Month: October 2022

I do not watch television shows that center around physicians and medicine. As a physician, I find it annoying because nearly every story stretches the truth or is simply improbable from a medical viewpoint. Similarly, I am always wary when non-medically trained lay people issue dogmatic statements about medicine or health care. I usually give a wide berth for these statements but recently, one statement went beyond posturing. It was completely wrong. 

“There is no such thing as a fetal heartbeat at six weeks of gestation. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body.”

Source: Yahoo.com

This statement was made by Stacey Abrams, one of the gubernatorial candidates for the state of Georgia. Numerous medical organizations and physicians immediately rebuked this statement. Authoritative medical sites, including the American Pregnancy Association, unequivocally state that a fetal heartbeat may be detected by vaginal ultrasound from between 5 ½ to 6 ½ weeks. Source: American Pregnancy Association

Whether one chooses to support abortion is a personal decision. However, to fabricate medical facts to support one’s position is reprehensible. Such tactics are nothing new. Even the facts involving the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ were questioned, manipulated and distorted to support the claims of the enemies of Jesus Christ. 

Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him; but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 

John 19:31-34 (NASB)

Critics and enemies of Jesus Christ have always targeted the Truth of the Resurrection. They aver that Jesus Christ was never dead but instead was in a death-like swoon. When He was entombed, He was still alive and His disciples later rescued Him, allowing Him to appear to many claiming that He was resurrected. This passage from the Gospel of John completely refutes these claims. When the Roman soldier pierced the side of Jesus with a spear, there were hundreds of witnesses including many enemies of Jesus. They all knew Jesus was dead. If the Apostle John was fabricating this story, it would have immediately been rebuked by many others. Yet, in spite of this, the enemies of Jesus still persisted in spreading lies, directly contradicting the medical facts, simply to support their viewpoints. 

God has given us medicine and the sciences to understand His Creation. This is a solemn responsibility. It should not be abused or fabricated to support one’s political agenda. 

Amen.

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

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There is a new term to describe a growing disturbing trend in the workforce. 

Quiet quitters.

It describes an employee who only does the bare minimum at work, fulfilling the job requirements but refusing to do any extra work. From the employee standpoint, it may allow an escape from an intolerable or hostile workplace and allow one to find a proper work-life balance. From the employer standpoint, it may require the employer to properly structure their job descriptions, comprehensively listing an overview of expected duties. It may also require the employer to re-evaluate their pay structure and incentive programs. 

The legal and professional implications are problematic for both the employer and employee. At its best, it protects the employee. At its worst, it is passive-aggressive and may brand the employee as a poor worker and not a team player. Employers may even assume that an employee is a quiet quitter when their performance is subpar when in reality they may be dealing with a personal crisis. Thus, direct counseling and objective performance goals are critical to maintain effective communication between both parties.

As a Christian, I believe all Christians should strive to be exemplary employees and employers. The Apostle gave this admonition to the members of the church in Thessalonica. 

For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. 

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 (NASB)

I have been both an employee and employer. Have I always been successful in living a disciplined life as a Christian in the workplace? No. Yet, God, in His grace and mercy, gives all Christian believers the proper perspective.

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,  knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. Colossians 3:23-24 (NASB)

When both a Christian employer and employee understand that God is whom we are serving, all workplace relationships will fall into its proper places. As mentioned above, communication is critical and it must begin by humbling ourselves before our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

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It seems whenever a songwriter or author achieves great success, critics appear and question whether all of the works attributed to that person were actually written by that person. Was there a ghostwriter or some yet unidentified person who masqueraded as the celebrity? From Shakespeare to the Beatles, history is replete with these examples. 

The Bible elicits similar criticisms. Scholars have raised serious doubts with the authenticity of the identity of the writers of the Gospels, even with some of the letters of the Apostles Paul and Peter, and the book of Revelation. There are numerous dense articles and books critically examining the original Greek, parsing the grammar and choice of words, and concluding that some or all parts could not have possibly been written by the same author. Some have suggested that a scribe, one who was tasked with copying these manuscripts or even took dictation from the original author, may have taken liberties when recording or copying the words. In spite of these observations, many pundits still disagree with one another. How do we resolve this? The great English preacher, C.H. Spurgeon, quipped this response to someone who asked him how he can defend the Bible. “Son, how do you defend a lion? You just let it out of its cage and it will defend itself.” 

