Is It Ever OK To Lie?

A friend of mine and I were discussing the book "The Hiding Place". In the book, Corrie ten Boom lies about hiding Jews to protect them from the Germans. Christa asked me what I thought about that. As Christians, we believe lying is sin, so what about Corrie ten Boom lying? Is it ever ok to lie?

I told Christa an idea I had, and thought I'd put it on here. I welcome discussion or comments on this. I can handle people disagreeing with me, I just don't like to be attacked and get rude comments, so even if you don't agree, comment. I'd like input.

I would like to throw out a scenario. Imagine you are in your house with your family. Someone breaks in brandishing a gun, and either tries to take one of your children, or has intend to harm or kill your family. You have a gun. What would you do? I think just about any of us would shoot, even to kill, to protect those we love, or those we are trying to protect. It would be self defense.

In God's eyes, sin is sin. We humans tend to put sin in degrees and levels. We all would say killing is worse than lying, so if it is ok to kill someone to save a life, is it any worse to lie to save a life? Or more than one life?

If, God forbid, the day comes that Christianity is outlawed, and they seek Christians out to imprison and kill, if in that day, you hid your children when the people were at your door to take you away - if they asked if there was anyone else in the house, what would you do? Would you admit your children were hiding in the house, knowing to admit it would mean sure imprisonment and most likely death for them? Or would you say there was no one else in the house, giving them a chance to get away and possibly survive?
I could be way off base, but most of the lying that is done has a few things wrong with it. It is often done for selfish reasons - to save face. It is done to cover up other sins. It is done to hurt someone else. There are more reasons than that, but I'd say those are some of the main ones. If you are lying to save a life, no one is hurt. There is no selfish motivation, but rather love & concern for another human life.

I believe that if we Christians ever have to go into hiding, if the mark of the beast takes place, and we have no way to buy food, that we may beg, borrow, and even steal food, to feed our loved ones.

I believe God is a just God, and we must obey His laws, but I also believe that He may give more leeway than we think in cases like that. The object is to try not to do it.

One last thought: Rahab lied in the Bible to save the spies who were hiding. She was actually rewarded for saving their lives, even though she lied, and I could look it up to be sure, but I believe she was even in the lineage of Jesus.

So what do you think? Is my point valid? Is it ok to lie to save a life?

The Hiding Place

For 4 hours of my 7-hour trip to Indiana, I listened to the Hiding Place, dramatized CDs from Focus On the Family. The story of Corrie Ten Boom. I had read the book years ago in school, because I had to, so I couldn't remember much of the story.

I am sure the book is good, and gripping, but hearing it dramatized really opened up the story for me. I am all too guilty of seeing the glass as half empty instead of half full, and focusing on what is wrong in life, instead of what is right. Listening to what Corrie and her family went through, and all because they helped God's chosen people, was amazing. What was more amazing, was their attitudes. They remained thankful for everything, even the fleas, which it turned out to truly be a blessing in disguise. If you haven't read the book, or don't remember, they found out later that the reason the guards left them alone - never came in the barracks, never stopped their Bible meetings, never molested them, and it was because their barracks were infested with fleas.

By the time the last CD ended, I was a bit misty-eyed, and feeling rather guilty. I can't change overnight, but it did make me realize how much I do have to be thankful for, and I even came up with a bad thing to be thankful for. I will share it here to show how it is done. :-) I have some bad credit card debt - wish I had never got a credit card - and am really depressed about it, but it occurred to me that I am a very unlikely target for identity theft - there is no way someone would want the mess that is my finances! So I can be thankful for that. :-)

In my not so humble opinion, everyone needs to read The Hiding Place, or listen to the Cds. Mine are available to borrow, as long as they are returned in good condition. Just kidding. Well, maybe - I do take care of my stuff, and expect others to also! Anyway, anyone in my area is welcome to borrow them if they want. :-)

I'd like to close this blog with a "hello" to Mr. Carl Cessna out in the Indiana, PA area. "Hi. Mr Cessna!". He is a faithful member of Paul & Pam's church, and they think highly of he and his wife. I said that for free. :-) Anyway, you are proof that people can be older and be up on technology. :-)

The Opposite of The Apostle Paul

I have come to the realization that the Apostle Paul and I are complete opposites. More on that later......

I just arrived safely home from Indiana about 45 minutes ago. Thanks to anyone who may have prayed for me as I made my trip.

