Will the real Obama please stand up? As did MLK Jnr, and as did Christ on Calvary

So the drums of war are beating again. And involving a most unlikely drummer. Barack Obama who campaigned on an anti-war,  inter alia,  platform during the run up to that famous victory which left few persons dry-eyed in Grant Park in Chicago on November 4, 2008, when Stevie Wonder's " Sign Sealed Delivered"  echoed the feelings in the hearts of millions of people across the world.

For make no mistake, Obama's victory transcended the hopes and aspiration of Americans, of African Americans in particular, and represented the dreams of conscious and peace loving people across the globe. After George Bush, et al including Karl Rove, after the doctrine of preemptive strikes, after the yet  to found weapons of mass destruction, Obama was a breath of fresh air.

So what's up then with this urgent need to wage war against this admittedly corrupt and wicked even, Syrian regime, which may have committed unspeakable atrocities against its own people? Why this seemingly indecent haste, when the end game is not well defined - punish the perpetrators without setting the captives free? Why the decision to go it alone, even with congressional support, when there is no consensus at the UN. No worldwide support! Why wage war again when Iraq is still unstable! When Afghanistan is still unstable! When the " Arab Spring" may very well be entering a " winter of discontent" with confusion, if not anarchy threatening.

Is this Obama ' revealed', the real Obama, or is there a 'hidden hand' at work tugging him like a puppet?  And to what end! Many, including myself, still believe that he is a sincere human being trying to right wrong wherever he sees it. From his own perspective!  But is he a follower or a leader?  A question which may very well  have led some to question, for example, whether he has done more for gays than for even black Americans, because of the economic power that group wields. And so as the British would say, " they punch well above their weight" - in numbers.

How would a Martin Luther King Jnr, whose epic march on Washington was celebrated last week, have dealt with the Gay marriage?  What advice would a MLK, if he were alive today, give to this young leader of the most powerful nation on earth? Would he have urged caution, or decisive action? We will never know. Perhaps there is ' something out there" about which we have no idea, which is at the bottom of all of this talk about war. Perhaps, as the lawyers say, " there are more and better particulars" to come. In the meanwhile we pray for peace.

So what did The God of  Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, of Martin Luther King Jnr, of Barack Hussein Obama say to his people this week, a midst the drum roll?

One message came, in two parts,  from the  Book of Ecclesiasticus,from which the Old Testament reading for this Sunday was taken.  And which triggered a Tweet and a e-mail to a few selected folks in Jamaica and in the US

PART ONE My son, do not engage in too many transactions;if you attempt too much you will come to grief. Ecclesisasticus 11:10. A message for OBAMA PART TWO This one is too long to tweet. But it is just as pointed. It does not mean that civilized  people should not seek to root out manifest and egregious acts of evil wherever it manifests itself. In order to protect civilization, but one has to be careful and wise. This is the balance that the USA needs achieve. I was very struck by a comment posted on nationwidenewsnetwork  facebook page last night and read by George Davis. " Who died". and appointed the USA to be policeman of the world.?"

"The Government of the world is in the hand of The Lord;
at the right time he appoints the man to rule it.
In The Lord's hand is all human success;
it is he who confers honour on the legislator."  10:4-5

All of this triggered by a reading of the OT passage appointed in my church for this Sunday during my devotions this morning.
LWJ

Sent from my iPad One of the things that a child of God has to grapple with constantly, and more so when he or she has responsibilities as a leader, is who is ultimately in charge of the world? Who spoke it into being? Who sustains it? And who will bring it all to an end one day? The real answer to these question constitute one of the many reasons why those who do not wish to be under the sovereign rule of God, constantly add fuel to the argument that The Creation Story and Evolution are incompatible. Which as we read more and more those who have a mind to write on such matters, is not true at all. The point here is that President Obama, with his well meaning determination to " draw a line in the sand " , in respect of the use of poison gas by any nation in this civilized era, has to come to terms with the reality that America ought not to, and does not have the capacity to, be the ' policeman of the world". Does that mean that another Hitler should not be stopped in his tracks early, before irreparable damage is done to mankind? And that God will take care of the matter! What I read into this text, and others may read something else, is a strong warning for America to be careful how it extends itself in wars across the globe. As one day it may come to grief. Just like Rome. Or Greece. Of ancient times. And more importantly, " Blessed is the nation whose God is the God of Jacob". A warning that perhaps, America needs to put its own house in order, as it looks abroad to right wrongs there. And we full agree that with the old bard, William Shakespeare that " something is (very) rotten in the state of Denmark ( read America...read Miley Cyrus and her moral meltdown). Another message came from an article I read in Christianity today, on a friend's facebook page. This, coming after learning about Miley Cyrus....I had no idea she even existed before reading about her on Twitter. And the context in which the article was tweeted by some one who I follow, Eric Metaxas, was the cynical manipulation of the media by owners who wish to ' bring' people on to their website, so that they may charge more for their ads. And as the article intimated, Miley Cyrus was placed on the headlines, not for the importance of the news, but purely for profit. Interestingly this is the very point of a discussion I had with a conscious Rasta friend this week, who cited George Orwell's 1984, his follow up to the more famous " Animal Farm", as a prophetic work heralding the way the media would be used to manipulate public opinion. And which manipulation, in his opinion is at the heart of Obma's/America's ..maybe there is a difference...drums of war. Despite all of these issues of morality, going deep into the life of the American people, and no doubt the Syrians too, I read the following message and was moved to make the comment below. And which plea for forgiveness, I believe goes to the heart of the Christian faith. And to the Cross of Calvary.

I am learning more about Miley Cyrus from the link below...and about mercy and forgiveness...amazing how the Lord's leads you to " rescue the perishing". Even on facebook.

LWJ

http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2013/august/jesus-loves-miley-cyrus-vmas.html

Sent from my iPad

Jesus Loves Miley Cyrus

AUG 282013

Everyone’s shocked and offended over her VMA performance. As Christians, we can offer another response.

Laura Leonard

READ AS SINGLE PAGE

W

hat's left to say about Miley?

The former tween star's already-notorious performance at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards has everyone freaking out, about the vulgarity, about the sexism, about the racism – not to mention the problematic celebration of drug culture in her song "We Can't Stop" and the misogynistic date-rape vibe of Robin Thicke's song "Blurred Lines," which the two performed together.

Sigh.

Are we really back here again? It's been 29 VMAs since Madonna writhed in her wedding dress to "Like a Virgin," 23 VMAs since Prince wore butt-baring pants, 12 VMAs since Britney performed "I'm a Slave 4 U" wrapped in a live snake, and four VMAs since Sacha Baron Cohen dressed as a dark angel and landed crotch-first on Eminem's head.

The VMAs exist to shock, and by promising to deliver a moment "even crazier" than 2003's Britney-Madonna kiss, Miley left little doubt about her intention to use this performance to carve out her own place alongside these icons of pop.

Part of me hates even acknowledging this event by writing about it—we're giving MTV and Miley exactly what they want. But when people are talking, they're also listening, and it's important to think through what our response communicates about who we are.

As Christians, when confronted with something offensive, we often condemn it on instinct. We want to make sure everyone knows how strongly we disagree, how completely we disapprove, how far we want to distance ourselves from such behavior. (To some extent this seems like a human instinct, given how much everyone has gone on and on this week about Miley at the VMAs.)

