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You Reap What You Sowby James Langston

“… can a fig tree … bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? …”

Introduction

here are times when a tasking can so overwhelm you that even before you say yes or no, you sense the weightiness of the responsibility on your shoulders. Yet, you know you must not

quit, concede or falter: failure is not an option.T

Why me? Others are better qualified. I am not eloquent of speech. I am a virtual nobody: who will hear me?

However, the real question we must come to grips with is, “Are we prepared to stand, even if it means standing alone?”

Although we are as imperfect as our imperfect society, we still have a moral obligation to do what is good and fair for all.

Not long ago, I came across a quote that has stuck with me, “Those who act wisely now will have insight in the future to make judicious decisions. Those who save prudently are prepared for the needs of tomorrow.” [Peter Marshall]

The Bible expressly warns us that eventually our past will catch up with us; “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” [Gal. 6:7]. However, few believe the Bible or that it applies to them—the thought is, “I’m just as good as everyone else.”

What we choose to embrace or cast aside is our choice to make. However, the truths of this Verse affect all that we live and breathe for—our family, our friends, our job and even our likes and dislikes. We should at least keep that in mind the next time we decide to do something rash or foolish.

“You Reap What You Sow,” challenges readers to look beyond the political correctness, the ideologies and even ones own family ties and objectively, but impartially demand the Truth, the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth.

To put it another way, you will never know why people do, think and act the way they do until you first understand their concept of right and wrong.

As the wrongs of our nation are captured in precise detail, chapter after chapter pulls you into a deeper sense of duty, of patriotism and a greater love for the American way of life.

First Question: How do you propose to deal with declining moral, family and ethical values in this country?

Second Question: How do you propose to improve the education our children receive?

Third Question: How do you propose to make healthcare more accessible and affordable?

Third Question: How are we to be an effective, 21st century parent?

Fourth Question: What are the roles of husbands and wives in marriage?

Fifth Question: What is Common Core Standards Initiative?

Sixth Question: What is pro-life? pro-choice?

Seventh Question: What is the role of the church?

Eight Question: How has America changed in the past 100 years? for the better or for worse?

Chapter 1

The Beginning

very day, miracles are happening all around us. The birth of a baby: The fact that you are alive:  The rising of the greater light (sun), the appearance of the lesser light (moon) :

Your body works. Just think about all that your body does (your heart beats, your lungs expand, your eyes blink, your skin regenerates, your blood pumps throughout your body, you inhale oxygen and exhale carbon monoxide), You are a miracle.

E

While every loving parent hopes that his or her little one grows up to be a doctor, lawyer or Chief Operating Officer (COO) of a major corporation; only time and the choices and decisions that your child makes (good or bad) will determine their future.

Our culture emphasizes the big moments. We honor actors at the Academy Awards, cheer Olympic athletes every four years and have the Kentucky Derby once a year. All these events are exciting. People dress up, newscasters talk about the event for weeks before hand, and spectators come from miles around.

In comparison, our normal, everyday lives can seem very mundane. We end up wishing our lives away waiting for that great, future moment. But, truly, every day is a miracle.

Auzzie was that special and wonderful miracle for Mike and Linda Dixon. They had almost lost hope after four years of trying; then an unexpected surprise came in year five – Linda’s pregnancy!

On February 14 at approximately 2pm, Linda excitedly called Mike with the news; “Guess what? We’re going to have a baby!”

“Wow Lindy! Cool beans. After four years of hoping, we finally are going to be parents! Awesome!

Tonight, let’s go out and announce this exciting news to the world!”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure! We have waited five years for this to happen; so let’s not allow it to pass unnoticed!” So at ten that evening the Dixon’s set sail on a mission, “Spread the word to any and all that they are expecting a baby!”

Seven hours later, and at least that many restaurants, they finally found their way back to 1116 Willow Brook Lane – casa dolce casa (home sweet home).

Always the gentleman, Mike graciously carried Linda across the threshold before helping her to the couch: “For the Mother to be,” he said.

He then vowed to faithfully watch over her and protect her and the little one with his life: he then curled up on the floor beside the couch and fell asleep.

The blaring sound of the alarm interrupted the tranquility of the morning two hours later.

Groggily, Linda asked Mike to have mercy and shut it off.

After what seemed like the 100th time, she finally opened her eyes.

At first she thought they were in their bedroom, but then realized this was the living room.

As her sensibilities returned, she could hear snoring in the distant and to her left.

Straining her neck, she peered toward the sound.

To her relief, Mike was the source of that awful noise.

Chapter 3

The Family Structure

ike, may I ask you a personal question? What is the greatest challenge that you and Linda are now battling?M

I thought for a minute and then answered, “The future.”

