First thing was somewhat humorous. As we visited the replica of the Plymouth Native American settlement, we were treated to some guides in original garb explaining how to construct a dugout canoe, among other things. Catch the situation....... We were looking at a person dressed like a member of the Wampanoag tribe, but talked with a New Jersey accent. The guide was most informative, but the visual incongruency made us chuckle. Here is a picture to help you get a feel for the situation.
On a more serious note, I observed something that I found quite disturbing. As I motored along the interstate highways, it seemed that a good one third of the people I passed or passed me were texting as they drove. Sometimes they were totally immersed in a message while travelling just behind a tractor trailer at 70 miles an hour. Others were texting while passing me at speeds far exceeding the 65 miles an hour I was travelling. If the person in front of them had to stop, or something ran out in front of them, they would have certainly caused a messy pile up. Made me think about the prayer for protection that we prayed that morning before we left on the trip. I am sure these people had heard the numerous warnings in print and on the airwaves about the dangers of texting and driving. Yet they chose to ignore them. Not just ignore them but ignore them with a brazen and complete disregard the potential danger they were creating. Sounds familiar.
As I reviewed things for this weekend's talk I was reminded of the constant warnings in Scripture about rejecting the good news of Jesus. I know that mentioning judgment nowadays is quite unpopular. Our culture has worked so hard at eliminating any penalties in life that in many circles it is actually believed they no longer exist. And if you are crazy enough to be the one who mentions this concept called the judgment of God, I hope you know how to duck! Jesus, however, had no such hesitation nor did he live under such misconceptions. I suspect because he was all too aware of the nature of the judgment awaiting those who reject Him. Luke 10 describes it quite well. But that is why Jesus shows up in their neighborhoods, why he sends his representatives to declare the Kingdom of God is near and to prep the towns and villages for his coming. His preference is that we respond to his offer for rescue and avoid the painful pile ups of life. That is what makes Him such good news. Ultimately, if we ignore the warnings and end up running into the back end of a semi, that will be our own choice.
May God grant us the grace to avoid the back ends of semi's.
Until later.............
On the Bluewater Frontier,
PMike
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