Personal Appendix

Motive
Led to write this series and put it into the public domain. The motive is not money (if one man’s opinion is worth anything) or credits, just obedience. Hopefully it can help someone. If not, the obedience is not wasted.
Method
Led to state rational conclusions based on the evidence. The Bible itself is in virtual obscurity to most of the culture and has no authority to influence life decisions. Regrettably, this often is true in the church. An attempt has been made not to proof text every rational point because this is almost always abused. The attempt has been difficult because the Word is so fundamental to life.
Madness
Led to express personal perceived biblical priorities without apology. To a large extent the endeavor has been selfish therapy. Corroborative opinions have been ignored, not for egotistical reasons but to shield others. This writer really doesn’t care if anyone may agree or whose toes may become painful. At least that is the hope, no pain no gain. I am uniquely stationed to speak frankly, however every opinion I believe is within the scope of biblical church doctrine.

If anyone cares to point out any error, this writer is willing to listen. For now, this is where I stand. Tomorrow it may be different for the shaping of a personal biblical theology is a life long endeavor. Please have a safe New Year and an exciting 2010. May God bless you and yours.

ggoslaw@gmail.com

G. Goslaw
7983 SVL Box
Victorville, CA 92395

God's Love is a Winner.

Psalms 103:19

The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens;

And his kingdom ruleth over all. (KJV)

God has set his throne in heaven;

he rules over all. (Message)

The Psalmist concludes this exercise in theology with the majestic statement, “ God has set his throne in the heavens”. The God of loving loyal concern is the first cause and the last cause. He is the ultimate winner in the universe. This God brings form and function to the universe. “He rules over all”. The Psalmist (Bible) could not have said it more clearly, especially to his listeners three millennia ago. Why don’t we get it?

Could it be that to assign such ultimate authority beyond our miniscule existence is very uncomfortable? We would much prefer to have the universe at our beck and call. There are, however, no human or scientific explanations for the ultimate time and space question. In the last ten years, new discoveries and possible rational descriptions have been presented to us. Taken together they are scientific progress but all such scenarios, at best, are merely detailing how the ultimate authority rules over all.

At this point a footnote is warranted. A choice is always presented to us, to have faith in God or to have faith in nothing. Each of us must decide this question. There seems to be rational grounds for a scientific description and exploration of the workings of the universe that does not preclude a vibrant faith in God the creator. Our reality need not be either or, unless we so choose. When we choose to explore the strings of the universe and the throne God, are we not exploring one and the same?

There is ample circumstantial evidence to assist us in this choice, if we choose to explore it. The Psalmist chose the biblical God of love who knew Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We have the added reports of 2500 years of God and man’s interaction as detailed in secular history books and the bible after the Psalmist. The interactions must be sifted for truth but they are recorded for us to explore. This is the good news that such an option is available to us.

Now the bad news, being on the winning team means that one will become a loser. This is not routine pulpit fare but it is at the center of the relationship between God and man, as well as the biblical record. When we claim to know the God of the universe, losing this worldly priorities is a predictable pattern for the believer. Jesus so instructed his disciples in Matthew, Chapter 10, just before sending them on a mission. Verse 39 is pivotal, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” A connection to the throne of God potentially liberates the individual from a desire to conform to this worldly priorities. To be in the world but not of the world, there is no greater challenge.

How are we doing, we believers that is? Are we promoting the winner model of the Christian life or the loser model? Divinely generated loving loyal concern for others is the byproduct of the loser model. It is no wonder that the mega church with it’s social and economic networking possibilities has become the rage. The pastor and his staff can be paid to do that messy love stuff while we the chosen are free to exploit the would be community. In which model would the corporate model of ministry be a good fit?

Each of us should inspect our lives and our choices, some of each are not really Christian. Our sixteenth president is sitting on his throne in Washington D.C. From the outside of the Lincoln memorial , one has to peek around those huge pillars blocking the view of the majestic figure. So it is with God on His throne, to see Him one needs to peek around the earthly stuff and give credit where credit is due. By such an alignment of our destiny with that of the Psalmist’s God, we choose the winning team.

G.Goslaw

God's Love is Visible

Psalms 103 : 18 December 10, 2009

To those who keep his covenant.

And who remember his precepts to do them. (NASB)

As they follow his covenant ways

And remember to do whatever he said. (Message)

At first glance this verse is upsetting. If separated from the rest of this chapter, the Book of Psalms as a whole, or the entire Old testament, a legalist definition of faith in God would seem unavoidable. Indeed, much of historical Judaism has at times focused on this simplistic rule keeping definition of faith. Certain strains of Christianity have also inadvertently reduced faith to a list of do’s and don’ts. The true believer is one who keeps the rules. This is a perversion of biblical faith.

What boggles our understanding is the assumption that this rule keeping would somehow please the God of the universe. Are we as His creation to so belittle our God? Let’s hope that he is more than a celestial schoolmarm. Webster uses qualities like old-fashioned, prudish and pedantic to describe the character of this type of woman schoolteacher. These are human characteristics not divine character. We don’t assimilate god like character, holiness, by keeping the rules.

A slave owner, arm twisting God is not the biblical picture. Throughout time we were and are given choices by God. When we stumble upon the right one, faith, divine change happens and happens and happens. This change is visible. Cultures, people, things and the calendar are all pliable and subject to the bending forces of the God of the universe. Look around, if you have any doubt, reread the history books. Most large scale change seems to happen in a moment in time and divine love becomes visible.

One day, an obscure fragile plain nun, serving in an Indian convent, ventures into the streets. One day, an obscure teacher and healer in an obscure land sets out for Jerusalem. One day, an obscure German monk nails a document of protest against his church to the church door. One day, an obscure, would be lay missionary, sets out to bring God to China. One day, a murderous enemy of the believers in Jesus expands “the way” to the Gentile world. One day, an English preacher climbs on his horse and took the message of God’s love out the church doors to the people. These few examples are only cases on point. Even the adversarial change events, like the cross of Jesus Christ, will not inhibit the divine forces.

When the Psalmist speaks of visible change, like remembering precepts and keeping the covenant relationship alive, it is not slavish but intuitive to the faith relationship itself. The chemist notes that a chemical reaction can have a by product. So it is with all believers, the change by product is a desire to please the divine reality experienced. A giving relationship is established that is mutually shared but God does most of the giving. The give and take of that relationship pleases God, not specific rule keeping.

This understanding is not rocket science in the church world, it is in general agreement. However, we often forget and reduce the visible signs of God’s leadership to a specialized list. Our leaders avoid the call to unity and liberty. We preach cultural and societal norms that coddle the laity. One of Elvis Presley’s early hits was, “Don’t Step on My Blue Suede Shoes”. We are prone to start singing when the brother’s have different rules, differing worship, theological quirks, or varying ethical life priorities. Again, these are human preferences not necessarily divine.

Issues of a supposed a standard of purity are not fundamental to the faith. There is only one by product of our relationship with God that is fundamental. Irrational, expressive, visible, self abandoning love, gifted to the believer from our interaction with the divine. It cannot be standardized. Only this love reality fundamentally defines us as Christian. When the church busies itself with internal conflicts and inspecting the brethren, we betray the God who has created us to be visible reflections of His love.

G.Goslaw

God's Love is a Constant

Psalms 103

17. But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,

And His righteousness to children’s children, (NASB)

17. God’s love, though, is ever and always, eternally present to all who fear Him,

Making everything right for them and their children, (Message)

Whatever else one says about God, His love is as dependable as a mathematical constant. Einstein’s equation of E=mc2 startled our world into the twentieth century. The “c” is the constant in the equation and is always the speed of light, 186,000 mph, squared. This fantastically large number remains the same and doesn’t vary. So it is with the character of God, it is and forever will be love. Again, the Psalmist uses the term as everlasting loyal love or concern.

Some theologians will claim that God has a love-hate entanglement warring within His character. However, the entanglement is our problem, not God’s, we prove it century after century. Does God judge the affairs of humankind? Yes, He allows negative circumstances into our lives but the negatives are always to encourage us to love as God loves. God acts first and foremost for our whole wellbeing. We are hunter-gatherers and then God “pokes us” into full humanity. That is preached to us in the beginning parables.

Hell is not a place for eternal damnation but another divine “poking” intended to wake us up to our heavenly potential. If we waste our earthly choices, if the meandering continues unabated here on earth, or we had no choices, expect the poking to continue after death. The hottest U.S. environment is Mc Allen, Texas, in the good old summertime. As the sun peaks above the horizon, the heat and humidity hits like a sledgehammer. It’s an attention grabber. Within the first few steps out the door, one is swimming in their own sweat. For someone who works outdoors, that day is a test of our motivational center. Likewise, God wills (His motivational center) for us a passing grade (He loves us), as he prods us all into accepting our divine destiny, fully human and united around Him.