“In what way?”

“We differ in what we want, and how we are to achieve it.”

“For example, I want to,”

Set up a trust fund for Auzzie Increase our yearly Individual Retirement Account (IRA) contributions Vacation with the family each year somewhere in the US or overseas and Invest 1/3 of our yearly incoming to a retirement portfolio for our family

“Whereas she wants to,”

Buy a new house and car Spend a couple of weeks each year with our parents Open a Bakery or Delicatessen Divert 25 percent of our monthly income to a long-term time deposit savings account

“I see.”

“Have you ever heard of Daniel and Connie Chung?”

I shook my head in the negative.

“They were a couple about the same age as you and Linda.”

“They had two children, Nikki and Andrew, 7 and 5, I think.”

“The Chungs had plans, big plans for their family also.”

“Daniel was Vice President of Broadcom, a global leader and innovator in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications.”

“They supplied electronic components to big name computer companies: Microsoft, Apple, Compaq and Dell, Lexmark, Canon, Toshiba and Hewlett Packard.

Connie was an upcoming and aspiring actress. She had made spot appearances in Man of Steel, Iron Man 3, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Avengers and Skyfall.”

“Their plans were to become billionaires before the age of thirty-five and then retire.

They would then dedicate their lives to philanthropic and humanitarian causes the world over: “Making the world a better place to live” as they put it.

In 2013, the Chungs set sail for Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands, located on Guadalcanal Island, where they planned to spend a two-week vacation to celebrate Daniel’s 34 th

birthday.

Unfortunately, the first eighteen hours of their trip was spent battling pounding rain, gall force winds and rough seas which continued for hours on end without letup. Eventually the water made its way to the engine room where it stalled out the Marine Diesel Engines.

This in turn shutdown the bilge pumps, filling the yacht with water until finally it sank.

Although the Coast Guard searched for seven days, no bodies were found.

On the eight day after an exhaustive, nonstop search, it was called off, and all occupants were declared missing or drowned.

Nikki and Andrew were staying with Daniels mother when the news came.

As you can imagine, the family was devastated.

Yet, the most disturbing news were the contents of Daniel and Connie’s Will; they had willed everything to charity—nothing to their brothers, sisters or parents.

Thankfully, they had had enough sense to set aside a $500,000 trust fund ($250,000 each) for the kids.

This gave them access to income and principal for use as deemed appropriate by a custodian until the age of 21. Without this provision the kids would have become wards of the state.

However, money, as you know, is a poor substitute for the loss of any parent.

In life we seldom get second chances to have a loving parent to child relationship with our kids.”

Chapter 5

Common Core Standards Initiative (CCSI)

Should I, or Should I Not be Concerned?

Strange things have been happening this week Uncle Buck.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, for one, Linda has been texting me almost every day.”

“Why is that strange?”

“She never has before.

And before this week, any non-emergency conversations were always off limits.

Yet, this week we’ve talked about everything: the weather, groceries, our next vacation, and even visiting the Netherlands.”

“Mike, relax, sometimes different is good.

So, what do her texts say?”

“Be my butterfly,” “I want to hold your hand,” “You are my special one.”

“Wow! Have you reciprocated?”

“Have I what?”

“Have you responded in kind?”

“Uh, no. I mean I read them, but I did not respond.

I should have, shouldn’t I?”

“Mike, oh Mike, I see I have my work cut out for me!

Linda is sending you signals.”

“Signals?”

“Yes, she’s romancing you!”

“She’s what?”

“She’s romancing you.

And now she wants you to romance her.

So, how romantic have you been?”

“Well, a few days ago I put a “heart” inside of her purse.

Today was my third day that I did this.

I also write a short poem on each one.

I wrote this for today, “My heart is in your hands, squeeze gently.”

“Not bad, not bad.

Do you know if she reads them?”

“I think so.”

“When she comes home, ask her if she likes the hearts in her purse each morning.

Her smile or frown will be your answer.

Also, before I forget congratulations.”

“Congratulations?”

“Yes, for bringing romance back into your marriage!

Now the real fun begins!

I look forward to meeting the “new” Linda this afternoon.”

“By the way Uncle Buck, what’s the topic this afternoon?”

“The Common Core Standards Initiative or CCSI.”

“What’s that?”

“CCSI is the new “skill set” that 45 states now use to educate kids, K-12; this by the way includes Auzzieʼs school.

I know you probably have a million questions, but I’d prefer to wait for Linda before beginning.

The information is too important to chop up and then try to give each of you a mini dissertation.

Anyway, she’ll be home in about and hour.

I promise you that the topic will be well worth the wait.

In fact, the information may shock and surprise you, but you need to be informed.”

