Self Indulgence
December 28th, 2007 by Northern FarmerThe week is winding down and there really isn’t much to write about as far as the farm goes. It’s kinda on cruise, weather is mild, non eventful, just do chores and a few jobs and with the overcast skies all week the days are extremely short before it gets dark out. The week seems a little upside down with Christmas and next week being the New Year holiday, gets confusing for a dirt farmer sometimes. And with all the visiting going on I get a little disoriented trying to figure out what day it is and when I’m going to get some jobs done. But a person needs that sometimes because I don’t believe we were created for day after day work with no interaction with other folks. Tonight I’m even going with the whole tribe to see my once a year movie in the movie theater, “National Treasure II” or something like that. All I know is we gotta dress up good because we’ll be standing in a line outside the theater for a minimum of a half an hour. Reminds me of my early days, when the small towns almost all had their own movie theater. They were some small things but to us kids they were something else! Plus a person knew durn near everyone else in the theater! Allot of kids would be there! I remember standing in line for a long time, well really it was the front of the line because the first so-many kids could get in for a nickel. And even at that age being the tightwad that I was, that was worth the wait! Some things and habits never seem to leave a person.
Yup, small towns, bustling towns, the main streets were alive with businesses and people, not like nowadays, not like nowadays at all. I don’t know, but if people say it’s better now I’d have to disagree. It was much better when small towns supplied almost everything a person needed. Hmm, I was just thinking, (honest, this is how I write), why small town stores cannot satisfy the average person today. I figure, compared to back then we are so self indulged, so self centered that we need big stores. Yup, I figure that’s it. Thinking back, people during my younger days lived pretty good, but on a small fraction of what the average person today would consider just getting by. It boils down to the cancer of self indulgence.
And in a self centered society folks figure that everyone else owes them something, thus insurances and all the other things to go with it to protect us from someone else getting what he or she deserves from us. You know, I had a drivers license already back in the days when we were not required to have car insurance. And if a person didn’t have medical insurance it was no big deal because basically one could afford doctor or hospital services, they could be a strain, but today they are not a strain, they’re the ultimate disaster. Instant bankruptcy! And that’s only for something relatively mild. And it all boils down to a self indulgent society, nothing else. It’s not because of some super expensive technology, it’s because for every service there’s an overload of leaches. And people have silently followed along and said it was good.
Oh boy, this does get to me. I’ve used the term serfs many, many times around here and there’s a good reason for it. Because that’s all this human society in western countries has become! And the sad part is that they don’t even know it! And religion today has even gone the route of society, totally in step with it. Now it’s “what can God do for me?!” Always me, me. And the church’s and preachers are jumping on the bandwagon because this new modern religion is supplying the masses with what they want! Self indulgence! God is a means to our end and nothing else, just some formula for us to thrive in this modern day society on this here old ball called earth. But my Bible doesn’t say any of this man made religion stuff, no it doesn’t. I know because I read the Book and can’t quite find what they’re talking about nowadays. And if the bible doesn’t say it, I ain’t believing it!
Not to sound like someone just wanting some of the old days back, I do believe that we need some of that “old time religion” back. And I do believe it’s coming back. On the internet the top downloaded sermons are about real faith, non humanistic faith. They’re about God and His Majesty. Not this new fangled garbage. And if they’re the top download, and I’m talkin allot of downloads, that means there are people waking up! There are people with a hunger for the truth, not this modern day lie.
So one can take a look around, to sum up this post. What are our needs nowadays. Do we “need” the big shopping stores, I mean really need them. Or could we survive on the comparatively meager living of the late fifties or early sixties. A living that in all reality supplied every thing needed for this day and time. And a much less stressful time it was, and that’s the truth. Do we need to follow society and it’s mass materialism, self indulgent lifestyle, sue your neighbor because you deserve it, and a religion that truly centers around ourselves? Or do we want to live “good” and serve the Living God? I know the answer in this house is serving God, because He is God! Not as a means to our own desires, but because He desires it! And He is worthy! That’s the differences in thought now days. There’s a huge separation between the two.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:16 am
Tom, love your post and agree wholeheartedly! What will it take to change things, to restore the small farms, towns and countryside? A people willing to swim against the mainstream culture of “bigger is better”, “easy believism” and constant accumulation of “things”. Where will these people come from? From places like this blog, from the examples we set for others, from the families we raise, and, if necessary, from the churches we start. It won’t be easy, and there will be derision and pressure from the mainstream to get in step with them. Can we stand fast in what we believe in, can we rebuild the Christian countryside that used to exist? Don’t doubt for a moment that what we are talking about is nothing short of a revolt against the mainstream godless society we find ourselves in! My thoughts for the day.
