Matthew Milam II's Blog: Selections From My Blogs

'I Remember'

I remember your struggle,
The battle you fought...
Your days of pain,
And the courage you wrought.
I remember your words,
The prayers you made...
Your cry for deliverance,
For me was made.
God stepped in,
And took you away...
He gave you peace,
In a moment that day.
I remember you passing with dignity,
That moment has made me strong...
Your petition was heard and answered,
And now I can go on.
You expressed your love on bended knee,
And I'm so grateful...
You prayed for me.
I'll never forget,
Your motherly love...
And I'll send my smiles,
When I look above.





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We Got Switched

"We Got Switched"



It was explained, this way you see…

We got switched,

Him for me.

He was worthy, I carried shame…

He took the place,

For all I was blamed.

A selfless act, of a guiltless soul…

No other way,

Can this story be told.

We got switched, it’s plain to see…

We traded places,

Him for me.

One dark day, on a barren hill…

My medicine was taken,

Only, He took the pill.

Soldiers joked, and women cried…

While nailed to a tree,

He gasped and died.

We got switched, why should it be…

That righteousness died,

Him for me.

This act alone, was a bit too much…

But the story’s not over,

There’s an added touch.

He was buried, but He was the one…

Divine in nature,

The begotten Son.

In three days He rose, gave death the slip…

Broke the hold,

Of the icy grip.

Through faith in Him, and His act of love…

From the reach of death,

We can rise above.

We got switched, a gift that includes you too…

It comes from Him,

For me and you.





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Flawed Justice

Isaiah 59:4 (NIV)
No one calls for justice;
no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies;
they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.

The occurrence of crime is nothing new. Mankind has been subject to unlawful acts for as long as history has been recorded. However, in recent times, the incidents of crime seem to be increasing. This condition is brought about by a number of factors, all of which can be attached to a few basic underlining circumstances. One being attitude and the other response.


The "West" as a whole and America in particular does not pursue "Justice." What it does instead is pursue a "System of Justice." The trouble with this system is that it has been corrupted to represent "Just Us", or more correctly "Just Them." Them, being an exclusive few who have taken the notion of privilege as theirs alone. In a quest for power and riches, the system has been manipulated to keep in place the values and position desired by a limited few. A position that from the outset has excluded the masses. In effect, justice has become a method of control rather than a design to foster fairness and equality. The result is the loss of well being for the sake of resource management.



How many times has a bill been stopped from passing in our legislature because one party wishes to control or stop another?


How many times has a clause been attached to a bill in an attempt to appease a special interest group and insure its passing?


Do the PAC's and lobbyist that court our elected officials operate with the overall interest of the public in mind?


These actions speak to an attitude that has more to do with desire than justice, and that desire looks more and more selfish in nature than it does as having the overall well being of the people at heart. The response generated can only be of equal and opposite nature and just as negatively inclined.


In the book, "The Hidden Agenda of the Political Mind" , the authors, Jason Weeden and Robert Kurzban, point to an unspoken truth that's known but often not discussed.


"It's about people's interests. Identifying where people's interests lie is, in some cases, pretty easy. However, in other cases, while the key issue is still interests, identifying how particular policies advance people interests can be trickier."


















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Consider the Orphan and Fatherless Children

Job 29:12 (KJV)
Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.





A story made popular in the news caught my eye.

It speaks of a young man who cried in church for a family... he wanted to be adopted. There was a lot of attention, a media frenzy, as well as an out pouring of offers of adoption from individuals across the country.

Reference: Lane DeGregory, Tampa Bay Times


Now all of this is fine and dandy, but it still boils down to a lot of "Hoop-La." My questions are these...


Where was the attention or the offers before his plea became public?


Why does the media (in general) wait for angles and public appeal before jumping on the bandwagon?


Why do we generally wait on the media?


While I might be willing to give a pass to the media as an institution, I can not give a pass to the individual, especially not to those who follow Christ.


Everyday, as we go about our hustle and bustle, there are a countless number of children who languish without notice in the adoption system. For the most part we only recognize their existence on those occasions, such as this one, that spring to our attention in the news media. And in our attention - we seem quite comfortable in allowing ourselves not to notice or acknowledge their presence.



America boasts of a Christian Heritage, something that is also being debated in recent times. For the sake of argument, lets say that "We Are" a nation of Christians. If Christian, then we are failing. We've failed because we have dropped the ball on the poor, the fatherless, and those that have none to help them.


In private it's easy to say things like...

