7/30/06 live from catalina island: problem of profanity (not on the island but in general) by...

8/14/2019 7/30/06 LIVE from CATALINA ISLAND: PROBLEM of PROFANITY (not on the island but in general) by vanderKOK

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7/30/06

VanderKOK:

Live from Avalon, Catalina Island !PROBLEM OF

PROFANITY

Good Morning ! Live from CatalinaIslandas I begincomposing (although by the time I am donecomposing and begin transmitting I may no longer be at Catalina

Island). Nonetheless, its live right nowand Im sitting outside the

Catalina Coffee & Cookie company drinking a cup of dark northwest

coffee at 7:56 a.m (pst). I caught the Catalina Express fromLong Beach

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at 6:15 a.m. and just arrived here at Avalon a few moments ago (Lola is

with me; for those who do not knowLola is my golden retriever (mix)

who goes almost everywhere with me).

With all the heat in southern California (and California in general) I

decided to take my annual cool down at Catalina Island. This is the

2nd annual Catalina trip. My third time to the island. And when I say

Avalon for those who dont know that is the name of the main

harbor/city on Catalina Island. This is where most of the boat traffic

goes, although there is another smaller harbor called Two Harbors

which apparently has a few stores (or at least one) and a campground.

Avalon, however, is much larger, and has full time residents, regular

paved streets, lots of little shops & restaurants, bike rentals, etc. They

also offer various sight seeing tours of different varieties. There are notmany regular automobiles or vehicles at Avalonthats a nice change

most (but not all)of the traffic are golf carts.

Last time I was here (last summer, 2005) I rented a bike for a few hours

and rode along the coast outside Avalon. You find out quickly how small

the Avalon area is.

Ironically, I mention the heat wave that has gripped California over the

last two weeksit apparently is over, just as I take my break from it. Itsan overcast day right now. I havent seen the sun yet. But I dont mind.

Lets begin with a prayer: Dear Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ, and our

Heavenly Father, & Holy Spirit. You are the source of all goodness and all

graciousness. You are the One who bestows us with every good thing we

have. You gave provided, Lord, and we thank You and continue to thank

You with all of our Heart, Mind, & Soul ! We cannot express enough in

words how thankful we are for Your faithulness to us God. You are with

us through thick and thin, through trials and tribulations. You are here in

the dark and in the light. You shine through, always. And wethank You,

thank You, thank You. Help us to be as good and giving and forgiving

towards others as You are towards us Oh Lord. Let Your Son, Jesus

Christ, Our Savior, be the example for our own lives. We bless You Lord

and thank you . Amen.

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And I am actually going to postpone this message while I walk around the

island and take a few pictures for the morning message. As some of you

know I always like to include pictures with the message. I feel like the

images give the story/message more life. What do you think? So Ill be

back to the keyboard in a few hours.

And Im back on! Im actually on the Jet returning to Long Beach from

Catalina Isalnd right now at about 2:30 p.m. I only have a few minutes of

battery time available so Ill only add a few words and then continue the

Sunday Message upon return. The sky is now partially blue. The clouds

have separated and the sun is shining. The sea is blue, and were picking

up speed, giving us a nice breeze. Catalina Island is fading in the distance,

and I can barely see parts of the mainland, mostly Palos Verdes.

Everything went fairly well. Lola is resting in the shade of the front of

the boat. Praise the Lord! This is a small tripbut theres always thepotential for disaster.

As we were leaving all the tourist boats were out and about including

the Nautilusa submarine they use for sightseeing above and under

water. There were also numerous para-sailers and the glass-bottomed

boat, among other things. Lots of kayakers too.

After coffee this morning I headed towards the old Casino which is a

roundish buildingthe most prominent building on the landscape in

Avalon. It used to be a casino and a ballroom, and now it is a theatre,

among other things. It includes a museum, which I walked through. The

museum talks about the old days in Catalina and mentions that

George Shattos from Grand Rapids originally purchased the island and

was the first to begin development on it. I found that most interesting

given Imi from Grand Rapids.!

