Our Ship of State

OUR SHIP OF STATE

By David D. Hambleton

To whom would go command? Where should they sail it? What would they see there? Would it serve The Great Shipwright who had inspired them in its building? How could they ensure that it would survive as a legacy – or would it? They studied and talked long and passionately about how it should be structured. Asked what he had wrought, a master-builder among them said, “I give you a ship, if you can keep it.”

They were good students of ships, and built it better than anything afloat had ever been built before. It was nearly destroyed many times, from both without and within, right there in the drydock; saved only by divine intervention on more than one occasion – and that acknowledged, by some of the most skeptical of divinity among them.

Consensus came hard, but it was had. The keel would lay so; ribs and decks solid and braced with structural integrity and checks and balances of power to protect those within. Her sails and hull shape were set to fly in open water. Glorious, she would be commanded by a captain chosen from the deck plates, for no royalty would be had on this voyage. Counterbalances were installed between the navigator, the master, and the commander. No subjects were among those builders who threw off servitude to any but their creator, as they themselves created this ship to serve them and carry them and their progeny to more prosperous places nearer The Creator.

Crewmembers elected representatives to the ship’s mastering and navigating councils and to the captaincy. These would stand for re-election frequently so as not to grow over-comfortable or privileged in those roles. The roles were defined and limited in the Ship’s Charter, and the mastering committee charged with ensuring the navigators and commanders would not violate those boundaries. Members would be allowed to speak freely and worship The Creator, or not as they chose with impunity and no benefit from the ship itself. The armory was distributed among the crew, to protect one as well as others, and to keep the leaders honest.

Unique among vessels, this one would be crewed by sailors who owned it. When they pulled a line or set a course, they pulled and plotted not as a slave to avoid the stripe, but as one who profits from the pulling or steering. Some onboard were indeed slaves, but would be freed in time by plan, intent, and agreement; in a manner that ensured overall growth and prosperity as well as ultimately recognize The Creator-given equality and liberty among all crewmembers – and this goal would take a war between sailors on board, but in keeping with the ship’s charter, it was surely won.

Landlubbers, used to being subjects of the despots who governed them, saw what it meant to be onboard, aspired to join this crew and applied. Many were accepted and became some of the best of the crew, making it better for their partnership as sailors.

It was a sound vessel; the fastest afloat! And it raced ahead of the greatest navies in the world. Indeed, it was attacked before launch and again and again thereafter. Those battles were hard, but this crew and ship won the day. That winning would continue and set the world’s shipping lanes free from pirate and despot alike against all odds, the whole world to prosper as never before.

In an unbelievably short time, common people all over the globe for the first time were set free to flourish into a standard of living heretofore un-known among any but the wealthiest of kings. Great personal wealth was accumulated and distributed. Incurable diseases were healed and forgotten. The lot of the impoverished improved, and disaster relief was funded like never in history.

All this success, yet there remained disagreements as to how to set the sail or trim the ballast or which course to set through storms and strife. Followers of those who wished this ship not to be built in the first place remained onboard. These were civil struggles among fellow-laborers with honest questions as to how much of the sheet and which angle the jib, how much rum or beef for dinner, or into which port for how long.

Then an evil arose among the crew. Sailors who didn’t want to sail but had desires to live ashore had grown in the ranks. These postulated that life ashore would be better, as the grass was certainly greener than the ship’s deck on this side of the gunwale. They claimed they were wiser, and spoke of their vast education and scientific approach, having cast off superstition, among which was The Great Shipwright Himself. Though their arguments were pure sophistry, good and faithful members of the crew didn’t want to be rude so they let them ramble on. These didn’t want to sail the blue water where big fish and big profits lay, but desired a slower pace in littoral waters where all shared a pittance of a common collectivist mite, like the other landlubbers did... They became wicked in their desires and methods to achieve their ends.

They set about to re-focus the crew’s training from weather, ocean currents, and sailing the ship in general to focus on this ship – and even replacing The Great Shipwright with this ship; promising more logical methods of running it. They hid and obfuscated the knowledge of how the divine had saved them and set them on course, claiming it was the work of people like them who secretly had rejected The Creator since the start. Lost among many were the arts of navigation by trustworthy means. And more than once the ship came near running aground or foundering in heavy seas or on shoals.

But there remained a remnant among whom the knowledge was retained by passing it not through the indoctrination system of the wicked but from mother to son, father to daughter, and faithful friend to faithful friend. They remembered The Great Shipwright and how He created. They remembered the conversations the builders had and their reasons. They remembered the ship’s charter and used it as a guide, a compass through the convoluted misdirection of the wicked.

The wicked fabricated mythology about The Creator being a creation of the created, claiming earlier crewmembers had made up the divine being – even while they were advocating placing the created ship in the place of The Creator. The ship – or the wise elite rulers of it – should provide all, protect all, decide all, and determine all. Free to speak by the ship’s guiding dictates, they stood on deck and said it over and over until some said it may be true – at least parts of it...

