PARKS BROWN

From the time you start reading this blog until you finish the last sentence the world will have changed…and possibly drastically. These are historical times and the speed with which change is happening is off the charts. Of all the voices to recognize and quantify how quickly change is occurring, nothing makes the case better than money.

Economics is the study of the language of money. In 2020, due to Covid and the ensuing governmental actions in our country, we experienced a unique economic downturn. This downturn was five times worse than the ‘average’ recession we’ve experienced since World War II yet it occurred in 25% of the time of previous recessions. Eleven million more people were unemployed during this ‘economic downturn’ yet, we had the largest increase in personal income in 20 years. Confusing fast talk.

Due to the Cares Act, in three months during 2020 the deficit increased more than the previous 5 recessions combined. In economic terms, money’s native tongue, there was 25% more liquidity added into the American economy over the last two years. Economists use terms like velocity of money, but in simple terms, there is more money talking faster than ever before.

Money may be a fast talker but you can see what it says in slow motion. The result is evident when you go to Home Depot for a DIY project. Lumber is through the roof. Check out the price of copper…corn…cotton…oil, you name it. This is not an economics lesson on supply and demand, but the Central Banks of the world have bastardized the most important price in the world, the price of money. The result is higher prices for everything, lack of available materials and products…and a tight supply of people who work with these products. Money is screaming to tell you something, but it can be hard to understand until the conversation is over.

In the Bible, Jesus conversed more about money than heaven and hell combined. Christ talked about money more than love. Almost a third of the parables He used were about money and finances. The only subject Jesus spent more time on than money, was the Kingdom of Heaven. Christ reminded anyone listening that ‘ “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ‘ Matthew 6:21. If your treasure is measured in dollars and cents, listen closely.

We were warned that money is possibly the loudest god of THIS world. Jesus followed up his speech about treasures by saying money was a master, not a Central Bank liquidity tool for political and economic policy. He said there was a competing dichotomy between money and God and ‘ “Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” ‘ Matthew 6:24.

We need to listen more to God than the dollar, but don’t miss what money is currently saying. Money spoke about the pandemic before it was a pandemic. Read my blog, Shakin The Bush Boss, from March 15, 2020. The W.H.O. had hundreds of millions at stake as an incentive to declare a pandemic. Testing and reimbursement for Covid positive patients impacts finances and the bottom line for hospitals and nursing homes. The CEO of pharmaceutical giant JNJ has let it be known the company stands to make billions because there will be a need for multiple vaccines for years to come. Money talks about the motives and ambitions of health care.

If you paid any attention to the last Senate race in Georgia, you saw the ads slamming Kelly Loeffler about profiting from her knowledge of the virus. Last March four Senators, Democrats and Republicans, were accused of using inside information to profit from the pandemic before others knew about it. A few months later the charges were dropped. Those candidates never defended their market actions because insider trading is NOT illegal for Congressmen and Senators. Advertisements say these politicians were crooked and cared for themselves more than the voters. Money speaks to the state of politics AND the politicians.

We are currently hearing one of the loudest speeches money has made in a while. Pretty soon, everyone will hear what is being said but I’m not sure who will care; initially. Money is the canary in the coal mine to watch on the world stage.

Cryptocurrencies have been cocktail party conversation for years but…Elon Musk recently revealed Tesla had used a sizable portion of their cash reserves to buy Bitcoin. Apple was said to be the next in line to convert their cash into the digital coin. You might think this is much ado about nothing but I believe it’s worth watching. Money reveals where it is treated best and where it can hide.

Christ preached that money reveals the heart. Judas was a lesson in spades about an underlying heart condition and his real ambitions. The ambitions of world players are now front and center with their plans for money.

China has talked about a digital yuan for years but a few weeks ago they were given the seal of approval from the gatekeeper of global payments to initiate a NEW payment system for moving money around the world. The old system supports paper currencies and is dollar centric. The new digital system will allow money to continue talking, but the conversation will become digital…and more restrictive. Like the people who carry it around, freedom of speech is at risk. The freedom money has enjoyed is at risk in the near future.

If I haven’t lost you yet, this part should start to make sense and get your attention. The changes ahead may look slow but their effects will be immediate. Anything is possible in this era of rapid change. Consider the possibilities and the current climate.

