Saturday Song: Harry Chapin, "Taxi"

Was this your first experience of Harry Chapin's wonderful songs? It was for me. I felt deeply moved by the story of two old friends meeting by chance one rainy night. The song taught me that life doesn't always work out the way we dreamt.

Hear Harry Chapin's "Taxi" here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs4j8YQwst8

When I first heard this song in the spring of 1972, I felt determined that I was going to be a television repair man. In spite of my poor vision, I felt convinced I could earn my living fixing electronics. And all the adults telling me I couldn't do such a job just made me more determined to prove them wrong.

After considerable arguing with the electronics class teacher, I enrolled and did well on the theory. The practical aspect was another matter. Though I tried hard to reconcile the schematic diagrams with the radios and other electronic gadgets, I failed miserably.

In December of 1974, the teacher gave me the bad news that I couldn't continue in his class. Televisions had extremely high voltages in them and he feared I'd get electrocuted.

Instead of fixing people's TVs, I'm a writer. I never drempt I'd be one either. And as for TV repair, nobody fixes electronics anymore.

Romans 11:33 (KJV) says, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" All I can say to that is "Amen!"

So, what are your memories of this song? Did you become what you'd hoped to be as an adult? Please leave me a comment in the box below. And if you don't feel like it, have a nice weekend anyway.

My next post will be about how some people mistreat folks who suffer tragedies. Hang in for that one.

The End Times Error

Many Christians obsess over when the end times will begin. Others believe we're already in the end times. But when will the last days be or have they started yet

According to the Bible, we already are in the last days and have been so since Christ's incarnation. Hebrews 1:2 (KJV) says that God communicated with humanity in many ways in the past but, "Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;"

Peter also believed that the last days were in his time. Look at what he said in Acts 2:17 (KJV). "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:"

This all happened in the first century, not some time in our future. Some preachers assume the promise in Joel is for today but it happened at Pentecost.


Of course the last days didn't end in the first century but will continue until Christ returns in his glory. Isaiah 2:2 (KJV) predicts, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it."

A time will come when the Lord destroys this old universe and all the wicked works of humanity. 2 Peter 3:10 (KJV) warns us against assuming that this world will keep on going. "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."

We who trust in Christ will rejoice when Jesus returns as conquering king but it will be a terrible day for his enemies. That's why I'm writing a book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? God cut humanity a break in the past but a time will come when all people will answer for why they haven't surrendered their souls to Christ.

Next month, I'll be dealing with some ridiculous ideas preached by believers in the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements. I'm bound to anger adhearants to those unbiblical ideas but I must speak the truth.

The Prosperity Gospel Error

In my opinion, the worst tragedy to hit Africa wasn't colonialism or the many Ebola outbreaks but the prosperity gospel. Africans flock to charismatic preachers promising "breakthroughs" of wealth and marital partners. All the victims are coaxed to part with what little money they have so they can "sow a seed" in the preacher's ministry.

How I wish those victims could realize that these false teachers are robbing them. I wish the Lord would do what he did in John 2:15 (KJV). "And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;"

The Pharisees were of the same mind as today's prosperity gospel hucksters. They use the gullibility of the people to rob them of money. And when the "breakthrough" doesn't happen, they blame the victims for lacking faith or not sowing a large enough seed into the ministry.

If only those Africans could understand what Paul wrote in Romans 16:18 (KJV) about false teachers. "For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple."

Sadly, this movement has swept through other parts of the globe, including North America. But robbing the poor is one thing God hates and doing it in his name is an abomination. They shall finish up like the folks Paul warned about in Philippians 3:19 (KJV). "Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)"

The truth is that many of God's followers were and are poor. Read Hebrews chapter eleven and you'll find out about many people who weren't living their best lives now. They looked forward to Christ and the city of heaven, caring not for the pleasures of this world.

The prosperity gospel is no gospel at all. That's why I'm writing a book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? People need to read and heed the real gospel, not one geared to their lusts. As I've warned before, many professing Christians will end up on the left side of Christ on the day of judgement and will be told to go to hell.

I'll be writing in my next post about how people obsess over the end times. We need to be watchful but we also need to mind today's needs.

Saturday Song: Devo, "Peek-a-boo"

This is one of many songs from a New Wave band called Devo, short for de-evolution. I enjoy the sound of the song but the lyrics have a point which people need to heed.

The band members might not know this but there's a spiritual war going on for the minds of humanity. God has set things up so that we have a choice to obey or disobey him. Though the Lord has predestinated us, he somehow has allowed us the privilege of choosing who we're going to follow.

Hear Devo's song here:

C. S. Lewis wrote in "The Screwtape Letters" that people make two basic mistakes about demons. Either they don't exist or they're everywhere and we have to keep chasing them.

