Seasoned and Matured

I love hearing stories of how over some twenty years someone worked their way up through a company, from being a lowly janitor to vice president, or even CEO. It says a lot about the individuals themselves, who dedicated the bulk of their lives to rising through the ranks of a corporation, but it also serves as a lesson to those who want everything, right now, without delay.

It would be laughable if someone applying for a job walked in for the interview, and when asked what position he was applying for, he would say, “boss! I want to be the boss!”

Never mind that others were there before him, or that he wasn’t qualified for the position he desired, he wouldn’t know what to do if someone made them instant boss in the first place. In order to perform in a particular job, you need a certain set of skills. Those skills are learned over time, through diligence and effort. One must be seasoned and matured to succeed in the real world, but for some reason, we do not apply the same metrics to the spiritual world.

When it comes to spiritual things, when it comes to spiritual gifts or callings, we have no patience whatsoever. We wake up one morning thinking we know better than everyone else, and what’s worse, we take it upon ourselves to set things right, demeaning and talking down to individuals who’ve been walking in obedience for decades on decades.

Their maturity level doesn’t matter. The fact that they are proven and seasoned, called and equipped doesn’t matter. We’ve shown up on the scene, and now we will show the world just how smart, brilliant, and theologically sound we are.

If anyone dares contradict the fallacy of our argument or insist that perhaps we should take a while to pray, fast, read the word, and grow spiritually before considering ourselves juggernauts and titans of theology, we throw a tantrum and call everyone unloving.

Then, just for good measure, we adopt a persecution complex accusing everyone of unwarranted backlash because those we are trying to convince of our brilliance are standing on the truth of scripture rather than relenting and seeing things as we would like them to.

What so many of today’s new breed of in your face upstarts fail to realize is that their own actions and tantrums betray their lack of maturity. The fact that they are unwilling to allow for the reality that some things will remain a mystery and that the Word must have the final say regarding spiritual matters reveals just how much they must grow before they come to the place of being able to teach others.

Nobody wants to start on the janitorial staff anymore. Everyone wants the corner office, company car, and golden parachute before their first day in the trenches, and that’s just unrealistic.

If not for the very real possibility that those who ignorantly go off halfcocked will cause harm to the innocent and those who are babes in Christ, their actions could serve as a cautionary tale and nothing more.

It is because they inevitably cause harm and bring shame to the household of faith that maturity must be insisted upon, and the standard of the Bible must be upheld at all cost. 

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

The Next Step

There has been a wave of elections throughout Europe of late, and all of them point to one undeniable reality: the average citizen is not enamored with globalism, and they have made their voices heard by casting their vote.

Even Australia got in on the act, going against opinion polling, and electing Scott Morrison, a conservative, to a full term as prime minister. Everywhere you look, the little people are rebelling against the notion of a one world government, and the power players in the shadows, those who pull the strings of those who pull strings are not very happy.

It seems we little people just can’t see reason. It seems we little people just don’t know what’s good for us, and we keep kicking against the goads when it comes to being ruled by sniveling, spineless technocrats, for whom the whole of humanity is nothing more intriguing than a number on a spreadsheet.

Throughout history, humans without humanity have been responsible for the worst atrocities known to man. When everything gets boiled down to a numerical reference when you don’t see people but numbers, it’s easy to talk about doing away with half the world’s population because of diminishing resources, and all the other frightening things the mind trusts at Davos and other elite gathering places seem to want to implement.

However much they try, however, it seems the one sticky wicket, the one fly in the ointment, is the average, hardworking, tax-paying, voting citizen who likes his national identity, who likes the idea of borders, and who likes the notion of keeping what he earns rather than financing the irresponsible behaviors of other nations.

So far, they thought it was a fluke, a blip on the radar to be overlooked in the great scheme, but now that a pattern is emerging, the globalist cabal will soon have to employ contingencies to keep the dream of utopia alive and kicking.

The easiest and fastest way to bring people to heel is chaos. War, famine, pestilence, disease outbreaks all serve a purpose as far as they are concerned, and one does not need prophetic insight to understand that these are the things which are about to be unleashed on the world.

They’ve worked too hard for too long to give up so easily. They’ve worked too hard for too long to let some peasants dictate their futures by voting. If they can’t rule it, then they’d rather see it burn.

Once you understand the mindset of such individuals, you understand that there is no line they will not cross, no immoral plan they will not employ, if they believe it will serve their ends. They think themselves superior to you and me, and as such have granted themselves the right to dictate how we live, and if you don’t like it tough luck; they know better, and you just haven’t figured that part out yet.

