Broken Thinker

I have to admit, lately it seems like my thinker is broken.

I am not talking about writer's block nor am I talking about a few moments of absent-mindedness.  I am talking about being on my paper route in shorts and a tee-shirt, sweating buckets, and thinking to myself, "boy it sure is hot for January.  I wish we would get some snow already."  Just in case anyone is reading this out of context, it is currently August and I am in the northern hemisphere.  It is pretty much the worst part of summer.

I had also been feeling very depressed and unmotivated lately.  It seems to be a problem that runs in the men in my family.  Usually it happens in the winter when there is less sunlight and less vitamin D, so it was quite unusual for me to be dealing with this in the middle of the summer.  There are a number of reasons that I can think of, such as still working on starting work in my "new" position at my day job and being uncomfortable there.  But there is a much more significant reason that took me a little time to grasp.

Within my church recently I can think of at least three elementary school-age or younger children who had the Holy Spirit move in them and who accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord.  I cannot think of anything that would make Lucifer and the fallen angels angrier, and so we are about due for an attack.  Our church should be coming under attack and I, being accountable for the well-being of one of the recently sealed, should be expecting it too.

It was an empowering realization.  Once I knew what was really keeping me down I knew just what scripture I would dwell on to overcome it.  Matthew 16:18, which reads in part, "...on this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (NKJV).

It was an interesting verse to use in such a defensive manner since the verse clearly implies that we are the ones on the offense.  It is the gates of hell.  Gates are not used for offense.  They are used for holing up and protecting yourself.  Han Solo would probably like this verse as it seems that the best defense really is a good offense.

Now let's hope my thinker gets back up to par in the very near future.  I do not prefer the confusion that I have been feeling recently.

In other, very much related news while we were taking the offensive and reciting the ten commandments with my daughter recently we just happened to be in McDonalds.  A McDonalds employee stopped and listened to her name them.  She named all ten except when it came to number five she said, "There is no more number five I broke it."  I explained to her that when she breaks number five by not listening to her mommy then Jesus puts it back together and that is called forgiveness.  The McDonalds employee disappeared and came back a couple minutes later with ice cream for both of our children.  How very nice.