Donny's Ramblings

I completely agree, and yet I freely acknowledge that I have such a hard time not being that judgmental Christian myself. The last line in your blog really says it all — “God, please help me.”

I used to be extremely judgemental. I grew up in a church that was dripping with it. I often wondered if it was a requirement for membership. hmm…that was judgemental of me just now, wasn’t it?

I do try very hard not to be judgemental these days. But I often wonder if I just do it now in different ways, all the while fooling myself into thinking that I am not really doing it. Legalism makes me want to scream and throw things.

I can do so much better than I do. In trying to show Christ to my boss and co-workers, lately I have realized how often I mess that up. I do need God to help me!

Just wanted to say judgement also can be a good thing when used correctly as discerning between good and evil – quite necessary, in fact.

Beating up on each other as believers is absolutely dead wrong. Our love for each other is to be the essential quality for the world to see.

I checked out your blog, Apostate. Looks interesting, really. Didn’t have time to read everything posted, but would like to check back again in the future.

I sort of went into La-La Land over the election as well. Bottom line for me is: God help me too!! God help us all!!

Absolutely right on bro! I needed to read this today.

Sounds like even Ghandi couldn’t keep his heart from judging Christians. Truth is Christians should be the best in the world in all forums. They have access to the greatest resource. How do we not offend anyone ever though…lol. Jesus said a single eye will make your body full of light. I believe the secret for me is to keep my eye on him. Focus on lesser things draws those things. A return to the garden when we were naive to the knowledge of good and evil is possible. Still even Christ offended many people till at one point they all left him. God doesnt make a move that doesn’t offend people.
Again Ghandi may like Christ but if he met him he would find himself either broken and saved or hardened and judgemental and saying he neither likes Christ or Christians.

Dear Donny,
This is probably a good place to say that I posted comments on your “thoughts” blog to apologize for my thoughts, or at least coming on like I did in that blog, totally unrelated to your thoughts.
Also, for Jean, Drew and MurrayMD, I also posted comments in reply to yours possibly related to mine. I did provide a link to the citations related to my first comments as well as this was very necessary to be more concise as per MurrayMD’s suggestion.
Also with Jean, I guess I kind of explained that I was not trying to be judgemental either of believers who disagreed with my views.
I completely agree with your blog here, especially when we don’t all know where each of us is coming from.
So, one question I have to propose here, probably with all of the possible pun intended, is as you said quoting Ghandi “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Then followed by your own…

“It starts with me. I am the only person I can really change, a task made easier with God’s assistance.

“God, please help me.”
Then maybe the change that someone out there has been promoting, namely that the government is the “change we can believe in”, would certainly contradict the change that comes from us, or better, the change that only God can work in us, because that change is change imposed on us, at some point, probably with a strong hand. Because of all of the abuse of power, etc., the government is going to become more legalistic, like religion, to make sure you change, rather than in an environment where we choose to correct what’s wrong. Jesus said to help the poor, and that we’ll always have them, so for the government to dictate that you give in order to spread the wealth, and that they will “wipe out poverty”, is certainly not a change that Jesus meant…because it’s supposed to come from us, not be imposed on us…and the poor who will always be there is so that we are always humbled in heart to share and give and help…He made sure of that because He promised, Mark 14:7:
7For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you will not always have Me.
He referred to Deuteronomy 15:11:
11For the poor will never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, You shall open wide your hands to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor in your land. Bible versions used from the Amplified Bible
The liberal mentality in overriding restrictions, so that the “less fortunate” could own a home is what started this whole fiscal mess. If it’s true that people who win lotteries lose there families, money, homes, etc. (as they tend to be the less wealthy) then, maybe that is why aside from learning how to manage wealth, that they shouldn’t have had it in the first place…
Hey, am I being judgemental?…right now in my situation, I’m on social services myself…I paid into it for 30 years, so I’m getting a small portion of it back, but with a hell of a lot of strings attached…giving up my privacy, being encouraged not to work otherwise I lose it, taking away my dignity…and so on…this is not the change that Jesus spoke of, but rather liberalism. Anyway, I don’t want to be judgemental as there are “more fingers pointed at me”.

Daniel,

The “Change We Can Believe In” turns out to be just that… “change”. As in “pocket change”. ‘Cause that’s all most of us have now. I can believe in it ’cause I see it sitting on the desk by my computer. It just might be enough for a coffee at Starbucks… I’ll have to count it.