Because things are not going the way they planned, the next step is violence, instability, war, famine, and all manner of dastardly things, on a global scale. This will be done in the hopes that the citizenry will conclude that self-rule and self-reliance are not for them and embrace the globalism so many are pushing for nowadays.

The upside is that they did not expect this pushback. They did not expect this resistance, and it took them by surprise. They are discombobulated, off-kilter, and angry. It is inevitable that they lash out, but perhaps, the human spirit will surprise them once more, and men’s inherent yearning to be free will sustain them through the schisms and upheavals.

One thing I know: If you have God, you will weather the coming storm. If you live a life of obedience and surrender, having humbled yourself at the foot of the cross, then come what may, He will be there, a guiding light, an ever-present help, a comfort, a shelter, and a provision. This one thing is the only thing that will set you apart from those whose hearts will fail them for fear of what is to come. 

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

Entitled, Weak and Soft

Going out for breakfast at a local greasy spoon has become somewhat of a tradition for the Boldea family. It’s a way of breaking up the monotony of oatmeal in the morning for the kids, and not having to wash dirty dishes afterward is just a bonus that both the wife and I thoroughly enjoy.

Yesterday was no different. After the kids were up and dressed, we packed into the car and drove the ten or so minutes to the restaurant. We were greeted, seated, our order was taken, and as we were waiting for our food to arrive a couple walked in that just caught my eye, and are the roundabout inspiration for this writing.

Neither of them could have been more than thirty, but both were well into adulthood. She was wearing pajamas and carrying a pillow, he had on a pair of shorts that had seen better days, and a shirt he must have been wearing for about a week given all the food stains down the front of it.

They were seated at a booth next to ours, and the first of many complaints was that the booth was too tight. I’m a hefty fellow, and I was seated in an identical booth with room to spare. For a good three minutes, the pajama laden woman who also happened to be a good hundred pounds over the threshold of obesity berated the waitress for the booth being snug, while the waitress apologetically explained that she hadn’t built the booth, but would pass it along to management.

This was only the first volley of what would be a good thirty minutes of macabre drama from which I couldn’t look away. A drama replete with demands for a free meal, asking for another omelet even though over three-quarters of the omelet that was deemed inedible had already been eaten, and a request for the manager to complain about the rudeness of the waitress.

I was there. I heard every word, and the waitress had not been rude. Had it been me, they would have been asked to leave five minutes in, but I have a low threshold for entitlement and rudeness.

They finished their meal, left without tipping, and made sure they were loud enough in their adamant insistence that they would never return to this dump as they walked out.

I’d never seen anything like this in my life, but upon talking to the waitress afterward, apparently, it’s happening more and more in recent years. I realized with dread that it would only get worse as my daughters grew into adulthood, and a sense of sadness overtook me thinking about the world they would have to navigate if the Lord chooses to tarry.

We see a generation enter adulthood for whom words are violence, weakness is a virtue, and who feel entitled to other men’s labors for no discernible reason. We’ve gone from sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me, to needing safe spaces because someone dared to disagree with us, or challenged our lunacy.

If you believe words are violence, then you’ve had violence done to you, and for this, you should feel fortunate. If you believe others will gladly labor until their fingers bleed just so you could take the lion’s share of their labors, you should perhaps pursue sobriety, and acknowledge that weed smoking isn’t harmless just because it grows from the earth.

We have become a nation that is soft, weak, and entitled, and that makes us ripe for the picking.  This is just one more reason to reject the notion that peace, safety, and bright skies are ahead for us as a nation. 

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

Some Gave All

I have never served in the armed forces. I was never required to leave my family, my wife, and my children behind, fly off to some far off land and run the risk of bleeding out in the desert under a hot sun. I have never had to see good friends die in my arms, or tell someone who just had half their face blown off that it’s not so bad. I’ve never had to put pressure on a wound and tell a brother in arms to hang in there, even though I knew the wound was fatal. I have never been forced to take another human life to defend my own.

I have never been in the heat of battle with bullets buzzing by my head, I’ve never had to question if we were doing the right thing, nor have I ever had to write a letter to the family of a fallen soldier informing them that their loved one was coming home in a box.

I have never had to live with the nightmares of the hell I had to endure on the battlefield, I have never had to contend with being spat upon by the selfsame people for whose freedom I put on the uniform and waged war.