There's absolutely a time and a place to call out sin, but if all we do is shame Miley—a 20-year-old girl who grew up extremely privileged, extremely sheltered, and extremely publicly and is now in the process of discovering her adult identity—for her behavior, and bemoan one more nail in the coffin of this world, what are we communicating about a God who loves sinners and offers hope not just from them but to them?

Jesus loves Miley. Nothing she could do could separate her from his love. Even more than she needs to know how we feel about her dance moves, or her drug use, or her sexual history, she needs to know that truth. The world needs to know that. The way we talk about other people, particularly those we condemn, communicates a lot about who we are and what we are about to other people who are "outside," even when it's not their choices we're berating in a public forum.

Finally, this week, I woke with the famous Micah passage in my head. " And what does The Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

The reality is that while the drums of war are beating in the White House, perhaps in the Congress and in the media, and elsewhere, the USA faces deep internal problems represented by Miley Cyrus and others. Problems in the way of lifestyles  which have been  exported all over the world, and perhaps even to Syria. Guns made in America, and freely available, continue to be 'exported' to my country thus wreaking havoc in the inner cities and spreading to all areas of national life. And we have not been able to convict the Americans to do everything in their power  to stop the flow of these weapons. Pornography,  and movies with gratuitous violence, made in America and Europe and elsewhere, continues to flow all over world,  leaving broken families, warped minds and  destroyed cultures in its their wake. And in the midst of this the mighty USA still takes on to itself, the 'policeman' of the world. Where then is the justice, Mr. President? Where is the mercy? And where is the humility?  No doubt what these messages from Twitter and Facebook are calling all of us, as children of Light, at a time when others  are seeking to wage war, is to heed the message from St Paul to the Corinthian Church.

" For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself us against the knowledge of god, and we take captive every thought  to make it obedient to Christ". 1 Cor. 10:3-5 NIV  Christians in America, and all over the world need to take their queue from this passage of Scripture in the fight against moral and physical and even spiritual challenges, that confront us daily. Especially as we try to discern God's perfect will in a imperfect, fallen and troubled world. Where war is never going to be the final solution to the many, many challenges humanity faces in this and in any era. As ultimately " The Government of the world is in the hands of The Lord."

Lucien-Jones: Controversy in life with Anne Shirley and Queen If...

Lucien-Jones: Controversy in life with Anne Shirley and Queen If...: I read my Bible to see what men ought to do; and read my newspapers to see what men are doing - John Newton Lord renew the thy church, begin...

Controversy in life with Anne Shirley and Queen Ifrica: Certainly in death with Christ

I read my Bible to see what men ought to do; and read my newspapers to see what men are doing - John Newton

Lord renew the thy church, beginning with me; Lord renew the church that the church may renew the nation(s) - a prayer for the Decade of Evangelism in the Anglican Church many years ago.

This week the big news in my country that had just about everyone talking, cussing, agonizing, calling for action, 'spinning' and seeking answers, was the letter written by former Executive Director of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO)  Anne Shirley. In what some described as a,  ' bombshell',  Ms. Shirley shared with the prestigious sports magazine Sports Illustrated and thus with the entire world, her version of the facts, that Jamaica's anti-doping campaign was sadly lacking in its ability to adequately police the sport.  And carelessly , in the view of many, argued that prior to the London Olympics, only one out of competition testing had been done on the Jamaican athletes, when it is well known that the World Anti-doping Agency, WADA, independently tested the Jamaicans, especially the elite ones. All of this of course taking place  in the context of the huge success that the Jamaican elite athletes, in, particular, had achieved in sweeping the  sprint gold medals. To the extent, that some suggested that Usain Bolt's and Shell-Ann's performances  had 'rescued' the IAAF World Championships from hum drum and mediocrity.  JADCO and various officials have since responded, arguing that though not fully  achieving " best practices" the agency was well on its way to dealing with the historic problems. And more importantly, in no way should the performances of the elite athletes be sullied either by malice, ignorance  of the facts or falsehood, as they were tested repeatedly, and found to be 'clean' by WADA. The debate continues to be a major talking point in my country.

Almost predictably, the other 'flashpoint' was the action taken  by  an overseas Jamaican gay and lesbian group, who successfully lobbied the  promoters in Canada to drop  the highly touted conscious reggae artist Queen Ifrica, from a stage show on which she was billed to perform. All of this coming from comments she is alleged to  have made  during her performance at the Grand Gala in Jamaica on Independence Day. And in the process spouting lyrics,  which apparently angered the LGBT community and triggered their action. And thus  so many, including the beleaguered artiste, are wondering what are the rights of heterosexuals?  Do they no longer  have a right to publicly  endorse the heterosexual lifestyle and make their feelings known about a lifestyle which according to Bible is unacceptable. And worse an abomination! And even if they do not go that far, where is the line to be drawn in this " human rights" issue as the gays have framed it?

So then in this midst of all of this controversy, what did the God who created heaven and earth, and all that is within it, reveal to to  His people who were listening, as Samuel did, and said, " Speak Lord for thy servant is hearing"?

First up, , what the french describe as a cri de coeur -  a cry from the heart. About my country within the context of what   might very well have " an assault" on the the good name of Jamaica, and in particular our elite athletes, even if the 'revelations' by Anne Shirley proved to be a ' wake up' call in a sense for us to better police the sports. As one has to be very careful that, in attempt to genuinely make the sport better, one does not " throw out the baby' with the proverbial bath  water.  Because, at the end of the day,  sports in general, and track and field in particular, plays a vital role, not only in terms of economics, but in the formation of psyche of our  people. And which mental and spiritual is ' under pressure' as we say in Jamaica. And so I wrote a message to political, sports and to the leadership of the press in my country.

THE FIRST  MESSAGE

Dear.......
                  I heard the interview featuring  Dr. Wright  on BTH this week. Also the interview with the de facto  Minster of Sports. And that with Professor Davidson on Nationwide. Consequently I  have been led to write  guided by the following perspective.

Over the past couple of days, I have been led to write a series of messages which ended with the final one being written this morning. And which climaxed by speaking about the restoration of the soul of a nation. This matter of the restoration of the soul of a nation is one which is engaging the minds of so many Jamaicans, even if they use other terms to describe their concerns. Right now we do not have much going for us. We used to, but unfortunately we have squandered our " cultural capital",  and heritage which was once the envy of the world, and helped to made us a distinctive and highly esteemed nation. 

It began with the corruption of the body  politic,  which is in my view, and a view shared by many,  the major reason for the alarmingly high level of crime and violence, on the one hand, and the dire economic circumstances, on the other, in our country today.  This plague on " both of our houses" ,  then segued into the corruption of the music...most aspects of dance hall music has nothing good to recommend it...in my view, unlike the conscious lyrics of the rock steady and ska  era;  which then to led  the corruption of the manners and mores of our people and the shocking and outrageous behavior featured  every so often on public media,  of our school children in particular. And  now in recent times,  the thoroughly unscriptural and  equally unholy " prosperity gospel" has served to corrupt the purity and power of  gospel, which together with the pernicious influence of the secular agenda, has led to the diminution of the role of the church in the lives of our people.  And a people without religion will (and have) cast off all restraint. All of the above attended by disastrous consequences for the social and moral life of a nation, on which it's  'soul' is built.

In the midst of this egregious wrong,  the spectacular performances, on a amazingly sustained basis, of our track and field athletes, have been the dominant aspect of our culture which has served to enhance our national reputation worldwide,  and lift the psyche of a beleaguered people. And thus help to keep our soul together. In this context then, we must, collectively do all we can to protect and enhance the viability of the sport, and thus the recent revelations by Ann Shirley on CNN and in Sports Illustrated is no small matter.

