Beyond Mediocrity Blog

(Image courtesy of New Line Cinema.) If, indeed, the Christian majority – which for centuries decisively dominated the Western world, including these United States of America – is no longer the majority, but has collapsed due to liberal theology, idolatry, and loose doctrine; and if the Western, Christian church finds herself in a persecuted state, having lost the power and influence that she once held for centuries in society; then I am greatly saddened and regret that I have lived to see such days, and (when I feel the weight heaviest) I regret that I have brought children into a world who will live in such days.

(Image courtesy of greentumble.com.) “In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord , according to all that David his father had done. He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). He trusted in the Lord , the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord . He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled agains...

(Image courtesy of Fine Art America.) “My people—infants are their oppressors, and women rule over them…” (Isaiah 3:12). For thousands of years, societies were governed by the fathers; some still are. This is called patriarchy (literally, “father rule”). In our corner of the world, the egalitarian worldview has mislabeled patriarchy as one of the darkest and most horrible societal structures of all time. For the last sixty years, American society has been ruled by the weaker sex; however, righteous men have finally had enough, as feminism has brought with it unprecedented violence, child sacrifice (abortion), divorce, and promiscuity. [1] [2] [3] [4] In summary, the push by women in the 20 th century to gain a place at the gates, and the equally disastrous consequence of men abdicating their headship, has devastated families, declined society, and softened men.

(Image courtesy of istockphoto.com.) I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man ; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve ; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control (1 Timothy 2:8-15). The Nicene Creed, written in 325 A.D., was one of the first creeds written and formally accepted by all orthodox Christians. The document itself, however, arose out of necessity. The heresies of the day blasphemed...

(Image courtesy of vecteezy.com.) As the seasons change once again, the air is turning chilly. Fields once green and growing are now brown ready for harvesting. Apples, pears, and peaches are ripe and finally edible. A couple of the kids and I even helped combine some corn recently. Fall is in the air! Along with the changes that necessarily follow the turning of the seasons, there is a new season dawning on our American nation – at least, for now. I had most of this article planned before the assassination of Charlie Kirk; I finished my notes one day before his murder. Now, I am putting my thoughts to ink one day after Charlie’s memorial service was held in Arizona. Over 100,000 people were in the stadium, included many heads of State, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Peter Hegeseth, Vice President J.D. Vance, and President Donald Trump. Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk and new CEO of Turning Point USA, also spoke, even publicly forgiving the murde...

(Image courtesy of pintrest.com.) “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28). “It is not good that the man should be alone ; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18). When God created man, he created him under the umbrella of two broad categories: dominion and companionship. Most of a man’s responsibilities fall under these two categories and, many times, they overlap. For instance, a man’s work falls under both categories: he has domain over a certain set of tasks to accomplish and at the same time is able to provide for the needs of his companions through accomplishing those tasks.

(Image courtesy of dreamstime.com.) A few years ago, I heard a missionary speak about the most difficult place to be a follower of Christ. I was expecting him to say “Pakistan” or “India” – some place where the persecution against Christians was the most intense. Instead, he said, “The most difficult place to follow Christ is in the United States of America.” Surprised, I listened intently to the reason why he would say that. He continued, “Because of the materialism in the U.S., it is difficult to stay focused on Christ.” His words still convict me to this day.

(Image courtesy of stocksnap.io.) Last night I had a very strange dream. My wife of over a decade said to me, “We’ve been married for a while, and things are going well. I think we’re at a place now that we can get a divorce.” To my horror, I agreed with her illogical conclusion. Quickly, I went and married a younger woman. After some time, I began to miss Lauren, and I wondered how she was doing. Running into her toward the end of my dream, she didn’t seem the least bit enthused that I had re-married. What a bizarre dream! When I woke up, I had to process what I just went through. How d evastating it would be for not only me, but for my entire family and future family to throw my marriage away at such an illogical, whimsical decision. Indeed, how more illogical can we become than when we reason, “I love you, and I’m growing in my love for you, but let’s end all that love and happiness right now just because, ok?”

(Image courtesy of istockphoto.com.) I need this article probably more than you do. For the past several years, I have slowly been feeling myself drift from the closeness I once felt with my Maker and Savior. I remember as a young, single bachelor singing my heart out to God, tears rolling down my face, as I dedicated my hours of loneliness and quiet to him. I had no wife or kids; my bills were minimal. I had time for God that I do not seem to have anymore. I felt more of my desperation, you might say. I have been looking forward to writing this article for some time because I hope to regain a sense of awe that I once had, but seem to have lost in the fast-paced world I am now living in with more responsibilities as a husband and father. Do you feel like your world is moving faster?

(Image courtesy of istockphoto.com.) And [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,                   “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,                                 because he has anointed me                                 to proclaim good news to the poor.                 He has sent me to proc...

(Image courtesy of stock.adobe.com.) “If you pray for patience, be careful; you’ll be given a lot of situations that will teach you patience.” This has often been repeated to me and probably to you. Perhaps you have even said this to others. I do not doubt the goodwill or the sincerity of the brother or sister in Christ who may have said this to you or vice versa, but I do think this common, Christian cliché deserves a little unpacking.

(Image courtesy of shopify.com.) Every season has its quintessential images and moods. Winter, for instance, brings to mind images of snow, howling winds, and freezing cold. Trees stand naked against a sea of white. But what is dreadful outside is wonderful inside: images of hot chocolate, a crackling fire, and fuzzy blankets warm us almost immediately. To me, springtime creates anticipation and excitement for the new life that is budding and blossoming all around. The spring rains truly do bring spring flowers. The countryside teems with new life: speckled fawns nurse in the thicket and baby blue colored eggs fill the robin’s nest. The deadness of winter is forced into distant memory as the greenness of new life bursts forth everywhere!

(Image courtesy of loc.gov.) "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment" (Romans 13:1-2). During the government overreach of the COVID mayhem, we witnessed the limit of government jurisdiction and authority. In short, God never contradicts himself. We do not throw ourselves behind the support of all government edicts, with a sort of blind obedience, for then we might be guilty of obeying man but disobeying God himself. What COVID reminded us was that the Church by her very nature must meet together. It is essential and an apostolic command: "Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together." Let no government silence the Church. Her Lord is not the State, but Christ.

(Stock photo) “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Ephesians 5:11).   The author, Paul the apostle, uses the contrast of light and darkness to help illustrate his point that Christians (light) are not to have fellowship with non-Christians (dark). What does this mean exactly? Elsewhere, Paul wrote to the church in Corinth: I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people – not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world Here, Paul recognizes that we cannot disassociate ourselves from the world completely. The only way to do that is to leave this world and go to Jesus, which is not up to us. So, are we to associate or disassociate? Are we to have fellowship or not with the world?