Lots of movie stars have come to Catalina and a variety of films have

been made here, including parts of Jaws (1974) and The 10

Commandments ( 1923 ), among others. Laurel & Hardy apparentlyalso enjoyed the islandfor both work and pleasure. And the Chicago

Cubs used to conduct their spring training here.

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Another thing they talk about is the variety of

seaplanes that have flown to Catalina---so many

different types and kinds, including some sort of blimp.

I sat and watch the scuba divers and snorkelers for a while. Theres one

primary location where all the early morning divers enter the water

(those without boats). In fact it is so busy that they have to line up single

file on the stairs entering the water. They stay fairly close to shore but

apparently see a lot. Lots of foreign tourists too.

As I was sitting on the rock pier o ne of my sandals slipped off and fell

down> I was worried that I might not be able to reach it, but was able to

just barely grab it after getting on my belly and reaching as far as I

could. I could just imagine having to return with only one shoe(sandal). The time went fast. I didnt want to sit on the beach for a

whole day and didnt want to spend money on renting a bike or other

tourist attractions. I was filming for my summer film Memorial Day

(Plus) and was able to get a significant amount of good footagre for the

film.

Then I headed back to the dock and waited for the 2:05 pm return

boat. The Catalina Express holds a lot of passengersnot sure exactly

how many, b ut it has three levels. Several hundred, at least. Lots offamilies on the boat, many of wwhom stayed the entire weekend.

Im hoping to see some dolphinsjumping, but not too hopeful. I got a

good seatright in the front by the windows. I have a great view of

evetrything. Praise the Lord for a good trip! I got lots of pictures and e-

maild a few already. Are you ready for the Sunday Message?

Its about the language we use. And I heard it again this morningthe

F Word. I heard the F word so often around town and in the schools

(public schools) it becomes commonplace, but it always bothers me tohear it, especially around kids & families. Some people have no

consideration. And I hear it so often (along with other types of

profanity) I thought it was time to devote an entire Sunday message to

the topic. What does God think about profanity?

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But I am also going to talk about transcendence. And

the importance of it. What is transcendence? What does

it have to do with God? How can we experience it?

Now I'm back on the road again, no longer at the island.

It was a great day.

Let's sing a few songs:

Song: Blessed are the Pure Whose Hearts are Clean!http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/a/bapuwhac.htm

Song: SO Let Our Lips & Lives Expresshttp://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/s/o/l/soletour.htmBoth of these songs I chose because they have to do with purity. And that's

what I want to talk about today, in part.

Scripture A:Let no one despise your youth,but be an example to the

believers in word, in conduct, inlove, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Till I come, give attention to

reading,to exhortation, to doctrine.1 Tim 4:12-13

Scripture B:

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But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger,

wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your

mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off

the old man with his deeds, and have put on the newman who is renewed in knowledge according to the

image of Him who created him, where there is neither

Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised,

barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free,

but Christ is all and in all.

Col 3:8-11

In both of the above passages Paul speaks of purity andmentions language (or "word", ). Why? Or maybe I

should ask--why not "express yourself?" This is

America, right? Freedom of speech. You have the right

to say the F Word, don't you?

Well, regardless of the legality of profanity in public

(and if it disturbs people it could be construed as"disturbing the peace") the question is really whether

one "ought" to use profanity. What good does it do?

What constructive purpose does it have?

The question should not be "why not?" but "why?"

And as Christians the answer should be based on

whether an activity or action is "edifying" to God or

not. What does "edifying" mean?

One definition says this: " To instruct especially so as toencourage intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement."

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/edifying

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A second definition is: adj : enlightening or upliftingso as to encourage intellectual or moral

improvement; "the paintings in the church servedan edifying purpose even for those who could notread" [syn: enlightening] [ant: unedifying]It's not a complicated definition. In essence itrefers to whether or not something is pleasing toGod, whether it is constructive and purposefuland meaningful.

