God is CS Lewis quotes

Here are some quotes from C. S. Lewis a great Christian writer from the last century.  He was not a preacher, but a writer who sought to explain why he was a Christian.  You could do well to read a couple of his works.  The Chronicles of Nardia were his.  He was one of the three Inklings. as they called themselves, that wrote at that time.  I am using his quotes to close out my 2022 thoughts, not because I have nothing to say, but because sometimes you find someone who does things better than you can do them.  These are short quotes, but very well-stated and very focused.  I would like to add one thought to them, C.S. Lewis stated that “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”  I would like to add to that thought that also you are never too young.

 I have found a desire within myself that no experience in this world can satisfy; the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.

 I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

 

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.

 Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.

 True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.

 God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.

 A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.

 

Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.

 

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one.

 

Dream big, believe your God loves you and cares for you.  Spend more time reading His messages to you than the popular friction of the day.  And constantly be aware of the worldview of the people you are listening to.  Be they teachers, professors, newscasters, doctors, lawyers, friends, or relatives.  God bless you, Grandma and I are praying for you and we love you.

God said FEAR NOT

 Good day children, More thoughts on God.

God sent us a love letter; we call it the Bible.  It is a very unique love letter, in that it proposes to contain all the guidance you will need to live a good life.  A godly life.  Now a good life and a Godly life does not mean an easy life.  There will be hardships and suffering and pain.  When your father died so early it was a huge impact on all of us, you as his children, your mother as his wife, and Grandma and I as his parents.  So how do we get through these hard times?  Love God and love each other.  Pray and trust God to be with us and provide the guidance we need to get through these situations.  One of God’s instructions to us is to: “FEAR NOT.”  He is God, He can provide for us, in every way, with love, with favor, with resources.  As He told Joshua fear not, have faith, He tells us the same.  He even cares for the sparrows.  So Fear Not!

With a major midterm election this coming week the political machines have been in high gear for the last couple of months.  There is way too much fear being sent out by these organizations.  I agree with the conservatives who are disgusted with the current state of the USA under this liberal democratic government and wish to see major changes, but we survived the Clinton and Obama governments, this one too will pass.  The liberal organizations are pushing fear of almost everything.  Fear of the conservatives, fear of climate change, fear of using fossil fuels and private cars and houses, fear of covid, fear of Trump, fear of the police (unless they want their house protected), fear of guns (again unless they want their house protected), and it goes on and on.  Fear of going to school in a building named after a president that at one time owned a slave, and all the other woke nonsense. 

And while all of those are real issues to those who believe in them and focus on them, I believe that FEAR is one of the principalities and powers that God warns us about.  FEAR NOT, is not just about occasional thoughts, but about letting this evil spirit of fear take up residency in our minds.  So FEAR NOT!  Look, listen, read this love letter, and pray to our God.  Then pray some more, go out and Vote, and talk to your friends and neighbors and tell them why you are not afraid.  Because we believe in a good GOD.  And he knows what is best for us.

And remember even when we are surprised, God is not, and He is thinking of you, personally.

Pray and fear not!

 

Good day Grandchildren, Grandma and I love you.  

As you know and as I posted on Facebook it is election season here in the USA and I want you to think about it.

WOW!  Did I recently say that the political machines are cranking up?  Well my mail box and email inbox are FULL of political advertisements and pushing and shoving things!  Give now to I. M. Apolitician, I will work with the opposition to correct these terrible conditions! Ect. Etc. Etc.  Cheryl and I did think about the candidates, and we did donate to the one that impacts us the most and does actually seem to understand what the role of an elected official should be.  So, that is that and all these other assaults on our peace and quiet are wasted efforts.  But in fact, someone is spending their election campaign funds to prepare and send these things around, it is a major industry for some people.  Reminds me of the people sending around notes that I should be getting my covid booster, etc.  Another major industry.

Again as a Christian man, a husband, father, and grandfather I want to offer my advice to anyone who wants to hear it, especially my family.  And my advice is to pray.  Sounds simple, but we Christians, the body of Christ, are not as engaged as we should be.  Focused, intense prayer.  Talk to God about this.

So here is my recommendation from the New King James Version, 1 Timothy 2:1-3 -1.     Therefore I [a]exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2.     for kings and all who are in [b]authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and [c]reverence. 3.     For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

And specifically I would say do not be afraid.  God says “Fear not”.  Paul expressed it as “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” ~ 2 Timothy 1:7.  Now, many of  the liberal press and faithless people in general want to silence us, they describe our Christian teachings as hate speech, because they do not want to achnowledge sin.  Sin in the world and sin in our lives.  So back to basics, pray for this election, the candidates, all those in authority, and especially our families and children.

 

Our Christian Duty to Pray and Vote

 Good day grandchildren,

As I posted my election thoughts on Facebook today to those who see my thoughts (?), I am also posting to you.  Addisson, you can vote and even in Taiwan, it is a duty you should perform.  Get your absentee ballot submitted.

Fall is here, and here in Upstate New York winter is approaching.  And soon the 2022 elections will be held.  As all the pre-election political machines are cranking up we are unfortunately hearing a lot of negative propaganda. 

