There Is No Light At the End of the Tunnel

We all look to see if the light at the end of the tunnel is a train. The brilliance of the sun shining into the dark hole is comforting to all who wish to remove themselves from dark, moldy holes in the ground. Sometimes, however, it is night out and the sun doesn't shine.

Case in point, this blog. I may never see an end to ministries in the nudist world. Not in my lifetime. But that doesn't mean we are not making progress. For some of the time, we can believe there are some good things happening. Other times, we see nothing good coming from our labor. Of course, labor is its own reward.

Noting there are dark times and times of light, we can anticipate both the good times and the bad.

With this in mind, I would like to look back at some of the good, the bad, and the-- well really bad.

First the bad. Nudism still has a taint about it. Neither the world nor the Christian community accepts us for the what we are. Most see nudism as a related activity to sexual gratification. We have not done our job to make sure people know what we do. It is unlikely this will change until we start to cast light into our world so that the community around us can see us for what we are.

The really bad. There is some truth to the fact that nudism attracts a bad element. Just a short google search away from this blog will take you to a place where you can see all kinds of sexual wrongs being done in the name of nudism. As little as 30 years ago, we had tons of exploitive nudist magazines proclaiming the free lifestyle of nudity, all the while presenting young teens in provocative positions and in compromising sitautions. Coming from a 100-year-old tradition of wholesome nudist beginnings, we can see how the freedom to worship and love God and to appreciate His creations has turn ugly.

The Good. We are starting to make a difference in the nudist community. Churches are starting in our resorts. Bible studies are popping up in people's homes. We are praying for one another. Many of the us are looking for ways to serve in our communities to make the whole of the community better.

So, what is this all about? Well, maybe it is time we shine a light in the tunnel instead of trying to see by what falls through the openings.


First, we need to open up to the world. If you are not telling your family about your Christian beliefs, there is a problem. If you are not telling them about your nudist tradition, there is a problem. Covering up either causese you to walk in darkness and allows others to only see a small and mostly errant side of both. We need to shine a light on our lives so that there is no question what nudism is about. For those who would do us harm out of ignorance, the truth will set us free. When all people can see our way of life and see what there is that makes us thrive on God and nudism, there will be no doubt as to our intentions.

Second, we need to share our Christian lives with the community in which we thrive, the nudist community. Shine the light on our lives so that all can see the benefits.

How can we do this? Easy. Let our everyday events tell our story. When you sit down to eat, be thankful and take a moment to pray and thank God for your food and ask him to bless it. It need not be gaudy or loud, just a simple silent prayer is sufficient. It honors God and it tells the world you are serious about this. Take a moment at the end of every day to say thanks to God and to pray for your friends, family and enemies. Take the opportunity to help others in Christ's name. Thank God even for the things you did not want. Accept God's decisions even if there is a "no" in the front of them. And lastly, go to church, become a functioning member and actively encourage your church to use you.

Lastly, we need to tell our churches we are nudists and why. If you don't know why you are a nudist, it is time to consider the question. If it is for sexual reasons, perhaps you should leave the nudist world. If it is because od gave you a gift of nudist lifestyle, shouldn't you let the church know about your gift?

Shining the light on our world will do two things. It will make us feel better and releive most of our fears. Second, it will let the world see what we are about. Both are great results. It is a win win situation. Third, it will allow us to self police our community. Remember the people here for the wrong reasons? They exist because we keep our world in the dark. Expose it to the light adn these creeps have no place to hide. They will leave. That's a win-win-win situation.



Till next time...

The Civil War and Decisions.

In the great War of Northern Aggression (the Civil War for those above the Mason-Dixon line), people spent much of their lives trying to survive the tragedy and heartbreak of wartime existence. There was the constant fear of your wife\husband\child\parent dying from some disease or malnutrition, the daily routine of finding enough food to supply your family something to cure the hunger pains, and the overall lack of human kindness. This country was a third world country surviving on sheer belief that God would prevail.

You might ask yourself, "What does this have to do with a good old naked walk with Christ?" and you would be hard pressed to find an answer.

Simply, there are struggles we survive that tell us we are in God's path. We come through the other side and see the fruits of our labor. We hear the calling of our Lord and have traversed the terrain to find His special love waiting on the other side.

In Job, we read about such a struggle and find that Job finally lived in the luxury God can provide for those who persevere.

But often, we find we are heading in the wrong direction and we need to stop and take stock of what we are doing. Balaam and his donkey are prime examples of how God works to stop us from hurting ourselves and realize we are not persevering in God's path, but are heading directly in the path of death.

For those not familiar with Balaam, he was a prophet of God, but not of Israel. He was sent to curse the Israelites and to stop them from continuing their taking of the promise land.

His donkey stopped before and refused to move forward. Balaam tried to force his way forward, but an Angel, unseen by Balaam, kept the donkey from moving forward. When the angel was revealed to Balaam, he learned just how close he had come to death. (The account of Balaam is told mostly in Numbers. It's a good read.)

All of us have a donkey that keeps us from trouble from time to time. God places people of objects in our path to help us stop and look at the situation. Learning to see these signs is important. Balaam was slow to see it. He almost died.