You hear about the sin of taking God's "name invain"'You shall not take the name of the LORD yourGod in vain, for the LORD will not hold himguiltless who takes His name in vain. Deut 5:11

A lot of people think this refers exclusively tosaying "godammit" . And saying that phrase in aflippant, repetitive manner on a day-to-day basisfor everything--good and bad--is a form of takingGod's name in vain. But it is not the only way.

In fact you could say "God damn" and concludewith something bad such as "...the devil" and thatwould not necessarily be taking God's name invain. IN fact, I practice "damning" evil in God'sname on a regular basis. I believe it's a way of"casting out demons" which Jesus has given usthe power to do:

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(c.f. Then He called His twelve disciples togetherand gave them power and authority over all

demons,Luke 9:1)

But it has to be done "in the name of Jesus"(c.f. Acts 3:16 By faith in the name of Jesus, thisman whom you see and know was made strong. Itis Jesus' name and the faith that comes throughhim that has given this complete healing to him,as you can all see. )So if you are ever around me and you hear me say

"God damn the devil"or"God damn thedemon of laziness"or what have you--don'timmediately assume I am taking God's name invain. I am practicing a form of missiology which Ipicked up, in part, at Fuller Seminary.

And if you hear me say 'In the name of Jesus I

command all demons out of here" don't think I am

some sort of "voo doo " doctor, I am simply practicing

the commands of Jesus. And you are not necessarily

going to see something exciting or electrifying happen,

but the practice of using the name of Jesus for a

constructive purpose has had some results for me (moreabout that later).

But by and large yes many people do use God's name in

vain---maybe even the government. I mean on the one

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hand it is good that we say "In God we Trust" on some

of our currency, but on the other hand if it simply

becomes a cliche without meaning--something we don't

even think about--is it using God's name in vain?

God is a "living God" and wants to be called upon in

the present tense. He's not a historical deity, one Whom

created the world like winding up a watch and now just

lets it tick away (that's what some of the Deists believe).

But He will respond to us according to how we treat

Him. I still teach periodically and the kids in theclassroom often determine how I respond to them.

Sometimes they will ask me before the class begins,

"Are you mean?" And I always say, "I'm as nice as you

are. "

And that's exactly right--we evoke what we want from

people. If we treat them bad most of the time unless youare dealing with a 100% saint --treating a person poorly

will result in the same in return.

So maybe you're a wise guy and you're saying "So why

doesn't God turn the other cheek like Jesus taught us to

do?" Well, let me tell you--we don't treat God anywhere

close to what He deserves. He's "turning the other

cheek" all the time. And Jesus taught us to "turn the

other cheek" in situations of minor transgressions--i.e.

somebody offends you--calls you a "jerk" or something

(Matt 5.39; Luke 6. 29).

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Actually Jesus was speaking about getting "slapped"

--whether he meant this literally or whether he meant

simply any minor offense in general is a matter of

debate. But it seems fair to infer that he was speaking of"minor" offenses, not major.

If he was speaking of major offenses as well, we as

Christians would be completely slaughtered and extinct,

and it would also mean that we never defend anybody,

neither the weak or women or children. Does that sound

like something God would order?

Here's one Biblical example to the contrary:

Learn to do good;Seek justice,

Rebuke the oppressor;

Defend the fatherless,Plead for the widow.

Isa 1:17

Here's another example:

Now we exhort you, brethren,warn those who are unruly,

comfort the fainthearted, upholdthe weak, be patient with all. See

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that no one renders evil for evil toanyone, but always pursue what

is good both foryourselves and for all.

1 Thess 5:14-15So if we see and hear about millions of Nazisbeing slaughtered--an obvious evil, would Godwant us to turn away and do nothing about it?

Or if you're a wise guy maybe you are saying thatby killing the Germans and their allies we werereturning "evil for evil." Does that make sense? Idon't think so. First, when we, as Americans,declare war, we maintain (or intend to maintain)standards of ethics in battle.