One expert has told me that the essence of the problem lies with JADCO not being able to test regularly, in and out of competition, urine and blood,  those athletes who fall in the second tier of excellence in Jamaica. As the top athletes in each category( 100 M, 100 M, 200 M, 200 W etc...in fact the top 25 in the world in each category) will and have been  tested in and out of competition  by WADA. So  Shelly-Ann and  Usain Bolt are tested regularly by WADA and done so without prior warning. The key role that JADCO plays then, if the above information is correct, and I have every reason to believe it,  is to monitor the activities of those athletes who have not yet appeared  on the "radar of WADA". In addition to  augmenting the role that WADA plays in monitoring the top tier athletes.
My suggestion then,  in respect of making JADCO more efficient is, given the amount of money that the athletes earn internationally, why don't we use the taxes which we collect from them, to augment or finance completely the financial and management needs of JADCO.  In addition to adhering to the recommendations of WADA in respect of the issue of transparency. The taxes that Bolt alone pays  could so this I would imagine. And thus allow it to function efficiently and so help to protect  the sport and ultimately the soul of a nation.
Peace
LWJ

The second message comes within the context of the Queen Ifrica  experience and what we need to learn from it. I had given it no  more thought and had not intended to write on it. But when The Lord speaks, as he clearly did, who am I to  remain silent? The reality is that this whole campaign by the LGBT community is no ordinary matter. Nor is it a new thing, as people have been intent on being disobedient to God for  centuries, with the exact same consequences. We will just have to wait and see how The Lord acts in this century. But make no mistake about it,  he will act decisively one day.  Our role then, is to be compassionate as possible, for the observation  " but for the grace of God there goest I" , is very real.


THE SECOND MESSAGE - sent to local leaders in all spheres of Jamaican life, and to  some of those who do not share my worldview on the matter

I am currently going through Mark's gospel as part of my bedtime  devotions. And tonight I came upon this:

" For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Phillip's wife, whom he had married. For John had been saying to Herod, It is not  lawful for you to have your brother's wife. So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. "    Mark 6:17-19

Then I thought about current events where the church  and most Jamaicans have opposed 'unlawful acts' and how much pressure is being brought to bear on those who oppose  those unlawful acts. 

Then I thought,  and recalled that " the word of God is living and active", and therefore whenever we read it, God Himself is speaking to us. So we dare not  take that which " is sharper than any two edged sword, and penetrates even to diving soul and spirit",  lightly.

Then the passage of Scripture came into my mind, but I cannot recollect  where from, that " it is not you they are against, but God Himself. So Herodias was not simply wishing the death  of John, but was in opposition to the God of John who opposed her wrong doing.

So I went in search of the scripture, opened my other Bible and found this right before me. Amazing! 
" Unlawful Sexual Relations"....which is the caption of Leviticus 18. And no to sex with close relatives, no to sex during a woman's menstrual period, no to sex  with the neighbour, no child sacrifice, no to sex with animals, no to sex with a man as how a man may have sex with a woman. All because these things defile the land, and that is how those God was going to drive out  of the  before the children of Israel, behaved.

Finally this is how the chapter begins:

" The Lord said to Moses, Speak to the Israelites and say to them, I am The Lord your God. You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices."    Leviticus 18:1-3.


And if The Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth and all that is within it,  told His people to refrain from certain activities, it means that they had a choice to obey or disobey.

So there was I going to my bed, when The Lord spoke. What then am I supposed to do, but be obedient and write. As it is not a good thing to be disobedient to The Living God.

I pray God we will think on these things and let those who have ears to hear listen well. And not follow the practice of Herod or Herodias, regardless of what man can  or may do in retaliation.
LWJ

The  Lord, having spoken to me at 10:38 pm,  and given me the second message, on the following morning at 7:38, I wrote the third and final message. The point in all of this controversy, is that death  provides the final answer to all issues. Whether controversial or seemingly settled!  As what happens after that terminal event, is all that matters in life. Judgement! Where the actions and thoughts and aspirations of all mankind will finally be evaluated.  Which is the essence of the sermon preached today at my church based on the Gospel reading where Jesus in responding to the existential question in Luke's Gospel, concerning how many people were going to be saved, rather than getting embroiled in the controversy a la the Jehovah's witnesses, taught the people to :
" make every effort to enter through the narrow door". And that " narrow door" or gate is nothing else but Christ Himself. As there is no other way to enter the Kingdom of God. ( Foundation Christianity). So my advice to Queen Ifrica, is to  fear less those who ban you from performing in Canada, or in the US or in Europe, and fear more Him,  who Alone  can get you into the Kingdom of God, which is eternity. And to Anne Shirley, make sure that although you stand by your numbers and your research, make sure that when the curtain call comes on life, your actions, how you have treated your fellow man or woman, how you have been faithful to the truth, will ensure that you receive the " well done good and faithful servant " from Him alone who knows the thoughts of your hearts and the motive of your soul.

THE THIRD MESSAGE and final message.

As I began my early morning devotions thanking God for another day, the thought, not of my making, came into my head, that I am no under God's wrath. The implication being that in the same way we celebrate a new day of life, we should also celebrate daily, that we are free from condemnation.
So I went to the famous passage in the Book of Romans which speaks to that issue.  And the link with last night, is that, it is not only Herodias and Herod who were  opposed to God's law. The children of Israel, God''s  " treasured possession", again and again, acted in opposition to God's  law. Which is part of the lesson imparted to us in  the Book of Judges. They did evil in the eyes of the Lord and when they cried out to God, He sent them a Judge to help. Gideon, Othneil, Deborah. But everytime The Lord helped them,  they went back to their evil ways. It was as if they could not help themselves.  And this inability to " keep God's law", which is the heritage of all born of Adam, is highlighted in the same Book of Romans, and is one of the foundations of the Christian faith.
" All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" . Romans 3:23 - the essence of the story of the first 7 chapters of the Book of Romans. Hence the message last night was not one only for those who commit the Sin of Leviticus chap 18, but rather for the whole human race, as we were all under the wrath of God until  Christ came. And so to the glorious news, the essence of the Gospel, The Good News:

" Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do,  in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires, but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of the sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God's law. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God."  Romans 8: 1-8 NIV

Comment: A couple of things, as Dionne would say. Herodias' hostility to God's law, which resulted in her asking for, and  receiving, " the head of John the Baptist", is but a metaphor, a leif motif,  for the current debate raging across the world in respect of the  children of the "Enlightenment",  and  the children of Light,  who trust in the Holy One of Israel. And all other strands of the debate, including ",  Good Bye God",  which was the recent headlines of the Daily Gleaner, flow from that central theme. So the reality is that  the Spirit of Herodias is alive and well in the 21st century. She still wants the " head of John the Baptist on a platter". That,  is for the church to go away, for God  to go away and leave her to continue her unlawful acts. This is the larger context in which many gay and lesbian people  people have been 'sucked ' into, without any understanding of the deeper issue happening around them. Not so the the gay rights advocates, as they have, in many cases the same agenda. Go away God. We want the head of John the Baptist. How dare you oppose our life style. We will boycott you. We will make you a pariah in the eyes of those who control your future!

