Are You Being Manipulated Witout Even Knowing It?

It is amazing to me that in this culture that has more than any other culture that has preceded it, we are more focused now than ever on being taken for granted, deceived, swindled, or simply being "trapped" in a relationship that "goes bad." Our divorce rates tell the tale. With divorce rates at or above 50%, we appear to be drifting ever further from any sense of real fulfillment.

Advertisers, salespeople, politicians, and yes even family members have learned something about the human condition that they repeatedly take advantage of. The Bible teaches that one is responsible to "Above all else, guard [one's] heart, for it is the wellspring of life. " This passage has often been used as a warning against unhealthy relationships, such as, for example, believers dating nonbelievers. While this application is certainly consistent with the larger context,, there is a dynamic that is often missed about guarding our hearts that rarely gets addressed. Not only do we need to protect ourselves from potentially destructive relationships and ideas,we also need to protect ourselves from destructive attitudes, especially unthankfulness and fleshly motivated discontentment. Notice I said fleshly discontentment. Not all discontentment is inherently evil, at times God even encourages discontentment as with the church at Laodicea in Revelation chapter 3:17-19:

You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

This passage shows how Jesus himself encouraged a form of discontentment to combat the spiritual apathy that have plagued the that Laodicean church.

Even though there are times when God encourages discontentment to bring us to a new level of maturity in him, discontentment is the exception rather than the rule. Moreover, even in times of spiritual desert, we are called to live a life of thankfulness. Additionally, God calls us to be satisfied with the things we have (Hebrews 13:5).

When we closely examine the context of the original sin that occurred in the Garden of Eden, it becomes readily apparent that the serpent successfully sowed seeds of discontent within the First Couple. He successfully convinced them that the very God who had given them a paradise in which to live and prosper was actually holding something back. This deception ultimately lead to their sin and expulsion from paradise into a life of continual hardship. They had been deceived. What is especially significant is not simply that they were deceived, but HOW they were deceived. Satan successfully planted seeds of unwarranted discontent and ingratitude to work his destructive agenda.

Each day the American heart is bombarded by hundreds of messages. Most of these messages contain some element that is inherently designed to cultivate some form of discontentment so that we will buy the product, service, or even candidate being offered us. Sometimes these messages need to be taken seriously because they facilitate legitimate discontent that we need to experience in order to move us to where God wishes to take us next. More often however, I observe the opposite problem: our unwarranted, fleshly motivated, discontent is moving us away from the place of blessing God has for us in favor of the false promises that Satan offers with the partaking of "forbidden fruit."

The real question each of us needs to address is simply this: How does one accurately distinguish between Godly discontent and Satanic discontent? On the surface, the answer might seem complicated. Actually, it is quite simple. Discontentment that is motivated by God will facilitate the growth of our own personal character and will not focus on the weaknesses and shortcomings of others.Godly discontentment comes with specific instructions for growth and not falter for attacking others. By contrast, those who would seek to knowingly or unknowingly lead us down wrong paths will always emphasize what somebody else did or is doing wrong instead of focusing on what we can do to make something better. True leaders encourage us to be better people ourselves. Politicians and showman spend their time focusing on what others have not done for you, just like Satan accused God of doing with Adam and Eve!

The next time you hear an ad, see a billboard, or see a campaign speech, ask yourself this question: is this product, service, or person (as in the case of a politician), encouraging me to be a better person, or is it merely encouraging me to attack the status quo in favor of what is being offered. Not all discontentment is bad, but a lot of it is. When God is motivating it, it will make us better and not bitter. Who or what is shaping your life, and what attitudes are these things fostering in you? Are you truly thankful for the good things in your life,or just angry and unhappy? God's discontentment will not facilitate unthankfulness. We might want to think about that before the next election as well. Just a thought.

