For centuries, people have told of finding wisdom in ancient words. Even with modern marvels of technology, such as the iPod on which I compose this blog, millions turn to ancient words for wisdom and comfort.

There once was a time when God spoke directly, “without riddles”, to Moses. Later He spoke through the prophets in visions and dreams.  Eventually the Christ came to us to speak to us, once again, quite plainly.  Today He reveals Himself through the Holy Spirit.  The prophets turned to the books of Moses for guidance.  The rabbis of Christ’s time turned to the prophets and Moses.  And, today, we turn to Moses, the prophets and the words of Christ.

What value is there in reading words over four thousand years old?

God’s nature is unchanging (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 6:17, James 1:17).  What was true about God four thousand years ago is true today.  Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes, repeatedly states that there is nothing new under the sun.  Of course, he is not talking about the race of technology.  In spiritual matters, there is nothing new under the sun.

The Holy Bible is a gift of wisdom from the ancients.  Millions have died to make sure these words never die.  Our ancient foe, the devil, desires only to keep these words of salvation out of our hands.  Yet we are able to find them everywhere we turn.

You need not spend a penny to read.  Check out The Bible Gateway.  It is an online bible with many versions available.  Begin with the Gospel of John.  God’s promise is outlined quite nicely in chapter 3. To find more about salvation, read Romans.  I recommend The Message version for easy reading.  Let me know what you think.

Comment here or e-mail me at claysramblings@gmail.com.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Today at church, I spoke with a research oncologist.  He works to find new ways to treat cancer – specifically prostate cancer.  He said that his organization benefits quite a bit from the money raised by Movember.  It was quite inspiring to hear about how this money is put to good use.

Please visit my Movember page.  Consider dropping a couple of bucks there.  And tell your friends!

So my homeowner’s association, with their infinite wisdom, wrote me a letter to complain about the condition of my lawn.  Looking at my neighbors, it’s likely they wrote letters to 90% of my neighborhood.  They told me that I need to water my lawn.

In the middle of a drought, they want me to water my lawn.

Let’s hear it for the brains of the operation.  Since the letter of the law – the DEED RESTRICTIONS – do not exempt droughts, I am compelled to comply.  Regardless of the fact that watering my lawn may deprive firefighters of water – regardless of the fact that watering my lawn may reduce the levels of our water table – regardless of the fact that watering my lawn may actually cause someone to become dehydrated…  I must abide by the rules.

We have done a very good job of keeping our lawn mowed and our flowerbed weed free.  We have done a very good job of keeping our place maintained during this recession to avoid being those people.  But the house around the corner – which has been foreclosed and unmaintained for the last two years – looks like something out of a horror movie.  My neighbor and I are contemplating opening it as a haunted house in October and charging admission.  We won’t have to do much, it’s already falling apart!

And they want to write me up for not watering my lawn during water restrictions.

What the heck ever happened to common sense?  When did we become so blinded by rules that we refused to listen to our brains?  Why did the family that signed the original deed restrictions circulate an unsuccessful petition to have our neighborhood removed from them?  Because the Homeowner’s Associations are incapable of thinking.

People, let’s use our common sense.  Refuse to buy houses that have deed restrictions.  Force the street gestapo out of business.  Let us get back to the business of living.  Don’t we have to bow to politicians and our bosses enough?  Our homes should be our sanctuary.

Even the archangel – one of the highest ranking angels – wouldn’t mess with Satan. Why do we think we can?

“In the Presence of Enemies” is a 25 minute song in two parts by Dream Theater on their Systematic Chaos album. In the first part, Heretic, we are introduced to the daily conflict we all face. “Do you still wait for your God? And a symbol of your faith?”

We all must learn to wait on God. He has blessings we can not recognize on the surface. The symbol of our faith is faith itself. We trust in the Lord and we wait through various trials to find Him. James said “count it pure joy when you face various trials for these trials build patience.”

“I can free you from this hell and misery… All I ask is that you worship me.”. The tempter offers empty promises of freedom from our problems. And, on the surface, they do appear to be our salvation. Piece by piece, we fall into his trap.

“Dark Master within, I belong to you. Dark Master of sin, now my soul is yours.” How I long to serve my Lord, Jesus Christ. But every time I turn a deaf ear to his commands – that I love him and live others- I bow to His enemy. Hardening my heart I offer allegiance to the Dark Master.

But there is hope. “My soul grows weaker, he knows and he waits. He watches over me, standing at the infernal gates. In my hour of darkness, the moment I feared has past, the moment I lost my faith- promising salvation. My soul is my own, now. I do not fight for you. Dark master.”

