Should We Offer Grace Or Castration?

As I was watching the news last night, once again I was horrified to learn that another married couple had been involved in the molestation of a 12 year old girl.  When the husband was interviewed by police back in June, according to an affidavit, James Woodcock admitted that his "urges" are getting stronger and he sees a "pattern" to his behavior. He told police he wanted help, because he didn't want to hurt anyone.

Funny thing is he told the police this back in June, but he failed to show up for court on December 4th.  I don't know about you, but this guy's actions don't quite meet up with his words.  In other words, he might have said he wants help, but in all reality does he?  I would think that if he really wanted to get help, then he would have shown up to court to get some.

And let us not forget his wife, Jennifer Woodcock, 55, was charged with permitting child sexual abuse and failing to report child sexual abuse, after police said she walked in on an incident, but allowed him to continue to be around the child and never reported it to police.  So, she is just as guilty of the crime as he is in my opinion.

Which brings me to the point of my blog, should we offer grace or castration?  The Bible is very clear on the fact that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23).  We have all done wrong, no matter how good we think we are.  And the one thing that I understand about God, is that there is no degree of sin with Him either.  For instance if picking your nose was considered a sin to God, then in the eyes of God it would be no different than murdering someone.  If it is something that separates you from God, it is sin.  It's us as people that tend to assign a degree of evilness to each sin, not God.

Yet I can't help but think (my opinion only here) that there is a special level of hell reserved for those who abuse children.  Remember what Jesus told the disciples about causing a little one who trusted in Him to fall into sin?  He said it would be better for that person to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around his neck.  (Mark 9:42)  Yes, and for those of you who are Bible scholars I have taken that out of context to fit my blog.

Years ago there was a young man who had been involved in satanism and through that had murdered his mother and stepfather in cold blood.  He was arrested  tried, convicted and placed on death row.  While in prison, he was born again, and truly made every effort to bring as many people to Jesus as possible telling his story from his cell.  He truly had a prison experience with the Lord, and a lot of people thought that he would be released because of that.

He was never released, and subsequently was killed by lethal injection, the form of capital punishment the state of Oklahoma meets out for inmates convicted of heinous crimes.  In an interview with this young man's grandfather he was asked what he thought about his grandson paying for his crime with his life, to which he replied, "Sean has given his heart to the Lord Jesus, but his body belongs to the state of Oklahoma."  You see in this instance both grace and justice were served.

So in order to answer the question of my blog this morning, I think we can offer both grace and punishment.  To this couple I would say, please accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, give Him your heart and accept the grace His sacrifice offers, but understand that you have committed a crime that must be punished by the state of Oklahoma, so you will have to be jailed for this, and if castration is an option on the table to prevent him from doing this type of thing again, then perhaps that is what he needs in order to stifle those "urges" which he said are getting stronger in his life.

Well there's that...strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

So Who Controls The Criminals?

Gun control.  It's a hot topic in the news again, as it is every time a horrible tragedy occurs in our nation.  What is gun control exactly, and why are our politicians so keen on putting it into place I wonder?  Could it be realistically that in order to control a population you must first take away their ability to defend themselves?  Is it possible that what lies behind this is truly just one more freedom being eroded away from the population by the river of good intentions? 

I will go on record here saying that people who steal from others are on the bottom rung of the ladder of society, and should be treated with contempt.  Now I will add, that if they choose to change their lifestyle and find gainful employment, becoming good citizens I will welcome them with open arms.  Until then if they choose to take from others instead of earning an honest living however, I will consider them scum, bottom line.

I don't know about you, but I work hard for my money.  I work at least five days a week for my employer; arriving at work before seven in the morning and leaving shortly after six in the evening.  I spend almost half of my day working to earn money.  Now if someone comes and takes what I have worked so hard for, I will have no compassion for them if they get what they deserve.  Take this short little story I read this morning:

Last Thursday night around midnight, a woman from Houston, Texas was arrested, jailed and charged with manslaughter for shooting a man 6 times in the back as he was running away with her purse.

The following Monday morning, the woman was called in front of the Arraignment Judge, sworn-in, and asked to explain her actions.

The woman replied, "I was standing at the corner bus stop for about 15 minutes, waiting for the bus to take me home after work.  I am a waitress at a local cafe.  I was there alone, so I had my right hand on my pistol in my purse hanging on my left shoulder.  All of sudden I was spun around hard to my left.  As I caught my balance, I saw a man running away with my purse.  I looked down at my right hand and saw that my fingers were wrapped tightly around my pistol.  The next thing I remember is saying out loud, "No Way Punk!  You're not stealing my pay check and tips!"  I raised my right hand, pointed my pistol at the man running away from me with my purse, and started squeezing the trigger of my pistol.

