Surviving An Anaconda Attack

 

In the midst of misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, fake news and outright lies, critical thinking must prevail for one to avoid being involved in doing stupid things. The following article comes from amyreesanderson.com/blog - an illustration of – What?

“The other day someone sent me a survival tip on what to do if you encounter an Anaconda, the largest snake in the world - here is what they sent to me: The US Peace Corps train their workers to deal with any kind of eventuality they might meet in the field, and since they work in the jungles of South America, it’s quite possible that they might encounter an Anaconda, the largest snake in the world. A full-grown Anaconda is not just a snake. It is a telegraph pole with a temper! It takes 10 men to carry one - if it is in a good mood. Here are the instructions in one of the Peace Corps’ manuals, posted on the Internet:1) If you are attacked by an Anaconda, do not run. The snake is faster than you are. Don’t try to outrun it. 2) Lie flat on the ground. Put your arms tight against your sides and your legs tight against one another. 3) Tuck in your chin. 4) The snake will come and begin to nudge and will climb about your body. 5) Do not panic. 6) After the snake has examined you, it will begin to swallow you from the feet, always the feet. Permit the snake to swallow your feet and ankles. Do not panic. 7) The snake will begin to suck your legs into its body. You must lie perfectly still. This will take a long time. 8) When the snake has reached your knees, slowly and with as little movement as possible reach down, take your knife and very gently slide it into the side of the snake’s mouth, between the edge of its mouth and your leg. Then suddenly rip upwards, severing the snake through the top of the head. 9) Be sure you have your knife. 10) Be sure your knife is sharp. Of course, if you get to number nine, or even ten, and find you’ve forgotten your knife, or that it’s blunt, the rest doesn’t really matter!”

“After I read it, I had to go online to see if there was any truth at all to this being an actual instruction from the Peace Corp because I frankly didn’t believe it was real, and sure enough it wasn’t. However, in looking it up I found that there was actual advice out there on what to do when you encounter this snake, and it said to run away…and then avoid it! Now that seems like much better advise to me… Because life is full of “anacondas” of different types – temptations of every kind – so when you come upon one of these “snakes” don’t just lie down and wait to be eaten, hoping you have a knife that’s going to be sharp enough to save you…RUN! And do everything in your power to avoid the snakes!!!”

[Hebrews 5:12-14] In the midst of spiritual misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, fake news and outright lies, critical thinking in God’s Word must prevail for one to grow in the faith of God’s grace. “…solid food (the defining truth of God’s Word) belongs to those who are full age (those who faithfully study God’s Word), that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Spiritually, we have enemies out to do us harm. “Be sober (think clearly), be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). So, how are we to survive this onslaught? “…submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:7-8). Look it up! The survival code to guide us from being eaten alive by the evil intents of this world are found in God’s Word. Evil cannot enter into the presence of God, and we must answer one day to His judgement (Hebrews 4:12-13). Failing to resist the evils of this world will keep us separated from God for eternity. Don’t forget your sword (Ephesians 6:13-17)!!!

Putting The Cart Before The Horse

 

When James Garfield, former President of the United States, was principal of Hiram College in Ohio, a parent asked him if the curriculum could be simplified for his son. “Certainly,” Garfield replied, “but it all depends on what you want to make of your boy. When God wants to make an oak tree, He takes a hundred years to do it. When He wants to make a squash, He requires only two months. Do you want your son to be a squash or more like an oak tree?”

The old saying, “Putting the cart before the horse,” has been widely used to clarify priorities, probably lost to our younger generations. It requires thought if not experience. Horses don’t push – they pull. Therefore, even if we have all the right components, if they are not put together properly it is of no practical value. In Romans 1:16 we are told that the gospel is God’s power unto salvation. In Matthew 28:18-20 we are told to spread it. In the first century, people believed it and did it, at least some did. Today, people believe it and do it, at least some do. The wild success of the first century compared to the growth of the church that is mediocre at best today, is a curiosity to me. To help unravel this in my mind I first examine the differences. With few exceptions, first century folks were poor and had nothing but their lives and their mouth. We on the other hand have money, comfort, mass media, postal service, cell phones, computers, etc. From a logical point of view, the success rate of saving souls should be higher in our time – but it isn’t. Churches now have PowerPoint. One doesn’t even have to look at the preacher, nor does he have to look at you. The youth have tons of specialty programs meant to hold appeal. And it seems all they are learning is that churches must have appeal. What about knowledge? The first century church saved souls because they loved souls. They had nothing but the Word and the belief that it was true. That’s all they needed. That’s all we need today. Programs and comfort are great, but that’s not going to get one through the trials of life. There must be enough knowledge of the doctrine and nature of God to create a change in one’s life and therein lies the problem. If the power of God doesn’t cause a change, then one doesn’t have it. Stop trying to make the message appeal to people. “Putting the cart before the horse.” It already appeals to those who are seeking and wanting hope. Christians of the first century died rather than give up that hope and we have trouble getting people to Bible study who will then show up for worship to profess their loyalty.