(hey, at least I crack MYSELF up)

Hey brother,
I’m in college too, and liberal at that, and I have been wondering what the professors of economics, etc. are thinking about what’s going on… considering most of this whole mileu of education promoted the change they didn’t know they were going to get because it wasn’t clear…
I certainly can’t see any change on my desk, pocket, etc. I keep hitting fees for overdraft on my checking, trying to pay my mortgage, credit card bills, utilities, etc. Not qualifying for help because I’ve faithfully stayed current, though I have fees to show for it.
Anyway, didn’t want to be too harsh, but this roller coaster ride is some ride…certainly a change I’m not used to…and I don’t have any control of it…
Funny thing, though I qualified for the unemployment extension, it kicked me out of some of my social service benefits…I can’t pay for food because I now lost my food stamps, (having to rely on my nearly maxed out 4th credit card), just so that I could “earn” unemployment to pay my bills…that’s a change, a switch…or something, not quite sure… better to do nothing and let the government bail me out…oh, wait a minute, I don’t qualify (. ).

As the disciples asked Jesus, “help thou my unbelief” )

Since we are talking about change, let me throw in my two cents.

Yesterday was Global Food Crisis Day, and I think that no matter what our personal viewpoints on redistributing wealth and national healthcare are, we can all agree it is unacceptable for a child to die every seven seconds from hunger.

So, if you haven’t joined in yet, let’s use our “change” to change the world for starving children. Compassion International, an organization that does indeed live out Christ’s mandate for us to help the poor, will funnel our donations into local areas around the world to feed children and save lives. I am sure all of you who read this know about Compassion Internation already. I am not trying to sound like an advertisment for them here. But I stood in Target the other day bummed that I couldn’t get our girls new bathing suits yet for summer. How blessed I am. I couldn’t even imagine not being able to feed them.

just my thoughts- and a good way to be a positive change in this world.

Daniel,

I will be pryaing for you and your situation. I am sorry you are dealing with this.

val

Dear Val,
Thank you so much. I certainly can use the prayer and do truly appreciate it.

I also appreciate you mentioning Compassion International. Certainly they as many other such organizations, one from whom I was laid off 3 years ago, believe that this is some of the best way to “spread the wealth”. Individuals by their own volition, contributing through such organizations that do so much in so many ways that no government, let alone ours, can help the needy. They do it from a faith-based perspective and heart and with doing what they do with Jesus in mind as the originator of the compassion they are demonstrating, in addition to meeting these needs and these people holistically, and not just with food.
Why I won’t lump everyone into the same bunch, but often my encounters with the case workers, social workers, etc. who are part of the system, whether they are burned out, could care less, or what have you, often times, their work in “helping” their clients, is done begrudgingly or without compassion or heart. Sometimes is simply because the rules or guidelines for which care is made from a government position, means that sometimes “you don’t qualify” or otherwise. Especially, with a separation of church and state political correctness, our government orginally built on such values, which generated the whole idea of helping, is void of the very resource or motivation to do so, thus, leaving us with a hollow shell with no real significant substance, let along the life blood to really help.

The “anointed one” as some have been calling him because of his unchecked going’s forth, and given a pass by anyone and everyone as he was ushered into the White House, apparently believes that if the government doesn’t do something about this economic mess, then nothing will happen…funny thing that it was the government got us here (whether by trying to “help” the poor get homes they couldn’t afford in an effort to equalize the playing field, though the basis for some is not the same for all, thus, you can’t just do that because class mentality and coming from different perspectives and resource-ability, make the playing field already un-equalized, or whether there seems to be a confusion from the left that “investing” these trillions to save us, is not the same as investing in a business opportunity, after you’ve done market research and you know that your business proposition can pay back the loan for borrowed money – you pay it back, not doing it with other people’s money which is what our current administration is doing, not just with our money but that of our children and probably grandchildren…however, with the reduction in incentive to be capitalists because you’ll get wacked by higher taxes and the killing of innocent “tissue” for stem cell research and convenience, you remove a big part of your tax base, much like Pharaoh forcing Jews to make more bricks with less straw and other resources needed for such or what I’m learning now in linear programming including restraints, etc., not to mention the unscrupulous goings on of some folks in high places of government and of business or otherwise.) and with the current policies being signed off on, the government will take us down even further.
Hey, I’m sorry; here I go again, rambling on Donny’s ramblings. Sorry, I find myself having to apologize again.
Again, thank you for your prayers.

Ehh, judgment gets a bad rap.

Yes… nobody is as hard on Christians as Christians. Sometimes I get the impression we’d throw each other to the lions faster than Nero. Too bad. Christians can be incredibly annoying, and I’m not sure why that is.

By the way, I “tagged” you, which means you’re invited to blog your answers to the questions on http://www.maxgrace.com.

I thought of some Scriptures for you (our conversation yesterday) and I’ll email them.

Later. Bill