When asked by the arraignment judge, "Why did you shoot the man 6 times?"  The woman replied under oath, "Because, when I pulled the trigger the 7th time, it only went click."

The woman was acquitted of all charges.  She was back at work the next day.

I don't know if this is a true story or not, but it does help illustrate what I'm trying to get at this morning, and that is we should have the right to protect ourselves and what we work for from the element in society that chooses to take instead of giving something back.  I realize that there are several people who will disagree with my position and who would probably say that the man in that story needed that money to go feed his children or buy medicine for a sick wife.  Making the victim of a crime the bad guy, wanting desperately to be compassionate to the criminal, saying it's not their fault, they act that way because of how they were raised.

Bull hockey!  People are the captains of their own destiny.  No matter how you were raised, or what happened to you in your past, we all have the same ability to make a decision, for good or for bad.  And when you decide that you are going to take from someone, then you will have to face the consequences of your actions.  You can't blame your choice on someone else, that is part of the problem in society.

I had a discussion with a young man who had decided that he was a pacifistic several years ago and vehemently defended his choice to not own a gun, or to be violent in any way.  I asked him what he would do, if a violent man took his girlfriend and began to rape her in his presence?  His answer was that he would reason with the rapist, and explain to him why his actions were wrong.  I was shocked to say the least.  I asked, "You mean to tell me that you would stand there and try to reason with someone who was defiling your girlfriend, instead of pulling him off of her and knocking some sense into his head?"  To which he said yes.

Now while I guess I should applaud him for sticking to his guns (no pun intended) and remaining a pacifist in light of that horrendous crime.  I can't help but believe that if that were to actually happen, he would become just as big a neanderthal as he probably feels I am for thinking that the brute should be beaten within an inch of his life.

And if we are to see gun control in our lifetime here in America, do you think the criminal element of society will adhere to it?  Will they willingly give up the guns that they carry, most of which have been stolen or purchased illegally?  What gun control will truly do in my opinion is to make it easier for criminals to take what isn't theirs because becoming unarmed and unable to defend what is ours will make us easier targets for crime.  So I say, lock and load, and criminals beware!

Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

The Christmas Story

I saw this little video yesterday at church. I don't know who the author of it is, but it is such a neat presentation of the story of Christmas I wanted to share it with you.  Enjoy and Merry Christmas.

Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King.

Confessions Of Dad

Harry Chapin wrote a song back in the 70's called "Cat's In The Cradle".  It always got me choked up, but now looking back on my years as a father it pulls on my heart's strings even more.  Take a look at the lyrics to this song:

My child arrived just the other day

He came to the world in the usual way

But there were planes to catch and bills to pay

He learned to walk while I was away

And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew

He'd say "I'm gonna be like you dad

You know I'm gonna be like you"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon

Little boy blue and the man on the moon

When you comin' home dad?

I don't know when, but we'll get together then son

You know we'll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day

He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play

Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today

I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"

And he walked away but his smile never dimmed

And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah

You know I'm gonna be like him"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon

Little boy blue and the man on the moon

When you comin' home son?

I don't know when, but we'll get together then son

You know we'll have a good time then

Well, he came home from college just the other day

So much like a man I just had to say

"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"

He shook his head and said with a smile

"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys

See you later, can I have them please?"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon

Little boy blue and the man on the moon

When you comin' home son?

I don't know when, but we'll get together then son

You know we'll have a good time then

I've long since retired, my son's moved away

I called him up just the other day

I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"

He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time

You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu

But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad

It's been sure nice talking to you"

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me

He'd grown up just like me

My boy was just like me

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon

Little boy blue and the man on the moon

When you comin' home son?

I don't know when, but we'll get together then son

You know we'll have a good time then.

I'm not disappointed with my years as a father, I feel as if I have done a fairly good job instructing my kids and being there for them, supporting and providing for their needs.  And yet at times I still wonder if I'm doing alright by them.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not coming from a place of sadness or regret, just asking myself those hard questions that help a person to grow.

I told a man just last night that the best advice I could give him on being a good father is to repent often when  you make a mistake, and own up to your mistakes with your kids.  I've often been amazed at how many men think their children are just stupid by trying to cover up their mistakes instead of just asking their children to forgive them when they happen, (and they do happen more often than I would like to admit).  I may not have always done everything right with my kids, but this one thing I did, and I feel it has made my kids better because of it.

As Christmas season comes at us full bore, it can be easy to take things out on your kids, try to not let that happen, but when it does (and it will) be quick to repent and to forgive, and show your kids the way a real man handles the stress.  You can do this, there is greatness in you just waiting to come forth.  For the Kingdom and the King!

