family – Alan Sargent

Posted on February 19, 2020February 19, 2020 by 40477641 — Leave a comment

CLARITY – 2-19-20 Sacred Trust

CLARITY

A Biblical Response to Current Events – 2-19-20

Sacred Trust

What’s Happening: “In an NBC News article appearing yesterday, James Alex Hurley, a twelve-year-old Montana boy, was found tortured to death, and his 14-year old uncle and his grandparents are being charged with the crime. Cellphones confiscated show recordings of the torture that apparently began over two years ago, All the food was locked up and the boy had become emaciated. He was given to the grandparents to care for when his father, the grandparents’ son, died (https://www.yahoo.com/news/grandparents-uncle-charged-beating-death-172800284.html). The grandparents, James Sasser, Jr., 47, and Patricia Batts, 48, are being held for $500,000 and $750,000 bail, respectively. The teen-age uncle is being held and charged as a minor.”

Knee-Jerk Response: “If you can’t trust family, who can you trust?”

Biblical Response: “I don’t have an answer to that (well,actually, I do…trustworthiness comes from God, when his people allow the transformation – Phil. 2:5 – that God intended by His Holy Spirit). It seems that the sacred trust of children was not a principle by which that family lived! All the details will no doubt come out at trial, but there’s one background truth: the family is under assault. Parents are too busy pursuing personal pleasure or career success to accept the challenge of kids. They’d rather the screen be the baby-sitter. It’s no wonder kids are still living in the basement of their parents’ home…some past thirty years of age! And no wonder so many marriages end in divorce…couples were not prepared by their parents for the kind of maturity required for relationships. Sure, family is hard work and discipline unpleasant (Heb. 12:11; Eph. 6:4), but children are like arrows shot into the future and we are to fill our quivers full of them (Ps. 127:3-5)”

“Christians? We believe that family is important and consequences for not raising children properly is far-reaching:

‘I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected— even children in the third and fourth generations.’ (Ex. 34:7)”

Here’s a Prayer You Can Pray: “Heavenly Father, help us to consider children the sacred trust that they are; in Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Share as you like, just give credit appropriately. For buying any of Alan E. Sargent’s books or to subscribe or to comment on any of his CLARITY blogs, go to the following link:subdeo.com.’ Copyright © 2020 Alan E. Sargent

Posted on August 24, 2018 by 40477641 — Leave a comment

CLARITY – 8-24-18 Confusing

CLARITY

A Biblical Response to Current Events – 8-24-18

Confusing

What’s Happening: “A Jesuit priest, James Martin, protested that the Catholic Church has not been ‘Building a Bridge’ (the title of his 2017 book) to the LGBTQ Community at the World Meeting of Families that Pope Francis is to address this weekend (https://www.yahoo.com/news/catholic-conference-hears-appeal-church-welcome-gay-people-155514166.html). In a separate news story, the Catholic Church is still reeling over the revelation that its Cardinals, Bishops and Priests have long been involved in a pedophilia ring that includes cover-ups and heinous secret acts of over 1,000 victims for 70 years (http://www.coolconversations.co/pedophilia-catholic-churches/). I’m a little confused and I’ll bet you are, too.. On the one hand, the Catholic Church is to welcome gays and on the other hand to condemn pedophelia?! Don’t they see the conflict here?”

Knee-Jerk Response: “Perhaps you’re being to Puritanical here. That’s why the church is losing membership…a big tent needs to be inclusive.”

Biblical Response: “I almost don’t know where to start. In the first place, the Puritans were our ancestors and they may have had restrictions on behavior that kept many practises in the closet (which is a myth – there is no closet if God can see through the walls – however, I agree that only activities brought out of the ‘closet’ can be dealt with). Secondly, The church (small ‘c’) may be losing members, but membership that swells due to inclusiveness or ‘modernism’ may not swell the rolls of the Church universal (large ‘C’)\…and maybe it shouldn’t. Moreover, much pedophilia gets its start in the LGBTQ community, though I dare say, they’d rather not talk about that.”

Christians? We are against ‘unnatural affection’ of any kind (Rom. 1:3; 2 Tim. 3:3; Col. 3:5); whether it’s homosexual or heterosexual the consent of the recipient must be a factor, and that within Scriptural bounds. You cannot give encouragement to one unrighteous behavior to disallow another.”

Here’s a Prayer You Can Pray: “Heavenly Father, give our leaders clear guidance as to what behavior they are to promote and what to plainly condemn

c; in Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Share as you like; just give credit appropriately. For buying any of Alan E. Sargent’s books or to subscribe or to comment on any of his CLARITY blogs, go to the following link: http://subdeo.com/. He also tweets on Twitter.com every day @alanesargent

Posted on July 21, 2018 by 40477641 — Leave a comment

CLARITY – 7-21-18 Random Tragedy

CLARITY

A Biblical Response to Current Events – 7-21-18

Random Tragedy

What’s Happening: “Seventeen have perished so far (two are still in critical condition) in a freak “duck” accident on a lake in Branson, Missouri. A sudden thunderstorm struck the boats with its 60-mph winds and capsized one of them. These amphibious boat tours are 70 minutes in length and travel land and water routes that sometimes put them in harm’s way unexpectedly (https://www.denverpost.com/2018/07/19/fatal-missouri-tour-boat-accident/). ‘I hope it won’t tarnish Branson, About 80 percent of our income comes from tourists. We love them,’ said Trisha Ayers, a mourner.”

Knee-Jerk Response: “So I’m to stay away from Branson?”

Biblical Response: “Unfortunately, giving one of America’s favorite family hot-spots a wide berth is no guarantee against tragedy…even avoiding risky adventure-like outings like backpacking, skiing…or ‘duck’ tours, is no guarantee of safety. Heck, you might be hit crossing the street or be one of the over 1,000,000 killed each year worldwide in a traffic fatality! The only thing (except for Enoch and Elijah) that is certain is death. That you die may be inevitable, how and when you die unpredictable, but in what condition you die – lost or saved – is not.”

“Christians? Jesus, Himself, spoke of ‘random’ tragedy (Luke 13:2-5). We live in a ‘fallen’ world. Being subject to death was not an original part of His plan (Rom. 5:12-15). How we respond in preparation for the inevitable makes all the difference in the world…and in eternity.”

Here’s a Prayer You Can Pray: “Heavenly Father, help us to accept the fatal work of our own hands, but to prepare for the consequeces; in Jesus’ Name, amen.”