A Dose of Reality

We have a 31-year old daughter who loves to say to me, “Keeping it real dad.”  While I understand and appreciate what she’s saying, it occurs to me that, in today’s culture, we are not real big on ‘reality.’  In fact, one of the most interesting things I see in every Presidential election is something called the “Spin Rooms.”  While my opinion is in no way indicative of a larger consensus nor is it a formal definition – it seems to me that we have now created a room in order to (as my mammaw would say) ‘spin a yarn.’ In the “Spin Room”, truth is rarely heard because every person there is twisting reality ‘their way.’  But think about some more realities.

This country is dying.  While we deeply love the USA, if we honestly look at this Nation who was once a “Nation Under God”, we discover that every quantifiable sign tells us that she is hemorrhaging.  Economically, productivity, are foreign policy are but a few of the areas bleeding.  But these are not the fatal wounds.  The fatal wounds are in the loss of moral, lack of ethics, and the erosion of principles for life and living.  A country who kills 50 million people before they are born will think nothing of withholding medical care to Senior Citizens who have become ‘unproductive’ to society.

Next, the church in America is dying.  Recent statistics tell us that up to 2700 churches hold their last service each MONTH.  Other statistics tell us that almost 90% of churches are declining in attendance.  Most churches are at a loss as to why this is happening.  One of the truisms we need to hear is this:  ‘anytime a non-profit organization begins to function for those who are inside it, the organization begins a slow death.’ 

The reasons that the country and church is dying is because “convictions” are dying.  Simply put, when this nation and her churches were strong there existed a deep, strong, and abiding faith in Jehovah God.  He is the God of creation, the God of salvation, and the God of eternity.  He is different from other gods and He alone is the answer for every ailment of this culture.  The reality of an answer is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

(Checkout Pastor Jerry’s web site @ www.jerrywatts.net for his books entitled 

“Words Of Warning”

"And They Were Called Christians"