I read a lot. I read books. I read things in the news, and I read articles on Medium, among other locations.
I know we are engaged in a Culture War and have been for quite sometime.
When I read, I often see this war come to life. I see the bias. I see the deception and propaganda. I see the desire to persuade people to turn to one side or the other.
Personally, I seek truth. I’m not afraid to have my mind changed. I’ve changed it many times in my life.
But, my mind never gets changed by intellectual dishonesty.
I read a lot of things where the writer pretends to debunk an idea or belief system.
I say pretend because dishonesty is incapable of debunking anything. When you are playing tricks with people. Those who know the truth, can plainly see and tell others. Those who don’t see will hear eventually of the lies, and when their eyes are opened, you’ve lost them forever.
This is why few people trust politicians and the media.
So, just be honest.
I’m going to assume the writer’s deception is not intentional. They just don’t know any better because they were tricked also.
But, calling people names, and making fun of what they believe or their ideas, is not debunking.
It’s a logical fallacy. It’s Ad Hominem and Appeal to Ridicule.
You did not debunk, you just proved you have no real argument so you call names.
If you mischaracterize a person’s or group’s actual belief or idea, then attack it. You have proven nothing. That’s a Strawman fallacy.
You have not debunked them. You attacked a fantasy.
Or perhaps you might say, “because the expert says so…”
This is a fallacy also. Appeal to Authority. The expert can be wrong or biased, or bought off or lying.
It’s not real proof.
So I appeal to the writers. Debunk honestly.
Find the truth. Seek out original sources. Let your mind change. Admit there are valid questions or fears.
I have had my mind changed and grown many times by researching the truth.
According to the rules of debate, you should be able to argue another person’s position as well as they can. You should know everything they know. If not, then you cannot really debunk anything.
You can learn something and still not agree. That is where your argument lies. If you must be dishonest, or use tricks, or logical fallacies. Then you must ask yourself.
“What is the truth here?”
Then go find it.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
We are justified in Christ There was only one law in the beginning. Just one. “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”–Gen. 2:17 People want to act like God is some eternal killjoy,…
Abide in the Lord We all face trouble in life. It is something we can all agree upon. No matter who you are, something bad will eventually come to cause you trouble. Something will break your heart. Something will break you down. Something will make you crazy, concerned or confused. When we look at the…
Satan’s Insanity If you’ve read the Bible, you know that we have a spiritual enemy. Satan fell sometime after creation. We do not know exactly when, but it was because he desired to be “like the most High”. (Isa. 14: 12-17) He wants to be God. This desire led to his fall and corruption. It…
Pharisees are one of the biggest problems in the church.
What is a pharisee?
Well a pharisee is a person who practices religion and acts just like the pharisees in the Bible.
They think they are saved by Works. Even if they won’t admit it. They think they are better than others. They believe they do not sin. And they try to force others to follow the same rules they obey. They usually try to control churches, families and people.
They crucified Jesus, because He didn’t obey their rules, and they didn’t want to lose control. They were envious of his growing ministry.
These same people would crucify Him again if He came into your church today.
I’m sure someone is coming to your mind as I describe a pharisee.
These people need saved. They are in a tough place. They practice self-righteousness but we are not saved by our own righteousness.
They are the Elder Brother. God wants them saved also. But, Jesus warned us to not be like them. Their works based doctrine will spread throughout, and ruin you. It’s like leaven. It only takes a little to puff us up. That’s pride. Pride comes because you think you are saving yourself. (Matt 23, Matt. 16:5-12)
So, I ask these people. “Do you sin?”
Which if they know the Bible, they have to admit they do. 1 John 1:8 says, .”If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth (Jesus) is not in us.”
So, they say. “Yes, but I try to only sin a little”
To which I say, “James says, that if you try to keep the law and fail on one point you’ve broken the whole law.” ( James 2:10)
Then, they usually try to say, that they love God.
But Jesus said, “If you love me keep my commandments.”(John 14:15)
And this leads into a conversation on whether humans can truly love God.
We can’t. We have a corrupted nature. it’s only through the Holy Spirit that we can love God and others to the level God desires.
I don’t say these things to be a jerk or make things hard. It’s really quite simple. We can’t do it, and need Jesus, even after we are saved.
This brings me to the point.
We are saved BY grace THROUGH faith, not by Works, lest any man should boast (pride) Eph. Chapter 2.
The works we do are done by the Holy Spirit, in us and through us. Our own works are as filthy rags. (Isa 64:6) (Even our love. We are not saved by our love.)
Understand that we do nothing to save ourselves. Even thinking we do, is a sin. Pride.
