“Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” (Ephesians 5:10-16, NLT) 

Since I am on Sabbatical and am doing a lot of research, I have allowed myself some extra time to investigate current news threads.  I am beyond appalled, in fact there is no description short of I am deeply, viscerily grieved.  I feel like I have been living in a insulated bottle.

I have had opportunity to travel extensively.  I have lived all over the United States including some of the largest metro-centers.  I have been aware of evil, of violence, of general depravity.  I have personally witnessed things I have never spoke about with anyone, and things I have shared with a select few.  During the last few weeks I have been introducted to a level evil I knew existed in theory, but never seen in practice.

For instance, I was inadvertenly introduced to a top ten list of movies that excelled in vile behavior in the extreme and pervasive, indescriminate, monstrous violence in the name of entertainment.  From what I have read there is a whole bunch of movies available that make the ”slasher” films look like a 1950’s Disney studio release by comparison.  Many of the most vile parts are readily available (as I understand) on YouTube.  People watch these things.  I read the comments on the list and the films were so indescribably evil that people admitted that they had to turn their face away…they couldn’t watch.

I also “discovered” that there is a female who had a sex change to be a male (but left the female reproductive organs in place) who subsequently became pregant and delivered a child with his/her spouse.  I suppose this is what is referred to a “transgender.”  Of course the current entertainment establishment is fascinated by the story and the couple who would, except for the recent publicity, not appear to be anything less than a unremarkable hetrosexual married couple.  Now they are media darlings and heros for their “bold stand” for their version of sexuality and family which I am still confused about even after reading their own press releases.

I have recently spent time with people driven from their ancestral homes because a group of humans claiming religious sanction have pilliaged, raped, plundered and forced even children into a war that serves only to keep the leadership feared and in power.  These very same people now live at a level of poverty an American would have to personally witness in order to believe.

I could go on and on.  I am not one to bash the world for being sinful, Scripture states clearly that is the nature of the world.  What I will say is that it is time for people who claim to possess the transformative power of the Holy Spirit of the living God to stop being concerned with maintaining lives of relative affluence and peace and to move toward living sacrificially for the sake of not only their family in Christ but also for the systemic replacement of Satan’s caustic power with God’s redemptive love.

I thought I was “wise to the world.”  I was really wrong.  In spite of all my reading, and listening to NPR, and travelling, I have really just be living in an insulated world of the thermos bottle.  I can see out the top, my lid is off, but being aware of the extreme wickedness near and far I have been blissfully unaffected.  I must wake and live and do what I can to make the most of every opportunity.

I am slowly getting out of the protected world, asking God to use me somehow to make a difference for the strength of rightesousness before my days are gone.  I pray many of my siblings will do so as well.