If the divine weren’t real, they were free to behave as they wanted. They rejected morality to the point that it killed some, but over and over on deck they blamed the faithful for not protecting them. The faithful were compassionate, relented and agreed they could have done more to prevent death, and it stuck. The faithful were guilty.

The wicked complained about having to stand watch with others among them who’d been slaves early on. A faithful man called them out and shared a dream that exposed their uncooperative nature, encouraging the crew and the world to judge one-another not on arbitrary measures but based on the content of their character.

Caught, the wicked hid out for a while, and then blamed the faithful for persecution and posted criers on deck to repeat the lie until it caught hold among some and then many crewmembers. “Those vicious faithful!”

The wicked even advocated and eventually succeeded in authorizing and carrying out killing babies and the old, if their life wouldn’t be very comfortable or normal. Only a cruel faithful sailor would require them to be born into this mess of a ship or make them go on living in their pain. In no way, shape, or form should anyone err on the side of human life because scientists said there were too many people on the ship – on the whole planet for sustained habitation anyway, so they had to find a way to let some go. Who would go? Life was cheapened. With no recognition of the divine origin of life, young crewmembers in fits of normal adolescent desperation found themselves devalued and tragically took their own lives.

They spun yarns of the ship wreaking havoc among the fish where the keel cut the water, claiming that sailing her was leaving indelible tracks on the ocean, killing the fish and damaging the planet. They even had a scientist bring out a fish skeleton, saying it demonstrated the notion was true, and two others agreed, so they had a consensus. Other scientists disagreed, but they were denounced for various things on deck by the wicked, who said they really wanted to destroy the planet so they shouldn’t be trusted. The time for argument was over. What if the dead fish guy was right? Shouldn’t they err on the side of keeping poor fish alive? The ship had to put ashore to save everything, or everyone would all die like the fish and the faithful would be at fault. Nobody wanted to hurt another poor fish, let alone be at fault for the end of the world. And it was a small thing and besides these were the logical scientific people saying these things, so good people went along. Is one ship worth the whole world, after all?

They spread lies about how some captains were trying to establish an empire, desiring to conquer other people and rule them – and even keel-haul or perpetrate unspeakable water tortures on them! They elected captains and council members who argued for sailing against winds or in circles to purposely slow movement to seaward and float ever-more close to the coast – though they called themselves forward-thinkers. Their “forward thinking” always and consistently, though usually surreptitiously, involved getting the ship and crew aground, but some sailors wanted to believe their lies so those put hope in the change the wicked advocated.

They ridiculed those who set straight courses guided by the great navigator. Caught falsely accusing, they accused the accuser of something – anything outrageous. It may be a lie, but there they stood on the deck shouting the lie until many crewmembers began to wonder; were both sides somewhat to blame? Feeling convicted, some faithful conceded to meet them half-way to their shoreward westward course. From the intended true bearing of north they went first to northwest, then half again to west by- northwest. Some of the faithful objected and said we should turn east to compensate, but they were shouted down as ridiculous zealots and the ship ambled on into the brown coastal water.

These forward-thinkers secretly aspired to turn into a marsh where they could ground the ship and raid her, spilling her wealth onto the shore to be picked over and shared by the landlubbers there. Speaking this aloud to expose it, the faithful were accused of oppression and adherence to the antiquated concept of “The Great Shipwright”, who was, they claimed, obviously not really there, or there never would have been a dead fish or sick sailor. The faithful were denounced as anti-ship extremist radicals for not agreeing with the marsh-bound wicked.

The faithful knew that blue water was where this ship was built to sail, running with the wind to new horizons. There were heated disagreements in the navigation council’s cabin. It was desperate, and the wicked knew they couldn’t take the ship to their chosen destination by honest means, so they fought. Arguing at first, then accusing the faithful of mean-spiritedness and ill-intent, wanting to take the ship out to get lost at sea. The faithful engaged them and held the wicked from the tiller for some time, but there eventually came times when they took over.

The faithful reasoned, “They haven’t truly harmed us yet, so maybe we should tolerate them among us? They deserve a chance. Give them a turn at the wheel… The Ship’s Master’s Council will keep them from going too far.” But that Council had been infiltrated by the wicked as well.

They tried again and again to open the gunwales to allow uninvited landlubber stowaways aboard who would work in the scullery and scrub the deck like other crewmembers supposedly refused to do. The ship really needed these workers. After all, they were just workers and not real crewmembers at all, so they didn’t need a full sailor’s rations or take a full share of profits. Besides, these workers would vote and contend on their side against the faithful. Even some of the most faithful bought this lie.

The wicked raided the treasury and threw the hard-won wealth of all over the side onto their landlubber friends’ small boats and into the deep water. In desperation, they reasoned that if they could bankrupt the crew, there’d be nothing with which to buy provisions in order to continue the journey.