This means we do not kill just for the sake ofkilling. We are still killing only in self-defense. Weare definitely trying to stop the enemy from killing(either literally or otherwise) the weak and thefainthearted.

And we do it because God wants us to do it--it isedifying to Him when we protect others--the weak

and the faint hearted.

And little things like profanity in a vain repetitivemeaningless manner are not edifying to God.Little things lead to big things. If we become

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careless about how we speak and act in smallways we become more care less about how webehave in larger ways.

Our country is still a beacon of hope for much ofthe world. We represent something heroic andseemingly divine to a lot of people. And I believethat is because of the spiritual heritage we have.

If we forget that heritage and what made us greatwe forget who we are and we become just like the

rest of the world.

God likes heroes. He encourages us to beheroes--to defend others. To take the teaching of"turn the other cheek" to mean that we should be"pacifists" in all situations is to pervert God'sWord.

And God provides the opportunities for us to beheroes. IN December, 2004, I was on the road toMichigan , just past Denver. Every hour I heard anew report about the tsunami that had hit Asia.Every hour the death toll seemed to increase by5000 or more.

I knew then and there that if I could I would go

there. Go where? There. Where's there? Anywhereeffected by the tsunami. Turns out I went toThailand--and drove to Phuket--one of the areashit hard by the tsunami.

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I took a bag full of pocket Bibles and bottles ofwater with me. I was like David with a slingshotand a few pebbles versus Goliath. What could I do

with a few Bibles and a few bottles of water? Ididn't know. I just knew that I could go and so Idid.

I couldn't do it today unless I got donations. Backthen I had enough in my account to pay $1000 forthe trip. Nobody reimbursed me. I gave all I had.Did I reach anybody for Christ? Not sure. I gave a

few people Bibles and a few bottles of water.Maybe they'll remember me or my testimony forthe Kingdom of God. I hope so. And I know Godwill remember that I tried.

Have you missed an opportunity to serve God? Ifyou miss too many, or let too many pass by, youbegin to lose your "God conscience." If you say,"What can I do to help people in Thailand--it's sohuge?! " and pass up the opportunity to go (if youhad the time and ability to do so) you may havemissed God's purpose for you at that time in yourlife.

And it doesn't have to be responding to major

disaster--maybe there are smaller things you canand should do right in your own neighborhood.Start there.

I started small. Real small. My "big thing" when Iwas a kid was doing a paper route to the best of

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my ability. I delivered the Grand Rapids Press onHazen & Merrifield Street. I had to make sure thenewspaper was in the mailbox or press box or on

the doorstep or in between the two doors orwherever the customer wanted it--seven days aweek (although some did not order the Sundaypaper, which cost extra).

Now delivering the press in Michigan is not like itis in Los Angeles. IN Los Angeles they deliver theLA Times by car--throwing it from the car

window--on to the driveway. Much easier.

IN Grand Rapids--you do it on foot with two bigbags on your shoulders. And you do it in rain orsnow or shine. And it rains and snows a lot morein Grand Rapids than it does in southernCalifornia. Sometimes I would be walking in snowseveral feet deep before the homeownershovelled the driveway or walk. That was my"thing" for a few years.

Then I started playing "rocket football" and puteverything I had into being a good little footballplayer. Then for a while school and academicswas my "thing" and I devoted myself to doing

good in school. Graduating from Calvin Collegein 1989 with honors was an accomplishment I'mproud of.

Later, grades became less important than thepurpose of learning and I found a new challenge

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in making education purposeful for myself ratherthan a "grade" race.

What is the challenge for you? How are youfulfilling God's call for you?

When I first started teaching I was in a politicallyvolatile situation--a setting I would not wish uponmy worst enemy. It was the worst place in theworld to start out as a teacher. I had been hired byone principal but unbeknownst to me he was

retiring and I would be working under a newprincipal who was not incline towards Angloteachers.