[Ecclesiastes 12:13-14] James Garfield was a Bible scholar and faithful member of the Lord’s church. He was a preacher and an elder. Before taking the oath of office as President, he spoke these words to his congregation, “Today I step down from the highest office on earth to become your president.” Solomon had looked at every aspect of life before he summarized: “…Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” If we want to have a proper “fear” of God we must have knowledge of Him which can only be achieved through diligence, with the need to be obedient to the rules that have been established. The laws of God are for a reason. What would society be like with no laws of morality to follow? Our lives are better and more fulfilled when we fear our Creator and listen to His direction, carefully following the paths established by Him. Every deed of this life, whether good or evil, will be brought before the Judge at the end of time. Nothing can be hidden from Him, and the law will be administered by a perfect judge. The rewards are great for faithful obedience and so are the penalties for disobedience. Truth!

God Wants Us To Be Happy

 

During World War II, Germany devised a plan to force the British fighter squadrons to be spread thin in “standing patrols,” which would require planes to be in the air flying at all times ready for battle. This process would have caused the hard-pressed British to waste precious high-octane fuel. But the Brits had a secret that could monitor every move of the German bombers. Even when flying at night or emerging from cloud banks, hoping to invoke an act of surprise, German pilots were stunned to discover British attack aircraft waiting in position to engage them in battle. What the Luftwaffe had not realized was that their evil actions were being watched by an invisible and undetected force made possible by a top-secret invention, the cavity magnetron, now known as radar. Even though the German pilots thought they were operating in secret, their every aerial move was made visible by an unseen force.

Today, many people remain comfortable in sin thinking that their actions are cloaked in secrecy. But the Bible teaches that God’s revealing light shines into the far reaches of one’s actions, illuminating both that which is good and that which is evil. Hebrews 4:13 reads: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.” No matter in what situation one might find oneself, we are always under the unseen but watchful eye of God. On the other hand, the judgment of God need not be feared by one who is in Christ (Romans 8:1). He is not “out to get us.” He is “out to save us!”

[Revelation 22:14] God wants us to be happy. He wants us to be happier than happy. Our God wants us to live a blessed life. Jesus spoke of true happiness (blessedness) as a reality for those who would follow Him faithfully (Matthew 5:3-12; Revelation 1:3; 22:7). However, some use the title of this piece as an attempt to justify sin that they think will bring them pleasure in mind and body or escape from pain. They neglect the fact that God wants us to be happy, but He does not condone sinning in an effort to secure happiness our way! God wants us to be happy, but He does not want us to divorce our spouse for someone else whom we think will make us happy (Matthew 19:3-9). God wants us to be happy, but He does not want us to abandon the purity of His New Testament truth or forsake His church to experience some form of pleasurable feelings (2 Timothy 4:2-4; Luke 11:28). God wants us to be happy, but He does not want us to destroy our body and our influence for Him through addictions and abusive habits (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). I could present a lot more about how people use the desire for immediate pleasure or “happiness” as an excuse for sinning, telling themselves and others that “God wants me to be happy,” but maybe these will suffice to get the point across. The pleasure of sin (Hebrews 11:24-26) must never be confused with the happiness of God, even when it is wrapped in religious and social approval. Be happy God’s way, or grimace in the wiles of the evil one.

As children, we thought that there wasn’t anything we couldn’t achieve. And we believed we could become anything. But then we grew older. Life began to beat us down. Victories were fewer than defeats. Health began to wane. And most people begin to ask, “Isn’t there any­thing better to life than this?” The answer is yes. The best is yet to come if we walk with God! “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard or perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.” (Isaiah 64:4; 1 Corinthians 2:9). He has prepared a place for us without pain, without suffering, without want. There will be only love, ac­ceptance, honor and joy. Bliss awaits.

You Are You

 

Here’s a report from Fatherly.com about a backyard or schoolyard game which children have played from time immemorial: “School districts in Alabama, California, South Carolina, and Washington have banned playing tag, explaining to parents that the classic recess game undermines the lessons about consent and boundaries being taught to young students. Whether these bans represent overreach or educational consistency, they raise the question about whether or not the game, in which children chase peers and touch peers who don’t want to be touched, has aged well.” Seesaws (teeter-totters) are gone. Dodgeball is gone. And now “tag” is gone. Jay Leno commented on the “tag” brouhaha wondering about the last kid to get tagged, “You’re IT!” “And then the game is banned, and this kid is IT for the rest of his life. He’s IT! He’ll always be IT! Class reunion: ‘Oh, yeah, I remember you. You’re IT.’”