We can choose at any time to come home. It gets harder every minute we are away, but the invitation is always open. We can declare our independence from sin – with Christ’s help – and walk away from the Dark master.

He waits to make us a new creation, ready to serve Him today and reign with Him in eternity. And I’m SO ready.

I’ve been offered, and accepted, permanent employment. But I’m still a contractor. I want insurance. So I’m not happy. What does our Provider have up His proverbial sleeve now?

The funny thing is, I know he has something up His sleeve. I just don’t know what it is. Somehow the bills will get paid. Not the extras, like the dinner out last week, but the necessities. There is always, miraculously, a little left over – just so long as we don’t over-do it.

But I’m greedy. I want a little more. I want to show my kids the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. I want to show them every place I’ve ever lived. I want to eat an occasional steak. I want… I want… I want…

Then I think about the poor soul I passed under the bridge this morning. At 4:00 am. It was already over 80F and he didn’t have a cool place to sleep. Sweaty and dirty, he hoped to get just a little shut-eye on a concrete mattress before the day warmed up to another record high.

And I got mad because my air conditioning couldn’t keep it below 85F at 4:00 pm.

God can put things in perspective. I can do little to help the guy under the bridge. But I can put a little jingle in his cup. I can feel good about that, right?

I am content with what God has given me. I really am. But there are days when it just seems like more would be better.

Thanks for listening.

Is your product worth my money?

America today does not stand behind their products.  That’s part of America’s problem.  We have no concept of quality.  That’s why Honda and Toyota and Kia are doing so much better than Ford and Chrysler and GMC.  They stand behind their products.  Their products are worth my money.  If something goes wrong with their product, they will take care of every bit of it during the warranty period.  American companies fail to do that – then wonder why everybody wants to buy foreign goods.

Aspen Manufacturing made the coil that was installed two years ago.  It comes with a ten year warranty, that is hardly worth the paper on which it was printed.  Why should I have to pay for labor and refrigerant because your unit failed?  It’s not my fault that it failed.  It’s yours.  Plain and simple.

Once upon a time in America, companies believed in what they sold.  Once upon a time in America, people had integrity.  Today, it’s quite different.  Few people, if any, stand behind the products they sell.  If the product fails, they’ll eat the cost of the part but nothing else.  The labor to install the part may cost more than the part itself – and you’re still out the big bucks.

This is the latest in a long series of disappointments in customer service.

• Wal-Mart sold me software but failed (several times) to properly scan the activation code.  They would not refund the software because it has been opened.
• Capital One offered points with which we purchased a home telephone.  They have not arrived more than one month after purchase.  And Capital One has no idea why.  We may never get the phones, but we’ve lost the points.

Until yesterday, I worked at a computer helpdesk for a major world-wide company.  Their job is maintaining the oil wells all over the world.  My brother works for a competitor, as a roughneck.  He’s not into computers, but I’m keen on technology.  He has told me about the neat computers on their trucks.  I’ve always wanted to work on non-traditional computers – like X-Ray machines or the ones that diagnose car problems or the ones in these trucks.

So one day, I helped a manager with a network problem.  He was in the group that works on these trucks for our company.  He suggested I apply for the job listed in The Voice of Truth post.  I applied and the interview did not go well.  I mean, this guy wanted me to apply for an Entry-Level position!  And I’ve been working on computers for over 30 years!  Of all the noive!

My wife and I discussed what needed to be done to kickstart my career.  I suggested going overseas, but she was very opposed to that.  I returned to work fairly depressed and feeling like I was going to be stuck for the rest of my life.  Another helpdesk call was a guy who – out of the clear blue sky – started talking about how sometimes he had to put his career first so his family could advance.  Then one of the guys I work with told me about jobs in Afghanistan.  That’s about the time I quit blogging.

Again I discussed it with my wife.  She was much more open about working in Afghanistan, so I applied for the job and was accepted – so long as I get a Network+ certification.  I did.  We agreed to keep silent about this prospect until it came through.  I decided it was best that I stop blogging through this process, just to make sure I don’t spill the beans by accident.  In the end, I was medically disqualified.  I disagree with the doctor’s findings, but there’s no way to undo it.  The final word came in about three weeks ago.  After missing countless hours of paid work for doctor’s visits and preparation, I was now not going to get the job.  Nor was I going to be re-imbursed for my certification.

