Integrity in the life of the Spirit

 

I had a lesson written out prior to this one. It was to be on reliability. Ironically, I could not rely on myself to finish it with the proper learning benefit I was hoping for. You know, a man or woman comes to church, has evidence by means of legal pads or books implying a good amount of thought went into preparing for this next half hour or whatever segment of time given. Well, this man or woman stands right here at this podium and speaks to you. Not in a traditional Sunday school, kind of way where we all are seated in close proximity and everyone has many opportunities to ask for clarity or challenge a claim. Not in this room and I say this not to put down traditional classes going on throughout this church as I speak, but instead to bring to mind that uniqueness of the Wesleymen of Epworth. Many, many years before I ever even pretended to speak behind this lectern as a child, men of great notoriety and reliability as well as wisdom stood here and told the filled seats what they needed to hear. They did it well. They did it so well in fact, that the church, the conference, the city, and even a local pioneering AM radio station saw fit to allow the words of the teacher to be broadcast as far as the signal would carry. In my opinion, that represents reliability. I say this because not only is the teacher’s lesson seen as valid and worthy of the audiences time but the teacher himself (or herself) is looked to for his dependable nature. His reliable work ethic. His ability to be counted on. I would think the reputation of this room would be very much a molecule of the body it has demonstrated if the teacher, the man the class looked forward to and I do mean forward in more ways than one, could not be depended upon to do his duties and perform them in such a manner that qualifies him for the post.

This is not a privilege to be trifled with because there are men of much higher stature than myself who have stood here and in all seriousness spoke the word of God and then explained it in such a way that not only this class but the whole town if it so choose could learn from it correctly. They left the lesson with the benefit of the Holy Spirit functioning in their life. Not the words and opinions of some layman or nonprofessional. Albert Roper himself stood here and at no point in my life do I even dream of having a legacy of his type. What I am saying is all of these men before me had one thing in common before any other attribute was measured. They were reliable, dependable, and interested in learning the correct message to give as much as you were in receiving it. The first thing you should look for in any individual before you decide to invest any of your precious time in them is integrity and reliability in that virtue. Integrity as defined by Webster’s is the entire, unimpaired state of anything, particularly of the mind; moral soundness or purity; incorruptness; uprightness; honesty. Integrity comprehends the whole moral character, but has a special reference to uprightness in mutual dealings, transfers of property, and agencies for others.

The moral grandeur of independent integrity is the sublimest thing in nature, before which the pomp of eastern magnificence and the splendor of conquest are odious as well as perishable.

Now the definition I just shared with you is from Webster’s 1828 edition. Many regard Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language as the finest English dictionary ever published. This in itself tells you about the great integrity of Webster himself.

Therefore, here I am, once again trying to measure up yet knowing that is not my job here. I could let the flesh intermingle with the obligation I have undertaken and use it as a way to puff myself up, without even giving a moment of thought to the validity or the reliability of my words. However, it is the comforter that Jesus spoke of, otherwise known as the Holy Spirit. One third of the Trinity convicts us if our faith is real and sincere. That conviction that some call a conscience is the compass we all should recognize in times when our integrity must demonstrate itself.

When I was first asked to become a teacher for this class I was taken aback although I may have outwardly appeared to take it in stride. I mean I enjoy hobnobbing with the members of the Wesleymen. You know, shaking hands, being friendly, following my father’s coat tails and his reputation without building my own. That kind of association is almost effortless. No reliability is needed. No integrity. Just pass a man in the hallway, look and walk as if you have purpose, and give the greeting of the day. As I put distance between you and I, my imagination kicks in with its arrogance. I say to myself “There goes Jack Sumner’s son. Fine, fine individual.” Yep, that’s me.

I did that through much of my youth and early twenties. I knew my dad was a man of reliability and integrity. He didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to be that way, it was instilled in him by his own father, the life he lived, the experiences he endured, the people he associated with, and the core of his heart. It is who he is. You do not lolly gag through life and then walk around the corner and people say, “Now there goes a man of integrity.” You earn every single belief that is expressed on your behalf.