The best we can do is turn to God (repent) and fall on our faces praying “have mercy on me a sinner” as Jesus said. (Luke 18:9-14)
We ask Him to save us and we confess Him as Lord, then through faith we trust Him and let Him build our faith, and grow our relationship with Him.
Beware the leaven of the Pharisees. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
When we are walking with the Lord. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, ……… Wait for it Wait let it sink in for a few minutes Pay attention to how much it bothers you to just rest in Christ Hold Hold Hold Ok ……who walk not after the…
The Spirit battles against the flesh This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye…
He is faithful God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.—1 Cor. 1:9 How is trust built? With anyone, whether it’s parents or friends or enemies or government or neighbors, trust is built or destroyed by relationship, and experience. It is the same with God.…
A child is walking through the woods with his father in the coolness of the day. The child is holding the father’s hand. He is talking to the father, and asking all kinds of questions. The father answers and points things out. He is leading the child along teaching and helping the child to understand. The child is with his dad. There is is love, peace and safety. There is security.
The child wanders over and looks at a flower. Then, runs back to the dad. They continue to walk along as the child runs and splashes in a mud puddle. The child runs back to the father, and they continue along.
The Father stops and squats down pointing to a deer standing on the path ahead. He shows the creature to the child. They laugh and talk and there is wonder.
This is an image of repentance. This is an image of walking with God, or walking in the Spirit.
The word “Repent” means “To Turn”. It does not mean “To turn from sin”. It simply means “To turn”.
The idea is that we are called by God, and we turn to Him. We are called by the Father, we hear, we turn and run to Him. Then, He takes care of our sin.
According to the teachings of the scriptures, humans are totally depraved. We are incapable of doing what’s right, in the eyes of God. We cannot Love. We are selfish, and prideful. We are full of all kinds of evils, from birth. And even before birth. It goes all the way back to Adam’s disobedience in the garden.
When Adam fell something entered into man, corrupting our true nature. This spiritual plague is what causes us to commit the sins we commit. There is something wrong with us.
We cannot fix this problem ourselves. So, God Himself came to Earth in the form of Jesus Christ, and died for us. Then, He rose from the dead in victory for our justification.
This leads to the Holy Spirit, calling us. He calls each of us and asks us to turn to God. We cannot turn from sin, because we do not even know how bad we truly are. We have no clue. We just know that something is wrong, and we want it fixed and we realize that God is the only hope we have.
So, we turn to Him. We cry out for Him. We confess Jesus as our Lord, and we are instantly washed, and made whole in the spirit. We are saved, and are walking with God.
We still sin however. We are still walking in this world and this fleshly body. But, like a child who wanders from the path we turn and run to the father.
The Bible says that He has washed us white as snow. He has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. To be remembered no more. Our sin is gone, when we turn to God and ask. That is repentance.
He washed our feet. We wash each others feet. We confess our sins to Him and He forgives us, and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. We are supposed to forgive others as well.
As time goes on we grow like a child. We learn like a child. The Holy Spirit teaches us and we get better and better and sin less. When we sin we turn to God. That is repenting. And we grow.
There’s a belief that we do not sin, because we fight and struggle to keep from sinning. And that repenting is to turn from sin. The problem is that this creates a life of misery, where you are always doing wrong, and never able to please God, and always trying to make Him happy.
We are called to peace. We are called to abide. There is a struggle, but the struggle is not in quitting sinning; the struggle is in running back to the Father. Because regardless of your sins, He is waiting, and running to you to sweep you up and hold you. He is calling you, because you wandered off the path. God does not get disappointed in us. We do not break God’s heart, as some say. God changes not.
You did not surprise God. He knows you are a sinner. He died 2000 years ago for that exact sin you are broken up about. The concern now will be that you will hide from God, like Adam and Eve did? Or will you run to Him, and confess, and tell Him all about it, and grab His hand and keep walking? This is repentance. This is abiding. This is relationship.
In Christ’s day, and in Paul’s day, there were religious leaders who wanted to impose rules upon the people and force them to sin less. They did not understand what it meant to walk with God, and confess your sins to Him, and let the sacrifice take it away. They wanted to control and keep people caged, like their father the devil. They did not want people to be set free.
In Paul’s day, those same beliefs followed him as he set people free in Christ. Another group came and imposed all sorts of rules. More and more rules, to destroy the relationship with the father, and make it about rule keeping. Dead rule keeping. A fig leaf covering.
We are saved by Grace, because God died for us, and calls us and gives everything we need to turn to Him. Through faith, because we believe what He tells us and put our trust in Him. Not by works lest any man should boast, because we cannot do it ourselves. If we think we do not sin we are a liar and the truth is not in us. As believers we do not sin, because we are washed and in Him. Not because of anything we do, or don’t do. We are sinless, because of Him. Not because we sin less.