I was reading the sports page when Linda walked through the door about 45 minutes later.

I quickly greeted her as she headed upstairs.

She reciprocated with a muffled hello from the top of the stairs.

About 15 minutes later, Mike and Linda walked through the door as I was setting up for that evening’s session.

“Hi you two. Where’s Auzzie?”

“He’s in his room playing video games.”

Linda spoke first.

“Uncle Buck, Mike tells me you plan to discuss CCSI with us.

You should know that I am a proponent of this new skill set for the schools.

In fact, I think it is one of the most helpful and beneficial tools for our kids that has come along in a long time.

So please keep that in mind as you “enlighten” us.”

“I will.”

“Linda, since you are somewhat familiar with the CCSI, do you mind if I ask you a mathematics question?

It’s one of the questions CCSI asks third graders.”

“Juanita wants to give bags of stickers to her friends. She wants to give the same number of stickers to each friend. She’s not sure if

she needs 4 bags or 6 bags of stickers. How many stickers could she buy so there are no stickers left over?”

“Any ideas?”

“Uncle Buck, it’s impossible to answer the question without knowing the number of students in her class.”

“Sorry Linda, but according to CCSI, it is possible.

The correct answer is she buys six bags so no one is left out.

The purpose of the question is not to elicit a right or wrong answer.

CCSI is teaching our kids that every answer is correct.

Our kids are being “dumbed” down so no one feels left out.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

First, let me give you some background on CCSI.

The original goal of Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSI) was to “provide a consistent and clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them.

The standards were supposed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers.

The motivation behind the development of the standards was to:”

Provide clear expectations aligned to the expectations of college and careers; Promote consistency by ensuring all students, no matter where they live, are well

prepared with the skills and knowledge necessary to collaborate and compete with their peers in the United States and abroad; and

Enable collaboration between states on a range of tools and policies, including:o the development of textbooks, digital media, and other teaching materials; and o the development and implementation of common comprehensive assessment systems

to measure student performance annually that will replace existing state testing systems.

“However as Michael Fullan put it, “The present reforms are led by the wrong drivers of change — individual accountability of teachers, linked to test scores and punishment, cannot be successful in transforming schools.”

“He further stated, “The Common Core standards will fall of their own weight because standards and assessments, rather than curriculum and instruction are driving the Common Core. 

Data should be used as a strategy for improvement, not for accountability purposes.  The Common Core is a powerful tool, but it is being implemented using the wrong drivers.”

Chapter 8The Hebraic Roots Movement

s we headed to the den for that afternoon’s discussions, the phone rang. Linda quickly called out, “I’ll get it.”A

“Hello? Oh, hi Susan. How are you and the family?”

“What’s that?”

“No, no, you are not interrupting.”

“Okay, hang on. We’re in the den, but I’ll let Uncle Buck know that I’ll be in the living room for a few minutes.”

“Uncle Buck, it’s Susan. I should only be a few minutes. Don’t you dare start without me.”

Uncle Buck gave me the, “Thumbs up,” so off I went.

When Linda returned, the look on her face told us something unexpected had occurred.

“Guys, you won’t believe this! I know I didn’t.

Susan said that after they left last nights discussion, she and Bob felt an unusual burden to talk with Esteem.

She was still awake when they arrived, so her and Bob went straight to Esteem’s room.

As they talked, Susan said oddly this time things “felt” different, but a good different.

She couldn’t explain it, but there was a greater closeness, a greater love and a greater connection between them—something she also knew Esteem felt.

As they shared the information from our discussion, Esteem for the first time, listened and never once interrupted.

Afterward, with tears she said, “Mom, Dad, I’m not ready to be a mother. But I want this baby to have a chance in life. Can you and dad help me find a suitable adoption agency for the baby?”

Uncle Buck spoke first, “That is amazing news Linda! The kind you never hear on CBS, NBC, ABC or CNN!”

“Yeah, Lindy” said Mike. “That was awesome!

I wish all abortion stories had such happy endings.

I’m so happy for Bob, Susan and Esteem.”

“We all are Mike.

Any time you play a part, even a small part in changing a life, it helps you realize your own frailness.

Alright, let’s break for 5 minutes before starting this afternoon’s discussion on The Hebraic Roots Movement (HRM).”

While heading upstairs, I asked Linda, “What does this discussion have to do with us?

We are not Jewish.

We seldom go to church and on the rare occasion we do, it’s at the invite of friends.”

Later as we were walking towards the den, Linda remembered something that had occurred a few years earlier with two of her friends, Josh and Killeen Isaac.

“Uncle Buck before we begin, I’d like to briefly share our first encounter with the Hebraic Roots Movement (HRM).