About now your getting steamed, right. That doesn’t sound like any concept of hell I ever heard preached! Hell is to punish the bad guy’s, they deserve the eternal fire. If that were so, why did Jesus never dump condemnation on people? He prodded the Pharisees, the rich young ruler, Peter, the religious and ethnic authorities, the adulterous woman, the one who betrayed him, etc., etc. His mere presence seemed enough. His actions were based on what was right as God see's rightness.

In the Eastwood film, “The Forgiven”, the young gunman is lamenting about his first kill and attempts to excuse the murder by saying the man deserved it. Will Munny responds dryly with the biblical truth, “we all deserve it kid”. We as human beings know who we are. The issue is not what we deserve for we all have earned hell, the only real issue is the next choice.

At this point there would be the temptation to congratulate ourselves upon making the right choice. The choice to open our lives up to the Almighty. Anyone who has been there is quick to concede that this was not a human choice, it is a God induced choice. The prodding process has attracted our attention, cleared our vision, and He has given us the courage to choose. The Calvinistic tradition called it God’s predestination, while John Wesley called the prodding process, prevenient grace. Could both theological traditions be expounding the same truth? That question will be left for bigger minds. For now, we can all agree that salvation is a gift of God through Jesus Christ.

What about the Bible? Hell is one of those issues that is almost ignored in Scripture, it is rarely mentioned. Often, when mentioned, the terms are inserted as punctuation, an exclamation point. It is described in ethereal terms. This reader can find no developed theology of hell, so give me the freedom to speculate. Could it be that we have assumed that there is no need for such a

theology post death? That assumption is not loyal love and concern. What has happened to the billions of our fellow human beings who had no real choice to make? Are we so self centered to assume that God’s love can be this myopic?

God acts toward all of us according to His character, loyal love and concern.

Glen Goslaw

Victorville, Ca

God's Love is Permanent

November 27, 2009

Psalms 103: 15 & 16

As for mortals,their days are like grass;

they flourish like a flower of the field;

The wind blows over it and it is gone,

And its place remembers it no more. (TNIV)

The “it” of verse 16 is you and I as a miniscule part of the entire human race. The Psalmist probably missed the immensity of the human experience but he saw the effects of the blowing wind. Every day the winds changed the hills, the fields, the flowers and the deserts. From our scientific mindset, the wind is a change agent in the never ending process called erosion. Can there be any better word picture of our transitory existence? Human life is temporary, as individuals we are eroding daily, even hourly.

Ollie Hardy would blame Laurel for each desperate and awkward situation they encountered. He popularized the expression, “ it’s a fine kettle of fish you’ve gotten us into now (circa 1935)”. We, as humans, are so situated. The only exception is that we have no one else to blame for our temporary kettle of fish. This is the truth presented in the beginning parables. This truth cannot be argued for we are human beings. You and I, all of us, will reach some accommodation with this fact.

How shall we face the fact of death? Overwhelmingly the most popular tact is denial, death only happens to the other guy. This is a young peoples game but some of us never quit trying. We hide in the bushes to avoid the fact of death. Maximizing the many life options seems to relegate our temporary state to an avoidable consequence. Staying busy is one of these options. Working hard for a supposed future is another but sooner or later we begin to face the fact that our existence is temporary.

The mature tactic is to accept our brief humanness, it is what it is. The populist mantra to “live in the now” is good advice. Aware of our temporary state we can become thankful for the opportunity to experience and value each hour of the day. Today becomes measured. A foundation is established for positive growth both as an individual and a community. Our ethic becomes measured upon the good to be transferred to our children’s children. As positive as this may be, is more possible?

Into the deep recesses of time, in every culture, mankind has extended himself to reach for permanency. Most of these efforts have been minimal coping mechanisms with religious connotations. However, biblical history records a succession of individuals whose lives have trusted in the availability of permanency. Do we have the courage to so explore? Jesus challenged the loyalty of the twelve in John 6:68 to such a journey. Peter responded, “to whom shall we go?” Peter believed that by following Jesus, and only Jesus, permanency or eternal life could be his. This is the place that God has prepared for us.

Are these perfect people, are they spectacular people? No, they are just every day folks who have been given the courage to touch the permanent love of God by faith. Those who actually make the connection, reflect God’s permanent Love by having the strength to give their lives away without notoriety. Human selflessness is indeed a rare occurrence in this American culture. Sadly, the church to often reflects the self centeredness of the culture and not the words of Jesus.

In closing this writer would like to depart from past practice and quote a favorite Scripture that reflects the testimony of the unknown author of the letter to the Hebrews. This passage is relevant and undervalued. He is quoting Psalm 102.

Hebrews 1: 10 thru 12

And,

"Thou, Lord,in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth,

And the heavens are the works of thy hands;

They will perish, but Thou remainest;

And they will become old as a garment,

And as a mantle Thou wilt roll them up;

As a garment they will also be changed.

But Thou art the same,

And Thy years will not come to an end.”

G. Goslaw

Victorville, Ca

Accountability

Open Letter to the Board of Directors

Spring Valley Lake Association

13325 Spring Valley Parkway

Victorville, CA 92395

Mr. Glen Goslaw

Proxy to represent Mrs. Marjorie Goslaw (AC360)

7983 SVL Box

Victorville, CA. 92395

November 26, 2009

Thanksgiving Day

Dear Board of Directors:

Thank you SVL Board of Directors for your leadership toward association fiscal credibility. Tonight’s main agenda item, an audit of the past year, is critically important to all our fellow members who pay into the system. Can we have confidence that the pool of association funds are being expended for the benefit of all of us? As you know, that confidence is an absolute necessity going forward.

There seems to be a great deal of mistrust in our community toward board oversight of this issue in the past. The million dollar perceived deficit is the current talking point. The number did arise from a lack of financial statement expertise. However, the lack of trust that generated the misread, can’t be so easily dismissed by ridiculing questioning homeowners. Our association should welcome engagement by all members, positive or negative, not just the fifty of 4,000 who show up for board meetings.

Mr. Haney, the newly hired association accountant, has been meeting with we few interested members who wish to improve our financial statement skills. We are grateful for the boards direction in giving us this opportunity. In two sessions some of us have concluded that a lot of mistrust has been earned by the sloppy numbers. Instead of a million dollar outcry, we should be demanding an answer to the question, “where are the boats”. Last year $173,000 of our shared funds were spent on boats or related items. Where are the boats? Are they in the marina? Are they in some board members garage? Are they on sale in the weekend corner fire sale? Where is the documentation that will answer these questions? Is this a real number?

The problem is that it is not just boats, but furniture for $163,000, recreation for $131,000, technology $277,000, and vehicles cost us $631,000. How is this possible? The security department must be driving luxury cars. Should we write this off as sloppy bookkeeping? Or is there another scenario, fraud. It is coincidental that when the board reduced the prior general manager’s spending limit from $5,000 to $1,000, he abruptly left. This is at least suspicious. I hope to be wrong.

My question to this board, will accountability happen? Yes or No, will you answer this time, please.

Glen Goslaw ( The lone voice )

Life and Death

Dr. Ed Young in his ministry, The Winning Walk, presents the only biblical and culturally relevant gospel message on TV. Sadly, he has now sunk to the biblical manipulations of all the other TV preachers. The latest Promo book is entitled, "Standing on the Promises", which seems to solicit engagement by we humans in search of all the life goodies. In juxtaposition, the Bible instructs us, the believers, first and foremost, in how to die. The winning walk should be a God empowered death march.

Sunday,

November 22, 2009

G.Goslaw

Poor Baby II

Letter to the Editor

Daily Press

October 26, 2009

A response to a letter from Judith Grounds of Barstow, California. Her letter to the editor appeared in the Daily Press of October 26, 2009.

Again, one of our sacrificing educational public sector employees has exposed her spoiled, self centered and elitist persona. Judith Grounds “deserves a decent salary and a decent pension

( her words )”, so she states in her letter titled, “It’s Not The Money”. The hypocrisy of that statement is exponential. These teachers live in another universe of unreal expectations and whine when we blue collar, private sector stiffs resent paying her $62,896.20 a year for sitting on her duff in retirement, as long as she may live. Where is the justice?

Most of us have lead fulfilling lives working for much less. We have owned homes, raised families and contributed to going businesses with our blood sweat and tears. We also started businesses that mostly failed but we were always able to manage the vicissitudes of life. Our taxes usually got paid. For most of us, in the best years, our incomes fell very short of Judith Grounds yearly pension. The private sector does not whine, we chose the independent life and we have no regret. We pride ourselves in hard work and not taking a dollar unjustly from anyone who is also in need of a just (decent) income.

Judith Grounds, you have your pension but don’t expect we private sector workers to smile at tax time. Teaching is a noble career but you work no harder than the rest of us. In fact, how was your summer vacation, Judith Grounds?

G.Goslaw

Victorville CA

To Whom It May Concern

October 21, 2009

On July 20, while driving on Bear Valley Road, the privilege of experiencing this life in this world ended for Evangelina Niche. Ms. Niche was the victim of a teen driving a suburban which veered unexplainably across the centerline into oncoming traffic and the Niche Honda. This murder by suburban was investigated by the Victorville Sheriff. At first contact the department said wait for the investigation. Upon follow up, the investigation found no overt reason for the “accident”, drugs or alcohol were not involved.