I have often thought about the challenges of coaching sports. Coaches are often scrutinized and criticized for the many tough decisions they make. I’m sure it’s a difficult job and all jobs have pros and cons. Regardless of one’s occupation, there are good days and days we wish we could quit. On “bad days,” many coaches begin using foul, profane language when players do not perform up to their standards. I’m sure a lot of parents, grandparents, and players feel that the use of profanity is offensive, rude, and disrespectful. No one is perfect. We all do and say things we shouldn’t (Romans 3:23). But this doesn’t give anyone a “free pass” to use obscene, filthy language. Coaches shouldn’t use profanity because: 1) If using God’s name in vain and using “four-letter” words would help players perform better, some coaches would never lose. Teams want to win. Screaming obscenities to “encourage” players to perform better makes no sense. Often that kind of coach is a losing coach. 2) It demonstrates a lack of self-control. The Bible teaches that we are to be self-controlled and to exercise temperance (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:5-6). If a coach cannot discipline oneself, how can that coach expect his players to be disciplined? 3) The Bible explicitly commands “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29). 4) It sets a bad example for the players. Young people have enough peer pressure from the world. Shouldn’t coaches show more maturity, leadership, and moral character than to set such a poor example for their players? 5) It is not honorable and shows disrespect for others who have been taught not to use such language. Parents, grandparents, and players have more respect for coaches who show honor and integrity, regardless of the score, than for those who throw cussing fits. Some may object to this line of thought: “You have no experience coaching, so you have no right to speak about the conduct of the coaches.” My response: Neither do I have any experience as a thief, but I know stealing is wrong. I have no experience as a murderer, but I know murder is wrong. I can’t think of anything good that comes from cursing on the court or field. Screaming at players draws attention and in a way the coach is playing tag. “You’re IT” until you start playing better, then it’s on to the next player. Because of such coaches and teachers many of us are still carrying around some stigma, some guilt, something we’d like to lay down. We don’t want to be “tagged,” and we don’t want to feel like there’s a bullseye on our back. We want to get rid of it.

[Isaiah 43:1] Jesus was the last one tagged with the sins of the world laid on Him. The good news is that God has removed the IT through Jesus Christ and gave us a U. You’re U. You’re a person. You are loved, not tagged. We can all be winners. Just do your best.

Let Your Light Shine

The following excerpt is from the New York Times opinion column. It was written by novelist Jonathan Safran as part of a commencement address at Middlebury College. His thoughts are interesting and eye opening as to the state of our current culture. “A couple of weeks ago I saw a stranger crying in public. I was in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood, waiting to meet a friend for breakfast. I arrived at the restaurant a few minutes early and was sitting on the bench outside scrolling through my contacts list. A girl, maybe fifteen, was sitting on the bench opposite me, crying into her phone. I heard her say, ‘I know; I know; I know;’ over and over again. What did she know? Had she done something wrong? Was she being comforted? Then she said, ‘Mama, I know!’ and the tears came harder. What was her mother telling her? Never to stay out all night again? That everybody fails? Is it possible that no one was on the other end of the call, and that the girl was merely rehearsing a difficult conversation? ‘Mama, I know,’ she said, and hung up, placing her phone on her lap. I was faced with a choice: I could interject myself into her life, or I could respect the boundaries between us. Intervening might make her feel worse or be inappropriate. But then, it might ease her pain or be helpful in some straight-forward logistical way. An affluent neighborhood at the beginning of the day is not the same as a dangerous one as night is falling. And I was me, not someone else. There was a lot of human computing to be done. It is harder to intervene than no to, but it is vastly harder to choose to do either than to retreat into the scrolling names of one’s contact list, or whatever one’s iDistraction happens to be” As human beings we often find ourselves distracted by so many things. Especially today in our technological society we are often distracted by email, the Internet, text messaging, etc. And what we find is that in our society we have lost the sense of interaction.

“You don’t get much sunshine in here, do you?” remarked a woman to an elevator op­erator as she entered a large department store. “Only what you bring in,” replied the eleva­tor operator. “Some folks carry enough sun­shine around with them to light others up a bit,” she replied. That’s absolutely true! We can take sun­shine with us - a grateful word, an under­standing look, a kind act of service into the life of another, a well-worded note, or a sin­cere greeting from a happy face. All of us are aware of the dark, gloomy days in which we live. One writer put it this way, “Anyone who is looking for a problem just hasn’t been paying attention!” The cynic says, “There is no hope!” The atheist says, “There is no God!” The Lord says, “Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). The Christian life is a life reflecting the light of Je­sus. Even while reading this article, you may be tired and a little “down in the dumps,” but remembering to bring some thoughtful sun­shine into the life of another. The only sun­shine that a lot of people will ever see will be what “YOU BRING IN!”

[Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16] While that may be all right for some, for the Christian the inability to interact with others can be disastrous. Jesus commanded His disciples to “Go,” to “go into the world” and teach, proclaim, baptize, and make disciples. Such things require interaction. Jesus is relying on His disciples to talk to those who are lost (Luke 19:10) - to tell others about sin (Romans 3:23; 6:23) - and to show them the path that leads to eternal life (Mathew 7:13-14). In our society of cell phones and computers, with all the usefulness those things bring they can also become a distraction that keeps us from doing our duties as Christians and could come at the cost of a soul in the last day.