Awake Thou Wintry Earth - Fling Off Thy Sadness!

I am shocked.  I am writing this on January 30^th and it is going to be sunny and 55 degrees today.  And tomorrow it is supposed to hit 60.  Can you believe it?  It feels and looks like spring outside.  Birds are singing, the sun is shining, and it makes you want to get outside into the beauty of God’s creation. 

Recently, on Sunday night church service, we talked about God’s beauty.  We discussed how everything God does is beautiful.  That is why when He created everything, He looked at His creation and said, “It is good.”  He knew it reflected His own beauty and therefore was good.

The sad thing is that our sin marred the beautiful creation of God.  It messed it up.  And we live in what is often an ugly world.  But you know what God does?  If we give Him our ugly, He is happy to take it from us and make it beautiful.  Singer/Songwriter Randall Goodgame says it well in a new song he wrote for his latest kids’ album.  “God makes messy things beautiful, if you put it in His hands.  God makes messy things beautiful, like only He can.”

Every year God takes the ugliness of winter and turns it into spring.  All those dead leaves, all the barren land, all the gloominess of winter gets turned into the beauty of spring.  You probably have some gloominess of winter in your life.  All of us get hit by ugly things.  But the real question is: Have you put it in His hands?  He will take your winter ugly and give you springtime beauty.  Trust Him, He always comes through.

I love how CS Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe captures this truth.  The evil White Witch had ruled Narnia under a continuous winter for generations.  It was "always winter and never Christmas".  But when Aslan, the Christ figure arrives, winter begins to immediately recede to make room for the beauty of spring.  The evil Queen of Narnia loses her grip as each snowflake melts and each flower buds.  And when we give our winter to Jesus, He brings springtime beauty as Satan loses his grip on his ugly winter.

Let us stand on the promises of Isaiah 61:1-3

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

I know we are entering February, which is usually the gloomiest month of they year, but springtime is coming.  Praise God, springtime is coming!

"Awake thou wintry earth -

Fling off thy sadness!

Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth

Your ancient gladness!" 

- Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"

Joseph and Adoption

My little Abigail and I recently got into a discussion about the role of Joseph in the life of Jesus.  We were talking about how Joseph isn’t really Jesus’ dad, because God the Father is.  And then Abigail helped me realize something that I already knew, but hadn’t really thought about: Joseph was Jesus’ adoptive father.  Joseph adopted Jesus and made Him his son.  But then we moved on to talking about princesses or what some kid said on the playground.

Only a few days later I was sitting in a doctor’s office (waiting and waiting) and reading a book called Adopted for Life by Russell Moore.  The book looks at how God adopted us and how we are supposed to take a helpful role in various ways with seeing orphans get adopted.  Wouldn’t you know it, but toward the end of my waiting time I reached a chapter that talked about Joseph as the adopted father of Jesus.  Moore pointed out how most people forget about Joseph in the Christmas story.  He is portrayed as just doing his job of taking Mary and Jesus where they need to go, almost like an usher.  He is merely a bit player in the greatest story ever told.  But Moore showed how Joseph was so much more.

Joseph adopted Jesus as his own son.  And like all other adoptions, that means I was 100% wrong when I said, “Joseph isn’t really Jesus’ dad”.  In my desire to highlight that Jesus was not born from man’s seed, but conceived in Mary’s womb by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, I completely downplayed or even misrepresented the truth about Joseph.  Joseph was indeed really the father of Jesus.  Joseph wasn’t like a step-dad who comes into the picture when a kid is older and never gets accepted as the true father.  Joseph adopts Jesus as his own.  Jesus becomes his son with full privileges and responsibilities.  Joseph doesn’t raise Jesus like his own – Jesus had indeed become Joseph's own.

Mary was not wrong in Luke 2 when she called Joseph the “father” of young Jesus.  And later in that chapter it tells us that Jesus, like all good boys, stayed in subjection to both his parents.  In fact, that is why it is completely appropriate that the lineage of Jesus is traced in the gospels trough Joseph and not Mary.  People are usually bothered by that, because they want to argue that Jesus must be a descendent of David through blood – as if adoption makes someone less a son.  But Jesus was very much the Son of David, not in spite of but because of being adopted into that family. 

