Social Satire

Social Satire

Ok so admittedly not one of my topical posts, given relatively little time for blogging these past couple of days due to constraints. I came upon this article and could not help but post a little irreverent humor for the holidays. Though one might find it a bit ‘inconsiderate’, considering societies disregard for the rugged individualism of the people who did not revolt against their fellow human beings during a time of duress, I would say it’s a fitting tribute. Something to be said for the common man, in uncommon circumstances.

Good Thoughts in Bad Times

Good Thoughts in

Bad Times

“He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven.” ~Thomas Fuller

I’ve been taking some time out these past couple of days to do some more study on biblical terms of forgiveness and acceptance of those in Christ. As well in relation to those in the world, children of wrath, whose father is the devil the liar of old. It is a difficult thing to deal with people in the world who live by differing weights and standards, whose appetite is for carnal fulfillment of the flesh alone and who serve false gods and give heed to idols. It far more troublesome to one’s soul to take in to personal account the measure and price of being ‘offended’ or ‘wronged’ by a brother or sister who is in Christ and coming to terms with that offense and forgiving them.

Now, by way of consideration, let me dismiss or do away with what could be considered ‘petty’ or ‘minor’ offences or wrongs done in the course of daily living. These are best left for the thin-skinned Pharisees of the easily offended, often known as the “unreachable righteous”. So heavenly minded, the're no earthly good and quick to point out the no good acts or deeds they see in you or others. (See Ocular Lumber) I would instead point to the transgressions that one might suffer, that would by even worldly standards be called wrong, dishonest and wide of the mark or sin.

[Now I will for sake of brevity not go down the theological line of consideration for a biblical definition of sin in this writing, to do so would take volumes of writing and divert us from the subjects primary and cursorily look at forgiveness.]

It has been my reward to have-had an assortment of circumstances in which my faith has been tested in dealing with such scenarios to varying degree. Such is the joy set before us in the perfecting of our faith that we may win the crown of life. (eternal) Now forgiveness is for all intensive purposes “an inside job” for until that work is completed in the heart and mind of man, there will be no external fruit (or application) in response to the one who has transgressed against you. (See Matt. 6:14-15)

I particularly enjoyed a comment made by John Piper in his writing, As We Forgive Our Debtors where he proposes:

Our greatest risk

The greatest risk we face as a church in these days is not that we may lose an organ, or that we may lose money, or that we may lose members, or that we may lose staff, or that we may lose reputation. The greatest risk is that we may lose heaven. Because one way to lose heaven is to hold fast to an unforgiving spirit and so prove that we have never been indwelt by the Spirit of Christ.

It is interesting to note that in Luke 17:3-4 it speaks about some one who after being rebuked, repents and receives forgiveness. How quickly we shortchange that process in ‘modern’ thought and theology by skipping from step 1 to 3, or even ignoring steps 1 & 2 and going straight to 3. After all we are programmed to be a “tolerant” lot in our politically correct society, and to do otherwise would be “intolerant” would it not?

The modern day church, awash in a humanistic culture has lost it moorings in a sea of easy believe-ism. With seeker friendly services guaranteeing no one will be offended (or convicted). We target market apostate souls assuaging their ailing conscious, never once subjecting to censure their wicked ways. Today, cash is king not Christ, compromise and egalitarianism is the standard that we cling to and embrace as we hide our face from Him. What has happened to repentance before forgiveness? Not to mention shunning. Let me not be so narrow-minded in my thinking as to embrace such hard concepts. (Yet I Jest.)

Forgiveness is at best a two way street, at times a one-way highway. Forgiveness is where we trust Christ. If we trust Him we can emulate His way of life. Thomas Watson asked, “When do we forgive others?” and answered the question, “When we strive against all thoughts of revenge; when we will not do our enemies mischief, but wish well to them, grieve at their calamities, pray for them, seek reconciliation with them, and show ourselves ready on all occasions to relieve them.” Now I would submit to you that this description best fits a repentant individual. So there is a sense in which full forgiveness is only possible in response to repentance. But even when a person does not repent (Matt. 18:15-17) we are commanded to love our enemy and pray for those who persecute us and do good to those who hate us (Luke 6:27-28). I like how GK Chesterton puts it:

A stiff apology is a second insult... The injured party does not want to be compensated because he has been wronged; he wants to be healed because he has been hurt.