I left here around 8 am Friday, and arrived at Steven's house in Orleans, IN, at 3 pm. After visiting with he and his mom for a while, we headed to Walmart, then on to the Christian bookstore, where he shopped, and I browsed - the trip strapped me too much to make unnecessary purchases, which was rough, since I saw a new book that I have been waiting for forever - well, the date was delayed by about 6 months.

We met Cindy at the Mexican restaurant in Bedford where I again had their Texas Style Chicken Quesadillas. Man, is it good! Steven had an awful dish called "Hawaiian Chicken Fajitas". There are so many things wrong with that. For instance, pineapples and mushrooms together?! To each their own..........

Later, we played Rook with 6 people. Steven, Cindy, and I played Steven's sister, Suzanne, her husband, Joe, and Steven's sister-in-law, Kim. I think Cindy and Steven were on the verge of weeping with gratitude to be on my team, which put them on a winning team for a change. We beat three out of three. They seem unable to win when they play against me..................or at least rumor has it. :-)

I slept horribly, and we had to rise early to head to Kristin's. We were met in Cindy's driveway by a foaming-at-the-mouth Cindy, wet hair hanging, who muttered around her toothbrush that she wasn't quite ready. I was glad she told us, as I would never have guessed! :-) After she finally got herself around, we headed off for the 4 hour trip to Kristin's. A trip that was confusing time-wise, as they are an hour behind us.

Kristin lives close to Illinois, not in it, as I had thought. Four miles exactly, and about an hour from Chicago. We were going to go see Chicago, but realized we would have had no time to do much, so the four of us went and had some Chicago style pizza, then went back to her house to play Rook. It was awesome to get back with them to play Rook again. We got 5 games in, and Kristin and I won most of them - most being 3 out of 5. We are still ahead also for the grand total of 23 games to 19. Keep in mind, that they were way ahead of us for the longest time, but once we caught up, we have been the champions ever since!

We got back home very late: 1:30 am. Man, was I beat. I did make it to church, but was doing that thing where you hold your feet off the floor to stay awake. It really does work.

It does appear that the Apostle Paul and I are complete opposites. He was able to be content no matter what state he was in, and it seems I am unable to be content in any state. I liked living in Indiana, and made some great friends, but missed my family, and was not able to get back as often as I wished. Now that I am living back in Ohio, I find myself wondering if I did the right thing, and miss my Indiana friends a lot. Ideally, I'd move Cindy, Steven, and Kristin a lot closer. Kristin, especially would have to be moved a lot closer - Guatemala isn't exactly a hop, skip, and jump!

In closing, thanks Steven, Kristin, and Cindy, for being such great friends, even when we don't live close to each other. Thanks, Cindy, for putting up with my rude comments about your being so much older than I am - you really don't seem like you are - and for letting me beat you so badly in Rook all the time -Kristin, for rounding out our group, for being a great Rook partner, and for putting up with me until I became the Master Rook player....... and thanks Steven for being my best friend - and for being such a good loser in Rook. You guys all gave me a much needed fun week-end. I love you guys, and miss you all a lot!

A PS for people who may not know me as well as these 3: I am just kidding when I brag about Rook, though it is fun to win! (And Cindy really isn't a lot older than me!)

2009 & A Tale of Two Buffets

So far, nothing exciting has happened in my corner of the world this new year. I was up at a fairly decent time, considering what time I went to bed. Mom and Dad hit it at about 10:30 - late for them - but I was up past 1 chatting.

I spent most of the day playing computer games, and not much else. I did pack. I am making a visit to the state of Indiana this week-end, leaving in the morning. Would appreciate prayer for a safe trip down and back. It has been months since I played the game of Rook, and our "singles club" will be getting together to play. Cindy, Steven, and I will be driving out somewhere near Chicago to visit Kristin on Saturday, and Kristin and I will most likely beat the tar out of Steven and Cindy in Rook, as we usually do when we play. Ah, those were the good old days! It will be fun to hang out with those 3 again, even if I wasn't so sure of winning. :-)

Dad got a doe this evening. Awfully cold weather to be sitting out in the woods, but his patience won out! After he shot it, it just froze solid. Not really, but it is cold!

