I Don't Live in a Dream

One of my favorite songs by one of my favorite singers, Jackie Greene, says the following:

I don’t live in a dream. I don’t live in a dream. I don’t live in some land forgotten; I don’t live in a dream.

Today – as I was riding the bus to work I saw a huge billboard advertising beer that said something to the effect of Welcome to and Enjoy Hell – like hell was a great place to be because of this beer. I felt anger, not just at this billboard, but at Satan. So very angry because how is it that we come to a point in the human race where blatant wrong and sin is so very ok and acceptable.

Recently, a new show was set to start on television “Parenthood” it is called. I was very excited because the trailers for the show seemed to hit some real points of life. However, as I sat down to watch the season opener; I decided then and there that I could not watch this show. One of the female stars of the show had divorced, moved back to her old home town to live with her parents, taking her teenage daughter with her. She got back into town, had one date with an old high school boyfriend and was having sex in the next scene.

Mind you, I am by no means a prude as I have been there and done that. However, I am trying to stand for what is right in this world and to be a better me and to help young girls behind me, mainly my daughter avoid lessening what they could be by “going to and enjoying Hell”.

Our church’s youth pastor and his wife – I think they are both 25 just had their third daughter. Their first daughter has Down’s Syndrome and is, I believe just turned three years old, their second is one and their third, just born, probably is 4 weeks old, born about 2 weeks prematurely. Well, she was admitted to the hospital the night before last with pneumonia and yesterday was discovered to have Pertussis (whooping cough) as well.

Another family in our church announced on Facebook yesterday that they might have to move out of the area due to things just being so hard here and not being able to get on their feet. I’m guessing they have family elsewhere that can help out or lend a hand up while they get going as they just got married in February and are a blended family trying to get started.

I think this is what started me on my so mad at Satan moment today. Darn it, the youth pastor and his wife serve our youth so well with a vigor and a love that is bold. This other couple just started being a presence in our church and we have fallen in love with them – I know I have. Why is Satan allowed to make his statement of opposition to good so loud and clear? Why do I have to ride the bus to work and see invitations to go to hell as a great place to be going? Why is sex outside of marriage shown so freely and blatantly on television? Why are good people who are trying to make a difference in this world always having to fight so fiercely the opposition of Satan?

My prayer request today, please join me, is that Satan not be given this free hand by us Christians. That we join in and pray for this world, for our people, for this youth pastor and his family, for this newly married couple. That Christ will rise up in all of us to fight against Satan having his way. That maybe, just maybe I can ride a bus and see a billboard that shows a picture of Jesus proclaiming “I am the Light of the World Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

After all, I don’t live in a dream.