When Ronnie Bagwell came to me in the Social Hall and asked if I would be interested in teaching the Wesleymen, I thought he must have been talking to the person right over my shoulder. “Excuse me Ronnie”, I would say, “Let me give you two some room to talk.” Nevertheless, no. He was talking directly to me. I knew there was no way I was ever going to tell him “No Ronnie, it just ain’t in me to be that guy.”. In fact, I saw it as an opportunity at redemption. A chance to be a man of integrity. Either that or I would let down my father’s own legacy he unselfishly lived for so many years. I knew I would never measure up to Jack Sumner but that was not my goal. Jack is not up here today. It is I. I am up here speaking on being reliable on good with your word. I am speaking of how we as Christians are the biggest symbol the secular world will ever see as to the true measure of Christ in a sinner’s life. We can be the hypocrites they claim us all to be and then confirm it with our actions for all to see or we can see ourselves as perhaps the one vehicle they may ever encounter to save their soul.

This is not lip service I give you today. It is something many of you are well aware of and truthfully, at times I feel I am indeed “preaching to the choir”. I need to learn as much if not more and I say right now that yes I am nowhere near your standard that you have set for yourselves. However, I aspire to be there one day. After all, it is not a destination but a journey, is it not? I am flawed and I have been so for much of my life. The opening Ronnie gave me was a chance to really be whom I thought only lived outside of me. A man that can be relied upon for taking the time to give an honest and profitable lesson based in faith. A man who says what he means and means what he says. Dependable.

Do not misunderstand me. I know there are times in my life where I am going to let another down as well as myself. Circumstances will arise that will hinder my best efforts to be there for someone whom I said I would be there for. It will happen. The thing is, what will I do with it? How will I compensate for it in my work for God? How will I seek recompense?

Recompense in the verb tense is defined to

Make amends to (someone) for loss or harm suffered; compensate.

I sincerely fear and then regret with profound remorse those occasions where I have let a friend down or failed to come through. I am at a loss for words and even today, I am dealing with just such an issue. I pray on it and go to God for wisdom in how to approach the situation. If that is done with a contrite heart and in the Spirit I feel forgiveness is an expected outcome and the door will open to make amends.

I have often listened to a particular Christian Rock band known as DC Talk. They have a song that is about this very thing. It helps me through its words to stay on that path of reliability and integrity while battling the flesh. I will finish today with sharing some of those words,

I've been wrestling with my conscience

And I found myself to blame

If there's to be any resolution

I've got to peel my pride away

Just between you and me

I've got something' to say

I wanna get it straight

Before the sun goes down

Just between you and me

Confession needs to be made

Recompense is my way to freedom now

Just between you and me

I've got something to say

 If confession is the road to healing

Forgiveness is the promised land

I'm reaching out in my conviction

I'm longing to make amends

So, I'm sorry for the words I've spoken

For I've betrayed a friend

We've got a love that's worth preserving

And a bond I will defend

In my pursuit of God, I thirst for holiness

As I approach the Son, I must consider this

Offenses unresolved, they'll keep me from the throne

Before I go to Him, my wrong must be atoned.

Amen.