It's not my fault.
It's not my problem.
It's none of my business.
They're not my children.


All of these are excuses. They're excuses... being offered to justify an individual's lack of humanity. This is even more profoundly true of anyone, who, insists on being identified as Christian.

Why are we so afraid to practice righteousness and perform those acts of kindness that we know to be good?



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Joy Made Full

Titus 3:9-11 (NIV)
But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.  Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them.  You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.


Is it just me or does this cartoon draw attention to a very real but sad point, taking place in the Church? 


All too often I've witnessed debates, arguments, and out and out quarrels take place among the brothers and sisters of faith. I'm talking about those belonging to the same congregation. I don't even want to go outside the home doors. There's enough of this activity inside without crossing denominational territory. I'll admit, there are those occasions where valid points are made by both parties. Each providing scripture to back their position. The thing is, a lot of time is spent in an effort for one to be the winner of the debate... but to what end. Is ministry meant to be a contest to show whose more knowledgeable, whose right and whose wrong? Where is the joy in that?



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The Most Important Celebration

 




 

Twice each year Christians celebrate dates associated with events in the life of Christ. The significance of these events remains a key foundation for Christianity. The birth of our savior would be made meaningless had not the second event occurred. It is the most important single event in all of history.


Three days, mark for all mankind, an unparalleled turning point in the universal order. The death, and resurrection of Jesus, changed the status of man and his relationship to God forever. Without this, Christ would be nothing more than another holy man. With it, we have a believable assurance toward the gift of salvation. All men can be drawn unto Him because He was lifted up. The price for sin has been paid, once and for all; death has lost its sting. No longer is it necessary to make sacrifice to atone for sin; Christ is our atonement. He has done what no mere man could ever do; being the unblemished sacrifice, perfect in every way.


To help understand the real essence of what took place, I am sharing these posts of early essays, written back when I first started my public writing. They still hold my feelings and have meaning for this celebration of Christ's Resurrection.


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When We Become Them...

They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
Jonah 2:8 (KJV)





 
As a small child I was made to read the Bible. Not in a forceful way but rather corporately, in a communal fashion. My grandfather, being one of the church founders, was very serious with his faith. My earliest memory was of arising to prayer, scripture reading, and the singing of a devotional hymn... every morning... all year long. I thought it was the norm. I could not conceive that this was not done by everyone everywhere. Of course, as my young life progressed, that bubble found its pin very quickly.  My grandfather passed away and I left the Mississippi farm to return to my parents in Chicago. It was the beginning of a marked change in my understanding and view of the world. Mom and Dad certainly weren't adherents of my grandparents practices, and I soon found out that most of the people in my immediate world were not prescribers either. As I reflect back on that early time of my life I thank God for His grace in providing me with such solid initial foundation.



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Building Tomorrow… One Child At A Time

Every now and then a story comes along that just makes you feel good.

When children are given a good moral foundation, their character development builds value in things that allow for goodness. This is a great illustration of the Biblical Wisdom found in Proverbs...

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.


Often we make the mistake of thinking that education is the function of the school system and institutes of higher learning... while they may provide assistance and collections of concentrated information; their responsibility is only an addendum of our responsibility. This carries forth even more so from a spiritual point of view. Moses instructed the nation of Israel to teach their children, as God had given instruction for them through him.


Deuteronomy 4:9-10 (KJV)
Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; Specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.

Training is a charge given us by God. It is a form of ministry carried out in the home. An act done in the service of God, for the children... that they may know His Will in all things.

In a world riddled with indifference, selfishness, prejudice, and outright violence; one could easily ask... and quite often does ask, "What can we do... How can we change?"

One thing frequently neglected is the training of our young in the Will of God. Something that won't happen within the school system; especially today. We can be sure that knowledge of who God is, and what He wants will at least be a step away from the negative influences emanating in this world. When the effort is made... our world, and the world of our children can have a chance.

A child, when given the proper guidance and sound moral foundation; can make choices of an extraordinary beneficial nature. Consider this account of a young man's desire to do something good...

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"Read Carefully"

The words say “Read Carefully”… but they always say read carefully.


The thing is we seldom read them at all, and when we do, it’s never carefully. Instructions, directions… for what, who needs it? After all we're not stupid, and it’s not like you have to be a genius, I mean, how hard could it be? Six hours later, after a pot of coffee, and a lot of head scratching we’re finally finished… never mind the leftover screws and parts on the floor. Besides, they always give you extras anyway.

For whatever reason…even when we should know better and are given good advice, we insist on doing things “Our Way.”



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