It is important to remember who the “author of confusion” is–the devil!  I dare you to look at the news and not see signs of confusion.  Ask almost anyone of the recent “protestors” and the vast majority of those causing the destruction could not give you a valid reason for the destruction.  The minds are warped, bent and twisted out of shape.
There are other signs of this confusion.  Did you happen to see the new category at the national dog show?  Cats!  Cats are now a category in a dog show.  I wonder if there is any protest from the Bulldogs or German Shepherds over this?  Now, the question is, will dogs be allowed in the “cat show”?
Here is one I really don’t understand.  I guess that part of biology slipped through when I took the course.  But it was decided that transgenders, and I wonder if that means boys or girls, can now be in the Boy Scouts.  Does that mean a boy, who says he is a girl can still be in the scouts or must he/she now go to the Girl Scouts?  A girl who identifies as a boy, even though biologically a girl, can now be a Boy Scout?  Sounds real confusing to me.  Perhaps they will change the name to the “It Scouts.”
 The media is partly to blame, and of course the media, and the internet are always right.  I see that they are partly responsible for the confusion by putting their special touch to news.  You don’t think that when the Antichrist begins to arise he won’t be using the media?  It will be one of his prime weapons.  Yes, weapon, and it will be a weapon of mass destruction.
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     “The world is too much with us.”
               –William Wordsworth

I read this many years ago and just came across it again.  I am in the process of having a second book published and working on a second novel.  In my writing, my thought was never in this realm, but upon reflection I see that it is.  When I wrote “The True and Unbiased Life of Elias Butler,” my purpose was to write an enjoyable book with some life lessons in it.  It was meant to be enjoyed, not scrutinized.
“In this materialistic age, this hard, practical, swift, greedy age of realism, it seems there is no place for writers of romance, no place for romance itself….  People live for the dream in their hearts.  And I have yet to know anyone who has not some secret dream, some hope, however dim, some storied wall to look at in the dusk, some painted window leading to the soul.”  (Zane Grey)
Romance?  Ha, most folk today have no notion of romance.  I have always contended that I am a realistic romantic.  Perhaps it is part of the confusion of the age.  Sex, lust, material gifts are not romance.  Romance is part of the dream that can transpose into life itself.  Scrutinize if that makes you happy, but I would dare say that in doing so you may be hiding or disregarding your own dream.

“Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].”
–Proverbs 29:18 (AMP)
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Coming soon:  “Trails in the Wilderness.”  This is a thirty-day devotional book. 
In the works:  “Mal de Ojo.”  This is the second in the series about Elias Butler.  He is now part of the newly formed Texas Rangers under Captain Leander McNelly

God uses delays in our lives to show our true character.”
–Dale A. O’Shields

 “Realizing our moment-by-moment dependence on God the Creator for our very existence makes it appropriate to live lives of devotion, commitment, gratitude, and loyalty toward him, and scandalous not to.  Godliness starts here, with God the sovereign Creator as the first focus of our thoughts.”
 –J.I. Packer

One thing for sure, 2017 is not slowing down in any way.  Goodness, January is already past and gone.  What did I accomplish?  Did I keep my focus on God?
The world is whirling and just as nations are confused and fearful, the earth is beginning to groan from the curse of sin as well.  Looking around and I think that the Lord must surely be getting ready to come.  The Father just has to give the order soon.  There is too much craziness, confusion, and evil is abounding more and more–when is He coming?
He doesn’t delay; our minds might think that He is putting off His return, but not really.  There is a “fullness of time” coming.  The hour may not be yet, but it is surely approaching.  Even the foolishness of the earth is saying that.  I saw that the “Doomsday Clock” is now registering 3 minutes to midnight.  Now, I don’t know how they come up with that.  I do know that Jesus said when we see certain things begin to happen that the end is near.
If in our minds, we think that He is delaying, what are we doing?  Are we keeping our eyes on the sky looking for Him, or are we too entangled with our busy eyes on earth?  If the Lord would return on Sunday, I wonder how many would tell Him to wait until after the Super Bowl.  Are we then living with lackadaisical attitudes or are we living lives of devotion?  Are we becoming dependent upon ourselves and man with all of his technological developments or are we living godly, righteous lives?
With one month already gone, are we doing our all for the Kingdom?  It is imperative in this time that God is indeed the “first focus of our thoughts.”

