Disciples Of Jesus Christ - The Pledge

Why Come Out Now

My wife and I have been attending two small study groups - one with people from the Catholic church we attend and one with people from a non-denominational church we attend.  Yes, we do attend two different churches - and not because we have different faiths - we are both Catholics.   I converted to Catholicism when we got married.

We attend two churches because one has great music and is a great lift of the spirit from that angle along with the fact the minister is really good and delivers high quality sermons.  We have two Catholic churches close to us in Nashville and  both have excellent Priests, so we get a spiritual lift from the long tradition of the Catholic church and excellent sermons as well.

Two hours with God on Sundays is not hard to do when both places are great.

Anyway - both of these small groups covered a lot of the same material - Being Disciples of Christ and what it means to follow Christ.  I often find it interesting how both churches - not related - discuss the same thing during the same week.

In one of the groups we discussed how the country is losing the values of Christianity and what a shame it is.  In the other we discussed politics and how unethical politicians have become.  I have a deep love for this country and for Christ - so I put two and two together and said it is time to do what little I can to make this place a better place and to get people to understand what might be happening in this country - if we are not careful.

Also, in one of the groups - we discussed what Jesus might have meant by turn the other cheek.  It was a Jewish custom to slap the face of a person using the back of their right hand across the face.  Never the other hand or the other cheek.  So Jesus was not saying take one of two paths - fight or flight (normal responses).  He was saying turn the aggression on the other person and let them see what they do is not right by their own actions and words.  Turn then the other cheek - be different, be bold, be pure, and full of love.

Turning the other Cheek as Jesus Would Have Wanted it

There are two really good stories that bring this to life.  Mother Teresa was one of those stories.  She held the hand of a little starving girl and entered a bakery to ask the baker for some bread for the hungry little girl.  The baker was insulted and spat in Mother Teresa's face.

Now you and I would understand fight or flight.  Most of us would think of fight and get angry.  Or, we would think of flight and turn and walk away.  Not Mother Teresa, she truly understood turn the other cheek.

She simply said "Thank you sir for the gift, now may you be so kind as to give this little girl some bread to eat!"

I do not know what happened, but I can imagine that store owner was about 1 inch tall and felt like the garbage bag he was.  By turning the other cheek - she showed him his evil and turn the tables without fight or flight.

The second story was Desmond Tutu and when he was crossing a rushing river.  There was a tree that was used as a temporary bridge and he was crossing it at the same time a white land owner was crossing.  naturally, the two men met in the middle.  And the white land lord said "Out of my way, I do not move over for Gorillas."

Desmond simply stepped down in the running water, looked the man in the face, and said "I do!"  

Again he showed that fight or flight is not turning the other cheek.  He moved, he countered, and he most likely made the white land lord feel very small.  However, that kind of bigotry probably held the man back from seeing the truth.

The Simple Pledge

1. I promise to put C-H-R-I-S-T back in Christmas - I will honor the day as his Day of Birth.  The day our Heavenly Father decided to come to earth and live with us.
2. I promise to stand before those that want to take God out of this country and I will use humility to help them understand the value of being a Christian Nation.
3. I promise to stamp out greed, corruption, malice, prejudice, and hatred when I can show love and compassion.  I will smile and be polite when attack.  I will turn the other cheek to show strength and not weakness.
4. I promise to return this great country to the land our fore fathers made it and for the brave who built it.  I will honor their desires by acting and voting as they would have desired.

I will bring forth more truths and views with each post.  I want this to be as close to true historical facts about the love affair this country and God have experienced for may years.  I hope many of you share material so we can keep this thing going.

Your job, please let me know if you want to take the pledge.  I want to do my part to get three people to take this pledge and mean it.  I then want you to go out and get three people to do the same.  Together we can bring this country back on a morale axis, one christian at a time.

God grant us the strength to take up this challenge and honor you and your Son Jesus Christ and all that you have done for this country.  Let us put it back on the path of righteousness as our previous generations did.  And let us not make the same mistakes they have made by changing how we honor you and by removing you from this country.

Bob,