This concerned citizen was informed that the investigation would be sent the District Attorney but that the sheriff would not recommend criminal charges. The Daily Press newspaper has been gravely silent when pressed,although it initially reported the accident.

The issue, of course, is the juvenile status of the perpetrator in the suburban. Everyone is fearful of a lawsuit bases on California juvenile offender law. Justice for Evangelina Niche seems to be the concern of no one. The sheriff’s representative suggested that a solution may be for the family to sue for damages in civil court. How can a dollar value be placed on a human life? This is not justice. This independent concerned citizen would like to make recommendations to the parties of all parts.

To the politicians … change the law. Any youth who is old enough to drive a suburban legally is old enough to have his name associated with any possible accident and stand up to public responsibility just like the rest of us. No back room manipulation of justice should be tolerated by the political system. Evangelina deserves better.

To the Sheriff and the District Attorney… quite hiding behind the law, step out and do justice. Backroom investigations and deal making is child’s play. You are directed by we the public to facilitate justice not political expediency. What if the murderer by suburban was texting while driving? Is this not a criminal action, should he not be tried as a adult? Instead we the public get a grand silence. Evangelina deserves better.

To the Daily Press … who are you? This concerned citizen has written you and called twice about this accident and by your lack of response you have communicated no concern or courtesy. Arrogance seems to be your rapport with we the public and co-incidentally your subscribers. The article in today’s paper about teen texting, if connected to the accident, would be a grand cop out on your part. Do you wield the gavel of justice or are you a facilitator like the rest of us? Evangelina deserves better.

To the family of Ms. Niche… let this concerned citizen express the condolences of your community for the tragedy on Bear Valley Road that took the life of your family member. As the greater community, we share in your sorrow for the event which could have traumatized any of our families. Should you find the strength, going public at the appropriate time would enhance healing for us all. We should be a party to all the facts so that justice can be served. Evangelina deserves better.

To the unnamed teen driver … man up! For some unexplainable circumstance, you have taken another human life, a life that was of equal value to yours. If you play your cards right, criminal responsibility may be avoided but you shall always live with the death sentence imposed upon Ms. Niche. For your own sake, own up to that responsibility and be a party to greater healing for the community as a whole. A sincere public apology would do wonders, for we are all prone to err. Evangelina deserves the best.

G.Goslaw

Victorville, CA

God's Love is a Doorway

14. For he knoweth our frame;

he remembereth that we are dust. (KJV)

14. He knows us inside and out,

keeps in mind that were made of mud. (Message)

The “special creationists” have always ruled the church. That fact is now rendering the church irrelevant to a modern scientifically aware culture. It is time to grow up church. Accepting the creationist scenario is to reduced the divine to a cosmic magician who puffs humankind into existence a few short millennia ago. The Psalmist labors under no such delusion.

He states, “ He (God) knows us inside and out, (He) keeps in mind that we were made of mud.”(Message) Equally valid, the other translators use the word dust. Thirty five hundred years ago the Psalmist expressed the scientific equation for life, mix a little dirt with water, bake and life will happen. How can this verse be ignored? It has been ignored because it didn’t fit the divine magic spectacular.

Also, the church has felt compelled to remain in the magic corner fearing the accidental hypothesis of evolutionary religion. The Psalmist would never assume that the mud baking process was an accident. His mindset was immersed in the immediacy of the will of the Father God in this world, there are no accidents just foreseeable results. God is so powerful that magic shows are not of Him or Her. The Church can,therefore, with great confidence explore His universe reverencing His creation.

The concept of mud or dust is rooted in the beginning parables of Genesis. Am I loosening your biblical assumptions, let’s hope so? In like manner, Jesus used stories (parables), to convey God understandings to we street persons. Any preacher will tell you that a good story is worth a thousand words. Are stories (parables) deceptions? No they are not, if they help explain who we are and where we stand in relation to the Godhead.

The biblical revelation is that God purposes both a physical and a spiritual formation for the earth and He is about this dual baking process. Mankind alone has the potential to explore the spiritual dimension. We are, however, stubborn. We most often are content to pander to our physical inheritance. Slowly the ordained baking process continues. The goal of spiritual formation is an active identification with the Godhead and a willingness to express His definition of love in this world.

It is beneath our potential as created beings to value only the physical. All of scripture is the story of some of our attempts to find and step through the doorway to the spirit from the physical. All of this life that confronts us with the reality that the physical alone is futile, is of God. This includes the pain of our days. The good news is that God’s love has ventured back into the physical to entice us to follow His Love through the doorway to full humanity.

G.Goslaw
September 29, 2009

Questions and Answers

Publisher, Stephan Wingert
Editor, Don Holland
VV Daily Press
Victorville, Ca. 92393

September 2, 2009

Gentlemen:

This regular reader of your newspaper is informing you of my dissatisfaction with your newspaper. Possibly other readers have a similar complaint. You should ask, why are our efforts being ignored? Your paper is in financial distress, why? For any media to navigate these changing times has to be difficult. It is my belief that it would be more prudent to examine the editorial policy than to remain content to blame the stressors.

The problem is that there is very little follow up coverage of happenings that matter to your on the street readers. Your reporters do an excellent initial story but many probable reader questions are left dangling and unanswered. We do care to know the answers. Keeping your readership better informed long term with appropriate story follow up would seem to be fundamental to a win, win for the paper. Please, let me be specific.

Spring Valley Lake Politics
Your coverage of SVL politics is very superficial. An article about a petition drive, a fight on the beach, possible financial mismanagement but no ongoing follow up. This reader and resident was in attendance at a recent meeting with the new accounting firm. The presenter asked if the Daily Press was represented but your newspaper didn’t show. The new accountant says that he is not responsible for the past system. We were given to believe or allowed to assume the opposite by management. When will an independent audit happen? Will the SVL assessment payers ever know if their funds were stolen? Where does the current board stand on full disclosure and how responsible are they for the ambiguity? What is being hid?

Spring Valley Lake Crime
The security budget for SVL continues to skyrocket all because of crime. Management and the board will use such fears as justification for even more increases. Your newspaper has reported on two invasion robberies in SVL in the last three months, three overall. In these cases security was impotent. The fight on the beach at SVL was reported without appropriate questions being asked. Again, security was unable to keep the peace. What is the root cause of these incidents? Were the people involved property owners or tenants? What was the motive for the robbery, to steal a few guns or drugs again? These are the questions your reporters should be dogging the sheriff to confirm. The answer is of critical importance to we property owners.

Accidents ?
On July 20, 2009, a non accident occurred on Bear Valley Road, taking the life of a Victorville innocent woman. Highway accident fatalities are not a rare occurrence in the high desert, we all assume as drivers that there is a risk. However this case is blatantly criminal regardless of the excuse. Your newspaper to this date has made no attempt to keep your readers up to speed on the investigation. Is murder by suburban just a youthful indiscretion? Was the young man a legal resident? Did he have a driver’s license and insurance? Was the suburban registered and to whom? Will your paper ever report upon the ongoing investigation? The answer to all these questions would increase the level of involvement in your readership and your reader’s want some answers.

This reader attempts to be a realist. The complaint is a long standing issue with your paper and positive change is probably wishful thinking. Does your editorial policy cozy up to police and political influences? Are you trembling for fear of a lawsuit? You bucked the system with the exposes of financial mismanagement in Victorville. Your readers expect more consistency. At least this one reader, has gone on the record.

G.Goslaw

Charlatan

Letter to the Editor
Daily Press
P.O. Box 1389
Victorville, Ca. 92395

September 19, 2009

Response to letter from William Cash
Victorville Daily Press of September 18, 2009

Brother Cash, you are a disappointment playing the “C” card in the political debate. There are Christians who are not comfortable mixing faith and politics for just this reason. Say the President is untruthful, say he is a liberal, say that he misrepresented himself in the campaign,but spiritually devalue no man for personal, theological or political motives. You are not qualified to judge his spirit by calling him a charlatan. You forget that is what happened to Jesus when the religious authorities questioned His spiritual credentials. That occurrence is also a part of the biblical record.

G.Goslaw
Victorville, Ca.

Four Lies

Introduction
Life is about balance, it is a swinging pendulum whose extreme swinging points are lies. They have so little foundation in verifiable truth that they render the conversation irrelevant. Could we not attempt to identify these extremist theological positions that make God uncomfortable? The Church fails to address these lies and must clean it's own house. The non believer makes no claim to know God but we who do refuse to be honest.

1. SIN is SOCIAL This understanding equates our progress in spirituality to our conformity to a multiplicity of societal norms. The problem is that societies change, the variation in societal structures are in themselves extreme, how do we know what is of God or if He even has a societal norm?

2. SCIENCE is SEPARATE This understanding assumes that science has a world view that is antithetical to man’s spiritual formation within the context of the universe in which we exist. The scientific endeavor is the great Satan of the last 500 years. The churches attempt to cast it aside, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, is a lie that is rendering the church irrelevant.