The implementation of digital central bank currencies will hasten the removal of cash from the world stage. China has moved from a cash based system to almost completely cash-less in 10 years. Cash is anonymous but digital leaves a trail of records. With Central Bank Digital Currencies, governments will have full insight and oversight of money flows. Transactions can be monitored and this opens the door to a more Soviet model of banking with full state control. The rapid increase in cryptocurrencies is a reflection of the battle that is coming and will facilitate a more rapid change over to digital currencies.

Many will say this is good. Less black-market illegal transactions for criminals. In turn, there will be more potential oversight on how and where YOU spend every nickel as well. Less freedom on moving YOUR money around to earn the best rate of return. More possibilities for someone else to direct where your money is needed. Maybe a ‘favored’ corporate bond instead of your choice of a money market fund. Instead of an advisor you get a manager that directs where you can invest your money. If someone thinks your net worth is too much, you’re charged a negative interest rate until you agree and reallocate to those less fortunate. A ‘known racist’ or ‘suspected anarchist’ charged with posting hate speech on social media has their account deducted by an appropriate amount. When cash disappears and digital is all that’s left, the freedom you thought your money gave you goes bye-bye.

In my last blog I tried to make the point that when we start to lose freedoms, it can be like a wildfire that consumes more than speech or gun ownership. Ambitions can be lost. The control of your money could be the next freedom to go.

The writer of Proverbs warned long ago, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and shun evil.’ Proverbs 3:5-7. There is nowhere we use more of our OWN wisdom and understanding than with money. Yet, every financial decision and investment is a spiritual issue. I hope we don’t learn that the hard way.

We think our money gives us freedom but it may be an endangered freedom. Proceed and pray accordingly.

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America has always been a bold ambition. A united group of disparate peoples into organized states that believe in and strive towards a common good, IS a bold ambition. This ambition became reality in 1776 and has been a driving force in shaping a better world. This bold initiative is still alive and evolving today, but the ambitions that formed our nation are rapidly changing before our eyes. ‘We the people’ and our ambition are being tested and challenged.

There is an effort to rewrite the ambitions of the people, timing and foundations of American democracy. America was founded by people with ambitions that originated from God given freedoms. The freedom from oppression of taxation without representation…and the freedom to worship the God that gives those freedoms. Ambitions are derived from freedom. More freedom, more ambition. Less freedom, less ambition.

Ambitions are often referred to as ‘burning’ desires. They reflect healthy self-esteem and an ability to visualize and see things as they can be, not as they are. America has proven that ambition is contagious. Like attracts like and people from all nations continue to chase their ambitions by coming to America. But, not all ambitions are as worthy and altruistic as The United States of America. When ambition takes away personal freedoms by force through greed and selfish desire, it is destined for failure….and even God’s wrath.

The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) is a good example and analogy where man’s ambition started with a few bricks but was revealed as effort to play God. What started with a united group of people and a seemingly good idea ended in confusion, anger and disunity. The result was people were left scattered and life on the planet permanently altered. Their ambitions took others away from God, not towards. Those who built the Tower of Babel made a declaration of independence from God and created chaos and division. A mistake we should learn from.

In 2021 we see similar ideas that started with the ambition of profit and bringing people together. They, too are being revealed as denying freedoms and creating disunity. Facebook, Twitter and the United Nations appeared to be well intentioned ambitions for profit and unity, but on second glance those motives are in question. When someone or something gives MORE freedom to others, ambitions are gained. When freedoms are taken away, ambition is lost.

The Founding Fathers were not a bunch of Bible thumping anarchists bent on destroying England. They were pursuing God and the original freedoms He gave us in the Garden of Eden. Today we live in a more technocratic and godless world where those ambitions are at risk of being labeled domestic terrorism. Evil is more evident in the ambitions of those trying to take away basic freedoms.

Today, the First Amendment is under attack as freedom of speech is ridiculed, censored and restricted. Freedom of assembly is at risk in the name of protecting people from angry and dangerous mobs. House Resolution 127 is targeting the Second Amendment by limiting and prohibiting the possession of firearms and certain ammunitions. The 14th Amendment addressing citizens rights with equal protection is being perverted by fear and hatred. When freedoms are restricted it is a direct attack on those who enjoy the freedom…AND the One who gives it. Make no mistake, the assault on freedom in America is starting to resemble a jihad, a Holy war.