I had a lesson written out prior to this one. It was to be on reliability. Ironically, I could not rely on myself to finish it with the proper learning benefit I was hoping for. You know, a man or woman comes to church, has evidence by means of legal pads or books implying a good amount of thought went into preparing for this next half hour or whatever segment of time given. Well, this man or woman stands right here at this podium and speaks to you. Not in a traditional Sunday School kind of way where we all are seated in close proximity and everyone has ample opportunity to ask for clarity or challenge a claim. Not in this room and I say this not to put down traditional classes going on through out this church as I speak, but instead to bring to mind that uniqueness of the Wesleymen of Epworth. Many, many years before I ever even pretended to speak behind this lectern as a child, men of great notoriety and reliability as well as wisdom stood here and told the filled seats what they needed to hear. They did it well. They did it so well in fact, that the church, the conference, the city, and even a local pioneering AM radio station saw fit to allow the words of the teacher to be broadcast as far as the signal would carry. In my opinion, that represents reliability. I say this because not only is the teachers lesson seen as valid and worthy of the audiences time but the teacher himself (or herself) is looked to for his dependable nature. His reliable work ethic. His ability to be counted on. I would think the reputation of this room would be very much a molecule of the body it has demonstrated if the teacher, the man the class looked forward to and I do mean forward in more ways than one, could not be depended upon to do his duties and perform them in such a manner that qualifies him for the post. This is not a priveledge to be trifled with because there are men of much higher stature than myself who have stood here and in all seriousness spoke the word of God and then explained it in such a way that not only this class but the whole town if it so choose could learn from it correctly. They left the lesson with the benefit of the Holy Spirit functioning in their life. Not the words and opinions of some layman. Albert Roper himself stood here and at no point in my life do I even dream of having a legacy of his type. What I am saying is all of these men before me had one thing in common before any other attribute was measured. They were reliable, dependable, and interested in learning the correct message to give as much as you were in receiving it.

    Ok this has been an issue in my life way too long for me to not share it. There are so many people in our lives that we meet. Some hang around for relatively long periods. I have sections of my life I refer to (in my own thoughts) as Era's. Kinda like the dinosaurs and the wooly mammoth's and cro-magnon or neanderthal man. Some overlapped with the other but all contained people with whom I associated with. For instance, I had some friends in the neighborhood, a few of them I went to school with. As I grew older, some from the neighborhood dropped off and went in another direction with their social and scholastic life. I lost contact. Nothing bad. It wasn't like I stopped answering the door or they stopped picking up the phone when I called. It was just a natural thing as our lives evolved. Fortunately for me, my memory is pretty good relatively speaking and I can ressurect entire events that go back almost to the age of four with friends I had and have.

Who's really there?

My next big post
will be about
those ones we trust
without a doubt

Where words are gold
and actions are true
where what they say
is what they do

It stands opposed
to those we know
who say they'll come
but never show

Reliability
is what we seek
it's hard to find
a rare type of freak

Because if friends were jobs
many would be fired
because waiting and waiting
makes bossman tired

Bossman is you
or perhaps even me
that person who wants
a friend just to be

A person who talks
and walks just the same
a person who sees you
as more than a game

Laughs are so easy
to find when it's great
but where can you turn
when time's running late?

Who around you is true
who values your time
who reads this and gets it
as more than a rhyme

When you figure that out
focus on those
because real friends go much deeper
than just some person you chose.

Fate and Destiny a Lesson for us all

See it when you believe it

It is our life we live
We belong to us
We choose our own perspective
If we transcend or if we fuss

The mind is our greatest weapon
But it is also our biggest vice
To master how we think
To never stumble twice

It is lofty that is sure
A goal few do achieve
But we must always try to learn
In ourselves we must believe

A man is not a slave
unless the master is agreed
Perception is much greater
and it meets our every need

Perceive yourself transcending
An enlightened soul you bear
Each happening is a lesson
How you see it gets you there

An opportunity for patience
for listening as you learn
A chance to show forgiveness
So the tables you can turn

Hardship is only relative
and how you see it is the key
to end the hurt and suffering
and become just who you'll be

Misfortune, hardship, and grief
is not meant to break our heart
We perceive it and transcend  it
We see it as a start

A start to bigger lessons
an evolvement of the soul
there is a blessing in all curses
understanding is the goal

So work on your perspective
Change the way you think
it will improve the world around you
and save you from the brink