In the midst of all of this struggle between God's goodness and evil, there are conscience ridden folks  trying to work out their salvation, as deep in their hearts, deep in our hearts, we know that we continue to oppose God's law day by day. And so there is great rejoicing, and should be,  for all who read God's Word, The Greatest  Word of Tolerance in the History of mankind, ever since Romans 8 was ushered into our  consciousness, by the Atonement wrought by Christ on Calvary.

Comments: I pray God that you who  receive, analyze and disseminate news all day long, you who govern, you who teach,  you who rally the troops of civil society,  may come to appreciate, and I too, who sometimes get caught up with " news " too much, may understand what is the real News in this world. The Gospel of Christ, in whom and through we have freedom from the wrath of the God. Forever! Whether our sin be that  described in  Leviticus, Numbers, Genesis, Judges, Exodus, Psalms, Jonah, Amos, Daniel. As the young people say, " It is so done". But only in Christ Jesus.
That's why we can rejoice and sing. This is the day, this is the day that The Lord has made. We will rejoice, we will rejoice and be glad in it....I so wish that I could sing. Like the Fiddler on the Roof, I would climb right up there and sing. Praises to the God who loves me and all mankind so much, that of His own free will He suffered and died, so that we may not perish but have life, and life more abundantly. Now you tell me what news from Moscow or Berlin or London is better than that.
Amen. 
Sent from my iPad

Good-Bye Moscow and let us rejoice in the God who is always with us

They call him "Donkey man"!  Jevon  Francis, the 18 year old  Jamaican High School  student, who, if the IAAF at the recently concluded World Championships held in Moscow, were to give a medal for " the athlete with the biggest heart", would have won 

' hands down'. As his breathtaking, almost impossible feat in running pass big men, moving  from  to second position on the final leg of the men's 4 x 400 M relay, thus earning Jamaica an entirely unexpected  silver medal, was nothing short of spectacular.

Yes " nuff respect" to the big man, Usain  ( Legend) Bolt and to 'pocket rocket' Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, two of the greatest sprinters in the history of the sport of Athletics. And we " big up" all the athletes who performed at an very high level despite not winning a medal, and even those who suffered disappointments whilst giving of their best. But that lion- hearted performance by Jevon, assisted by his three other team mates, sums up best the character of a nation which prides itself as being " little but tallawah".

So what did the Sovereign Lord, the creator of Heaven and Earth,  who knows the hearts of all who live in  Moscow, Beijing, London, Berlin,  Half-Way-Tree, New York City and all cities, say this week in the middle of the excitement?

First up, a Word sent to a group of lawyers concerning,  more , but not necessarily better particulars. Especially at a time when  an Irish scientist is attributed,  in a headlines  carried in The daily Gleaner entitled, " Good Bye God", with the prophesy that similar to what has over taken previously religious Ireland,  Jamaicans too will soon lose their trust in and belief in God. In what has to be a delicate and tight conversation  held with a newspaper man that same( and every)  morning ( worse than twitter), whilst waiting for a break in the traffic, we both concluded that " God was going on leave to Moscow"...to see the runnings there. And had a good laugh over the headlines.  The point here is that as children of The Living God, we have to pay close attention to the Rules of Holy Living as recorded in the Colossian passage as noted below. But all of that has to have as its foundation a life of prayer and of delving deep into the Word. So although  we highlight the fact that  Shelly-Ann  in particular,  and many other Jamaican, African, Caribbean and American  stars, always give thanks to God first, and then all others, including parents and coaches after, we must be eternally vigilant as a people to 'cover them' and ourselves with prayers, as there are people with evil intent trying to 'lead us astray".


A Word from The Lord this morning  - The First Message

Many times I have been led to Rules for Holy Living contained in Colossians 3:1-17 NIV. But this morning, my education went a step further to Further  Instructions. 4:2-6. And in the context of raging debates in the society verse 6 was particularly instructive. But as verse 16 exhorts us, " Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly....", all five verses contain powerful instructions.

" Devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

Peace
LWJ


The second message brings into very sharp focus the fact that although we celebrate the performances of our athletes, which bring pride to a nation and joy to lovers of the sports across the entire world,  we are called to run a more important race. And that race which ought to  hold  lightly, and cheaply the things of this world,  and looks to the finish line of eternity, must be run with our  eyes fixed not on the pleasures of this world, but on Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith. Therein lies the danger. As sports in general and track field in particular, along with all other things that make for an enjoyable life here on earth, have the propensity to make us, " prone to wander, and prone to leave the God who we love.  The message then call  us to be eternally vigilant about " living in the secret place of the Most High", as otherwise we lose our way and our destiny and our  coveted prize - eternal life with Christ. Otherwise around every corner and beyond every street lies danger, if not disaster. The good news as recorded in the Word from Jesus,  is the power to live such a life is only a prayer away. And all we need to do is to prayer without ceasing, as God to enable us to live a life of faith and obedient each day, to a God who is very willing and able to help.  Only then will our nation, our family life, our communities and the entire world will change.

THE SECOND MESSAGE  - SENT TO MY CHILDREN AND OTHERS THIS WEEK

Led to read and reflect on the third verse of the hymn at the end of this message. An exercise which brings into sharp focus the exhortation of Brother Lawrence in an excerpt from his classic book, " The Practice of the Presence of God. O Lord help as we are so prone to wander. And wandering Christians will be not be able to discern and to do God's will. The pursuit of which
( God's will) ought ot be our only focus. So let us resolve to practice the presence of God; in the morning on awakening, at work, in the evening at home, and at bed time. And we will soon see the results.

All began when I reflected on:

" A man with leprosy came to him (Jesus) and begged him on his knees. if you are willing you can make me clean.
"Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man, I am willing he said. Be clean. Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured". mark 1;40-41 NIV.

Jesus is always willing. Let us ask Him to keep us close to Him all day, and soon we will grow to be like Him, in every way. And in every situation we will  be the Will of God. At home with family. At work with colleagues. In Church. Outside of Church. On line. Off line.  In season and out of season. Wherever and whenever!

BROTHER LAWRENCE

Verse: Proverbs 8: 30

“There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with GOD. Those only can comprehend it who practice and experience it; yet I do not advise you to do it from that motive. It is not pleasure which we ought to seek in this exercise; but let us do it from a principle of love, and because GOD would have us.

Were I a preacher, I should, above all other things, preach the practice of the presence of  GOD; and, were I a director, I should advise all the world to do it, so necessary do I think it, and so easy too.

Ah! knew we but the want we have of the grace and assistance of GOD, we should never lose sight of Him, no, not for a moment. Believe me; make immediately a holy and firm resolution never more willfully to forget Him, and to spend the rest of your days in His sacred presence, deprived for the love of Him, if He thinks fit, of all consolations.

Set heartily about this work, and if you do it as you ought, be assured that you will soon find the effects of it.”

Excerpt From: of the Resurrection Lawrence. “The Practice of the Presence of God the Best Rule of a Holy Life.” iBooks. 
This material may be protected by copyright.

Check out this book on the iBookstore: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewBook?id=508675065

Come now fount of every blessing.....