Adopted children are fully children of their adopted parents.  They aren’t somehow less than.  That is true of adopted kids today and our adopted Savior when He was a child.  And that is important to remember this Christmas, because we are adopted children of God.  We are not like His children, we are His children.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6

This Christmas, when you look at a manger scene remember you are looking at an adopted child.  Then look at Joseph and remember that he became Jesus’ father.  And let that stir you to reflect on how you are also a blessed adopted child.  You are adopted by our great Father, the Lord of the heavens and earth.  We’re not like His children, we are His children.

Children named "Unwanted" Get a New Name and a New Purpose

In Satara, India last Saturday almost 300 girls got brand new names.  There was a ceremony with official certificates showing their brand new names. The girls, from quite young to teenagers, put on their nicest dresses and wore pretty barrettes in their hair.  They were given their new name document and beautiful flowers from Satara officials.  

Why would so many girls all at once want to have a big ceremony and certificates with completely different names than what they grew up with?  Well, because they all shared the same name beforehand, and none of them wanted to keep it.  They were all named 'Unwanted' in the Hindi language.

In many parts of India families want boys and not girls.  Boys can add wealth to the family where girls often require a large dowry to marry them off and can cause a family to go into debt.  Hindu boys are seen as light bearers for their families.  Girls are often thought to have little to no value.  This has led to a high abortion rate of girls, and many of the girls who do make it to birth are literally given the name 'Unwanted'.  

Imagine living your life with the name Unwanted.  How heartbreaking.  Just think of growing up with no doubt that your family never desired your birth or life.  Your value is not positive but seen as only a large debt.  Well, you know what, we were once all nobodies.  We had no special name and no special family.  All the value we had was a sin debt we could not pay.  The Bible says we were lost, broken, hard-hearted, and as good as dead.  But Christ came in and changed all that.  He came and paid our debt that we could not afford.  He took our death on the cross.  He adopted us, made us His own, gave us a new name, and brought us into His wonderful family!

On Sunday mornings we have been going through Galatians and have learned this beautiful message:

God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ""Abba", Father." 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. Galatians 4:4-7

We were once slaves and now we are sons!  We are full heirs.  We have a new Father, a new name, and a new family.  Peter also proclaims this good news:

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10

As people with a new name and a new life we are given the new task of 'declaring the praises of Him who called' us 'out of darkness into His wonderful light.'  We, no matter male or female, become light bearers of our new family.  Isn't that awesome?  We get to go help others learn they are not unwanted either.  They can have a new name, a new Father, a new family, and a new purpose!  That is why we proclaim the gospel.  That is why we reach out to people.  That is why we are building a new and larger facility.  That is why we are here.  We are lightbearers of our great and awesome Father God and our Savior Jesus Christ who proclaims to the unwanted, 'I want you.  Come unto me.'

New Blogging Job

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Ron Paul's Biggest Problem Continues to Be His Followers

Many have said it before me.  One of Ron Paul's biggest obstacles for pushing past the 10-15% national polling he gets is the fact that a big chunk of his 10-15% loyalists are bullies.  There are many media folks who have commented on how they have been ill treated by pro-Paul crowds.  And as someone who has written against some of Ron Paul's views I've had my own fair share of run ins with these zealots.

I must admit before I share with you my latest attack by a  pro-Pauler, I do have great friends who are avid Ron Paul supporters.  And they are good people who don't say vicious things to people.  Passion is okay.  Passion funneled into schoolyard name calling is downright damaging to the guy you say you support.

Today I found a comment on my Twitter that was a few days old, and it sparked a downright silly (but fun) back and forth conversation:

TruthSquadTV :

@PaulMCooper just read your #RonPaul #Sharia. The Caliphate had its chance Ottomans. Globalist bankers will never permit sharia. wakeup.

TruthSquadTV :

@PaulMCooper the fact that you have a fave #wwe wrestling writer is a big problem.

So this New York blogger is a big Ron Paul fan and had a problem with an article I wrote months ago.  Now the article is not a personal attack on Ron Paul but merely argues my problems with Ron Paul's views on Sharia.  Feel free to read the article here. TruthSquad's initial comments were a simple rejection of my article and why he thinks I should reject it.  No problem with that kind of a debate.  But the Paul apologist couldn't stop there.  He had to come up with some strange and silly comment about somehow liking professional wrestling or enjoying the writings of a guy who followed wrestling means I have some unknown problem.  (By the way, that writer he mentioned was a journalist who wrote for the Baltimore Sun).