3. SEX is SORDID This understanding has an even greater longevity, even to the dawn of time. In the attempt to make the natural drive toward procreation somehow fit within the divine order of things, we have reclassified it as animalistic and embarrassing. Surely God would be revolted if He knew the truth about us.

4. SALVATION is SELF-CENTERED This lie says that God’s salvation plan is all about me. All persons, somehow, travel the same road toward God, experiencing the same markers at a pace that is predictable, uniform and a reflection of me. The testimony of spiritual accomplishment becomes the unifying message and we only wink at the offensiveness to God. Salvation looks like me. An ideal experience or reflection of the divine is not the ground of future dealings with the Almighty.

Conclusion
The church has been stuck in these four lies for a very long time. All of them can be traced through the secular history books. Of late the pendulum has been swinging toward balance as the Bible is appreciated by the laity. The scriptures hold us all accountable. No more are we subject to the tyranny of the clergy. This does,however, have it's own risks and rewards.

The problem is that the traditional church, the clergy in particular, has turned to “proof reading” scripture. From a few snippet’s of the Word, our theological acumen is reduced to dogmatic barriers that prevent the church from sharing with one another as the universal Church. To be the Biblical Church, agreement is not necessary but sharing without demonizing others is a minimum dogmatic requirement.

The difficulties of establishing and communicating such a biblical theology are monumental, scholarship cowardly specializes in the details of scripture avoiding heated disagreements. WE must talk and share to approach consensus on a biblical theology. However, it is far easier to give out a simple and enthusiastically stated doctrine backed by a few snippets from the Word of God than to do the heavy lifting of a biblical theology. The guilty are the theologians, the preachers and the lazy listener’s. We all know who we are. Eventually the pendulum will stop.

G.Goslaw
September 25, 2009

Proxy

Spring Valley Lake Association

13325 Spring Valley Parkway

Victorville, Ca 92395

September 19, 2009

NOTIFICATION OF PROXY

Property Owner and Association member

Mrs. Marjorie Goslaw

Spring Valley Lake Association

Victorville, Ca. 92395

Please instate my son, Glen Goslaw, as proxy for all business as related to my membership in SVL Association. I have the right to assign this proxy authority for a period of 3 years from the above date and so designate. (Association Bylaws 8.1)

Mrs. Marjorie Goslaw

God's Love is for the Asking

13. Just as a father has compassion on his children,

So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. (NASB)

13. He is like a father to us,

tender and sympathetic to those who reverence him. (Living)

Wisdom is buried in popular culture as many a short trite cliché. As an example, the search toward subjective salvation has been a forever “bone of contention” in the church. There is very little confusion amongst we Christians as to what God has objectively accomplished in history. There are, however, three questions that have proven to be contentious over the last two thousand years.

Who is worthy of God’s love? Some would say and have said that political institutions and the church establishment are somehow favored by God. It has never worked. Please remember the religious establishment of Jesus’s time, the Emperor Constantine, the centuries of dominance by the papacy, the state church’s of Europe, and America’s recent attempts at stirring the pot of religion and politics, they have all muddied the waters.

How is God’s Love accessed? The universal answer is by faith. We humans insist it can’t be that simple and give it additives. Some have added church membership, baptism, an ethic, prosperity, worship peculiarities, a “special” calling or language. Everything is possible and most all have been tried. The assumption is that if you are a person of faith, God will bless the whatever. The Bible and church history do not document this assumption but rather laugh at our attempts to be God. Martin Luther said it at one time in his ministry, faith alone.

What does it look like to experience His love? Is there such an animal as a normative Christian? Jose says no way! We humans are genetically, culturally and socially diverse beings who experience life differently. God’s love is not a cookie cutter. He takes each of us and melts us into beings who become pliable enough to do His will, not necessarily the will handed down from worldly authority figures including the church. We should allow our brothers the liberty to discover the God sent expression in this life for each individual.

The Psalmist compares this people side of salvation to a Fathers love for his children. Scriptural father’s and today’s fathers have feeling’s for their children, we want the best for them. As fathers, even when our motives are right, we are far less than perfect. Please read the biblical stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they struggled as we do. God’s love is the only perfect representation of fatherhood.

Should we not seek His love first and foremost? Yes, if we fear Him. Again, to fear God is to respect or reverence Him as the perfect Father that He is. The Prodigal son of scripture had a case of the gimme’s. The Father let him go with half the family inheritance, waiting for the time when “he would come to his senses”, and return to the family. We must only ask respectfully by

faith and then keep trusting the Father who knows best.

G.Goslaw
September 17, 2009

Home Sweet Home

Open letter to the Board of Directors

Spring Valley Lake Association

Victorville, Ca.

September 8, 2009

The Goslaw family would like to make a statement. We have found Spring Valley Lake a great place to live. Robert (now deceased) and Marjorie have owned two consecutive properties for close to thirty years in this community. Local politic, for better or worse, has never been a priority in our lives. At this time, however, our concerns have to be communicated to our neighbors through the board of directors.

There is a conservative tradition in this family that most of us share. We oppose ever growing big government on the state, county, city and SVL level. The handwriting is on the wall in some quarters for a big government solution to our current SVL problems.

At the top of the list is the past administrations loose undirected management style and we homeowners who wrongly were content to remain aloof. We cannot farm out to employees our community government. Before anything new is tried the fallout from the past should be corrected.

The second most pressing problem is obviously crime on our streets. It is documented in the Breeze, the Daily Press, the neighborhood chit-chat and around the dinning room table. We really do live in the larger community and the downside of crime is a part of the whole ball of wax. The fear generated may be used as an excuse to invoke the big government solution with it’s unavoidable decrease in personal freedom and an increase in association spending. If the solution is a closed community and a further ballooning of an already bloated security budget, we Goslaw’s are opposed because association fees will also skyrocket.

Our patriarch lived for three things, God, golf and personal responsibility. Two of the three attracted him to SVL. Personal responsibility created this quiet, no fuss, take care of your own business community. We as a family wish not to see that environment change. Some wise character, surely in the distant past, expressed our opinion this way, “don’t ask others to do for you, what you are not willing do for yourself”. Personal choice and the ensuing responsibility is the definition of freedom.

Historically SVL has been predominately an owner resident based community. When owner's are present in house they can advocate for the family and for our neighbors. Times have changed and it is only a guess as to how many homes are occupied by tenants. Three of the five homes on our cul-de-sac are rentals. The management of the past didn’t seem to care or found it uncomfortable to make the distinction. Crime in SVL is largely tenant instigated, (writer’s opinion so please try to correct me), but no one knows the status of each property. Drunken fights on the beach and home invasions are cause and effect crimes that are not in the playbook of the home owner who occupies his or her residence.

How should the board proceed into the future? The following are only a few suggestions that would make sense to this member unit.

1. Identify all property as to owner occupied or tenant occupied.

2. Improve identification and verification procedures for all residents and guests.

3. Revise the guest policy to reflect the devaluing of tenant owners.

4. Reduce the clutter of manpower in the security department as the Breeze states, “if there is a real problem…call the sheriff:”.

5. All child care and youth resources and programs should be self supporting.

6. If fees are to be raised, it should only be raised on tenant occupied properties.

7. The board of director’s policy making should minimize the need for employees.

8. Encourage a management investigation of household profiles where crimes have occurred in the past, then make the report public.

These views are those of this association member unit. We are not affiliated with other SVL political units. We speak for none of our neighbors, our hope is that there is enough like sentiment in the community to make an impact on policy making into the future. The call is for efficient, minimal SVL government.

Marjorie Goslaw and Glen Goslaw

ggoslaw@ gmail.com

The Brotherhood of Mankind

Luke 16:20 thru 31
This parable of Jesus tells about Lazarus, the poor sick man, vs. the upright rich man.

What does this passage say to us? Possibly, the following points are to be considered.

1. There is a God who will bring justice in this life or the next.
2. The fulfillment of divine justice issues from His character and not our actions.
3. Upon death we all shall be measured and separated according to our earthly choices.
4. Lazarus had no choices but the rich man chose to ignore Lazarus’s desperate situation.
5. The choices that please God are not the predominate choices of this world.
6. God is justifiably pessimistic about our decision making.

Luke: 16:15
And He (Jesus) said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.”

God's Love is a Done Deed

Psalms 103: 12
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us. (NASB)
As far as the sunrise is from the sunset,
He has separated us from our transgressions. (Message)

Every religion proposed by humankind is a form of behavior modification. The catnip is as follows. Life will have meaning and reward if the individual will conform to a prescribed philosophy, ethic or dogma. Most of the time all three are mingled together into the multiplicity of religious expressions. Christianity dangles prosperity and heaven. To the Muslim it is an eternity of pleasure with blessed virgins.The eastern religions emphasize the life philosophies that tend to unify one with the greater good.Religion seems to be by definition subjective or about us.

