Saturday, October 17, 2026

D.L. Gardner: Better Than We Deserve

 The world is crumbling away as planned. Seriously. What else might we expect? Decades ago, I asked my pastor about politics and politicians. Why are both so messed up? He replied, “We get better than we deserve.” That was one of those answers I had to chew on for a while. 

Nowadays we’re suffering through the mid-term elections and as far as I can see we’re going to get “better than we deserve” regardless of which way we vote. Sad, isn’t it? The answer cuts both ways. Not only do we learn about bad politics and the candidates, but we also learn about the demerits of what we deserve. 

I may have shared this before, but I’ll mention it again briefly because we all need another coat of paint every now and then. I met with a group of about ten men on one of my trips to Russia. They were recovering from a lot of bad choices, just like we all do when we admit it. After sharing their stories, they asked me to share mine which was worlds away different from theirs. I told them I was raised in a Christian home where our family loved the Lord. We attended church every time the doors were open, and I had trusted Christ to save me as a young boy.

As I told the story all of them gazed at me with one of those stares. It wasn’t a look. They were filled with incredibility. As I ended my story, one of the men said, “You didn’t know you were a sinner!” Compared with them and their stories, I realized they were right! I hadn’t gone through anything as harsh as they had. More importantly I realized I was more of a sinner than any of them. 

Frankly up until then I’d never considered how bad I really was! That’s sad. But the saddest thing is realizing each and every one of us is completely corrupt. But I digress. 

Look around the world today and what do we see? Tens of thousands of young people dying every month in the Russia-Ukraine war! Monthly! The world is filled with people killing millions upon millions of other people every day. How corrupt is the human race? How stupid are we that we have to kill each other to settle our differences? Six thousand years after the creation, and this is the best we can do? Seriously? In the beginning only four people and one of us has to kill his brother? Sure, the price of gas and groceries is high like everything else! And, you’re worried about affordability?

What are the issues we’re voting for or against? Fraud? We all do that! We’re so pious we can’t define a woman! We’re so high and mighty way above common folks who grovel with sinful pleasures. We’re civilized and refined. No dirty jokes here.

How does it end? “And the nations were enraged, and Thy wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to Thy bond-servants the prophets and to the saints and to those who fear Thy name, the small and the great and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” Revelation 11:18

Lord have mercy on a sinner like me.

 

Daniel L. Gardner is a columnist who lives in Starkville, MS. You may contact him at PJandMe2@gmail.com.

 

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

"I asked my pastor about politics and politicians"

That's like asking your doctor which smartphone to buy.

Preachers need to stick to the Gospel. Otherwise they're bound to push some people away, who might otherwise be receptive to the message.

Anonymous said...

Hidden in the column is this little gem:

"Six thousand years after the creation, and this is the best we can do?"

D.L. has just revealed himself to be the kook I always suspected he is.

Anonymous said...

Party of personal responsibility and all that.

Anonymous said...

“Six thousand years after the creation. . . .” I’m afraid he lives in La-La land.

Anonymous said...

And thus separate the wheat from the chaff....if we don't start "pushing away" evil when necessary, then Christian Civilization will be no more. A far more muscular Christianity is on the rise - again, which is as it has always been, because evil has been allowed to go on for far too long.

Kingfish said...

Maybe I'll send him a copy of the Dake Bible

Anonymous said...

@KF Just remain a complete traitorous tool as always

Anonymous said...

2:06, God separates the wheat from the chaff, not you.

Anonymous said...

The Dake "bible" is just a reference-study bible, it doesn't contain any contextual evidence that the Biblical geneology is inaccurate. In other words, there's no credible scientifically-observed evidence that the earth is older than 6k years. We can thank late-1800's re-interpretations that started ignoring the age-old historical record within the Bible.

Krusatyr said...

You've heard of Dee Oh Gee (DOG) years as 5-9 per human year? At the opposite scale 6 Gee Oh Dee (GOD) years is maybe 6 billion in our perception of measurable time in the whole universe of Creation, where an Earth day is only a second in God time.

Anonymous said...

“there's no credible scientifically-observed evidence that the earth is older than 6k years”

Surely that’s an autocorrect typo, and the intent was to write “not older.”

There’s carbon dating, archeology, astronomy . . .

Anonymous said...

I read someplace a few months ago that since the start of recorded time we humans have only been at world wide peace with each other for 120 years...

Anonymous said...

I personally believe that DL is a nitwit and I am not a young-earth creationist.

However, our current methods of “dating” fossils, monoliths, and artifacts is seriously flawed. It assumes too many unproven factors as established science, while mainstream “science” rejects any hypothesis regarding cataclysmic disasters. While, at the same time, accepting unscientific claims about anthropogenic climate change.

Basically, unscientific group-think that disregards the pure scientific method has ruined our ability to accept any and all current claims verifying the age of the planet and civilization.

I personally believe the planet is more than a million years old and we have had at least 3 ages of humans where humanity has reached technological advancement beyond what we consider “modern ages” and those civilizations were lost due to cataclysmic events such as a solar micro-novae, that no advanced civilization could survive without warp drive technology.

When our star once again sheds and renews its corona, very little life will survive.

Sure does make any thinking person wonder about all those ancient sun worshippers around the globe who built giant stone structures tracking the sun with extensive underground networks to evade solar radiation.

And all the tech bros building the same thing for themselves. And some working super hard to build a starfleet

Anonymous said...

"Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one."

Evil is all around us, "technology" has destroy our humanity due to its anti-Christian nature. We are to be God's instruments on earth. Keep your head in the sand while evil comes for your family. MANY are saying, "Enough is enough". Some husband/father you must be....

Anonymous said...

Science —whatever that is—is not credible. The bible is explicit. It says somewhere in there what a year is and how many of them. Just read it

Anonymous said...

Pretty sure our Founders did not want religion imposed on us since they knew about Christian vs Catholic and Christian vs Muslim wars and religious persecution they came here to escape. And, many were Diest who believed God exists but man created religions to enhance their power and influence in government and to justify wars to do so. My first kin were Lutherans who landed in here in 1690 fled Bavaria. Presbyterians fled in the 1640's. So yes, we are founded on freedom FROM religions we don't chose as well. It wasn't just the Puritans who sought religious freedom. What I hate most of all are " the media preachers" who can't make enough money preaching at a church. You're sounding alot like Jim Bakker, DL. But at least they didn't mix politics and religion which has been historically risky business!

Anonymous said...

I would rather believe in the bible & be wrong than not Than not believe in the bible & the bible be right.

Anonymous said...

Science and the Bible were never seen as mutually-exclusive until about the last 50 years, when a couple of guys started selling books on "flood geology" to charismatic kooks.

Anonymous said...

“ there's no credible scientifically-observed evidence that the earth is older than 6k years”

There’s plenty of scientific evidence that proves the earth is older than 6000 years. Now whether or not the religious fruitcakes have enough intelligence to be able to examine and understand that evidence is an entirely different question that doesn’t appear to have a solution.

Kingfish said...

What you write about the Dake is true. However, in his notes, he advocates a pre-Adamite theory, which would make the earth much older than the 6,000 years some believe.

Anonymous said...

The age of the planets, earth or any other, is not "proof" of the existence of deities. If humans have been on the planet for substantially longer than about 6000 years, it just disproves the dating alleged by the "Adam creationists." I think it is clear that humans have been here much longer than 6000 years, but I wasn't here that whole time. But none of the proponents for the "6000 year" argument were either. As with most such things, we're all relying on the evidence we think is the most convincing. One group is wrong but I'm not sure it matters in the grand scheme.


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