But, if they demand works, then remember that turning to God is a work. Confessing Jesus as your Lord, is a work. Confessing your sins to God, is a work. Loving God and others is a work. Telling others about Him is a work. Abiding in Him, and Walking with Him is a work. And those works are good enough for Him.
Repentance is to turn to God, and let Him take care of you. Like a child who runs to the Father because of a scary dog. He has you. God says, “I have called you by name. You are mine.” No created thing can remove you from His hands. Even you. He has you.
Your Father has you. Turn to Him.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
It will happen in these last days “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (The Day of The Lord) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”— 2 Thess. 2:3 (2 Thess 2:1-15) It seems that this event…
Have You Tested God? “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”—Luke 6: 38 First, I wanna say that this verse and all…
He rewards those who seek him. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11 If a son shall…
I’m a failure. I have been one my whole life. Everything I have ever put my hand to has failed. Maybe you are the same.
Yes, I have cursed myself. Yes, I have made bad choices and lived a wrong life style. No I haven’t chased my dreams. No I haven’t made goals, and maybe that’s why I have failed.
But, here I am a failure none the less. But, I am only a failure because of the rules this society has given me. I fail to live up to a set of standards that is not my own.
I no longer care about your standards, I am going to grow in my life as God sees fit. I am free to choose how to live, and to be the best I can be within the life I see fit to lead.
I have imagined the dream life. I have spoken it into existence. I have served God, and His kingdom, I have done all the things to succeed. And it’s coming. It surely is, even if it’s in heaven, it will come.
But, I admit that I am a failure, and it’s ok. I turn to God and seek His purpose for me, and I grow in it. I walk in the Spirit, and I grow in this life. I try. Boy, oh boy do I try. And I fail. And it’s ok.
Because I still grow. I learn, and I conquer. I overcome. I break its jaw and I ride it to death. It’s mine.
I am content. But, I want more. I want to do better in my life and tell all those haters where to go. I want to be a hero, and be able to help those who are struggling. I want to defeat our enemies, and lift people up.
But, I fail, and it’s ok. I know God is with me, and He is going before me. He covers me and protects me in all my ways; I have no need to fear. But, I do. I doubt; until He shows me His power, and I remember His greatness.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can succeed. I am succeeding. I am conquering the plot of life God has given me. I am carving out the kingdom, in my existence. Victory is mine, because He has given it to me. He has given me the Promised Land. I can take all of the land before me and I will.
I am a failure, but my victories are real in Him. I see that my failures have made me who I am and have made me able to take it. I can take it. My success is my success. It is what I choose to accept as success, not what this filthy world system says is success.
I succeed, because God says I am a success. His opinion is all that really matters. Remind yourself of that.
I drive to do better, and I want you to come with me. God is moving, and He is already ahead of us.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
So, we know the seasons. The Bible is 30% prophecy, as some have stated. But, when you consider that the whole thing is about Jesus Christ, and that all the stories and pictures speak of Him, His First Coming and Second Coming, I think its more like 100%. God has called all believers to be…
God works to build the Kingdom through us. James 2:14-26 In this passage. The apostle James, speaks of works being an aspect of our faith. It ends with the famous phrase “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” In the verses James shows that God commanded…
Why does God let us struggle? When we get saved, we might notice that there are things that change in us immediately. But, there are other things that do not. It’s like God saves us and removes some things but leaves other things in our lives for us to struggle with. I mean if God…
The military structure will teach your child many things, regardless of which branch or specifics. The basic training has value no matter what.
But, that’s not what I want to tell you. What I want to tell you is that this decision is way too big for you to let your child decide on their own.
Basic training is given to all military personnel. But, what I’m talking about is the job, or MOS they choose.
This is one of the most important decisions of their life. It will impact virtually everything when they get out of the military.
This is the opportunity to prepare them for a future job and life they love. Or to lock them into a state of constant failure and searching for whatever job they can find that makes them money to live.
First, the military will give them a test, which will help determine which jobs your child qualifies for. Once, you have this test finished. Use the results to find the best job for your child.
Do not leave this up to your child or the recruiter. The recruiter is going to steer your child into a job that fills the military quota.
Your child will grab onto the coolest job that spells the most adventure, and the recruiter will push it, if it fills a quota.
Airborne Ranger sounds cool, but there’s not a lot of jobs for that exact skill set after the military is over. Perhaps a job as a Military Contractor, Police Officer, Security Guard, or Smoke Jumper… Maybe. But, more likely fast food worker, janitor, factory worker, or truck driver are in the cards. Because nobody needs an Airborne Ranger when there isn’t a war going on.
