March was “Woman’s History Month” – the month to celebrate women – and what did it get us? Let’s see – a man is knocking it out of the ballpark at women’s swim competitions. A man has been declared one of USA Today’s “Women of the Year” – and a woman nominee for the highest court in the land can’t define what a woman is. God help us – we are in real trouble if we can’t even answer that. How in the world will we ever be able to tackle the really hard stuff?!

In this woman’s humble opinion, women had better unite around the truth – a novel concept – if things are ever going to get back on track. Whatever happened to common sense? The opposite of common sense is folly, absurdity, and illogical. This ought to give us all pause for thought.

In 1971, Helen Reddy came out with the hit song, “I Am Woman.” It was heard during the closing credits for the 1972 film Stand Up and Be Counted. (That’s a thought!) “I Am Woman” is about female empowerment; Reddy said she wanted to write a song to inspire women. It did. Helen Reddy died in 2020, but I have to wonder where she would have stood on our current “woman” issue?!

Here’s a selection from part of her song: “I am woman, hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore, and I know too much to go back an’ pretend.” Pretend? Humm! I also have to wonder if those words would even be allowed on Facebook today, knowing of the sensitivity of our “woke” crowd and their hurry to censure anything and everything they don’t approve of!!

Thankfully, there are many amazing, strong women working behind the scenes these days, bringing truth, family structure, and Godly values to our lives. There’s a gal I know personally who was married fairly young at 20 to a wonderful Christian man. They had known each other since they were children. They had a beautiful wedding, attended by almost everyone in their church family, but within just five months, tragedy struck. Due to complications from a rare type of cancer, her husband passed away.

Of course, she was devastated as her life was turned upside down. She lost her home, declared bankruptcy and moved back in with her parents. It was rough going, but she eventually got back on her feet, moved into her own place again, and rebuilt her life. Five years later, this young lady remarried and eventually had two beautiful daughters.

One day, a position opened up for her at a local Christian school – they needed a new principal just into their first year and she jumped at the chance to not only enroll her two daughters but also build up a local school with Godly values and truth. And she did exactly that. Now, seven years later, with an enrollment of almost two hundred students, she has grown and guided the school with integrity and ethics that the parents are proud to stand behind and support. It’s an amazing story, actually, of a successful, confident, and courageous young woman.

So, how do I know this lady? Well – actually, this is my youngest daughter Susanne and I am extremely proud of the woman of God she has become and the work she is doing in our valley. Susanne is a no-nonsense gal who I would nominate in a heartbeat for Woman of the Year. But, then again, I’m her mom!

If we want to turn things around, I think it’s time we step up and start celebrating every woman we know of who is doing their darnedest to bring incontestable truth to our local communities because that’s where change has to start – on the local level. Take time to personally thank a good mom, or a great school teacher, or a mom-neighbor who is working hard to raise her family in a godly manner. It’s an uphill battle these days, but it’s not impossible. Just hard.

Sheryl Sandberg has said, “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.” She is wrong!! Let’s go with what Margaret Thatcher said instead: “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” As someone toasted – “Here’s to strong women: may we know them. May we be them. May we raise them!”

I’m personally aligned with Jessica Kirkland: “As for my girls, I’ll raise them to think they breathe fire!”

Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org

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I heard one TV commentator mention that Betty now “knows the secret.” Curious, I hopped online to see what he was talking about. It seems that before her death, Betty shared that she wasn’t “at all” afraid of passing on. “My mother had the most wonderful outlook on death,” she said. “Nobody knows. People think they do – but nobody ever knows until it happens. So growing up, whenever we’d lose somebody, my mother would always say, ‘Now they know the secret.’”

Hummm — sounds okay, but is it really true? Nobody knows “the secret” until they die? That thinking is in stark contrast to what we read in the Bible. It should be no secret what happens to us when we die. The book of I John not only gives us the amazing story of man’s salvation, but also the purpose of that particular book. I John 5:13 tells us plainly, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” Thankfully, we can know for sure that we will go to Heaven when we die. The trouble seems to be that too few people seek eternal life. Matthew 7 even tells us that “those who find it are few.”

But why is that? In some ways, the trip to heaven can be a lot like a driving-trip to Cobleskill, New York. If you get in your car and just start driving willy-nilly, chances are slim to none that you will ever reach Cobleskill. A course needs to be charted in advance with a clear goal. If not, you may soon discover you’ve spent four days driving in the totally wrong direction.

