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Well, I’m back with another roundup of the Pride of Texans: that distinctive Lone Star flag. Part one was published in March 2021. Since then, I’ve been faithfully documenting more flags for your enjoyment. Edible or wearable; hand-painted, slickly printed, … Continue reading
I had my “Christian Rock” station playing on Pandora, and some random bit of melody reminded me of Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” one of the ol’ 70s songs.
The song is about a man who feels trapped, entangled in an unhealthy relationship. My synapses immediately connected some dots: This scenario reminded me of the New Testament passage advising us to “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us…”
Say…. I could put faith-based lyrics into that catchy tune.
I don’t normally spend my Bible study time laughing, but here we are.
With nominal apologies to Paul Simon, I give you…
“50 Ways To Dodge Temptation”
I trusted Jesus’ sacrifice and asked him to come in,
And now I stand forgiven for my past and future sin,
I still mess up, but God will help me to escape the mess I’m in,
There must be 50 ways to dodge temptation:
Don’t be deceived, Steve
Don’t fall for the lie, Ty
The devil plays tricks, Rick
Stay out of his trap.
Turn off the TV, Lee
Steer clear of those drugs, Doug
Stop scrolling the web, Deb
It’s not gonna help.
What would Jesus do, Sue?
Let his Spirit guide you
Say no to the hate, Kate—
Treat people with love.
See others as friends, Ben
Use words full of grace, Trace
Let love guide your heart, Bart
It’ll brighten your mood.
No fear of the dark, Mark
The Lord is our light, Dwight
His Word is our guide, Clyde
Just read it and see.
So, learn how to trust, Gus—
Remember God loves us!
He’s working a plan, Anne
For everyone’s good.
–Based on Hebrews 12:2-3, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Romans 7:21-25, 2 Timothy 2:22, Ephesians 6:11-12, 1 Peter 5:6-9, Galatians 5:16, Colossians 4:5-6, Psalm 119:105, Romans 8:28.
Thanks for reading!
Jan
What if the material world is not all that exists?
From Amazon.com:
In 2175, scientists race to be the first to resurrect humans in an effort to supplement the population on the long-settled planet of Meritus.
Human resurrection is a dream SJ shared with her scientist father, but he passed away before witnessing it. After finishing the final stages of her bird resurrection trials, she is on track to complete the goal, except for one thing.
She has run out of money.
Due to a political misstep, her research lab lost its funding, and her bank refused to extend her loan.
When she turns to her rich and famous new boyfriend, Cole, for help, he offers a unique proposal, which she accepts, believing the reward of a revitalized life justifies any cost. …
Ann McFarland’s debut novel moves between two very different worlds. One narrative serves as a cautionary tale of nihilism, while the other brings gloriously thrilling hope. Jumping back and forth between the two only emphasizes the contrast between them.
The story treats loss and grief, the futility of well-intentioned but misguided human intervention, and the power of choice.
It’s both suspenseful and thought-provoking! I highly recommend this Great Weekend Read.
Thanks for reading,
Jan
I cannot stay silent in the face of President Trump’s insatiable cruelty.
To be clear, as a patriotic American, I value national security, including controlled borders. However, I must object to this administration’s deporting hundreds of immigrants willy-nilly, with no counsel or other due process, sending many into extreme danger.
But if those people entered this country illegally, why should you care about them?
Consider:
Abrego Garcia. During his teens, he fled gang violence in El Salvador and entered the US illegally. But he worked things out with Immigration and now has specific permission to stay. Garcia has every right to live here as a law-abiding resident. Even if a judge orders him deported, he must not be sent to El Salvador. And no judge has issued any such order. There’s no evidence of association with any violent gang. Garcia is a husband and father with a job like anyone else. Yet ICE sent him straight to a torture prison in El Salvador, the very country he was legally safe from.
But who cares? As an immigrant, he’s just one of “Those” People, right?