Your child’s stubbornness, desire to be cool and the recruiters ability to persuade can be quite powerful.
You will need to get someone your child will listen to, if they won’t listen to you. A friend of yours. An uncle or pastor. Someone who can give a voice of reason.
Now, I don’t want to dump on infantry soldiers or anything. I will bet, that if you ask a lot of them, they will tell you the same thing. They should have picked a different job. That goes for any military job that does not translate into civilian life.
The fact is that here are no jobs in civilian life for many of the military jobs. So, unless your child has a solid plan to stay in the military. (Which they have no control over. The military will use you for 19 years and then put you out just before you get retirement and there’s nothing you can say or do about it) or a job that involves weapons. They need to go into something else.
If a child wants to be a cop, they should go and be Military Police. That’s a good choice. If they like to tinker with things, then go be a diesel mechanic in the military. If they want to drive, then go be a truck driver or heavy equipment operator in the military.
There are tons of jobs in the military. We are not under a draft during a war. So, you are free to direct your child to choose a job that works for THEM.
Choose one of the trades. Electrician or Construction or Demolition. Go into computers and tech stuff. Do something that would cost a fortune to learn in civilian life, like engineering, or lawyer. Do journalism, or office work. Go into diesel mechanics, or helicopter mechanic, or be a pilot.
The military has all kinds of jobs your child could qualify for. Jobs that will translate into civilian life.
Help them make a wise choice, that will serve them their whole life.
Believe me. There are lots of ex-soldiers who grow up wishing they had made a different choice. Regretting that they didn’t have anyone who could steer them into a better choice when they were young.
It’s important.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
We are corrupt at the very core. What I am going to present to you today is something different. A different way to look at the world, and humanity. Something different than the legalism around us. As Christians we are taught and have come to understand a view of God, Scripture and the World based…
We are tempted to reject Him. When we get saved, we confess Jesus as our Lord, and believe in Him alone for salvation. We are called to Walk in the Spirit, and to abide in Him. We get great joy in the Lord. Prayers answered. Life changing experiences, and we see Him working to protect…
It’s hard sometimes This time of year, around Christmas is a very hard time of year for many people. It is not a joyful festive time, no matter how much we try to dress it up with religious zeal, and bright lights. This is the time of year we often miss those who have gone…
I see it written online, and I hear it out of the mouths of those around me.
I really do not agree, and I’m going to tell you why.
First, I think it’s the height of hypocrisy for retired people to say “No one wants to work any more.” Because, that’s who I hear saying it 80% of the time.
You literally quit working to do what you enjoy, while blaming others for wanting to do the same.
The difference is that they don’t want to give their life to an employer earning pennies on the dollar, just to maybe someday have a chance to love their life.
They wanna live today.
It’s insane that we support a system that keeps us poor, sick, and beat down, while others get rich on our blood, sweat and tears.
We stupidly wander through life following a carrot called retirement, while pulling a cart full of richmen and their families.
“Nobody wants to work anymore.”
No. No one wants to do the things YOU think they should be doing. No one wants to run and cater to your needs. The slaves are leaving the plantation you rely on. And you don’t like it.
No one wants to get paid chicken feed to do work for you, while you sit on a mountain of cash. No one wants to give hours of their life away, while someone else raises their kids.
And if you say “If you can’t afford kids, you shouldn’t have them.”
Well someone has to birth and raise more slaves for the grinder. Because you certainly won’t let YOUR kids do it. Or maybe you would, because that’s the sort of person you are. Work builds character…right?
It’s insane that we continue to support a system that keeps people in poverty, slaving away their whole life. While others are born into the lap of luxury.
I used to think it’s freedom. The freedom to earn and get wealthy. I still believe it. But, somewhere along the way it became harder and harder to succeed and escape the system.
There is no American Dream.
It’s a carrot to keep you working. Because if everybody was rich who would do the work?
If everybody learned to be free and earn a living, who would be the slaves?
So, they teach us to be good employees for their businesses. Putting us in government schools we pay for with taxes stolen from our measly paychecks.
They abuse us at our jobs because we are just a number. They can find another worker, they think.
If you ask, “Who are ‘They’?” Then, you must be one of them.
They create and get the laws passed that control us and keep us down. They use their megacorporations to impose rules on millions, they could never get passed in reality.
If they turned their sights, money and power onto helping humanity instead of controlling it. They might get better workers.
People see the uselessness of the system, and why would they want to work any more?
Why have 2 or 3 jobs just to live up to your standards?
People want to work. And work hard on things they love.
Trying to please you isn’t one of them.