The Prodigal Son and Healthcare

No, I have not gone crazy! However, as this healthcare debate rages I am increasingly reminded of the larger context of the "Prodigal Son" text in Luke 15. There, Jesus shares three back to back parables that are, according to the author, meant to confront the attitudes of religious leaders who are upset because Jesus chooses to hang out with "sinners."It is especially important for the reader to remember that in Jesus' time, the term "sinner" was applied to a number of people, often including the physically ill since it was commonly believed that physical illness and disability were evidence of divine judgment because of sin. It is also important to note that the first two parables "The Lost Coin" and"The Lost Sheep" preceding the intentionally climactic parable of the" Prodigal Son" illicit no reaction from the crowd. This "silence" is intentionally built into the narrative of the three parables by the writer to prepare the reader for the main point that only comes at the end of the last parable , "The Prodigal Son". As one would expect, the religious leaders are perfectly comfortable with the idea that a person would do whatever it takes to recover a lost sheep or a lost coin. After all, these are sources of considerable revenue in the Jewish culture. The lost coin, for example, was probably meant to invoke images of a woman's dowry that would be given to a groom at the time of marriage. Similarly, the wool from sheep would have provided a substantial source of revenue for herders. Therefore, no one in the crowd would have been surprised by the passion expressed in these fervent searches. The tension arises only when Jesus offers The Prodigal Son as a point of intended climax. Like most Middle Eastern cultures of the time, Israel was very communal . While the prophets of old such as Ezekiel had previously sought to bring balance to the tension between the individual and community, in reality, an individual's worth was largely determined by his or her impact on the community as a whole even in Jesus' time. Given this intense focus on the community, one could understand why the Prodigal Son would have been viewed as something less than human after his grievous transgression of betrayal. It has been argued that the father likely ran to the son not simply a matter of excitement and joy (though this was certainly present), but also as an act of protection for the repentant son. If anyone else had seen the son approach the house first, it is likely he may have been killed or in the very least viciously attacked. After all, he had shamed the family name. This is a most serious offense in Middle Eastern cultures. There is a reason the son had planned to ask for nothing more than servant status; it was THE MOST he could expect from his father given the circumstances HE had created. Thus,when Jesus narrates the totally unexpected response of mercy and forgiveness it likely stunned the larger crowd, and most certainly angered the religious leaders at whom Jesus' comments were specifically directed. After all, they held sinners in high disdain. They had wrongly accused Jesus of being a false prophet, and Jesus' parable turned this argument on its head. if there is one message that the Prodigal Son teaches, it teaches that God values all individuals totally and completely apart from their perceived value to the society at large. It is important to remember that people such as the disabled who would not be considered "sinners" by today's standards would have been put virtually on the same level as the Prodigal Son who sinned deliberately and intentionally This is why the "lame" (physically disabled) were excluded from temple worship with other legitimate sinners. in the end, the major difference was that the disabled had the right to beg for alms! When Jesus told this amazing parable, he, once and for all,defended the inherent value of the individual apart from his or her perceived contribution to society at large. It is little wonder that the self-righteous religious leaders were not too keen on Jesus' teaching. After all, they thought they were something special based on their "outstanding" morality alone! In contrast, Jesus maintained true righteousness only comes through grace exemplified by repentance. Our Declaration of Independence like the Prodigal Son rightly proclaimed that all are created equal and thus inherently valuable in their own right. When we have taken this premise seriously, our nation has prospered. When we have ignored it or violated it in our treatment of certain minorities, we have suffered greatly.The biggest problem with the healthcare debate is that it will necessarily place the state in the position of once again making value judgments about the worth of individuals based on their perceived value to society at some future point. While it is true that Obama has denied that his plan would lead to healthcare rationing, his health-care czar Ezekiel Immanuel has written extensively on this issue and has openly admitted that especially in times of economic hardship (like now) that rationing would have to be undertaken. See http://www.nypost.com/seven/07242009/postopinion/opedcolumnists/deadly_doctors_180941.htm?&page=1. I am not suggesting that Obama is intentionally promoting healthcare rationing, or worse yet, some form of eugenics. However, I am suggesting that Obama is choosing to ignore the very real concerns people have until after a bill is passed. It is not enough for Obama to say that he does not wish to ration care. He must instead convince the American people that his plans could never lead to such injustices even after he leaves office. It is especially troubling that Obama continues to appoint Czars who have held these extreme views and yet we are expected to simply ignore their writings in favor of what Obama is saying now. My question is, if Obama is serious about not allowing healthcare rationing, then why is Emanuel his health-care czar. Why would he not, in the very least, appoint someone who has not expressed previous beliefs in rationing? Despite the very real problems with the insurance companies, the medical profession has been the one place citizens have expected to be treated with equity. They do not expect one person to get good treatment and another person to be neglected. despite isolated problems, doctors by and large do their best to act like the father in the story and do their best for their patients regardless of their contribution, (or lack of contribution), to the society at large. The shortage of doctors that would be created by a national healthcare program would ultimately require rationed care simply because there will not be enough doctors in the healthcare system to keep up with the additional millions of people that would have to be covered under a national healthcare plan. This will ultimately place the government in the tenuous position of deciding who is most worthy of the best care. The people at greatest risk will ultimately be the elderly and disabled. Further, this need for rationing that is bound to occur will most likely be used as a platform for promoting abortion, especially in pregnancies where evidence of birth defects are present. Why are people so fired up about the healthcare plan? Is it based on hate for Obama or Congress? No, it is because all proposed versions of healthcare reform currently available for review remove a cornerstone of American life that Jesus best articulated in the Prodigal Son parable: because all people are inherently valuable to God, we are inherently responsible to value others totally and completely apart from their perceived economic value to the society of large. No, Americans have not always lived consistently with the values they espouse. However, we have sought to right the wrongs throughout the years. It is important that we do not allow our government to forsake this important cornerstone of modern democracy that all people are created equal regardless of their physical condition or contribution to society. If the Prodigal Son were a real person alive today, I believe he would beg us not to travel this road but to maintain and protect our belief that all people are truly "created equal with certain inalienable rights."