I will not be so vapid as to try and put myself in a soldier’s shoes, or in the shoes of a family who has lost a loved in one in combat.

I do not know what it’s like to be a soldier, but I respect those with the wherewithal and fortitude to do the hardest job known to man.

It’s easy to conflate the wars which politicians choose to entangle a nation in, and the soldier himself. If for some reason we deem a war unjust, then we tend to transfer the questionable morality to the soldier himself. The distinction must be made, and we must separate the nobility of the war from the nobility of the soldier. The soldier follows orders as a good soldier must. He defends the nation and the homeland at the risk of his own life because he took an oath to do so.

This is memorial day weekend. It is a weekend set aside not to debate the fundamental morality of the wars this nation has engaged in, or whether it was the right thing to do at the time, but to remember those who have fallen in defense of this nation. It is an opportunity to reflect, and once more acknowledge that this freedom we are so readily willing to cast aside came at a price, and throughout this nation’s short history noble and decent men laid down their lives to preserve it.

It has been said that if you can’t intelligently argue for both sides of an issue, then you don’t understand the issue well enough to argue for either. To an extent, I agree. I believe I can hold my own arguing both sides of entangling ourselves in foreign conflicts, both for or against, but this weekend is not about that.

This weekend is about those who gave their last full measure of devotion, those who sacrificed everything because their nation called on them to do so. Such men must be remembered. Such men must be admired, and the memory of them must live on. 

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

Sometimes It Is!

Better late than never! I’ve heard this saying bandied about more often than ever before recently, and in reference to a wide variety of things. I will not deny that the saying is true sometimes, but then again, sometimes it’s not.

If we’re discussing going on a diet to shed a few pounds, or going to the gym to get in shape, I suppose it is better late than never. If it finally dawns on you that you might be in danger only after the wolves have boxed you into a corner and are showing their fangs, the saying may do very little for you at this juncture.

I wonder when it was that the average Roman citizen realized the empire had crumbled? I wonder when it was that the average Roman citizen realized that the empire was no more?  I wonder when it was that the average Roman citizen realized they would die at the hands of those they had taken into their bosom?

History tells us by the time the average citizen realized it the dye had been cast, and there was no turning the tide, but I still wonder how long before the deathblow did it dawn on them that their choices had brought them their inevitable demise.

As has been the case with the fall of every great empire, it is certain some saw the writing on the wall far in advance, tried to warn and sound the alarm, and were mocked and ridiculed for their efforts.

Self-destruct? Us? We are the great Roman Empire, and nothing will topple us. Yes, we have grown soft, but it is our right. Yes, we have opened our gates and welcomed in our midst those who would do us harm, but we cannot live in fear. Yes, our governing class plots and schemes towards its self-interest and is actively working against the will of the people, but we are too busy with circus and bread to concern ourselves with such things. We are the eternal city! We will never fall!

After the Constitutional Convention of 1787, a lady was quoted as having asked Benjamin Franklin, “what have we got? A republic or a monarchy?” To this, Benjamin Franklin simply replied, “a republic if you can keep it.”

It was the selfsame Benjamin Franklin who said that the moral and religious system which Jesus Christ transmitted to us is the best the world has ever seen, or can see.  

Undergirding it all is yet another Franklin quote which profoundly states that only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.

To understand the peril this nation finds itself in, and determine whether or not we are repeating the destructive ways of empires past, we must come to terms with three undeniable truths:

1. We are no longer a virtuous people.

2. We have abandoned the moral and religious system which Jesus Christ transmitted.

3. Too few are willing to stand for the republic in order to keep it.

I wish I had better news. I wish I could bring myself to sugarcoat the situation we currently find ourselves in, but I am a realist, and I respect those who read what I write far too much to attempt any sleight of hand or twisting of the truth. 

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr. 

Picking Battles

There’s a war on for everything nowadays. There’s a war on poverty, a war on drugs, a war on the patriarchy, the system, capitalism, babies, political correctness for and against, your mind, your wallet, your kids, your individuality, fur, meat, God, Christianity, reason, science, and the list goes on.

Everyone is fighting for or against something nowadays. Some things are noble and necessary like the war against abortion on demand, while others are less so, like the war on Christmas. It goes without saying that you can only fight so many battles at any given time. Hence the reason for picking and prioritizing which battles are worth fighting. Notice, I did not say picking which battles you are likely to win, I said picking battles that are worth the fight.

If the criterion upon which you pick your battles is whether you will win or not, every victory will be hollow. It’s like a heavyweight boxer picking a fight with a wheelchair-bound anorexic. Sure, technically he can put another notch in the win column, but does it really count?