The difference is that when a person who has wronged us does not repent with contrition and confession and conversion (turning from sin to righteousness), they cut off the full work of forgiveness. We can still lay down our ill will; we can hand over our anger to God; we can seek to do him good; but we cannot carry through reconciliation or intimacy.

A good biblical example to us would be this; David forgave Absalom, and was later nagged into permitting him back into the palace. Absalom returned the favor by immediately beginning to plot against David. (2 Samuel 15) He was never truly repentant. David did well to forgive him, but it was a huge mistake to let him back in.

Thomas Watson said, “We are not bound to trust an enemy; but we are bound to forgive him.” (Body of Divinity, p. 581) You can actually look someone in the face and say: I forgive you, but I don’t trust you. Trust and acceptance is something different from forgiveness. One might be forgiven and not accepted. If a person wrought me some serious injury, by the grace of heaven I might forgive that person; yet I might warn them that they must keep their distance and never cross the threshold of my home. Acceptance is reconstituted fellowship. It is liberty of access to continued fellowship. It is an authoritative welcoming to the home and heart. Though always this implies forgiveness, the two are not identical. This is wisdom in certain cases, but how crucial is the heart here. What would make that an unforgiving thing to say is if you were thinking, What’s more, I don’t care about ever trusting you again; and I won’t accept any of your efforts to try to establish trust again; in fact, I hope nobody ever trusts you again, and I don’t care if your life is totally ruined. That is not a forgiving spirit, and our souls would be in danger.

So it is even more difficult with the world. How we deal with those who hold unjust balances, who are more self-centered than others centered and could care one iota for God and His divine standard. I can say this; you do well if you preserver in doing well………as someone greater than I wrote “so let your light shine” (Matt. 5:16).
(to be continued)

Footprints

Footprints

‘One step forward, two steps back….’


So it is sometimes in life. We’ve had our challenges here at the Holtzman Homestead the past couple of weeks. With our coffee roaster production cut in half, due to a malfunctioned roaster which shipped out today after several on site servicing solutions failed to produce results. I cannot say that I feel inept by any standard as most of my pre-call troubleshooting appeared to be more extensive than most people who call and say “it’s broke, fix it!” Chris at Delaware City Coffee Co. has shown himself to be considerate and ‘on the level’ in dealing with our dilemma. We expect to be back up to full operations by the end of next week, stand by Sam, good things come to those who wait!

Without going in to a tirade or laundry list of ‘woes’ we experienced another mechanical malfunction here at home as well. A check valve on our heating system gave way sometime earlier this past week, unbeknownst to us, as we keep the household at a ‘cozy’ 55 degrees throughout the week. This $20 valve keeps the pressure in the radiator heating system after it’s intake from the main water line. Long story short, it opened at the overflow valve, which kept a continuous flow of cold water in – heating – hot water out down through an overflow drain in the basement floor. End result: 500 gallons of fuel oil vaporized! [Insert Comment Here] Yes, I said the same thing, or something similar, but I’m not a vulgar man any longer so it was only a comment of frustration. Needless to say, the expectation was for those 500 gallons of fuel to see us through to March, hence the low household temperature.

Now I could view this in two fashions, one commiserate with my wife on our sure misfortune and bake a “Crumb” cake for our pity party. Two, I could consider the good health of my wife and I, our ability to work and produce an income. Reflect on the good fortune of prudent finances in our home economy and know that as bad as it all may seems, this to shall pass, and we can give thanks for the time were given to steward this land and our lives together. We resolved to do just that! If you’ll permit me let me just say one thing about my wife, she is an awesome helpmeet! It is with sincerity that I can say, I give thanks to our King and Sovereign each day from that day which he joined us as one flesh. Gentleman, so love your wives, as it says in Ephesians, no man hates his own flesh. For this is wisdom and a great mystery as Paul wrote concerning Christ and the church, for we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bone – so ought men love their wives as their own bodies. (Paraphrased) This is something the social fabric of today’s ‘modern’ society can not hold to in any “marriage contract” for such exist without a covenant and is easily broken or rent asunder. Ok, my boasting is done, for now …………one last scripture ‘for the road’ so to speak……….. Isaiah 26:5-7. (to be continued)