In this verse the Psalmist is not making religious system promises. “He (God) has removed our transgressions from us.” The deed is accomplished, salvation is a done deed. Sin has met it’s match. Only in the love of God can we humans expect to find an authority worthy enough to deal with our poor choices. In David’s Psalms, our poor choices are described by using three Hebrew words, all mean ethical failure but each seems to be used interchangeably. The transgression word in this verse carries the added meaning of rebellion.

Rebellious choices are those poor choices that are the pattern of each of our lives. All of us either attempt to derail the good, ignore the good or avoid the reality of our own poor choices by shifting blame to others for their poor choices. The consequences of poor choices may mean jail, legal judgments, societal deficits, mental and physical anguish, poverty or even wealth and the applause of like rebellious persons. Every rebellious choice is about the self centered “me” god who chooses to be more significant than the greater good.

King David, our writer or rapper, assumes this reality without an argument. God had entrusted a special character to the Hebrew but his individual and the national performance never matched this trust. Historically sin and rebellion were persistent and seemingly unavoidable in the life of Israel. Yes, there were brief periods of obedience and prophetic voices calling the people to respect their God. However, in God’s dimension, every manner of human failure had already been forgiven. This is what has been referred to as objective salvation. God has saved all of us!

If we are to accept the scripture as revealed truth, the pinnacle of divine salvation activity was accomplished in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The cross was “the” victory over our sin, rebellion and death. No longer can anyone attempt tolimit God's salvation to the Hebrew experience. The victory of the cross has efficacy for all human kind or it is no victory. Slowly, we

have been awakening to what the love of God has done over the last four thousand years of human history.

There are those voices who would not define such an understanding as objective salvation. They say, in the real world, the actions of God have only accomplished the “possibility” of salvation that must await our obedience. Until then, the individual is fair game to be labeled and condemned to a subhuman lost status. Let's don't go there, this is more than a “chicken or the egg” argument, people are involved. In the meantime, God returns to enforce His forgiveness again and again as our failures multiply.

The trick is to allow the divine salvation reality to invade our subjectivity. The minimum and the maximum is faith or trust in the God who has separated us from our sins, “ as far as the east is from the west”. The religious road is to attempt to find east by traveling west or visa versa. It is all subjective and all pointless. Because of what God has done in history we can instead turn from our religions, stand still, look to the east and the west, then look up and praise Him who has already forgiven all our sins.

G.Goslaw

God's Love is Targeted

July 25, 2009

Psalms 103: 11
For so high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. (NASB)

The grand message of this verse is not a measureless description of God’s love. The Psalmist declares that the love of the Lord of Israel is targeted. The great loyal love of the Father targets not Hebrew genetic purity but those Hebrew's who “fear Him”. In other translations, “fear” means to revere, worship, or in modern lingo to respect. It is the awareness that the physical world is incomplete and pointless, as Solomon confessed,"all is vanity".

In our three dimensional space time world, all measurements are but relative. There are no “pat” answers to any question, there will always be exceptions or explanations and the resulting confusion. Any potentially complete understanding of manhood must include “faithing” into the boundless heavens. To be fully human, we must have a healthy respect for the God of the fourth dimension.

In Scripture, God has revealed His ever widening targeting plan for touching humanity. Abram was the first target who was called to follow, to set a different rational of life. He was called to explore the fourth dimension, ignoring the prescribed path expected of him. Instigated by the mercy, pleasure and targeting plan of God, Abram and all succeeding generations have been progressively targeted and given the choice to respond with the yes of faith.

The sons of Israel and Christianity have preached this reality but devised coping mechanisms to avoid giving “due respect”. Instead, we find it easier to give respect to the God’s of this dimension. They include the God’s of survival,legalism,wealth, relationships, money and success. Reigning high on the list is the God of the institutional church, the God’s of Dogma and the worship of the Holy Scriptures as God. Our comfort zone is to hide in these distracting bushes as depicted in the beginning parables.

Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) critiqued the professional state church of his day for such nonsense. Called of God to write instead of preach, he trumpeted the necessity of a personal individual choice for the God who targets us. His teachings were shelved and lost to the church world into the twentieth century. Once exposed over the succeeding years, modern revivalism may have overreacted, taking the needed voices of individualism to a scattered dysfunctional state. A spiritually superior individualistic attitude infected the community of believers. Naturally, the condemnation of the individual masses of unbelievers followed.

Kierkegaard was right on. He refused to be “that spiritual pattern” worthy of emulation by the sea of humanity. An attempt was made to present himself as a party animal or the man about town. His writings were anonymous, rejecting any possibility of praise or negativity. Also rejected were the pattern status of the ministry and marriage. Appearances are deceiving. He believed that he was specifically targeted by the love of God to give clarity to divine targeting. Jesus so ministered in disguise.

As a church, are we projecting condemnation or the God who has each of us in the crosshairs of His Love? Are we communicating the inexpressible and unreplaceable blessing of faith in response to God‘s targeting? What of the billions of our fellow humans who have known death and the vicissitudes of life without an awareness of the Love of God? Is damnation their fate?

Some would stupidly attribute the supposed wrath of God to these questions. If so, we really don’t believe the popular and right theology, God hates the sin and loves the sinner. Thank the Lord for His targeting Love. To all those who have not yet experienced the targeting, there will come a day in some dimension for all to choose aright. In the meantime you are in the destiny of a God of Love.

G.Goslaw
Victorville, Ca.

God's Love is Alien

July 19, 2009

Psalms 103 : 10
He has not dealt with us according to our sins;
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

The world of cinema has had a long fascination with extraterrestrial movies. They maximize the assumption that we are not alone amongst the galaxies. At some points in time we are being visited and each confrontation is stranger than the last. There is an even stranger confrontation in scripture, man’s experience with the alien love of God.

Webster’s New World Dictionary has a three fold definition of alien. An alien is one belonging to another country or people. It can also mean strange or not natural. Finally, to be an alien is to be opposed or to contradict accepted status or practice. All of these definitions are applicable to the alien love of God. This love is nonexistent within the community of man.

What radical qualities make this love somehow beyond duplication by we mortals? There appears to be three extraterrestrial love characters in this verse. The first is the source of this love,the “He”. Human kind has doggedly refused to value the bigness of God. In our narcissism we have historically insisted on an anthropomorphized version. This has left the believer correctly open to criticism by the skeptic. The Christian God with human character is not God but most akin to the deities of all other totem pole religions.

The wholly other Deity is not so portrayed in Scripture. “He” is so holy, so out of this world, that to look upon Him would mean death. Even the greatest hero of the Old Testament, Moses, was not so blessed to look into His face. Yet this Deity proved to be powerful beyond all human understanding in this world. In the New Testament God was in Christ, a fully human visible reflection of this world yet specifically gifted of the alien Love of God.

Secondly, this alien God does not deal “with us according to our sins”. Every society on this planet structures relationships in a historical context. We relate to one another by what our history says. Our history is a large part of every resume or job application. The past is the best predictor of ones future potential. A society brings labels to bear upon the lower rungs of the group and finally the group accepts it‘s place.

The alien love of God has no application forms, a resume is not required. In fact the first target is always the lower rungs of every society. Words like always and every should probably never be used. In this case they seem to be justified. A favored New Testament application is the parable of the wedding banquet. The priority guests are issued an invitation but they are all about the bustle of life and have no time or inclination to party. The host, God, issued another invitation as related in Matthew 22: 10. “And those slaves went out into the streets, and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.”

Thirdly, the alien love of God does not reward or punish us “according to our sinless success”(Goslaw translation). The avoidance of this truth is the great sin of the church. Inherent within this sin is a lie. For one to commit to following the King, surely a “needed reward” must follow. The predominate theme of the Gospel has become reward not sacrifice. Give to this or that ministry and you shall reap the reward of healing, money, success, spiritual status or an eternal destiny. Fundamental to this damnable lie is church leadership. They are either spreading the lie or are so spiritually disfunctional that they have not the courage to confront the abuse.

This is a critique of our failure to understanding the alien love of God. Today’s sour expression of His love has been interrupted positively on occasion but there are few of late. The tragedy is that this sin is occurring when the hearts of humanity are crying out for the authentic gospel. Church,who do we represent?

G.Goslaw
Victorville, Ca

God's Love is a Choice

July 18, 2009

Psalms 103:9

He will not always strive with us;

Nor will He keep his anger forever.

We make an understanding of the divine so complicated. At first inspection, this verse would appear to be a threat to humanity. Get your years together or else! While there is some truth to this understanding, the intent of this verse and the all scripture is to issue an invitation to the reader make a choice.

Only the disjointed would envision a God who dictates goodness and allows only the possibility of obedience. The God of Scripture gives we humans the necessity of choice. The gift of freedom means that we are encouraged to chose the Love of God. Conversely, freedom allows us to choose the self centered path. Love is not love if both possibilities are not a part of the plan.

Will our lives be God centered or self centered? The beginning parables tell of the garden of Eden and the tree of choice. From the beginning, we humans have chosen amiss, we have chosen our own way. This predisposition is in our blood. Salvation should be understood as a second chance choice to explore the God centered life.