I, as a Christian man, a husband, father, and grandfather want to offer my advice to anyone who wants to hear it, especially my family.  And my advice is to pray.  Sounds simple, but we Christians, the body of Christ, are not as engaged as we should be.  So here is my recommendation from the New King James Version, 1 Timothy 2:1-3 -

1.     Therefore I [a]exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,

2.     for kings and all who are in [b]authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and [c]reverence.

3.     For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

You can see that God does expect Christians to think about and pray for their government. God expects us to pray with thankfulness and intensity for our leaders.  However, I am disappointed in myself and many of my Christian friends. 1 Timothy 2:1-3 are favorite verses in the church, and while I hear a lot of criticism for President Biden and the congress, I hear few prayers being offered.  We must pray, as directed, for our leaders, the President, Senators, Representatives, national, and

local leaders, and judges.  Whether you agree with them or not, pray for them, God cares and, will hold them responsible for their actions and us for our prayers or lack thereof.  God is not surprised that these people got elected or appointed. And God is not so weak that He cannot fix our leaders and country.

So pick out some of the leaders that represent you, from the local to the President, and pray for them.  And of course pray for this election, from the candidates that will represent you to the local election officials.  They all are important in this republic we live in.

Pray for Our Leaders

 

Good day children,

I would like you to read the following four translations of the same scripture today.  They express slightly different attitudes, but all share the same message.

 

1 Timothy 2:1-3 - New King James Version
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. ³ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

 

1 Timothy 2:1-3 - 21st Century King James Version
I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,2 for kings and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.  3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

 

1 Timothy 2:1-3 - The Message
1-3 The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

 

1 Timothy 2:1-3 - The Passion Translation
Most of all, I’m writing to encourage you to pray with gratitude to God. Pray for all men with all forms of prayers and requests as you intercede with intense passion. 2 And pray for every political leader and representative so that we would be able to live tranquil, undisturbed lives, as we worship the awe-inspiring God with pure hearts. 3 It is pleasing to our Savior-God to pray for them.

You can see from this verse that God does expect Christians to think about and pray for their government.  God expects us to pray with thankfulness and intensity for our leaders.  Politics has been the main news item for the last couple of years now.  In fact, I started to write these notes just prior to past president Trump’s declaration that he was going to run for office.  I was concerned about the extreme liberal bias in the press and the career politicians.  The results speak for themselves and you are more than capable of evaluating the current condition of our country.

However, I am disappointed in myself and many of my Christian friends.  1 Timothy 2:1-3 are favorite verses in the church, and while I hear a lot of criticism for President Biden, I hear few prayers.  We need to pray, as directed, for our leaders; President, Senators, Representatives, national, local, and judges.   Whether we agree with them or not, pray for them, God cares and, will hold them responsible for their actions and us for our prayers or lack thereof.  God is not surprised that these people got elected or appointed.  He is not so weak that He can not fix our leaders and country.

So pick out some of the leaders that represent you, from the local to the President, and pray for them.  

Memorial Day 2022

 Memorial Day 2022

As a Christian husband and father, I have been remiss in celebrating Memorial Day.  It was a big holiday when I was a little boy, but always full of tension.  Both sides of my family, the Prices and the Reeds celebrated, but the difference in the celebrations was significant.  The Reed boys had mostly served in the Army during WWII and when returning home joined the local veteran clubs, the VFW or the American Legion.  We lived out in the country, the Kingston area, and my dad and other local veterans got together and built their own club, the Kingston Veterans & Sportsman Club.  Dad always took us to the local memorial services.  After the local parade and 21 gun salutes at the cemetery or local memorial, the Reed celebrations were much like you see on beer commercials today; beer, songs, laughter, ball games, and more beer, until the fighting started.  That is usually left out of the commercials.  The next day it was always hard to get back to work.

The Price side of the family was much more religious, attending the small Assembly of God church in Bradenville and did not drink at all, at least the women.  So mom and dad never agreed on attending the family celebrations, regardless of the holiday.  While the Reed celebrations were certainly more exciting, they never seemed to end well.  Memorial Day at the Price family was a much-subdued affair.  Religious is not the same as Christianity, but gets confused.

But I have avoided the conflict, by doing nothing.  Which was not the right course to take.  I should have taken my family to the local celebrations and honored those who served the country during the wars.  I should have been more involved in the politics of my country on many issues.  But this issue also overlaps onto my Christian life.  We celebrate Christmas and Easter and Thanksgiving, but do I do enough to celebrate these special days?  Do I acknowledge God’s grace to us and honor God-like family members who have gone before?  My sister Margie and I were talking about becoming invisible to the following generations in the family.  Should we honor some of our worthy ancestors more than we have?  Do we have any of their photos on our walls?  Do stories of spiritual victories get passed down to our children?  Do we collect them and tell them and retell them, like precious family legends?