How appalled were the faithful when they finally realized these wicked argued only enough to distract; for they were no longer trying to win control, but to scuttle the ship under their very feet. They hacked and burned at the hull and keel in order to dash a hole or crack the back of the ship so they’d have no alternative but to turn ashore – or founder and wash up there anyway.

How this tale ends is entirely dependent on the faithful. The truly wicked are not many, but they studied Machiavelli and Alinsky, so they are good at standing on deck announcing their talking-points until the lie appears true. We must study these as well, but we have the Truth, The Great Shipwright, and His Teachings on our side.

A lie is a lie, and we see through them like never before. These wicked humanists have “educated” (indoctrinated) many and “reported” (lied) to many more with their godless insidious, blasphemous, hopeless, damning ideas until good and faithful people feel damned hopeless.

They’ve even co-opted many otherwise faithful people with one cause or another, telling enough truth to bring them along and retaining them by offering ever more utopian dreams, or dispiriting the faithful by assuring them that the True Divine is imaginary and their god, the totalitarian state is the only thing on which we can depend.

There is a battle afoot! It will take action on the part of the faithful to win, by having faith in The Creator and nothing besides, and by loving – truly unselfishly loving – those around until they ask why. The only way to accomplish what we must is always standing on the solid foundation laid by The Great Shipwright. We must counter the actions of the wicked with righteousness and goodness, so we must study to be found approved as crewmembers of The Creator’s ship, bringing true hope, faith and love to the broken and dispirited. Let’s train our children, educate our neighbors, and invite some landlubbers aboard who understand our Ship of State’s vision of republican Individual Sovereignty and Free Market Capitalism, and teach ‘em to sail!

This Ship of State, the United States of America, is the legacy to which we’ve been born and to which some of us have aspired and achieved citizenship. She’s covered with barnacles and there are holes in the sheets. The deck is mossy and the yardarm hangs kind of funny. She’ll take some shoring up, and a lot of scrubbing, but we’re a crew with a legacy and a backbone of steel! She’s our ship! She still sails right fine with a steady hand at the rudder and quick climbers in the rigging. Her promise remains strong and bountiful, though she’s been pillaged and vandalized. Let us swab the decks and unfurl the sails, set a vigilant watch, pick up a good bearing and breeze, and ply open water once again in fair winds and following seas!

Come sail with me!

This ship of state is built for me and you

To guide and sail her straight and true,

Now a bright white wake through dazzling blue

Into brilliant red sunsets, oh faithful crew!

May our Heavenly Father bless these United States of America.

My Father's Map

MY FATHER’S MAP

by David D. Hambleton



My father gave me a map his father'd given him.

I looked upon it and familiar it was, but I knew it not.

The language and the design were beyond all my art.

It seemed a handy thing, rolled and bound nicely.

I knew how to use such things, so it served me well;

As I swatted flies and my girlfriend's behind with it,

Then tossed it on the shelf where it gathered dust.

A wise man I encountered in a moment of pain

Told me of the map's worth in my search for the truth,

So down it came from high on its perch.



Admire it, I did, as I unfurled it from binding.

The leather shone softly, well tanned, inked, and oiled.

A permanence set it apart from all that is temporal.

Runes and symbols of landscape were drawn on it,

But overlain it mismatched against every chart I knew.

I could not connect it with the decrepit ground where I stood.

On the back simple text told a story too straightforward

Of a lover and beloved and love broken and restored.

In the story was a message interwoven, obvious but cryptic.

Considering it may be a clue to the map,

I studied and memorized and elaborated on the story.

I shared it with friends who claimed I'd a madness.

I found even my dad didn't really understand,

Though he'd got the best of the matter of the story.

His means of walking that path were unthinkable to me,

And so I gave up on that line of reason,

Assaying to work directly on the symbols and runes.



Try as I might, study as I could,

Delving in on cold dark nights and bright sunny days,

The mystery eluded my feeble fickle mind.

On certain occasions I'd catch just a glimpse

Of a meaning or a reason or a forerunner to follow.

So I followed that trail as best I could

Through fetid fearsome fen and high on glorious mountain.

Sometimes I found myself and landmarks were clear,

Walking and running and floating on water or air.

Soon enough, I'd find I'd left the old marked chart,

Following my own notion about the where the path lay.

The map said that way, but I thought this looked smoother,

Or the map was indecipherable so I tried to invent

Some track of my own through serpentine hedges

That led off to ruin or perilously close.



My Odyssean path crossed the seas both of hope and despair,

Down through the grand valleys of Ego and Id.

Almost I was lost there at the quiet Pool of Introspection,

Where Self Condemnation and Self Aggrandizement lurk;

Side by side, pride by pride, complimentary killers

Waiting and baiting in that humanist soup



I admired the works in the galleries there.

Some showed me the tormented souls of their artists,

At once beautiful and atrocious, some just atrocious.

