Blue Skies and Rainbows and Sunbeams From Heaven Lyrics
Blue skies and rainbows and sunbeams from Heaven
Are what I can see when my Lord is living in me.
I know that Jesus is well and alive today
He makes His home in my heart.
Never more will I be all alone since He
promised me that we never will part.
Well.
How is everyone? Are you worn out from reading dissents? I am. I've moved on from those issued last week to Scalia's dissent in Lawrence v. Texas, a 2003 case in which the high court struck down sodomy laws in Texas, effectively invalidating sodomy laws in thirteen other states.
Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion, with Scalia, Thomas, & Rehnquist dissenting.
I don't want to belabor the details of a sodomy case, but suffice it to say, one of Kennedy's arguments for overturning the law is that a moral objection to something is not a substantive enough reason to outlaw it. In his dissent, Scalia asserts that, "This effectively decrees the end of all morals legislation."
Scalia goes on to predict the end of state laws against bigamy, same-sex marriage, adult incest, prostitution, adultery, & the list goes on & on, reading like a verse out of Corinthians. In response, Kennedy basically says, "No way, that won't happen," to which Scalia warns, "Do not listen to him." As it turns out, Scalia was right. I do wonder if Scalia was tempted to anonymously mail Kennedy a copy of his Lawrence dissent this past week.
I don't think Scalia personally cares if sodomy is legal in Texas or not. Clarence Thomas says in his Lawrence dissent that, were he a member of the Texas legislature, he'd strike the law. I do think Scalia foresaw what was ahead, based on Kennedy's reasoning (or lack thereof) in Lawrence. It is not my desire, nor do I believe Scalia's or Thomas's desire, to fully equate the law with morality. Immoral certainly should not always be the equivalent of illegal. Adultery will always be immoral, for example, but it is no longer illegal in most states, & in those states with adultery laws still on the books, it's unlikely anyone has been prosecuted for committing adultery in quite some time. You cannot legislate morality, however, a society cannot stand if it completely divorces its laws from any moral code.
What is it that drives our laws prohibiting theft, assault, pedophilia, polygamy, if not a moral code? Anthony Kennedy opened Pandora's Box thirteen years ago, writing for the majority in Lawrence that a moral objection is not sufficient reason to outlaw something. That's a frightening precedent.
I feel I should insert a *disclaimer* that I am not a Constitutional law scholar, but hey, you know what? Neither is Anthony Kennedy.
Last week was not all woe. Tuesday morning, Reagan & I had to be at the dentist at nine-thirty. I'd talked to my mother-in-law about keeping Henry, & mentioned that if they wanted him overnight Monday, they could have him. I forgot that I'd mentioned that to her, & so it was a pleasant surprise Monday afternoon when I got a text letting me know my in-laws would be at the house at seven to pick Henry up for the night. Well, okay. I was down with that. After they left with Henry, I took a long look around the house. Trey & Reagan were quietly doing their own things, & I said, "See ya!"
I went to see Jurassic World by myself & I had a blast. I ate a lot of popcorn. The movie has a few giant plotholes & there's a noticeable lack of character development, but you don't need logical consistency & nuanced characters when there are humongous dinosaurs on the screen & a vat of popcorn in your lap.
After the dentist Tuesday morning, I took Reagan to eat pancakes at Cracker Barrel. She documented the meal.
The rest of Tuesday & Wednesday passed uneventfully, unless you count my sinuses acting up, which you probably don't. Due to my sinus issues, I took a little bit of Benadryl Wednesday night, & so I was not yet out of bed Thursday morning when the Obamacare decision was handed down. I knew it was coming. I knew they wouldn't release it on the same day as the marriage decision, & I was highly suspicious Friday was the day for the Obergefell bomb.
Let me tell you that I was a bit surprised Thursday. I was so flummoxed that John Roberts did not seize his golden opportunity for redemption that it wasn't until late Thursday afternoon that I realized it was a 6-3 decision.
Kennedy reversed himself from his Obamacare vote three years ago, meaning Roberts could have heartily embraced his come to Jesus moment & it would have been a 5-4. I hope the ghost of Ronald Reagan haunts Anthony Kennedy. I'm sorry, did I say that out loud?
I had book club Thursday night, otherwise I'd likely never have quit
reading opinions. We read the first three books in the Harry Potter series this month & met to discuss them at Chili's. We had a good group & there was a lot of energy (& salsa) flowing when I arrived. Book club is so often my valve when the steam is rising to the top & accumulating dangerously.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself, sitting & eating & listening & soaking up the Harry Potter wisdom of those who've gone before me, having read the entire series. I could both see & empathize with their struggle, wanting to answer my questions without revealing spoilers of what's to come. It's a tricky & frustrating position, & they navigated it beautifully. I'm currently reading book four, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, & I'm so thankful for the wonderful fictional escape Harry's world provides me.
I was up early Friday. I couldn't stay in bed much past seven due to continued sinus pressure, & I wanted to get up & drink coffee alone while the house was quiet so I could pray. I knew I would not be surprised Friday, & I was not. The storm came as expected, but I was fairly calm.
I've thought about what I'd say to my kids now, were they older, about the events of last week, about why my social media profiles aren't draped in a rainbow flag. There are a few verses that come to mind. The first is found in Genesis.
I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between me and the earth (Genesis 9:13).