There are some questions that may never be resolved in our lifetimes. However, should this detract from the message of the Bible? No. The Bible is unlike any book in existence. It was written by men who were guided and moved by God, the Holy Spirit. 

Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. 

2 Peter 1:20-21 (NLT)

It is this critical fact that sets the Bible apart from any other book. While one may question who the actual human authors are, no one can question that God wrote it. Only divine and supernatural intervention could assure that dozens of authors, writing over thousands of years, could produce a single book that is internally consistent, not contradicting a single prophecy. It is all proven to be true by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

How do you defend a lion?

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Lion of Judah! He needs no defending and His Word, as revealed in the Bible, is infallible!

Praise God!

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

Apollo 13.

Many people know the thrilling story from the 1995 movie starring Tom Hanks as Astronaut Jim Lovell. It was planned to be the third moon landing but two days after the launch, an oxygen tank exploded throwing everything into chaos. It took place in 1970 and I was 8 years old and, like many of my peers, absolutely fascinated with space and space travel. Thus, when the tragic events began to unfold, I joined billions of people around the world, watching television updates and reading the daily newspapers. Thankfully, the three astronauts safely returned overcoming obstacles that none of them had ever trained for or were prepared to encounter.

When I first watched the movie, the suspense and tense moments the astronauts and the team back at Mission Control faced, as they frantically worked on a solution to safely return the crew back to earth, was gut wrenching. At times, I even wondered if they would make it, even though I knew they would. 

Our existence in this world and our present lives are no different. Each day is filled with drama, pain, joy, and sorrow. We call and rely upon our faith in God to see us through. Yet, at times, the events may seem overwhelming, even hopeless. We may even wonder if God can keep His promises and lead us to triumph. What does God say?

…Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave. 

Revelation 1:17-18 (NLT)

Don’t be afraid! Listen to the words of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He has eternally existed. He lived and died on this earth as a Man and by the power of the Resurrection, lives forever in Heaven, conquering death. Assurance that we will succeed? Confidence that we can face another day? We know how this ends! In triumph and victory! What greater proof do we need than our faith and belief in Jesus Christ?

Amen!

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

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“There is a thin line between genius and insanity.”

This frequently quoted quip has been attributed to many people. Equally prevalent are the numerous variants of this. One of the more intriguing is a quote by Albert Einstein, arguably one of the most brilliant people who ever lived. 

“The only difference between genius and insanity is that genius has its limits.”

I have had the privilege of meeting and working with many certified geniuses. I also have interacted with many patients who are insane. High intelligence and creativity may sometimes appear to border on insanity. Throughout history, there are some who would fit both labels. Pythagorus, Vincent Van Gogh, and John McAfee are just a few that come to mind. It is interesting that even the Bible can give us some examples. When the Apostle Paul defended his faith and actions before the Roman governor Festus and King Agrippa of Judea, he recounted his miraculous conversion when the Lord Jesus Christ met him on the road to Damascus. Festus was not impressed and accused Paul of being insane!

Suddenly, Festus shouted, “Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!”

But Paul replied, “I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. What I am saying is the sober truth. Acts 26:24-26 (NLT)

The Apostle Paul is not the only one considered insane. When one reads the Bible, it is remarkable that so many of the saints and heroes were considered insane by others. Isaiah was commanded by God to preach naked for three years. I certainly would have thought him insane but God was using Isaiah to symbolize the impending judgment upon the Egyptians who would become slaves and led away naked by the conquering Assyrians. It was a creative, if not unorthodox, way to communicate God’s message. Even some of the critics and enemies of Jesus Christ thought He was out of his mind and attributed His miracles to the work of the devil. 

Is there a thin line between genius and insanity? This aphorism is liberally used when the viewpoints of others differ from one’s own. It is easier to cast aspersions rather than taking the time to investigate the claims of the person in question. For Jesus Christ, everyone must answer this question for themself. The great Christian apologist, C.S. Lewis, eloquently summarized this when he investigated the claims of Jesus Christ. “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg–or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.”

Amen!

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

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