My Day in Court

Writing as a Christian, I know I have accepted Christ's blood as a payment for my sin.  I have been accepted into His family, without spot or blemish.  Christ has made payment for my sin with His atoning death.  It is faith in Him, and what He has done for me that help me get through so many trials in this life.  So what happens at the end of my life?

I'm in court, and I'm accused of all kinds of crimes.  The prosecuting attorney is a being by the name of Lucifer.  And he's good.  He somehow knows everything I've ever done.  He approaches the judge with evidence of every crime I have ever committed from the time I was born.

I know I'm guilty.  My attorney knows I'm guilty.  The judge and jury know I'm guilty.  There is no refuting the evidence that has been shown.  My mind races with excuses.

"But my mother was mean to me.  I was bullied.  At least I wasn't as bad as...."

It's no use.  There are no excuses.  I knew what I was doing.  And so many times, I had that little voice, telling me not to do it.  But I didn't care.  In that moment, I wanted to disobey.  There had been something exciting about being bad.  And here I was, on trial for so many things.  I don't dare look around the room.  I keep my eyes on my fidgeting feet.  I don't want to see the anger and hurt in everyone's eyes.

My attorney puts his hand on my shoulder and tells me everything will be okay.

How can he say that, I wonder.  Everyone knows I did all of those things.

"In light of the evidence," continues Lucifer, "I submit that this man is worthy of the death penalty."

Gasps spread throughout the courtroom.

"And," he continues, "he is also worthy of incarceration in a place created for the eternal punishment for all who are guilty of such crimes."

Death.

The word hits a lot harder than I expected.  I'm not really sure why.  I knew that's what he was going to try for.  My attorney had already told me that, and "prepared me" for the outcome.

How could I be prepared for this?  

Death.  

I know I deserve it.  

Death.  

Why did I do all those stupid things?  If I had only....

My attorney looks at me and manages a small smile.  But I can see the pain in his eyes.

Lucifer pauses, as he looks at me for a moment.  There is a small smile there as well.  And there is a gleam in his eye that cuts through my very soul.

Panic wells deep inside, and I can feel myself losing hope.  The hot, prickly sensation starts around my eyes, and quickly spreads to the rest of my face.

He's got me.  He knows it.  It's over.

"The prosecution rests," Lucifer says, and he sits down smugly.

He's won, I think to myself.  My attorney told me to trust him.  He said it would all be okay.  I had told him about the things I had done.  He assured me he would take care of it.  But the prosecution had brought up things I had not told my attorney about.  Things I had never told anyone.  Things I had forgotten I had even done.  

I had disappointed so many people.  I had hurt so many people.  I had failed the one chance I had been given at this thing called life.  And now I was about to hear my attorney plead my case.  But what could he say?  There was no excusing my behavior.  I had known better.  Sure, there were the little white lies that had been told.  So what?  And there were countless others that I had excused because "everyone did them."  But some of the that were brought out into the light in the courtroom were so hideous, I just knew everyone there must hate me.

The judge looks at me for a moment.  Is that contempt in his eye?  Pity?  Disgust?  Wrath?

My attorney rises.

Here we go.

"Father," He begins, "this is my child.  I have chosen him.  You have chosen him.  He is ours.  And I have already paid the price, and taken the punishment for his sin."

"Objection, Your Honor," Lucifer interrupts, quickly standing.

The majestic Judge looks at Lucifer.

"Overruled," He says.  

"But Your Honor," Lucifer tries again, "he also..."

"Silence!" The Judge says.

His voice fills the courtroom with the sound of a thousand thunders.  Like sitting next to the speakers at a too-loud concert, the deep resonance vibrates every cell in my body.  Suddenly, I see The Judge surrounded by an aura of light that I had never even comprehended.  It fills the courtroom with such magnificence that it must be shining right through the walls, and filling the entire universe.

The Judge looks at me, and suddenly, I understand the look in His eyes.  It isn't pity or wrath, only... it is.  And it was every other feeling I had ever known.  And they are all bundled together, and wrapped up completely in love.

