The Rohr Family

I know you intend well when you tell people the reason for tragedy in the world is their pact with the Devil, but please just shut up because you sir could not be more wrong.

Telling hopeless people the reason for their destruction, is that God won’t help them because of their sin, is contradictory to the message of the cross. People in darkness are not to blame for stumbling, they are in darkness and can’t see.

For the record, God doesn’t need you to tell broken people about the mess they have made by shining the golden light of your life on theirs. God has not appointed or anointed you and your club to be the benchmark of Godly living. Wearing fine clothes and driving fine cars and living in gated communities does not qualify you to measure the rest of the world by your standard. The thing hurting people need is compassion and love and when questions about why bad things happen to them come up, “I don’t know” works every time, so say more of that.

Here are a few other suggestions I would like you to consider:

Can you please stop thinking and telling people God is American? God loves the world, not just North America, and if you read his book you will notice He is really quite fond of the Middle East.

Can you please stop drawing distinctions that one religion is better than another? Jesus wasn’t even Christian, he was Jewish, so stop thinking Christianity is the end all be all when it comes to trying to please God. Religion is mans attempt to please God but He is already pleased so stop trying to make Him happy with religion. God made it clear He hates religion. What He really wants is relationship.

Can you please stop telling people that God is somehow punishing them for the actions of their ancestors and in the same breath, demand they serve that vengeful God you just painted for them? God settled all this a long time ago on a hill at Calvary.

Can you please stop selling the name of Jesus like it is a secret decoder ring that once put on makes you exempt from pain and suffering? Life is hard Pat. Earthquakes happen, planes fly into buildings, wars are started by selfish men, and being saved does not exempt you from having trouble. In fact, it all but guarantees you will, the good news is you won’t go it alone.

And finally, will you please stop reinforcing hurting peoples idea of an angry God by telling them He caused pain and suffering because you sir, are wrong. God isn’t angry at us – He loves us.

If you could work on those things for me I would really appreciate it because when you do the opposite, from behind your cameras in your multi-million dollar studio up the road, it makes it really difficult for me to talk to people about my God.

To be fair, there is much good that comes from CBN, so thank your for the good stuff Pat. Thank you for Operation Blessing, and your prayer ministry, and Regent University, and lots of other positive stuff. You might think about letting the good people that work for you talk about tragedy when it comes up. They seem less apt to get all “Old Testament” and you can avoid most of the problems of late.

Speaking of problems, there is one thing that truly breaks my heart about all of this. It is the thing that makes me want to disassociate myself from anything “Christian” when I hear it. It is the revelation from Christians that they somehow “know” the real reason behind tragedies in the world. This banter usually comes up right after tragedy strikes and if it is true, that they “knew”, a painful question burns in me.

If you knew Pat, really knew, why did you do NOTHING to stop it?

Let’s pretend for arguments sake the earthquake in Haiti was a result of pacts with the Devil. Take this a step further and why not associate all the pain and suffering of Haiti to this same revelation – pacts with the Devil. If that is the case, and you “knew” the reason for their destruction was an alliance with evil, why in hell didn’t you do something to stop it? Saying people deserve destruction because of something outside their own ability to control leads them to question the nature of God. The message you are sending is God made this happen but you sir, could not be more wrong.

You can’t blame the people of Haiti for this as they are in darkness, by your own admission, so aren’t you in fact guilty of murder by letting them stumble to their death? To come out after the fact and tell people you “know why” tragedy happened, and in the same breath offer to them the solution to what could have prevented it appears to be incredibly mean spirited! Especially when that solution was so simple, to turn from darkness.

If you need someone to blame for the pain and suffering in the world don’t blame the people in darkness, blame me and blame you because we know better. People in darkness are doing the best they can as they stumble through life but God has given us light hope and love, so we know better how to see in the dark.

And since we know better, and were content to let them stumble, their pain and suffering is our fault.

David Deep Thoughts, Faith, Politics

1) The number of people you meet only one time outnumbers the number of people you will meet more than once so treating people like complete strangers is a prudent thing to do.

