Woe Is Me
As I’m out and about traveling or at public places I love to listen
to what people are talking about. Not the specifics or the “juicy
details” but just the overall tone and tenor of the average
conversation. What I’ve noticed over the years, in America, is this:
The farther we get away from our Christian roots/worldview and the
more we become a humanistic government controlled society, the more we
become a nation of complainers, criticizers and malcontents: the
government isn’t doing enough (that’s “code” for they aren’t taking
enough money from others and giving it to me); my health is terrible;
people aren’t treating me right; I don’t make enough money; life is
hard.
Of course 99.9% of the people declaring these things are wearing nice
clothes, holding a cell phone, driving a new car, on their way to the
mall, planning what to watch on cable TV that night, surfing the
Internet, wearing $100 sneakers that look great with their new hairstyle
and manicure while eating out at a restaurant.
We used to call
that WHINING and ungratefulness. It was considered it a BAD thing.
Sorry folks… life is abundant and rich for 99% of America. Even our
poor are rich compared to the truly poor of the world. Thank GOD, yes
GOD, for what you have and quit complaining.
Note: does my
complaining about the complaining make me part of the problem?
Another Bible Snake Oil Salesman
Sorry folks, I long ago quit being shy about naming names when it
comes to public ministry. If you are going to be public, then public
responses are appropriate.
I caught about 10 minutes this morning of this clown named Todd
Coontz. In that ten minutes he butchered Scripture, lied about God
speaking directly to him “words of prophecy just for you” and generally
turned Christianity into a “God’s wants you to be RICH and if you make
me RICH, I’ll pour out my special annointing from God to make YOU rich.”
He said God specifically and directly spoke to him and gave him
prophecies for 2010 that this will THE YEAR for your spiritual and
financial breakthrough. That friends is a blatant, sacrilegious lie. Of
course, he is just another in a long line of temple marketers who have
been proclaiming this same “prophecy” EVERY year for decades. He was
basically a young clone of John Avanzini.
Besides the wanton prosperity peddling, this guy made a mockery of
Bible interpretation. He said “God loves numbers. Numbers are infinite.
God speaks to us through the use of numbers. In fact, God loves numbers
so much, He named a book of the Bible ‘Numbers’”. Of course the
implication being that God loves numbers, money is made up of numbers,
so God loves us to be rich, and the amount of numbers (money) we have is
a statement about our faith. After I finished laughing at this
absurdity, it made me mad. Mad because he is deceiving people… and mad
at the lack of discernment that will cause many Christians to swallow
this spiritual sewage.
I always come back to feeling some compassion towards these false
teachers and false prophets like Coontz because I know it will be a
great and terrible day the moment they face God and He judges them for
their abuse of His children and His Word.
No Problem
Have you noticed that a lot of people say “no problem” instead of
“you’re welcome” or “my pleasure”?
- Thank you for filling my tea glass… “no problem”.
- Thank you (after being helped at the cash register)… “no problem”.
- Thanks so much (after being helped in a store)… “no problem”.
- I appreciate that… “no problem”.
Huh? Is it a problem sometimes and I just happen to catch you at a
good time? Is each act of service judged to be either “a problem” or “no
problem”? Should I expect at some point that someone will say to me,
after a “thank you”, “well, you were a real problem.”
I’m being facetious of course. What this is really about is people
just not being taught good manners, social grace and proper etiquette.
If someone says “thank you” they are not trying to avoid being a
“problem” and need confirmation of their success.
Say “you’re welcome…”. What a concept. And not a problem either. | CONTINUED...This story: 1 2 3 | Next
Brent Riggs is an author, mentor and Bible teacher. For Bible teaching and answers, visit his ministry website at www.seriousfaith.com, his professional website at www.brentriggs.com, or his family website at www.riggsfamilyblog.com.
