Two posts have caught my attention, first Night Wind’s, ”The World Doesn’t Want to Be Saved.” Precisely. Well done, well said. I enjoyed that Huxley quote at the end, about the sheer insanity of being a normal in a society that no one in their right mind would accept and adjust to.
So it is a bit amusing that Pastor Wilson wrote, “The Revolt of the Normals.” Hmm. Let me tell you, the normals are revolting, indeed. Not quite in the way Wilson imagines, but revolting for sure.
Do you know what I used to call the normals of the churchian world? The Beautiful People. It was not a compliment, I hated them, and sometimes I still do. What marks the beautiful people? Apathetic, complacent, devoid of empathy, self absorbed.
The kind of people who seem to believe the unregenerate are going to roast forever in hell, and yet they can’t even be bothered to invite you to church. My fate is allegedly eternal damnation and now you’re just off to watch a ballgame??? Get in a fight over worship music? Complain about the thermostat in the sanctuary? Peeps, I am allegedly roasting over here and no one even seems to care! But hey, at least you guys look all clean and shiny……
A bit amusing, but when I was a young mom I had an existential crisis because I realized if I ever managed to raise sober minded, healthy, well adjusted adults, they simply wouldn’t be able to survive in this mad world of ours. Given the circumstances we find ourselves living in, it would actually be immoral to be well adjusted. Seriously, the only healthy response to the world around us is to stand on our front porch at 3 am in a long white night gown with a candelabra and scream. Fortunately the Lord intervened in my abyss and pointed out that it is virtually impossible for me to do anything perfectly, ever, so it was a moot point. I need not fret, like the rest of humanity, my kids were guaranteed to have flaws, imperfections, and issues.
If anyone asks, my children are absolutely perfect, amazing creatures, just the way God wanted them. I am just saying, thank God my kids were not afflicted with the normal. In fact, I worked very hard to plant seeds of not normal. The Bible tell us to be a peculiar people, a royal priesthood, set apart, and then we go chasing after normal? What part of ”Be not conformed,” do we not understand?
In Wilson’s defense, I think I do understand the kind of ”normal” that we all long for, a world where kids can have a mom and dad, and perhaps a dog, and there are only two genders, and the bad guys never win because love conquers all.
Listen up people, that is not ”normal” at all, that is extraordinary, way outside the mainstream. It is actually so unusual as to be downright radical. You have got to be half mad to have such a vision, to try to create such things. Most of human history is just dominated by endless greed, perpetual injustice, and random acts of brutal and pointless violence.
Indeed, the world does not want to change, in fact, it doesn’t even realize it is broken. Much like vampires cannot even see their own reflection, the world cannot see itself in a mirror either. Fish do not know the water is wet because they are too busy swimming in it.
We are not here to change the world but rather to give glory to God. We are called to salt the Earth. Back in ancient days babies were actually salted, to establish their parenthood, to declare their Fatherhood. Ezekiel 16 tells us, ”And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. No one cared enough for you to do even one of these things out of compassion for you. Instead, you were thrown out into the open field, because you were despised on the day of your birth.…” He is calling them (us) bastards, fatherless children, the unsalted, the cast out. Fatherless orphans who don’t know who we belong too.
We are called, those of us do who know who our Father is, to go forth and salt His babies, to claim them, to tell them who their Father really is and who they are in Him. Go forth and salt His babies, most who are now grown and not nearly as cute, and prone to frequent forgetfulness.
Those of us who are in Christ will actually do some of this work without even realizing it. You are shaping and influencing those around you, even when you don’t realize it. One need not be a literal father to be a spiritual father to many. There are plenty of spiritual mothers doing the same thing, reminding people who their Father is, salting the earth on His behalf. Salting His babies.
I don’t wish to harp on normal too much here, I just want to say it is way too small. We aren’t called to be normal, we’re called to be extraordinary, a peculiar people. Most of the world doesn’t know it is broken because it doesn’t even know what is possible.
jeffw5382 said:
Here is one example- Body modification- tattoos and piercings- once used to be considered avant-garde- now un-modified is outside the mainstream
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insanitybytes22 said:
Good point, Jeff. It’s very hard to be cutting edge and avant-garde today in a world gone mad. Sad too that people are still desperate to fit in. We need to do a better job of helping people to feel adopted, part of a family, certain of Who they are in Him.
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jeffw5382 said:
It seems to me easy, upon entering recovery- One must be ready to be done before dying
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insanitybytes22 said:
Yet another good point, Jeff! I used to be fascinated because Jesus would often ask, “do you wish to be healed?” It took me a long time to hear the truth of those words. Some of us are not yet ready to be done.
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jeffw5382 said:
Which to me reveals my theme for the season- Ego is the greatest evil 😬
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Beloved Anonymous said:
Good post, IB.
James 4:4
“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”
I do believe the wicked know they are evil. Why else would they use deception, lies, and deny their wrongdoing, evildoing, and criminality? Initially, some might lie to themselves to squelch any pangs of guilt or shame but then it becomes more normal and habitual to them.