I suddenly understood what I had heard, but never knew until that very moment.  His contempt was for the sin, not for me.  His wrath was against the disobedience I had lived.  But right then, when He looked at me, I could see that love had conquered the sin.  His wrath had already been expressed.  It had been poured out on my Attorney over two thousand years ago.  The love is so deep and so true, I can no longer stand.

I'm aware of my body going prostrate before Him.  Although it seem involuntary, I wouldn't fight it even if I thought I could.  As I glance over, I see the entire room has joined me.  Including the prosecution table.  But their reactions are different.

Deep growling sounds now leave the mouth of the sharp dressed attorney.  He looks at me, and the hatred in his eyes sends a shudder down my spine.   Guttural hissing sounds are thrown my way, and I would be terrified if it weren't for one thing.  My Attorney stands between me and the horrid creature being forced to his knees by an unseen force.  This Attorney had been so calm through everything, I often wondered if He would be tough enough to do me any good.  And in this wonderful, terrible moment, He still stood so calmly, and serenely.  It filled me with a peace I have never known.

And I understand.

It had been explained to me many times.  That God was a judge, requiring me to be punished, and Jesus came and rescued me.  God sent Jesus to pay the price.  God loved me.  He isn't a terrible being, hoping to crush us, and only allowing grace because of what Christ did on the cross.  He is a loving, merciful God who wants us to spend our eternities in the beautiful place He has prepared for us.

Don't misunderstand...He is also a just God.  And sin will not be tolerated.  Without the blood of Christ, who offered Himself as a sacrifice to atone for our sin, we are lost.  Separated from God for eternity.

But this trial wasn't for God to judge me.  It wasn't for a jury to decide if I was guilty or innocent.  Everyone knew I was guilty.  It wasn't to decide on a punishment.  The punishment was already decided.  Eternity in Hell.  Separated eternally from the loving God who had created me.  But that price was paid when Christ died on the cross.  He endured the wrath of God as a punishment for my sin.

This trial wasn't even for me to see how much God loved me, or show His mercy.

This trial was to once again put Satan in his place.

My eternity is secured.

Your day in the courtroom is coming.

Who is your attorney?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Here we are again, celebrating another Christmas.  How many of us have celebrated year after year, without giving much thought to what it all really means?

Almost everyone knows the story, if only from "A Charlie Brown Christmas".  But have you ever really thought about what that first night was like?

First, let's agree that December 25th was not when Christ was born.  Shepherds watching their flocks by night tell us that it would not have been during the winter.  The truth is, we don't know the date of Christ's birth.  But we can be relatively sure it was in spring or summer, not winter.

In spite of paintings we see, there was no halo of light surrounding Jesus (or Mary).  Jesus came to be born like us, to show us the way.  Yes, He was God.  But He was born as a human.  He was born with the same weaknesses any other baby is born with.  If Mary and Joseph had left Him there, He would have died of starvation and exposure.

Why did God need to be born a helpless child?  How else could He truly understand all of our pain, suffering and temptations?  He had to live life from the beginning to show us that He knows our needs.

But couldn't God have made a different way?  Why did He have to come to die on a cross to provide salvation for us?

There were two men I used to listen to on the radio years ago.  If I could remember who they are, I would give them credit for this.  They painted a picture of God the Father and Jesus talking before the creation of the world.  They wanted to make man to fellowship with.  But They knew that man would choose to disobey, and there was only one way to redeem us from that point.  God the Father said, "If we create them, we will have to redeem them."  Jesus loved us so much that He chose to pay that price so that we could enjoy fellowship with Him.

Mary has almost been deified for being the mother of the Christ.  And Joseph is too often just another character in the story.  But what was it like for him?  To love this girl so much that you are willing to stand by her as she delivers a child you know isn't yours.  To raise this child as your own, facing the jeers of those who thought either this child was from another man, or that you and Mary were together before marriage.  Either way, it was a tough walk for Joseph.

Yes, the angel had told Joseph about Jesus, and how He was from God.  But, being a man, Joseph most likely wondered if he had imagined it.  Or if God really meant what He said.  By faith, Joseph chose to accept it.

This Christmas, we need to remember the story behind the gifts, trees and celebrations.  We need to understand that, while Jesus was relying on Joseph and Mary to care for Him, He was their only hope for an eternity with God.  Even as a newborn Baby, He was the Alpha and Omega. 