Maybe instead of saying, “Nobody wants to work any more”. We should say “Nobody wants to treat workers right any more”
Course, they never did, and we just continue to allow it.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
A Look at Matthew 24 “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive…
It’s important to understand. In order to resist temptation, we must understand what is going on. If we miss an aspect of it, we cannot really resist it. We just shift it around or suffer through. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with…
What does that look like? It’s so simple anyone can do it. That is how God designed it. I’m going to avoid magical theological words and just give it straight. As we go through life things happen to us. Good things and bad. We have excitement over good things. We celebrate victories and enjoy time…
I am one, and perhaps you are too. We might not be ugly, but we are ugly to the perfect, pretty people. Our past is ugly. Our life is ugly. Our homes, our cars, and our kids are ugly. They are not good enough for the pretty people. We never will be.
The pretty people work to keep us down. We are the weird guy who walks around town. We are the girl who never fit in. We are the silent one, they all ignore. They have their teams, and their cliques. They have their clubs, and private places we will never fit.
We serve their tables, and clean their floors. We cook their food, and watch over them when they are sick. We are in their prisons, and die in their wars. We mow their grass, and deliver their goods. They tip us. We smile and lick their boots, and love their charity.
We never cared in school. We didn’t fit in. They were everywhere, and always on top. They walk in daddy’s footsteps, and drive his car. Their name will replace his, on the city council, and the beauty will continue. The ugly continues too.
We are ugly, so we drink too much. We smoke too much. We are too addicted, and we don’t care enough. We don’t care about the things they tell us matters. We jump 20 feet up, and we are still only halfway to the bottom rung of that ladder they climb. We have sex too much, and make too many kids they hate. Kids who are treated the same way in school, by their kids.
Even when we reach the top; we are never one of them. We are never one of the perfect people. We cannot hide our work ravaged face, and our stress lines. We cannot hide our work hands. Why would we want to?
The ugly people are my people and me. We fight, and sing. We struggle, and pray. We scrape and get by. We are mean, but we love. We don’t really want to fit in. That was burned out of us when we were children, and you made sure we knew we would never belong. But, we have honor. We have our people. And we are proudly ugly. Too ugly for you.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
A Deeper Meaning “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”—1 Tim. 6:10 People often misquote it as “money” is the root of all evil. But it’s not. Money is a tool. Like a…
What is it? Let us rightly divide 2 Thessalonians 2, and come to some conclusions about the near future. This book was written by the Apostle Paul. He is speaking of the last days, which we are in. I’m using the KJV. “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,…
He is there and will answer. We live our lives in this world, where we seem to have no control. Where we look every where for answers. Everything seems hard and we have sorrow, working our selves to death. We seek answers from gods, idols and wisemen. We seek answers from deep within ourselves. We…
“I am the door; by me if any man, enter in he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” —John 10:9-10
I was studying this recently when it was revealed to me that there’s a deeper meaning for it in my own life. My past was pretty bad. I did all kinds of terrible things to those I love, and to those around me, and to myself.
But, during all of that, I felt that I was living a normal life, and was trying to build something out of it. I worked and tried to save. I made plans. I chased the almighty Dollar, like everyone around me. The most important thing was to earn, earn, earn. That’s what everyone cares about. Did you take care of your stuff? Bills paid? Getting to work on time? Looking for more money?
Nobody really cares if you’re a drunk, or addict so long as you keep taking care of business. But, when you start acting out, or failing in what society thinks you should be doing, everyone wants to stick their nose in your business. Once you are not a good slave anymore, you become a problem. But, all the while I thought I was fine.
However, when life started to fall apart, there was nowhere else to turn but to God. And that’s a good thing, because He is the only one that can help. Others can put on a band aid, but only God can really heal.
Jesus said “Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it” (Luke 17:33) When your life is garbage, and it’s falling apart, that is God calling you. You tried things your way, and now God is begging you to give Him a try before it’s too late. Get rid of that old life. Hate that old life and all that goes with it. If you keep clinging to that old life, and those old ways, it will drag you down. Turn to Him, and let Him work on you. He can’t do any worse than you have done. Just pray and ask God to save you. Pray that you want to make Jesus your Lord, and that He is the only Lord. Ask Him to help you and teach you. Ask Him to make you a new person and grow you.
And that is what God does when you give yourself to Him. He starts to work, and things will start to change. It’s not immediate. Some things happen very quickly, but other things do not. That is patience being built in us. Spiritual healing, like natural healing is a growth process. It is not like man-made healing, where you pop a pill and feel better. But, it is REAL healing.
When I look back at my life I now have an abundant life. Am I always happy? No. But, God has provided for my needs beyond anything I had before. He has moved in mighty ways to make me worth something. And most importantly He has shown me that He is real, and that He rewards those who seek Him. He, Himself is abundance. Having Him in your life creates abundance.
