Conflict: Finding

Conflict is what makes a great fiction novel. At least, a fiction novel without conflict will be rather blase'.  

"And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and trying him (Jesus) asked him to show them a sign from heaven." (Matthew 16:1 ASV)

There are times when I think I really wish God would just  say to me in His God Voice, "you've gotten side-tracked again. You're going the wrong way, back up/turn around, and..."Somewhat like an accurate Alexa, or /Siri. 

In my life it is often days, months or even sometimes years before I can tell if what I've done is the right thing. I do trial and error, or the turn around and look method. On small inconsequential things-- if you learn from the experience it can be good. However, the important things in life don't work well that way. Like having a 2,000 pound polar bear charging at you, most of the important things only give you one shot.

"But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. 2) For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy," 

(2 Timothy 3:1-2 ASV)

People have been pointing to what goes on in society for close to two thousand years, saying, 'these are the last days'. We are witnessing a society in turmoil and conflict. Like a kaleidoscope of ever changing patterns the colors and shapes are—ever changing. We have angry young people, and why wouldn't we have them? We have angry unchanneled adults. If adults fall for the lies of Satan, do we expect their younger counter-parts to be any less duped? 

There are many people in denial. I saw it today on a meme: "I'm not religious, I'm spiritual". What?! What does that mean? I thought the definition might give me a clue, so I went to the dictionary to find out what 'religious' is: 1) a member of a religious order bound by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience 2) religious; spiritual (adj)  3)having or showing belief in and reverence for deity 4)of or relating to clergy bound by monastic vows. 5) extremely scrupulous, conscientious

So, why are they in denial? Being religious is apparently out of favor. If one is 'spiritual' they can approach their own image of their own god in whatsoever manner they choose.Being spiritual is fashionable like the difference between 'meditation' and 'prayer'. 

• Prayer is the act of communicating with deity, (especially as a petition, an expression of adoration, contrition, thanksgiving. (A petition/ communication that goes toward God.)

• Meditation often involves an internal effort to self-regulate the mind in some way. Meditation is often used to clear the mind and ease many health issues, such as high blood pressure, depression, and anxiety. It may be done sitting, or in an active way - for instance, Buddhist monks involve awareness in their day-to-day activities as a form of mind-training. Prayer beads or other ritual objects are commonly used during meditation in order to keep track of or remind the practitioner about some aspect of the training.(A training of one's own mind, self-talking.)

• One is a petition to deity, the other is putting self in the place of deity, and talking to self .

Calling it spiritual as opposed to religious is as one writer put it, "putting it according to their own terms; God has zero input in the equation. It's atheism for someone who's scared to go all in."

The following is a list which being religious answers to. 

• God wants more from His followers than just their thoughts "Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."(James 1:27 ASV)

• God wants us to 'know' Him. To crave His companionship—as if we were friends, or (gasp) his dear children, and He our Father
• He wants us to not just know his will for us, but to follow His will
• God wants us to love His Son, Jesus; to honor and worship the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
• God wants us to love, and show love. Not just the warm and fuzzy, feel good love, but the kind that Jesus had and showed in His life and death

You see, religion is the foundation for that kind of life. Just as Jesus was religious—Yes, he was—He kept the Law perfectly, and without that he wouldn't have been the perfect sacrifice. As the song says: Law and Love combining. 

Nowhere does God say, "Find your own path to me, follow your own feelings..." "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me." 

(John 14:6 ASV)

"But he (Jesus) answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the heaven is red. 3)And in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day: for the heaven is red and lowering. Ye know how to discern the face of the heaven; but ye cannot discern the signs of the times. 4)An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of Jonah. And he left them, and departed." (Matthew 16:2-4 ASV)

Halelujah! What a Savior!

Where Is Conflict? Seeking

What is conflict? Why do our lives all contain conflict? How do we find the correct balance? Health gurus tell us too much conflict makes us sick, experience shows us too little conflict makes us complacent. 

• If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men. Thought: This one is difficult. There are some people you can never please. At times we will have to acknowledge this. Like the old saying—fix what you can. Look for peaceful answers. Perhaps that grumpy old fart needs attention. We know children can develop the 'naughtiness' habit in order to get attention. They aren't the only ones. Same for children. Maybe that young person needs good attention. Look for peaceable solutions, pray for peaceable solutions. 
• Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath of God: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord. Thought: never have a vengeful attitude. That doesn't mean you allow someone to run over you, or become a push- over. You don't have to have a chip on your shoulder, but everyone has a right to personal integrity. As with the Quaker one cold winter's eve, when after having the wood pile he had supplied for his fireplaces and stoves pilfered more than once, he stuck his head out the back door to confront the thief. Quakers being non-violent and pacifists--he opens the door and calls out to the thief: "Friend, I mean thee no harm, but thou art standing where I am about to shoot."    
• But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. Thought: Looking for a peaceful solution is the first step. I know people whom at first meeting they come across as bold or combative in some way. Sometimes, however, once you scratch the surface that isn't who they are. Take time to listen to people. They don't always speak with their mouth, and we can sometimes listen with out heart and eyes. 
• Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. 