Our accepting Jesus is not what makes Him LORD.  He was LORD as He lay helpless in the manger.  He was LORD as he played with the other kids around.  He was LORD as he began his ministry with 12 men who were seldom sure what they were doing.  He was LORD as He was flogged, and hung on a cross.  He was LORD as He lay in the tomb.

It is up to each of us to accept Him as our LORD, and to accept His Lordship over our lives.  Only then is He our LORD. 

This Christmas, there is no greater gift you can accept.

Jeep JL Wrangler Rear View Mirror

After having my JL Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited for almost a year, there is really only one thing that has been a nuisance to me.  The rear view mirror blocks a portion of forward vision. 

BEFORE:

I'm not tall, so I thought others must be experiencing the same issue.  The picture above shows how the mirror sets in my way.  If I were taller, it would be worse.  Sure, the seat could be lowered, but I tried that as well, and it is still in the way.  And I like to have my seat sitting comfortably for me.  So I began searching for a way to resolve the issue.  

I found a couple of posts on the Jeep JL Forum, where others had "flipped" their mirrors upside-down.  Several said the mirror came off the mount, and had to be pushed back onto the clip.  Most of them said it was doable, but pretty tricky.  I was afraid of breaking my mirror mount, and just being out of luck.  

But a couple said they were able to just rotate the mirror to be upside-down.  It was a ten-second operation, two of them said.  So I decided to try.

By slightly pushing up on the plastic panel above the mirror, I was able to rotate it, and gain about 2" of vision under the mirror.  

AFTER:

One of the best upgrades I've done (and it was free)!

My Jeep JL Wrangler

I have been in love with Jeeps since junior high school.  We went to Sedona, AZ, and took a Jeep ride, and I was incredibly impressed with where it was able to go.  In spite of always wanting one, the first time I actually shopped for one was when I was in my 20's.  I bought a Mazda 4x4 pickup instead.

Through the years, I have owned trucks, but always looked with awe at the Jeeps around me.

When the new JL Wrangler was introduced, I was skeptical.  The JK has been the leader for several years, and I was concerned Jeep had made a mistake by trying to improve it.  But reading a lot of reviews, and watching a ton of videos, I saw the new JL had improved on several things that Jeep owners complained about the most.

• Hood flutter - JK Wranglers suffer from a condition known as "Hood Flutter", where the hood is bouncing up and down from the amount of air in the engine bay when driving at highway speeds.  The JL placed a vent behind the front fenders that allows the air to flow through, eliminating the concerning issue.
• Fuel Economy - Years ago, I drove a Dodge Ram 4-door 4 x 4 with 38" mud tires.  It got around 12 mpg.  But I didn't care.  Most Jeep owners understand they are not driving an aerodynamic vehicle, and mileage is just a slight nuisance.  The JL hood is raked back at the top, and the windshield is raked 14° more than the JK. This increases the mileage by 2-3 mpg.  
• Rough Ride - Again, most Jeep owners understand they are driving one of the most capable off-roaders ever built.  As a result, they are willing to give up a little in the comfort department.  The JL is longer and wider, so the ride is much smoother.  Reviews claimed it drove as well as a regular SUV.  

So, for my first ever Jeep, without seeing one, or test driving it, I bought a 2018 JL Unlimited Rubicon.  It was more than I had ever spend on a vehicle.  But I know this will be my long-term driver, and it will hopefully last longer than any other I've driven.  Mine has the cold-weather group (which includes heated steering wheel and seats), and LED lighting.  It did not have the steel bumper, which is winch ready.  But at $995, I knew I could buy an after-market bumper, AND the winch for less.  

One drawback is the lack of parts available for the new JL.  It is getting better, no doubt.  When I first bought my JL, there were no aftermarket bumpers to be had.  Now, there are several options, running from just under $300 to over $1000.  

I have had my JL for almost a year now, and love it every time I drive it.    It will go far more places, and do far much more off-road, than I will ever ask of it.  It is one of only two vehicles I've owned, where I didn't drive around, see other vehicles, and think, "I wish...".