I'm sure I'm not alone in suffering from rainbow-induced nausea. I think there are a handful of people who genuinely believe something fantastic happened Friday, but many are those who want to be cool, want to do & say what's applauded & fawned over, & they feel all mushy inside over nonsensical slogans about love. Who has time to worry about the Constitution, or the whittling away of the family, the bedrock of every civilization that's ever existed, when you can gush about love? This must be what the 1960s were like: race riots every other day & people blathering about love.
It is disheartening to see that the White House took the time to plan an elaborate light show, an electric middle finger to American Christians, while still no coherent strategy to combat ISIS is readily apparent. ISIS marches on, quite literally on the move on Friday, if you saw the few news articles that bothered to report the bloodbath in Europe on Friday.
Can you imagine if a Republican president projected a cross onto the White House over Easter weekend, or after a Supreme Court ruling that was a victory for pro-life advocates? I am sure that if a pro-life president wanted Choose Life license plates on all the White House vehicles, the vehicles owned & paid for by American tax payers, as is the White House, NARAL (that's the National Abortion Rights Action League) wouldn't make a peep. Planned Parenthood wouldn't say a word, because the pro-choice crowd is known for their level-headedness & tolerance of dissenting voices. They love dissent like they love babies.
You do realize that in several states, you cannot order the Choose Life license plate to display on the car that you own (& insure) because the courts have said that by issuing the plate, the state could be perceived as endorsing a position on abortion. I know because I once attempted to get such a plate for my car but was denied. But lighting up the White House, the people's house, like Rainbow Brite lives there? That's totally fine. What a disgrace Obama is to the office to which he was elected.
I would expect nothing less than middle-finger partisanship from the Obama White House. That's par for the course. It finally dawned on me why the rainbows bother me. Like marriage, God created the rainbow. How utterly appropriate that the rainbow flag has come to represent the push for same-sex marriage! The rainbow represents God's steadfastness. It's a reminder that He keeps His promises, & that is what I think about each time I see one now. It's been a game changer. Gay marriage advocates can no more usurp the rainbow than they can the institution of marriage; both originated with God. He created & defined them & they are both gifts to His children. The original rainbow was God's promise to never destroy the earth again with water; the next time, it will be with fire, another promise He is certain to keep.
The final thing I'd like to say, & what I think I'd say to my kids, is about love. It is true that love wins, but, as with the rainbow, & marriage, you need to dig through the scriptures to figure out what that means.
You see what they did there?Love wins. Who doesn't love love, right? What is the opposite of love? Some say indifference, but the clear implication in this case is hate. Like the pro-choice label, it is intended to paint anyone who opposes the position of the Love wins crowd as someone who is motivated by hate. That's why they opt for anti-choice or anti-abortion in the abortion narrative; pro-life is troublesome because the opposite of life is of course death.
I submit to you that I & many of those who oppose same-sex marriage do so because of a different understanding of love, of the phrase Love wins, an understanding rooted in scripture.
Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends(John 15:13).
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should have everlasting life (John 3:16).
Finally, John 14:15:
If you love me, keep My commandments.
No one will ever love you more than Jesus Christ, & you will be happiest when you live for Him, & follow His commandments. Indeed, it is by following His commandments that you show Him your love for Him. It is not always easy. I admit, sweet Reagan & Henry, I am trepidatious about the potential hate that might be heaped on your heads for loving Christ & honoring His Word when you're older; love Him anyway.If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you (John 15:18).
I have always been, & remain, bothered by the argument that life is too short for a person not to be with the person they love. It's a flimsy argument for same-sex marriage given that it's often what married heterosexuals say to justify their adulterous affairs & subsequent abandonment of their family. I'll only live once, & life is so short, & God would want me to be with the person I love.Wrong!, actually, but that's another argument for a different day.
Yes, life is short, but eternity is long. Eternity is forever.Forever. I promise you God is not going to look kindly on the argument that you gave in to your sinful, fleshly desires, be they homosexual or heterosexual, because your time on earth was short, & it seemed cruel not to be with the person you loved. Love God. Love Christ. Clear your mind of your own interests & desires & honestly seek the Lord's will in your life. No earthly relationship is worth losing your soul. No fancy legal maneuvering of Anthony Kennedy's will shield you from the Lord's wrath; no law of man's has ever or will ever rewrite scripture. Rather than remaining silent about, or even applauding, sin in the lives of people we know & about whom we care, the Christian shows love by speaking the truth, regardless of its popularity or political correctness. Reagan, Henry, always remember that the people who tell you the truth are the people who love you the most.
Anyone who can access a Bible, read, & read with any degree of intellectual honesty knows that homosexuality is a sin as surely as adultery is, as surely as fornication before marriage is, & sin, if not repented of & turned from, will result in an eternity separated from God. I don't say that to make a political point; I say it because Jesus wants you, whoever you are, wherever you are. He wants you so much He died for you. I agree; life is but a vapor. Live your life preparing for eternity.
We can all paint ourselves every color in the rainbow & bleat about love, but at the end of the day, you can open your Bible & it will say the same thing. Sometimes I wish it didn't, you know? There are a handful of verses I'd love to blot out. Perhaps I'll blog about them in the future.
Love won thousands of years ago on the cross. Love won when the tomb was emptied, & the Son returned to His Father, where He waits today, at the ready when the Father says, It's time; go get them. Don't get bogged down in the skirmishes here. Christ will reclaim His own one day, & if someone tells you to stand on the right side of history, you explain to them that your history began thousands of years ago at Calvary.
AZ
Source: https://azeiglerdailies.blogspot.com/2015/06/blue-skies-rainbows.html
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