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Peace
LWJ


Sent from my iPad

Finally, The Lord led me to  to a Word which calls for a life of rejoicing, as He Himself has become " our salvation". Not Shelly -Ann, not Ambassador Usain St. Leo Bolt, not the IMF, not our Leaders whether local or in Obama
land, but the Living God Himself. So as children of " Light" who dare not place that ' flaming torch' under the bed, we are called to rejoice, every day,  in season and out of season, track meet or not track meet,  Soccer time in England or in Spain  or Brazil, or when all is quiet, we shall rejoice,  because
this is indeed the day that The Lord hath made. And we will rejoice as " The Lord is risen indeed.". And all our sins are forgiven, death has lost its sting, and we can live a Holy Life in and through the Resurrected Christ.  So this is a time of rejoicing, not for us alone but for the entire world. A world where the storms of life are battering young people, old people, entire nations, and Jesus can and will say, " Be still ". And the waves will die down completely, as they did over  two  thousand of years ago, and a group of frightened disciples heard the rebuke, " Do you still have no faith"!    I  pray God, that as He rescues us from the storms of life, during and after,  our faith in Him may grow and help us to rescue a  nation and a a world so  battered by social , moral and economic problems that it is desperately crying out for help.  But few are listening, as Bob Marley's song is becoming very prophetic. " You think you in heaven but you living in hell". We who have been so empowered and anointed, to rescue the perishing, care for the sick and the defenseless and help the poor and needy, regardless of their status,  must urgently show the same kind of courage and lion-heartedness thatJevon did, all to the glory of God.


THE THIRD MESSAGE - SENT TO MY PRAYER PARTNERS AND OTHERS

I woke this morning and was praising The Lord for a quiet and peaceful night. One of many in recent times. And  as I started my devotions praising The Lord , " he has become my salvation ", came into my mind. So I searched for it although I had read the same  phrase  in Isaiah recently, but in my heart I knew this one came from a Psalm. Then I found it....Psalm 118

".......I was pushed back and about to  fall,
but The Lord helped me.
The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.

Shouts of joy and victory
resound the tents of the righteous:
The Lord's right hand has done mighty things!
The Lord's right hand is lifted up high;
the Lord's right hand has done mighty things!

I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what The Lord has done.
The Lord has chastened me severely
but he has not given me over to death.

Open for me  the doors of righteousness,
I will enter and give thanks to The Lord .
This is the gate of The Lord
through which the righteous may enter.
I will give thanks for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.

The stone that the builders rejected
has become the capstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that The Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

O Lord, save us,
O Lord, grant us success.
Blessed is he who comes in the name
of The Lord.

From the house of The Lord, we bless you
The Lord is God,
and he  has made his light shine upon us.
With boughs in hand, join in he festal procession,
up to the horns of the altar.

Psalm 118:13-27 NIV

And as I read the last verse, I remembered " MIss Ivy", who I used to take to church, and who has now gone to glory, and the joy with which we would declare after Easter service, or anytime it came into  her mind, " ...up to the courts of heaven with speed".
So I searched for the hymn and found this.

The Lord is risen indeed!
Now is his work performed:
now is the mighty captive freed,
and death's strong castle stormed.

The Lord is risen indeed!
Then hell has lost his prey:
with him is risen the ransomed seed
to reign in endless day.

The Lord is risen indeed!
He lives, to die no more;
hr lives, the sinner's cause to plead,
whose curse and shame he bore.

The Lord is risen indeed!
Ascending angels hear!
Up to the courts of heaven with speed
the joyful tidings bear.

Then take your golden lyres,
and strike each cheerful chord;
join, all ye bright celestial choirs,
to sing to our risen Lord.

I am therefore being obedient and,  " proclaiming what The Lord has done",  to you who have journeyed with me. And will continue to do so, as I journey with you. There is clearly a message for me, but also as the Word continued, a message for all the faithful in Christ who trust in the 'capstone' and  who have suffered or have had their message rejected. God is at work, and His Word will not return to Him void but will surely achieve the purpose for which it has been sent, even though sometimes we cannot see the result.
So we continue to praise God, and seek to do His will and thereby, become His will. His good and perfect will.
Peace.
LWJ  

Whether excitement in Moscow or trouble at home, God is our only Savior

I read my Bible to see what men ought to do; and read the newspapers to see what men are doing - Newton

 

Lord renew the church beginning with me; Lord renew the church that the church may renew the nation(s) - prayer

