A Letter About a County Fair Selling Beer!

This year for the first time one of our county fairs chose to sell beer during its session at the beginning of September. As could be expected there were numerous responses to this issue as Cambria County in central Pennsylvania placed itself on the cutting edge of making a family oriented event one in which beverage alcohol would be available. County fairs are rather numerous in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and have always had a strong emphasis on family with activities involving persons of all ages. The one thing held in common by them was the fact that no alcoholic beverages would be available and the consumption of such beverages was absolutely forbidden on the premises. But that is obviously changing. It may be that there are others such as Cambria County that are doing this as well, but at this point in time I know of none.

Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh just took the step to sell beer recently shortly before closing for the season. It also over time has prided itself on being "family oriented."

A legitimate question can be raised -- can such institutions really claim to be "family oriented" when alcoholic beverages are available for purchase and consumption of the same takes place on the premises?

Below is a letter that was sent to two local newspapers on the Cambria County Fair choice to sell beer. I do not know if the letters were published. I am taking the position that they were not until I hear otherwise. The one always called me to verify that I had written the letter and since I did not receive a call, I assume they did not publish it.

Letter is as follows:

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Editor:

Cambria County Fair officials have made the choice to sell beverage alcohol at the fair this year. In an attempt to defend this action, one official said that they will have it under complete "control." He failed to elaborate on how they plan to control it after persons with the alcohol in their system leave the fairgrounds.

After 53 years in the ministry there is absolutely nothing positive that I can say about beverage alcohol. It has ruined more lives and destroyed more families than any other issue with which I have had to deal over those years. National statistics also are quite negative when it comes to destruction and loss of life caused by beverage alcohol.

A question for those Cambria County Fair officials: how would you like to conduct the funeral for an exceptional high school student who was cut down, along with his girl friend, by a character with alcohol in his system who was driving at about 85 MPH? He was driving with a suspended license due to previous conviction for drunken driving. To add great insult to injury an unscrupulous lawyer who had abandoned all ethical and moral standards in his practice got the killer off on a technicality!

Greed has a wide variety of ways in manifesting itself with end results summed up in words such as tragedy and disaster! It may seem we are getting away with something for a time and will come out on top in the end, only to discover too late in eternity the choice made was a very deadly mistake!

Still contending at www.crrange.com, blogging at http://cdharriger.blogspot.com and warning at www.crrange.com/USACoffin.html

Clayton D. Harriger, Pastor

The new wine fails, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh. The mirth of the tambourine ceases, the noise of the jubilant ends, the joy of the harp ceases. They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink is bitter to those who drink it. The city of confusion is broken down; every house is shut up, so that none may go in. There is a crying for wine in the streets, all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone. --- Isaiah 24:7-11

I'm One of Those Lower, Lower Middle Class White Guys -- Can I Get Special Protection Too?

(Sec. 5) Authorizes appropriations for FY2010-FY2012 to increase DOJ personnel to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies in combating hate crimes.
(Sec. 6) Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit willfully causing bodily injury to any person through the use of fire, a firearm, a dangerous weapon, or an explosive or incendiary device because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of any person. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to 10 years for violations and a life term if a death results from a violation or certain other violent crimes are involved. --- from H. R. 1913 which was recently passed

For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity. No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. they trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity. --- Isaiah 59:3, 4

There's a high pitch level of excitement in the air and the end is not yet! The House of Reps gave their nod to a piece of legislation identified as H. R. 1913 and referred to as the Hate Crimes Bill. Incorporated into the bill are provisions in the federal criminal code for heavy penalties against anyone who has caused bodily injury to another person because of "actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability."

For years those who are aggressively pursuing an agenda favoring the concerns of homosexual, lesbian, and transgender persons have been putting the pressure on to have the "sexual orientation" category included in such legislation as H. R. 1913. So these come under the scope of special protection that many other persons do not have at present.

This is but one more step in the direction of reaching the ultimate goal -- which is forced acceptance of sodomy and lesbianism as a legitimate way of life. This includes marriage being recognized by both state and church. The "couples" should have the right to adopt and raise children. Finally, these units should be considered "families" in every sense of the word as would be the case of a man married to a woman with children being born to them in the course of their marriage.

For anyone to question same gender coupling or to speak against it in any way is to be considered guilty of being homophobic and inciting hateful attitudes and/or acts!

Now the question – why can’t I be given similar special protection by law? The chance of that happening is as great as that proverbial snowball surviving in that very hot place you have heard about from time to time!

Here are the basic reasons I won’t get that special protection although prejudice against my kind is growing day by day.

