I Know I Had It Comin'; I Know I Can't Be Free

'Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' ~ Matt. 24: 34-36.

The Holy Spirit pierced my heart last night through the most unlikely manner--while I was watching 'Johnny Cash at San Quentin.' I admire Johnny Cash both for his music, which I love, and for the example of Christ's redemption displayed in his life. (As Hank Williams, Jr. sang: 'Johnny Cash don't act like he did back in '68.') But what struck me last night as I watched and listened was the obvious compassion he felt for the convicts in the audience. It was plain to see that he cared for and pitied them.

If I am honest with myself, I must admit to a large degree of callousness towards those in prison. I am more apt to see them rot for their transgressions than to feel pity. Do they (at least those who are truly guilty) deserve their lot?--certainly, for justice demands it. But, for the Christian, there should be--there must be--room for compassion. It is a beautiful mirror of the relationship we have with the Saviour-- '...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us' (Romans 5:8).

I thank God for such as Charles Colson, the Gideons, and others who minister to the incarcerated and pray that God will work on my heart to see the unlovable among us as Christ once saw me.

Job lived with dinosaurs.

Perhaps the most intriguing thing I ran across during my visit to Austria about ten years ago was a stained-glass window in the local Roman church in Graz, the Stadtpfarrkirche. There, high above the altar and to the right, stand Hitler and Mussonlini watching Christ's flagellation. Why the artist placed them there is anyone's guess (it was constructed in the 1950's); still, it is quite the tourist attraction for the little town. (I have blacked-out the image of Jesus in the photo below.)

This is for just in case you need it.

Have you prayed for your pastors to-day? ‘Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.’
~ James 3:1

The emerging link between UFO/ Alien sightings and the occult.

Are you smarter than a homeschooler? Probably not!

‘I didn't hear nobody pray, dear brother

I didn't hear nobody pray.

I heard the crash on the highway

But I didn't hear nobody pray.’
~ Roy Acuff, Wreck on the Highway

Here is a photo of the band I was in back in college:

One Nation, Under Vishnu.

'Hawaii has always been a very pivotal role in the Pacific. It is in the Pacific. It is a part of the United States that is an island that is right here.' ~ Vice President Dan Quayle (4/25/89)