All through scripture, we see how Satan sows seeds of doubt and rebellion in people's minds. Genesis 3:1 (KJV) shows how he influenced the first two people to rebel against God's authority. "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, 'Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?'"

We all know what happened after that idea was planted in Eve's head and her dufus husband went along with it. My point is that there are spirit beings who fight one another through us. My hope is that all my friends are on the side of the angels rather than the demons.

So, what do you think of this song and what I've written? Please leave me a reply below.

Next time, I'll be writing about how some poor souls are being misled by thinking God owes them prosperity. How absolutely wrong that is!

The Error of Not Planning for the Future

Back in the seventies, I made a huge mistake. Since I was told that Christ could return any day soon, I decided not to save for my retirement. End times pundits kept claiming that the Soviet Union would invade Israel and the invaders would be destroyed, leading to Armageddon. We'd be raptured out and God's wrath would be poured out on the earth for seven years. I figured it was stupid to save up when I'd just lose it all at Christ's return.

Forty years later, Christ hasn't returned and I'm almost at retirement age. What if I had started saving for my retirement when I began to work? I'd have more money earning compound interest by now.

God has plenty to say about prudent use of money. Proverbs 6:6 (KJV) says, "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:"

Ants store up food for the winter. Had I been ant-like, the winter of retirement would be more comfortable for me.

But shouldn't we be watching for the Lord's return? Of course we should but we shouldn't be like the servant who assumed his master would be away a long time and start beating on other servants.
Nobody knows the hour when Christ will return. Every date which so-called prophets set for it proved false.


As Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 (KJV), "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." Even so, people set dates and deceive their followers.

I've heard that some people sold all they had when they heard of their leader's prophecy and gave the money to his organization. What does God think of that? Paul, through the Holy Spirit, wrote in 1 Timothy 5:8 (KJV), "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."

God will provide for us but we need to work also. I fell for the nonsense that I had but to wait on God and he'd dump every blessing on me. Now I know better.


Ensuring our eternity with God is also something many folks don't do. That's why I'm writing my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? The biggest failure to plan is when people put off turning to God and surrendering their lives to the Lord. The trouble is that "someday" never comes and we're left with regrets. Regretting in hell is the worst sort of torture.

I'll be blogging next time about how people have illogical ideas regarding spiritual things. What can't be seen still is real.

The John 9:2 Error

This is one mistake which ignorant people make when they meet a disabled person or somebody who suffered a misfortune. They automatically assume that God must be punishing that person for sinning or for the sins of the parents. People I respected were especially cruel in their condemnation of me for not being healed when they laid hands on me.

Christ's disciples ask if a blind man sins were the cause of his being born that way or if his parent's sins caused it. John 9:3 (BBE) gives the real answer to their question. "Jesus said in answer, 'It was not because of his sin, or because of his father's or mother's; it was so that the works of God might be seen openly in him.'"

What these cruel folks who blame disabled people don't realize is that God made some of us with less-than-perfect senses. Exodus 4:11 (KJV) shows that truth well. "And the LORD said unto him (Moses), 'Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?'"

Because of the endless cruelty of certain house church leaders, I turned my back on God for nine years. I finally realized that God wasn't at fault for my poor sight and lack of healing. It was the lies I was taught by that bogus church's leadership.

I wonder what they would have made of Leviticus 19:14 (KJV) if I had quoted it to them. "Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD."

The fear of God certainly isn't in the hearts of many professing Christians. That's why I'm writing my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Many who claim to believe in God haven't surrendered to Christ and are headed to hell. May the Lord use my book to turn folks from that horrific place.

I'll be writing next time about a mistake I made more than forty years ago and how it eventually lost me a lot of money.

Saturday Song: Blues Image, "Ride Captain Ride"

This song expresses the longing of people to find a place where they can start anew. "The old country" tends to become corrupt and a miserable place to live. Therefore, people strive to find some unspoiled place where they can escape the bad conditions.

There was a time where a person could do that. The discovery of the Americas led many people to leave their homelands to seek freedom from tyranny. Little did they know that they brought their human natures along with them, causing the same bad results as in their old world.

A band called Blues Image captured that sense of adventure in their 1970 hit, "Ride Captain Ride." Those 73 sailors came off their ship but found an unresponsive audience. So they sailed away to find a new place where they couldlaugh their lives away and be free once more.

Listen to the song here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8lf7RLYIww

What the people of  this world don't understand is that sin makes this place miserable. We cary this spiritual virus wherever we go and it always ruins any new attempts to start new lives.

But we need not dispair. Jesus provides us a way of escape. We read in Acts 2:38 (KJV)how to be changed from our miserable old ways. "Then Peter said unto them, 'Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
'"
This is what Jesus told his disciples in John 16:13 (KJV) when he said, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come."

So no matter how bad things might get around you, having this comforter and the new life Christ gives makes things so much more hopeful

I hope you enjoyed this song. It certainly brings back memories to me, that's for sure.

