Just Give Up

I had a dual experience today.

The first was when I was driving this morning. The local NPR station was airing a show on illegal immigration, and of course they had guests that were for blockading the Mexican border, those for eliminating it altogether, and several perspectives in between.

Whatever you may think on the issue, the argument for making illegal immigration legal was absolutely ludicrous. Basically it goes like this: this law is just too difficult to enforce, so let’s just do away with it.

My goodness.

I guess it doesn’t really surprise me, but the lack of logic in it astounds me. Sooooo, we can’t keep illegal immigration under control; therefore instead of redoubling our efforts in order to extend benefits to citizens and those who are here through legal channels, we should simply give up. Right.

The second was a conversation with a homosexual who tapped me to tell them that the church would not have a problem with their homosexuality. It was a lengthy conversation. In a nutshell I told them the church cannot give its blessing to unrepentant sin, of which this clearly is a case. It was another instance of, “I don’t like the rules. Just make an exception for me, will you?” Just give up on this one. As if I have the authority.

It’s harder work both to maintain civil laws and to stand against sin in the face of societal permissiveness. But it is the loving thing to do, for the sake of the citizenry and for the sake of God’s people.

Good for what ails you

Given our newfound source of heat, I’ve developed a new workout and stress reliever. I now split and stack wood. One member of the congregation has a lot of timber on his property that he’s trying to clear to get rid of the fire hazard. So he’s got good solid wood that has already fallen or been felled, and has given it to us in exchange for helping him clear it. And another member is helping me redo our hearth to bring it up to code and has been dropping off a truckload of likewise seasoned logs each time he comes. So now when I have a difficult day I simply go out back, grab the maul, and start swinging. It feels so good when you hit it just right and the log splits in two.

This all has the additional benefit of a direct connection with the things that enable life. It’s something I enjoy about farmer’s markets–or better yet, home gardens. I like being as close to the raw materials as is practicable. There’s just something more enjoyable about a pumpkin pie, for example, made from bringing a pumpkin into your home, seeding it, cooking it, and then making the pie than, for another example, buying the pie from Mega-Lo-Mart or some such thing. The same goes for the wood. It’s been harvested by some friends and me, and I am putting the sweat into splitting it to bring into the house to keep us warm. It gives a first-hand perspective to the First Article ways in which God continues to provide “all that I need to support this body and life.”