What else could  have dominated the news for any Jamaica but the excitement and buzz of the World Games in Moscow where our athletes are expected, and have already began, to do well. So, the great man himself, Usain Bolt, duly obliged and won the Men's 100M  this afternoon, our time, in fine style on a wet track. And  pulled along three other Jamaicans in his wake, with Justin Gatlin spoiling the 1-2-3-4 party. So the Russian invasion is well and truly on with "pocket rocket", Queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce expected to perform as well tomorrow,  although a 'Blessing' looms large in the picture. What a country?Have mercy! But that the good side. Already in this the 51st year of Independence, many continue to question what  is the buzz all about as we have not done well as a nation generally. And specifically in the area of  our economy, on which we depend to provide a  reasonable life for our citizens, the story is  is not good. So much I heard a well respected Pastor from the Tarrant Baptist Church on radio as I was coming home from church asking the question. " how can we celebrate when for 45 of our 51 years as an Independent nation we have operated  a fiscal deficit; for the past 40 years the  average growth in our economy has been a measly and anemic 1%; we have the worse record in the Americas for growth in the economy over the past 10 years! Even hurricane wrecked and earthquake devastated Haiti came in above us. At another level,  there is raging debate over comments made by one of our more conscious female reggae artistes who chose to highlight the need, in her view, for Jamaica to make marijuna legal,  and  not join with those who are promoting same sex marriages, during a nationally televised performance on Independence day. Questions of freedom of expression, appropriateness, contractual agreements and timing,  have emerged, with many folks split down the middle on this one. Especially in the light of the mob killing of a  cross-dresser, who reportedly attended a dance dressed a woman, was allegedly dancing with a male, and when 'discovered',  was set upon and murdered. Triggering another debate about the need for  tolerance towards those who have a different lifestyle from the majority; wisdom in how one exercises that 'freedom'; the 'barbaric' nature of our  culture and the aggressiveness of the gay lobby. So what did The Lord say to His people in the midst of all this controversy, this national soul searching, and the celebrations of Sovereignty and  world class performance of our Athletes? I was led to write two messages this week. One to a set of national leaders, the other to leaders in my church. And as I wrote and read this week, and reflected on the increasing level of plurality of views held  by so many people, it came home to me most powerfully, how as a Christian one really and truly needs to be in constant touch with God so that our will is His will. Otherwise  we  too will contribute to the madness and chaos around us. And so a the words of a short hymn which is really a prayer grabbed my attention and 'lifted me up' this week. God be in my head, and in my understanding; God be in my eyes, and in my looking; God be in my mouth, and in my speaking; God be in my heart, and in my thinking; God be at my end, and at my departing. And so  I pleaded  with The Lord to be in my understanding, as who can fathom the depth of human depravity; who can find a way to make the Jamaican economy 'hum along' like that in Singapore, China and India. For Him to be my looking, as the temptations in life are myriad, subtle, beguiling on the one hand, and ' in your face' on the other. And we just cannot manage on our own. For Him to be in my speaking, as O God how we wish we could take back some harsh words, some ill thought out words - one of our senior Journalists  Dionne Jackson-Miller, on her programme Beyond The Headlines on RJRFM....www.radiojamaica.com    wondered aloud if Queen Ifrica  really contemplated what her  very public stance could  cost her if the Gay lobby 'took her on'. For God to be in our thinking, as only  God He knows how far off the mark we can get in our thinking and especially in regards to what is His will. And finally that on my departing God will welcome me as one who 'fought the good fight", and persevered to the end. It is in this  context then,  of  wanting to do God's will, despite the  expected persecutions that we will face in this world, and resolving to be part of the 'rescue mission' to help my country to emerge from economic doldrums, moral confusion, and social anarchy, that  I believe I was led to write the first of the two messages Sent from my iPad GOD'S CONTINUAL PRESENCE Martin Luther Verse: Psalm 73: 23..."Yet I am always with you; you hold me with your right hand" If for the sake of God's Word hardship, sorrow, and persecution come to us, all of which follow in the train of the holy cross, the following thoughts should, with God's help comfort and console us, and should make us determine to be of good cheer, full of courage and confidence, and lead us to surrender the cause trustfully into God's gracious and fatherly will. First, that our cause is in the hands of him who says so clearly, " No man shall pluck them from my hand" ( see John 10:28). It would not be wise to to take our cause into our own hands, for we could and shall lose it by our own loose ways. Likewise all the comfortable words are true and and do not lie, which say, " God is our refuge and strength" (  Psalm 46:1). Has any man who puts his trust in God ever been put to shame? All who trust in God will be saved, and again, " Thou Lord has not forsaken them that seek thee" ( Psalm 9:10 KJV). Thus it is really true that God gave his only-begotten Son for our salvation. If God gave his own Son for us, how could he bring himself to desert in small things. Sent from my iPad Comment: I do not believe we can ever begin  to understand the kind of privations and suffering and persecutions that the early church fathers had to contend with, on account of the Word. We, however, get a glimpse into their lives through meditations like these. So we who are experiencing hard times in life in this era, whether individually or collectively as church, must take comfort from the fact that we have "a large cloud of witnesses", with whom we have in part,  even a small part, a shared experience. And thus these opening  observations of the writer to the Book of Hebrews Chapter 12, ought to lead us to consider  verses 1-12 carefully lest we suffer the fate of those described in Hebrews 10: 35-39, by  throwing away our confidence. Please pray for me, as I pray for you,  that "we will not shrink back, but live by faith". And so as we are enabled to believe, the promised " streams of living waters", The Holy Spirit, will flow out from us, and help to heal this nation, and nations abroad, as only the power of God can rescue this land, or any land. Which is the essence of John Wesley's final and famous letter to William Wilberforce, sent in the height of the struggle to abolish slavery, and about which I wrote yesterday. Peace LWJ NB. Please pass this on to someone who you know is struggling with their faith in the midst of trials, as I get the sense that this reflection was sent for others at this time. The second message was triggered by my watching a television programme hosted by the same journalist mentioned above - she is a busy girl, and an Anglican like me also, and no, I am not partial, or biased,  as I listen to Cliff Hughes also,  a popular and award winning journalist, and who  neither shares my faith nor my views on  same-sex marriages. The subject was all about independence. And again in the middle of all of this the Word of God from the OT reading appointed for my church this Sunday ' lifted me up' in a powerful  way. " Do not be afraid,  Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward". Genesis 15: 1 NIV I n the sense that this Word reassured me that God Himself was my rock and my salvation, and He alone should I 'desire' in all this world. Which then made words of  the refrain, in particular and the hymn itself,  of that a  wonderful hymn hymn I was led to reflect on, so real and alive and meaningful. As the deer pants for the water, So my soul longs after You. You alone are my heart's desire And I long to worship You. Refrain You alone are my strength and shield, To You alone may my spirit yield. You alone are my heart's desire And I long to worship You. 2. I want You more than gold or  silver ( a challenge to sing  when watching Bolt or Shelly-Ann run.....in fact we forget about wanting  God alone then and only pray for Him to make them win...smile) Only You can satisfy  ( A challenge for young married couples..and older ones too) You alone are the real joy-giver ( despite the many and varied 'talents' of the latest  smart phone) And the apple of my eye ( for us grandparents to ponder....and young parents too) 3. You're my Friend and You are my brother Even though You are a King. I love You more than any other, So much more than anything. The point here is that the only way we are going to make a difference in anybody's world, be it strife torn Syria, or politically unstable  Egypt, ' enlightened' America and Europe, or economically blighted but proudly 'Independent'  Jamaica, is to place our complete trust in the God who made " heaven and earth", and  holds the solution to the problems of this world in His strong right hand. To seek Him alone first, and all other things will be added on. This reality of God's power came home to me most vividly as I pondered ' How such a great God could really live in me, and me in Him. Which is the essence of our hope in Christ Jesus?" How could this great God who made the heaven and earth live in insignificant humans and thus enable and empower us to do great things.  How can this be? The Word of God provided an answer as I was reminded of the experience of Mary. " The angel went to her and said, " Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, " Do not be afraid, mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will  never end. " How will this be," Mary asked the angel, " since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, " The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most high will overshadow you. So the  holy one to be born  will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, as she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God." " I am the Lord's servant, " Mary answered. " May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her. Luke 1: 28-38 NIV Therefore the single greatest fact  can teach our people, whether in good times or in challenging times; whether in Moscow or in Berlin whilst conquering the world in the field of athletics; whether at the National Stadium on Independence Day or in a television studio discussing Independence; whether in America or in Europe  or in our own country, facing opposition to, and because of, the Word of God, is that  " nothing is impossible with God". So we are not to be afraid or concerned, or be disconsolate about the state of our nation and indeed the world but proceed in faith, and teach our people to love God and to seek Him alone ultimately. That I believe is the context in which I was led to write the second message to  leaders in my country,  and now to a  wider audience, to encourage all peoples to  cast off all spiritual bondage and seek God and God alone. And not just fame in Moscow, or salvation in and through music. Or envy those who " are rich and famous and appear to be doing well economically' while Bob Marley's prophetic words may well apply to them, " You think you are heaven but you living in hell". It is indeed time for people to wake up and see the Light, as too many are living in darkness, and know not what they are doing. Or like in  the great city of Nineveh in Jonah's time, " do not know their right hand from their left". THE SECOND MESSAGE It's not a matter of blowing trumpets, but rather the leading of the Holy Spirit. Last night, I 'happened' upon All Angles whilst searching for news before preparing for a number of meetings this morning;  including one to deal with the upsurge in fatal crashes on our roads. And, again and again, the question of education emerged as one of the solutions to help to rescue this country from economic doldrums, and the many social maladies about which we are all concerned. All of this being discussed within the context of celebrating Independence. This morning, as I awoke, I recalled the section of the Grace Kennedy Lecture I had been privileged to deliver in 1995, and went and looked at it. The following is an excerpt from that part of the book entitled, " The Jamaican Society: Options for Renewal".  All of which was written from a Christian perspective. And as I searched for my copy on the bookshelf I came across another lecture shared by Prof. Errol  Miller in 2001, entitled " Jamaica in the 21st Century: Contending Choices. Interesting! THE PROCESS MUST BE LED BY EDUCATION Education which will encourage the most noble aspirations of human endeavour must be pursued. Education of our population, then, must transcend the pragmatic need to produce a more highly trained literate and gmail.com,numerate population to meet the demands of the technological age, or to make us into another Singapore. It must seek to do more than provide a vehicle for social mobility and therefore assist in reversing historical trends. it must aim for an even higher target than allowing people to make informed choices. Education must,  instead, ultimately seek to produce good men and women who understand themselves and their role in the community, and therefore are better able to relate to neighbour, the environment and to God. Such a purpose demands fundamental changes in the approach to education. The kind of mental slavery to which we have been subjected is not readily appreciated. Further it has enured to the benefit of powerful interest groups and has been aggravated by extremely potent forces in the media. The most powerful of these is the television and the most far reaching is the music, paradoxically, is the result of of the natural quest for freedom. Unhappily this quest is often unaccompanied by any sense of responsibility. History will surely record the profound irony of a country whose people were, for the most part, born in slavery of one kind and who, after centuries of struggle to escape its effects, have found themselves the victims of slavery of another kind. The change has to take place at two levels. One is the process and messages which are sent to our people. The other is the sustained mobilization of leaders to be involved in the process at all levels of society. Both must work in tandem....... Certainly not by coincidence, some of the issues identified in the short excerpt, were raised in the last blog/mailout which I wrote on Independence Day. And interestingly the Singapore model, the merits and appropriateness for Jamaica is being debated publicly at this time; as is, with much spiritedness, the role of dancehall music, in particular, on our society.  What does this all mean? I am not sure, but just being obedient to the leading of the same Spirit Who has guided my writings for the past many years, and Who,  I am sure,  was at work some 18 years ago. Have a read of the entire book, as  there may well be something there to help our country a a time like this. Peace LWJ Final comments - by the time some of you will get to read this, great things or disappointment may  have happened in Moscow. But regardless of what takes place, God is faithful, and there is no shadow of turning with Him, and He always honors those who honor Him. A promise Eric Liddell well knew when he elected  not to run  the 100 M on Sunday, his Sabbath, in his pet event, but rather try for the 400 M on the following day. An event he was not expected to win. But God honored him and he won.  ( 7 Men : And The Secret of Their Greatness by Eric Metaxas) Thus spawning  the great story and movie " Chariots of Fire". Let us  therefore pledge to  be faithful to the supernatural God and watch Him do all kinds of miracles in our lives and in our nation(s) in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen. Sent from my iPad