2) Because you will most likely never see them again, who cares what people think about you.

3) There is always someone bigger and smaller, prettier and uglier, taller and shorter, richer and poorer.

4) Taking and eight month old into a cave opens you up to variables you can not control.

5) Variables you can not control can be quite terrifying.

6) Variables you can not control can be quite amusing.

7) Hunger is okay.

God is more interested in what YOU think about Him than what others tell you to think about Him.

9) Religion killed Jesus and has been trying to keep him killed ever since.

10) Religion is mans attempt to please God.

11) God is already pleased and in a very good mood.

12) No matter how much spit ends up on your face, your child’s kisses are always worth the mess.

13) At some point it will be your fault.

14) Tragedy + Time = Comedy.

15) The only “have to” is what you decide to make a have to.

16) Back pain sucks.

17) Looking too closely at something will almost always turn into work.

18) Work was never supposed to be like this.

19) There is always a servant and a master.

20) Even servants are masters of something.

21) The smaller the home the bigger the dog.

22) People own pets to feel better about the cage they live in.

23) The earth is out to kill us for what we did to it and in the end it will succeed.

24) The earth is locked in a constant conflict of interest because even though man was the reason for the problem, man is also the solution.

25) Change is not change until it is changed.

David Deep Thoughts

From The Virginia Rohrs

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David Deep Thoughts

Every day it get’s more and more…..

I seem to be doing much waiting lately. Even though I am busy, very busy, I am still waiting.

Not sure if that even makes sense, or even possible, but it is how I feel and everyone knows feelings are reality.

sigh.

There is so much going on in my life I can hardly keep up with it and that irritates me. It irritates me because it is like the the last month of school before summer vacation. I can see what I want, it is just beyond my reach, and between me and it is a never ending procession of tests and finals and meetings and clutter.

The worst part is, I can’t just climb over the pile.

I have to attend to each end every item, no matter how insignificant, and put it in its place.

It ’s just so much work.

Mundane drudgery that just seems so endless compared to the gleaming prize at the end of road.

So I wait and I plan and pick up and put down and slide and topple and kick and repair and rest and begin again.

I am gaining ground, sluggishly slow most days, but gaining ground.

The funny thing? The weird part? The most ridiculous thing?

I have no idea where I am going.

I can see it, it has no form, no definition, no clarity, it just sits there out ahead.

Calling, beckoning, alluring, pulling.

Quietly asking the question but secretly shielding the answer until curiosity compels me to move.

Move through the pile of stuff that needs tending.

Because good things come to those who wait.

David Deep Thoughts

It is no secret, primarily because I am a blabber mouth, that I have way too much time on my hands.

An argument could be made, a compelling one at that, that I am a workaholic, so learning to relax at thirty nine is truly a blessing.

Hogwash!

No matter how I try, there is no way sitting down doing nothing is going to be good for me. Even if I was able to lobotomize myself I am certain my body would autonomically throw itself on the floor and convulse itself around the room like a human dust mop.

I.just.can’t.not.do!

I know, and I am sorry for you learned readers and I agree that I should have paid better attention in grammar classes, but the mold has been set so just think of me as special and rejoice in the fact that I can communicate at any level.

I will say however, I am not like I used to be (and all of SouthEastern Virginia rejoices) in that for the most part I am content. It may seem contrary to say that given the declarative statement above, but for me there is a difference in what I do and what I think and what I am.

I have always been pluralistic. Some would call that schizophrenia (should I be concerned I spelled that correctly on the first try) and it probably is a form of it, but I can and often do watch and hear myself in third person. I have always had this ability and sometimes the ability to do it has completely enamored me. There are conversations that I have recorded where I have literally watched myself talking from multiple angles and can replay the scene in my mind with such clarity that I can see my own expressions. 

Okay, THAT is weird.

