Everyone has heard of “heads or tails”.....you know, where you flip a coin & call “heads or tails” to decide who is on your team or who goes first in a game ... that works well for games or similar situations in life. 

However, “heads or tails” seems to be the ‘name of the game’ when it comes to morality...Another term for this is SELECTIVE MORALITY. It’s done nothing but divide the United States of America. The murders, the abuse, the discrimination, the racial/cultural divide, the pragmatic way of life.....The ’I do life the way I want and you do life the way you want’ mentality is rampant. 

Righteous indignation should be felt and maintained when it comes to the recent atrocities in the United States. Atrocities that involve the senseless murder of a man who decided to go for a run in Georgia & the senseless murder of a man in Minnesota by an officer. Hate crimes. Racial prejudices. Every single bit of it is senseless!! These two men who were created in the image of God, imago Deo, had their lives cut short by individuals who cared nothing for the lives they were snuffing out. From a personal standpoint, I pray that the murderers that took the lives of Ahmaud Arbery & George Floyd are served the maximum sentences possible these hellacious crimes so deserve. There’s nothing wrong with wanting & even demanding justice. The God I serve is a God of justice.  

#AhmaudArbery
#GeorgeFloyd

In honour of these men’s lives and the lives of every other murdered American, let me pose a few questions......

The more I’ve watched the media stories, read the social media outcries, and heard people I know get angry about such crimes, the more I’ve wondered ... where are the crowds when it comes to the lives snuffed out senselessly EVERY SINGLE DAY across America? 
Where are the crowds for the senseless shootings that trace the interstate route I take to see my father?  If I were murdered on my way to see my father or on my way home, would someone be outraged enough to stand up for my life? To organize a nationwide protest? Would I be blamed for being in a “bad part of town” or “in the wrong place at the wrong time”? Would anyone, outside of my family and inner circle, know or even care?
Where are the crowds when the officers are shot/shot at? Why not protest this crime? I can tell you that although the officer-involved shooting in my small Mississippi town had local media coverage there were NO protests on behalf of local law enforcement. There was NO outcry against the crime that took place that day! 
Where are the media stories, social media outcries, protests, and righteous indignation and outrage against the abortion across our land.....when the lives of MILLIONS of innocent lives are snuffed out every single day in our nation??
Why do we not protest at state capitol buildings for the elderly? For the homeless? Why do we not get indignant about the medical neglect, abuse, and malpractice that is rampant across our nation in various doctor offices, hospitals, nursing homes, “care” homes??
 
Do we REALLY expect anything different from individuals in our nation when we have gravitated towards a morality that says “one life matters but another doesn’t matter”? What should we expect when we idolize individualism, disregard the reality of absolute truth, and disdain the principles set forth in Scripture? 

In the middle of COVID19, I have heard several pastors (& lay people) quote 2 Chronicles 7:14 as saying: “... if My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” The problem with quoting this verse is multi-faceted ... not the least of which is that this isn’t what the verse says!! 2 Chronicles 7:14 says: “...if My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face AND TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” No one reads a few verses down where the LORD says: “But if you turn aside and forsake My statutes and My commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will pluck you up from My land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’ Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore He has. Brought all this disaster on them. (2 Chronicles 7:19-22)” 

I’m NOT saying that God’s orchestrated the murders of these two innocent men or that He is orchestrating the crimes that plague our nation. What I am saying is that we should expect NOTHING ELSE when we’ve abandoned the God of the Bible by seeking to be autonomous, spitting on authority (local, state, federal, and Heaven), and by embracing an ideology that says one race/culture is better than the next. 

REPENTANCE is the key to revival across America. It’s the key to the healing of our land. It’s the key to the healing of our world. 

What will you choose? What will I choose? 

I leave you with the words of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, taken from John 8:31-32, 36 & the words of John the Apostle, taken from 1 John 1:5-10.

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free...So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’”

“This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

Soli Deo Gloria!
A Wandering Pilgrim

​The LORD seems to be doing a new work ... one that many aren’t aware of yet ... & until He gives the “green light” and confirms more, all I can ask is that you just pray. Enough about me ... 

One of the 21st century’s greatest minds, greatest evangelists, greatest apologists will soon be with the LORD Jesus (barring a miracle). When I found out that Ravi Zacharias was dying of cancer, my heart sank. I was encouraged to listen to him; however, honestly ... I didn’t care about what anyone else had to say at that time in my life. I started caring after I heard his story. The LORD saved this man after a failed suicide attempt....& through the empowerment of God’s Holy Spirit, Ravi has left a trail blazing around the entire world. From big arenas to the palaces of countries who are hostile to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Ravi was there. From liberal universities to closed nations, he met opposition with such grace & poise & power from on high. Ravi dared to respect cultures, other faiths, and people who were/are so very different from him ... and folks, at least, respected - many, loved - him for doing so. 

Practical. That’s who Ravi has been to me. His theology wasn’t put so high above my head that I couldn’t reach it. The questions he’d answer seemed so mind blowing, and his answer would be so deep.....and yet so very simple. Christianity across the entire world has benefited from this saint of God. I know people, personally, who have been changed because of Ravi & his ministry.....they are friends with Ravi. 

What about you, Christian? 
What about me? 
Do we love Jesus with absolute abandon? 
Will we be available to leave a trail blazing for the kingdom of the God we say we love & serve? 
Will we dare to leave the comforts of home for His glory?
Will we saturate ourselves with that which causes us to constantly re-evaluate our lives? Willing to change ideas/ideologies that don’t line up with the Word & the LORD’s calling on all of our lives? 
Will we love this world?
Will we dare to love the Scriptures enough to dive headlong into them without any form of media interference so that we, too, can be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within us?
Can we serve with a level of honor and respect that doesn’t compromise the truth of Scripture, as Ravi has?

