Working Sunday, Again?!

Hi, I'm an employee of AT&T and the following is my opinion.

I'm taking my "hour-long" lunch as I write this.  It's Saturday afternoon and I've been scheduled to work the weekend, again.  The full one, Sunday too!  It seems to be deja vu every other weekend, because I'm scheduled to work every other weekend.  of course, in this case it's more of a reality than a feeling, but I do feel it!

Yes, I've complained about it.  Of course I get just as much satisfaction of talking to the wall and just about as much interest.  My supervisor says that he has "emailed" the scheduling group and their responses have been; the computer did it, it was just his turn, it will all average out in the long run, and the most recent, we're investigating it.

It boggles my mind how a multi-Billion dollar company like AT&T, can't keep a simple schedule straight.  It ALMOST makes me think that my schedule is being purposefully tampered with.  Persecution can take many forms and be almost impossible to prove in today's digital world.  I've written before how "numbers" can be manipulated without anyone knowing, in order to target an individual.

IF it were to be a form of harassment or persecution, I'd really like to know which of my characteristics I was being punished for.  Is it just that I enjoy going to church on Sunday and worshiping the Creator of the universe?  Is is possibly my stand against the LGBT mafia or the abortion rights crowd?  My beliefs aren't a secret.  The Bible is clear which side is correct and that's where I am.  For the record, I'm also against murderers and gluttons, but they don't normally evangelize others to take part in their sins.

Is it the fact that I'm non-union due to not being represented properly?  You certainly don't believe I would throw away money in such a frivolous manner.  I do apologize for being a dues paying member of CWA for nearly thirty years.  Or, is it possible they just want the "old guy" to go away?  They may think if I'm aggravated enough, I'll retire.

Well, I'm not ready to declare that I'm being discriminated against, the proof just isn't there.  It looks like it, but looks can be deceiving.  It might be that the folks who send out the schedules don't ever read their emails sent from supervisors.  It could be their computer program is prone to make errors on a regular basis.  You know how funny some computers are about throwing in errors repeatedly, just for laughs.  Maybe the system was hacked by Chinese loyalists of China Bell, trying to unravel our families weekend activities, so we'll continue to be stressed and stay in turmoil.

Maybe so, who knows?  Gosh, I didn't even get into aliens from space, climate change, Hillary's email server, or the Grinch.  The possibilities are endless, but the real reason is probably very simple.  It was the Grinch, wasn't it?

Hey, I'd just like to have a few more weekends with "OFF" on the schedule.  Doesn't seem like too much to ask... 

Believing in God

I firmly believe that God exists!  Everything I’ve read about Him in the Bible seems correct.  I find few conflicts in scripture and realize most to be only translation errors.  It is for me, comforting and reasonable to trust in the intelligent design argument.  The old adage that “a tornado in a brickyard doesn’t produce a building” is true and will always be true.  The random chance that everything we see, touch, taste, hear, and smell happened by accident requires even more faith than mine.  An incomprehensible  design requires an incomprehensible designer.

I could quote scripture for my argument but atheists and agnostics are repelled by it and only adds to their confusion.  They want theists to argue with both hands tied behind their backs and duct tape across their mouths.  It is easier for them to win their argument by shouting down the competition and pounding the table loud enough that no one can hear the truth.  If I were an atheist, that plan alone would be enough for me to explore the other side of the argument even quicker.  My question would be, “have I been misled by an argument that was flawed beyond belief and one which has eternal consequences?

The decision of whether God exists or not is the greatest question you will ever face.  It is a verdict that demands a correct answer because if God exists then He will expect honor and obedience from those He created.  If God does not exist, then there is no hope for mankind.  There would be no reason for goodness here on earth and no promise of a reward after death.  It’s an eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die” kind of existence.

Much of western culture has gotten on the “godless train” and had their ticket punched to an unknown destination.  Promises of free food and great fun encouraged even some of the faithful to get on board.  Leaving the station, they all shout curses at Christians from their windows while we urge them to get off before it’s too late!  It’s actually just the opposite of what happened in the Book of Genesis.  Noah and his few faithful helpers built an ark as God planned to destroy mankind for wickedness.  Their belief in God’s faithfulness was rewarded with life and not death.  Only a few were saved in the worldwide flood that followed.  If scripture is correct, and it always is, the majority will perish believing in a lie.

