{"id":205,"date":"2013-09-09T02:49:49","date_gmt":"2013-09-09T05:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etvfc.org\/wp-blog\/?p=205"},"modified":"2016-02-01T12:45:35","modified_gmt":"2016-02-01T17:45:35","slug":"there-was-no-a-d-d-before-mtv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/etvfc.org\/wp-blog\/2013\/09\/there-was-no-a-d-d-before-mtv\/","title":{"rendered":"There was no A.D.D. before MTV"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Bible says\u00a0in Proverbs 17:22 that A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.<\/em><\/p>\n

Laughter really is the best medicine.\u00a0 It also has the best co-pay and better yet, you will never run out of refills.<\/p>\n

I joke that the doctor had prescribed me medication for my memory, but I kept forgetting to take it.<\/p>\n

As a licensed NY state retail pharmacist, I dispense anything less than the best. \u00a0 I was licensed July 2001 and was saved in March 2002. \u00a0If the order was reversed, I might not be stuck in this profession today. \u00a0 At least in my circles, they get excited you tell them you are called to preach. \u00a0 They get excited that you want to jump into full time ministry. \u00a0And when they hear you are a pharmacist they quickly change their tune and say, “but God needs good pharmacists. Go back to your seat, son. \u00a0Next?” \u00a0And I am sure God needs some good Christian bartenders too.<\/p>\n

On a positive side, pharmacy has truly given me some answers for America. \u00a0Pharmacy seems to have given me a great explanation for much of the lack of power in today’s gospel message. \u00a0I share these truths out in my “Jesus is not a flu shot” series that are in my blog\u00a0archives.<\/p>\n

I also see that pharmacy is a great barometer for the spiritual sickness of our nation, not just an indicator of our declining physical health. \u00a0America proudly told God in the roaring 20’s that we can now make it without Him, and in the 60’s we shook our fists at God and said we want our way once and for all. \u00a0The theme song for America quickly went from My country ’tis of thee\u00a0<\/em>to\u00a0I can’t get no satisfaction. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Soon, the family altar that once held the Bible now held a television.\u00a0 NFL stadiums replaced churches as Americas Sunday house of worship.\u00a0 Prayer was taken out of the schools and in it’s place came a skyrocketing plethora of perversion from Planned ParentHood to Pot to pornography. \u00a0 \u00a0Teachers now restrain kids with ADHD prescriptions, and see poor graduation rates. \u00a0Schools hire many child molesters and pornographers masquerading as teachers, and harbor psychos who are gunning down their classmates. \u00a0Before God and prayer were removed, there was that\u00a0occasional\u00a0offense with spitballs but now it’s become free for all. \u00a0And only getting worse.<\/p>\n

Yes, America’s come a long way, baby.\u00a0\u00a0 And she is closer to destruction than ever before.<\/p>\n

The reason pharmacy is an indicator for where we were spiritually and where we are now can be seen in our love of drugs. \u00a0Let’s just look at the legal ones prescribed by a medical professional. \u00a0It is legal to kill babies and it is legal to take drugs.\u00a0 That doesn’t automatically prove that something legal is acceptable to God.\u00a0 Not all drugs are bad, but the system is flawed and it is an evolution-based system that says you are chemicals that came together over millions of years, so you simply add more chemicals and it’s happily ever after.<\/p>\n

It has you look to a Physician who has exalted himself as God and bypasses the true and living Great Physician who humbled Himself to become a man.\u00a0 The devil is the master counterfeiter, and I see in pharmacy over and over the devil’s strategy of replacing biblical promises and biblical principals with prescriptions and pills.<\/p>\n

Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Instead there is \u00a0Xanax, Valium, Ativan, Buspar, and other anti- anxiety medication.\u00a0 The joy of the Lord is our strength.\u00a0 Who needs Jesus when there is Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Luvox, Celexa, Lexapro, Wellbutrin, Wellburin SR, Wellbutrin XL, and Effexor XR?\u00a0 Just ignore the warnings these anti-depressants may increase the risk of suicide and you will be fine.<\/p>\n

Jesus calmed the storms.\u00a0 The bible says in Ephesians 4:31 to Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:<\/em> <\/del>\u00a0 Who needs the Bible when you have anti-psychotics like Abilify (at $900 a month), Seroquel XR (#60 400 mg costs $1,500!), Latuda, Risperdal, and the Benzodiazepines?<\/p>\n

Jesus came to set the captives free. \u00a0John 8:36 says\u00a0If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.\u00a0 <\/em>Who needs Jesus to deliver from addictions when there is methadone, Nicorette, \u00a0Suboxone, Chantix, buproprion, Subutex, and Antabuse?<\/p>\n

It is interesting to hear testimonies of teachers who had 40 to 50 year careers that spanned the\u00a0pre-television and post-television eras.\u00a0 They can state they noticed a clear difference in children’s attention spans before, and after, the TV became an American staple.\u00a0 Kids before could sit for story time but soon after the TV came on, they couldn’t.\u00a0 A.D.D, or A.D.H.D. (Attention-Deficit-Disorder or A-D-hyperactivity-D)\u00a0suddenly\u00a0showed up almost\u00a0overnight.\u00a0 Don’t worry,\u00a0Nickelodeon and Disney,\u00a0keep pumping your programs.\u00a0 We have hope for you and those you are programming!\u00a0 Pick your poison, I mean pill.\u00a0\u00a0 Concerta ER, Ritalin, Adderall, Dextroampehtamines, or Daytrana for starters. \u00a0 Don’t let the $600 cost scare you. \u00a0Your copay is $0 for ADD meds so you never see the cost. \u00a0Or the consequences.<\/p>\n

