batman '66 was the best

Adam West as The Batman-

It’s probably fair to say that none of the big-screen Batmen since Michael Keaton donned the cowl in 1989’s “Batman” are fully convinced in the role as much as the late great Adam West.

Vehicle Design-

Over the years, there have been numerous Batmobiles in comics and film, from barely-modified cars to armored tanks. Although there’s much discussion about which vehicle is the greatest, it’s really no contest: the Batmobile from the TV series is the clear winner. For starters, it looks beautiful, having an instantly recognizable design. Then there are all the gadgets contained within, including the Emergency Bat-turn lever

Bat Gadgets -

Adam West’s Batman certainly loved his gadgets. As well as the gazillion gadgets secreted inside his utility belt, the Batmobile was chock-full-to-bursting with all manner of devices. One of the most entertaining things about scenes set inside the Batcave is that they offered a chance to see some of the gadgets stored within, made possible by Batman’s helpful tendency to label even the most innocuous of items.

Of course there are numerous other things that make Batman '66 an iconic staple in television and comic book entertainment:

The Bat Cave

Bat-Morality

Villains

Batgirl

Batman’s Utility Belt and so on.

Noah, Moses, David, Peter, Mary, Jesus…these are names we all know well. They are the subject of the well-known Bible stories heard in the church nursery and long into our adulthood. 

Like Batman '66, the Bible contains narratives about countless people who were part of God’s redemptive story—people who get overlooked when we focus on the more well-known names.

Deborah (Judges 4-5): Deborah was the sole female judge of Israel in the days prior to the Jewish monarchy. She was a bold leader and prophetess, who declared God’s truth to His wayward people. Not only did she gather Israel together in unity, she used her God-given wisdom to guide Israel into victory. Together with her military leader, Barak, Deborah led Israel against the army of Sisera and the Lord completely defeated the enemy. When Sisera fled from the defeat, he met with Jael– another strong woman of God who helped accomplish His purpose in that generation

Mordecai (Book of Esther): You might be familiar with Mordecai if you’ve read the book of Esther; he is Esther’s uncle. Though we often focus on Esther in this book, Mordecai is an incredible man of God. It is his advice that encourages Esther to approach King Xerxes with her appeal. Mordecai was known for his good character and work ethic even though he was working for a king who did not love the Lord. Because of his faithfulness, Mordecai is honored by the king.

Philip (Acts 8): Moving to the New Testament, we meet Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples whom He specifically called to be part of the Twelve. Philip was known as The Evangelist, partially because of how he shared the gospel with the Ethiopian courtier in Acts chapter eight. Philip was quick to take an opportunity to share the gospel and explain God’s Word to someone who didn’t yet understand it.

Priscilla (Acts 18): Last but not least, Priscilla is the wife of Aquila and friend to the apostle Paul. Priscilla is mentioned throughout the books of Acts and Romans. She served the church alongside her husband and played a role in the advancement of the gospel in those treacherous early years. She also helped teach Apollos, another early missionary and teacher, correct theology so he could continue to draw people to the Lord.

There are many more characters in Scripture who could be included in this list. Next time you read the Word, keep an eye out for those little-known people who play a part in God’s redemption story

Lonnie..

From The Desk of a Geek

From The Desk Of a Geek:

Wish Granted 

Today I had the opportunity to take Landon, Alex, and my nephew Tyler to some comic book stores, and Barnes and Noble book store, and of course we can't visit Lexington without stopping at Popeyes Louisiana Chicken.

 

Anyway, after spending to much money at the comic book store we headed over to Barnes and Noble to check out some more books. 

While looking around I noticed something I just had to have for my desk at home....

"Zoltar Fortune Teller Machine" from the hit movie Big. 

If you never seen the movie Big, here is a quick take on it.

Twelve-year-old Josh Baskin, who lives with his parents and infant sister Rachel in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, is told that he is too short for a carnival ride called the Super Loops, while attempting to impress Cynthia Benson, an older girl. He inserts a coin into an unusual antique arcade fortune teller machine called Zoltar, and makes a wish to be "big". It dispenses a card stating "Your wish is granted" and the rest of the movie is about Josh being a child in an adult body and the misadventures of being "big".

Most people are obsessed with the future. They worry, they wonder, they obsess about possible scenarios. And some, in desperation, seek to learn what is ahead by seeking fortune-tellers

What are your plans for tomorrow?  You are not sure, right?  Some have is the attitude, “Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die!”  If that describes you, the something important is missing in your life–it is hope, hope that tomorrow will hold the answers to the questions and problems that have you baffled today.

Is it presumption to pin your hopes on tomorrow?  Not for a moment.

Some 61 times the Bible speaks of tomorrow.  While it warns about being presumptuous, about avoiding your duty or responsibility today, thinking that you will get around to something tomorrow – it nonetheless speaks of tomorrow as a new opportunity to see God do things which aren’t going to take place today.

Long ago Joshua told Israel to cleanse and purify themselves because Joshua told the people, (in his words) “tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you” (Joshua 3:5).

Is it only wishful thinking to focus on tomorrow?  No, and here’s why!  God doesn’t always give you instant solutions to the problems of today.  Some things can’t be fixed with the rapidity of making instant coffee or just saying the words, or waving a magic wand in the air.  

But because you believe God is still in control – that the promises of His word are true – you rest your hope on tomorrow and face the day as best you can.

Today is the bridge that takes you to the sunrise of tomorrow!  And with the rising of the sun, there is new hope that your life can be different – that your life can be beautiful!

Do you remember the Broadway musical Annie?  There is a haunting and fun song sung by the heart-capturing redheaded little girl that goes, “Tomorrow, tomorrow.  I love you, tomorrow. You’re only a day away!”

The very good news is that nothing that ever happens in life comes as a surprise to our Heavenly Father, so when tomorrow arrives God will be there to welcome you and to take your hand and help you understand tomorrow can be beautiful!

Never, ever give up hope that tomorrow’s sunrise will bring tomorrow’s blessings and that as today’s dusk turns to night, there is rest and sleep to give you new strength to face tomorrow!

Lonnie