Animated beetles; a petty, vindictive inferno;

A nondescript painting captured the pain of a scream;

And another the disjointedness of time and everything.

In medicine they construed to duplicate life,

And argued in legality to take it at will;

Claiming Euthanasia and "Unviable tissue mass";

The kinder of evils to existence in this world.



Arguments are there waged in volumes of text

By degree-laden bullies who abuse genuine explorers;

Educated beyond their intelligence's capacity,

Deifying divining mysteries of our marvelous minds,

Reifying knowledge in a semantic shell game.

Their wisdom ne'er surpassing their knowledge's lead.

Psychoses and Neuroses hang as overripe fetid fruit.

Faux-foreign language indicts insecure listeners.

Charges are brought boldly, substantiated by blather,

With no point but supposition as to meaning and end.

Points bought with foul logic and on impolite topics,

Not to be comfortably countered in decent company.

They victimize the young and innocent we send them,

Feeding red meat to pups, creating bloodthirsty killers

From unwitting young wanderers feeling for their way.

Deconstructing creation to rationalize theories,

They violate nature and science itself

In ever-more vain attempts to avoid the old map.



The map.

That map

Why such grievous pains to circumvent?

Why so much lovely energy spent

God-envying, linguistically verdant

Expressing in vanity the self-important

Will as though, being from the map rent,

As though, being any other way bent,

Might cover one with some better tent

Than the one which to find we all were meant

By our spiritual cartographer, ever benevolent



The shadow of death hung heavy o'er those valleys

Where Homeric heros fought like hell in their galleys

Seeking to carve out a niche of some fame

An excuse for salvation in a humanist's game

Like them, Plato and Freud grasped at gutteral glory

But in the end they push daisies, just more of the gory



As I walked, I gazed, in shock and then fear

For the map began showing me things I held dear

Things for the life of me I wanted to bless

But try as I might, I just made them a mess

No doubt about it, I was under attack

Before I knew it, I fell flat on my back

Knocked from my feet I was cowering with dread

And hid under what I had, the map, over my head

The runes and the symbols and story came clear

My blind eyes could see and my deaf ears could hear

The guns kept firing, cracking my crust

The rounds were on point, but in the map I could trust

The more that I trusted, the more I could see

That there was provision planned in there for me

Provision, protection from all of humanity's piranha

A hiding place from the need to reach for nirvana



Then, just as I was learning again to believe,

I noticed a thing I found hard to conceive.

From the map itself, I was taking friendly fire.

Blown away were my greed and my pride in the pyre.

The shots came in salvos remarkably well aimed

From a single old Canon, the only one claimed

By a marksman not missing or fouling one shot

As the map everything needed, wanting nothing, had got.



Now I busy myself earning a wage and wiping noses,

Kissing bruised knees and needful lips, bringing roses;

Holding the hurting and allowing some to hold me;

Healing the sick and feeding the poor and hungry;

Standing up for those without the wherewithal;

Upholding a standard, saving some from the fall;

Teaching those who have eyes to see and ears and will hear,

How to not be distracted from love by all they hold dear

How to get by in this life and on to the next

And not to be victims, intellectually vexed.

And I fight for the right and the freedom to so shine,

Though not by some grandiose scheming of mine;

But right where I fit in a plan made before time;

A plan with lovely harmony, meter, and rhyme.

I cannot conceive the entire course set before me,

Just a step at a time lit by lamp at my knee

As I crouch to pass through a gate seemed too small

For as a camel at the eye of a needle, I'm too tall.

Lit not by my knowledge or wisdom hard bought,

But by light from the map itself am I taught.



Down the road as intended as best I know how

I run the race as to win, no longer envious now

Of those consumed with perfecting style and form

Digressing acceptably from somebody's norm.



As best I can hear past my ego and my id

There's now a voice deep inside that the Spirit has hid.

As best I can see past all I've done in my power;

Led pace by pace, hill by hill, and hour by hour;

Its plain to see why Solomon claimed it vanity;

That being every effort of frail humanity.

All effort to fly as an eagle made me weep.

I've been lifted higher by following meekly as a sheep.





I see now the lover is God, loving me.

Love broken and restored is Jesus on that tree.

Loving God and my neighbor is what life is of.

Here on the path I know indelible peace, hope, and love.



Our Father drew us a map.

I look upon it and know it now.

For when I was a child, I spake as a child,

I understood as a child, I thought as a child:

but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

Nic at Night
John 3:1-21

Intro: Jesus had performed the miracle at Cana and his disciples believed in him. He followed this sign with others as he goes to Jerusalem for the passover. Many believed including many of the Pharisees. Nicodemus seems to have been one of them. Nicodemus was a Pharisee an a member of the ruling Sanhedrin. While Nicodemus has an elementary faith in Jesus, he, like many of the other believing Pharisees, was not ready to give up his place in the Sanhedrin. He knew that if he openly supported Jesus, he would more than likely be expelled from the Sanhedrin in disgrace. Still, Nicodemus wanted to know more about this man Jesus that he had heard so much about. He solves his dilemma of satisfying his curiosity and maintaining secrecy by coming to Jesus at night.

