Every time my family and I go on vacation...I grow even more concerned for the lost world that we live in. As a pastor I am around Christians much of the time. In fact, most people will put their best foot forward if they know I am a pastor. So often times I don't really get to see people for who they really are. However, on vacation, I don't know any of these people that I am around.
Think about it, the people staying in the condo next to us...we don't know them. The families at the pool or the young couple lounging in the beach chairs adjacent to us....we don't know them. Funny enough, the people in the large hot tub near the swimming pool, we don't know them either. But we experience a little bit of "who they are" and "what they are about" as we vacation in and around a large number of beach goers.
As my family swims in the ocean, hangs by the pool, or throws frisbee on the beach these "unknown" people also witness my family operate. They don't know us but they listen to our speech. They don't know us but they hear how we interact with one another. They don't know us but they can easily see how modest we are in our dress, how chaste we are in our speech and simply how we carry ourselves as a family. You say "preacher, are you really taking all of that in while on vacation? Are you thinking about all of that when you are hanging out by the pool? In short, yes. In fact, I care about how my family represents the Lohorn name but more importantly how we represent Christ and the family of God.
With all of that said, here are some of my grievances as I found myself living for one week in the lost world of Panama City Beach Florida...just a few summers ago...
1. Marijuana usage in America is at a ridiculous high. Coupled with Alcohol usage these two are responsible for leading people toward the drug epidemic in this country. If our country wants to fix the opioid and heroin crisis....it starts by encouraging people to stay away from alcohol and marijuana and this idea of "taking the edge off". Life is going to be tough, when it gets tough, lean on Jesus to help you cope with the stress of life...not mind altering drugs or alcohol.
While staying at Panama City Beach, the smell of marijuana was a daily occurrence from nearby balconies, while lounging at the beach and while driving down the street with the window down. You get on the elevator and guess what? The person that just got off wreaked of marijuana. The liberal media wants us all to believe that marijuana is harmless. Who are we kidding? I know the argument that it has medicinal properties.... I get it, but guess what? Our society can't handle the responsibility of medicinal marijuana because we usually pervert the proper usage of any and all substances. And by the way, sin in moderation is a lie from the pit of hell.
2. Parents today let their children do whatever they want. While on vacation I witnessed children running their families lives. Parents today rarely correct their children and they usually give their children whatever their children desire. Can you imagine this lost world if the Lord delays His coming by 25 more years? These self absorbed human beings are going to be running this country. How important is parenting and parenting children with a biblical perspective? It's huge. Parents, look at your kids and ask the question...."what will the world look like when my child is an adult and will they have the tools necessary to impact it for Christ?"
3. As a species, human beings cannot drive very well. In northern Alabama we were involved in a fender bender due to someone four cars ahead of my car....locking down their brakes with no regard to what happened behind them. That chain reaction resulted in our vehicle getting towed to Decatur Alabama, renting a car to continue our trip, and me spending some of my vacation time dealing with insurance, logistics etc. While in PCB we witnessed some crazy driving. It's a miracle we made it home without being in another accident. So I'm grieved and I'm convinced that we all need to slow down a bit. This is the point in the blog where I preach to myself. I would like to think that my driving skills are getting better but like most people I need to slow down and be a little more careful.
Well, this list of grievances needs to stop here, three is enough. Sadly, we live in a lost world. Thankfully, this is not my home. While temporarily living here, I need to preach the gospel, be a good witness for Christ and promote the kingdom of God each and every day. Instead of just venting about all of the lostness around us, lets be proactive in helping people by sharing the life changing message of Jesus Christ. He is the worlds only hope. People need the Lord. People in PCB need the Lord but guess what? People in Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky need the Lord as well. Where do you live? Wherever it is, people need the Lord. Let's make our town a difficult place to go to hell from. Let's share Jesus while living in this lost world.