I was not given any assistance or support by theprincipal and even some of the union leadersbackstabbed me--more concerned about their owncomfort than helping a new teacher. I stuck it out

for two years concentrating solely on doing myvery own best--knowing that even theaccomplishments I would make--would not berecognized or may be even falsely maligned.

I was right. I was extremely proud to complete thesecond year of teaching with some great studentportfolios--when portfolios were just becomingthe "in" thing (at the time). They spoke forthemselves. The principal and other teacherscould have looked at them and saw forthemselves what I had accomplished with the kidsin the classroom. But they never looked.

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The principal was playing "social engineering"and I was not part of the plan. Some of the other

teachers saw me as a threat because I was "toogood. "

Despite the lack of recognition that one wouldnormally expect I had to keep my chin up andknow in my heart of hearts that I had done all Icould do and it was significant.

The environment there was "blasphemous"--meaning it did not automatically recognize andacknowledge good behavior andaccomplishments. It did so only if it was politicallysmart.

Blasphemy kills the morale of a community

because it is not honest. It not only does notrecognize the good of others, sometimes itperverts it and makes the good person appearbad (or tries to). It's a witch hunt with the huntersbeing the "witches" themselves.

And a lot of this is a result of people not giving"everything they've got." They are not puttingthemselves fully into what they do. They say, "I'llperform if you pay me right. " And you give themwhat they want and they still hold back and say, "Ineed a little more." And so on and so forth.

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But God says more than once in both the Old andNew Testament to give everything:

Love the LORD your God with allyour heart and with all your soul and

with all your strength.Deut 6:

(also see Matt 22. 7,among others)

When we combine the mind, the emotions, andthe spirit, and put all of that together for God webegin to be transformed for Him. There is noholding back.

Education sometimes forces us to be "held back."So many opposing forces and special interest

groups cause the system to become impotent.Christian education can be better but sometimesexperiences some of the same frustrations ofpolarity and division.

The answer is to bring it back to God. Simplifymatters. Ask God what is edifying to Him. Avoid alot of bureacracy and appointing new personswith new titles. That's not the answer. The answeris God and prayer. What is edifying to Him? And itcan change.

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For me to go to Catalina today (Sunday, July 30,2006) was edifying to God. For me to go thereevery day or every Sunday, is not. I went there to

provide an interesting photo aspect to my Sundaymessage. Every week I try to find something newand interesting to add to my message. Sometimesit fits well with the message itself other times it's

just an aside.

There's no formula for what is edifying to God. Byremaining alive in Christ we remain in tune to

what God wants at the moment. That's what isexciting about E-church--it's adaptable and it isnot "immutable" (i.e. unchangeable). Somechurches with permanent locations becomesomewhat immutable, sometimes.

Nonetheless, I still encourage you to have a

regular church in addition to E-church and remindyou that I am a "one man show." If somethinghappens to me there is nobody to take my place.At least not right now.And for that matter if mySunday Message was becoming too "routinized"or too "formulaic" it might not be very edifying toGod anymore. In such cases it would be moreedifying to stop the Sunday Message for a while.

Right now such is not the case, but the point ofthe Sunday Message is not to prove I can publisha message every week or to make a longevityrecord, but to help others, to edify God, and to

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make a difference--a meaningful significantdifference. Help me to keep that in mind (and thatsomething other ministries need to be mindful of

as well--some much more so than myself).

And that brings me to the next point in mymessage--and that is "transcendence." What istranscendence?The dictionary says this, in part, "

1. Being above and independent of the material

universe. Used of the Deity.

It also says, "Lying beyond the ordinary range ofperception"And, "the state of excelling or surpassing orgoing beyond usual limits"http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/transcend

ence%20What I am referring to by and large is that whichtakes us "beyond" or "above" the materialuniverse. We are sometimes so often stuck in thematerial world. Even those who are consciouslynon-materialistic or anti-materialistic are

entrenched in the material world.

Almost everything encourages us to seek"material" rewards. Athletic competition isdefined by tangible results--who scored the most

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baskets, who got in the endzone, who made theputt. Academia is about producing papers andgetting grades. Sales is about how much you can

sell. Accounting is all about numbers and"actuality."