• First, I am a white guy – it’s mainly my fault that the country and the world are so badly messed up – therefore I deserve no special protection because of that alone!
  
  
• Second, I’m a heterosexual in my “orientation” and that’s also a solid reason as to why I deserve no special consideration and protection under the law.
  
  
• Third, I am married to a person of the opposite sex and have been so for many years. The fact that I don’t feel pangs of guilt because I enjoy this privilege which is denied others of a different orientation provides solid grounds as to why I should not be given any special protection under the law.
  
  
• Fourth, I am a pastor who has proclaimed the truth of God’s Word regarding human sexuality and the boundaries which God has clearly established for sexual experience and expression. Rather than being afforded any special protection it would more likely be ruled that lynching a person such as I would be justifiable and adding an amendment to that effect in Hate Crimes legislation would be appropriate as well as necessary!
  

Fortunately the One Who established all moral law to start with is slated to return to this planet and among other things, He will set the record straight on what is or isn’t a hate crime!

Thus says the LORD: "Keep justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it; who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and keeps his hand from doing any evil." --- Isaiah 56:1, 2

A Murmuring Israelite in the Wilderness!

Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" So they said to one another, "Let us select a leader and return to Egypt." --- Numbers 14:1-4

This is a confession time -- yes, in the daily times of prayer God has a way of jolting my memory about some things which prove to be most embarrassing and humiliating!

I find it all too easy to murmur and complain -- I would be more than qualified to be an Israelite wondering about in the wilderness -- in fact, to stand at the head of the line of chronic grumblers! As you see above, this is one incident of many in which the Israelites lapsed into the murmuring mode.

Time after time, in spite of the witness they had of God's mighty miracles of deliverance and provision, they would forget and regress into what would be almost a "ritual" of complaining.

So I, too often, can quickly lapse into a pattern of complaining:

• the weather can be a frequent target -- too hot or too cold -- too much snow or ice -- and in connection with the winter, murmur about all that junk PennDOT throws on the road in winter time which results in the paint of my car getting chipped and the car often looks like it was in a hot tub of salt water -- you know, chalky white stuff all over the surface and the windows!
  
• driving -- someone is going too slow in front of me -- someone is tailgating me from behind -- someone pulls right out in front of me -- why don't people know how to drive????
  
• the deer and rabbits chew at some varieties of our flowers -- the buds on the rhododendrons are a target, so I do some grumbling about that as I try to take action to "head them off at the pass!"
  
• and on politics -- I will not even go into detail on that one, although there are comments on both the blog and the web site which relate to this subject.
  
• then there are those daily irritations, disruptions and the reality of what some describe as Murphy's Law -- lots of grist for one prone to complaining!
  

And so as I talk to the Lord on that morning walk, that's when He starts coming back at me about that grumbling pattern I get into -- He reminds me of others who have circumstances much worse to deal with than salt residue on a car in the winter time --

• there are brothers and sisters who are suffering violent persecution and even being put to death for their faith in some places in this world -- the Voice of the Martyrs is most helpful in providing information on this growing problem.
  
• there are brothers and sisters who are laboring under difficult circumstances to share the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ which I likely will never experience.
  
• there are brothers and sisters experiencing severe health problems which I have never as yet experienced -- I can still see and hear -- I can still walk -- and I have been blessed with a good measure of health.
  
• and God has provided Jean and me with a home that is mortgage free which sits on a 1.2 acre lot which He also provided shortly before retirement -- and no, it was not inherited!
  
• we have children, grandchildren and great grandchildren -- a family which God has been pleased to bless in numerous ways.
  

It often comes down to a matter of disciplining the memory -- of intentionally remembering past blessings and benefits -- sometimes when walking in the rain or when the snowflakes are falling, I attempt to remind myself that each raindrop or snowflake represents a blessing which God has mercifully granted to me and my family in times past! The reciting of the first few verses of Psalm 103 is a good cure-all for one when in the complaining mode!

Heavenly Father -- forgive me for falling into the trap of murmuring and complaining over the most trivial and petty things -- forgive my indifference to the plight of my brothers and sisters in the faith who are suffering in ways I cannot even imagine as they seek to bear witness for your Son Jesus as Savior and Lord. And forgive me for forgetting there are others who are going through trials and tribulations which I have never experienced. And forgive my failures in keeping silent when I should have spoken a word -- for inaction when there is something I was capable of doing but didn't for the advancement of your eternal Kingdom. Grant me grace and the empowerment of your Spirit to proclaim your Word faithfully and to invest my remaining time, abilities and resources wisely in the fulfillment of your call upon my life. And whatever measure of time I have left in this world -- a few minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or years -- or if you should spare my life until Jesus returns, may all that I say and do be to your honor and glory through Jesus, my Savior and my Lord. Amen!

