The Crushing Vengeance of God

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'” Romans 12:19

“We forget that man stands alone before an ultimate authority and that anyone who lays violent hands on man here is infringing eternal law and taking upon himself superhuman authority which will eventually crush him.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

History is not on the side of Planned Parenthood, just as history was not on the side of the Third Reich, and the Gulag, and the Armenian genocide. Tyrants will fall. History has proven this. Justice will prevail. 

It is not our place to bomb abortion clinics, to burn them, or, as happened in my hometown of Wichita, KS., murder abortion providers in their churches. 

Vengeance is God’s.

Bonhoeffer speaks truth when he says the, “Superhuman authority… will eventually crush him.” Under the weight of convincing a population they have the right to choose who can live and who can die, Planned Parenthood will fall under the crushing weight of true justice. 

By no means is this a post to persuade anyone from speaking out against Planned Parenthood. Rather this is a post to both have pity and speak warning while speaking out.

Vengeance is God’s and either real people fall under his eternal just wrath, or real people receive God’s forgiving mercy in Jesus. 

Yes, fight for the abolishment of abortion with all your being. But do not wish God’s vengeance on those murdering and then selling a baby and his/her parts. Never wish damnation on anyone.

Language that speaks of Planned Parenthood workers being below human is precisely the same logic being used to determine what lives matter and what lives don’t. People are people and are made in the image of God whether they’re in the womb or work at Planned Parenthood. 

Our goal is to abolish abortion Christianly.   

The goal to see the institution abolished, and the people within the institution redeemed.

Trip to Wichita Thoughts

1) For kids a plane ride is like a forced time-out... For hours.

2) Rains and floods!

3) We're gonna do a wedding reception every other week. 

4) U2. The Joshua Tree. Vinyl. Awesome.

5) Flying busses in the sky.

6) eat. Eat. EAT!

7) Tiger the lion

8) Seeing friends and family!

9) Did I mention we ate a lot?

10) Bangs! For the wife, I didn't get bangs. Bangs would be weird on a guy. Real weird.

11) We sat down in row 16 on the plane, which would've been fine, but we were in row 19... So we changed to row 18, which also would've been fine, but we were in row 19. Yes, we've flown all over the world multiple times but can't get our row right.

12) "... When I look at that God, the God of Abraham, I feel I'm near a real god, not the sort of dignified, businesslike, Rotary Club God we chatter about here on Sunday mornings. Abraham's God could blow a man to bits, give and then take a child, ask for everything from a person, and then want more. I want to know that God." B. Manning.

13) The Ragamuffin Gospel. Read it.

Friday's Thoughts

1) I sat in a funeral for a 61 year old dad and grandpa yesterday. The entire time I thought of my parents and praised God for them and their belief in Him.

2) Death, it's all around us.

3) The Decemberists "After the Bombs" is an amazing song.

4) "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy ladden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 Amen.

5) "I'm a long time traveling here, I'm a long time traveling away from home." The Wailin' Jennys

6) This week has made me feel old - and tired.

7) Job 38- 41. Read 'em.

8) I choked on my spit yesterday in the funeral. Everyone stared at me. It could have been really awkward, but I'm a terrible judge of awkwardness.

9) It rained in downtown Wichita yesterday. The streets were dry 12 minutes later.

10) Another good song. ... and another

11) I saw Brave (twice), loved it. Bought the soundtrack too.

Friday Thoughts!

1) Writing a series is fun, but it's nice to be done with it. Give 'em all a read would you?

2) There's another one coming up.

3) I turned on the sink thinking it'd turn on the lights... It's been a busy week.

4) I'm excited about tonight because of this.

5) Have you seen the What Nots page?

6) Dear Lord, I need coffee like a fat kid needs insulin. (Too much?)

7) Reading Harry Potter is like going on vacation in my brain.

8) My friends from India are coming to Wichita, Yay!

9) I got a Gandalf pipe.

10) Mission isn't safe, or is missin clean; don't expect to be the same.

Riverfest Beginning Thoughts

1) Redneckfest.

2) http://peopleofriverfest.com/ is up and running again. Praise Jesus.

3) The weather always sucks for Riverfest. It's a sign.