The ultimate symptom of the American we-are-set-on-our-path-so-God-leave-us-alone attitude is in the maintenance medications.\u00a0 A creation scientist described modern medicine this way. \u00a0When the car engine light goes off, you can stop and fix the engine or and just unplug the warning light and continue driving. \u00a0If we are depressed or anxious, it is a spiritual imbalance not a chemical one. \u00a0Yet we often opt for meds, which \u00a0treats the side effect (anxiety\/depression) and ignores the cause (needing to get right with God.) \u00a0So in essence, as a Pharmacist I am giving you something that only treats the symptoms and yet as a Christian, I am often forced to withhold the cure. \u00a0And if I do provide both explanations, at the very best I am telling you 2 different things by my words and actions. \u00a0At worst, my actions speak louder than words. \u00a0That is called\u00a0hypocrisy.<\/p>\n

May I meddle a moment? \u00a0Our diets, lifestyle, junk food, holiday gorging, fast food, fried food, and pizza and wings are destroying us. \u00a0We eat that way for 30 years, plug up our arteries, and end up with a heart attack. \u00a0Instead of changing we just take medications.\u00a0 And more medications.\u00a0 And more medications. \u00a0Lipitor for the cholesterol buildup, insulin for the belly buildup, and Co-enzyme Q10 for the Lipitor buildup. \u00a0After the 5th pill every new addition is from a side effect of the previous med. \u00a0You never get off them and it seems the goal is now whoever dies with the most pills wins.<\/p>\n

Yet, you don’t care, and I don’t either because our food tastes better than the fried bugs and bowls of rice the rest of the world eats.\u00a0 I go on spurts when I eat\u00a0healthier and even order green things from the drive-thru (besides Shamrock shakes) but I can’t escape the American diet for very long. \u00a0And with the allurement of a cholesterol router-rooter at my disposal, available generic now as well, my motivation is far lower than my HDL good cholesterol levels.<\/p>\n

The average American spends more a week on their morning coffee and donuts than a family in the Philippines\u00a0spends to eat per month. \u00a0We love our combos. \u00a0 What is interesting is when you combine a carb and protein, your body tends to store it as fat. \u00a0 \u00a0A simple combo might be why more and more of us look so jumbo.<\/p>\n

I write this as I enjoy a bite of my chocolate\u00a0caramel\u00a0deluxe muffin. \u00a0New from Tim Hortons.<\/p>\n

The number 1 addiction in America is sugar.\u00a0\u00a0 I am fairly certain the kinetics (meaning how quickly something gets absorbed and gets out of your system) for high fructose corn syrup is similar to crack cocaine.\u00a0 I joke I am a coke addict.\u00a0\u00a0 You might very well be addicted to Pepsi instead.\u00a0 Whether the crack cocaine theory is true or not, one thing I do know is my children turn into little monsters minutes after eating\u00a0pudding frosted chocolate peanut butter sugar smacks or whatever breakfast cereal they choose.<\/p>\n

OK, relax, the meddlin’ is over. \u00a0It is safe to return to your regularly scheduled coffee break. \u00a0And my muffin.<\/p>\n

What is the solution to all this?\u00a0 I should say what is the prescription for all this?<\/p>\n

I can start with the prescription for revival.\u00a0 The Bible says in 2nd Chronicles\u00a07:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.\u00a0 <\/em>The problem is this has become a very big IF.<\/p>\n

God is not talking to the lost, he is talking to the church.\u00a0\u00a0 IF.\u00a0 IF we care more about God than the Superbowl, Star Wars, and Starbucks.\u00a0 IF we would be at least be willing to fast and pray for our nation once a month. \u00a0IF we would spend more time thinking about heaven than living in a fantasy world. \u00a0IF we would cast down our America idols and we cared more about God’s house than what goes on in the White House. \u00a0IF at least Christians had the BIBLE and not the TV as their\u00a0family altar.<\/p>\n

IF.<\/p>\n

If Christians spent more time in the text than texting (note to self….),\u00a0our face in\u00a0the book more than FaceBook, and were in the Bible as much as we are\u00a0on our blogs (note to self….), concerned about who is saved and lost as much as who wins Master Chef (note to self….), and spent more time\u00a0talking to God via KNEE mail, verses our friends over e-mail, America might have a chance.<\/p>\n

IF.<\/p>\n

America’s prescription for revival ran out of refills almost 100 years ago.\u00a0\u00a0 It is time that Christians went back to the Great Physician for\u00a0a follow\u00a0up visit.\u00a0\u00a0 That might happen\u00a0IF enough Christians get sick of the side effects of our present way of doing things.<\/p>\n

1st Peter 4:17 says For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God<\/strong><\/span>: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?\u00a0 <\/em>It is time for things to get right at the church. \u00a0 Then we would see the revival, deliverance of sin, and power of God that the world would have to acknowledge.<\/p>\n

Then America just might see the futility of pharmacy. \u00a0And see the cure by looking to Jesus.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Bible says\u00a0in Proverbs 17:22 that A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Laughter really is the best medicine.\u00a0 It also has the best co-pay and better yet, you will never run … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12,11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/etvfc.org\/wp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/etvfc.org\/wp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/etvfc.org\/wp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/etvfc.org\/wp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/etvfc.org\/wp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/etvfc.org\/wp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":604,"href":"http:\/\/etvfc.org\/wp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205\/revisions\/604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/etvfc.org\/wp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/etvfc.org\/wp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/etvfc.org\/wp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}