If you live in my area, and are prone to eat at pizza buffets, let me give you a heads up on where to go. Mom, Dad, and I used to go to the Pizza Hut Buffet in Salem almost weekly before I moved to Indiana, but they raised their prices, so we haven't been there in some time, but decided to go last night. The price may be cheaper at lunch - it is $5.99 then, but not sure if that includes the salad bar. When you go Wednesday evening, which is when we like to go, it is an extra $2.50 for the salad bar. Whether you want it or not. And I didn't. But I still had to pay the extra $2.50. In addition, we decided to save money on pop - which is $1.99 each - and get a 2 liter and 3 glasses, but that isn't allowed. We walked out with a bill of $33 before Mom and Dad's senior discount.

We tend to eat more often at the East of Chicago Pizza Buffet here in Lisbon. It is $6.95, and that includes the salad bar - which has more on it than Pizza Hut - 3-4 different kinds of soup, subs, and more kinds of pizza than Pizza Hut puts out, and EOC will cheerfully make you a pizza for the buffet of whatever you ask for. Plus: They will bring a 2 liter of pop to your table and glasses with ice so you can save a few bucks on drinks. Pizza Hut does not have subs on their bar, nor do they have soup. They do have some kind of pasta, but that doesn't make it worthwhile to go there.

So there you have it. The cheapest and more plentiful buffet to eat at in the Columbiana County area is East of Chicago Pizza. :-) Almost makes me want to become a restaurant critic!

In completely unrelated news, a poll of active military personnel shows that 6 out of 10 are wary or downright pessimistic about having Obama as commander-in-chief. Yikes!
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/12/military_poll_main_122908/

The New Year, A Clean Slate

This is the last blog I shall write for 2008. This makes the 144th post for this year. That is a little better than a post every 3 days. My good friend Cindy, who I love to harass, has been doing one a month lately. Guess some guys do have the gift of gab more than some women.
:-)

This has been a rough year in some ways. I moved away from some very good friends, who I miss a lot, have had trouble getting a full time job, and am still staying with my parents as a result. Not the way I wanted to end the year, for sure.

Others have lost family members. Just in my circle of acquaintances and friends, Rev Satterfield, and Carrie Mishler. I am sure at the start of 2008 their families had no idea they would be starting out a new year without them.

Conservatism was dealt a hard blow with possibly the most liberal man to ever run for president winning that office. Only God knows what he will do in 2009 that could hurt religious and other freedoms.

Yet the new year, 2009, lies before us like an empty journal, with nothing at all written in it. Just think about it:
None of us has missed a church service yet in 2009
No one has displeased God yet in 2009
There has been no death in 2009 yet
I haven't ticked anyone off with my blog yet..........

365 days lie before us that we can do differently, do better, than we did in 2009. The nation in general may be worse off at the end of 2009 - hopefully not - but personally, each of us can make decisions to better ourselves, and the people around us.

I have never been much for new year's resolutions. They are so easily made, and so easily broken. They last about as long as the first month of the new year, and usually not even that long, but I do have some goals in the new year. Somehow find that full time job, and get my own apartment again. Lose weight. Grow a full head of hair. Improve my relationship with God, and others. OK, maybe the hair is a lost cause, but the others hopefully are not.

If I am still alive then, and Jesus doesn't return, I will turn 40 in 2009. Wow. Can we just stay here in 2008?! I was depressed when I turned 30, I can't imagine what 40 will be like. Fortunately, my friend Darrin Mishler will blaze the trail ahead of me, and beat me to 40 by 3 months. He can show me how it is done. :-)

May all who read this have a wonderful and blessed New Year. God bless!



MyHotComments

Breast-feeding & Facebook

I thought this was so ludicrous, I just had to post it here. Hundreds of breast-feeding moms are in a frenzy and boycotting Facebook. Why? Because due to Facebook photo regulations, women cannot post picture of themselves breast-feeding that reveal too much. How cruel. I'd like for someone to come up with an intelligent reason why a woman would want to post a picture like that anyway?! It is a private thing- should be done away from people, and definitely not have pictures posted on the web.

As a side note, here is a bit of trivia that the average person may not know. A lot of people behind the breast-feeding craze (and I am not including the average normal mother in that) - the ones who do the billboards and commercials - they have an agenda. They are animal rights activists who don't want the milk of animals used, so they push breast-feeding. Anyway, that was just a side note. I am not knocking it, though our family doesn't do it, and it seems it would have its disadvantages, but to each her own!

"Mass online protest movement is gathering pace after Facebook banned some breastfeeding photos from the social-networking Web site.

Angry mothers even picketed the Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., in a live "nurse-in" to complain about a ban on photos of mothers suckling their children that exposed too much of the mother's breast.

