Beyond Borders and Fences

     Is it good or bad that only an average of 150 children crossed the U.S. Mexican border today to turn themselves in to authorities to only find themselves in the process of being deported back to central- America where they will likely again face the inhumanities  and crimes against humanity in the forms of human-trafficking and drug cartel thug totalitarianism?  Last month over 500 a day was the average.  In the midst of political polarization, Christian America watches CNN and Fox news channels to get the right take on the situation.  Some scream secure our borders call in the troops while others beg for mercy at any cost.  Mostly all emotional appeals on both sides of the fence.  What does the Bible say?

Leviticus 19:33-34?
"When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God."

Yeah OK! Its old testament. I know.  Out with the old and in with the new.  That's what the right would say.  We have a much higher standard to live by now.

How about the words then of Jesus?


Matt 25: 35-45
Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous* will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
 And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."
 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
 Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’

  Well maybe Jesus was too liberal and too perfect for our tribe of haves..
     There was one of Jesus' disciples who pointed out that we are to be obedient, and that our forefathers too were exiles and fled lands for many reasons: some righteous,some selfish.  We as Americans must not forget where it is where we came from.

"1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

     These are refugees-alien invaders are not a commodity to place a monetary value on such as the SS did on Jews during the holocaust ultimately weighed against the cost of termination in bullets and gas.  This a complicated issue and God is testing us.
    Romans 13 challenges us and commands us to " be subject to governing authorities."  God bless these people turning themselves over to the authorities as soon as they cross.  God bless the border agents submitting to the authority of our own laws to follow due process in these matters. God bless the President and Congress to try create a way to deal with the challenge of immigration.
  I ask myself and others...  what is the problem?   The problem is fear.  Fear of change.  Fear of the unknown.   What will our neighborhoods look like in 20 years?  What will our schools and sports teams look like in 10 years?  What will our kids after coming home from school sound like in 5 years?  How will this affect my own financial security and job situation in 5 years?    Yes I believe all of this will change, and part of me cries, "What about me, Lord?"
   But I think a bigger question, a more important question looms.  Will the history books a hundred years from now say that Christian America acted out of fear?
2 Timothy 1:7 ESV
"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."
    Or will God delight in our work and our hearts?


      Last night my wife woke me up in Williston.  "Lets go see the fire!" she exclaimed.  I don't know all the details about the place that was burning, but I could smell smoke in my yard, and the fire was over a mile away.  We drove toward the smoky glow, gradually weaving around incoming fire trucks and other on-lookers.  The sky was bright with no clouds and star lit.  I could see many of the constellations.  I thought of these issues on our borders.  I thought of my friend Jose Jimenez and his adventures.  And I wondered about space travelers and aliens, constellations and distant galaxies.
      I had this thought. Since the beginning of mankind men have been engaged in tribal warfare sometimes most gruesome and deadly in many forms.  We want to identify with something anything; so we make our little camps.  And shame on us Christians including me for doing the same.  If God is infinite and we are finite, why are we, since the beginning of man, still engaged in this primitive behavior?  What would Jesus  if he were to come back today say about the mess of things that we have created; when, through His Grace we are made better to do so much more?  Have we not learned or taught or handed down anything?
     We are all God's children.  We must start acting like brothers and sisters.  And tap that flowing grand power of Love that is with all the Authority beyond borders and fences.

Walleye Adventures

John 21:3 ESV / 

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

  It all started a few days before Christmas.  Fish house... check.   Auger ... check.   Game on! Me and the boys were going fishing.  We were up at the butt crack of dawn.  One stop for minnows.  Lunch was packed.  We are living in Minnesota, and we are going fishing- 26 below.  It don't matter.  We are having fun.
     Hmmm!  here is how it really went.  When we stopped to buy minnows, and gas,  it took an extra half hour because the computer was down at the bait shop.  Finally we got out on the ice.  hook the fuel canister to the new auger, and "pshhhh!" propane leaking all over.  No big deal just a hose.  8:00 back in Warroad MN .  9:00 back out on ice.   9:05 auger won't start.  9:10 Auger is broke.  9:15  boys having a caniption fit.  9:20 Strangers help us get fishing. 9:30  getting lines in water.  10:00 no fish 12:00 no fish 2:00 5 fish 4:00 no more fish and time to get home.
     It's good doing business in small towns.  The next day, I returned the auger and got one that works.  Just in time to head up to Lake Kabetogema near International Falls.    Fishing with my new bride.  My luck has changed I think.  Day one of fishing... 1 perch and 2 pike.  Baby's feet got a little cool.      Day 2 no fish... Baby decides to stay in cabin.   Hmmmm.
      So after a vacation and a honeymoon in a winter wonderland, its good bye land of 10,000 lakes and home to the Missouri flats near Williston.    I had this thought.
     I was thinking that maybe if I built a little fish house and tried fishing the great Missouri River and Lake Sakakawea, my walleye luck might change.  So I built it.  And I geared up and and tried my hand at fishing in North Dakota yesterday.  I went out to a place called Lund's Landing.  I fished.   I moved around a little and low and behold I got into some 5 lb pike.  Not a bad day.  Left early because of the storm that didn't come. Anyway I am still here to write about it.
     So today, I went back to the bait shop to pick the brains of some local fisherman, and brag a little about my adventure.   A guy said ,  "Hey! if you want to catch walleye and sauger, follw me and I will point you in the general direction."  So I did.  I went out to Lake Jenny,   a flat on the Missouri complex, a general area of Sakakawea.    We get out on the lake.  The reader will notice how I did not give directions to this sweet new fishing hole.    It would break all fisherman code to reveal such a location.   And we drive up to this guys fish shack.  It has satellite dish.  light generator, solar panels, alarms, motion lights, bath tub, couch, wi-fi.   Its like a mini-Radisson on ice complete with pole dancers and a wet bar.   Just as I was getting out of my truck to introduce myself,  the dark haired brown skinned grinning familiar smile of none other than Jose Jimenez popped his face out the window.   "Come on in and have a burrito Tomas."
     It seems i.t was his brother-in-law I met at the bait shop.   Little did I know before today Jose's sister lives near Williston.  Cool!  I fished until 7:00  had a bite.  Jose showed me his walleye, and a burbot (they call them ling here).    When I got home I had waiting for me a fresh batch of  fish patties from the northern I caught.  How wonderful she is  Williston is feeling a little more like home, and I feel my luck has changed for the better.   The walleyes will be jumping into my bucket tomorrow.