In America, the main stream media, our educational institutions, corporations, and the government have had tremendous influence in reshaping us from a Christian nation.  I believe scripture teaches there will be degrees of reward after death and likewise, degrees of punishment.  Many will suffer greater damnation for teaching and leading people to believe the lie that God doesn’t exist.  If you are guilty of this heinous teaching, please repent.  If you want to disbelieve in God, so be it, but don’t deceive others as well.  If you are one of those who aren’t sure if you’re supposed to be on the atheist train, like the parable of the lost son in Luke 15:11-32, there is always opportunity to change ones path and come home to God!  Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that He rewards everyone who searches for Him.”  Then in Hebrews 11:1 we have the definition of faith, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.”

If you’re a “prodigal son or daughter”, God loves you and knows that you really believe in Him.  You’re frightened by the reaction of your peers if you acknowledge your mistakes and turn away from them to Him.  Think about this, if your courage and change of heart saves others, they will thank you for an eternity!  Those who reject you were not worth following anyway.  God will take care of you.  Be strong and be brave!  Christians will be there to support and help you get back on the journey to Heaven.

Christians Make A Difference

The hatred that spews from the network television shows, the internet, & politicians toward Christians, hurts everyone.  They try to stir up public opinion against Christians, that we are the bad guys and need to be run out-of-town.  Why?  Because we’re against most of the issues driving corporate America these days like greed and gay rights.  We are opposed to making families jobless just to make the stockholders & CEO’s more wealthy.  We are opposed to the murder of children by clinics who lie about women’s health, making profits of over a billion/year.  We are opposed to the unnatural union of gays and lesbians in legal marriage, creating a cultural abnormality.  We are opposed to polygamy and those who would declare the Bible corrupt.  In general, I guess we opposed everything that would make the cultural left happy!

Christians have made a distinct mark on civilization and America in particular.  Our founding fathers used the general principles of Christianity for our independence, our legal rights, and system of government.  The development of higher education, science, and medicine, all were from Christianity.  Art and music were inestimably benefited by believers in Christ.  It was the Christians that opposed slavery first and it is the Christian that is generally a better citizen in any government.

Why would a Christian be a better citizen or employee you ask?  Because Jesus taught that it is wrong to steal and kill.  He taught that government is  empowered by God, therefore we should respect and submit to it.  We are taught to love our fellow-man and reach out to help those in need.  Even today, it is Christians who are quickly on the scene when disaster strikes.  Christian relief has assisted Haiti, Sudan, Somalia, Belize, Japan, and every other location where humans were hurting or in need.  So we’re the bad guys… right, you just keep believing that lie.  We still love you, but our actions speak for themselves.

The reason you really hate us is the problem you have with God.  He is the one who doesn’t approve of your sin.  If every Christian in the world signed over a letter saying you have our approval for whatever sin you want to commit, it wouldn’t carry any legal weight with God.  He is the judge and jury.  And even if we approved of your actions, you wouldn’t quit your hate filled racist attitude toward us until we actually participated in sin with you.  You want us to be like you, a guilt ridden, unhappy human whose hatred for Christianity blinds one from the truth.

Listen, our side is better… come on over!  Being a traitor to your cause has never been easier or had so many benefits.  You get to hang out with the best people in the world!  Medical plans don’t matter, it’s better on the other side for us, anyway!  We live in the light of the Son and know that God loves us!  It just doesn’t get any better.  We’ll even pay your way to the third world country of your choice and let you dig wells for clean water or teach kids to read.  Not only that, but faith in Jesus… get ready for this… guarantees you a mansion in Heaven.  Is that awesome or what?

Now, you’re going to have to read the Bible some.  I’ll give you a heads up, it isn’t what you’ve been told.  The truths contained in that book are amazing and historically accurate at the same time.  It really isn’t just a children’s book, but the “inspired” Word of God!

At least consider it!  You don’t even have to carry around a Bible these days, look at it online!  You can do it when no one is around, until you feel like you are ready to commit.  I’d recommend downloading the app “YouVersion“.  And just to make you feel better, that you’re not alone… YouVersion has been downloaded over 50 million times.  The world is full of Christians. Estimates vary, but the number is close to 2 billion!  Christianity rocks, come on over!  Join us, we’re the ones who make a difference!

Originally published May 14, 2012 at Thechestnutburr.com