Hundreds of women have had their pictures removed without warning and have been informed that they may be barred from using the site.

More than 80,000 people have joined a Facebook petition group called "Hey Facebook, Breast-Feeding is Not Obscene" with hundreds joining every hour.

More than 11,000 women from around the world took part in an online "nurse-in" protest on Saturday by posting more breastfeeding pictures. The protest's organizers reported that many have since had these photos removed from the site.

Facebook has said that it has no problem with breastfeeding but photos that showed nipples or areolas were indecent and had to be removed.

Barry Schnitt, a Facebook spokesman, said the Web site takes no action over most breast-feeding photos because they follow the site's terms of use.

"We agree that breast-feeding is natural and beautiful and we're very glad to know that it is so important to some mothers to share this experience with others on Facebook," said Schnitt.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,474044,00.html

There is comment that I got - that did not ofend me in the least, but after reading it, thought I would add this even though I put it in my comments:
I guess I should have been specific with the disadvantages: from being around breast-feeding women, I think there are a few. One being, if they want to leave the child with anyone for any extended amount of time, they have to use a pump and go through all that. Another, sometimes it isn't convenient to find a place to do it, and I think it is out of place for a woman to do it in public, even if she is covered. Another: I personally enjoyed feeding my nieces and nephews and know others in the family, even their fathers, enjoy doing that too. That can't happen when the mother breast-feeds, again unless she uses a pump all the time, and I can see how they want the bonding experience, but its nice for other family members to be able to have that too. Kids that are bottle fed can be fed anywhere, anytime, by anybody, which is pretty convenient.
I was in no means saying the kid is inferior, etc, if they are breast-fed. The disadvantages I refer to are for the sake of convenience. Those are the disadvantages I see, and even the women in my family have commented about the same, so it isn't just my opinion as a man, and I am in no means against women doing it. If I marry, I wouldn't want my wife to for these reasons outlined above, but to each their own. I don't have strong opinions about it like home schooling. I am not out to argue about bf, just stating the disadvantages, and not saying that makes bf bad. :-)

And something else I will add for the possible enjoyment of you who breast feed, a story told to me by a co-worker about a friend of hers: Seems the mother, a bf mother, went to town and left the baby with the father. It had just been fed, so she figured all would be well. Wrong. It fusssed so much, in desperation, the father figured he would try a unique way to quiet the kid: He lifted his shirt and let the kid latch on. Problem, the kid built up so much suction that he couldn't pry it loose, not having experience in that area, so he had to wait for Mom to come home and bail him out. And can you imagine the sight that met her? :-)

The Love of God Part 3: Overcoming The Doubts

The third and last of three parts on the Love of God. Much more could be said, actually it is an endless topic. I have come from the standpoint of struggling with believing in God's love. The 2 previous posts were on doubting God's love and ways people try to fill the void when they don't believe. This post may be the topic I am least qualified to tackle of the three, but it is also the one I need to cover the most for myself. When you struggle with believing that God actually loves you, what do you do? How do you get past the doubts? Here are some I came up with:



1) Pray. The most important. If you don't do this one, forget any other way. Pray for forgiveness for unbelief. God understands us. He knows why we struggle, what causes us to struggle. He could remove all obstacles, but He rarely works that way. Instead, He helps us to overcome the obstacles. The mountains. If He can do that, then surely He can help us overcome the mountain of disbelieving in His love.



2) Put aside substitutes. Some need completely done away with. The ones that are out and out sin. No arguments. Gambling, any sex outside of marriage, and the like. Others may just need moderation. If you are playing video games 12 hours a day, work it down to 1 or 2 hours. If you don't need to work 120 hours a week, cut back to what you can afford. When the urge comes to engage in the old behaviors, pray, do something good and profitable for your soul.



3) Read the Bible. This should be done daily, but also when we are doubting or struggling with believing God's love. Look up verses talking about God's love, and focus on those. Put your own name in where you can. Instead of "God so loved the world", read it "God so loved Mark", or whatever your name is. Get ahold of a promise book and claim the promises in it for you personally. It is easy to believe they apply to others, but they apply to everyone. Whosoever will.



4) Read books. There are some great books out there that can be of help. I have read some, and am currently reading one. "When God Doesn't Make Sense" by James Dobson, "Disappointment With God" by Phillip Yancey, "Where Is God When It Hurts", also by Yancey. There are many out there. Google it - there are articles on line. There are even some Christian fiction books that address the issue.