My point is, I have always been able to separate the inner me from the outer me from the other inner me. I chalk this up to the fact that I really paid attention when learning about the trinity. I figure if God is three in one and I am created in His image,  I should expect the same for me. And me. And the other me.

For clarity, lets call my body Davie, by spirit Dave and my soul David. Forget clarity, lets call them that for amusement. Davie has always been and will always be on the go. Ask Mom, ask my wife, ask anyone who works with me and they will tell you, Davie can’t sit still, is quite content to be doing, and will most likely lie twitching for hours even after Dave and David are united up with Pa Pa.

It is Davie, primarily because of his ability to inflict discomfort and pain, that has received most of the attention these last thirty nine years. There is good reason for this, without Davie Dave and David would be of little use. Davie is the baby and everyone knows babies are self centered and unreasonable. Because of Davie, Dave and David have had much extra work to do. To be fair, Davie only does what Dave asks him to do and most times Dave spends too much time apart from David so Davie ends up doing things Dave really wants to do instead of things David is not allowed to do.

Ehem.

Lately, David has been given more head time but this has led to a disturbing discovery. Dave, with the willing help of Davie, have created a lifestyle and environment that David does not think we all were suited for and is determined to destroy.

For instance, David hates technology. That is a very real problem because Dave really liked technology as he could hid himself in his abilities and protect Davie and himself from the world. David does not think this is reality, is a complete waste of time, and destructive. David is correct, but David is also very zealous and to be honest has no concept of the ramifications this will have on Dave and Davie. David is quite comfortable being who he is, we applaud that attribute, but resent the determination he has to make the others comfortable in that as well.

David is making changes that Dave is not very comfortable with.

After considering the place David wants to take Dave and Davie, Dave is actually the only one that is objecting. Dave has an overinflated sense of responsibility that must be dismantled, but Dave can feel it coming so pushes against it. Davie and David are ganging up on him to force him to take a break, and Dave fears they will accomplish just that.

Don’t tell anyone, but Dave is really happy about that.

David Deep Thoughts

I hate religion.

There is nothing more destructive and dangerous to our world than religion and I want nothing to do with it. When people think I am religious, I cringe a little, vomit in my mouth, and plead that they give me another chance.

In spite of my detest for religion, I love religious people. I am not all that fond of the zealots that think God is telling them to kill doctors, strap on bombs, topple sky scrapers, turn the desert to glass, or invade sovereign nations, but I have empathy for them none the less.

They have been deceived.

Being a gullible chap by nature, I understand how one can lose oneself into religion. It can happen to the best intentioned soul and before you know it you have a well worn path of religious tradition in your life.

Religion is comforting.

God is a concept that is challenging to grasp even on a sober day and religion gives us something we can hold in our hands. Beads, crosses, prayer rugs, candles, Bibles, Korans, statues, rocks, guns, knives, legislation, all of it calls to us and gives us the sense that we are somehow in control.

I think at the heart of who we are is this insatiable need to touch the hand of our maker. Religion gives us something we can touch, it is a counterfeit, but if feels good none the less.

I am struggling with religion again.

I am not personally struggling with it, perhaps a better way to say it is that it is struggling against me, and it has taken out some of my friends.

The election seems to have polarized something in the church. I want to make a distinction between the church and religion because they are vastly different. The church, outside of its religious traditions, is a wonderful force for good on the earth. The problem is, most of the church has slipped into religion and as such has starting barring the doors and shoring up walls getting ready to defend all they believe.

I witnessed this type of behavior two Sundays in a row where I worship. I wish I knew how we move from trusting and promoting a God of love to trusting and promoting legislation to appease Him? Fearing His judgment and forcing those who do not know Him to change is baffling. To mandate law instead of offering a better way through love smacks of serving a god we can not hold, and are desperately trying to.

Instead of changing anything, we lash out at people whom by their very nature are unaware of what they do to assuage our own guilty conscience and realization that we have blood on our hands, because we know better.

They have been deceived, but we have been deceitful.