You have to understand that I am not talking about great wealth. I do not have much, but He has made what I have plenty. He has made me content. Of course, this doesn’t mean I do not want to succeed more. But, I’m fine. He has me. Every time I have had need He has moved, and settled the issue in some way.
You are not giving up anything when you turn to Him. You are gaining everything. The junk you lose is hurting you and others. He will cleanse you and re-mold you, and give you a purpose, and you will be with Him. This is life, and this is abundance.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
Who really rules? Let’s talk about some conspiracy and spiritual truth for a moment. Because you must understand that there is only ONE conspiracy. And that’s the spiritual battle behind the scenes, that we all can see parts of, and have a feeling about, but cannot completely prove. The people who rule this world are…
It is a demon. Cast it out. Jesus said, “Fear Not” (Matt. 10:31) He said it many times. Actually, it’s a theme throughout scripture. Fear at its most basic level, is a lack of trust in God and His promises. That is a harsh saying, especially when we are dealing with anxiety. Because, often times…
A picture of us all The thief on the cross, spoken of in the Gospels of our Lord Jesus, stands as an extreme view of salvation in the eyes of some. The man who did what appears to be absolutely nothing, yet Jesus himself saved him declaring, “Today you shall be with me in…
Once again I’m scrolling through news feeds and come across people murdered or committing suicide because of the nightmare that is our family court system.
Anyone who has gone through the system knows it has flaws. But, for a great number of us it is utterly corrupt and broken.
I’m talking about divorce, child custody and child support.
Children and parents along with extended families are damaged because of these proceedings and they can be corrected.
First, when people get married they are required to have a marriage license. They should also be required to have a pre-nuptial agreement that spells out details of how things will proceed in a divorce with children and support.
Both parties are happy and in love and will make better choices during this time, than when they are bitter and full of hate later on.
These court proceedings are too adversarial. From the point divorce is decided and lawyers get involved, the common tactic is to destroy each other.
That needs to stop.
All divorces, custody and support issues should start out at 50/50 custody, no support.
Then, it can be adjusted from that point if there is actual PROVEN need. Not just claims. The burden of proof should be higher than civil, in these cases. Just because a person sits in court and cries does not mean the other parent is a monster who will harm the children.
Currently, the default setting is that the father pays child support and the mother gets custody. The father gets every other weekend to visit. The father is treated like a criminal despite lack of proof. He is viewed as unnecessary for the development of the children and is only needed for a pay check.
It’s common sense that a child needs both parents. So, why do courts seem to always lean in one direction?
Because of money.
First, the states are given money from the federal government for child support orders issued. Like most things from the government it is made extremely confusing so that you need a lawyer to understand it. But, basically when a court issues a child support order the federal government gives the states a certain amount of money to pay them back for the efforts to enforce the order. It is not equal. It is like 2 dollars for every dollar. So, the states make money on this.
And you thought the government cared about the best interests of the child?
Nope. The bigger the order the more money the states get. That’s why fathers are only given 4 days a month regardless of how good or bad the father is.
This should infuriate you. That our children are basically being sold.
You would think that smart people would see this and make changes. But again…
Lawyers make money off divorce, custody and support. So, why change it?
Now, let me clarify. I am going to write about some things below. What I am going to write about are the experiences of millions of people. Yes, millions. Divorce is at a 50% or more rate in our country.
I am going to speak on a large amount of cases. So, please do not write me and say “But, my husband and my case was different…we had a good divorce.” The word “Divorce” destroys everything good you might say. It implies destruction. Also, do not say…”But..but…my baby daddy was the worst. He drank and drugged and whored… he hit me and was a bad dude. He had no job and he’s a dead beat.” I get it. But, he was probably a drunken dead beat when you met him, and yet you decided to have kids with him. You only got mad, when you caught him cheating with your best friend.
Let’s be real.
People suck.
But, we can make things better.
I believe that starting all cases at 50/50 custody no support will help.
Currently the way it goes is that a woman or man will get a restraining order claiming things that might or might not be true. We don’t know because these orders require little proof and carry tons of weight that follow a person around for life.
So, now the father (or mother) cannot go home. He cannot contact the wife or kids.
If a father has money he can get a hotel room. But the order is for a month or more. That’s a lot of money. Maybe he can stay with a friend or family. But often no one wants to get involved because they don’t want to hurt the other persons feelings or be threatened with never seeing the kids again.
They might tell the father’s mother. “If you help him you’ll never see the kids again.” or its implied.
If the father tries to go to a shelter, he can’t because of the restraining order. Not only that but his right to bear arms has been destroyed without any proof.