5) Music. God and love is a popular theme in Christian songs. Listen to them, and often. I have a play list on my Ipod entitled "songs of encouragement". They are not all songs talking about God's love, but also about His care, and what He will do. "Always Enough" reminds me that there is always enough of God's mercy. "No Limit" points out that there is no limit to His love. "He Paid A Special Price" talks about the fact that Jesus paid a special price for me.



Many people don't like Southern Gospel, but I believe it is a music of encouragement, more so than any other style of Christian music out there. Since it is my favorite style of music, that puts me in touch with a lot of encouraging songs. The trick is to focus on the words, and not just enjoy the pleasing harmony and music.



6) Journal. Or in my case, blog. :-) Seriously, some things are too personal to blog about, so a journal is an excellent idea. Write down what God has done for you. Keep track of the mountaintop times, and when things get rough, when it seems like God isn't paying attention, bring out the journal, and relive the good moments.



7) Remind yourself that just as God doesn't favor one person above another, He also doesn't dislike anyone - even you. Its so easy to believe He loves others, why are you any different?



8) Believe that you are lovable. Your problem with God may be a self-esteem problem. Some people feel bad about themselves because of something they did. Others feel bad because of something that was done to them. Either way, don’t let yourself feel bad about yourself. Work at receiving forgiveness for your failings and giving forgiveness to those who have hurt you. Don’t give in to shame, embarrassment, and negative self-talk. If you do you’ll feel like hiding and will tend to shut out God and others who care about you. Instead, dare to believe that you are lovable and worthwhile and that your emotional needs are important. Then look for loving, gracious people and receive their care as a gift from God. Additionally, try reading and praying over positive Scriptures that focus on God’s love for you.



9) Ask for prayer. Admit you have problems in this area. Don't just pray for yourself, ask others to pray that you can really get a grasp that God loves you.



10) Forgive others. Often when we feel worthless, and unloved by God and others, we tend to struggle with forgiving others. Maybe it is a way of pulling others down to where we feel we are, who knows, but having a forgiving spirit can clear the channels with God.



11) Personalize the Promises. I mentioned it elsewhere, forgetting it was a main point, but it bears repeating. Put your name in the promises to help get ahold of the fact that they are not just for others, but for you.



12) Remember that God loves unconditionally, and He is not surprised by anything we do, or bring to Him. God is love. He can't not love. Get ahold of that fact. He isn't surprised by anything we do. When He died on the cross, and said He loved everyone, He looked across the ages, and didn't find anyone that was exempt from His love. As evil of a man as Adolf Hitler was, He loved him. As horrible as child molestation is, He loves the molester. He loves the sinner, but hates the sin. Most of us aren't as bad as Hitler or a molester, and if He can love them, surely He loves us!



13) Unbox God. Whatever box or mold you have put God in, take Him out. He won't always act how we expect, when we want Him to act. He won't always answer prayers the way we want Him to. But we have to believe that no matter what happens, He still loves us. No matter what. He is love, and cannot do otherwise. The issue isn't Him, but it is us. Our attitude.



Don't ask God to prove His love for you. He did it on a cross 2000 years ago. He has been there, done that. Ask Him to help you believe. He will do that, and remember there is nothing that can separate us from His love. He said so, and God doesn't lie. He loves.



As I close not just this blog, but these 3 blogs, I hope that I haven't only helped myself, but someone else who may struggle in this area, and read my blog. I hope and pray something I have said will be helpful to someone.



One thing I said in my first blog that can cause doubts of God's love, is sin. That has been one for me. I stumbled so much, so often, that I figured God was done with me. There was no way He could love me. I had surely gone too far. This song doesn't talk about God's love, but has been one of the most encouraging songs I have ever run across, so I will leave it as my parting words.



It's Only The First Time



There’s a secret sin that you live with
And it’s tearing you apart
You’ve prayed and prayed, but now you’re ashamed
To ask God to cleanse your heart
But even though you’ve fallen again
When you kneel before Him


Chorus:
It’s only the first time
He’s forgotten the last time
The moment you pray, His grace takes away
The stain of your sin
Just know that in God’s eyes
It’s only the first time
He’s already there to hear your prayer
And forgive you again.


If the Savior says we must forgive
Time and time again
Then how much more will our Lord
Forgive us when we sin
His love is so strong, so wide and so deep
He longs for you to believe