In turn, the ambitions of our children and future generations are at risk. The younger generation is being taught that a profit motive always turns into greed. Children are told the founding fathers ambition originated in privilege that results in racism. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Our Republic became the cradle of democracy to nurture and foster individual ambition regardless of creed, color or national origin. We wrote these freedoms down in numerous documents to clarify the ambition. We fought a civil war to give freedom to all races, we enshrined it in law and created penalties for those who did otherwise. The US of A has allowed ANYONE and EVERYONE the same freedom of choice God gave Adam and Eve. People can have evil in their hearts but the country is NOT systemically evil; quite the opposite.

Ambitious undertakings requires ambitious people and therein lies the risk. Ambitions are the results and by-product of freedom. Like Adam and Eve, people can make poor choices but they have the freedom to do so. Since the God we know is omnipotent, He KNOWS that freedom and the resulting ambitions can run amuck…and He still allows it! Our nation should as well.

When we have less freedom our ambitions shrink and become limited. Any person or government who says ‘no’ to freedom is trying to play God. God says ‘yes’ to freedom and the world tries to control by saying ‘no’. Saying ‘yes’ to individual freedoms result in giving power and choice. Saying ‘no’ results in controlling and restraining a person. The biggest negative to giving freedom is the resulting individual responsibility and consequences that go with bad choices…like the downfall of man, millions of aborted babies, yada, yada, yada.

Freedom is a big and bold ambition, an endowment from our Creator, not a gift from a government. Free will was given when mankind was created. God was magnanimous when He planted the seeds of freedom and choice with Adam and Eve in the Garden. The first couple quickly learned those freedoms can be lost forever by following the wrong person’s ambitions. Satan got the first couple to follow his ambition and the consequences were devastating to them and their culture.

Some ambitions originate with good intentions…some don’t. Satan’s ambition got him thrown out of God’s presence. ‘You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God…I will make myself like the Most High”. Isaiah 14:13-14. Rising to the top sounds like an American ambition, but not at the expense of defying the God who gives the freedom. Not all ambitions should be encouraged or supported.

America is an ambition founded on God given rights with Christian principles. We are not a Christian nation but we were founded on Christian principles, therefore we should expect to be under attack. Jesus said ‘If you belonged to the world, it would love you as it’s own. As it is, you do not belong to the world but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.’ John 15:19. The attack is on God’s people and His principles that motivate their ambitions.

As time passes, it will become more apparent that the denial of freedoms will focus on heavenly issues and God’s people. This is happening because it’s all about the ‘likes’ and there is a war for your love, loyalty and very soul. Jesus said, ‘ “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself” ‘. Matthew 22:37. The ambition of Christ is to promote God and this is at the root of the attack we are seeing.

Christ taught we live IN the world but should not be OF it. Jesus warned His followers that they AND their ambitions would be targeted and persecuted. The Bible teaches ‘as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.’ 1 Peter 2:11. The Godly mindset is we are residents of the earth, but citizens of heaven.

Freedom is power. The one who gives and takes freedom wields that power. This is why men of all races, creeds and nationalities strive to broker freedom, not give it. They want to play God, but they are not Him.

The pandemic is the assault on freedoms. The real target of the pandemic is the soul of mankind.

Historically, I’ve watched the weather to see how it might effect a round of golf I had scheduled or a planned vacation trip. Occasionally, the weather would effect my weekend yard work or taking the kids to the pool. I started actively farming 3-4 years ago and my attention to the weather has changed dramatically. The weather has changed as well.

A farmer’s life centers around the land and the weather. You need good soil in which to plant a crop and you need good weather for the crop to grow. You can till, condition, water and fertilize the land but if the weather doesn’t cooperate the crop will not bear fruit; it’s all in vain. Farmers realize their success or failure is dependent on a thing that is not within their control. Therefore, it’s imperative to keep an eye on the forecast and stay on your knees. We all need to do the same.

The past few weeks have seen an interesting and dramatic change in the forecast for our nation. Although most of the population doesn’t farm and they live in urban areas, the weather still effects their daily lives. While the world is focused on Covid, elections, restrictions and social media accounts, don’t forget to watch the weather…and I’m not talking about climate change.