I'll be writing next time how people's misunderstanding of disabilities drove me away from God for nine years. Stay tuned for that.

The Unforgivable Sin Error

One of the biggest mistakes people make is fretting that they committed the unforgivable sin. Worse yet, some preachers teach this error as biblical fact. So, what is this unforgivable sin?

One passage trotted out is Hebrews 6:4 to 6. The Bible in Basic English renders it this way. "As for those who at one time saw the light, tasting the good things from heaven, and having their part in the Holy Spirit, With knowledge of the good word of God, and of the powers of the coming time, And then let themselves be turned away, it is not possible for their hearts to be made new a second time; because they themselves put the Son of God on the cross again, openly shaming him."

Some ministers teach that one sin can nullify a person's salvation. Cults, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, claim that people can't be baptized until they're on their death beds in case they sin afterward.

The problem is that they don't understand salvation and God's power to keep people saved until the Day of the Lord. Ephesians 1:13 (KJV) plainly states about our faith in Christ, "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,"
Paul likened our salvation in Christ to being married to a new husband after the old one died. And since God hates divorce, he won't disown those who place their trust in Christ's redemptive work on the cross. Romans 7:4 (KJV) says, "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."
Ephesians 4:30 (KJV) shows that this seal will last until Christ comes for us at the last day. "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."(

I could write so much more of our assurance of salvation but I'll save it for my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? I agree with John MacArthur that if we could lose our salvation, it would have happened a long time ago.

On my next post, I'll be writing about how we bring our sin with us wherever we go. There's no escape from it.

 Another soul-damning error is that it's up to us to "close the deal" when we share the gospel with people. Instead of convincing people, that approach tends to drive them away. It also leaves them with the sense that Christianity is an Amway-like religion of "getting" people to join.

So how should we preach the gospel? Jesus modeled how in the fourth chapter of John's gospel. He sat at a well at noon and asked a Samaritan woman for a drink of water. That was highly taboo since Jews and Samaritans hated each other. Jesus then spoke with her about "living water" and she believed in him as the Messiah.

That woman told her neighbours and they too believed in Jesus. John 4:39 (KJV) reads, "And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, 'He told me all that ever I did.'"

Imagine what a failure in communication would have happened had Jesus given her a didactic lecture right from the start. Imagine if he had told her right away that she was headed for hell because she was a sinful woman. Instead, Jesus led her gently into the gospel and she believed him without any verbal coercion.



Another example of gentle leading into the gospel message is recorded in Acts 8:30 (KJV). "And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, 'Understandest thou what thou readest?'"

That Ethiopian eunuch had been reading the book of Isaiah aloud when the Holy Spirit directed Philip to go into the desert. When the man asked him how could he understand the text, Philip explained it. After the eunuch was baptized, he returned home with the gospel. Today's Coptic church is the result of that one encounter.

I'm glad we don't have to "sell" the gospel like it's a lit stick of dynamite. Too many people have ruined the good news of redemption by being belligerent. Our job is to proclaim the gospel, not sell it.

I'll be writing more about this in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Far too many people have been turned away from the life-giving good news by overzealous Christians who were told they had to get as many people saved as possible. The Holy Spirit is who does the saving, not us messengers.

My next post will be about the unforgivable sin. Far too many Christians have been tormented by this misunderstanding that one single slip can damn them forever. I want to comfort them through what Scripture says.

Saturday Song: Boney M, Rasputin

Believe it or not, I was in a house church led by a minister who claimed that the spirits of dead people took over his body and used it to preach. One of those he claimed to be host to was Rasputin.

Worse yet, I fell for his lies. I craved the high standing of being an advanced Christian who knew privileged secrets. This bogus preacher offered me that and more.

Then Boney M's song "Rasputin" came out and I was instantly offended. I thought I knew so much more than that group did.

Click here to hear the song.

That contemptible minister taught me that Rasputin was actually a saint who was killed by courtiers in Moscow who were moved by Satan to murder him. Consequently, I turned off the radio when that song came on.

Now I realize the extent of my indoctrination into blasphemy and lies. The Bible teaches in many places that people shouldn't talk to the dead. Yet here was this man pretending to have spirits occupy his body while he went elsewhere to preach.

Jesus especially had a thing or three to say about misleading naive believers. Matthew 18:6 (KJV) demonstrates how much he despised false teachers. "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

So, what are the memories that this song stirs up in your mind? Please let me know in the box below. And if you don't want to comment, have a good weekend anyway.

I'll be writing next about how some folks try to sell the gospel like it was a product. Shame on such people!

The Hellfire Preacher Error

 I wrote previously about the biblical injunction to warn all sinners about hell. Unfortunately, one group of preachers have made a mockery of that command through their histrionic rantings.