Learning from Mr. & Mrs. Goose!

Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well. Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be only your own, and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth. As a loving deer and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times; and always be enraptured with her love. For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, and be embraced in the arms of a seductress? For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He ponders all his paths.
--- Proverbs 5:15-21

At this time of year I see them every morning on my morning walk. I changed my schedule a bit. I roll out between 4:30 and 5 AM -- I sleep in a while now that I am "retired" -- before retiring from the United Methodist ministry I got up at 4 AM each morning.

I have my devotional time -- the Bible reading part of the devotion time takes me through the whole Bible once and the New Testament a second time in a year plus the other trips I take, especially time spent with the Old Testament prophets. And as mentioned in yesterday's post -- it's a great experience since the World's Greatest Theologian is always present to tutor and guide in these sessions!

I used to leave the house at about 6 AM for my walk. As you know, it's a bit dark at that hour at certain times of the year. So I have changed to leaving the house at about 7 AM, but I'm still up by 5 AM -- I just continue in prayer mode on my walk.

Anyway, during my walk I hear them coming -- their honking tells me they are on the way -- a pair of Canada geese. Often they fly very close overhead and barely clear the tree tops at times.

I submit that we can learn a thing or two from this pair.

• This species mates for life -- no "revolving door" for them in the matter of changing partners as is so common in United States' culture and the way we humans relate to one another with our adopted philosophy that "sex is fun with anyone (or more than one anyone at the same time) anywhere and at any time -- just name when and where!"
  
  
• They are committed to family -- both Mr. & Mrs. Goose are involved. We have seen some of those families at Duman Lake Park near where we live. I recall one occasion of a gander standing with head and neck extended as he kept looking about while the female and the young 'uns were eating at the breast works of the dam. He conveyed something by his very appearance -- "Don't bother me or my family or there will be big trouble!" That's the kind of commitment that has pretty much disappeared in our republic as family break down continues unabated!
  
  
• They know where they are going -- I'm not sure where Mr. & Mrs. Goose are headed -- but each morning they are coming from the same place and are headed toward the same place -- which is more than can be said for most humans. The main problem is that the majority have bought into a false system of values -- the idea is that if we accumulate enough material goods, including lots and lots of money, and pursue a myriad of pleasures we will gain happiness and fulfillment, or will we? Consequently we're not sure where we are going as we compete in the "rat race" of life! One fellow who thought he had arrived and had it all put together was bluntly told, "You fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?" Ah, for verification on that take a look at Luke 12 in the New Testament.
  

Yes, Virginia, things such as fidelity, commitment and knowing one's destination are still things that make for a very profitable and satisfying life experience! Thank you, Mr. & Mrs. Goose, as you fly overhead for reminding me of this each morning!

And now a PS: This piece, as many of my rantings and ravings in this blog tend to be, was in the "incubator" for a while. Today, 08-04-02, as I took my walk the honking was extremely loud and it was obvious that more than 2 were involved -- and then I saw them again coming from the same direction and flying low as usual -- but there were about a dozen! Mr. & Mrs. Goose had some friends with them on the flight this AM! Hey, there's a lesson there too -- Christians, having been born again by a miracle work of the Holy Spirit, are the only people on the face of this planet who are absolutely sure of their destination -- ought we not be at the business of inviting others to travel along with us? Jesus has made it possible for all to travel to that sure and certain destination known as Heaven, has He not? Thanks again, Mr. & Mrs. Goose, for conveying another great lesson for us humans as we trod this sod called earth!

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." --- Jesus in John 14:1-3

"Families" without Men -- a Real Heaven on Earth or Is It?

And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God." --- Luke 16:15

It's just another step along the way toward disaster, the dimension of which is totally indescribable.

For quite some time our culture has been plagued with individuals and groups who want to deify women in every way possible, degrade and diminish men in every way possible, and issue proclamations from time to time that single parent "families" are just as fulfilling if not more so than the traditional family headed up by a dad and a mom -- especially if the head of that "family" is a female in pursuit of a highly successful career!

This whole debacle got a potent shot in the arm recently with the release of a top selling book with an eye catching title -- "Knock Yourself Up: A Tell-All Guide to Becoming a Single Mom." Now that's an expression some of us older fellows remember using when we were teenagers and the hormones were raging like crazy -- it was a very vulgar way to refer to a female who had become pregnant!