4) Almost finished with the first Harry Potter. So many things tie together so beautifully.

5) There's a zip-line that goes across the Arkansas River. It costs $5... this is why Riverfest doesn't do well. Over priced underwhelms.

6) This weather is European. Hellooo June.

7) Girl Named Tennessee.

8) The Sedwick Country Zoo always surprises me with how nice it is.

9) Fireworks!

10) Deep-fat-fried-everything... on a stick.

Journaled Time

I cannot, or even, claim to know any part of the mind of God or the particular reason he acts how he does and bring what he brings.

            I do know, however, that he is about his own glory (which coincides with my good) and therefore when he does things they are done in paramount necessity and perfect will and timing.

            But that jut it, time.

            Bound so closely to our bonds; woven so inextricably to our hearts; and tied, so very neatly, to our lives. Time is the subtle (at times screaming) reminder that, “We are not as we once were.”

            Time, this slow unstoppable march to our ends from our beginnings making our middles the adventure (and making them flutter with butterflies), when closing our eyes is the worst possible sin.

            For in so doing, we’ll miss it, whatever it is, and relegate our stories to the obituaries and not the feature.

            I don’t not think this is how life ought to be lived, in a half-hearted fashion, no, for what little time we have here we must, because Christ is our King, take hold of all of life and use every small bit for the glory, the same glory God is after, the glory of God.

            Therein is life.

(The picture is of art at Wichita's Final Friday.)

Trip Thoughts: Part 2

Could’ve sworn that sign said, "Judas Baptist Church." awwwwwkward.

The only thing begging for my time is an unfinished game of solitaire & a book.

Reminder: never buy a graphic tee, sport a mullet, or have a chester-molester mustache.

I hate being a tourist. But I love traveling. Issue.

Craziest line I've heard so far: "I started smoking heroine 5 years ago... But I only do it every now & again."

Merridees coffee house... Shoot Franklin, TN altogether is like a place I've been to in a dream. Gorgeous. I'd live there.

Southern hospitality? Nah.

I wonder how many broken dreams are in this town?

People are incredibly interesting to me.

Elevator do’s/don’ts means whaaaa?

That awkward moment you get off on the wrong floor and walk into the wrong room. That never happened to me... I mean it could've... Maybe.

"Honey, I'm in the car that's why it's so loud." said the man on his phone next to me at the bar...

Taylor Swift didn't take me up on my coffee offer. Fiddlesticks.

I've got a love triangle going on: Wichita, Nashville, & India... Scotland, Egypt, Germany... I'm in trouble.

Kansas roads- superb

Tennessee roads- wonderful

Oklahoma roads- meh

Arkansas roads- I can't think of a word worse than, "absolutely-terrible-and-deplorable."

Might as well work on my left arm tan while I'm driving.

I'm in a parking lot on I-40. Going nowhere. For the second time. Both times in Arkansas... Makes sense.

Merging seems to be a tricky task in this strange land.

I'm glad Wichita has more than 7 stoplights.

Shell & Subway are the saviors for most tiny Arkansas towns

Tulsa, get a life.

Wichita is like a tiny Nashville. & Without all the money.

Returning has been like a bad break-up. Fooie.

Vacation Time

... O wait I'm not going to Meads, I'm going to Nashville. Stop. Turn around.

Deep V's are for comfort - and scaring people in Arkansas.

O that deer/hawk/turtle/raccoon/opossum/armadillo is real dead.

Once again, left Kansas & no one understands sarcasm... Great.

Stupid change-only tolls.

65mph feels like crawling.

Every black trash bag by the side of the road I instantly think contains a body.

The only time you can eat junk food for lunch and still feel okay about yourself afterward is on a road trip.

What's a Muskogee?

If I ignore the speed limit signs, like purposefully look away, is it the same as not seeing it?

I'll assume Toad Suck Park is aptly named - cause it's more fun that way.

Drivers in Arkansas should really learn the 'slower drivers stay to the right' rule.

Memphis has a giant pyramid. Can Wichita get one too?

Tennessee driving rule #1: don't use your speedometer or cruse control and ignore the speed limit signs.

One word: Gorgeous