Can You Help Me .... Again?

Today as I did my usual aerobic workout, I realized I needed to take care of two items of important business. First, and most importantly, I realized that I needed to take the time to specifically thank many of my former peers especially from ORU who often proved to have a better set of spiritual eyes than the administrators that had charge over them. When I first came to ORU in 1982, many assumed that my physical disability was automatically the direct result of lack of faith or other hidden sin. Through much patience and the support of people like you, I, Chris Davis, Susan Slade, and many others were able to work to gradually change the culture of the ORU community.

Today ORU is a much better place for disabled people to attend college because people like you chose not to judge a book by its cover but to look inside the heart. Despite many in the upper administration who would have preferred people like me to just go away, you chose to invite people like me into your dorm rooms and wings and actually believe that someone like me in a wheelchair could have something meaningful to say. For that, I will always be eternally grateful. You may not realize it, but your refusal to accept unhealthy stereotypes and simply assume that my condition was the result of lack of faith on my part has gone a long way to contributing to the Charismatic Movement as a whole. You proved that it is possible to believe in God's healing power and still accept the tension of the "not yet" Your openness has helped expediate the overall maturity of the Charismatic Movement and ultimately facilitate many of the current changes we are now witnessing at ORU that many thought could never occur. Thank you so much for your openness. I pray that I have been a good steward of the opportunities your openness has given me through the years.

Today, my heart was once again troubled by an even bigger task that lies ahead. My goal here is not to be political and if I knew how to remove the political dimensions from what I will address next, I certainly would do so. All of the healthcare proposals that are currently in front of Congress will at some point require healthcare rationing. I realize that both the president and Congress have said this will not occur. However, all of the models currently being considered will by necessity require rationing. This is because there is simply not enough money or doctors and nurses to facilitate the level of need that will be created for any of these plans. The current administration has made no secret of the fact that they believe that too much money is currently being funneled to the elderly and disabled who in their opinion contributed little to society.

Like the ORU of the 1980s, the United States runs the risk of becoming a country that is actually hostile to the disabled and elderly because of the cost they generate and their perceived lack of contribution to the tax system. This in many ways directly parallels the way in which the upper ORU administration of the early 1980s tried to keep disabled individuals like me hidden and off camera at all costs. But because YOU DID NOT ACCEPT THE STEREOTYPE, the culture at ORU ultimately changed. I know it is still not perfect, but because of you and your openness to people like me, it is a lot better than it once was.