This choice controls our future but our days remain exposed to the negatives of life. They include hard ground, intense labor, thorns amongst the edible fields, sweat to till the earth until death, meaningless death. (Gen. 3: 17-19) Without distorting scripture, one could also add disease, war, excess in all descriptions, injustice among man, hatred, greed, famine,prejudice, etc.

These life negatives or failures can become a blessing as they set the stage for God centered choices. These choices are extremely difficult, they will be continually tested. The Psalmist speaks to this struggle as God’s “striving”. This is a positive word not one of condemnation. The choice for God’s Love, however, is not for the faint of heart.

The context of this verse is a terminal context. There will come a day when God becomes weary of our rejection of the divine choice. Some expect the cataclysmic termination of human kind. Some would disagree. God has not wearied of our failures in the last four thousand years so that any attempt to downgrade His patience is absurd. That being said, the scripture says in this verse the day will come.

One preferred understanding would be that “that day” will come because He will no longer need to prod human kind to make the God centered choice. Four thousand years later this scenario is still so implausible yet positively exciting. There may come a time, on this side of death or beyond, when all men shall choose aright. In that Day, there will be no need for an angry disappointed God.

The question believer’s must ask is, will the next choice be God centered? The batting average of even the best of us is somewhere around baseball’s 300 mark. To those of us whose average is much lower, we can assume that another opportunity to choose aright is immanent. To those of us who have no need for God’s striving, may He have mercy on our souls.

G.Goslaw

Victorville, CA.

God's Love is a Sure Thing

July 14, 2009

Psalms 103 : 8

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

Slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness.

Some of us grew up on the MacDonald’s hamburger. A double quarter pounder with cheese will be the same in every MacDonald’s fast food restaurant. In verse eight David testifies that when life’s focus is turned to the Lord, what will be found is a compassionate God. The Message Bible translates this verse, “God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love”. A more expansive translation, the Living Bible is even more transparent. “He is merciful and tender toward those who don’t deserve it; he is slow to get angry and full of kindness and love.”

Where else in the human experience can this definition of love be found? The best case scenario is the “perfect human relationship” that can potentially dissolve any minute. However, there is security for life in the love of God. Regardless of our life circumstances, regardless of our station in life, we will find the acceptance our personhood requires. He is the God of "sheer mercy" for those us who don't deserve it. At the risk of being classified a cynic about human relations, the best lover’s are our pets.

Let’s exclude cats from the discussion but man’s best friend can love his master similar to that of the Lord. There are no up front qualifications that warrant a dogs love. The master only needs to just shows up with food and water. As time goes by the dog will love even when neglected or mistreated. Loyalty is the common character of the dog world. So it is in the Lord’s world for He is “abounding in loving kindness”. The Hebrew word “chesed”, translated loving kindness in this verse, similarly describes this loyal love that will not discard Israel to the garbage heap. Through the repetitive failures of His people Israel, the Lord overlooks His disappointment at their unrighteousness and returns again and again to loving kindness. Go figure!

The focus of this loyal love in Old Testament times was upon Israel. The ground of this love was the will and character of the Lord who chose to begin a friendship with Abram, expecting a return on this investment. Abram’s return was limited, as has the return on investment of each of us since that time. Consequences occur naturally from our moral failures. Yet the Lord always responds with “chesed”. The Lord invested upwards of four thousand years of human history to teach us about this love and we reduce it to mere sloppy sentiment.

In the fullness of time, the lord sent to earth the best expression of His loving kindness in the person of Jesus. All mankind is now the chosen target of the loyal love of the Lord. Jesus passed out forgiveness like popcorn to all who asked and some who did not as He issued a universal invitation to the Kingdom of God. The only folks who angered Him were those merchandizing the love of God, the Pharisees and religious leaders of the Temple. This occurrence in the ministry of Jesus is an example of the Lord’s slow anger. It is grace for the guilty and anger for the self-righteous.

The Christian revivalist movement of the last two hundred years has increasingly marketed and misapplied the anger of God. Extreme accountability is made normative for the sinner but the religious leaders sell healing towels. This does not square with the scriptures. The proponents of revivalism point to a pivotal passage in the gifting of the Ten Commandments to Moses. The first time down the mountain he finds the riotous worship of Israel at the feet of a golden calf made with human hands.

Deeply grieved, Moses appoints his brother and his religious friends to slaughter three thousand of the family. Yet, Moses brother Aaron was leading the idolatry. Moses quotes the Lord, the God of Israel as commanding the violence. Check it out, Exodus 32:27, “Thus says the Lord”!

Was the killing really of God or of men’s anger citing a supposedly righteous excuse? We have all been there on occassion. Any answer must square with all or most of scripture. Be careful, one day we shall all be judged according to our use of scripture.

G.Goslaw

Victorville,CA.

Man Up America Part IV

Letter to the Editor

Daily Press

Victorville, Ca.

February 13, 2009

# 13

Bold seems to be the “ in ” word in these desperate times. However, the definitions vary. Could we put our feet into the shoes of “ Honest Abe ”? This little person accepted and anguished over the suffering of his fellow countrymen, yet believing that it was necessary. His time of suffering was ordered to establish a long term good for the people, all the people including future generations. The wisdom of “ Honest Abe ” has proved prophetic. Are we really being bold? Man - Up America!

# 14

“ La Revolution!” The hens are setting up America for anarchy, can the anger of the little people, our impotence in America politics, be directed in any other direction? Without responsible political leadership, revolution is the well deserved consequence. History is repeating itself, the cry is against taxation without representation, what will be the new Boston Tea Party? Man - Up America!

#15

February 12, 2009

Birthday of President Abraham Lincoln

Dire circumstances, what a moment to revere our most respected president who inherited such a situation. President Lincoln chose to act on behalf of the nation he loved and refused to allows it to dissolve under his watch. Let us look upon our own current troubles as an even greater opportunity. May our resolve and loyalty to the entire national interest be even stronger and reflect upon us in like manner. Let us reject our own henish tendencies. Man - Up - America!

# 16

February 13, 2009

Mr. President, who are you? Obviously, you are a gifted politician who has all the appropriate rhetoric and sympathy for our situation. Yet, your legislative style and priorities say it isn’t so! Are you just another Chicago style political hack? Our prayer is that you are a player for the people! Mr. President are you a man or a boy ( hen )? Man - Up - America!

# 17

February 22, 2009

It’s Christmas in Washington, the gathering around the Christmas tree is joyous. All the family of hens take their turn at the Christmas tree. Any cost in the name of Christmas is accepted as necessary for our well being and pain free lifestyles. The hens rule. The credit cards are filled up to overflowing. Responsibility is denied. Again, we have sold the long term good of our country for the sake of a short term fix. Where will the excess lead? Man - Up - America!

# 18

February 23, 2009

Just a note to test my faulty memory, wasn’t it only a few months ago that the Clinton henhouse was campaigning in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania, feeling the peoples pain from extreme job loss? This ploy almost worked. Now, the Secretary of States’ first overseas trip is to you know where, China. The purpose is to prostrate herself and our country before a communist dictatorship, to prostitute each one of us in order to reassure our John that all is well. Is there no American self respect among us? There is self respect China. This is the true cost of the stimulus and bailout boondoggles. Man - Up - America!

# 19

February 26, 2009

Twenty years from today, how will these times be described? If your writing a book Mr. Historian, what would be the title of said edition? At some personal risk of sounding negative, let’s give them a jump start. The proposed title would rightly identify our time of :

“ Bloated Budgets and Bailout Boondoggles ”. Man - Up America!

G. Goslaw

Victorville, Ca.

Poor Baby

July 13, 2009

Have you ever sensed that the known world was crushing your personal space? So it seems to be with Lisa Bradley, a Marin County Kindergarten teacher. She was quoted in the Daily Press this morning, July 13, 2009. The article is about our politicians latest attempt at constructing a budget that is revenue neutral.

Ms. Bradley’s comments expose a sense of educational entitlement that parallels that of the social welfare system. To her, educational concerns and their funding are somehow special and not to be subject to the axe. The supposed mission to teach the children of California and Mexico is so righteous that dollars are of no concern.

The taxpayers of California have said no to this mindset. Sacramento is finally awaking to the fact that our educational system must share the pain of these times. Raising taxes is self destructive to California. Any educator whose mental process won’t accept this reality should take a life long sabbatical.

She pleads ignorant of the causes of our state’s economic crisis, “ I don’t know how this happened”. Burying her head in the sand like an ostrich, will not make the math go away. California may be the eighth biggest economy in the world but like any household budget, when expenses exceed income there is a crisis.

This could be a lesson worthy of her kindergarteners, although the lesson plan will have to be written by one of her instructional assistants. Then again, she could get back to teaching. Poor Baby.

G.Goslaw

Victorville, CA.