                                             (Romans 12:18-21 ASV)

The last one says it all. It sums it up well. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

GMO #2

We used to watch a science-fiction show, 'Doctor. Who' when our children were growing up. In at least one show the good Doctor was fighting against another being that among some of the atrocities he had done, he had crossed different species and came up with some odd creatures. It was one of those moments to shudder over. Another sci-fi show not related to Doctor Who, a scientist, in stages, turned a young man (who had been interested in the scientist's daughter) into a snake with human characteristics. That wasn't a happy show either.

I bring those shows up to highlight how things and times change.Back in 1980 scientists produced the first GE (genetically engineered/ GMO?) rabbit. Today we are looking at GE goats. A cross between a goat and a golden orb-weaver spider (a cannibalistic spider that produces: "silk, tougher than Kevlar, is a hundred times stronger than human ligaments.)"

While as a scientist this may be intriguing, as a regular human being I kind of put this up there with the Doctor Who and that other sci-fi show. Of course, one might ask, what's the big deal? The goat is still a goat. A cute lovable animal...right? At this point I'm thinking about Asian Beetles.

You know those stinking things that look a lot like Lady beetles, but aren't? That someone from the department of agriculture brought over from Asia to help (as an experiment?) control soybean aphid pests. That's a freebie, just in case you ever wondered where they came from and why. No, that doesn't answer why they swarm into our houses, bite, and stink, and etc.  But that's what I'm thinking about when people, say like scientists, and unsuspecting citizens ask 'so what', and 'what could go wrong?. 

I don't know how far these folks want to go with this. You can't tell by looking at the goats if they have the added traits, by the way. Not all do, but they do pass it on in their genetic code. And of course we need another government agency to regulate all of this...and this is part of the questions being asked. What if down the road some or all of these things come back with unintended consequences? Consequences that can't be controlled.

  There are many on both sides of the GMO issue. To the grain/crop farmer, as far as I can see it is a wash. Good and bad. In some ways it may be contributing to super weeds and pests. That's the bad side. Europe and foreign markets aren't real keen on GMO crops, but so far the U.S. has come out on the upper hand of (it looks like forcing) selling them our products GMO and all. Many of our own consumers want and in many cases are willing to pay extra for non-GMO (and organic).

I don't trust the research in either direction. I've been told anonymously by researchers, I can prove what ever you want—all it takes is money. However, some people do notice a difference when they and their families go organic and non-GMO. I've raised our garden, and we raised our truck farm organic and non-GMO for forty-five years. It isn't easy, sometimes it's gotten ugly, but I wouldn't change it. And I've gone back to using 95% heirloom varieties.

We've been business owners. We've worked for business owners, and one of the fundamentals is that the market and the customer determines what you sell. If there isn't a market for a product, or the customer doesn't want what you've got what can you do? I would think you would give them what they want.

There are fads that will pass, but the consumer keeps getting more vociferous, insisting on what products they want. I haven't waded into the grass-fed arena. I'm waiting a couple of years to decide if chicken eggs really know their mammy ate grass. I do like the home-grown brown eggs with their dark orange color. Brown eggs are reported as having a bit of a higher protein than white eggs.

I haven't even gotten into the ethics of some of these things, other than alluding to Doctor Who, and the sci-fi show. These things do bother me for several reasons. Scientists are acting like little kids with a new toy. They've found this wonderful information, and they want to manipulate it. To play God as it were. There are a number of things that are wrong with that.

• Only God is all-knowing. Only He can see all of the nuances and end results. 
• They/we aren't God and they/we are playing with a loaded gun. Like Pandora, something we may not be able to get back in the box.

In the Old Testament God had some laws for His people after they entered the Promised land. We today don't need to follow those commandments and statutes, but as I said last article they still make me wonder as to why they were there, and if we should be more careful with what we are doing.

"Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with two kinds of seed: neither shall there come upon thee a garment of two kinds of stuff mingled together." (Leviticus 19:19 ASV)

"Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole fruit be forfeited, the seed which thou hast sown, and the increase of the vineyard." (Deuteronomy 22:9 ASV)

Hallelujah! What a Savior!