An Independence Message: Wilberforce and men in the barbershop point to Repentance

I read my Bible to see what men ought to do; and my newspapers to see what men are doing -John Newton Lord  renew the church beginning with me. Lord renew the church, the church may renew the nation(s) For the first time in years, I missed my self-imposed deadline for writing this weekly Internet message on a Sunday night. Having spent three glorious weeks in Miami with children,  and more importantly grandchildren, I retuned home on Sunday  night and hence the delay. So on this day when we, in the land of my birth and my beloved  country Jamaica , celebrates  its 51 st anniversary as a sovereign nation,  I find some time to write, and am doing so also within the context that,  last week Thursday on August 1, we celebrated our emancipation from slavery, and gave thanks for that great act of freedom.  So this time in the life of this island in the sun, this ' little rock',  is very special indeed. What kind of world then are we celebrating these two important milestones in the life of  our nation, and what is our vision going forward? In this context then, The Lord led me to read  and reflect on some important issues during this past week. Perhaps, none, from a secular point of view, more disturbing and deeply insightful than the following except from a weekly commentary from a very engaging columnist, Robert Lalah; By Robert Lalah The conversation at my barber shop turned to some serious matters during my visit last week. It was this whole business of celebrating Jamaica's Independence that got those involved most worked up. To be clear, this was only after more popular topics, like the latest trends in bedroom bullyism, the pros and cons of drinking rum before noon, and advances in automobile design had all been exhausted. It was a well-rounded gathering, you see. Whenever a debate on Indepen-dence takes place, you can pretty much predict the major avenues down which the arguments will go. 'What's there to celebrate? Whad'ya mean what's there to celebrate? Imagine having to always answer to Britain. But we still have to answer to Britain - and the United States - today.' At its core, though, are issues that really get a lot of people worked up. Did we do all we could in 51 years? Shouldn't we have achieved more? What would a colonized Jamaica be like in 2013? Would its residents be happier than they are now? independence wasted It seems there are many who feel that the fight for independence was much ado about nothing since those who have been given the task of running independent Jamaica have largely disappointed and have failed to capitalize on the potential this nation showed 51 years ago. One opinionated fellow at the barber shop suggested that we've become too complacent over these years and that we believe our athletic abilities and creativity in music make us special in some way. "We feel like seh because we run fast and sing reggae music, the whole world want to be like we," he said. "Dem don't want to be like we, 'cause we bruk and killing off each other down here. Dem like watch when we run and listen when we sing, but that don't mean dem want to be like we. "We only put on show fi di world, and when it come on to serious tings, we don't have no clue what we doing." It was a stinging statement that did the impossible. It silenced the room. Whether the others agreed with his assessment is unclear, but they did appear to be reflecting on the idea. The fact is that the past 51 years are already gone. What we did with them, though an important issue to consider, is far less significant than what we do with the years ahead of us. We might decide to write off the past half-century as a complete waste, or we could look at it as a great start to build on. Robert Lalah is features editor and author of 'Roving with Lalah'. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com. The second commentary/sermon which  grabbed my attention  is the one as noted below where The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby spoke to a group of Anglicans in the UK and which link was sent to me by a friend http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2013/08/people-pay-attention-when-the-church-is-real-abp-welby.aspx :   A world as described by the worldwide leader of the Anglican Church Archbishop...this week in an address to a  charismatic church group call " New Wine". And where he shared  the perspective that the Church of Jesus Christ has,  time and time again,  played an important  role  in rescuing Western Civilization, as we now know it from the " dark ages". From " Benedict" whose  leadership led to the  establishment of Universities  and Hospitals at time when " darkness" ruled over much of Europe. To St Francis of Assisi who perform the dame task later on. And all of this hugely important  change taking place because  of the  deep prayers of small groups of persons who believed in Christ Jesus. But sadly a world which, in the name of 'enlightenment' has turned  away from the  strong moral foundation  undergirding the building of a progressive civilization  which the Christian ethic facilitated. Last week also witnessed the 'revelations', as some would have in, by another leader, this time the Roman Catholic Pope who ' raised eyebrows' and perhaps the hopes of some, when he famously declared, " who am I to judge anyone"?   In   response to  questions posed by traveling journalists on his views on  the homosexual lifestyle. One person writing me during the week, in response to the  message last Sunday, suggested that " even the Pope is hedging" ( on this issue). And as I read Eric Metaxas' Book " 7 men" I could not help but paying close attention to the following excerpt in his Introduction and which was preceded by a discussion on manhood and what makes a man great. And so Metaxas having placed in context, the reason for writing about 7 men and  how historically " having role  models and heroes was a vital way of helping a  new generation know what it should be aiming at, he goes on to observe that something has changed in recent years. And then this comment: " Part of what happened is that - since roughly the late 1960's - we've  adopted  the idea that no one is really in a position to say what's right or wrong. So we're loath to point to anyone as a good role model. " Who am I to judge anyone"?, has become the mantra of our age" Finally, just last night I read about the second character in Metaxas' Book - William Wilberforce. And although I thought I knew something about him, having  studied both  European and West Indian history in high school, and read otherwise, this account was an 'eye opener'. I did not know that when Wilberforce, on the advice of John Newton, the reformed slave ship owner now turned Pastor, " vowed that he would take his faith into the world of politics and serve God there with his gifts",  Metaxas  tells the story as follows: " But how exactly should he go about it? How would it work out?  To what major political objects should Wilberforce turn his attention? That remained to be seen. But Wilberforce prayed about it and knew that God would lead him. Less than tow years after this historically important decision, Wilberforce wrote twenty words in his diary that would direct  the course of the rest of his life-time, would have consequences so far-reaching that they would end in genuinely altering the course of Western Civilization. " God Almighty", he wrote, " has set before me two great Objects: the suppression of the Slave Trade and the reformation of Manners". Metaxas then goes on to explain " Manners" in the context of the reformation of the morality or culture. And that culture included child labour - as young as five and six working 12 hour days often in dangerous conditions; widespread alcoholism - including drunk MP's and the upper class; the sexual trafficking of women - up to 25% of of all single women in London were prostitutes! And the average age was 16;  extreme cruelty to animals and public hangings for simple matters;  and the fact that 'goodness' was not fashionable - no rich person gave to the poor. Philanthropy as we now know and accept as the norm did not exist in the minds of people at that time. And so in addition to The Abolition of the Slave Trade, it is Wilberforce who is credited with  making " doing good to your neighbour,  a Biblical  command, " fashionable". it just did not exist before, in any real sense. There is a lot more about this remarkable man.  