Friday, April 7, 2023

"Take My Hand"

“Take My Hand”
 

Do not live in regret.
I am here.
I am now.
I am.
To live in regret is to doubt My plan and My ability to bring it to pass even after I have forgiven you.
Take my hand and walk with Me in the garden of the glorious life that I have planned for you.
 
Listen not to the counsel of the prince of this world,
Who sows seeds of envy, doubt, and discord,
with his whispering tongue from a mind poisoned by hate.
He knows the Truth but hates it, for his envy of it drove him mad.
The first he deceived was himself in his mind,
When he believed his own lies that he deserved to be God.
 
Whom I love he now hates with a passion unbridled
by loving concern for the good of all others.
In his hate he brought war
against My eternal throne.
Clash of titans rang out as my angels fought his,
In a battle that could only
end in his defeat.
 
Cast out from My fellowship he roams to and fro,
His silver tipped tongue seeking those to deceive.
Believe not his lies that your sin is greater
than My ability to forgive.
The blood I shed to set you free
paid all your debts when you turned to Me
as your Savior who loves you. Now walk with Me
hand in hand through the highs and the lows of this life,
Trusting that the good plan I started in you, I will see to completion.
When you're weary, climb up in My lap, lay your head on my chest and just rest in My presence.
 
I delight in you as the crowning jewel of My creation.
For in the creation narrative, I saved the best for last.
Neither stars nor planets, peaks nor valleys, oceans deep nor rivers raging,
lions roaring nor whales breaching have My Spirit I breathed into you.
So rest in this Truth and trust in My love for you.
Just for being you.
 
© ® Kevin E. Ness
3/21/23

 

Saturday, January 16, 2021

The Truth just is, and it will not be silenced

 Despite what is being foisted upon this generation by revisionist historians these days, America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles.  That is an absolute, historical fact.  Among these principles is the absolute Truth that our rights do not come from government.  Our rights come from Almighty God, who has endowed us with certain inalienable rights, as stated so eloquently in our Declaration of Independence:

 

"The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world…"

From <https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript>

Now, simply substitute "Big Techopoly" (including Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon), along with much of mainstream media news outlets (NY Times, CNN, MSNBC, Washington Post, etc.) for "King of Great Britain" and we are spot on for what is happening today.  These Techopolists have conspired together to censor and utterly squash any attempts at free speech that disagrees with their political position. 

 

We have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  We do NOT have the right to never be offended by the speech or behavior of another.  We do NOT have the right to silence the speech of those who offend us.  I may disagree passionately with what someone else says, but I will be respectful in my disagreement.  I will also absolutely defend their right to say it.  Why?

 

Because it is only in the marketplace of free speech and the open exchange of ideas, that we can begin to understand one other, and practice tolerance of one another's differences.  Because the very concept of tolerance demands differences.  If someone agrees with me on every single issue right down the line, there is nothing for me to tolerate.  It is only in the presence of those with whom we disagree that we can practice tolerance.

 

Is America perfect?  Of course not.  But it has provided more opportunities for people of all nations, races and creeds to speak freely, and build a better future for themselves, and all of us.

 

If those involved in the Big Techopoly are convinced that their socialist political agenda is correct, and that it will benefit more people, then they have nothing to fear from free speech.  But that is not what they care most about.  They care more about maintaining their power over others, and they cannot risk allowing those who would expose this truth to be heard.

 

But whether or not the Big Techopolists and mainstream media like it, the Truth just is.  Truth is a living force, and it cannot be kept down forever.  Sometimes it is kept down longer than I might like; but it will ALWAYS come out.  The only choice in how Truth comes out is this --WITH our cooperation, or WITHOUT our cooperation.

 

So I will pray for these Big Techopolists and their cohorts who have worked so hard to divide, censor, silence and squash us.  I will pray that they will come to know, understand, and embrace the Truth, and that the Truth will set them free to acknowledge their efforts to keep the Truth hidden.

 

I am reminded of an elderly Christian woman I heard about decades ago who had been arrested multiple times for sharing her faith, in a country where this was illegal.  She was asked by one of the secret police who had personally rounded her up numerous time why she persisted.  She replied, "We Christians are like nails.  The harder you hit us, the deeper you drive us."  We will not be silent, nor will we be silenced.  Respectful, yes; silenced, no.

Friday, October 23, 2015

For Bryan



"For Bryan"

Quick to laugh,
Or to share a kind word,
With hands always helpful,
And ears never rushed.