Well, I didn't quite get TruthSquad's connection to wrestling and my views on Ron Paul, so I just had to ask, and an interesting back and forth began:

Paul Cooper

@TruthSquadTV Not sure what WWE has to do with my views on Ron Paul. His fans would be taken more seriously if they didn't say such things.

Truth Squad.TV

@PaulMCooper was in response to your Kevin Eck tweet. You're a wrestling fan, disqualifies you from being taken seriously on any topic.

Really?  Being a fan of a certain form of sports entertainment really disqualifies someone from being taken seriously on any topic?  That's quite a statement.  I wonder what the millions, and I mean millions (shout out to The Rock), of wrestling fans would think of that statement.  Last time I checked, men and women of all ages, races, and academic accomplishment like wrestling.  Even well known folks have supported wrestling like Barack Obama, John McCain, Donald Trump, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Bob Barker, Steve Allen, Regis Philbin, Bob Uecker, Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Nancy Pelosi, and even Pee Wee Herman.  We're talking Pee Wee Herman folks.  Surely that guy can be taken seriously on some topics (maybe that last ones not the best example).

Anyway, sometimes you have to demonstrate absurdity by being absurd.  So I commented that I could make the same claim but change the words "wrestling fans" into "Ron Paul" fans.   It would be just as ridiculous for me to claim that Ron Paul fans can't be taken seriously on other topics.  But the guy just decided to dig deeper with his empty attack.

Truth Squad.TV 

@PaulMCooper wrestling = fake mind numbing distraction. RP = prophetic economic voice. Hmmmm Ask God which one he prefers.

So now I'm supposed to spend my prayer time asking God if he prefers WWE or Ron Paul speeches more.  Somehow I never faced such deep theological questions when I was in seminary.  And of course, comparing entertainment programming to a politician is a bit silly.  Wrestling, like all fictional entertainment, admits it is fake and trying to entertain you.  Most politicians spend a lot of time and money to avoid you realizing they are fake and not entertaining.  

Finally I had to end the silly debate with Mr. TruthSquadTV (which ironically enough, showed little interest in truth, was one guy and not a squad, and I'm not sure has much to do with TV since he's not into "fake mind numbing distraction").

Paul Cooper

@TruthSquadTV wrestling hate is quite interesting considering Jesse Ventura is one of the most loved by Paulites. Hypocrisy rears its head.

You see, the funny thing about the guy's argument is that Ron Paul fans are famously fans of Jesse Ventura.  Ventura has been brought in to be a main speaker at Ron Paul events.  Ron Paul loves Jesse and Jesse loves Ron Paul.  Just a few months ago Jesse Ventura said he'd like to run on the ticket with Paul.  And many Paulites have puts up websites and written blogs about how that is their dream ticket.  Now why is that funny?  Well what is Jesse Ventura famous for?  I mean before he was a wacky 9-11 truther, what was he famous for?  I mean before he somehow became the strange governor of Minnesota, what was he famous for?  Years and years and years of pro wrestling my friends.

Jesse Ventura found his fame as Jesse "the Body" Ventura.  He was first a wrestler and then a wrestling announcer - mostly for the WWE and for years.  Now wait a minute, I thought liking WWE made you a fool?  Hmm, so what would working for WWE make you?

Alas, good ol' Truthysquad guy didn't even know Ventura was a wrestler and told me how dumb I was for even bringing Ventura into the conversation since he wasn't a wrestler but an actor.  Aww, you got to love it.  Nothing feels better than showing someone how silly their attack is, and then instead of realizing it, they double down on their silly attack.

Listen Ron Paul fans, I am not a Paul hater.  I would vote for him in the general election if he were running against a liberal Democrat like our President.  However, I do have legitimate issues with some of his views.  And you have the right to debate me on those issues.  But please, stop the insanity on attacking the people that aren't voting for Paul.  As I also wrote on Twitter today:

Paul Cooper

Why do so many Ron Paul fans personally attack non-supporters instead of trying to win them over with ideas?

Maybe I should ask the guy in the boa.