But none of these have any ultimate purpose inand of themselves. They are but a "shadow" ofultimate purpose. The race you run in an athleticcontest--the marathon for example--is but ashadow of the real race we run or should run for

Christ. This race for Christ is seemingly lesstangible--and it is sometimes here on earth, but inheaven it is much more tangible. And the closeryou draw to God the more "real" this heavenlyrace seems than that which has tangible earthlyresults.

You begin to see and feel more what God seesand feels. It's a spiritual transcendence. And wesometimes experiences brief glimpses of"transcendence" in unexpected places and times.Sometimes in movies for example transcendenceis experienced. Church really should be atranscendent experience. It should lift us from theburdens of the world if only temporarily.

My Sunday message should be transcendent to acertain extent. It should draw you away frommaterial concerns and anxiety and lift you closerto God. Sometimes I do that with pictures as well.

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Last week my message from Elevation 14496feet--on top of Mt. Whitney--was supposed to betranscendent. This week-- a glimpse of Catalina

Island can be transcendent.

For me going there if only for a few hours istranscendent. It takes me away from the feelingof being in an overwhelmingly large metropolitansystem like Los Angeles, and I am with decentpeople for a few hours who are more likely to becivil and kind to each other because it takes an

effort to get to Catalina. It's not just a drive downthe street to the beach. When we make an effort todo something we are more likely to be aware ofother people's similar efforts and expectations, aswell as their sacrifices.

It costs about $50 to ride round trip to Catalina on

Catalina Express. It's not like a $10 taxi ride. Youschedule a specific arrival and departure time.Some people take luggage. Lots of people takediving equipment. It's not a totally spontaneoustrip. It takes some planning. This means you aremore likely to be around careful people. Its morecivil and nice. And therefore more transcendent.

And speaking of Catalina Island--for those of youfrom West Michigan (and a lot of you are)--did youknow (you would if you read my introductionabove) that George Shattos, the original owner ofCatalina Island (yes it was once privately owned)

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was a Grand Rapids native? Interesting, eh? I'mfrom Grand Rapids too. I found that verycoincidental. What are the odds of that?

Well, George sold it because of financial pressureand from there it was sold again and developedand re-developed and finally became a part ofCalifornia and is what it is today. I spent an houror so in the Catalina Museum as you can see fromthe attached pictures. The pictures speak forthemselves and I'll let them.

Another thing many of us want to transcend is the"weight" of corruption. If you lived long enoughyou've experienced corruption--and some of it isnot always so easy to "quash."

Take the corruption, for example, that I

experienced at CVUSD (where I taught school fortwo years). There was not much I could do aboutit (although I tried through government agenciesas well as the court system). It was somewhatintangible--yet nonetheless insidious. It becamemore and more "tangible" to me as time went by,but nonetheless, difficult to correct.

One of the problems was the problem of"swingers." I suspected one of the administratorswas involved in swinging (i.e. swapping sexualpartners) and may have "swung" with mylandlords (whom I did not know were swingers

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until after I left). The further problem is thatswingers, by and large, do not respectthemselves. I think they must have manic-

depressive tendencies and cannot pullthemselves out of the sexual temptation eventhough they regret it or feel ashamed about itshortly after. It's a "vicious cycle"--like any otheraddiction.

And because they are ashamed of it they have aneed to draw others into it--to let others know that

they are "no better." So they find something tonitpick the person about--finding something nomatter what, even if it means making somethingup.

That's why I was and am reserved aboutaddressing some of the matters because of the

"mud slinging" they do in response---withoutregard for the truth. They don't have any regard orconcern or even knowledge of "truth" andtherefore don't realize the damage they can dowith their lies.

A superintendent, principal, or assistant principaland even an entrenched * tenuredteacher without scruples ( i.e. Kent Braithwaite)could severely damage the career of a youngteacher. You are, by and large, at their mercy.

