I hate religion.  I hate what it does to people.

Religion is defined as "a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects."

Jesus said it this way in Mark 7  "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Isaiah 56:10  His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.  Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.

No I didn't spell prophet wrong.  A prophet is A person gifted with profound moral insight and exceptional powers of expression.  Today the Church's door is shut to the prophets.  We have traded the prophets for profits.

I saw it again this weekend.   Every time I go I pray it will be different; it is my nature, to believe for the best.  But I have to admit, it is very discouraging. 

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf

Big bad wolf, big bad wolf?
Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?
Tra la la la la.

You may think I am nuts, but Hillary Clinton cannot win the presidency. Not unless there is a whole lot of cheatin' going on, and of course that is always a possibility.

But if it is a clean election, I am here to tell you that she can't win.

I know, I know. Who am I to make such a statement? I'm certainly no Dick Morris, James Carville, or any of the other "political experts" that are constantly being held up to us as those with the finger on the pulse of "the American people." I'm just a guy in the cornfield with a little bit of horse-sense.

When was the last time your church sang some of the old hymns? So much of what qualifies as "praise and worship" music is nothing more than Christian bubble-gum music.

You know what I am talking about. The songs that are used in so many "contemporary" services do nothing more than stir our emotions.

Now don't get me wrong, I am all for music that stirs my soul, that brings joy to my heart, that encourages me to overcome the personal battles that we are to walk through.

Lying has become a way of life in America. In fact, it is so common that we almost expect it. 

I don't know if America can ever recover from our acceptance of lying. Honesty used to be a virtue. Today it is a weakness. The truthful are ridiculed. The dishonest are promoted.

Pretty much all the honest truth telling in the world is done by children. ~Oliver Wendell.

Is anyone besides me tired of being so nice? 

That is what they are trying to convince us to be you know....nice. 

Funny, isn't it? You can search the Bible through and through and you will be hard-pressed to find that adjective in reference to Christianity. Somewhere along the line we have become convinced that the greatest thing they can ever say about you as a Christian is that you are a "nice" man.

Nice may fit a Bible study, or a vacation with your family, but it is not very useful in war. That is one of the difficult things I am having trouble teaching our Christian football players. Nice has no place on the football field. Character is important, courage is demanded, tenacity fits, but being nice..."pleasing; agreeable; delightful" is a sure-fire way to get the snot knocked out of you. (Is it okay to say snot? Probably doesn't sound very "nice" to some folks.)

James 2:12-13  So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

I have to tell you, I used to be a scoundrel. Actually, I guess I have a tendency to still be one, but I thank Jesus every day for His mercy.

It saved me, you know? Christ's mercy. The Apostle Paul claimed to be the chief of all sinners. I'd give him a good run for his money.

I was a beer drinking, carousing, gutter-mouthed church-goer. Until Jesus came into my life. He changed me. I can't explain it, but something deep inside of me changed the night I fell on my face and repented of my sins.

I jokingly tell folks that the Holy Spirit did for me what a phone booth did for Clark Kent; changed me into a brand-new creature.  I have been in over-drive for the Lord ever since.  Why?

We are so blind. Sometimes I feel like I am the only one who can see. 

I know that sounds prideful, sort of like I am a know-it-all, but that is not really what I mean. For the life of me I can't understand how Christians and our leadership have become so blind.

I often wonder if I am what many emailers accuse me of "full of hate", "close-minded", or my favorite, "bigoted".  Like I said in an earlier commentary, I call them like I see them.   

Suffice it to say that I don't see things better...but differently. I haven't figured it out whether it is a gift or a curse.

Lying has become a way of life in America. In fact, it is so common that we almost expect it.

I don't know if America can ever recover from our acceptance of lying. Honesty used to be a virtue. Today it is a weakness. The truthful are ridiculed. The dishonest are promoted.

Pretty much all the honest truth telling in the world is done by children. ~Oliver Wendell.

But yet we teach our children to lie.

I get so tired of dealing with the god-haters' rape of the English language. Sadly, most of us don't have the discernment or the ability to see through the smokescreen. My interpretation of a "god-hater" is anyone who doesn't want to acknowledge the sovereignty of Jesus. They have put themselves and their interpretations on the throne and refuse to bow to the "laws of nature and nature's God." They want to make up their own rules and insist we follow them.

Rush Limbaugh taught me the phrase "words mean things." Unfortunately, for most government-school educated citizens, the words are constantly open for interpretation. Words have come to mean only what the speaker wants them to mean. Have you listened to hip-hop lately? They seem to speak a different language.