Bread Alone

Bread Alone

‘Bread and water - these are the things nature requires. For such things no man is too poor, and whosoever can limit his desire to them alone can rival Jupiter for happiness’ ~Seneca

Well Sam I have to hand it to you, that is a mighty fine recipe for bread! I made an managerial resolution for the household today, call it a “patriarchal pondering” and could not shake the thought of Sam’s Bread Recipe or the idea of some fresh baked bread in the home. For those of you who may not know of what I am speaking about see this post from Ksmilkmaid at her previous blogger site, you can read more of her writings at her new site here.

My original plan was to wait for an order of white wheat from Montana and mill it up before Thanksgiving for my wife to bake and bring to my brother’s house. All day I kept thinking of Sam’s first letter mentioned using hard red wheat, being “somewhat heavier and darker in colour along with slightly more flavour”. Well Sam you were right ~ tasty! I picked up a sack of stone ground hard red wheat, gave the wife the night off, and went to work. Now we don’t own a bread machine (don’t want one either) and our economy doesn’t provide for a mixer with a dough hook so I employed my ‘meat hooks’ and a 'wee bit' of Irish elbow grease which I assure you worked out just fine. Ten minutes to mix, an hour to rest (the dough too ~ grin!) and down to the oven I went. Our oven is in the basement, we have a cook top upstairs, but that’s another story……

Well, 45 minutes later the upstairs is filled with the aroma of baking bread! Now a cautionary note, hot fresh bread with a generous serving of butter in moderation is a wonderful thing. I heeded Christina’s admonishment of potential ‘agony’ and stopped at one generous slice. This is not you store bought bread for “lightweights” this is rewarding substance that will get the heavy lifting done in the late afternoons!

My first batch produced four loaves so there will be some happy people at assembly Sunday, and the largest of loaves will go to my good neighbor here in Catskill who helps me with my Homework. It’s rewarding to have a neighbor and a few friends who you can share life with; it makes for what we call “living the good life”….. Matthew 4:4 (to be continued)

Note:
A recommendation for ‘modern’ folk who employ all sorts of “air fresheners” an their like, nothing makes a home smell like home then fresh baked bread. You can then “freecycle” contraptions such as this, and your family will be the better for it.

Holes

Holes

The first rule of holes:

If you are in one, stop digging.
~Author Unknown

Simple wisdom is often the clearest, yet often unheeded, for surely there is a better more multifaceted elucidation that modern man can come up with given time.

Having the opportunity to read Mike’s post at Three Fold Cord with honest examination of circumstances and Northern Farmer's commentary on Easy Debt I thought I’d grab the bell and ring in on the subject.

Haggai 1:5-7 is worthy of reading and consideration, applicable to this topic and the chapter deals with an ordering of priorities for then and now.

One of the things I made mention of in my message to the assembly this last Sunday was, by way of introduction, a historical framework for the topic of my message the Home Rules the Nation: The Biblical Family and Return to Patriarchal Leadership.

[Excerpt]

“……If you remember nothing else from today’s message, I want to give you a few key dates in History:

October 24th 1929 the stock market crash and the beginning of what is now know in American History as “The Great Depression”. It would later prove to be the birth of the welfare state.

In 1933 Roosevelt’s adoption of the “New Deal”, Keynesian economics, the creation of alphabet soup agencies, led to the wholesale slaughter of an agrarian culture upon the humanistic altar of industrialization.

My grandmother was 17 years of age. She’s 93 now…………”

Now the topics I covered were not based on economics, but much of what I studied on the subject and its relationship to the family overlap. People, even Christian folk, fail to understand the path of historical significance. Its role and the effects that underlying economics, consumerism and modern industry has brought us to in our current debt-based economy and society today.