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Nonetheless, there comes a point when you can't"turn the other cheek " any further without beingviolated beyond repair. It was close to that point

for me--I got out of there. I put actual distancebetween me and them, and I addressed it fromafar and then a little bit closer, and lately a littlemore closely--but still with caution. I can see moreclearly now, but they still have strength (althoughthe principal, Alex Franco, was subsequentlyterminated, the administrator I was concernedabout then is in a much stronger position now). I

turned the other cheek for two years and then Itook action.

I was a "David" versus "Goliath." And the battle isstill being waged. You see the Old Testamentlessons are nice because they are so clear cutand black-and-white and there is an immediate

result, but the Christian life is much moreprolonged and the victory not always clear rightaway. Nonetheless, we persevere.

And this is not my first battle by a long shot.Growing up in Grand Rapids--transferring fromAlger Public Elementary to Seymour ChristianElementary was a battle. There were "Christian"kids in cliques already formed that I couldn't trulybreak through or into despite staying with thatclass all the way from 5th grade though my senioryear in high school and with some all the waythrough college.

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Some of those I did call "friends" haven 't writtenor communicated in years. I haven't heard from

Jack Holwerda or Keith Steensma. Some I didn'treally call friends and whom I don't expect to hearfrom are still in Grand Rapids and haven'tchanged a bit. But now I'm hearing from otherpeople I never talked much to at all in school--andI truly appreciate it. I never gave up the "battle"and I'm experiencing some fruits today.

And there was the battle that I inherited from mymother and her battle with her father, Leo Peters.This battle was handed down to the kids and thekids of the kids and some of those kids wereclose to my age, and even my half-aunt was in myown high school class. I battled her gossiptendency--falsehoods that her father (my

grandfather) put in her head to say about meand/or my family to justify his acts of deceit andunrighteousness towards me and/or my family.Later, I experienced a little bit of decency fromthis half-aunt but not for long. Pray about that.I'm still reaching out to her.

Battles never cease. And usually they have to dowith material things--land, money, possessions.That's why we need transcendence. That's not tosay material things are bad or evil. Material thingsare a gift from God but when they become more

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important than the Creator Himself then they dobecome an "evil" of sorts.

Sunday is the usual day for church. We call it the"Sabbath" or "Shabbot"--some practice theirShabbot on Saturday. To me it really does notmatter which day you call the 7th day. If the onlyday you can set aside is Wednesday--then let thatbe your 7th day. In fact some people go so far asto say that any small act of rest or transcendenceand prayer is a "shabbot"--even if only a few

moments. I tend to agree.

In fact, I don't like to think that my SundayMessage should be only composed andtransmitted on Sunday. I don't think the pressureto produce a message between the hours of 7 amand 12 noon necessarily is good either. I have

been living by that expectation or self-expectationfor a while, but am not going to restrict myself toit--if it means making myself irritable and notproducing the best message I can produce.

If this means postponing a message ortransmitting it "late" so be it. It's not "late " to meif it is better the next day. Nor do I have a feelingthat anybody is waiting with tons of expectationfor the Sunday Message on Sunday morning. Iknow most of you have your own church whichyou attend or you just attend church. E-church

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can help you on any day of the week, not justSunday.

In fact, at 8:16 pm on Sunday evening I amrealizing that I will probably not be able to finishcomposing and/or transmitting this message thisevening. It might not go out until tomorrow. And Idon't feel bad about that. I feel good. I feel goodbecause it will be more edifying to God. This isnot a contest to produce a message between suchand such a time on such a day and if I don't I fail.

God forbid.

And another battle I am experiencing is the battlewith those of you who know only how to becritical and rude. And some of you are babies--plain whiner babies. You whine like babies whenyou get an e-mail you don't want to read. You cry

because you have to take a second to click deleteon a message you need to hear but don't want to.Don't cry to me, whiner baby. Grow up.