A wit that was quick,
And a heart that was large;
You gave of yourself,
Without thought of the cost.

You loved your Lord Jesus,
And sought to obey,
His will for your life,
With some bumps on the way.

Your faith never faltered,
Though tested and tried.
You pushed past doubt and fear,
Inspiring all with your life.

You are gone now, my brother,
But we will meet again.
Run free and breathe easy,
With our Savior and Lord.

©®2015  Kevin E. Ness

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

My Beloved Son



My dear Elijah,

Today you pass through a significant doorway on your journey to becoming a True Man, who loves Jesus with all of his heart, and soul, and strength.  Today is your 13th Birthday.  It has been, and always will be, a privilege to love, raise, watch over, teach, correct, nurture and provide for you, first as your Daddy, and now as your Dad. 

Your Mom and I have been richly blessed to watch you grow up and mature from a little child, to child, to big boy.  And now today, June 17, 2015, you officially enter the stage of being a young man.  I am pleased with the man you are becoming, and I look forward to continuing to guide you on this journey. 

Elijah, my son, it is a perilous journey at times, fraught with many obstacles, temptations, dangers, traps and snares.  Satan, who has been given temporary power as ruler of this world, and those who listen to his lies, will do everything they can to discourage, distract, tempt, shame and threaten you into thinking that it isn’t worth all the hassle to read and meditate on His Word, or spend time in prayer, or follow God’s will, plan and direction for your life.  But my son, the rewards for staying on the straight and narrow path that the Lord has laid out for your life are so far beyond anything that this world could ever offer, that it is impossible to measure the difference.

My beloved son, know that you do not walk this path alone.  The Lord will always be your shield and hedge, and I will always have your back, through prayer and my presence.  Your Mom and many other brothers and sisters in Christ are in this battle with us.  We will walk shoulder to shoulder as we enter into this battle to live our lives for the glory of God, and to wage war against the enemy of the souls of all mankind, by boldly proclaiming that every captive can be set free through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and His death, burial and resurrection.

I don’t know exactly how this will all play out, as far as choices along the way.  But I know that the Lord does, and as you earnestly seek His face, and His will, and counsel from godly men and women, He will guide you.  And when we make mistakes, as we will, know that Jesus always stands ready to forgive when we ask, because He already paid for it on the cross.

I love you, Elijah, and I like you, and I am blessed beyond measure to call you my son.

Love,
Dad

Friday, December 19, 2014

"My Brother, My Friend"



"My Brother, My Friend"

Brothers by half,
In the eyes of the law,
Yet brothers times two,
In the eyes of our God.

Though as children we lived
in separate homes,
Our soul tie as brothers,
transcended those walls.

You were larger than life,
To your grade-school aged bro--
When peers compared brothers,
You reigned as the king.

As men, bond grew stronger,
Though miles did increase,
As we shared jewels of wisdom,
Forged in trials of fire.

We battled our demons
Of genetics and choice,
As we walked through the valley,
Of the shadow of death.

All the while, Jesus held us
In strong, loving arms,
And hands scarred by nails,
That purchased our peace.

As we called on His Name,
And accepted His gift,
New life did He give us,
And peace, without end.

So rest now, my brother,
In the presence of Christ.
At the end of my journey,
You'll welcome me home.

©2014 Kevin E Ness

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Hellmare's End

August 31, 2014

Out of the depths of his nightmare,
he wakens,
Only to find,
He was never asleep.

The lies from his childhood,
Passed down by his fathers,
Had ever so carefully,
Deadened his heart.

In its place, a pacemaker,
Of hell’s own design,
Kept up the appearance,
of being alive.

But God, in His mercy,
and grace beyond measure,
Saw fit to redeem him,
By sending His Son.

By the wounds of this Jesus,
Who bled unto death,
Does this dead man now waken,
To newness of life.

For death could not hold Him,
God’s only Begotten--
the Alpha, Omega,
Beginning and End.

Through Christ this man’s sins
have been cleansed by His blood,
And a heart made by God,
Strongly beats in his chest.

But on this side of glory,
There will ever be thorns,
To help him remember,
The crown that He bore.

Oh Lord, this man humbly
Relies on Your strength,
Rooting out every thought,
With the stench of hell’s breath.

Through Christ this man knows,
He can now do all things,
shining Life in the darkness,
for the unknowing dead.

©®Kevin E. Ness

#TheTruthJustIs