Adam Smith the Wealth of Nations was not a topic covered in the governmental reeducation camps my wife and I attended growing up. The concept of ‘avoiding debt’ was as foreign to us as the idea of reading the bible. Two things we have thankfully rethought, as we began to deprogram ourselves from most of societies “modern thought”.

Needless to say we still bear the scars of Visa, MasterCard and American Express and retain a death pledge (see mortgage) to pay off our home, but we’re learning and healing our finances as well as our hearts. The battle is not yet over, as Captain John Paul Jones put it once “I have not yet begun to fight.” ………..(to be continued)

BEANS

BEANS!

As soon as coffee is in your stomach, there is a general commotion. Ideas begin to move...similes arise, the paper is covered. Coffee is your ally and writing ceases to be a struggle.

~Honore de Balzac

Perhaps here is where I should take my reworked quote from Twain posted in comments on Chad’s post I’m Not Dead, and say for myself ~The accounting of my demise has been to a great extent embellished.

Having to finish a work of the second part of my message to the assembly in Hyde Park that in length ran for 22 minutes this time. (As I must be getting long winded.) That work is for now complete. My friend Jim Brady has encouraged me to put the two messages together and put it to print – We’ll see.

I am not the preacher, Jim is, I count beans. My acronym for being the treasurer for the local church, a job I would trade for being ‘muck rake’, to a stall of dairy cows any day of the week, for at least the cows would appreciate the effort. In a society bereft of covetous consumption and dishonest corporate governance, it is a hard task to keep people honest and happy. I’ve endeavored to do the first; the second has had but limited success. My “You can only spend it once” philosophy and admonishment to the local assembly has faced a tempest of personalities in my four-year tenure, and survived a move of the local assembly to a new building. I would not say my character has provided me with a strong constitution for such matters, as I’ve asked (begged) my friend Jim to free me of this encumbrance. To date I still serve. Much to the chagrin of those who would despoil the church coffers for personal desires or fill them with lucre from sorted gain. Such is my lot on that front.

As to beans, which is the topic for today, or soup de jour for my “frenchie” personage whom I’ve borrowed a quote, and which explains the other half of my absence. Apart from my sideline in counting beans, I as well roast them. A year ago this past October I founded an idea, which now has become a company. Catskill Coffee Company ~ We Engineer the finest flavors! Needless to say the challenge has been fraught with disappointments and great joy. (More joy than the latter.) Such it is with an effort to create a home based economy.

This past Saturday evening as I was completing my message, the turn motor to the roasting drum gave out. I was now faced with a decision to finish my work for the assembly or get to finding the necessary tool and have a look at the roaster. I choose the message, which was delivered the roasting order was not. Fortunately my customer awaiting her coffee was understanding and enjoyed the message, she is a sister in Christ and so was forgiving. Interesting as things get Sunday morning on the way to the car a local shop owner who I previous gave a half a pound to, for he and his wife to enjoy asked if I could roast some coffee for his eatery. Can do! (Thinking not sure how, with a busted roaster) So went the weekend on in to today.

Today I went to work on the roaster, after careful disassembly of the electrical housing and a rough sketch diagramming of the wiring configuration I set to trouble shoot. Note: I am not a licensed electrician nor am I an electrical engineer. I did spend sometime working for my Uncle Sam and receive some training and instruction in basic electrical wiring and circuitry, but this was neither a torpedo tube nor a sonar console and that was along time ago. Not all things that end, end well. I would like to report that though sheer brilliance or some Einstein approach to Tesla theory it was alas fixed. It’s not. One thing I do know, if one has met their match, match it with wisdom and stop! After swapping switches and checking wiring connections I stopped, as I did not want to void the warranty it is under. Well the roaster in still non-functioning and I am waiting on the distributor to return a call to me. I am somewhat sanguine to the fact that I have a smaller test batch roaster and can keep my promises and patrons satisfied until repair takes place. The sad fact is that it will take seven fold the effort and time to produce orders waiting delivery. Life is good! (to be continued)