We should all be very sober-minded and careful to not lie to ourselves or forgo sober self-examinations. Feedback from trusted Christians could be helpful, too.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Sometime I think you must be very young. That’s not a bad thing at all, it just make me reluctant to tell you to much truth, LOL!
In Christ there is no condemnation and He actually went to the cross despising the shame on our behalf. God did not give us spirit of shame because shame is related to pride and fear. Shame, guilt, and fear actually do not motivate us to be better people, they cause us to sin. It is that pride/shame dichotomy that had Adam and Eve hiding from God in the garden. “Perfect love casts out fear.”
Most evil people have no idea they are evil. Pedophiles don’t get up in the morning asking themselves how many kid’s lives they can destroy. Any guilt or shame they might have simply serves to drive their affliction. The very definition of deception is to be deceived. They can’t see it.
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Beloved Anonymous said:
Truth is always good.
I think evil people know they are evil because they take pains to hide it. And the typical pedophile absolutely knows he is destroying the kids he preys upon and it’s a source of joy and pleasure for him. Just the same as porn-sick men, they love to degrade the woman, to submit her, to humiliate her. There’s even a pervert porn-consumer/producer who captions his abuse/porn posts with how he is destroying his victim’s soul, stealing her soul. It’s a delight for them. That’s the thrill. Not the nudity. It’s the debasement and humiliation of the woman. It’s the power trip for the men.
Probably the only deception some of them engage in is the deception that there is no afterlife and certainly no hell. Many say they are absolutely going to hell, with a sense of pride. But others believe God doesn’t exist and so this is it. Either way, they’ll eventually come to find out God is real and so is hell.
It’s incredible the love Jesus has for His children. Perfect love for His children. Going to the Cross and giving His life as ransom for us.
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seekingdivineperspective said:
You’re right, what used to be considered “normal” is now pretty rare. 😦
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insanitybytes22 said:
I think perhaps it always has been? There is a lot of nostalgia for this world that never really existed, the alleged ”good old days.” We like to imagine this time in the past when crime rates were low and people were normal, but it never really existed. It is just an ideal, a worldview, a culture, one we’ve done a rather good job of destroying.
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seekingdivineperspective said:
So, Wally and the Beav were fictitious?
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insanitybytes22 said:
LOL! Pretty much. Andy Griffith was real, though. 🙂
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The Night Wind said:
Thank you for the link: I’m probably going to do a follow up and add some more points after I check out what Willie has to say. As for ‘normality’, this world is ‘Paradise Lost’ and it never has been perfect. The 1950s were before my time, but ‘Leave it to Beaver’ on TV ought to be balanced with ‘Dragnet’ or the ‘Adventures of Phillip Marlowe’ on radio—not to mention the ‘Beatniks’ who were hanging around places like Greenwich Village. There was a dark underside of that era too. The problem today is that dark underside is not only out in the daylight, it’s redefining what ‘normal’ looks like.
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oneta hayes said:
You have made a terrific point here, I B. Thanks.
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Clyde Herrin said:
Reblogged this on clydeherrin.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Thank you, Clyde. 😊
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Salvageable said:
I like this entire post, but I am particularly fond of the vampire/reflection analogy. J.
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Mel Wild said:
Amen, IB. Really liked this point.
“We are called, those of us do who know who our Father is, to go forth and salt His babies, to claim them, to tell them who their Father really is and who they are in Him.”
That’s exactly it! Instead of whining about how bad the world is (duh! LOL!), feeding on news designed to keep us riled up and engaged, we’re called to be ambassadors of our heavenly Father wherever we may go. We’re called to demonstrate His other-centered love.
I’ve been telling people that the best remedy to all the woke insanity going on right now is to get off of social media, even for a short time, and get out and actually talk to real people. Walk barefoot in the grass, play with some kids, have a picnic, enjoy the company of friends or family, share stories, be generous and appreciative. No wokeness can survive in that environment!
Btw, my wife was outside watering our flowers this morning when she thought she heard a faint, “Help!” She couldn’t tell where it was coming from (too much traffic on the road blocking the sound). She came in and told me and we walked around the block and eventually found the source. Turned out to be an 84-year old Korean War vet named Roger whose bum knee (war injury) gave out on him and he had fallen in his living room. We broke into his apartment and got him up and situated. Ended up having a wonderful conversation with him, and now we’re friends. Again, that’s anti-wokeness at work. The most subversive thing we can do! 🙂
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insanitybytes22 said:
Ahhh, what marvelous story, Mel! That is exactly the kind of subversive thing we need more of in the world. 🙂
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boromax said:
Omigoodness, Mel! That is such a heartwarming, wonderful story! I mean, rough for the brother who fell and was hollering for help for such a long time. Terrifying for him, I’m sure. Thank you so much for sharing this.
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boromax said:
IB, this is a great post. I like the whole thing, of course; but the last two sentences are quoteworthy, for sure. I am writing them on an index card and pinning it on my bulletin board.
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