Man Up America Part III

February 2, 2009

#10
So where in the chicken yard is that man or woman? You know, the Super person possessing all the character of leadership required, the intellect, communication skills and determination to work aggressively on behalf of all classes of people for the greater good.. Most importantly, he or she will risk the furor of all those hens by disrespecting their constant pecking to enhance their own self interest. Ignoring his or her own self interest will require the most resolve. You know, the Super person is a good American, a patriot! As we hold our current political leadership to this ideal, let us all attempt to reflect this goodness in our own sphere of influence. Man - Up - America!

February 5, 2009

#11
Labels are spin intended to manipulate the trusting American. Globalization proponents are a case in point. Their method is to label anyone who questions the wisdom of free trade, a protectionist. That word sounds so ugly and undesirable, the truth is that every nation in the world has some form of protectionist policies. The only exception is this country, we give our trading partners everything and every nation wants a piece of our middle class prosperity. Man -Up- America!

#12
Free trade freedom has devastating consequences upon the middle class while enriching the invested class. Jobs disappear and our politicians take more orders from the globalist lobby. As the tax base schrinks, attempts are made to scare us with labels, give us only lip service at election time, raise taxes, and the trade imbalance continues. Why can’t we discuss trade? You got it, greed! Man-Up-America!

G.Goslaw
Victorville, CA.

Folly of the Foxes

July 9, 2009

Billionaire stock market mogul Warren Buffet is promoting another stimulus package. Mr. Buffet is crazy like a fox. Why would a major player in the market advance another bailout for public sector jobs?

This mentally deficient observer can muster enough wisdom to run with the fox. He is part and parcel of America’s invested class. The public sector is the major revenue stream for the well being of Wall Street. Everyone working for some government welfare program is invested with a multitude of financial products. Politicians, teachers, I.R.S., staffers, Washington staffers, prison personnel, every job in medicine, state, county and city employees and the like are invested regularly through their employers.

If the public sector takes a hit, so does the market and so do the billions of the fox. There has been and is a class warfare a foot in our country. One day, when it is to late, then we shall understand. One day, if we continue this economic violence against fellow Americans, we shall all be broke. One day and soon, our grandchildren will suffer from our error. One day, we shall all be rudely awakened from the folly of the foxes.

G.Goslaw

Victorville, Ca.

God's Love is in Your Face

July 8, 2009

Psalms 103 : 7
He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the sons of Israel.

The anti-God secularist lobby would have us believe that God is nothing more than a totem pole, a statue in the town square or an intellectual concept relegated to the history books. It is as if to say, past generations may have needed a God mindset but this generation is not so dependent. Today’s secular culture says that God is a cold, lifeless, passive coping mechanism of insecure humanity.

The response of the church to this assault on historical Christianity is to passively disengage from the culture. The church accepts the status of irrelevancy , content to preach the love of Christ primarily to the margins of the culture. However, a direct frontal assault by the church, with a biblically bases theology that confronts the tenants of today’s secularism, may be the only long term hope for the church. This assault has not even been considered or formulated, let alone tried. Why is this so?

A more thorough consideration is possible but at least it is about character. A passive persona is somehow deemed more spiritual than an aggressive, in your face style. The sinner Peter, who denied Jesus three times, had no such hang up. Facing the Jerusalem crowd, he communicated the facts. You have crucified your own Messiah, the one sent by the Father to further the Kingdom reign of the Lord on earth. As terrible as this is, your motives have been foiled because He has been raised to life. Jesus has been seen by many, I have spoken to Him, He is out and about Jerusalem.

Many believed the news of the day and the church was born of the Lord‘s resurrection spirit. Peter spoke up because God the Father is not passive and His love is in our faces. Prior to Peter, “He made known His ways to Moses”, v.7. One day the burning bush was in Moses’ face. This happening reflects the certainty in his heart that the true God was recruiting and empowering him to face up to the earthly human God, Pharaoh. The mission presented to Moses was as scary and similar as today’s circumstances are for the church. At this time, “His ways” include direct confrontation with secularism.

The first confrontation with the secularist should be about history. The enemy would have the culture accept the premise that the past is somehow of little value. The “now” generations are dumbing -down the culture so their particular options cannot be questioned. The Psalmist was not so predisposed to this historical dysfunction. He kept a library of “His acts to the sons of Israel.” The in your face love of God says that the experience of our ancestors should be fundamental to righteous decisions into the future. Our decision making must be in historical context.

When the history of God’s involvement in His world is discredited, faith in God becomes only a mushy sentimentalism. Let us relate the experiences of Noah in his time. Elijah was in the face of the prophets of Bail. Let us recount the Psalmist’s rocky journey to kingship. The Father confronted this world in typical in your face style allowing the crucifixion of Jesus. A reclusive priest is sent by God to confront the bloodletting of Rome, making the ultimate sacrifice. The early translators of the clergy bound scriptures were killed and imprisoned. Martin Luther, John Wesley , Jonathon Edwards, William Carrey and a multitude of others lived out the in your face love of God. Their lives are important and instructional to this generation.

Church, you must present the reign of God by having an in your face methodology. The church leadership cannot limit itself to coddling the choir, you must stand in great confidence and speak with authority to the culture. Leadership, the message is not to replicate a certain version of the truth but to invite the now culture to experience the in your face Love of God. May it be so.

G.Goslaw
Victorville, CA.

Mercenary Military

Tuesday
July 7, 2009

Seven U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan. This is the by line in the VV Daily Press, A3, Monday the 6th day of July, 2009. Americans with bipolar motivations, are dying with a regularity unknown in the history of our country. Never has American blood on the battlefield been reduced to mere normality.

So many bloody bylines have greeted our days. Has it become trite? Sure, we lip sink patriotic gratitude on cue but has the blood sport become routine? This voice responds in the affirmative. We no longer expect an end to the violence and we could care less. There are much bigger fish to fry, so many more consuming problems and targets.

The root of our propensity to violence is , as usual, money. The economics of war are two fold. The first and foremost is what has been called the military industrial, global dollar complex or engine. Support of our military, its budget and the resulting feeding of the American economy by the supply chain, has it’s own morality. The fact that this engine also feeds our politicians may be significant. In any event, if it’s good for the economy it’s moral.

The second is the character of our standing military. The Vietnam era exposed the abuses of a conscripted fighting force. The process was ugly and some of us lived it, some didn‘t live through it. Today’s military is capturing the negative possibilities of a volunteer and dollar wise fighting force.

In addition to patriotism, the motivation of this force is bipolar and sliding in the negative direction. Killing is becoming more of a job, it is monetary security in tough times. Should luck not follow your efforts and you die, you are a hero and your family gets a big paycheck.

The taxpayer is funding a mercenary military. Violence is, however, a moral issue that is unrelated to the dollar. Either we end our fascination with the blood sport or our country will end very badly. In this present form, at this time, we are witnessing the end of American greatness. We should all shiver at what is in store for our grandchildren.

Church, why are you silent?

G.Goslaw
Victorville, Ca.

God's Love Is Fair

Psalms 103 : 6
The Lord performs righteous deeds,
And judgments for all who are oppressed.

The purest application of hate is to ignore. The writer of Psalms confronts us with his belief that the Lord God of Israel loves his people because He takes righteous, good or supportive actions. This writer, probably David, is reflecting on the history of his people who were nurtured from a call to one man into a Kingdom. At just the right moments, God would prove His love and care for Israel by taking righteous action.

The question should be asked of this verse, does this hope for God's actions have a broader focus than national borders? Most readers through the centuries have assumed that this Lord was taking righteous action for them as well. Even today this verse ignites a hope for the future in times of trouble all around the world. Believers in every culture have been rewarded by experiencing this Lord’s supportive action.

“The Lord” (v. 1.) is an approximation designation for the one awesome, all powerful presence in the world. A presence whose name in Hebrew was so respected that it wasn’t to be uttered verbally. This name is used most frequently in the prophetic traditions where the ways of man are subject to the will, the plan and the judgments of this presence. The beginning parables use another Hebrew name for God but when the divine creative activity turns to the human form, the name used is “Lord”.

The biblical revelation is that the Lord operates and has authority first with individuals, then through tribe or national identity and finally amongst all of humanity. Perk up world, the Lord has been taking action through the lives of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Ruth, the prophet Samuel, King Saul, King David, Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus King of Prussia, Nehemiah, Ezra the Priest, Esther, Job, the Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Jonah, Micah, etc., etc. Jesus of Nazareth, the named disciples and those unnamed, St. Peter, St. Paul, and John the Beloved. The list goes on and on through the post resurrection millennia to this very day.

The recorded persons influenced are eclectic and diverse. The Psalmist uses the little word “all” to describe this gathering. What does he mean by all? Go to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance where you will find approximately 3500 uses of the word “all” through David’s writings, almost 6000 are in the entire biblical record. It appears that “all” means “all”. The Lord works great deeds on behalf of individuals but His intentions are to prove himself to “all”. The biblical record has been gifted to us to validate that fact, the ever widening influence of the “Lord”.

This amateur theologian is supportive of those few voices that extend divine influence to a universalist definition. All of human kind is in the process of accepting by faith the presence of the Lord God of all time and all space. Death is but a visible marker for this reality beyond which the Love of God will have other expressions, new opportunities to accept His influence. This is the best definition of Love generated by an all powerful big God.