Domesticati

     To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds. (Ephesians 4:22-23)




      When I studied Shakespeare I specifically remember Professor O'Kelly form the University of North Dakota telling me that the words , "king", "kin", and "kind" were like warning signs that something dreadful was about to happen in one of his plays.   I am nowhere in the league of Shakespeare, but my ego would like to give it a try at warning the reader about, my warning words.   So if you come across my words, or in conversation with me hear , "I had this thought," you can be assured that something is about to happen.
     I had the good fortune one time to spend a couple years trapping fur in northern MN.   It was a good time in my life.  Although physically demanding and forcing me to be mentally tough,  I gained a lot of satisfaction pursuing the man vs. nature thing.   I would spend my days out in sloughs working muskrat huts, and nights up until midnight putting up fur pelts.  I had managed to put a little heat in a shed out back. and the fur began to pile up.  And as Winter progressed it became harder keeping the little shed warm.
     One day I had this thought that if I moved my pelting operation into my kitchen I could save a few cold nights in the skinning shed.   So I did.   It worked out pretty good for awhile.   Then I had this other thought that if I took a few muskrats that were frozen solid and placed them in my shower to thaw out, that maybe I could get a few more done during my skinning session.  So I did.  And that too seemed to work.
    Then one day after taking regular showers in the springtime the drain became clogged, and upon further investigation by someone who tried to unclog it found all sorts of muskrat hair as the culprit to the dilemma of clogged plumbing.   Not a happy day.  And today I am grateful those wild adventures are behind me.
    Lately,  I have spending time in Williston.,  and planning a short honeymoon with my beautiful new bride.  I don't know a whole lot of people.  And the adventurer in me has found a little satisfaction in getting to know a few people.  So yesterday I wandered over to the pawn shop across the street.   Nice guys.   A pail of ice-fishing rods caught my eye and at a bargain price they sold them to me.   Baby will need some ice poles when we take our little adventure to Lake Kabetogema.   So I bought them.   Then I had this thought.  I thought that Lake Sacajawea must have some walleyes in it, and that maybe one day i should want to fish there.  So I drove down to Scenic Sports, the local sports and bait shop.   I picked out some pretty lures,  some new line,  inquired about the rules, asked where to go fishing, you know, all the stuff  guys needs to have and know about fishing in a strange new and wonderful land.
     A hundred bucks later I had this thought,  that If I told my plight to the beautiful Brenda, she would see and understand my strange and wonderful dilemma, that in winter in the northern  tier of the U.S., a guy should probably have a fish shanty, and that the cost of buying one may not be in the budget, but the cost of building may be.   She agreed.
      So this morning,  after doing what I needed to do, I picked up the material to build a humble little ice-fishing shanty.  No big deal.
     Then I had this thought, that maybe I could get building on it today while Brenda was at school.   Then reality hit me and said, "Dude! It's -15!  It's cold outside.  It's too cold to build it in the garage today."  And Reality was right.
     Then I had this thought, that if I cut out all the pieces in the garage and brought them into the house to assemble this fine inspiration, and completed it,  I would have the shanty dilemma solved.   So I pursued the thought into the kitchen.  I noticed that Brenda's floors were real nice and shiny and clean and made out of wood.  They might get scratched.   So I pursued the thought into the living room.  The floors were the same there.  So I pursued the thought down into the basement on the carpet where nothing would get scratched and then realized that it would be hard to get the assembled product up the stairs.   But that didn't stop me.
I bargained, justified, plead with myself,  "Just how Bunky are you going to get this done?"
     Then I had this thought of Brenda coming home to an unfinished or finished ice house inside her house.   I came to realize that it would probably resemble something  to the precise extent of "The Bonny Incident" from the movie Pulp Fiction,.    And that maybe after only 5 days of marital bliss it would abruptly come to an end. And that also I really enjoy peace and tolerance way more than i can bare chaos and turmoil.   And also it being minus 25 over the next couple days i would just be lying to myself and the reader to pretend that I would actually go out fishing out in this weather.
     So as of right now, the material can just sit in the back of my truck for a warmer day.   And I can giggle at the committee in my head that forms these strange wonderful ideas.  Look forward to an evening cuddling up to my beautiful wife and just listening about her days adventures.   And know in my heart that if I can take the next beautiful thought that comes into my mind captive, I might get to do it again tomorrow.