December 30th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Brent,
Revolt is a good word to use. And revolution is too. This society is going down the tubes every day. And nothing gets me more than mainstream Christian culture embracing it all. Oh, they can maybe say a little against it but then just go marching right along in lockstep with it.
Your comment, “from the churches we start” catches my eye. Because that’s what it will take. With the mainstream churches embracing materialism, and everything else that was once called evil. Them churches will look a bit more like the churches in the Bible because I think the time will come when any church following the Word of God and speaking about the Blood of Jesus will become illegal. But church history always shows that the church thrives when persecuted. The thriving, persecuted church will be much more dynamic than the luke warm slop that passes for churches today.
Thanks!
January 1st, 2008 at 10:34 am
Tom, what have we done? I see no further comments and this bothers me. Are other readers on vacation or is this a subject that no one wants to touch? Let me throw some more fuel on the fire and maybe you could post your futher thoughts! I would add that I believe that most “Christian” churches today are ruled by cowardice. The preachers are afraid to speak the Truth lest they get bounced out of the pulpit and lose their salary and retirement benefits, the denominations and synods fear losing their government tax exemptions if by speaking the Truth they cross some “line in the sand”, and church members fear a “Truth” that might disturb their life styles. In both our Christian faith and our Amereican lifestyles we have become soft and lazy, we are like the frog in the pot of water on the stove, we won’t jump out even as we are cooking in the water around us.
January 1st, 2008 at 10:48 am
I don’t know Brent! You know, I think we should start throwing allot of fuel on this fire! People don’t like it, well, they can have the world as it is! In reality, this is the easiest subject to write about because it’s the truth and the truth can get a person in more trouble than anything else nowadays. (And I love it!)
My experience in blogging has shown me that when you hit these subjects it can go deafening silent. And that to me is proof that people want one foot in the world and one foot in so called faith. But to be fair here, I do get e-mails on this and I don’t expect people to all comment, (although it would be nice once in a while), and most readers do agree or end up agreeing after a bit, or else they don’t come back anymore which doesn’t bother me all too much.
They tell me it’s a new year and this year I’ll be hammering and I don’t care if this blog goes kaput from lack of readers. Because there’s nothing more I love to do on the computer than hammer out some truths. And I’m very armed and dangerous in that department as of late
Yup, I’ve been silent pretty much as of late and there’s so much happening here that I just gotta start hollering it out and I will!
Thanks My Friend!
January 1st, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Hey Tom! I haven’t commented in a while but I’m still around. Wise words, brother, and I agree with your synopsis of today’s culture as a self-centered one. Please do keep on speaking the truth….to some of us it’s like a long cool drink of water in a hot dry land; to others it may be a bucket of ice water in the face. But sometimes that is what’s needed to wake someone out of his coma of apathy. I heard a good one on a radio broadcast today about the difference between worship of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and worship of the unholy trinity (Me, Myself, and I). Sound familiar?
January 1st, 2008 at 4:09 pm
What a way to start the New Year! Good to hear from you Emily! I know your around yet but haven’t heard from you in a while. Yup, me, myself and I! The unholy trinity for sure. And the main god of this here culture without a doubt and that’s in most churches today also. As this day goes on I’m burning a bit more and more on this subject as I’m outside working. I might just have me some time very soon to write about all of this. Some might figure, “what does this have to do with a farming or agrarian type blog”, well rest assured it has everything to do with it, absolutely everything! So for now I’d better finish up some chores around here before it decides to get dark outside.
Thanks!!
January 1st, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Hey Tom,
Just thought I’d drop by and wish you a quick, Happy New Year!
May you prosper in every way in 2008!
January 1st, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Same to you Russ!
The best prosperity for this farm would be if it would decide to rain for once this next growing season
But I have faith that it will!
Happy New Year to You and Yours!
January 5th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Hi Tom
Feel a little depressed after reading your Blog, not because of your faith or your preaching, which I agree with, but the Idea 0f our country trying to emulate the American way of materialism and may I say it, the West trying to influence the rest of the world to our believes
By the way Tom I came to your Blog via Farming Friends and being brought up on a small farm I have really enjoyed your writings
John
January 5th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Hey John!
Thanks for commenting! I do appreciate it! There’ll be more coming about subjects like these so stay tuned!
I’m trying to figure out how you found me through Farming Friends, oh well, I’m just a bit curious at times!
Thanks!