Growing Old Gracefully???

A few years ago I heard Kenny Chesney singing a song on my car radio written by Casey Beathard, and Chris Allen Wallin called “Don’t Blink”. That song hit me in a particular way because of my age and the fact that I could remember so much of my life as though it happened yesterday. Life has gone by so fast that when I hear the expression of growing old gracefully I grimace.

I can’t say that I haven’t enjoyed life pretty much to the fullest because I have. I just took too much of it for granted. I have been happily married to the same woman for 57 years, I have children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, I have enjoyed much good health, rarely ever sick until I was 70. Then I had the misfortune to begin to get really sick. I spent almost a year in hospital, not all at once but on three or four different occasions in the same year. Four different ailments befell me in my old age over a period of a year. I finally overcame most of them but they have left me much older and weak.

As I sit and look back on my life which seems to have only started about a week ago, I wish I could go back and do it all over again. I most definitely would not take anything for granted and as far as growing old gracefully…I would fight every minute of it. A poem by Dylan Thomas sent to me by my youngest son says much about growing old.

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieve it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

  

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears,
I pray.Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light. 

The only advice I can give to the younger generation is: “No, don't blink, Don't blink, Life goes faster than you think So don't blink.”

It's The Green Thing Again

A recent article in this blog, “The Green Thing” got me to thinking about the way our country is going when compared with the Christian prophetic teachings of the way things will go.

Romans 1:18-25 “…For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the creator – who is forever praised. Amen.”

Environmentalism is the newest old religion, “clean energy, climate change,  sustainable communities, The Green Movement, PETA, carbon footprint, recycle, paper or plastic? electric bills (smart meters), light bulbs and so on.” It’s the “in” thing.

I and most Christians I know care for the world because we believe it to be God’s creation and it’s our duty to be careful not to cause unnecessary harm to it. I’ve seen a lot more forests removed in my 75 years on earth than I would like to. Where I use to rabbit hunt in forests and fields are now subdivisions and golf courses. Very little game hunting areas left in my part of the county.

While we as Christians care for planet earth, the air, and water we do not worship earth and are not really concerned about global warming, or climate change if you will. The earth is far too large for a few million people burning fossil fuel to cause any harm. I have listened to all the discussions of the Gulf Stream, green house effect and carbon credits. After all the discussion, I have concluded that it’s all a political ruse to get more money for giving us nothing.

There is an old religion referred to as Pantheism the belief of which is that the universe and God are identical. Then there is the Gaia, a revival of a Pagan religion which rejects Christianity and views Christians as the only  obstacle to a world-wide religion based on Gaia worship and the uniting of life forms around the Goddess Mother Earth. Science, paganism, eastern mysticism, and feminism have made this pagan cult (Gaia worship) the very heart of today’s environmental policy.”

Environmentalism, with cult-like qualities, is being promoted by leading figures and organizations such as former Vice President Albert Gore, broadcaster Ted Turner, and the United Nations. “Earth in the Balance” Al Gore’s book is just one of many books that ultimately proclaims the deity of Earth and blames the falling away from this Pagan God on the environmentally unfriendly followers of Jesus Christ. Romans 1 (Earth Worship and Sexual Immorality) has replaced God as the new platform of the Democrat Party, says CA pastor John MacArthur in a recent copy of Decision Magazine.