The climate change argument is human reasoning to explain the weather like the talking heads explaining why the stock market behaves a certain way. I spent 30 years working on Wall Street and was always amazed how the pundits tried to explain each day’s movement in stock prices. Daily, someone gives a reason to explain what is happening to share prices, interest rates, the price of oil AND the weather. The general public is placated when a voice gives an explanation for what is happening, whether it is correct or not. Meteorologists are often the brunt of jokes because of their inaccuracies in predicting the weather. That’s because the weather constantly changes and can’t be controlled. At least no one on earth controls it.

Christ followers can remember the story when Jesus’ disciples were freaking out during a storm. ‘A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion…He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.’ Mark 4:37-39. The guys with Jesus noticed the irregularity that had happened. ‘They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and waves obey him!” ‘ Mark 6:41. God can and does control the weather.

The weather in 2020 was one of the most alarming years on record. Devastating wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding and derechos (that’s a new one for most of you). These weather events caused more than $100 billion of economic damage in the United States alone. Dollar figures in the hundreds of billions don’t translate to our real lives very well so lets put some flesh on that bone.

Wildfires in the West and Pacific Northwest were the worst on record and the season lasted longer than normal…from June until December. California experienced the worst wildfire season IN HISTORY as 4.2 million acres were torched and 31 people died. For perspective, that’s an area the size of Connecticut and the damage was twice as extensive as what burned in the previous 5 seasons. Five of the six largest wildfires on record occurred in 2020. Temperatures in San Francisco were 10-15 degrees higher than normal as record winds dried out vegetation with massive rainfall deficits. The frequency of days with ‘extreme fire weather conditions’ has doubled since the 1980’s. In Death Valley this summer, temperatures reached 131 degrees and is possible the hottest temperature on record anywhere, IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. Because of the weather(?) California has been literally left high and dry.

Trends tend to start in California and move east across the country. The weather is no exception. The 2020 hurricane season was the busiest in recorded history with 30 named storms from Texas to Maine…which is 2 1/2 times the seasonal average. Thunderstorms and tornadoes were the most expensive and prolific disasters in the lower 48 states from Iowa to Nashville. Derechos, a straight-lined long-lived wind up to 140 mph, affected more than 43% of Iowa’s corn crop and were even experienced as far east as Philadelphia and New Jersey. December ushered in one of the most prolific snowstorms in the northeast and Pennsylvania recorded an all-time record for a two day storm. In simple terms, the weather was OFF the charts from coast to coast from January through December.

The weather can change on a dime, just like the political climate. The polar vortex split a few weeks ago and now we are experiencing colder temperatures than what had been forecast. Europe is feeling this as well. ‘Experts’ can use ‘science’ to explain some of the changes in the weather, but this is similar to believing there is an accurate explanation for every wiggle in stock prices. History has proven that science evolves with man’s understanding. Man’s understanding is not a linear progression and is subject to change. It is important to remember that God can and does control and change the weather.

A quick refresher reminds us that GOD is the author of ‘climate change’. He changed the earth’s entire topography by creating heaven and earth with His words, ex nihilo, out of nothing (Genesis 1:1). He rained down fire and ‘condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly.’ 2 Peter 2:6. No one had ever seen water fall from the sky before God caused it to rain 40 days and nights. The resulting flood didn’t clear for 150 days (Genesis 7:24). He also divided a sea and dried the resulting ocean floor for His people to immediately walk across (Exodus 15:19). These are examples of RAPID weather and climate change.

Controlling and altering the climate and the weather is powerful stuff!! Because God has shown what HE can do, men want to imitate and mimic His actions for THEIR desired results. Bill Gates is taking another shot at climate change by funding a group of Harvard scientists to block out the sun’s rays. The idea has been around for decades but this is the first real attempt at controlling Earth’s temperature through solar engineering. The motive of lowering the global temperature may appeal to some, but it is impossible to know the resulting consequences. Only God knows the resulting complications for precipitation patterns, crop yields, the ozone, and the list goes on. God already knows the forecast for climate change and the coming changes in the weather…so what is HIS forecast??