Go & serve. Go & proclaim. This isn’t the call for just a few. This wasn’t just Ravi’s call. This is the call for all of our lives. The ground is fertile. The harvest is ready. But the laborers are few. 

Be salt in one person’s world today. Be light in that person’s dark world today. 

For more information about Ravi Zacharias, his ministry, resources, updates on his health ... please visit http://www.rzim.org ... Please pray for Ravi & his family. Pray for his team. Pray for our world. 

​I’ve stopped and started this blog post many times. I’ve contemplated not even writing this. Because some will say this or that concerning how they feel about what I write. I’ve wondered so many things with this particular post, but I can’t NOT post this. Why? Because SHE was special. SHE was mine.....and I miss her terribly! But also because life doesn’t stop for those of us left behind ... I didn’t know if I could live life without her ... Initially, to be honest, I didn’t want to live this life without her ... but this post isn’t entirely about the death of someone I have cherished from day one. It’s about how life has changed. How perspective has changed. How the LORD has taken His own to be with Him and has begun to transform the lives of those left behind.

Folks have actually gotten disgusted with me when I bring up my grandmother. They’ve said things like, “She was your grandmother. Old people die. Why is this affecting you like this?” I want to scream when I hear things like this......Carmon Lanell Dickson ... “Mom” to some. “Peggy” to others. “Aunt Peggy” to others. But to me (& the other grandkids/great-grandkids), she was “Grannaw” ... She was more than my grandmother. She was my friend. We didn’t see eye to eye on everything, but you never see eye to eye on everything with anyone ... If you did, one of you wouldn’t be necessary in that relationship. 

It’s been 16 months since we said goodbye to this precious lady. Sixteen months since I held her old, feeble hands. Sixteen months since I kissed her forehead and whispered: “It’s okay. We will be okay. You can let go of us and go be with the LORD, with Pappaw, with Aunt Polly, and with all of our other family members. I will be okay. I will keep taking care of my dad. I love you.” I whispered those words that fateful Thursday night and left for home. The last time I saw my Grannaw alive. December 27, 2018. Less than three hours later, she was gone. I wouldn’t wish December 2018 on anyone, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Those nights by her bed ... watching to see if she was still breathing. Begging God for a miracle. Watching. Waiting. Christmas was rough. But I knew she’d want some Christmas stuff up. So, I put a few select items out. Others thought it frivolous. She had a smile and said she liked it. That’s all that mattered to me. 

Jeopardy. Gaither videos. Golf. I tear up when I see these programs ... honestly, I try to avoid them ... because these were some of her favorites. I’ve always hated golf. I never saw the point of it. It seemed so stupid to me ... now, I can’t bear to watch it because I think of her. She didn’t play golf, but she sure did love to watch golf on tv. I tear up when I read missionary update letters ... because the stories are amazing and I know she financially supported missionaries. She, also, supported them through her prayers. 

16 months seems so very long ago when life is happening at rapid fire speed ... and it feels like it’s been going that fast. However, in many respects, it seems like only yesterday when I saw her last. It seems like only yesterday when we assembled at the local funeral home to tell her one last time how much we loved her. These 16 months have been life-changing. Since her home going, our family lost another precious soul (Martha) who fought a very brief, yet difficult battle with cancer ... she joined my grandmother (her Aunt Peggy), her parents, her husband, and a host of others around the throne of the LORD Jesus. 

The LORD’s begun a deep healing within my own heart and life ... and I wish I could talk with my Grannaw about it. He’s begun a stirring that is indescribable. One that’s taking much surrender of an unknown future ... surrendering it all to Him who has made Himself known. In this process of dealing with compounded grief (that started prior to the loss of my grandmother) & discovering my purpose for living, I’ve begun a journey of learning about the MUCHNESS of God’s hesed. Of His lovingkindness. Of His care to come alongside to pick me up and carry me so I can simply rest my wearied anxious heart. Of His love in providing me with someone with whom I can fellowship at a deep, heart level ... even across international borders ... and having the technology to do so. Some of the deep longings and desires of my heart have changed over these last 16 months. As the LORD opens/shuts doors in the days/weeks/months to come, that may be expounded upon in further detail. Suffice it to say that He is at work doing something that only He can do. 

At the writing of this, we are in the middle of a pandemic ... This COVID19 mess has everyone speculating about everything from political sabotage and biological warfare to “the end is coming” and God’s judgment around the world ... and every other possible scenario one can imagine. This pandemic has thrust me into reading & studying when I’m home ... one such book was CS Lewis’ book Mere Christianity. He puts it so well in saying that the Christians who made the most impact on earth were the ones who were focused on Heaven. “Aim at Heaven & get earth thrown in. Aim at earth & get neither.” These days of such uncertainty and fear, I’m learning to see Him. To see the LORD daily ... to walk with Him like never before. To love Him more. To aim at Heaven. 

These last 16 months have been unsettling for me and for other members of my family. These days/weeks/months/years of grief have been ongoing, it seems. Nothing is certain ... nothing stays the same. Except One. I’m learning to love being with the One who is the Rock that never shakes, never breaks. Death? Defeated at Calvary. For a believer, death is a “graduation from this life to the next”.....Life? He is the Author of our days and they are numbered before we are ever born. COVID19 (and any other illness/pandemic)? He has a purpose and He will be glorified in the end, no matter what may come into the life of a child of God. 

Until you or I see Him face to face in all of His glory, majesty, and splendor, may we be about His business in Jerusalem, Samaria, & the uttermost parts of His world.....

Aiming at Heaven!
Soli Deo Gloria!