Now mind you at the time we knew nothing about HRM.

My co-workers, Josh and Killeen invited us to attend church with them.

The service was on a Saturday, which was different, but after discussing it with Mike, we decided to go anyway.

In our minds a church was a church: people prayed, read the Bible, sang songs and listened to an inspirational message from their leader.

Yet, this church was unlike any other that we had visited.

After our arrival, we noticed men and women wearing what looked like “scarves.”

Later we learned that the scarves were actually “prayer shawls,” or Tallit’s.”

After the service, Josh and Killeen told us that today’s reading came from the Book Hafla’ah (Separation), which consists of laws of vows and oaths.

When they asked how we liked the service, our only response was, “It was different.”

“So, now that you are discussing the HRM, maybe you can “fill in” the blanks for us.”

“Linda, the Jewish prayer shawl is a fringed garment worn by Jewish men on the outside of their regular garments in the synagogue, especially during morning, Sabbath, and other holiday services.

The Hebrew name for this prayer shawl is tallit, which simply means a robe, a cloak or a sheet.

It is usually made of wool or silk, and long enough to cover most of the body; it also has special twined and knotted fringes attached to each of its four corners.

In modern times it is not uncommon to see Jewish men wear a silk prayer shawl that is no more than a scarf around the neck.

The ultra-Orthodox Jewish men wear the prayer shawl over the head when they recite the more important prayers.

Although the Hebrew word tallit is not found in Scripture, the biblical command for Israelites to wear a “fringed” or “tasseled” garment can be found in the Bible, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God’” [Num. 15:38-40].

And also in Deuteronomy 22:12, “Make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear.”

So the original scriptural intent behind this fringed garment was to remind the Israelites of God’s commandments to them.

According to Jewish understanding, the numerical value of the Hebrew word tzitzit (fringes) is 600.

Each of the fringes contains 8 threads and 5 knots, making a total of 613.

Based on rabbinical Judaism, this number corresponds to the 613 commandments contained in the Torah ((Judaism) the scroll of parchment on which the first five books of the Hebrew Scripture is written. The whole body of the Jewish sacred writings and tradition including the oral tradition)). 

Jewish prayer shawls are being promoted and marketed quite heavily today in the Messianic and Hebrew Roots movements, and they have also begun to make their way into some mainline Christian communities as well.

Some Christians believe that if the fringed garment is a garment that Jesus wore, it therefore should (must) be worn by Christian believers today, both Jewish and Gentile, if they are going to observe the Torah in accordance with the laws that God commanded.

To this it is important to say that believers in the Jewish Messiah should avoid getting caught up in unhealthy practices.

It is one thing to recover the Jewish foundations of the Christian faith; it is quite another to follow observances or traditions that bind us and put us once again under a yoke of legal bondage.

God’s New Covenant people are not called upon or required to wear the prayer shawl or any other type of fringed garment.

Sadly, however, many well-meaning Messianic and Gentile believers seem to confuse the idea of Torah with that of covenant and therefore fail to “. . . rightly divide the word of truth” [II Tim. 2:15].

The Law of Moses was given to the nation of Israel and intended to function as a “tutor” for receiving and understanding the Messiah’s greater instruction (Gal. 3:19-25).

Followers of Jesus the Messiah, both Jewish and non-Jewish alike are admonished not to revert to childish thinking but to understand spiritual matters with maturity (I Cor. 13:11, 14:20; Heb. 5:12-14).

Failure to make a proper distinction between law and Gospel (Grace) always leads to doctrinal confusion within the covenant community of God’s people.

About the Author

ames Langston faithfully served his country for 27 years in the U.S. Navy before retiring in April 2003. He is a husband, a father, a grandfather and senior pastor of the Pilgrim

Outreach Ministries.J

James is ordained and licensed through World Evangelism Fellowship of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  He is a 1976 graduate of El Campo high school in El Campo, Texas.

James oversees all day-to-day operations and the ministries Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Internet feeds in the United States, Canada, and a myriad of international countries.

He teaches in ministerial workshops, and gives primary leadership to the evangelistic, administrative, global outreach and audio and visual departments of the ministry.

Duty Stations:

USS Dubuque (LPD-8)

Naval Telecommunications Center (NTCC) Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines

USS Fletcher (DD-992)

Recruit Training Command, San Diego, California

Naval Telecommunications Area Master Station (NCTAMS), European Central, Naples, Italy

Service School Command, Radioman “A” Communications School, San Diego, California

Awards: NATO Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Ribbon, Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Humanitarian Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal

James and his wife Cecilia have been married for more than 36 years and have six children and fourteen grandchildren.  They live overseas in Italy.