Guesswork is never a good strategy! Someone once said, “The goal of getting to Heaven is worthy of greater advanced planning than we would give to any other journey – yet some people spend far more time preparing for a trip to Disney World.”

The truth is, no one automatically ends up in Heaven. Hell – not Heaven – is our default destination. Unless we deal with our sin issue, we can’t enter Heaven. There are only two possible destinations when we die: Heaven or Hell. It’s really the “almost” prose: “How painful almost to nail a job, but to miss it. How vexing almost to catch a plane, but to be left at the terminal. How sad almost to escape drowning, but to be engulfed in the water. But, oh, how above-all-things terrible to be almost a Christian and miss eternity in Heaven! For to be almost saved is to be certainly lost.” But – it’s our choice! God has never forced anyone to have a relationship with Him. It’s called ‘freewill.”

Remember the TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? It first aired in 1999 and was an instant hit. If you know the show, you surely remember the “lifelines” – each contestant was allowed to use “lifelines” when they were uncertain about the answer to a question. Here are some “lifelines” that Pastor Gary Sinclair believes many people use for life’s ultimate questions:

~ 50/50: Some people hope they will make it to heaven. They think they have at least a 50/50 chance. They’re trying to do enough good things to get in.

~ Phone a friend: Some people do what their friends do, think what their friends think, and are counting on their friends to be right about ultimate truth.

~ Ask the audience: Others accept the majority view. If New Age is in, they follow it. If 60% of the country rejects the Bible, they reject the Bible.

But my “lifeline” is none other than Jesus Christ, and as the great hymn writer Fanny Crosby wrote in 1873: “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!” Couldn’t say it better myself!

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Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you can contact them at DPCityChurch.org.

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This past year was to be the one where we would find a cure for the pandemic, or at the very least, tell the truth about other valid treatments. This was to be the year masking would end. This was to be the year our government would finally “get it” and our schools, restaurants, churches and workplaces would reopen – sanity would again prevail.

Jeremy Young – a specialist in emotional and social movements said, “Wishful thinking may be natural, but anticipating a good year on the heels of catastrophe is a setup for disappointment.” Well, he’s the cheery one, isn’t he?! But Nostradamus, can top that. 450 years ago, ol’ Nostra prophesied that in 2022 “a great fire will fall from the sky”- many have interpreted this to mean an asteroid shower will destroy the earth. So – considering our sorry state of current events, is my New Year’s resolution even possible, and if so, how? What does it take to not merely survive, but to thrive amidst difficult times such as these?

First of all, I believe it’s vitally important to realize things have changed – these are not the days when we can leave our homes without locking the front door, or grocery shop in the evening without being aware of our surroundings. Let’s not be naive – “bad” has been ramped up and the landscape has changed. Things are different.

It reminds me of a letter a county worker sent out to folks who were moving in from the city to his rural area. Not quite grasping the differences they would encounter, these newcomers were having trouble navigating in their new environment. Thus – The Letter. The thirteen-page booklet was called “The Code of the West: The Realities of Rural Living.” Here are a few outtakes: “Animals and their manure can cause objectionable odors. What else can we say?” “If your road is gravel, it will generate dust.” “The topography of the land can tell you where the water will go in case of heavy precipitation. When property owners fill in ravines, they have found that the water that drained through that ravine now drains through their house.” The booklet was written so people would know what to expect in their new surroundings.

We are also in new surroundings – that said, let’s swing back to thriving. Being happy or content in the midst of personal or societal crisis is nothing new! We think we’re the “only ones” – but we’re not. People down through the centuries have had to learn to navigate around adversity and hardship.

Even Paul in the Bible speaks to this dilemma in Philippians 4, while sitting in a dark, foul, stinking, Roman prison: “I’m glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess – I’ve learned to be content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Add to that Wayne Dyer’s quote and we’re home: “Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.”

It’s very easy to get sucked up into the culture of the day and conform to an alternate agenda without even realizing it. Hearing constant negativity, believing the worst, allowing fear to invade our thoughts – tough way to live! But attitude determines altitude – it’s true. When we follow the world’s culture we will survive. We’ll be okay. We may even be comfortable – but we won’t thrive and we won’t have Godly purpose in our lives!