Nicodemus makes three appearances in the Bible, each in the Gospel of John. First, he comes to Jesus by night here in chapter 3. Nicodemus surfaces again in John 7:50-52, when, during a meeting with fellow Sanhedrin council members, he raises a procedural point in Jesus’ favor. Nevertheless, he was still a Pharisee and likely yet unconverted. Nicodemus’ final appearance (John 19:39-42) reveals that the seed Jesus planted by night blossoms in the light of a gloomy day: Nicodemus forsakes his religion by wrapping and burying the crucified body of his Lord. What brought about this transformation from a curious Pharisee to a believer willing to sacrifice everything for Jesus? I believe it began with this visit when Nicodemus comes face to face with Jesus.

Vs. 2 “Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

Nicodemus is a diplomat. He begins his conversation with a compliment. He calls Jesus a “Rabbi”which, if he were talking today would say something like “great one” or “master.” He then acknowledges that he, along with other secret disciples (“we”) believed that Jesus has come from God as a teacher. He believes this because of the signs which Jesus has performed. At this point in the Gospel of John, Jesus had performed only one miracle and it was known only to a few. However, Jesus had no doubt performed many other miracles which John did not record. Nicodemus is trying to start the conversation out on a high note. Now, whether Nicodemus really meant what he said or was just making a diplomatic opening, we will never know.

Jesus did not even acknowledge Nicodemus’ statement but went to the main issue that was do doubt on Nidodemus’ mind, how can I be a part of the Messiah’s kingdom. Nicodemus like so many others had a physical idea of the Messiah’s kingdom. That of overthrowing the oppression of Rome and restoring Israel to greatness. Nicodemus wanted to be a part of that kingdom. He wanted Jesus to tell him how. Jesus’ answer however, caught Nicodemus completely off guard. “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”

Born again? Born Again? Nicodemus is dumbfounded. He had expected perhaps some kind of loyalty oath, or some deed of bravery or perhaps the payment of money. Anything but this!! Nicodemus surprise and astonishment is evident in his response in verse 4, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Nicodemus was thinking physically and literally and the suggestion of a rebirth was ridiculous in his mind.

While Nicodemus is reeling from his opening salvo, Jesus continues in verses 5 and 6, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” There is some disagreement concerning the meaning of Jesus’ statement here. Some see the demand of being born both of water and the Spirit is a reference to physical birth (water) and spiritual rebirth (Spirit). However, the more logical view is that Jesus is talking about baptism in which we are immersed in water and receive the renewal of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus continues in verses 7 and 8, “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Jesus attempts to make the concept clearer by using an illustration. He points out to Nicodemus that he believes in the wind even though he has never seen it. He believes the wind exists because of the effects it has on the environment. Likewise, the Spirit cannot be seen but it’s effects on the spiritually reborn will be obvious.

Nicodemus is still confused. He asks in verse 9, “How can these things be?” By this time, Jesus must be shaking his head for he responds, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?” Nicodemus as a Pharisee was one of the most learned men in Israel concerning the things of God. Yet Jesus’ statements have completely baffled him.

In verses 11-12 Jesus chastises Nicodemus and the other Pharisees for their rejection of Jesus. “Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”

In verses 13-15, Jesus then presents himself to Nicodemus as the Son of God and Savior of mankind. . “No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.” He then tells Nicodemus how he is going to bring about man’s salvation. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” He closes with what one must do to get into the kingdom and have eternal life. “ . . . so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.”

Verses 16-21, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

John does not record Nicodemus’ response to Jesus grand statement. John merely says that Jesus went into the land of Judea and continued their ministry. But the impact of Jesus on Nicodemus becomes obvious when we are told in John in John 19:38-39 that Nicodemus was one of the men who took Jesus from the cross, wrapped it and placed it in the empty tomb. Nicodemus had come full circle from a curious Pharisee to a dedicated believer and disciple.

Coming face to face with Jesus is a life changing experience. Nicodemus learned that and so can each one of us if we allow ourselves to go beyond mere curiosity and allow Jesus to penetrate our heart and soul.

I DO NOT LOVE MY ICE CREAM

I DO NOT LOVE MY ICE CREAM
by David D. Hambleton

I do not love my ice cream
I know, it’s sad to tell.
I do not love my ice cream
But I like it oh, so well.

Ice cream is smooth and creamy
It cools my tongue and mouth
The flavors are just so dreamy
If I lost it I’d probably pout.

I do not love my ice cream
But enjoy it? Yes! I do!
I do not love my ice cream
But, Baby, I love you.

Ice cream is a wonderful thing
All flavors, colors and styles.
What is your favorite kind?
It brings cheer and big bright smiles.