A  true man of God and  a genuine Hero whose exploits  changed the course of history, with help from his friends in the " Clapham Sect", and of course with divine intervention  to whom Him appealed, and the extent of his dependence is best exemplified by the following letter he received from the great  evangelist John Wesley, who also helped to shape the course of Britain's history,  a few days before  equally remarkable human being died. Dear Sir,                           Unless the divine power has raised you up to be as Athanasius ( he defended the doctrine of the Holy Trinity in the early church when it was attacked by forces within the church - my words)  contra mundum ( against the world - Metaxas), I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing the that execrable villainy, which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless god has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all  of them together stronger than  God? O be not weary of well doing. Go on, in the name of God and in the power of His might and, till even American slavery ( the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall  vanish away before it. Reading this morning a tract written by a poor African, I was particularly struck by that circumstance, that a man who has a black skin, being wronged by or outraged by a white man, can have no redress; it being a law in all our Colonies that the oath of a black against the white goes for nothing. What villainy is this! That he who guided you from youth up may continue to strengthen you in allof this and all things is  the prayer of, dear sir, Your affectionate servant John Wesley So in the midst of all of this what did the Holy One of Israel reveal through His Word and  inspired word, as  this tiny island which has given to the world Bob Marley's music, Marcus Garvey's philosophy, and  world records at the Olympic Games.  And  so much more, even as we contemplate the words of the  'savant' in Robert Lalah's  Barbershop. This country which has witnessed the Mighty Power of God in rescuing us from  Slavery and which people like the children of Israel, have forgotten about  ' Puppa Jesus' and Massa God", as we term them in  our  colloquial and colorful  dialect. I  sent a message to a group of Church leaders about the Pope's  statements, which I felt at the very least were " incomplete" in respect of the issue of judging. I also shared my thoughts on the views expressed in that wonderful sermon by the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, but I believe that the  following message captures the essence of what  I believe The Lord said to me this week. As we, as a people, and all peoples, are not just in need of Independence from physical bondage, and from economic  challenges, but more importantly , spiritual freedom. And which alone can  really set a people free. Which is what the Psalm appointed in the Anglican Church worldwide this week addresses. " The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of The Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is The Lord. Psalm 33: 10-12. So let us like John Wesley advised Wilberforce, " let us be not be weary of doing  good". For of such perseverance is born the wealth and prosperity and good name of a nation under God.  We pray that all who may read this, sinner and believer, Prime Minister and working class man, doctor and patient, journalists and listeners, all people may heed the  warning of one of the most important passages of Scripture which came into my mind as I was walking and contemplating this message this morning. "  For  God has bound  all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all".  Romans 11:32. As until we come to the point where we realize that we are " wretches" before God, as John Newton, who wrote Amazing Grace discovered, the same one who was close to Wilberforce, then the message below will not  mean anything, and spiritual bondage will continue to our lot. And Independence will, like the barbershop  philosopher, of little moment in the life of a nation. Any Nation. I pray that my grandchildren will have a different experience, and will live in a land freed of sin and death in and through Christ Jesus, and which life begins with repentance. Of Nation and of self. GOD LOVES THE BACKSLIDER Dwight Moody Verse: Hosea 14:4 "...I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. "  Read this in the context of the Scripture explains all Scriptures....For no matter how many promises God has made, there are " Yes",  in Christ, And , so through him the " Amen" is spoken to us to the glory of God. Now it God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He has anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts and as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. ( 2 Cor. 1:20 22).   The Backslider came into the inquiry room night before last, and I was trying to tell him God loved him. He would hardly believe me. He thought  because he had not kept up his love and faithfulness to God, and to his own vows, that God had stopped loving him. Now, it says in John 13:1 (KJV) , " He loved them unto the end", that is, his love was unchangeable. You might have forgotten him and betrayed him and denied him, but nonetheless, he loves you: he loves the backslider. There is not a man here who has wandered from God and betrayed him but what The Lord Jesus loves him and wants him to come back. Now in Hosea 14:4, God says that he will heal every backslider. " I will....love them freely", So The Lord tells the backsliders, " if you would only come back to me, I will forgive you." It was thus with Peter who denied  his  Lord. The Savior forgave him and sent him to preach his glorious gospel on the day of Pentecost when 3,000 were won to Christ under one sermon of a backslider ( see John 18:25-27; 21:15-19; Acts 2:14-39). Don't let a backslider go out of this hall this evening with such hard talk about The Lord. No backslider can say that God has left him. he may think so, but it is one of the devil's lies. The Lord has never left a man yet. Comment: If I may say so myself, as this reflection has nothing to do with my wisdom, I  was only led to read and share, what an amazing revelation. " The Lord has never left a man yet". And it is true. What is even more amazing is the fact that " we all get the same wages", no matter at which point we accept Christ, turn back to Him with a repentant heart, and help to share this  Good News with other.  My only lament is that,  if  we were to do so early, then we would have for a much longer time,  been part of the rescue mission of God to "reconcile the world to Him and to each other", in and through Christ Jesus. But who am I to speak, having been a wretch, who God rescued. Finally I have long had the greatest respect for the Word that says: "  Say to them, ' As surely as I live,' declares the Sovereign Lord, I take  no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their wicked ways and live. Turn! Turn from your from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel? "  Ezekiel 33: 11 NIV In that context then, it is  the role of the church is to be the " watchman", who God called Ezekiel to be, and warned him to speak to his countrymen and tell them to turn and repent. And if he did not do so, " their blood " would be on his head. But if he did, and they refused to repent, then "their blood would be on their own heads". So my friend even though The Lord has called me to speak to you this morning, the greater message, is that our country which is celebrating Emancipendence, needs  to listen carefully to what the present day Ezekiel, the church, is saying, and turn back to the God who rescued them  from slavery. Back to Him who loves the backslider, and has not left them. Then and only then, will people like Vibes Kartel, no longer rule over our children, people will not be mobbed and killed in the dancehall or in the community,  a nation will no longer suffer the burden of debt like an albatross around  our necks, gunmen will no longer terrify  a people, and  politicians will no longer sow divisive seeds in our  land,  but come together under God,  so that healing may  happen. In short,  emancipation from spiritual bondage will take place, and we will truly be independent of, and freed from,  the plans and machinations of the devil who loves not, but only plans to  kill and to destroy. But Jesus has come that we have life, and have it more abundantly. Amen! LWJ