‘But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar: the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare…That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.’ 2 Peter 3:10…….This won’t be climate change and this isn’t a conspiracy theory. This is God’s forecast for judgement and wrath when His creation turns away from Him.

The writer of the book of Revelation reminds us that God has and will control the weather. ‘I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.’ Revelation 7:1. God always has and always will be the final arbiter of weather and climate change on the Earth. If we don’t like the weather and the changes we are seeing, there IS something we can do that guarantees a better forecast.

Weather is not a distraction and it can be the voice of God, so listen….’When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.’ 2 Chronicles 7:13-14.

Our country, our land, our nation needs healing before the ultimate climate change takes place. ‘…and there came hail and fire mixed with blood and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.’ Revelation 8:7. This is the forecast and it won’t be avoided by geoengineering.

Don’t be fooled into thinking the weather forecast won’t effect you because it’s far away in time and not for where you live or work. Weather patterns can and do change abruptly and violently, as we have recently seen.

A farmer knows to trust in God to protect and provide for his crop. Our nation knows that we need to return to our faith in the One who controls the weather.

We live not only our own lives, but whether we know
it or not, also the life of our time.
-Laurens Van Der Post

The times we are living in have seen the improbable happen on such a regular basis it has become commonplace. The difference between something not likely to happen (improbable) and not able to occur (impossible) may not be as wide as you think. In a place and time where the improbable happens, we need to define and look closely for the impossible as well.

In 1959 the Ohio legislature approved the state motto, “With God, All Things Are Possible”. This motto is taken from the book of Matthew (19:16-30) where Jesus is explaining to his closest followers the dichotomy of improbable and impossible during the times they lived. ” ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ ” Matthew 19:26. The improbable can, does and will happen. The impossible only happens with God.

What IS impossible and what IS improbable? Jesus said the impossible is God’s domain so let’s look at His Word. A world and the creatures that inhabit it created out of nothing (Genesis 1 and 2). A virgin birth (Matthew 1:23). Guys walking on water in the middle of a storm (Matthew 14:29). A flood covering the entire earth (Genesis 7:6) and killing all but a chosen few. Parting a large sea and immediately walking through the divide on DRY land (Exodus 14:21). Controlling water and wind with your words (Matthew 8:26). Rising from the dead and being seen by hundreds of witnesses (1 Cor. 15:5-8). The list goes on. Fact check anyone else pulling those off with success.

Notice, things we consider impossible involve God…nature and His creations. “He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land- the Lord is his name.” Amos 5:8. Outside of God, it’s only the improbable that can and does happen, not the impossible.

2020 is giving us a fireworks finish with the improbable. Our times are marked with technological advances that have made what once seemed the improbable, an everyday convenience. Science, has given us the probability of curing and understanding great mysteries in record time. In mathematics, what was thought to be statistically impossible has proven probable and elected politicians for the highest office in our country. The coming days will be more proof that the improbable is defining our time.

Current events should be an encouragement for Christ followers. We need to remember that with God, the impossible is probable for those with faith in Him. Too often, people are retreating into their shrinking lives and losing faith thinking the best days are behind us. We are told to “live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.” 1 Peter 1:17. Our best life is not here and now and I don’t want it to be. If I live for eternity, I want my best life to be then; not now.

Daniel was a guy who lived the impossible in his time because of his faith in God. Daniel came out of a lions den untouched and his brothers escaped a furnace heated seven times hotter than normal without a hair singed. That’s not improbable, that’s impossible, right? Daniel knew the God of possibilities and described Him accordingly. ” ‘He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things: he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.’ ” Daniel 2:21-22. I want more of God’s possible and less of the world’s probable.

Daniel also talks about a time when a particular leader in the world will step up and try to make the impossible happen. Notice, when men attempt the impossible, they directly reference the One for whom nothing is impossible. Of this particular world leader Daniels says, “He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws.” Daniel 7:25. When the impossible happens, God will be given the credit, no one else. For the record, the ‘end times’ are all times since Christ ascended into heaven. Rising and ascending after being 6 feet under. Another impossible thing, huh?

We are living in a time we need to know the difference between improbable and impossible, so as not to be confused and doubtful. What do you think IS improbable?….Aliens? Reference the former head of Israel’s space security program for 30 years who insists he and many others KNOW of aliens walking among us….Astrological alignments like the Star of Bethlehem? Look in the skies on December 21 to see a light the scientist say will rival the full moon and what many believe was the same alignment of stars when Jesus was born….Trump being President on January 21, 2021? Improbable? Yes.

