| (Copyright 10-27-2024) by Curtis Dahlgren (Stephenson, Michigan) |
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| “The Truth is stranger than fiction,” they say. “But not as popular.” EVER BEEN SO NUMB THAT YOU COULDN’T SHED A TEAR? I’m no stranger to pain either, but I’ve recently talked to two elderly men who claim they don’t believe in God. One of them used to – until his wife died a painful death. Paradoxically, she may be more ready to listen to God now than he is. Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal; Dust thou art, to dust returnest, Was not spoken of the soul. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882); “A Psalm of Life” “A great and strong wind rent the mountains, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, [but] after the fire a still small voice.” – Elijah “Father of us all, we thank you for women and men to whom bodies are more than gold, and the soul of a little child of greater value than the buildings of a city.” – 19th century prayer The prayer above opens like this: “Father of us all, we thank thee for life, that we live now; and that our hands have been filled with the tasks of the present. Nor do we despise the past. Its errors warn us, its successes inform us, and its sacrifices inspire us. “ I’m planning to re-post annually the following column excerpts, partly from my January 1, 2005 column following the Indonesian earthquake/tsunami, and partly from the March 2011 one, after the Japan tsunami. www.RenewAmerica.com/columns/Dahlgren/110313 [“Why does God allow such things to happen?”] “If there is no God, what makes the next Kleenex pop out?” – anon. “If God allows such things to happen, He must be cruel.” – anon. “non sequitur, n; (Latin) ‘it does not follow'” – Webster The Japanese earthquake/tsunami ought to remind us once again that we have bigger threats than theoretical “climate changes” in the sky! I recently mentioned that we may be living in the time described by the Bible as “the time of the Great Hatred” (Hosea). ” . . For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in diverse places . . . And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.” – Matthew I want to repost the article I posted on New Year’s day in 2005 – shortly after the Indonesian quake and tsunmi of December 2004. A friend of mine said that it was one of my best columns. Here are at least a few excerpts. .www.RenewAmerica.com/columns/Dahlgren/050101 Atheists, agnostics, and doubting Thomases do not “feed” on the Word (instead they focus on talking points, catchphrases, and non sequiturs). In recent years, almost any pithy or overused phrase might end up being referred to as a non sequitur, but I’m talking about the original meaning: in logic: a conclusion or inference which does not follow from the premises. Atheists always ask, “If there’s a God, why does He allow such things to happen?” Turning the question into its unstated premise, it is essentially: “If there were a God, he/it wouldn’t allow such things to happen” (another faulty premise leading to many faulty non sequiturs). In conclusion, two main points; If these bad things never happened, God would be a liar, and He always tells the truth. He has a long-range Plan; a thousand years with us is like one day to God. The things He allows and the things He causes are two different things; the trick is in figuring out the difference. Some things He will allow in order to save millions, although hundreds may temporarily lose their lives (the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away). At times such as this one, we need to get “back to the basics” with a child-like Faith. Someone sent me a cartoon showing a little boy in prayer, and he says to God, “Things are going pretty well here in school and everything. Is there anything You need?” And believe it or not, the Word says that there are some things that He needs!” “I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before Me for the land [as Moses did] – that I should not destroy it.” – Ezekiel PS I interrupt my own column for a 2013 post-script. Here’s a most timely and fitting quotation from the late Senator Frank Carlson of Kansas: “God and the world need men who will stand in the gap… men who are not for sale; men who are honest, sound from center to circumference, true to the heart’s core; men with consciences as steady as the needle to the pole; men who will stand for the right if the heavens totter and the earth reels; men who can tell the truth and look the world right in the eye . . . “ [as quoted by Zig Ziglar (“Wanted A Man – A Man Who Will Stand”)] Donald Trump says he’s no savior, but he is trying to stand in the gap in the hedge. PPS: Just when we needed Him the most, the Libs are trying to make you believe God is dead again. Just when we needed Him the most, they went to court and told us to get lost. Like a stick in the eye, like a thumb in the pie; Like salt in the wound, or a wood tick on Rover, they said “The Era of Religion is over.” Like a burr in the boot, or carp in the lake, they carp: “Give us cap and trade, and you can eat cake.” – author unknown “THE LORD WAS NOT IN THE WIND, BUT AFTER THE WIND, A STILL SMALL VOICE.” ———————————————————————————————————- See Curtis Dahlgren’s other articles at: Dahlgren, Curtis – Church of God, Bismarck (church-of-god-bismarck.org) Reprinted with permission from: Renew America http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/dahlgren/220131 ———————————————————————————————————- |
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