It is made of milk most of the time,
And maybe a bit too much sweet,
But all told it is a healthy snack.
So what’s not to love in this treat?

Love is the problem, abused in this way.
It is not for ice cream or a tart.
Love is a very special word,
And it’s best if we keep it apart.

It gets dragged around through too many normal,
everyday, run-of-the-mill phrases.
When we use it too much, we miss a chance
To say what really the case is.

Love is not for a sunset. “I love those colors.”
Love is not for a play. “Don’t you just love Shakespeare?”
Love is not for dinner. “I just love Mama’s liver and onions.”
Love is not for kidding with. “I married you, I must love you.”
Love is not for a favorite skirt. “I love the way this skirt looks on me. Does it make my backside look big?”
Love is not for a fancy car. “We love our ’68 convertible.”
Love is not for work. “I love being a doctor.”
Love is not an accident. “I think I’m falling in love.”

These feelings are good and they’re right,
But the word is sadly wasted.
Love, done right, is not sentimental.
It is a thing done, not tasted.

It is an action of caring
And making provision for others
An act of selfless sharing
The gifts of God with our brothers

We can do this better;
Love is not for a sunset. “That sunset is beautiful.”
Love is not for a play. “Shakespeare’s wit and wisdom are delightful”
Love is not for dinner. “Mama’s liver and onions are the tastiest!”
Love is not for kidding with. “I married you because I love you.”
Love is not for a favorite skirt. “This skirt really has great color and shape. Does it fit me well?”
Love is not for a fancy car. “Our ’68 convertible is wonderful!”
Love is not for work. “I find my work very fulfilling and look forward to it.”
Love is not for falling in or out of. “I’m becoming very attracted to you.”

That keeps love special
For more important work.
Let’s save it for the best of the best
And keep it out of the muck and the mirk

“I love my husband.”
“I love my country.”
“I love God.”
“I love our family.”
“I love my friends.”
But maybe, “I really like my friends, but I love Pat, who is closer than the others.”

It means a commitment.
To take very good care
Of someone, sometimes better
Than yourself. And, no, it’s not fair.

It is gentle and patient and kind,
It does not envy or boast
It’s not angry and is happy with truth
Of God’s great gifts it’s the most

I save my deepest love for people
And never for faddish trends
My wife, my kids; Mom, Dad and cousins,
Sisters, brothers and a few dear friends;

But I do love others, we’re supposed to, you see.
We are meant to love others as we do ourselves.
But people are more precious than ice cream,
While I like it and a lot of things on life’s shelves,

I do not love my ice cream.
But, I do… love you.

Love

The following was a letter written to my pre-adolescent daughter. She had just gotten an emotional jolt in wondering if she actually loved us, her parents, and had the character and self-assurance to tell us about that feeling. I prayed and was inspired to write this, and hope it may inspire or help others. It is a letter written from a Christian daddy to a Christian daughter. My intent is not to offend, but to demonstrate how we love. Herein is an implicit invitation to any and all mankind to explore how God loves, and how we, his people are told to do it. I hope you will find things you desire and can grasp as part of your life.

My wonderful daughter,

Please read this with your Mommy. It has language and ideas with which you’ll need her help. It’s long, so get a drink and settle in because I want to encourage you to do the right thing.

I have spent much time in prayer and study over your declaration to Mommy yesterday. It grieves me that you would have feelings of dislike toward your Mommy and me, but I know those are natural feelings and they’re your feelings so they’re important. Not to make little of your feelings, but you need to know that they’ll come and go. Kind of like your appetite for pancakes. I am extremely proud of you for sharing those feelings. You are truly a courageous girl and I am honored to call you my daughter.

I will always do that, you know. I’ll call you my daughter until they lay me down for my trip to glory. I hope you can find productive ways to express whatever it is that caused you to feel that way. If Mommy or I can be of any help, please let us know.

You may know that when I am troubled, I write. In writing down my thoughts, I can deal with them. They are no longer just nasty notions nicking past my conscious, wakeful mind; but ideas on a page I can dig into deeper and deeper. I’d like to encourage you to try this, or find another way to express and work through life’s questions and quandaries. Sometimes I actually find meaning and I always find comfort in writing. It gives me a chance to be critical of my thoughts, and apply the Standard of the Bible to them.

This evening, I hope my writing will help you. I want to encourage you to feel free to express yourself and let your parents know how you’re feeling. If it is something good, we want to celebrate with you. If it is something you’re not sure about, we want to help you learn how to figure it out. If it is something bad, we want to help you with it. We not only enjoy this, it is one of the things God asks us to do as parents. Don’t ever feel like its something we aren’t ready or wanting to deal with. When it is beyond us (please don’t feel like you need to test this boundary on our behalf…), God is there for us to help us be strong for you.

So, what about you not feeling like you love Mommy and me?

Let us use care with the word Love.