We may be trapped by the times we live in but God made them all for His purpose. “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.” Acts 17:26. WE are alive at this time in history because He wanted it this way.

Just as Esther came to her place and time in life for a designated purpose (Esther 4:14, great story), we have as well. Why? “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” Acts 17:27. Let the improbable point us back to our faith and God, not away from Him.

As the improbable make the headlines, seek God and His Son, Jesus to see and be a part of the impossible. Christ followers are created for bringing the impossible to our times. The letters in red are true…” ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you’. ” Matthew 17:20. With God all things are possible. Christians have the Holy Spirit, which is God, so we can facilitate, see and believe in what others call impossible.

Jesus did qualify our part in seeing and bringing about the impossible on earth. He repeatedly says we must have faith in HIM. Unbelief (Matthew 17:17-20) lukewarm faith (Revelation 3:16)), timidity (2 Timothy 1:7) and doubt will only leave you with probability. “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” James 1:6-8.

That verse fits nicely into our times in December 2020. Many have lost faith and doubt…the election process, government officials and even our democratic Republic. Many have lost faith in family, friends…and God. The times are like a storm tossed sea of improbabilities that have made our nation and it’s people unstable and double minded in everything. It is the time to return to the stability of God.

During our times, the lines are being re-drawn between nations and people. It is imperative to know the difference between a friend and the people and acquaintances of our time. The writer of Proverbs defines a friend as… “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” Proverbs 17:17. Adversity IS front and center in 2020. Keep your friends close.

Paul was more pointed about acquaintances during these times. “But mark this: there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud abusive…..Have nothing to do with such people.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5. This is a time to separate the wheat from the chaff…friends from acquaintances…goats and sheep.

The times we live in can be divisive, unstable and disheartening, but they don’t have to be. Since we were created and are living during this time according to HIS design and plan, there is a key to joy, contentment and #winning. “He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.” Isaiah 33:6.

Recognize God is VERY alive and active during our time. Learn His ways. Respect and submit to how He leads.

Live with the improbable and let it BUILD your faith in Him.

Look for the impossible and see God intervene in history.

2020 has proven to be an iceberg. What we have seen, so far this year, is just the tip of the issue. Like an iceberg, the dangers ahead are more damaging and perilous than what many see. Once you hit an iceberg, the damage has been done and there is no going back to how it used to be. The 2020 iceberg is the competing ideology and kingdom of the world as opposed to God’s Kingdom.

The casualties in 2020 include relationships, community, and basic fellowship as people distance themselves from each other. It also includes the loss of civility, respect for differing opinions and tolerance. There seems to be a lot less freedom, period. I hope and pray that democracy and free speech survive. What else makes the casualty list depends on how each of us responds to what happens next.

For many basic freedoms to survive 2021, we need more than a new administration in Washington…Berlin, London and Brussels. We need divine intervention. We need the Holy Spirit to direct the agenda in our hearts and in the Capitol. If we don’t bring the Judeo-Christian Creator of the heavens and the earth back into our hearts and minds, the spirit and person of the anti-christ will soon take center stage. Biblical prophecy is not a conspiracy theory, it is truth. Truth is what and how God sees a subject, not what you or I deem it to be.

The culture and kingdom of the world is in constant flux but God’s people are supposed to reflect Him and His sovereignty, which never changes. The election should remind the world that God’s people don’t get depressed or excited depending on who gets elected OR whether you voted for the winner or loser. The Bible teaches that God expects us to ‘Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men…who are sent by him…Show proper respect to everyone…’ 1st Peter 2:13-17. It doesn’t matter if we find the office holder repugnant or not, our words and actions should be respectful. A lack of proper respect for the elected authorities shows a lack of respect and fear for God. We have been seeing a LOT of that.

Only God can straighten out this mess. We need more of Him and less of ourselves in the processes and moments of each day. John the Baptist summed it up succinctly, ‘He must become greater; I must become less.’ John 3:30. In order to navigate the remainder of this year and what’s coming in 2021, we need more of Him. The Bible is the key for answering all the questions and problems we will face. Practical stuff like responding to ‘friends’ that call you a racist…digital currencies…rising taxes…healthcare…stacking the court; you name it.