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Abraham Lincoln

   This is a quote from a President that is consistently ranked in the top 5 and at times is rated as 3, 2, or 1. Our current President uses Lincolns name frequently while addressing the public or patronizing to his base. They see Lincoln as the great emancipator. The man who single handed freed the slaves. In essence, the emancipation proclamation freed no one. It only confirmed the freedom of those living in the Union. I say it from that view point because although Lincoln proclaimed all slaves in the ten states of the Confederacy as well as those in the Union, it was logical to assume those states in rebellion would not take this unto law and follow it's mandate.
   But let's not get into the semantics of this event. The purpose of my bringing this quote out and referring to his proclamation (which did in fact set up the passing of the 13th amendment) is to demonstrate how some in today's political arena attempt to manipulate societies lack of historical knowledge for their own benefit. President Obama likes to place himself in the same vein as Lincoln based on his Illinois roots and the assumption that Lincoln was a savior of the oppressed black.
Lincolns primary focus was the restoration of the Union at all costs. In a letter to Horace Greeley who urged Lincoln to free the slaves, he stated in the simplest of terms his full focus and intentions. "If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them. If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. . . . I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free."
 So, taking this all into account we much take things not out of context or in terms that serve to separate and manipulate. Lincoln's quote, as well as his letter, indicate the humility and honesty of the man. Lincoln believed not only in freedom for the oppressed but also in the liberty of those already free and experiencing the idea of America as envisioned by the founders. Lincoln thought more of the Constitution and its premise of a limited federal government as well as the Declaration of Independence and it's claim of human equality.
A large and faceless central government can have all the good intentions in the world yet lack the compassion on a personal level to carry them out. The Government with a capital G survives and grows on the back of the populace that functions independently of it. Those under it's employ must subsist by means of taxation, tariffs, and penalties or fines of those who create capital and wealth. Taxation in its own right is a hindrance to liberty because it diminishes the individuals ability to fully enjoy the fruits of his labor and also because it is taken without consent or preauthorization. It was taxation at its core that brought about the American revolution because it became taxation without representation and also it tended to serve not the colonies from which it was collected but instead the King and England. It had become a form of oppression and slavery in itself. The Stamp Act of 1765 was the first shot in the revolution figuratively and the beginning of our nations love/hate relationship with the institution that has become the monster it is today.
It takes a private sector or rather an economy of independent, nongovernmental businesses or investments that have capital gains of a significant nature to maintain a State or Federal Government. The Government in and of itself produces no tangible product to sustain itself. Police, Fire, Courts, the Military, and all other government agencies require the citizens and it's taxing authority to function efficiently. When Government becomes so large and cumbersome the populace will eventually find themselves being demanded of more and more of their income. As this cycle progresses, businesses and individuals that once supported the bureaucracy find they cannot support themselves under the weight of oppressive taxation. This is the facet that serves to collapse economies and bring a country to its knees in terms of being able to sustain those who have come to depend on the Government for their existence.
With this being said, you can understand how a Government run amok can be the primary enabler for dependence and a lack of personal responsibility from the subculture who feels entitled to the earned income of those who pay taxes that go to programs that subversively hold a person down and keep them in a state of perpetual dependence. The individual ceases to be and becomes a ward of the state. 
Europe is in an economic and social tailspin because of its entitlement structure and pension programs as well as practices like free college educations. You can look to Greece and its inability to accept austerity measures regarding government funded benefits, pensions, and entitlements.  In economics, austerity refers to a policy of deficit-cutting by lowering spending often via a reduction in the amount of benefits and public services provided. Austerity policies are often used by governments to try to reduce their deficit spending^[2] and are sometimes coupled with increases in taxes to demonstrate long-term fiscal solvency to creditors. ^{(definition gained from wikipedia)}

It is my opinion that this country was created to set the standard and establish a precedent for individual liberty as a means of governance and that the states would be separate in their existence from the others yet cooperative in the area's involving each states prosperity, survival, and intellectual progress. The states initially were recognized as 13 individual sovereigns much like Spain is Spain, France, France, and England, England. The big difference is they were ethnically separated from one another in that their nationality difined who they were and their duty was to their country, sometimes at the expense of their neighbor. In America