If you never pick a fight with a giant, you will never slay a giant!

Not engaging in a battle because you are outnumbered or because you believe your odds of winning are less than optimal, is not pragmatism, it’s cowardice. This is why I have no respect for Christians who choose not to engage the enemy based on political expediency, or positioning. It is a fowl thing to sheath one’s sword and acquiesce to the enemy because you believe it will benefit you personally at some point in the future.

There are vivid examples throughout the history of mankind, wherein certain individuals chose to betray their principles, their nation, and their brothers in arms for personal gain, or to save their own skin. Whatever their reasoning, however iron clad their defense of their actions, such men were branded traitors, and their names live on in infamy.  

Timidity has no place on the battlefield. You stand, you fight, you do the hard thing because it’s the right thing to do, with no consideration of how others will perceive you, or what others will think of you.

Fear of man fuels cowardice, and once we give in to it, we will always find an excuse for why we didn’t stand, and why we didn’t make our voices heard. In our unending quest to please men, we have surrendered to impotence, and because the heart of man is exceedingly wicked, we grow to resent those who still dare to fight.

I have no qualms about burning bridges as long as I know I’m on the right side of the bridge. I have made my peace with the reality that I will be hated for His name’s sake, and it is a badge of honor I wear proudly. The mindset of the warrior isn’t whether his enemy will like him, or think he is a nice fellow. The mindset of the warrior is to vanquish his foe and survive the day.

Be prepared, be on guard, and be ready. Whether you pick your battle, or the battle comes to you, the battle is inevitable. 

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

The Devil Inside

It takes a lot to make me cringe. It takes, even more, to make me wince. I’m not what one might call easily rattled. I’ve seen a lot in my forty-four years of life, some good, some bad, and some grotesque, enough so that it takes something out of the ordinary to make me react.

Yesterday I had to change the oil on my wife’s car. It was long overdue, and the blinking service soon light had gotten to the point of being annoying, so much so that I finally relented and made the appointment.

There isn’t much to do in one of those waiting areas other than wait, so I started surfing news sites on my phone when a headline caught my eye. It had to do with counter protesters at a pro-life rally because nothing says Tuesday like protesting against people who want to keep babies from being murdered.

I clicked on the link, and thankfully, the volume on my phone was turned to low. The scene was of an elderly woman who in any other context would be deemed grandmotherly, screaming profanities at a young woman holding up a pro-life sign, with such force, ferocity, and determination, that I couldn’t help but wonder if the screaming harpy voice wasn’t dubbed over the gray-haired woman as she moved her lips.

It took me a full second to realize that no, it had not been dubbed, this was not some well put together scam, the devil was screaming through this elderly woman, and the things coming out of her face were vile enough to make a sailor blush. Her demeanor and the violence of her renunciations went beyond passion. They went beyond someone peacefully, coherently, reasonably trying to get their point across. 

The devil in this woman raged, and as sure as the sun sets in the west if this woman would have been given half the chance, she would have chocked the life out of the pro-life protester without batting an eye.

Evil is real. Evil exists. Evil is evident in our day and age, but it surprises you when it is made manifest through an octogenarian who would not be out of place bouncing grandchildren on her knee and baking chocolate chip cookies.

It is the closest to rabid I have seen a human being, and I’ve visited mental institutions and insane asylums. Only darkness can make someone manifest in such a manner. Only the devil can project such naked hate toward someone whose singular desire is to save a human life.

The battle before us is not one that is simply a difference in political ideology. If you believe this, then you are deceived. This is a battle between light and darkness, between a cult of death, and the defenders of life. It is not a battle we can afford to lose, nor is it a battle we can fight halfheartedly.

A cornered animal only gets more aggressive as it approaches its demise. For the first time in a generation, the godless are seeing their agenda collapsing, their certain victories becoming less certain, their momentum slipping through their fingers. They rage so because they know they are losing ground, and the more ground they lose, the more they will rage.

It’s not as though they won’t put up a good fight; they will. Their father, the devil, will speak through them, threatening, mocking, insulting, demeaning, but it is from a position of impotence and weakness, not one of confidence and strength.

They are backed into a corner, and they know it. Even if they never admit it, somewhere in their darkened hearts, they know they are advocating for the termination of a defenseless human being, the purest form of evil. They have made their bargain, they have sold their souls, they have capitulated human decency because only such a one can call a baby nothing more than a parasite. 

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.