The apostle Paul writes about the law and how before the law we were blameless but now that the law has come we are guilty. He goes on to lament that the more he knows about the law the more he is convicted by it. The law is simply a standard. If you go through life never knowing the standard was there, you are ignorant of it and not guilty of breaking it intentionally, but you are still guilty of missing the standard.

I don’t want this to get too theological, but that impossible scenario – Not knowing the law and falling short of it through ignorance and now knowing the law but still falling short of it even more hopelessly – was the reason we needed a Savior.

I happen to think that if God went to all the trouble to murder his Son, and He was pleased to do it to set us free from the consequences of falling short, I think He can handle those who do not know Him yet. The most difficult questions He asks is for those who do know Him, but that is a for another post.

Hearing the declarations Sunday, loosely and appallingly veiled in scripture, I felt the familiar sting of religion slap my face. It starts with the self righteous assurance of standing on the “one truth” and before you know it walls start to close in and doors slam shut as people start grasping for handfuls of god. We shake our bloody fists of god at the world, at one another, at those who don’t look like us proclaiming his judgment on them. We plead and cry and rend our garments in vain attempts to relieve our conscience of the guilt we feel inside. We lash out at our brothers and sisters with our religion and proclamations and fear because their handful of God doesn’t look like our handful.

We divide.

We alienate.

We segregate.

We destroy the very thing that mattered all along, the thing worth living and dying for.

Unity.

God forgive us.

David Deep Thoughts, Politics

I didn’t get a chance to watch the President make the case for more Socialism last night, but I have heard all I need to hear about it.

There are so many things that could be said about this predicament we find ourselves in. I wrote this post ten different ways in my head while washing my glorious naked body this morning, and as the shampoo drained away so did my fear. No one likes a no-it-all so I won’t pound the drum that I told you so, even though I did. No, instead of yelling to the wind about government education, Ron Paul, the Constitution, taxation without representation, I am going to try and connect the dots to what is really going on in all of this.

There is a foundational premise that we must understand about the world. That premise is that God is good and He has an enemy that is not. God loves us and the Devil hates us. This is key, every bit of knowledge comes from this foundation and is the magnetic north that must be established.

Point #1: Only God makes stuff.

This is rather self evident, but it is a foundational truth. God is the creator, nothing else can be that, He is it. He is the beginning and the end, the big cheese, big daddy, the man, and woman, but let’s not go there.

Point #2: Every created thing wants to be God.

God is so amazingly awesome that everything wants to be like Him. It is programmed into our DNA, we are created in the image of God to be like Him, to rule and reign, to create and multiply, to love and be loved. We really really want to be worshiped and praised and adored and put on a pedestal and all that comes with being an awesome God. Even the angels, as glorious as they are, want to be like God – He is just that amazing.

Point #3: God gives people the choice to love.

One of the most amazing feelings is when you realize your mate loves you. Another person has chosen us, out of all the other people on the planet, they said you are the guy or the gal for me. Nothing else satisfies our need to be loved like finding someone that loves us for who we are. The same is true for God. He could have made us love Him, but He hides himself for us to discover and it brings Him great joy when we choose Him. The fact that we must discover His nature all on our own makes it that much sweeter when we do. If we were to see Him in heaven in all His awesomeness, it wouldn’t be as sweet as falling in love with Him from His still small voice.

Point #3: The Devil hates that God get’s all the glory.

I really don’t need to elaborate on this. All we have to do is look into our own lives and see we are the same way – selfish.

Point #4: The ultimate goal of the Devil is to take what God made.

Since only God can make stuff, the Devil has been working overtime to steal what he made and claim it as his own. God really loves what he makes. Obsessively, painfully, loves everything He makes. The heartache we feel when we lose someone or something we love is an attribute of the heart of God. Multiply that by billions and you can see why the Devil is so fundamentally evil. His one goal is to destroy the heart of God and everything that brings God glory because he wants it.

Point #5: Money and currency are ways to steal Gods stuff.

Things that God makes have value or wealth because they have been created. Land, livestock, precious metals, oil, gas, people are all wealth. They have actual value outside of any currency because they are “God stuff”.

