A Process in Progress

The Heart is a Word Processor and the mind reviews the content. The tongue prints the final copy and puts it before the public. The eyes eat at the table of contents and the mouth speaks even before finishing the meal. A man thinks in his heart and is lead to believe that he has concocted a potentially interesting opinion worthy of the attention of others. A subtle boredom lingers in the best of our intentions yet a man will become fluent in meaningless offerings of his fertile interest on many subjects. Speaking freely with absurd yet tasteful comments he will gain a false respect from those of his ilk who agree with him. They may see themselves as being something because they thought of something and with a minimal vocabulary are able to confuse most issues completely. Some are left to discuss ball scores and the weather so as not to actually have to think or reason. That’s how they lead each other though these colleges of blissful ignorance which produce the most misguided graduates since blindness assumed style. These, among others are the most spiritually illiterate pseudo sophisticated over rated professors who teach the gullible poets and songwriters of our time. The Blonde leading the blonde as the joke would have it. But there is no excuse for this organized dysfunction among Christians which masquerades as wisdom. The Word of God should be allowed to process the man and the man should review his fate if he should end up without God. But those who stuffed themselves with religion at the last Theology Department Picnic are eating off of the paper plates donated by the same idiots who couldn’t pour lemonade from a shoe if the directions were written on the heel; theoretically speaking. (1) The potato salad is contaminated with the milk of human indifference and even the salt is getting bland. The expiration date on the bologna has not become obvious yet but the green color should be a clue. Well peppered with empty words, the news print these days has become useless seasoning for future controversy. Wake us up Oh Lord, before the ants carry us away along with the crumbs of what was once honorable and dignified literature. Forgive me if I only have small helpings of manufactured opinion, a byproduct of a chatter box media. Even Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity can’t be trusted.* The reason I know that they can’t tell us the whole truth is because they are still on the radio and the radio is a satellite campus of the government. We are left to learn on our own with the aid of the only thing that makes any sense. That would be the Bible and eventually, (if you haven’t by now) we will have to also abandon the so called Christian News Outlet Store and Trinket Emporium. Digesting scripturally and philosophically challenged patriotic ideas without thoroughly chewing and swallowing it gives me a cramp that I just can’t process. I often yawn when I read their op-ed tripe and am tempted to nap through the next serious catastrophe. Thank you for allowing me to inspire your own heart beat as you too will be called on to make a comment about something, sooner or later. Your input is just as important as those who think they are in control of the media. I’ll see you at the next company picnic or class reunion.  Wear your name tag and stay away from the potato salad. **

                                                                               Sincere & blessed, T. LaVigne

*Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

                                                                                      Jeremiah 10:14-15

(1) Romans 1:22  **The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the staff and management of any university or college and that’s the problem.

The Shipwreck

There was a prime time program several years ago called Survivor and I didn’t give much attention to it but now understand the show was never rescued from the ratings. Many years have passed since experiencing a reality show disaster of my own and I’m now in a sense reliving the story of Robinson Crusoe after the shipwreck. I’m reminded often of Paul the apostle, who on several occasions booked passage on this titanic* topic. Among his many adventures were three such catastrophes specifically mentioned in 2 Corinthians 11. Paul writes; I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea.’  Notice how many references there are to the sea. One of the events is recorded in Acts were Paul told a seasoned crew not to set sail but they went anyway. Everyone was saved in the end but the ship did not fair so well. A comparison could be made relating to our own salvation after such a wood, hay & stubble debris field event. 

Allow me to elaborate on some similarities as we look at our own potentially hazardous voyage into eternity. Let’s begin with poor planning and setting sail in the wrong season. We pray about an issue for ten minutes, get in the boat and shortly find ourselves in strange waters that we should have avoided. When things get ugly we ask the Lord why He let us get into such deep water and we begin to doubt Him. We left port on the USS Assumption without a map, a compass or any navigational skills and as for getting off course, well, we were never on course to begin with. When we are young in the faith, the Lord covers for our stupidity to a certain degree but time and chance happens to us all. Eccl 9:11. Then there is the problem of being overloaded. Instead of basic provisions we are weighed down with too much debt and a full schedule, leaving no room for an extra oar, a vision or living water. Including the lack of forethought and neglecting to keep up with the weather conditions, there is always the sabotage factor. Our adversary is much like an unseen reef or an intentional destructive torpedo. Contrary to popular Christian thinking, we are not all in the same boat. Some have charted a faithful course and spent a lifetime in a life vest weighing the dangers and consequences of the trip and often have the sense to stay on dry land. In most cases it’s not advisable to build a life any where near the shore. The view may be awesome but so are the hurricanes. Matt 7:76.

I would now turn your attention to the survivors. In the event that you find your life ruined in a similar scenario, try not to wash ashore with Hymenaeus and Alexander. Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: 1 Tim 1:19-20. Here are some suggestions for staying alive when everything looks hopeless. First realize that you will have opportunity now to develop a prayer life and spend some alone time with the Lord. Reclaim your recollection of scripture and any salvageable items like an old hymn or that first love experience with God and build a suitable shelter. Any cargo that washed ashore could be used for building a new life and a useful future, although some limitations will have to be realized. Remember, the novel that Daniel Defoe wrote was based on a real person who lived successfully on an island until he was rescued. The best part of that story is that Mr. Crusoe had a bible and that is the saving grace in this analogy. The Bible is the life jacket, the salvage operation and the subsistence. In closing I suggest that you don’t drill a hole in the bottom of your boat to drain the excess water like I did. You can sink your own ship in a self inflicted disaster and still arrive on the shores of eternal glory but you may not be put in command of another crew or even a brand new dinghy in this lifetime. Learn how to accept your remaining days along with your new restrictions with grace and be faithful with what has been salvaged. The days ahead should not be imagined as a tropical paradise that accommodates the modern Christian tour package and resort mentality. The forecast calls for gale force winds and high waves but we have a Perfect Savior for a perfect storm. Stay the course but remain anchored in Christ Jesus.

T. LaVigne     * pun included for obvious reasons