Afghan Christians, notably those members of Apostles Church in Raleigh, NC. These families fled the Taliban’s religious persecution, received humanitarian parole, and have become valued members of their church and community. But Trump’s DHS sent letters ordering them to go back to Afghanistan, to leave the US within the week. Since their deportation to Afghanistan would certainly result in Taliban militants torturing/raping/butchering them, this order amounts to human trafficking. To anyone with a heart, regardless of spiritual belief, sending them straight to their abusers would be unthinkable cruelty.
And if you are a Christian, these brothers and sisters who love our Savior are “Our People.”
So… Who Cares? If this administration gets away with illegally deporting residents because no one cares about “Those” People, and gets away with illegally deporting Christians because we don’t care, even if they are “Our” People… What’s to stop him from coming after “Us People?”
And when he does, who will be left to care?
As the prophet Micah wrote centuries ago, the Lord requires of people only “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” With that in mind, I have written to my US representative and senators, pleading with them to rein in the administration’s unjust, merciless, lawless acts.
I stand with grace and mercy.
Thanks for reading,
Jan
Nobody’s perfect, right? Right. But don’t think this is a throwaway line, an excuse for the wrong stuff we do. The fact is, we’re all guilty. We’ve offended God and deserve judgment. We can’t pay our own penalty. Thankfully, God has provided the remedy. Jesus himself paid our penalty, so he can forgive us, if we simply believe him enough to ask.
Well, recently I began wondering why we humans so often resist God’s free offer of forgiveness. The trouble is, guilt doesn’t feel good. Because guilt feels bad, we jump to the conclusion it is bad. So we rationalize… go into denial. “There are worse people,” we say.
We also assume God doesn’t have our best interests at heart. If he tells us we goofed, we may react as if he’s fighting against us.
I remember when God kept telling me I needed forgiveness. At that time, was he fighting against me? No, he was in the process of rescuing me. I was a captive to the enemy of my soul. To Satan.
God was fighting my captor.
You’d think I would I jump at the chance to be rescued from destruction. So, why did I resist for so long? Well, Satan would do anything, tell any lie, to keep me from accepting God’s offer of salvation. That’s just how he rolls, pretending to be on our side, while plotting our downfall.
The trouble is, the lies sound appealing because Satan tells us what we want to hear. With me, it was “You’re already okay. You got baptized, remember?” (Click the link to read about my epic fake-out.)
Besides, it’s human nature to resist any radical change. We’re used to being the way we are. What would happen if we let go of our current way of life? The idea is too scary.
We start identifying with our captor.
It’s kind of like Stockholm Syndrome, where hostages come to fear the SWAT team rather than the bad guy. We may even move to protect our captor, forgetting we’re in the hands of someone who would just as soon kill us as not.
So if you think Jesus is meddling in your life trying to ruin it or whatever, and you want to resist, I hope you’ll consider what he himself says on the subject…
“This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”
(John 15:12-13)
I’m happy to report that I did finally sort out lies from truth. As I wrote earlier, the Lord rescued me, and the standoff ended.
Thanks for reading,
Jan
For someone I’ve never met in person, Greg Scott sure has cost me a lot of sleep… You see, once I start reading one of his novels, I can’t put it down! His latest, Trafficking U, is no exception. It starts with Jesse Jonsen, a fraud analyst who uses the internet to trap financial predators. Then she encounters a predator of an even worse kind. Can she adapt her strategy to trap sex traffickers? Maybe–with a little help from some fed-up victims and her old ally, cybersecurity expert Jerry Barkley.
Trafficking U is Scott’s third novel. There are a couple of characters you’ll meet in two or all three, and the stories take place chronologically. Otherwise the books are only loosely related. Each stands alone just fine, and each qualifies as a Great Weekend Read.
If you like mystery, suspense, and a bit of IT, you’ll love Scott’s books. Discover more about Bullseye Breach, Virus Bomb, and Trafficking U at his website, https://www.dgregscott.com/.
Thanks for reading!
Jan
Jan C Johnson, Author 