Me And My Merry Band Of Misfits

This is one of my favorite images from The Lord of the Rings movies.  I love it because it is a picture of my life so to speak.  An interesting group of different individuals traveling a path together towards a common goal.

Several years ago, I began to put together a group of men who I felt could help me in my journey with the Lord, and in return I could offer my strength to their lives as well.  The invitation went out to ten men, asking them to join, and six accepted.  Since then, we've added one more to our merry band of misfits as we've continued on our lives together.

One of the things that I so love about this picture is the fact that each one these characters who are pictured are not all the same.  There is a wizard, two men, a dwarf, an elf and four hobbits.  Each one bringing a different something to the table through their personalities, viewpoints, appetites, etc.  And that is what I looked for when inviting men into my life.  A good friend of mine has said numerous times, "If two of you are just alike, then one of you is not needed."  How true, that is what we need in our lives, others who perhaps think differently than ourselves and will tell us the truth.

Every man needs a group of friends to hold him accountable, tell him the truth (even when he doesn't want to hear it) and to be there for him in times of trouble.  I was thinking about Jesus, even He had a group surrounding Him while He was here on the earth.  And before you go all spiritual on me, yes He was making disciples out of those men, but I believe that He also needed men around Him for companionship and camaraderie too.  Even the best can't do this alone.

I want to share a short glimpse into my life from a dark day where I was glad to have my band of brothers with me.  The day of my youngest son's funeral, at the grave-site, I had drank too much water and really had to pee.  The only problem was there were no facilities anywhere close and wouldn't be for close to thirty minutes.  Unfortunately my bladder was not going to wait, so spotting a mound of dirt a couple of hundred feet from the grave I motioned for my buddies to come to me.  Explaining the situation, I asked them to form a shield around me so that I could relieve myself.

With their backs to me, I let nature take its course and after what seemed to be at least five minutes was able to return to the group of people standing around.  Everyone there thought that I had called my buddies to console me, none of them knowing what the real purpose was until later.  Each of those guys told me afterwards that they hadn't signed up to do that, and to expect their letters of resignation from the group.  And I look back on that with a grin now.

Seriously, each of those men were there for me in my family's time of need, and I love each one of them.  Do we all like the same things?  No, but we are there for each other when needed, and I would not want to walk this path alone.  It's awesome to have men like this in my life, and it is something that we all need, we just have to go out and develop it,because it won't come on its own no matter how bad we want it to.

If you are walking alone right now, let me suggest that you find men around you that you would like to get to know, pray and ask Jesus to show you these men and then invite them to lunch and get to know them.  Then take a little time, invest in their lives and watch what happens.  Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King.

Oh, and if you'd like more information, email me: godsfirstknight@yahoo.com

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year...Is It Really?

With less than one week til Christmas, I've been thinking about the state of things in the world, and have come to the conclusion that if this is in fact the most wonderful time of the year, then why are so many people stressed?   It must be all the hype to make this the best Christmas ever.  Like Clark Griswold in the movie Christmas Vacation, people across the United States are setting themselves up for failure this Christmas.  What I mean is that instead of taking things the way they come  and enjoying them, we build up in our minds how we think Christmas should be, and in doing so make it impossible to achieve.

I know that for myself there have been many, many times when I tried for the "perfect Christmas" too.  I just mucked it up and by the end of the season seemed to be more upset with those around me than I should have been.  I'm sure we've all done that too.

What we should be doing I think is enjoying what time we have with friends and family, not focusing on gifts and how much money we spent.  Which unfortunately seems to be the gauge by which people view whether or not their Christmas is a good one or not.

What happened to the meaning of Christmas?  You know the birth of the Savior of mankind?  That little manger scene that we all had somewhere in our homes years ago during Christmas time which depicted the birth of Jesus?  Yeah, I know that it is not a true representation of what happened, but it is a simple image for us to help remember what happened all those years ago.

I don't want to come across as a Scrooge or anything, but it seems that in the pursuit of having that "perfect" Christmas if we are not careful we could miss the entire meaning of the season.

Remember the reason that Jesus came was so that we could come back into relationship with our Heavenly Father.  Relationship was the goal, and still is.  God wants to have a relationship with us more than anything, and that should be our goal this holiday season too.  To rekindle those relationships with the ones we love.  To make time to enjoy each other and not stress over whether or not the sweater is the right size or color.  It's about people with God and we need to make that our priority as well.

So as you're celebrating this Christmas season, remember to think about why we celebrate Christmas, and then enjoy your time with family and friends regardless of how crazy they might be.  Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!