The world tries to tell us about love, but their view is not clear. They not only can’t see the reflection in the mirror; most can’t even see the mirror. They’ve merely heard rumors of a shiny flat thing called a mirror. Their best attempts at defining love are pathetic glimmers of God’s intent, like a blind man encountering and trying to describe an elephant. Depending on where he touched it, it would seem like a tree (leg), a snake (trunk), or a leaf (ear). We Christians must be aware of the confusion with which the evil one attempts to ensnare us. Think about some common mis-definitions of love. Love is defined in society’s best modern dictionaries as a noun meaning affection (I love chocolate pie.), desire (I’d love to spend time with you.), or physical intimacy (Let’s make love.) Too many parts of the common definitions are adult language to bear repeating here.

The world aspires to love (Do something you love!). Sociologists have demonstrated that people require love. You probably don’t have to imagine what happens when love is counterfeited and a replacement is substituted for love in a person’s life. I’ve felt it, and would imagine that most every human being past the age of reason has experienced some demented “counterfeit love”, that is not truly love. Too often we (I) am the perpetrator of this counterfeiting…

Loving altruistically is not in human nature. It is a spiritual expression acted out in the here and now “real” world. (It is important to know that the important part of life is the eternal, spiritual side. This world and all that is of it is doomed. We are but a vapor; and the world is like a blade of grass, here for a season then burned to ash. Loving someone with a true spiritual love from God is one of the only things that will last.) Anthropologists have documented a spiritual nature in every significant human settlement ever discovered. We are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) and that means we are wired to love. In an attempt to love, the world re-defines the term to somehow become closer to it through whatever makes them happiest. They want the feelings that come from loving, but rather than do the loving, they go straight for the feelings and can’t figure out why it doesn’t work.

It is instructive that society’s dictionary definitions focus on the physical, humanistic nature of this expression. The world uses the word love to express warm fuzzy feelings and sexual activity. Wouldn’t it be convenient for Satan if God could be defined in this way? When (not “if”) the physical or humanistic things called love change; people are hurt, families are broken, society’s moral fiber is broken down. People become disillusioned with God because they associate Him with love, and love (as defined by common society) is unreliable. It is our duty in the fight between good and evil to uphold love for what it truly is. (Ephesians 6:12)

Not that a girl means any harm when she says she loves her kitty, or a married couple making love is displeasing to God. Much the opposite, He is happy with the activities in both cases. We are to enjoy and have dominion over the animals. (Genesis 1:26) He gave husbands and wives the gift of intimacy. (Proverbs 5:18-19 etc.) What is wrong is the semantics – the words with which we express our feelings or sexuality should be tactfully explicit, not a maltreatment of a name of God.

1 John 4:16 says; “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” Shall we join this with the commandment God gave Moses for us, His people, in Exodus 20:7? "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” Enjoy your ice cream. Love God. Have fun with your spouse. Love one another as you love yourself. Don’t fall in love. Decide to love – and do it.

Love, Biblically speaking, is a committed selfless expression (a verb) of caring and providing for the welfare of another. (Corinthians 13) Let’s apply logic. God is love. God, as we learn from scripture, is a constant, never changing being. (Hebrews 13:8) While He experiences emotion - delights in His creation (Psalm 18:19); expresses humor in myriad ways (not the least of which is this writer's vain attempt at expressing His will); was repentant of having created mankind, hence the flood of Noah (Genesis 6:6); Jesus wept when his followers didn't see his ability and desire to raise his friend Lazarus from the dead (John 11:35); He was angry at the money changers in the temple (John 2:15) demonstrating that emotions change.

God (love embodied) is constant and never changing. His emotions change even as ours do, but he is always present, always faithful, always caring, always powerful, always graceful, always merciful, always in control, etc... Humans are created emotional beings, experiencing infatuation, attraction, and desire, (along with dissatisfaction, disillusionment, and even despair) in relationships; but these are emotions, not love. It is not just OK, but essential to the human experience that we emote. We learn to relate our emotions to one another truthfully only through proper study and training. It is an act of self-control, which is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22&23).

You don’t stop loving. If you don’t love someone “any more,” you never did. If you fell out of love, you were never in it; you may have been infatuated or lustful. You may have had a desire for them, you may have needed them, you may have come to rely on them and you may be over that; but if you ever truly loved them you still do. You may feel sorry you’re involved with someone. You may be angry with a situation, a group, or a person – even yourself. You may feel lonely or bereft waiting for someone to respond or do their part. You may feel like you never want to see someone ever again. You may even feel like life would be better if you were independent of someone. These feelings are natural and even healthy, but they are not love. You cannot shut off love any more than you could throw a switch and turn off the sun.