From the seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries, "fire and brimstone" preachers used fear to motivate people to repent. But merely escaping damnation isn't a good reason to follow Christ.

Look at what 1 John 4:18 (KJV) says about why we must love Christ. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."


How can people love the one who they've been told to fear? Our response to Christ's purchase of salvation on the cross for his followers ought to be one of love and awe. Romans 5:8 (KJV) shows why. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." What an awesome thought!

Jesus could have refused what he called "the cup" but he didn't. Matthew 26:42 (KJV) says, "He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, 'O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.'"

Furthermore, Hebrews 12:2 (KJV) explains why our Lord took the monstrous load of our sins upon his sinless soul. "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."


This topic is too big to explain in a mere blog post. That's why I'm writing my book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Since there's no "do over" after we die, it's crucial that we be fully persuaded and informed about our eternal destination.

Saturday's post will be about a song which I took offense at. The house church taught me lies about the man mentioned in the song. Now that I'm free from that wicked leader and his sheep dog sidekick, I realize how badly they misled me.

The Party in Hell Error

I find it incredible that some people actually think that hell will be a fun place to be. There reasoning is that all the "fun" people will be with them. One foolhardy friend even said to me, "At least I'll be warm there."

But hell is anything but fun. It's a place of eternal torment. Think of that. We all have had terrible illnesses or times of tragedy but they all came to an end. Hell never ends and the thought of that is mind-boggling.

In Luke chapter sixteen, we read a parable about a rich man who died and found himself in hell. He wasn't partying with his sinner friends but was in agony. Furthermore, he wished that his five brothers would be warned by Lazarus, the poor beggar, not to end up where he was. Look at his request in Luke 16:28 (KJV). "For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment."

Jesus had much to say about hell. He warned in Matthew 5:29 (KJV), "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."

The metaphor of cutting off one's hand or plucking out of one's eye warns us of the seriousness our Lord places on salvation. In fact, the worst tortures people can do to us aren't comparable to what God will do to those who resist him until they die. Matthew 10:28 (KJV)shows just how foolish it is to joke about hell. "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

Even more horrifying, people who call themselves Christians but haven't surrendered their wills to Christ have the worst punishment waiting for them. Matthew 23:33 (KJV) quotes Christ's condemnation of the most religious folks in Israel. "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"


I could point to many more verses about the horrors of hell but I'll save it for my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Hell is nothing to joke about. It lasts for all eternity and there's no escape from it.

In my next post, I'll point out why so many people mock those of us brave enough to talk about hell. Watch this space.

Saturday Song: The Ink Spots, "The Java Jive"

Though this song was recorded in 1940, I still relate to it. I love strong coffee first thing in the morning. The aroma and the steam rising up to my face encourage me. After all, morning comes too early in the day for a night owl like me.

Listen to the song here.

Now I know that caffeine is a drug. Even so, I don't go overboard on it. In fact, I limit myself so I can sleep at night.

As Philippians 4:5 (KJV) wisely advises, "Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand."

And as far as I know, people didn't know about coffee in Bible times. Even so, we need to be sober and vidulent. As Ephesians 5:18 (KJV) reads, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;"

And as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:23 (KJV), "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not."

It's also unwise to be unaware of what's going on around us, physically and spiritually. Scripture says in 1 Peter 5:8 (KJV), "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary  the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may  devour:"

So, what do you think of this song and what I've written? Please tell me. But if you would rather not, have a wonderful weekend anyway.

My next post will be about hell and how some sinners joke that they'll be partying with their friends there. They won't be partying when they find out that their intense agony will never end.

Saturday Song: The Ink Spots, The Java Jive

Though this song was recorded in 1940, I still relate to it. I love strong coffee first thing in the morning. The aroma and the steam rising up to my face encourage me. After all, morning comes too early in the day for a night owl like me.

Listen to the song here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I3_suZ4h2U

Now I know that caffeine is a drug. Even so, I don't go overboard on it. In fact, I limit myself so I can sleep at night.

As Philippians 4:5 (KJV) wisely advises, "Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand."

And as far as I know, people didn't know about coffee in Bible times. Even so, we need to be sober and vidulent. As Ephesians 5:18 (KJV) reads, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;"

And as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:23 (KJV), "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not."

It's also unwise to be unaware of what's going on around us, physically and spiritually. Scripture says in 1 Peter 5:8 (KJV), "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary  the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may  devour:"

So, what do you think of this song and what I've written? Please tell me. But if you would rather not, have a wonderful weekend anyway.

My next post will be about hell and how some sinners joke that they'll be partying with their friends there. They won't be partying when they find out that their intense agony will never end.

Bruce Atchison, The Ink Spots, Philippians 4:5, Ephesians 5:18, 1 Corinthians 10:23 1 Peter 5:8