Musings with PWC

The vast majority of people who are asked something about eternity, heaven, God—(higher power) have the following kind of response/reasoning. “I’m a good person—and that goodness—gives me favour with ‘god.’”  This goodness is based on comparison. The idea is to look around and find someone more evil.  That other person’s evilness is the base of your personal goodness.  This personal goodness then gives you credibility in the sight of ‘god’ and will give you a free ticket to heaven/eternity. Here is the fatal error in that thinking: 1.  What if goodness is not based on ‘law keeping’?  What I mean is this:  what if being good isn’t so much what you do, but in actuality is what you intrinsically are? 2.  What good are ‘rules’ if being good isn’t about actions?  The Bible tells us the following:  Romans 3:19, 20 “19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from havi...

Is there a ‘hell’? The Bible and preachers use various terminologies in reference to ‘hell.’ It is a Christ-less eternity. It is an eternal separation—eternal punishment. It is a lake of eternal fire. It is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is highly populated. It is a blazing furnace. Hell becomes—in the final analysis of things—a ‘God-less’ place. Hell is the place where God is not.  Hell becomes—for some people—the place they’ve always wanted. It is a place where there is no ‘God.’ It is a place where there is no mention of Jesus Christ as the living, resurrected, saving Lord. Millions of people have not believed in God. Millions of people wish God would just go away and mind His own business. Millions of people have wanted to live their life—‘…my way.” That is hell. Hell has no presence of God.  Hell has no sense of God. Which means the following: Hell is dark—because only God is light. Hell is hatred—become love comes...

We are witnessing mass confusion of identities.  Children, youth—all the way up to seniors are struggling with who they are.  Questions abound—perplexity is everywhere. Am I a male? Am I a female? Am I gay? Am I straight? Questions regarding roles: Can a woman ask for a man’s hand in marriage? Should a woman’s father be asked first? Who pays the bills? Who cuts the grass? Who cooks supper? Turmoil abounds—we no longer know who we are—what makes us who we are.  It’s mass bewilderment out there!  People are disorientated sexually, morally, and ethically.  Can Air Canada employees smoke pot after their shift?   When I was a child one of my favourite card games was ‘Who Am I.’  It was a ‘Christian’ card game (whatever THAT means), so all the characters were from the Bible.  There would be clues given and you had to guess who the person was.  Funny—but sad—that question could be asked in grade 1 in our school sy...

On Secular Religion Before you read the following, I need to state my case clearly up front.  This is to avoid any misunderstanding in reading this blog: Thesis:  Canada is no longer a ‘Christian’ country.  Canadian culture worships at the throne of secular religion.  Canada as a ‘Christian’ country is dead, gone—and without revival will never rise again.  So I am writing this blog with that clear understanding.  I am not bemoaning the fact that  Canada is no longer a ‘Christian’ country, and am not playing that card.  I want to move on in the culture in which I am planted as salt and light.  I am going to make an attempt to delve into a vast subject with my limited ability.  An article by Mary Ann Waldron is to blame.  (See: https://www.cardus.ca/comment/article/sacred-and-secular-belief-can-we-have-peace/?_cldee=bmFuY3kud2Fyd2lja0BvdXRsb29rLmNvbQ%3d%3d&recipientid=contact-51a2a36dc0c8e71180ec3863bb35dde0-2725698...

I was reminded the other evening—as my family was gathered home for a meal—of a time in my childhood when we were ‘poor.’  My dad was a union man who worked for Generous Motors (as General Motors became known by my Dad, after his retirement).  I cannot recall how long he was on strike, nor how long it lasted. I do recall that money was scarce as the mortgage had to be paid. This resulted in eating what was called in our home ‘spud and onions.’  This was a British way of announcing the supper menu: Mashed potatoes, with a touch of onion—-and bread. This menu fit the strike budget. It also found a great degree of repetition, in that we ate this night after night.  Occasionally your pallet called out—‘is that all there is?’  I really want more... of something!!! I have recently been reminded of the spiritual truth in this statement—‘is that all there is?’ 1.  The early pentecostals (early 1900’s) had a central theme—the soon return...

This is a phrase I am using to define my spiritual walk.  It’s easily noticed that these words are the antithesis of one another. 1.  I want to be comfortable: The longer one serves Christ—and all that means by way of formation (Christ within!) —the more comfortable one becomes.   Here is a comfortable kind of verse: John 21: 20 (NIV) Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) So, there has to be some sense of abiding in the vine—some sense of “He’s as close as the mention of His name.”  I want to be comfortable with Jesus.  I want to walk with the Spirit.  I have to have intimacy with the Father.  I am comfortable around God.  I’m not nervous.  I’m not worried.  I’m not thinking He is waiting to clobber me.  I live with Him, in Him, because of Him. A very c...

First blog:  A ‘source’ must be found for your morals.  Mine is the Bible. Second blog: How to live and teach morality in an a-moral culture. Third blog:  Bible Morals and Marriage. So, what happens when a person has an appetite for fornication? an appetite for adultery? an appetite for pornography? an appetite for ‘same sex attraction’? Is that appetite wrong? Simply put—no.  Having an appetite for misdirected ‘wants’ or ‘desires’ in and of itself is not wrong.  It is not sin. Adam and Eve could have looked at the ‘forbidden fruit’ for a decade—thinking about eating it—and not sin.  Now standing there,or even pining after the fruit would have hurt their intimacy with the Father—but they still wouldn’t have sinned.  In the same way, having an appetite for mis-directed sexual expressions is not wrong. When does the ‘wrong’ begin? It is wrong when that is acted upon.  Once Adam and Eve ate the fruit—they sinn...