Welcome
to Tuesday!!! It's the 22nd day of September and the first full day of
Fall!!! Tuesday's Musical Notes joins with you in celebrating the
cooler weather and the glorious beauty that this season brings!!! Fall
brings with it a more festive feel and it seems folks are a little more
lighthearted. Let's face it, for those of us who hate yard work, even
cutting the grass is better this time of the year! This time of the
year always causes a pause for reflection and thanks. Memories of the
beginning of school years, first cars, and occasions of less
responsibility and more free time. Ah...the days of fall and to be a
kid in America...
"Kids In America" - Kim Wilde from 1981's Kim Wilde
"Kids In America" - Kim Wilde from 1981's Kim Wilde
The
other day I caught myself saying something I never thought I would
say..."When I was your age..." It was followed by some action that I
did as a younger person and a reaction that I was hoping for from the
YOUNGER person to which I spoke. Does this mean I officially have to
hand in my teenager card? No, I don't want anything from AARP in the
mail!!! When did the transition from HEARING this phrase to SAYING it
happen? While I never had to walk to school in the snow both ways,
there were things that were significantly different in 1981, a time it
really was great to be Kids in America.
Ronald
Reagan became President and within minutes the Iranian government
signed over the hostages they had held for 444 days. Space Shuttle
Columbia became the first reusable space vehicle. 5 Homosexual men
become the first diagnosed cases of what would be come AIDS. Nintendo
released Donkey Kong and the video music channel (that rarely plays music videos anymore) MTV debuts. The Police release Ghost In The Machine. The
Moral Majority began a trend in politics that lasted through most of
the decade. Yep, that pretty well sums it up for the Kids in America in
1981. Most of us didn't have it as bad as perhaps we thought we did.
In hindsight, most of us had it pretty good. Thanks Mom and Dad!!!
The
early 80's saw a rebirth of the individualism that defined the '60s.
Freedom in hairstyles, colorful clothing, and expression in music.
Country and Christian music both saw revivals as we embraced our
favorites and rarely allowed anyone other than our closest circle of
friends to influence us. Yet, it seemed as the decade came to a close,
we became a part of a generation that grew further away from the
Christian influence of those that preceded us. Perhaps it was a case of
history repeating itself. The culture of the '60s and the example of
the adults around us during that time became the standard for how we
lived as burgeoning adults. If you look through history, there are some
real similarities that pop up every 20 years or so. Could the beliefs,
standards, and practices of the 80's be traced all the way back to the
Roaring Twenties. More on that in just a bit...
Recently,
a friend posted a plea to see our schools return to God. You've seen
them, "If you think we need God in our schools, click like."...or "If
you think we need God in America, click like"...I agree that we need God
in these places, however too many times we want a solution that is very
far away from our '80s individualism. We want to vote God back into
our politics or see legislation that makes for a more "God friendly"
schools. Again, things that would be good...if they were
realistic...and to a certain extant, I'm not sure either are very
Biblical, nor do they show the responsibility that each of us have as
believers to individually go about making disciples.
David’s Altar
18 Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up and set up an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 David went up in obedience to Gad’s command, just as the Lord had commanded. 20 Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, so he went out and bowed to the king with his face to the ground.21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”
David replied, “To buy the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord, so the plague on the people may be halted.”
22 Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever he wants and offer it. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 My king, Araunah gives everything here to the king.” Then he said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.”
24 The king answered Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 20 ounces of silver. 25 He built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered prayer on behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel ended.
David's example is very poignant for where we are as a nation and individuals today. "I will not offer to the Lord that which cost me nothing." Kinda rings in the ears for a while doesn't it. It is so easy to pass on the responsibility of the next generation to school teachers or government officials, when God has blessed followers of Jesus to individually first, then collectively, go about making disciples.
As I look at the history of the United States, I begin to see some indicators of why we no longer have God in our schools or our Government. It goes way back, to a time my great grandfather would have refered to if he said..."When I was your age...". This time period was known as the Roaring Twenties. It followed World War 1 (1914-1918) and preceded the Great Depression (early 1930's - mid 1940s). It was a time when Presidential candidate platforms would refer to returning things back to "normal" after the tumult of the War. It was also a time that children saw examples of adulthood that pushed the boundaries of their Judeo Christian ancestors.
The Kids In America at this time learned and passed their knowledge on to the next generation, which pushed the boundaries even harder. Children learn behavior from the "adult" influences that surround them. It is a wonder our generation even made it to the '80s based on what some of the adult influences we had in the '60s and 70's were doing. That brings me to this point. If we want God back in our schools, our children are going to be the ones who put Him there. They can only do this if they see God in us...everyday...if we are making sure that we are discipling them. What are our children learning from us about priorities? What are our children learning from us about relationships? What are our children learning from us about conflict resolution? If we want God back in our schools, we must show our love for Jesus and them by doing things that will make them better disciples. We must hold them accountable to the words of the Bible and make them, not just encourage them, to do things that allows their gifts and talents to be used for God.
This must be achieved at home before it can be exemplified anywhere else. The church is a great partner, but as parents and adults that have influence on the next generation, we must take the responsibility to see that future eras are better discipled than we were. We must show them that a love commitment is for life. We must set an example by going to church even when we don't want to and become an active participant ourselves. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we mindlessly sing songs and listen to His Word with our physical presence but not our whole being. (Thanks Larry Grayson for that nugget) I'm not suggesting that we can be perfect, but Godly outcomes will cost us. If we want a government that fears God, we must quit voting for the "lesser of two evils" and encourage Godly people to run for office, run for office ourselves, or do research into the candidates to see if their walk matches their talk.
The students of today are watching how we vote, how we interact with each other, and how we serve God...just like we watched the adults with which we engaged as we were growing up...When we were their age...This will cost us in time and resources. But the results will be changed families, changed schools and changed countries. And with adults who are focused on making disciples...changed Kids In America...
everybody live for the music go-round...na, na, na, na, na, na,
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving You,
Randy
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