My Grandma Price was a prayer warrior, full of the Holy Spirit and communicating with God.  My mother and Cheryl’s Grandma Whitehead were other Godly women.  Dad was in the 752 Armored Division and served for over 400 days at the front lines in Africa and Italy because the USA could not provide tank or soldiers replacements fast enough to make up for the losses to Rommel’s German tanks.  Uncle Charles on Cheryl’s side was in the horrific Bataan March in the Philippines.  Life on this wicked earth is not easy, and we must be aware of those who sacrificed and protected our freedoms, in our country, and in God.

Making Decisions, Just Like God Does.

Being a Christian is to be like God. God opens doors, but he does not push us through the door.  He also shuts doors, but He does not prevent us from going around the closed door.  And as we wrestle with life decisions, I think we need to understand an important truth: God’s primary will for us is the God-like person we become.  We are to be God's image here on Earth.

Paul, an apostle of God says that God “chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him” (Ephesians 1:4).  In other words, we must strive to recognize that God’s primary will for our lives is not our job, how wealthy we are, where we live, or who we know; it’s who we become.  God’s basic desire for our lives is that we become people of excellent character and divine love.  Become God-like, being both holy and blameless, loving as God loves.  This does not point to perfection, only God is perfect.

Making decisions is an indispensable tool in the formation of excellent persons.  A big part of our job as Christians is to develop the capability to make God-like decisions ourselves.  Can you imagine if we always had to ask someone else to make our decisions for us?  Or if we lived in a situation where we are not allowed to make any decisions for ourselves?  That is life in a Marxist, or any dictatorial, regime.  This is living in sin and under the world’s control.  God desires that we, you and I, become truly God-like people, He insists that we make our own decisions.  God-like people with excellent will, judgment, and character get formed in no other way.  We make one God-like decision after another; many are about small issues; some are major issues.

I think the same is true of God’s will for a person's life, it will often be “You decide.”  Sometimes you pray for direction, and God seems to say “You choose.”  That means God cares more about our decision-making and our character than specifics like colleges, careers, cars, houses, etc.  Don't misunderstand, sometimes God really does have a specific assignment for specific people, like Moses taking on Pharaoh, or Saul becoming Paul, and God is able and willing to make this clear.  When the burning bush or the blinding light is necessary, the burning bush or blinding light will be there.  But much of the time, wisdom itself will actually guide us on the right course, if there actually is a "right" choice, in these big decisions.  God says He will give wisdom to those who ask, so ask for wisdom.  Be aware you are God-like, seek wisdom, and be aware of God’s presence, make God-like decisions.

A lack of specific guidance from heaven regarding which decision to choose does not mean God or we have failed.  Very often it is just the opposite: God knows we grow more from making a decision than if we were to get a clear, command from heaven that would prevent us from growing at all.  And we have a very limited view, our little decision may have a major impact on a fellow Christian.  So, practice, and make good God-like decisions on all your choices.  Each choice is an opportunity to practice.

The American Dream – 2nd level responsibility

Hello grandchildren - The American Dream – 2^nd level responsibility

As I stated before the American Dream is a simple concept, the freedom to do what you want to do without the constant coercive micromanagement of a police state*.  That is simple to understand, but hard to implement.  Democracies are not really possible, a republic like the US is possible, but still hard to implement and maintain.  Many think it is also impossible over the long run.  Do the math, we in the USA are having a hard time and from 1776 until 2022 is only 246 years, hardly a blip in recorded history.  If this concept of a government by the people is confusing you need to study to be 

able to understand the key concepts of freedom and citizenship in our government*. 

Freedom, it is more than just your current personal freedom, it is your responsibility to keep this freedom and nurture it for yourself, your family, and others in the community, both now and into our future generations.  Freedom is not free or maintained without effort. 

Do not confuse your governmental freedom with Christianity or Godliness, God, as Jesus Christ came to earth through the Jewish nation and they were not a democracy.  He arrived and started His church during the Roman empire, it was not a democracy.  A person’s relationship with God is not dependent on the government they live under.  The government certainly impacts your ability to worship God as you chose, but not your commitment to God.

You have been cheated by our education system which has turned from a classical conservative education system, enabling our further citizens, into a technological training system for workers.  Workers do not need freedom; just do your job, produce or distribute whatever you are assigned, then go home at night and watch or participate in your favorite entertainment, sports, movies, video games, etc.  The education system has abandoned the essential study of history both American and our republican government which must be understood*.  This republican system has been building and maturing since the early feudal days of England.  It was expensive in terms of lives and thought.  If you want to see how it can be mishandled read on the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon*.

In my humble opinion, I believe this current dysfunctional educational system change was driven by two major issues.  The first is the need for skilled workers in the free enterprise economy.  We have allowed the economy to decide what is important and what is not.  This has been a bad decision.

The second is the American ideal that all people and ideas are created equal.  Many people and politicians are unwilling to accept or admit that some ideas and systems are better than others.  Some call it elitism to consider that some ideas are better than others, I call it pragmatic (or realistic).  Our system is unparalleled in the world today and will continue to be if we can maintain it.  We are a country that welcomes all, but they must become Americans.  This is not working at present.  Americans must have a common concept of freedom, of how our government works, understand English law and freedom and the ideas being discussed and be willing to become American citizens.  Not expatriates from their old countries living here and wanting the USA to be like their old country. 

Love Grandpap,