“For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.”
–Habakkuk 2:3 (NASB)

I truly believe that so many things are hidden from us; things that could have happened to cause us harm, but the Lord intervened and nothing happened. When I think of the salvation that Jesus offered to us, but there is so much more. There is a definite act of salvation, but the rest of our lives we are continually being saved. It makes me think of the words by Fanny J. Crosby.

“A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
A wonderful Savior to me,
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
Where rivers of pleasure I see.”

If He doesn’t hide us when the storms come, when the winds howl, and the tempest rages then he provides protection in some other way. Sometimes the storms are burdens and they cause us to grow weary; our knees weaken and we seemingly can no longer stand. Then He is there to give us strength to help us make it through the day. Whatever is needed, He provides.

“A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
He taketh my burden away,
He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved,
He giveth me strength as my day.”

If we would really take the time to sit down and write down our blessings we would be amazed. Interesting how we focus on the burdens of life, and the anxieties of what might happen cloud our mind. Part of that is a trick of the devil to get our minds out of focusing on the blessings of the Lord. Most of the time we sing, “woe is me” instead of “count your blessings.” The last phrase in the next verse is significant is we understand the meaning of the “Redeemer.”

“With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,
And filled with His fullness divine,
I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God
For such a Redeemer as mine!”

One day soon, He will take us with Him to those mansions He has prepared. One day soon, the work of salvation in our lives will be complete. His work was finished on the Cross, however, with us He continues to work, and soon that work will be complete when we are with Him in glory.

“When clothed in His brightness, transported I rise
To meet Him in clouds of the sky,
His perfect salvation, His wonderful love,
I’ll shout with the millions on high.”

No matter the trouble. No matter the storm. No matter how weary, thirsty, and worn we seemingly are, He is there to cover us with His hand. Our needs will be met by Him. Turmoil may arise in the streets of the nations of the world, but in Jesus we are covered.

“He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life in the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.”

Robert James Adkisson
B: January 31, 1902 — Rhea County, TN
D: April 28, 1983 — Boulder, CO

Just thought I’d write a little about my Grandpa since tomorrow would be his birthday. I remember him very well. My earliest recollections of him, and I must have been around 4, was that he was a big man and loved to fish.
At an early age the family moved from Tennessee to Arkansas. Grandpa’s mother died when he was young. He started working in the coal mines around Williams, OK. When the mines closed down the family moved to Colorado, but there was no work in the mines when they arrived, therefore, they lived in the Pitkin area and he worked as a lumberjack. The family of six lived in a one-room cabin in the mountains. After a short time there, the mines were hiring in Boulder County and the family moved to Superior, Colorado.
Grandpa spent thirty years working in the coal mines. He was also a truck driver, and when I came to know him he was working in the Boulder brick yard. All of this time he still loved to fish. Eventually that became the bond between us, he would take me fishing. Also, I went to the rodeo with him and ball games.
I guess the main thing I remembered about him was his work ethic. He worked hard and expected others to do the same. Besides fishing and baseball, he used to like to fight. Most of it was in fun–wrestling, but from I know he was known to be able to take care of himself.
Death sort of came the same way. He was sitting on the couch in the living room. My Aunt Bern asked if she could get him anything, perhaps a cup of milk. Grandpa liked milk. He said he would get it himself, got up, and coming back from the kitchen, just before sitting down he gave a big sigh and sat–dying.
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“Man goes forth to his work and remains at his task until evening.”
–Psalm 104:23 (AMPC)

Whereas Grandpa was a hard-worker and maybe that was his lot in life, though he would not agree with that. He believed that he was supposed to work. He believed that all are supposed to work. That was not his lot in life, that was his purpose in life.
Definitely the work ethic in this country has changed. The newer generations bounce around from job to job. They expect beneifts an high salary from the start. Don’t dare tell them they have to pay their dues, if you do they’ll quit and go looking for someplace else to exploit.
Many, today, do not want growth, they want something that is free. They don’t want to earn their way, they want it given to them. They have yet to learn a major lesson in life: nothing’s free. What maybe even worse is that they do not want personal growth. That will take time and effort. It would be well to remember that work is the kin to character development.
Just because you give someone a tool, it doesn’t mean they will take care of it, or that they will learn how to use it. Elmer Kelton wrote, “Dull knife, dull boy.” Listen, there’s much truth in that statement.