I’m with Maya Angelou on this one, “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” Let’s move forward and thrive! “After all,” as someone once quipped, “Remember the guy that gave up? Neither does anyone else!”

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Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCityChuirch.org

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Stockings, pickles, indoor trees, reindeer and elves – Christmas has some surprising customs that are associated solely with this unique holiday. I’m sure most of you have some family traditions that, upon thinking back, make you smile more than others! And perhaps you even made new ones this year.

Our children always loved unpacking their sleeping bags and camping out under the Christmas tree – gifts piled high, lights twinkling – it doesn’t get much better than that. One family had their kids leave the traditional cookies & milk for Santa and then not only ate the goodies after the kids went to sleep, but then left Santa shoe prints (from flour) beside the food tray. It was absolute “proof” that Santa had visited the night before. More memories! Another family watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas one year and the kids decided that instead of a beautiful lighted star for their tree topper, they needed an Allosaurus – one of the large dinosaurs weighing up to 2.5 tons and growing up to 32 feet in length. Their thinking was that even a plastic model would help protect the gifts from the Grinch. So up it went – looked a bit odd having a large dinosaur sitting atop their tree, but the gifts stayed safe! New memories!!

There are many holiday traditions we observe each year without even thinking about them. Probably the most central of these is the Christmas date itself. Historians pretty much now agree that Jesus wasn’t born anywhere near December 25th. For starters, we know that shepherds were out in the fields watching their flocks, but shepherds were never out in the fields during the cold and rainy month of December. Scholars suggest there is evidence that Jesus may have been born in the summer or early fall. I don’t think the exact date matters to God – the world settled upon December 25th and that day got set apart even in the hearts and minds of non-believers. Let’s chalk one up for global joy!

On a holiday side note, did you know that there are over 20,000 “rent-a-Santa’s” across the United States each year?! Santa can make up to $500 an hour, but your normal, run-of-the-mill mall Santa’s earn around $30 an hour. And the Santa job is an important one as it pulls in people for shopping. It’s reported that American consumers spent more than $1 trillion for Christmas this year. But I’m with Bill Keane on this one: “God put Santa Claus on earth to remind us that Christmas is supposed to be a happy time.” Go Santa!

And, have you heard that the largest gingerbread house ever made was the size of a real home? In 2013, a group from Texas – where else? – constructed a real gingerbread house. Made with a wood base, it took 1,800 lbs of butter, 7,200 eggs, 3,000 lbs of sugar, 7,200 lbs of flour and over 22,000 pieces of candy to cover the record-breaking structure. All that to celebrate Xmas! But wait! Xmas? Yes – some folks are offended by the term “Xmas,” but actually, the letter “X” in Greek is the first letter of Christ, and “Xmas” has been used as an abbreviation for Christmas since the mid-1500s.

Disney came through on this one, celebrating Xmas with 150 semi-trailer truckloads of decorations, stringing 15 miles of garland and 8.5 million lights, hanging 1,314 wreaths and decorating some 1,300 trees with 300,000 yards of ribbon! Joy to the World – even our theme parks love Christmas! As Hamilton Mabie remarked, “Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.”

But let’s never forget that Christmas is about the giving of a Savior to mankind – something we should be celebrating year-round. Someone once referred to this as the “great encounter, the historical encounter, between God and man.” Hopefully, we didn’t allow the busy season to misdirect our focus from what really mattered most, our main gift – Jesus!

In the end – I hope you loved your Christmas day – it’s over until 2022. Let’s pray that truly this coming year will bring greater peace on earth and goodwill to men.

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Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCityChurch.org

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For several years, our family decided to celebrate Christmas with what we fondly called our “Charlie Brown trees.” We intentionally found the most sorry tree on the lot, lugged it home, set it up, and decorated the puddin’ out of it. Our friends would come over and gaze upon our tree in amazement – “The pastor really has a tree with no shape plus big gaps in it? Who does that?!” Actually, it was kinda fun and our daughters still talk about those Charlie Brown trees to this day! During this same time period, we had a friend who went through four trees one Christmas looking for the perfect tree. And he thought we were crazy!

The history and origin of Christmas trees is debated to this day – many believe they are a pagan image but others see the evergreen as a representation of God’s everlasting love. Both of these views are correct but, like anything else, it’s a matter of the heart. Many who enjoy the yearly tree, point to the star on top as representing the star the Magi followed to Bethlehem and the tree lights reminding us that Jesus is the light of the world.