And this is just the beginning of the nightmare of family law.
So, while this is going on the father learns that his accounts have been drained. So, the money he hoped to use for the hotel are gone. It’s quite possible that any other accounts he might have are frozen.
Are we having fun yet?
But, wait…the family law system has not even begun to destroy you and your family yet.
Because now the soon to be ex-wife calls the cops and claims you violated the order…no proof needed.
Welcome to jail. At least you don’t need to spend money on a hotel room.
But remember your possessions are still at the hotel, or are they? Did the police allow you the opportunity to go into your home and pack a bag for the road? Probably a very small bag while your being cussed at the whole time.
Or maybe your stuff is in a tent at the local camp ground where you’ve tried to live while still keeping a job.
Anyway, it’s all gone now.
We have not even gotten to court yet.
If you have money, or can get your mommy to loan you the money, you might be able to get a lawyer who will tell you that there is absolutely nothing he can do. Course, that’s after you pay him.
Now remember, you must HIRE an attorney. But she can easily find free attorneys. Whole entire non-profits geared toward helping her ruin your day.
So, you go to court for the restraining order, and they extend it. Because remember you “Violated” it.
Honestly I could go on and on and on. But, the point here is that people get driven to do terrible things by this time.
A restraining order only works for law abiding citizens who should not be treated that way.
Next we deal with custody and support.
Let’s be honest, the mother is getting the custody unless she is proven to be an ax murderer. But even then, there is room for lots of visitation.
Fathers have to watch terrible mothers raising kids and can do nothing.
Not all cases are like this…. There, I said it….. Now back to reality.
You should look up how many kids are killed by mommy’s new boyfriend. Then, compare that to how many kids are killed by daddy’s new girlfriend.
Here’s the reality, a man will not be able to have custody of his kids and forced to pay child support. While at the same time marrying another woman, and raising HER kids, while getting child support from another father. While watching HIM raise his kids.
Read that again. How much sense does that make?
How much sense does it make for doctors, soldiers, police officers, businessmen and other decent citizens who protect our society, to be deemed unable to have custody of their own kids?
Let’s continue.
You better keep that tent, you had to buy after you got kicked out of the house, because that’s all you’ll be able to afford once they establish the child support order.
Then, they get your employer to play bad cop and take the money out of every check. This leaves you zero reasons to show up every day. Course, they will guilt you into thinking it’s for the kids, but is it really? And if you quit your job or can’t pay or won’t pay they will rack that money up on your back till at a certain point they will take your drivers license, passport and lock you in jail.
Oh no… we are still not done with the nightmare.
Because every dime you don’t or can’t pay (Because the government doesn’t see a difference.) Is piled on your head and in some states it gains interest. Yes. And oddly enough it gains more interest than any bank would every pay YOU on your investments or savings…how odd is that?
And you will pay. It doesn’t matter if you die. They will come to hell and get the devil to garnish your burning keester.
Think I’m kidding?
They will use your social security number to find where you are working.
And if you think you’ll just earn cash. Think again. The court will just imagine an amount and stick it on you and force to pay that. Even if it’s only 10 dollars a month.
You will pay. You will collect aluminum cans and give all that money to the court.
And heaven forbid that one of your ex-wives friends, or some guy trying to get with her sees you working off books… They will snitch.
And you will pay. Yes, Daddio…you will pay.
And if you try to go to court and correct it, you will be told that it is impossible; because federal laws prevent it. You will be given a ridiculous analogy that compares child support to a bullet leaving a gun…it can’t be called back. Actually the analogy of a bullet going through your head is pretty apt.
When you look at this and consider the long term ramifications, it destroys families for decades. Sure, you might get a few dollars to help a mother pay bills. But, any long term wealth for families is gone. Consider millions of families who are paying money to other people instead of building wealth that can help them in the future.
Consider the destruction of relationships between children and their fathers. How many kids grew up without dads because this system drove them away or made it impossible to function? How many grandparents have lost grand kids because the family courts allow it? How many fathers are called deadbeats because they refuse to submit to an evil system?
So let’s go back to court.
Judge: “Well, Mr. Deadbeat I cannot give you custody of your children because you live in a tent. I cannot even really give you visitation unless it’s supervised. Also, I’m hesitant to do that until you get some anger management classes, because your wife has claimed you are a hot head, and your violation of the order proves that.”
Mr. Deadbeat: “But, your honor none of that is true. I’m in a tent because I lost everything and I’m trying to work to pay the child support. I don’t get mad like she claims.”
Judge: “I’m sorry. I know this can be an emotional time. I suggest taking the classes, we offer them for $100 dollars a session. I also suggest you get a second or possibly 3 or 4th job to pay your obligation and get with your attorney to discuss visitation with her attorney. Good luck to you.”