There was a crisis of faith as I felt God led us to that oasis in the desert only to find it was a mirage.  Through much of this, my wife was my bastion of faith.  She kept me focused on God and His blessings as I asked “Where is He?”  Times that I could not feel His presence or hand in my life, these were the times that she was strongest.  We watched our dreams vaporize, once again, by e-mail.  Yet he was working in ways we could not see or feel.

A week later, the manager from the bad interview called me back.  ”We need to talk.”  So I went to talk with him.  I start working there on Monday.  Two and a half months ago, I was very unhappy with what he had to tell me.  Working entry-level offended me.  Today, I’ve learned to be a bit more humble and accept small blessings – like permanent employment rather than contract – when they appear.

To sum this all up, God is working hard behind the scenes.  He may be working in ways we don’t – or may never – understand.  When it’s all said and done, though, “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, NIV)

Anyway, I find that I am what can only be defined as a

Compassionate Christian Conservative.

I am compassionate – I believe in helping those who need help.  This help may be a hug, food, cash (if I have it), a kind word or just a listening ear.  The compassion I feel toward others drives me to reach out in the name of Christ.

I am a Christian – I celebrate Christ risen from the dead.  I strive to follow His teachings and commands.  Love the Lord your God with all you are.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  By doing this, I can reflect a tiny bit of His glory here on earth.  I hesitate to write this, because I do not celebrate it for my sake.  I celebrate it for His sake.  He has guided me to be the man I am.  I have done nothing.

I am a conservative – I have been through hard times.  I believe that only by being a good steward of the gifts that God has given me can I do His work.  Being a good steward means I do not give away everything just because somebody asks for it.  Rather, being a good steward means I plant seeds that may grow.  This includes teaching skills to those around me so they can earn their own money.  It also includes investing what God has given me so it will grow.  One day, I will be able to bless twice as much as I do today through wise investing.

When I discuss my passion for Christ, there are those who question me because I don’t believe in giving food to everybody who asks.  Rather, I believe I need to help people help themselves.   Through assisting in this manner, others will be able to give rather than just receive.

I am not 100% right.  Neither am I 100% wrong.  The Body of Christ has room for – and a great need for – those who believe as I do and those who are outrageously “fiscally liberal”.  Like all of the different members, we need to learn to just get along.

In my job search, though, my experience is meaningless without a piece of paper.  No, it’s not a college degree, it’s a certificate from some faceless authority that says I am certifiable.  The names sound like alphabet soup – CNA, CCNA, MCSE, SSCP, A+, Network+… the list goes on and on.

Yeah, I can pass the tests, but they are so darned expensive!  I have not had the luxury of working at a place that will reimburse me for the cost of these tests.  So, when times are tough and finances are tight, I have tried to do with just my experience.  It’s not getting me very far.

Recently, I interviewed with a company that said they would hire me if I got the certifications.  And, if I got the certs before I reported for duty, they would pay me back.  So, I’m gonna drop a few Benjamins on a certificate – a piece of paper that says I know what I know.

I guess our spiritual life is kinda like that.  People want to know under what authority we speak.  But we have a certificate.  In the Great Commission (Matthew 28), Jesus commanded us to carry His Name into the world.  That command is the authority we need – the certificate that says we are capable of doing His work.

I have to prove to the world that I know about computers through a piece of paper.  Jesus knows I am always learning His word, and is happy to hire me on His Word alone.

wow

Six years ago, the world faced a tragedy that made us all sit up and take notice.  An earthquake, magnitude 9.3, struck Indonesia and unleashed a torrent we call a tsunami.  The world watched in awe and wonder as televisions showed waves destroying homes, cities and lives around the Indian Ocean.  A friend in South Africa sent pictures of the river hear his house flowing upstream.

Today, a similar incident occurred in Japan.  A magnitude 8.9 struck, releasing a tsunami that is still affecting the eastern Pacific coastline at the time of this writing.

But there is a difference.  The quake and subsequent tsunami in 2004 devestated hundreds of thousands of lives.  Today’s affected far fewer.  Japan prepared for this event.  Drawing on the experience of the last few centuries, engineers designed buildings to withstand the most catastrophic shaking.  Pipelines and nuclear plants can survive, even when the ground moves like water.  The people of Japan have trained relentlessly to survive “the Big One”.

Today, my hat is off to the people of Japan.  To the people who have chosen not to let things happen; to the people who fix what is wrong; to the survivors – I say “Thank you.”  Our world can learn a great deal from you.

Plus you make really good cars.

That was a short post.