Legend has it that Martin Luther (1483-1546) was the first person to put lights on the Christmas tree. It’s said that he was out one night and was so moved by the beauty of the night stars shinning between the branches of a fir tree that he bought one home and decorated it with candles so his children could share in that wonder! And thus a tradition was born!

My mother loved putting tinsel on our Christmas trees – she and my father would carefully lay one thin strip of tinsel at a time on the branches – it took forever – but the end result was stunning! Tinsel, in fact, has its origins in Germany from the 1600’s, when people used thin strands of real silver to reflect candlelight. I remember my own daughters throwing tinsel at our tree in giant gobs – they seemed to think it looked great so we just left it that way. It was, after all, the family tree!

An interesting tidbit about our “tree-friends” is that Arizona has a giant 30-foot Christmas tree made completely out of tumbleweeds. It takes 1,200 tumbleweeds to create the “tree” which is then covered in glitter and flame retardant. Only in Arizona! But if you live in Hohenwald, Tennessee you may want to think about donating your used tree to the Elephant Sanctuary there. The zoo feeds these old trees to their hungry elephants as a seasonal snack! Who would have thought – that’s definitely one to remember for Jeopardy!

Truly, Christmas is such a gift in so many ways: the gift of a wonderful holiday, the gift of celebrating friends & family, and – most of all – the gift of a Savior – a gift we can share with others. There’s a story told of Jesus going to heaven after His time on earth, and the angels asked Him, “Did You accomplish Your mission?” “Yes, all is finished,” the Lord replied. “We have a second question,” voiced the angels. “Has the whole world heard of You?” “No,” said Jesus. The angels next asked, “Then what is Your plan?” Jesus said, “I’ve left twelve men and some other followers to carry the message to the whole world.” The angels looked at Him, “Ohhhhkay — so do you have a Plan B?”

Of course, there is no Plan B – as Christ-followers – we’re it. We are Ambassadors for Christ spreading the Gospel – the Good News – to any and all who have an ear to hear. It’s an easy message really – “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” The well-known Corrie Ten Boom (1892-1983) saId this about our holiday: “Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.” So yes, Charlie Brown – we know what Christmas is all about.

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Bob and Susan Beckett pastor the Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street, in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCityChurch.org.

Susan Beckett | Contributed

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According to a Reader’s Digest article, The Henn na Hotel in Nagasaki, Japan, hired 243 robots to cover positions ranging from concierge to bellhop. Unfortunately, the check-in robots had trouble answering guests’ questions and photo-copying passports, while bellhop robots kept banging into walls and tripping over curbs. One in-room assistant sprang to attention every time a lodger snored, saying, “Sorry, I couldn’t catch that. Could you repeat your request?” Not long after the experiment began, the hotel “fired” half of the malfunctioning robots.” Good thing I suppose – I bet some “real people” even got their jobs back!

I personally doubt that AI can ever totally replace a lot of our humanness; after all, they are missing that part of our mind that processes emotions, insights, and perceptions. Just for example, a robotic vacuum was programmed to vacuum Jesse Newton’s floors every morning at 1:30 am while his family slept. Unfortunately, early one morning, while hard at work, the AI found a pile of their new puppy’s poop. Not being human, so not recognizing exactly what it was, the AI vacuum swept right over the poop and commenced to spread it all throughout the Newton’s home: along the floorboards, around furniture legs and across the rugs. My advice to the Newton family – throw a revolution and take back your floors!

I have always loved the fact that God gave us humans such amazing brains. Brains weigh about 3 pounds and it’s actually a myth that we use only 10% of them – we use all of it, even while sleeping. Your brain’s storage capacity is considered virtually unlimited and information in your brain travels up to an impressive 268 miles per hour. A piece of brain tissue the size of a grain of sand contains 100,000 neurons and 1 billion synapses, plus there are 100,000 miles of blood vessels in these 3-pound thinkers. The distance around the world at the equator is 24,900 miles. There’s just no way this amazing organ could be the product of evolutionary chance! My brain is so impressed!!

Our brains are a gift from God no doubt, and along with them, God has given us some instructions on the best way to use them. Philippians 2:5 advises us, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Our minds are the key to a successful Christian life. It’s possible for us to have the same mind that Jesus had, which means we’re all capable of thinking like He did. This is huge: this means I can make wise decisions and act accordingly – just as Christ would have.