I am in no way naïve about the high cost of healthcare. However, to go after specific groups of people will have a host of unintended consequences, not the least of which will be an institutionalized prejudice against the elderly and disabled being propagated by none other than the US government. I am not suggesting that this is their deliberate intention, I am merely suggesting that the current policies being floated do not take these issues into account.

When God gave the 10 Commandments, one of them was "honor your father and mother that it may go well with you in the land." In the Jewish culture, honoring your father and mother, interestingly enough, was not specifically related to a respect issue of children as it is typically interpreted in our culture. Honoring your father and mother in the Jewish culture specifically meant making sure they were financially provided for in their old age. Sadly, many of the bills now being considered by Congress would do exactly the opposite. Because of the shortage of doctors and nurses that would be created by trying to give everybody healthcare coverage, the government would ultimately be in charge of determining who gets what. Both the president and Congress have expressed chagrin at the fact that so many of our healthcare resources are filtered to the elderly and disabled. They believe many of these resources could be better allocated if they were focused on the young who still have many years to contribute to the work force. In other words, healthcare dollars when be focused on prevention (the one positive aspect of the current proposals), but at the expense of the elderly and those like myself with pre-existing conditions (the negative aspects of the proposals).

On the surface, this may sound quite positive. If you are a young person with no health issues you will love these proposals. There are likely to be incentives for help prevention measures such as free YMCA memberships and the like. However, if you are older or have pre-existing conditions you will ultimately be out of luck. Moreover, these proposals will most certainly be used to promote abortion for those who show any evidence of pre-existing conditions. Additionally, elderly can expect to receive end-of-life counseling encouraging assisted suicide as a way of saving money for the society as a whole. Could you imagine a situation in which your father, your mother, aunt or uncle are encouraged to in their life prematurely in exchange for tax breaks for you? It is true that none of this has been codified into law yet, but do not be fooled, they are on the table. What the current proposals fail to realize is that God has blessed us in the long run when we have treated at risk groups like the elderly and disabled well. In the end, the same science that extends the life of elderly and disabled individuals ultimately saves the life of the young who become unexpectedly afflicted as well.

When I was at ORU, other disabled people sometimes became irritated with me because I never believed that the culture of ORU would change through political pressures such as threatening lawsuits because of prejudice. I am still convinced that the long way around of building relationships with people is the best course of action. By taking the time to build relationships rather than threaten lawsuits, change did not come as quickly as some people desired, but it was in my opinion more deep and more thorough in my opinion than it would have been trying to use the legal or political routes to our benefit. You and your friendship helped me prove that true change could occur without being imposed from the outside.

Today we are faced with the same kind of challenge from our own government that was facing ORU when I came in 1982. As I was praying about the situation, I felt that God had laid it on my heart to ask for your help once again. Like then, I am convinced that the real changes that need to occur will require more than political changes. As American citizens, voting responsibly is definitely important, but it is only part of the answer. Today more than ever this country is in need of a spiritual awakening. A true spiritual awakening will take care of our political dilemmas. When people's hearts are right they will vote right. That brings me to my request from you.

If I have ever been able to bless your life in any way I have one simple request: Would you consider sharing about my ministry with your pastor, church, and friends? Jackie and I are convinced now more than ever that God is calling us to be more intentional about ministry now more than ever. Additionally, would you consider supporting other businesses, organizations and projects that are sponsored by elderly and disabled individuals? I am hopeful that one of the side benefits of this effort will be a refined focus on important issues like healthcare the did not target specific groups like the elderly and disabled. Even though I am hopeful that there will be a long-term impact on our government and its policies, rest assured that my primary goals are in no way political. If you or your pastor invite me to your church, I will stick to biblical truth as I always have. Yes, I have my political opinions, and they are strong. But, at the end of the day, it will be only a revival that will save America.

Jackie and I are making a concerted effort to go where God sends us. If you or your church would be interested in us sharing on a weekend or during the summer months please let us know. We are here to serve you. By helping me, hopefully, you will be helping yourself as well. My contact information is available in the Facebook phonebook.

Committed To You Always,

Michael Postlethwaitm