“: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” James 1:19-20. The 2020 iceberg is the way of the world…and it doesn’t encourage quick listening, slow speech or less anger. The way of the world is to close your ears and eyes to anything that doesn’t confirm your personal bias or benefit…to quickly speak out and label things systemic…and to express your anger with harmful words and destructive actions. More of Him and less of me involves listening more, being slow to retort and not getting angry about, well, about everything you may hear. I have seen that anger and I have felt some for myself. It’s not good stuff.

Can the way of the world and God’s way just co-exist? Can’t we all just get along? Well, yes, but no. God commands His people to be set apart and to live as ‘aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul.’ 1st Peter 2:11. I feel that war when I hear anyone say that being white makes me a racist. God made me a white man. I didn’t chose to be white or to be a man, GOD made that choice and I was born with a skin color and sexual organs that made me what I am. Therefore, when I hear the systemic race accusation or the argument against only two biological sexes, I hear it as an accusation against God. I hear so much of the world’s rhetoric as the evil one telling mankind, and God, that HE has made the mess we are living in.

The 2020 iceberg facilitated a recent conversation with a friend about abortion. This conversation started along political lines but didn’t stay there. My friend argued that God’s word never addresses choice. The Bible repeatedly addresses the choice of murder AND it says that God ‘shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb’ Psalm 139:13. So, choosing to take away a life where God is busy forming one, looks like a wrong choice to me.

The world is good at pointing out the way God thinks and acts are not the same as ours. God put it bluntly, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.’ Isaiah 55:8. He finished it off with reminding us, ‘ “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” ‘ Isaiah 55:9. Only when you read the Bible can you KNOW God’s views on a subject.

2020 has been a tough year because it has been a stark reminder of the battle waging between the way of the world and the way of it’s creator…and the choices we are making between the two. As a Christ follower reading the Bible I am reminded, the Word says, ‘You adulterous people. Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.’ James 4:4. This can’t be more simple or straightforward. God speaks about choice and says it is either one or the other. He says the choice is His way or the world’s way.

Meanwhile, the current mantra is telling me to go along and get along…or else I will be cancelled, my words not heard or printed and I will be cast out of society. On the other hand, the Bible says He’s got me. Jesus says HE will protect me and make me legitimate in HIS kingdom. ‘ “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:15-16. Jesus isn’t part of the cancel culture that is screaming so loudly. His Kingdom dates back to creation and lasts for eternity, so….

This past week I was reminded how easily the world draws me in…and how critical it is to separate myself from it and the people who live according to it’s ways. ‘Do not repay evil for evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.’ My ways can involve trading insults, talking trash and repaying evil for evil. From a worldly view, I used to be pretty good at it…until God changed my thinking.

His Word also tells me to actively seek peace, to pursue it. The Word tells me ‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others as better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.’ Philippians 2:3-4. The world may talk nice about compromise, tolerance and humility; but only when it is in the best interest of those in power. Otherwise, people can see these qualities as weaknesses to be taken advantage of.

Peter lived in a place and time where non-believers questioned why Christ followers acted the way they did. He reminded them and us to ‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience.’ 1st Peter 3:15-16. If no one is asking us these days, maybe our words and actions aren’t that different from the rest of the world? Have God’s people made their choice to reflect the world’s kingdoms and not the heavenly kingdom?

At the end of all this, the Bible is pretty cut and dried. There is God’s way and the world’s way…and they are in conflict with each other every day. The conflict is on the ballot when you vote. So regardless of your political choices, ‘If anyone, then, who knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.’ James 4:17. Ignorance is bliss when you don’t know what you should do or when you don’t know the truth…ignorance is bliss when you don’t know Jesus.

The iceberg is real and we have hit it full steam. Ignorance is not an excuse and we get new choices each day. Stay in fellowship with Christ followers who can help keep you accountable…who can encourage you and rebuke you when necessary. Share your faith but be careful teaching holy, spiritual concepts to those who won’t listen and just tear apart whatever we say.

The words in red speak volumes. ‘Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.’ Matthew 7:6. God bless you as we close out the year of the American iceberg.