And, according to Romans 12:2, we are urged to “Not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds, that we can prove what is the…perfect will of God.” Note the verse says we are to “renew” our minds – not “remove” them. God loves a good thinker! But unfortunately, we humans can tend to gunk up our minds on a daily basis. Consider this – the average human spends 5 hours and 11 minutes per day watching TV and at least 1.5 hours each day on the internet. How much of that is hostile to Christian values and against just about every good thought we own and possess? Think about it – we watch and catalogue hours of murder, lying, deceit, adultery, assault, etc. – no wonder the Bible instructs us to renew our minds!

One parting thought here on artificial intelligence. “Sophia” – a social humanoid robot who can hold conversations that rival Apple’s Siri – was being interviewed on CNBC. The host asked Sophia “the question” all humans want to know: “Sophia, do you want to destroy humans?” Without hesitation, Sophia responded, “OK, I will destroy humans.” Geez, so much for mutual, friendly, co-habitation with AI’s! We’d all better keep our brains plugged in!

Agatha Christie in her book, Peril at End House, has a great couple of lines that will wrap all this up with a smile. “Poirot,” I said. “I have been thinking.”

“An admirable exercise my friend. Continue it.”

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Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCityChurch.org.

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These shirts say a lot about the people who wear them – often intentional. In the 1880’s Mark Twain coined the phrase, “The clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” The idea is that what you wear says a lot about you, namely what’s important to you and often your social or work status, etc. For sure, the world we live in today makes a lot of evaluations based on our external appearances!

Strange as it sounds, it’s actually very Biblical. 1 Samuel 16:7 gives us a fascinating revelation, both of people and God. God had sent Samuel to anoint the next king of Israel, which ended up being King David. Samuel had checked out seven of Jesse’s sons but none of them was “the one.” Then – here’s what the Lord told Samuel: “Don’t judge by his appearance or height…the Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Such true words!

There’s something in our society known as “representative bias” – this is what causes us to make conclusions with very little information. Basically, representative bias can be defined as “the tendency not to treat every person as an individual, but to make assumptions based on traits we observe.” So, if you take notice of a cute, blond gal in tight-fitting yoga pants climbing into a minivan, you are going to come to certain conclusions about her. Or, if you see a sneaky-looking guy in a pinstriped suit, slicked-back hair, with a cigar and a violin case, you are probably going to assume he’s not your bus driver. Probably a good deduction!

Miuccia Prada made this astute observation: “What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language.” She could not be more right – again; people look on the outside. There’s an old idiom that’s been around forever: “Dress for the job you want.” If you want to make a good first impression, think about what you are putting on your earth-suit. What’s your objective for the day? Someone once observed, When a woman says, “I have nothing to wear!” what she really means is, “There’s nothing here for who I’m supposed to be today.”

That’s funny but kinda true – and we can continue that observation with this question: what about the clothes we can’t see? Colossians 3:12-14 advises us to “dress in the wardrobe God picked out for us: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline…and regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.” The context here is one of dressing ourselves. God may provide the clothes through His Holy Spirit, but we are the ones to put them on – or not. And that last item – love – is said to be Christianity with its work clothes on! The “don’t leave home without it” item! As Christ-followers, if we are indeed to “dress for the job” we must remember that we are Ambassadors for Christ every day, in every encounter, and every time we step foot outside our homes.

Yousuf Karsh photographed famous people and included 96 of them in his book, Portraits of Greatness. What’s fascinating about these faces is that so many were not attractive – of these 96 people, 35 had moles or warts; 13 had noticeable freckles or liver spots; 20 had obvious traces of acne or other pimples; 2 had highly visible scars. In a world where external visuals can be everything, these “flaws” could be devastating. But that is so superficial, isn’t it?!

My husband is always telling our congregation, “We are bigger on the inside then on the outside.” Bring your best inside-person to the table and dress in God’s best because, again, as Mark Twain said: “Naked people have little or no influence on society.” And by the way – this is a one-size fits all tee.

Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you can contact them at DPCityChurchg.org.