Money has no actual value. It only represents wealth and only sometimes is it backed by wealth. Our currency used to be backed by gold and silver, but not any more. Now, it is only currency, an ingeniously fabricated tool to transfer wealth without actually requiring wealth.

Our current “financial crisis” is a ruse, a lie, a trick. We have been sold into slavery to money. The top prize for the devil is people as God places a value on them above Himself. I wish I could really get a hold of that in my spirit, deep down when times get tough, but it is the message of the cross. If the Devil can make people exchange their “God wealth” for money, he has effectively stolen their wealth from God. If we exhaust our lives pursuing money, the devil gets the reward or value of our life. We literally exchange the wealth God placed in us for paper.

If you take a close look at money you will see Egyptian symbols. Call me crazy, but I think that is neat. The history of Israel and Egypt has a striking similarity to the history of all mankind. We may not be making bricks but we are certainly slaves none the less. If you don’t think so, what would happen if you stopped working and paying taxes on your home? We are owned brothers and sisters. Our task masters are government and banks and they are just as cruel as an Egyptian Pharaoh. In a matter of seconds, your entire life is summed up and assigned a value. They call it a credit score.

The most glaringly sadistic example of the Devil stealing God’s stuff is the abortion industry. We can now literally place a monetary value on human life in 2008 by figuring out the fees charged to end a human life. There is much I could say about this, but my heart can’t bear to think about it.

Point #6: There is hope – God loves to set the captives free.

Help is on the way, and it sure isn’t a power grab bail out package from the Republican or Democratic party. If there is one thing I know, one thing that resonates deep within my soul, it is that God loves His stuff. He hears the cry of His people and has promised to never leave or forsake us. Our only problem right now is us. We could fix this country overnight if we turned back to God. If we could only stop giving ourselves over to the spirit of money and put our trust in God. If we could step back and see that the people in power do not have answers, they made the problem, God is the answer.

Our currency says “In God we Trust”, and even though the God they are thinking about is money, we don’t have to go along. We can trust in God Almighty – the God of Abraham, the Father of Jesus Christ, the maker of Heaven and Earth.

All we need to do is ask.

Point #7: God is for us.

Who can be against?

David Business, Deep Thoughts, Faith, Politics

I remember taking this picture in 1992 of my new wife and new baby.

I borrowed a friends SLR camera, bummed some black and white film, and took a few shots for a college photography assignment. We didn’t even have money for photo paper so I developed this print on lithography film I found at school.

Times were tough, but we made it through.

Fast forward 16 years and much has changed – but much has also stayed the same. We find ourselves once again in the throws of late night feedings, sleep deprivation, exhaustion, tight finances, unspeakable joy, and emotions so intense they can sneak up on you and take your breath away.

I walked into the living room this morning to see the wife of my youth and our beautiful daughter asleep together on the couch. They were nestled together and even though I wanted to take a picture, the moment would not allow the interruption.

Time stood still and backed up 16 years.

I was once again looking down on a familiar scene, one that has been replayed millions of times in millions of families in millions of homes.

The scene of a wife becoming a mom.

The unexpected merger of past and future, lover and mother, individual and family, experience and uncertainty. The balance of life and death locked in flesh and blood as gentle as a newborn, yet lethal as a lioness.

Somewhere in the morning light, amidst the rise and fall of breaths as mother holds baby inches away from the life they once knew, a transformation takes place. The wife becomes mother and steps into a role of preparing the next generation to become the same. She pushes past herself, denying, submitting, sacrificing, laying everything down to make her ceiling the newborns floor.

For it is in this place of sacrifice, determination, love, that she becomes more than just a wife, more than just a friend, more than just a lover, she becomes so much more. She grows and transforms and starts a new existence, a new journey, a transformation as a caterpillar gaining wings.

She has been added to. She is more than what she was before. She is a wife and mom and her husband stands in awe of the beauty of her.

David Deep Thoughts, Everyday Life