Author of the book is one named Louise Sloan who will make a fat bundle of bucks from this offering and become a heroine at the same time. She relates her experience of inseminating herself in her parents' home as she had moved into the fourth decade of her life and was not married.

She exhibits a spirit that is increasing in popularity -- that is, that men are not good for much of anything except in the case of extracting a little wriggling thing that is 50 per cent involved in the making of a baby!

The way some of these females are expressing themselves they would welcome the situation in which men would be by-passed completely when it comes to population expansion! Sorry, girls -- there has only been one Person born of a virgin and it won't happen again, ever!

Have you noticed how increasingly popular it is to advocate something, be involved in some activity, publish a book or have a talk show (radio or TV) that is against everything which God our Creator represents by way of high standards of personal morality, ethics and spirituality as based on His eternal, unchanging and clearly revealed truth?

A perfect explanation for these crazy things that have been happening and continue to get crazier as time passes is seen in statements by the prophet Isaiah:

The earth mourns and fades away, the world languishes and fades away; the haughty people of the earth languish. The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. --- Isaiah 24:4,5

God's design for a family involves the following: marriage between one man and one woman and children born to the married couple with clearly defined responsibilities resting upon each member of that family. Isaiah 24 is being fulfilled before our very eyes due to a majority of persons choosing to intentionally reject the "blueprint" God has revealed concerning what is required for not only a healthy family but a healthy culture as well!

BUT for the faithful minority, there is some very good news -- this stuff is going to be permanently terminated by the personal intervention of Jesus Christ at some point in the future. Since many of the "movers and shakers" in our culture at the present time are insistent on turning our republic into a 21st Century version of Sodom and Gomorrah, the time may well be much closer than any of us might realize!

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. --- Galatians 6:7,8

Can Someone Explain It to Me?

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is His reward. --- Psalm 127:3

Our family in south central Pennsylvania recently had another celebration. In the above photo you see Owen being held by his sister, Madison (4 yrs). Also in the picture on Madison's left is her and Owen's brother, Trevor (6 yrs). They are the youngest of our grandchildren, which have quite a span when it comes to their ages. The oldest grandchild will be 27 years old this November.

Owen was just a few hours old when the above photo was taken. As I gazed upon this little fellow, so delicate and fragile, a question haunted me again as it has repeatedly for decades. That question was this -- how could anyone intentionally kill one such as this young one a few hours, days, or weeks before he or she was scheduled to be born?

Yes, I already know -- there are far too many individuals with rapid fire answers demonstrating once more that we are a culture of experts when it comes to the rationalization and justification of criminal acts of the most violent nature -- we can quickly provide very "logical" reasons as to why about 1 million little ones such as Owen should be violently mutilated and murdered each year in a republic known as the United States of America!

In response to our "logic" for destroying thousands of unborn children each week of the year, turn this over in your mind for a while -- if we could resurrect a dedicated Nazi SS officer from the WW II era, he would provide a series of rational and logical reasons why certain persons -- Jews and other "undesirables" should not be permitted to live and exist! He may be one of whom it was reported that Nazi soldiers would throw infants up in the air and SS officers would shoot at them for target practice with their Lugers!

"Heinous!" you say in response.

But just hold on for a moment -- what's the difference between what the SS officer did and what the guy in the white coat does each day in a building called a "clinic" which offers something called "women's health services?" The difference is simply in timing and the fact that the guy in the white coat doesn't have a skull and crossbones emblem embroidered on his coat as the Nazi SS officer had on his cap! The results are the same -- well, there is a difference even there -- the infant victim of the Nazi has a 9 mm bullet hole or two in its body -- the infant victim of the white coated guy doesn't even have a body anymore -- it's been torn to shreds due to something called a "medical procedure!"

Try it some time -- the next time you see a very young infant -- ask yourself the question -- "How could anyone kill one of these at any stage of its development in its mother's womb?" In fact, try asking some other people the same question when you are in the presence of one of those little ones who has been in this world a very short time.

And if you want to see something interesting, try asking that question of a United Methodist Church bishop, with an emphasis on why bishops in the United Methodist Church are so silent about the United States' version of Holocaust, individually and also collectively as the Council of Bishops of the UMC. Be prepared to see that church leader squirm like a worm on a hot skillet!

So I ask again -- how could ANYONE kill one of those little ones in the early stages of its development in its mother's womb? Can anyone explain that with solid justification as to why our national tally of unborn victims now exceeds 48 million?

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations." --- Jeremiah 1:4,5