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Times were a-changing in America, and following the demise of Life came new magazines; People and Self magazines among them. As Steve and I talked, our conversation morphed from People and Self into “selfies.” It’s an interesting phenomenon actually. Selfies aren’t inherently good or bad, unless a person becomes totally absorbed in their self-snapping self-portraits, but it’s curious to see just how far some will go to get the perfect “selfie shot.” Between 2008 and 2021 alone, 379 people died from attempting to “selfie” themselves; some fell off cliffs, others tumbled from buildings, one was killed by a bear, and a few were run over by trains. For sure, being too self-centered has its drawbacks!

I recently read of a speech given by a valedictorian a while back. At the beginning, he thanked his dad – always a good start – but as the speech continued it became truly troubling. “My father taught me an important lesson,” he said. “He told me throughout my entire life that I am the most important person in the world.” Again and again throughout his speech, this student spoke of how he was the most important person in the world. Sadly, I believe this very attitude is absolutely destroying our society! As someone once said, “If I am both actor and audience, I probably made the play about myself. And if I did, it’s going to have a very short run.” I would love to know how that high school valedictorian is doing these days!

Those leading a self-centered life are those who rage at others in traffic; it’s the root of rudeness on sports fields, and in lines at retail stores! When you are the most important person in the world, the feelings of others are meaningless, as self-centered persons have priorities that are totally out of focus. In stark contrast, seeking and pursuing a relationship with God is life’s highest calling, and our attitudes and desires are thus altered for the good by having an encounter with Him.

Far too many people conduct their lives cafeteria-style: self-service only. Somebody once quipped, “From where I’m sitting, I am the center of the universe.” I think that “sitter” needs to scoot over! Jesus taught us to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Basically, we can’t love our neighbor as we should unless we love ourselves first. It’s a delicate dance for sure, but it’s not brain surgery.

We all have choices and priorities here – many people choose to be self-centered, others are hobby or work-centered, and still others choose to be family-centered. But whatever our priorities are in life, we are first called to be God-centered – He then becomes our greatest source of power as we see our talents and purposes in life benefiting others. Without this infusion of The Almighty, understanding the needs of others will never realize their full potential in our lives! Instead, selfies will continue to thrive!!

There’s a tragic story involving Vladimir Nabokov, a Russian born author who loved to collect butterflies and moths in his spare time. Once, Vladimir was staying with friends in Alta, Utah where he took the opportunity to pursue his hobby. He returned one evening saying that while tracking down a certain butterfly near Bear Gulch, he had heard someone groaning wretchedly down by the stream. His host asked him, “Did you stop?” “No,” came the reply. “I had to get the butterfly.” The following day the corpse of an aged prospector was discovered. Bear Gulch has since been renamed Dead Man’s Gulch, in honor of Nabokov. What a pitiful legacy to self-obsession!

Someone once remarked, “Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones.” That line could just possibly be the ultimate non-selfie of our time!

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Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you can visit them at DPCityChurch.org

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But nothing can compare with “Wrong Way” Roy Riegals, whose wrong-way run in the 1929 Rose Bowl is often cited as the worst blunder in the history of college football. Riegals picked up a fumble by a Georgia Tech player but somehow got turned around and ran 65 yards in the wrong direction. 65 yards! Teammate Benny Lom chased Riegels, screaming at him to stop, finally catching up with Riegals at the 3-yard line. A College Football panel chose Riegals’ “Wrong way run in the Rose Bowl” one of six “Most Memorable Moments of the Century.”

Sometimes going in the wrong direction can be harmless enough. I mean – in football it’s only a rubber bladder surrounded by heavy brown leather with a bunch of brawny jocks in hot pursuit. But what happens when going the wrong direction involves real issues and affects real people? Things can take a dramatic turn for the worst that can often last into eternity!

2 Timothy 3:16 teaches us that “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.” Proverbs 30:5 – short and sweet, “Every word of God proves true!” But when we veer off-track and pull a “Wrong Way Roy” it can have devastating results!

At DP we like tell people that we believe the Word of God from Genesis to maps! But there are many “postmodern” Christians who profess to believe the Bible and will use the same words we use – but with totally different meanings. It often takes a good deal of discernment to tell the difference. P

ostmodern Christians will tell you they believe the Bible is Divinely inspired, but they are not thinking “Holy-Spirit” inspired. They imply the Bible is inspired much in the same way the works of Charles Dickens or Ernest Hemingway were inspired.

Postmodern Christians will tell you they believe in the authority of the scriptures. We do too, but postmoderns claim scripture has been misunderstood and misapplied for the last two thousand years. Apparently, there are parts of the Bible that should be ignored or taken out — not!!