The activity of God, His Love, is for “the oppressed“. Jesus preferred to use the word picture of a burden carried on an ass. Life is replete with a host of burdens; loss, isolation, starvation, violence, greed, rejection, disease, prejudice, poverty, hatred and death itself. The beginning parables describe these troubles as the deserved “curse” of all our lives lived in ignorance of God's Love.

We can make the choice to accept by faith the love of the Lord yet the troubles remain. The difference is that now we experience His escort through the entanglements of this world of woe. Having made the choice for the love of the Lord, these troubles will mellow or dissipate in the next reality, we hope.

The really good news is that even beyond the grave new opportunities for all men to choose aright may be given.

Is this not fair?

G.Goslaw

Excess

Sunday, July 5, 2009

On this Sunday morning the sports page produced a relevant message. The last few weeks has documented a number of untimely deaths, the latest is that of football celebrity Steve McNair. This is a message for the under fifty “now” generations only because it is to late for the rest of us. Celebrity status, real or imagined is not a license for excess. The Bible declares that what goes around comes around and this life truth is again playing out in the lives of our celebrities.

In the Daily Press, 05 July 09, a perverted understanding of celebrity is vocalized by a former teammate of McNair. Quoting the article and Samari Rolle, “It is a sad, sad day. The world has lost a great man today.” Really, we have supposedly lost a great man? Mr. Rolle is guilty of as much moral absurdity as that of Mr. McNair. The life decisions of this great sports celebrity are far from any moral definition of manhood!

There is no just excuse for murder but a life of excess creates a negative hazardous atmosphere. The point is not to exploit the excesses of Mr. McNair but to ask each one of us to examine where we as a culture are headed. Is morality only an outdated crutch of the fuddy duddies that has no relevance to the daily lives of the now crowd? Does the life of Michael Jackson leave a legacy that even approaches that of Martin Luther King? Is the legacy of a cheating Manny equal to that of Lou Gehrig, who considered himself the luckiest man in the world despite his fatal disease? Kid’s, isn’t there a difference?

Please, let each of our generations choose aright today.

G.Goslaw
Victorville, Ca

The California Axis of Evil

Letter to the Editor
Daily Press

June 30, 2009

Kudos to representative Steve Knight! Our states version of the axis of evil is on the attack against certain state politicians with a glossy mailer. Representing the axis is “The Fair Budget Coalition“ as described by James Rufus Koren, the Redlands Daily Facts on 6/16/09. As a Victorville resident, we received the said deceptive mailing.

The Fair Budget Coalition is fed by the axis of evil which includes the state teachers union, the state school employees union and the public employees union. This self serving trinity and it’s deep pockets is responsible for the political impasse that has held the future of Californian hostage.

The coalition has no respect for the intelligence of the California voter. They assume we all can be deceived so easily. The supposed issue sited as hypocritical, auto expenses, is received by all state assembly politicians, whether they are for or against tax increases. Judged by the Sacramento standard, Steve Knight’s car expense is not exorbitant.

The only plausible motivation for the unions’ actions is to bilk the taxpayers of California of every spare nickel. Wake up coalition members, confess your evil, there are no spare nickels!

Representative Knight is correct, accurate and truthful. More taxes to support more spending is a California killer.

For California to move into governmental integrity, the unions must accept less not more.

G.Goslaw
Victorville, CA.

Man-Up-America Part II

Letter to the Editor
Daily Press

January 16, 2009
# 5
Our politicians are ignorant of any responsible economic policy. The American economy is not viable as a consumer based entity that produces little of any substance besides banking products. We as a people are more than a potential sale. The drive for cheap labor has created a bubble that has burst all of the hopes and dreams of the little people. This drive must be addressed by the same politicians that have exploited the people with such disregard. But will they? Or will they continue the “bail out” lie? Of course they will! Man - Up- America!

January 23, 2009
# 6
Henish hypocrisy, the politico speak is about jobs, jobs, jobs. This expedient language must generate the warm and fuzzies. Could all the verbiage be a way to avoid tackling the job destroyer, free trade? Is anyone bragging about being a free trader in this atmosphere when the two, free trade and home grown jobs, are incompatible. The trick is to achieve a balanced approach that has not existed for the last two decades. Man - up- America!

January 26, 2009
# 7.
Henish manipulation of our economic system is most commonly referred to as governmental bailout. The bailouts trade long term security and viability for some resemblance of a short term fix, weather or not it proves successful. With each gyration of the boom and bust cycle the downside becomes increasingly uncomfortable, so here we are again. Why can’t we stand pat now, take our lumps, and leave a legacy for future generations that may include economic opportunities? Man - Up -America!
# 8.
The election of Barack Obama has deservedly generated the warm and fuzzies amongst us. As one injustice is abating in our society, another has come into prominence. Racial equality has been replaced by a struggle of equal venom and selfishness, class warfare amongst the people, we are divided. Some have described the division in differing ways but money is the issue. The invested class, those who make decisions as they watch the DOW Jones, the interest rate on their moneyed accounts and IRA’s, have opened a gulf of disregard for the rest of the little people. This societal warfare is who we have become. Man - Up -America!

January 31, 2009
# 9
As a country we are in a huge ditch. Caught between a veritable rock and a hard place. The national bank account is empty, we have already amassed a gargantuan national debt and are being told to spend our way out of this current economic dilemma. The hens are also saying it may not work but at least we’re doing something. The question is at what price? As we the little people know, the house really belongs to the bank until the mortgage is paid. Who shall be our banker, to whom shall we surrender out national integrity? Shall we be another Chinese province? No! Man - Up -America!

G.Goslaw
Victorville, CA.
( #5 was published without Man-Up-America identity)

Continuing the Lie

Letter to the Editor
Daily Press
Victorville, CA.

January 29, 2009

Our politicians are ignorant of any responsible economic policy. The American economy is not viable as a consumer based entity that produces little of any substance but banking products. We as a people are more than a potential sale.

The drive for cheap labor has created a bubble that has burst all of the hopes and dreams of the little people. This drive must be addressed by the same politicians that have exploited the people with such disregard.

But will they? Or will they continue the bailout lie? Of course they will.

G.Goslaw
Victorville, CA.
(Published in Daily Press 1-29-09)

Safety Now or Later

March 2, 2009

A Letter of Clarification to Dr. Jeff Kaplan, in response to 2/28/09 article in the Daily Press.

May I once again point out that the scriptures do not unearth the Lord’s goodness in the way your article describes. The first sentence of the seventh paragraph states, “This Psalm is not for everyone”. This statement is guilty of being a spiritually racist remark that is out of sync with the Bible as a whole. Every book of the Bible is for everyone to digest if they so chose.

Personally, every possible perspective has value, we want to hear and evaluate all voices. Collectively we all are then able to explore for meaning and understanding in this risky business of life. Despite all of our progressive mandates, life just remains full of risk. The challenges change but the risks remain. ( my coinage ) As a culture we no longer have to be afraid of the Black Plague but we kill millions of innocents by medically correct abortive procedures. Sorry kid but your not needed here on earth. What is the difference?

David’s life was full of risk, you know the unfolding history. Psalm 23 is David’s declaration of faith, of trust in the Lord to be his guide through the risky circumstances of life. It was an every day decision to trust that vertical relationship more than any other way of dealing with the stress of life. We all have utilized on occasion those other human stress reducers to no or temporary avail.

Please let me mention just one. There is the progressive mandate to build a nest with other fearful personages. We adopt boundaries of safety within which life is less risky. We compromise our own identityby an overriding identification with a particular group. However, the chicken wire is both a barrier to keep risk out and a prison for the hens or the sheep or the church. The Shepherd then is more of a prison guard and God a protector from risk. Nest building is not God’s way.

Possibly that is why Jesus directed His disciples ( the shepherd ) to leave the protection of the sheep fold to search after the one lone, lost, and at risk personage. How do we get our head and our heart around that kind of shepherd? Surely,Jesus was declaring that the sheepfold understanding of God’s protection was and still is faulty.

The sheep fold of that time was the self protective and exclusionary Jewish religion circa OO. For the protection of the faithful community,the at risk Jew with low performance credentials, the sinner, is expendable for the greater good. Jesus by His teaching, by His focus, by His actions and by His declared mission, blew this understanding of God’s goodness out of the water.

The door to God’s goodness is open to everyone because the church is the ongoing visable representative of God on earth. In the church, we should more resemble the shepard. Personally that directive is unpleasant and mostly impossible. It is, however, scripturally unavoidable. Let’s go back to David as a case in point.

David was chosen by God to be King of Israel and after that declaration by the prophet Samuel, the risk factors in his life multiplied. In this time of risk, we must not trust in the fold, the Church, trust first in the Vertical Guide who will guide each of us through the risk to his expanded will. Trust only in the God who will walk beside us. Let us rejoice as we confront risk.

G. Goslaw
Victorville, Ca.
(This slighty revised letter has been ignored.)