The dying days of early May

3 weeks to go. My last day of classes in on Ascension Day. I don;t know if that means anything but it should. I am looking forward to the tigers coming to St Louis in June. Cable means baseball. Every night there is baseball. I've been catching a few innings here and there.

I am doing a big project on Pentecostals. My head is spinning.

I also watched a video about how you need to have 2.3 kids or muslims will take over the world. I don't know where they got their info from, but, I don't know, people don't care anymore. The jig is up. A lot of Muslims care about their religion, why should we be surprised if they have 8 kids and teach them all about the koran and the pillars of Islam? We ("America") do not care about Christianity any more. People figure, "Why pretend to be Christian if you aren't?" At least it's more honest than the pews being full of unbelievers. It's hard to see anything that can put a stop to the nosedive of Christianity in Western culture and the skyrocket of Islam. I'm clinically diagnosed as near-sighted though so cut me some slack. Africa and Asia are doing pretty good with their Jesus stuff. If only, here in America, we could make Him cooler. Tie him to some causes or something - eco-friendly jesus, anti war jesus, yadda yadda.

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It's amazing that we live as if sin is not something that will damn us to hell. Judas spent 3 years with Jesus. And he betrayed him. Who are we?

It's amazing that we live as if the presence of Christ is a distant memory. God is present with us always. All the time. Right now, as I am typing Christ is present with me. I remember the Word, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" and the Spirit comes to me and you as you read that. It is shameful how much I under estimate God's presence.

It's like we've all set up shop here. Like we've bought into the world's way of doing things. Which is usually sinful. Are we ashamed to claim Christ? Are we enamored with the trash of the world because Christ seems too abstract?

Goodness, we have no idea what if means to be "in the world but not of the world."
Lord, have mercy upon us! And if a continual plea for mercy were on my lips from now to my dying day, it would not be sufficient. That is, without Your grace.

O, Lord open my lips. And my mouth will declare your praise.
Make haste, O God, to deliver me. Make haste to help me, O Lord.