Postmodern Christians will tell you they believe that God is love. We agree – that’s THE reason God gave His only Son to die on the cross for our sins, and without accepting that free gift, we do not have a way into eternity with Him. But postmoderns believe a loving God would never judge sin or even condemn an unbelieving sinner to a Christ-less eternity — contrary to scripture. Their list goes on and on …

One leading postmodern teacher condemns what he calls the “gospel of saving individual souls from hell.” Instead, he advocates for environmentalism, the gay rights agenda, along with social and political issues – with spiritual matters taking a backseat. Wayyy back! His Christianity is not the Christianity of the Bible – and unfortunately, taking the wrong course on these weighty issues can keep a person from walking in the highest truth. In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from Me.” That’s the truth!

On October 31, 1983, Korean Airlines flight 007 left Anchorage, Alaska for a direct flight to Seoul, Korea. Unknown to the crew, the computer controlling the flight navigation system had a one-and-a-half degree routing error. When they left Alaska, the mistake was insignificant, and even one hundred miles out the shift was still small. But as the airplane continued over the Pacific, the giant 747 increasingly strayed from its course, eventually flying over Soviet air space. Soviet radar picked up the flight and fighter jets scrambled to intercept Once flight 007 was over mainland Russia, the jets blew them out of the sky, with all 269 aboard loosing their lives.

I am constantly reminding people that we are on a long walk in the same direction. Is it a big deal to get off course? Yep! You bet your life it is!

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Bob and Susan Becket pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you can visit them at DPCityChurch.org.

Susan Beckett | Dwelling Place City Church

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Most people are aware of the term “boiling the frog.” He sits there getting hotter and hotter, and although nothing is restraining him, the frog will sit there and boil. Why? It appears that the frog’s internal apparatus for sensing threats is geared only for sudden changes, not slow ones.

Doesn’t this sound a lot like what’s been happening to our society in general over the past several decades? It isn’t like we all just woke up this morning and things were a mess – it’s been a “sliding down the mountain” process. A little here, a little there, and boom, we’ve landed on our bum!!

I just read an article this morning which was a stunning example of boiling the frog. A man has been charged with raping a lady on a train outside Philadelphia. Here’s the “boil” part – the assault, which continued for about 40 minutes, took place as fellow passengers watched through more than two dozen train stops!, cell phones in hand! We should all be outraged and disgusted by this – not one person called the police. Not one! The lone call finally came from an off-duty transportation employee. What were all those passengers thinking just standing there? Is this just a daily occurrence anymore, so – no big deal?

The frog process is so gradual that people aren’t even aware of it at first. 2 Timothy 3:13 tells us, “Evil men will progress from bad to worse, deceived and deceiving, as they lead people further from the truth.” It’s such a creeping process many aren’t aware they’re being boiled. Hard to believe! Compare the actions of those on the train to Proverbs 3:27: “Never walk away from someone who deserves help; your hand is God’s hand for that person.” Too late – the train people had been boiled.

Recently, I read some online poetry – “Boiling the Frog” by Forrest Maready. Forrest covers our last two years of boiling the frog in such an insightful way – here’s an edited version of this truly clever poem.

[It’s just a mask.

It’s just two weeks.

It’s just non-essential businesses.

It’s just a few more weeks.

It’s just singing.

It’s just an app.

It’s just to let others know who you’re been in contact with.

It’s just a little chip.

It’s just a few more months.

It’s just an email account.

It’s just for protecting others from hate speech.

It’s just a few people.

It’s just so you can travel.

It’s just so you can vote.

It’s just for a few more years.

It’s just a statue.

It’s just a building.

It’s just a song.

It’s just a few words.

It’s just a book.

It’s just a flag.

It’s just a blood test.

It’s just a clump of cells.

It’s just the bad people.

It’s just the undesirables.

It’s just the Jews.

It’s just the men.

It’s just the Christians.

It’s just the people that don’t think like we do.]

So, I suppose the question of the day is – who will save the frogs? Do they even realize they’re being stewed? And do they even want out, poised to take on responsibility? Albert Einstein noted a profound truth when he said, “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” Point being: don’t be a toad!!

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Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA.

For more information, you can visit them at DPCitychurch.org.

Susan Beckett |The Dwelling Place City Church

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