Mr. Deadbeat: But, I can’t afford an attorney.
Crickets…
This is just a small example of the nightmare of the family courts. This sort of nonsense can go on for years and take all kinds of forms. I wrote from a father’s perspective but it can be a mother going through it. No one is immune unless you have money. But, even then it’s a nightmare. We see public cases of famous people dealing with huge amounts of money and custody battles.
It needs to stop. It needs to change.
We all see what goes on and the destruction it causes and we act like it cannot be fixed. It can.
We see murders and suicides. We see mothers running off with kids to avoid custody battles. We see Amber alerts where a father grabs his kids to take them to Disney World. The news is full of murder, because a person knew the nightmare of the family court and decided to not go there.
How much death, pain and misery must happen to kids and parents before we fix the problem?
If we took the adversarial aspect out of these cases it could be a good start. If we set the standard at 50/50 custody no support, it can be a beginning.
At least the family court won’t be used as a payday or for revenge.
Kids love both parents. No matter how bad they are. And none of them are perfect.
The best interests of the child is the standard, but that is determined by the courts in an insane manner. Is it really in the best interests of the child to be given to a parent who cannot provide for them and forced to never see the other parent? Is that needed in every case?
It seems to be the standard today.
How many murders and suicides must happen?
It needs to change.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
Make sure. What does it mean to follow the real Jesus? Well, let’s look and see. Jesus’s ministry was a ministry of healing. This should tell us something about what we believe in regards to the Gospel and how we are to serve God. Because we want to be like Him. That is real godliness.…
You are never too far gone. In the books of Luke, Mark, and Matthew we see the story of the Gadarene Demoniac. (Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-39, Matt. 8:28-34) He had an unclean spirit, which called itself “Legion” because there were many of the demons inhabiting this man. He lived in the tombs, crying out and…
The saints will be overcome. The scriptures are clear that the Anti-Christ will make war with the saints and overcome them. (Dan. 7:25, Rev. 13:7) I want to point out how this is likely to occur and how it is already started. I am not giving a prophecy here. I’m just pointing out some things.…
Trouble comes into our lives and we panic. We rush out and do something. This often leads us to do the wrong thing, which brings more trouble. That’s the bait of Satan.
Satan is described as a roaring lion, or a birder trapping birds in a snare. Snares work by reaction. An animal sees the bait and reacts and gets caught. Likewise, a lion has a scary roar. It will often roar and when an animal freaks out to run, the lion pounces. ( 1 Peter 5:8, Psalm 91:3)
But, if we wait. We can avoid these things.
Wait upon the Lord, and He will lift you up. (Isa 40:31)
Bad things come into our life and we pray. We beg God. And we see nothing happening. It’s hard. But, we trust Him. We trust He is working. But it’s hard. We get mad. We get tired. We break down. But we hold on.
The devil puts ideas into our head of things we can do, but it’s not good things. We can attack, we can run. We can get revenge. We can be resentful. We can be snarky. We can sabotage. We can drop a dime.
But, if we wait and trust in the Lord, we might see miracles. We might see Him move and then we will KNOW, He is real and a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
It’s hard.
Daniel prayed and heard nothing. He waited and waited. Till an angel appeared and told him that God heard his prayer the minute he first started praying. God released the answer the second Daniel prayed. But, demonic forces slowed the answer. ( Daniel 10)
God hears. He has moved.
He promises that “Whatsoever you ask in my name I will do” (John 14:14)
Believe it. Trust it. It’s hard, but what have you got to lose?
God is our only real hope. He is our friend and our father. he is not out to get us.
But, the enemy gets us to fear and doubt and run away from God. That’s when he has us.
This life is but a breath. A moment in eternity. It’s hard. But it won’t last.
Things we think are important today, will matter nothing to us 10,000 years from now.
Wait upon the Lord. Pray, watch and wait. You will see Him move.
You will wake up and see that things are different.
It might not be what we want, but we will see it’s better. We will see Him in it and that will make it better.
Praise Him for all He’s done. Sing His praises.
Bio:Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
What is the truth? I want to start with the ultimate truth, then talk about the current times, and prophecy. If you want to know God’s will on any subject you can probably find it in the Garden at Creation. There was no evil or death present. Nothing killed anything else. The humans and animals…
God is with us “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” –Luke 12:32 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”— 2 Tim. 1:7 “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is…
It’s important to know. Death on its most basic level means separation. It is not an end, as some suppose. The Bible teaches that we are triune, like God. We are made in His image. We have a body, a soul and a spirit. When God created everything He created it good. Evil was contained…
Free Life Blog 