“How do I know if I am in love?” Easy. You decide to do it. Then you realize it is beyond you, a mere mortal, to love any other human being altruistically. Inevitably, you look for what you can get out of a relationship. You tire of an idiosyncrasy, or the boring lack thereof. Then, when you get quiet and still and truly listen to your heart, and you realize you want to do this love thing better. So, after all the self-help books and visits to Sally’s Advanced Togetherness Achieving Nirvana (SATAN) Workshops for Couples, you determine you aren’t worthy of anyone as wonderful as your chosen lover, sabotage your relationship and go off the deep end, drowning your sorrows in endless binges of lemon-flavored iced tea and cheap store-brand cookies and cream ice cream.

Finally, in a lucid moment between goopy scoops, you realize how your belly droops, and you submit yourself to the only source known to mankind strong enough to help you through it. You devote your life to Jesus, wholeheartedly throwing everything you’ve ever done or worked for to the wind, move to some dark jungle off the end of the known world, and love everyone in the world perfectly. OK, that may not be so easy.

While it is true that you will never know God’s strength, interest, and ability to care for you until you submit yourself to Him as Lord and place Him on the throne of your life, He rarely calls new converts to the dark jungle for a mission field. You get at least twenty days… Truthfully, He met me where I was and showed me what I was ready to see of His glory. It wasn’t much, but I was sure impressed. When I was ready, He showed me there were significant missionary activities right in my own work place and sphere of influence to which He’d called me and uniquely gifted me. Every day I have to lay down my pride, meet with God in prayer, and ask meekly for enough strength to love (Great book… “Strength to Love”, a selection of sermons by one of the world’s great authorities on love, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) those whom I’ve been called to husband, father, or fellowship with.

It’s a messy thing, loving people. I should know. I’m one of them – people, I mean. I do stuff that is un-lovely on a regular basis. I do stuff to spite those who love me because they are loving me, just to see if they really do. I get into unpopular situations, and loving me means they go through it with me or associate with me even though I may be a pariah; even if it drops the value of their own stock. Ask the people who love me and they’ll tell you it is true. Only in God can anyone find the strength to love me.

It is a tall order, and one for which we humans are not innately equipped. We were designed and created for it, but somewhere on the way out of Eden we lost that nature, even as we lost our connection with the Creator.

What is this crazy little thing called love?

“1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing. 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13

Unique in human experience, only Jesus could demonstrate pure, unadulterated love. The rest of us can only aspire and practice toward the perfect love He demonstrates. His love is our hope. He, who knew no sin, relinquished His divine place in heaven to live among us in the squalor we'd made of this world, died for us in mercy in spite of His desire not to have to drink that cup - in spite of us mocking, torturing, and killing Him (it was not nails, but love, that held Him on that cross), shedding the blood required for our sin, and rose again demonstrating His authority over even death to redeem us as brothers and sisters - co-heirs of the throne of grace, so that we could be free of our sin and the death it brings and know Him and celebrate His victory over evil and be with Him and live for eternity experiencing joy, peace, and perfect love. But I run on, and on... God is love.
So, with that said, let me take issue with your statement that you don’t love Mommy and me. I believe you may be dissatisfied, hurt, feel left out or lonely, or some other unpleasant issue in our relationship. I believe that is a real and important feeling, and we should investigate to find out what is behind it. Did it have anything to do with your brother getting a new bicycle and yours is a couple of years old? Did it have to do with our expecting you to care for the younger kids, do your schoolwork, and help Mommy with the house? We won’t know unless we talk in specific terms about what it is you are feeling. Can we do that?
I also believe that in short order you will feel much more pleasant toward Mommy and me. You will find that whatever is aggravating today may seem tolerable even enjoyable tomorrow or next week, or at least you’ll find ways to get through things that remain distasteful. Sometimes it takes working through this or other problems together, sometimes it just takes spending some time in prayer.
We are a family, and that will not change. Mommy’s and my love for you will not change. The ways we choose to express our love may change, but it is not our love. It is God’s love that He put on our hearts to share with you. It is our first mission as parents to share God in our love with you. Some days that may be snuggly and warm or frisky and tickly. Other days it may be encouragement to reach farther, jump higher, or dig deeper into whatever it is you are doing. Yet other days, it may be booting you in the fanny, correcting your direction, or stopping you altogether from doing something that may hurt you.
All of these are expressions of love, demonstrated by God for us in the Bible. We are going to keep doing them regardless of how much you want to hear or feel each or any of these things. We want to be your best friends, but more than that we want to show you the love of God. We are pretty poor communicators, so please bear with us while we learn. If you ever figure out how to do that well, please tell us. We are supposed to not just tell you, but show you how much God loves you. You don’t have to love us back – though we hope you do. God didn’t require that we love Him first. “We love because he first loved us.” 1John 4:19
I hope this helps you sort out your feelings, and how they differ from love. Please let us know if there is anything we can help you with. Mostly, I hope it helps you know you are loved – always.

I love you

POLITICAL FAMILY EMAIL STRING ON OBAMA

Ask to see my give-and-take with just about my entire family (save Mona, God bless her) on our presidential election.