And some of you need to look in the mirror atyour own reflection before you pluck out thespeck in the eye of somebody else. You have ahuge log in your eye, and you can't even see it.And that i includes some of you who work for thechurch, including a few pastors ! And I have a lotof pastors on my list now.

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And then there are the professors--and let me saythis--some of yuou professors are only doing 1/3of what you could or should be doing. When God

says "heart, mind, and soul -[or strength]" someof you are only putting in your mind. You are notputting in your heart & soul or strength. It's allcognitive to you. That makes you impotent andmakes the seminary impotent. God is notimpressed if you do not give it your all.

And back to the problem of corruption. When I

moved into my first ministry office in Pasadena Iexperienced corruption from the propertymanagers and the custodians and one of theyoung men who turned his office into anapartment and is also a "swinger."

Same problem with this swinger that I had with

the swingers at the school district---manic/depressives who can't pull themselves outof what they don't like to do but find themselvescontinuuing to do it. And misery loves companyso if it means lying about others so be it.That's what makes them dangerous to be around.

The young man named Tim G--an Hispanicfellow--matter of big prayer. I'm trying to reachhim with the Word while staying far enough awayto avoid the trouble surrounding him. He and thecustodians (most likely illegal immigrants) mademy first office experience disappointing.

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So now is the time to start a "ripple effect' ofpurity--tell others to stop using profane language.

Stop the "F Word" (and other bad language). Uselanguage and actions that glorifies and edifiesGod. The time is now, the place is here.

And help others experience transcendence--awayfrom the addiction of materialism and otheraddictions (including sexual addictions). All of the"vicious cycles" that take us away from our

relationship with a loving God. His commands andexhortations are for our own good.

Let's sing a few songs:

Song: Did You Think to Pray?http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/d/i/didyouth.htm

Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for giving me the

opportunity to bring the Good News to the peopleof our country and world. May it be a blessing toothers. I ask that you continue to give me thewords to say and the thoughts to think. Let me notbe too forceful or overbearing. Let me be gentlebut nonetheless honest and forthright.Let me not be worn down by cruel and wicked

persons who intend only to do harm, even someso-called "pastors" and "professors." Your Word

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is the Truth, Jesus. Let me teach and preachtruth. Let me not be led astray.

And give Your people transcendence, Lord. Letthem experience life outside materialism. Letthem know how much more there is to life. AndGod I ask that you help clean the mouths of thepeople of this world. I hear so much "filthylanguage" which does not edify you from bothChristians and non-Christians, and occassionallyGod I myself am guilty of the same. But not nearly

to the extent that I hear from the lips of others.

Song: Yield Not to Temptationhttp://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/y/i/yieldnot.htmAnd I thank you all for listening and I hope youfound the message edifying--even if not always

pleasing to you. Sometimes I must speak stronglyabout certain things and challenge some of youto move to a higher level of living. Accept thechallenge , keep listening, and grow; or delete mymessage and stay where you are.

See you next week.

VanderKOKJ.P. KokPastor Kok IIIHere are some Catalina Island websites:

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http://www.catalina.com/history.htmlhttp://www.visitingcatalina.com/history.html

http://www.catalinaconservancy.org/about/history/index.cfmhttp://www.catalinamuseum.org/http://www.catalinainfo.com/Early.htmlTAGS: PROFANITY, PROBLEM, CATALINA ISLAND, AVALON
http://www.catalina.com/history.htmlhttp://www.visitingcatalina.com/history.htmlhttp://www.catalinaconservancy.org/about/history/index.cfmhttp://www.catalinaconservancy.org/about/history/index.cfmhttp://www.catalinamuseum.org/http://www.catalinainfo.com/Early.htmlhttp://www.catalina.com/history.htmlhttp://www.visitingcatalina.com/history.htmlhttp://www.catalinaconservancy.org/about/history/index.cfmhttp://www.catalinaconservancy.org/about/history/index.cfmhttp://www.catalinamuseum.org/http://www.catalinainfo.com/Early.html

7/30/06 live from catalina island: problem of profanity (not on the island but in general) by...

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