Today, just like with the Civil War, God places these objects, sometimes a person, others a series of events, to keep us from harming ourselves or others. Our lives are influenced often by what we consider coincidences and happenstances, but are no less than the hand of God protecting us. Whether it be an angel protecting others at a cost of our life, such as with Balaam, or a small child who begs us to stay home and play a game with him, there might be a reason for this behavior.


One thing for us to watch is how these events occur. I am sure there are donkeys who refuse to go further, but with Balaam, he had been riding this donkey for some distance and the donkey stopping was something strange and out of character. When we encounter something out of the ordinary in our path, it is an indication we need to stop and look at what is ahead. Is it of God, or are we being warned away from harm?

Secondly, we need to see where the smart people are heading. If you are on a ship and everyone suddenly jumps overboard, you might want to follow and ask why later. The crowd probably has a better understanding of the situation and is acting upon what they know. With Balaam, the countries around him had already abandoned their towns once the Israelites began destroying everyone who remained behind.

Third, a good solid prayer in the heat of the moment is not a bad idea. Some people call the flare-prayers, flares sent to God to ask for directions. He is faithful to guide us. If He has sent an angel to stop your progress and you stop before the angel cuts your head off, certainly God will help you wander your way back to His will.

A little common sense goes a long way with this type of work. If it looks like a Devil trap, it just might be. If God seems to be holding you back, He just might be. If you have to manipulate a situation to make it work, perhaps you are manipulating God out of your plan. Think before your beat your donkey into submission. Balaam almost lost his head over that silly little animal.

Until the next stroke of... well, common sense hits...

Allen

So you want to be the boss

I find it odd that anyone would like to be the boss. Instead of having one person telling you what to do, everyone is telling you what to do.

I have never ventured far from the bottom of the totem pole when I could. I like the basic premise that I can sit at the back of a church and heckle the guy upfront for doing a better job than I ever could. That does not mean I get to do this very often.

For those who want to be a leader, I must caution you, God judges the leaders more severely than the followers. It is by this creed we must be certain we are called to lead. I have a co-pastor, John, who is a good strong leader in bible study, discernment and other area. He does not feel comfortable in the areas of public leadership or in most places where mercy and hope are needed. It is his makeup, how God built him. But he does a great job where he serves.

If we all could be so good at finding our niche, our own personal area to lead, the churches would be growing by multiples hereto unknown.

And that is the point! All of us are leaders of something. The secret is to find where we are supposed to lead and get out front.

So, until I see you leading me somewhere else, I'll stand by and watch the crowds run by...

Anyone need a ride back from DC?

Still Alive

I apologize for being so long in posting. The holidays have been a little hectic and I am not one for missing a good Christmas party. I will try to do better.

I find the act of celebrating Christmas most exciting. I love the time with the family and friends. I usually enjoy the caroling and singing that comes with working in a Christian atmosphere. The world is a much nicer place with the season of Christ around us.

Now, for the skeptics among us, yes the season is probably more appropriate during the springtime, but none of us can really say when Christ was born. All we know is that He was, and we are better off for it.

I think Christmas is better celebrated during the winter. If we celebrated it during the spring, we would interfere with Easter. I don't wish an Christmas Cantata on any Music Minister at the same time they are preparing the the Easter program. Nor do I want a pastor to have to prepare a Sunrise service the weekend after the Christmas play.

Perhaps we Christians borrowed a date from another religion. We didn't borrow our Savior. He was certainly born. He certainly came to this world through natural means. He must have had a birthday.

The fact we celebrate His birthday should be special no matter what the date. The fact He came to earth and gave us such wonderful gifts is so fantastic I can't see a reason not to sing for joy.

till next time....

Ring the Bells

I was approached by a couple over the weekend about a unique gift they were giving their friends. Instead of buying some trinket to be lost or forgotten, the couple was making donations to our church's benevolent fund in the name of all of their friends. This touched me deeply.

I can't say how many people have been helped by our fund, but I can tell you the world is a better place when people such as this couple strive to help others less fortunate.

The world outside of my warm, cozy house is frightening when you see people dying of hunger and poor medical treatment. I have to confess that it is easier to hide away in my house and pretend the world went away than to actually do something.

I thank God there are people in the world like these.

till then...

Viable Discussions

As is my normal daily routine, I visit the yahoo nudist groups. Lately, I have been discussing the inerrancy of the bible with another fellow. The discussion was specific and pointed. It was fervent, but not ugly or dismissive. In essence, it was two Christians debating doctrine.

A nice lady interjected a small piece about our argument, indicating we should stop. My compliment in the argument suggested we were not arguing and I have to agree with him.

The point of biblical discussions is to discern God's truth. The debate, at times, will be strong, lively, and full of passion. In fact, it should be. The bible tells us that iron sharpens iron and Christians should sharpen Christians. Dealing with the bible and its truths allows us to delve into the mysteries and nuances in a much deeper manner.

I often enjoy sitting in the hot tub while discussing Christian dogma, doctrine, and those ideas not necessarily placed in either categories. The discussions cause me to think and to reason, to consider a different idea and to begin to see a point of view I hadn't considered. This is a good thing.

All of us need to have other Christians to wrangle with, doctrinely. We need someone to hold us accountable for our opinions and our revelations. It is important that we open our minds and our hearts as God brings people into our lives, reveling truths we wouldn't have come to on our own.

more on this later...