Branches Bearing Fruit

We are ALL a Little Crazy

2011-04-25T02:53:00.003-04:00

The older I get, the more situations I come into contact with that make me realize everyone is a little crazy. Me too! It is just easier to observe one another's crazy because that is the area WE seem to think we are sane in.

Last year we went to a church function and during one evening, we went to the 'hang out room' where a parent was complaining about his teenager. I commiserated that I too had a teenager who was going through the 'teenage angst' period of disrespect. He responded that he believed that my problem had nothing to do with her being a teenager and everything to do with what I NAMED her at birth. Yes, he informed me that my problems were all related to my daughter having the heathen name "Cheyanne". After all, what did I expect when I named her that? It floored me. I just had nothing to say to that and got up and left the room. I think my daughter's name is beautiful and quite frankly has nothing to do with the fact that at times she acts like a typical teenage girl. I think the fact that she IS a typical teenage girl contributes to her acting like one. Duh!

Another day I was talking to someone who has repeatedly informed me that I make "everyone" uncomfortable. When he gave me specifics about who I apparently made uncomfortable, I wrote to the person and asked their forgiveness for having made them uncomfortable. The person informed me they didn't know what I was talking about and had never said it. Then I get an email from the original person saying, "How dare you bring others into our argument." Ummm, I didn't. YOU did when you said that I make THEM uncomfortable and that is why they would't come to your house. Had YOU not lied, they would not have been involved because I would have had no reason to apologize to them for what I thought I had done. Interestingly enough, NOT the first time he said it about me, but it was ALSO said about someone else in the family at another time with regard to the same people. I just wasn't mature enough to call anyone on it at the original times.

Another person informed me that the peace symbol is a satanic symbol... (upside down pitchfork) and should never be worn in church. Amazing that they believe the PRINCE of PEACE would take issue with a symbol that means...peace. Especially since I've been told by others that an upside down CROSS is satanic also. You'd think if it was upside down that turned the pitchfork around that would make it good like the cross was made a bad symbol maybe? Who knows?

Someone else thinks that abuse is a form of 'love' that should be tolerated...while at the same time starting the abuse in the first place by chasing around and hitting the spouse, then self righteously telling everyone what the OTHER did, without pointing out what the first one did to start it. Ummm, you might not be thrown backward or held down or called names if you weren't hitting and calling names first? I know, this must be where I'm crazy for thinking such a thing.

I just decided that everyone has at least a 'little' bit of crazy. We all think we are intelligent, but the fact is that all of us have blind spots within our respective crazies that make us leave WISDOM behind. When we compare our human tradition rules to God's sensible rules, I see that we all have a little crazy in us. I guess that is why God wanted us to have grace for one another...forgive others AS WE WISH to be forgiven: Because ALL of us have a little crazy in us that causes us to need forgiveness for one another and for things which we want to be forgiven. Before we self righteously condemn someone else to the nuthouse for not following OUR rules, perhaps we need to take a good, long, hard look in the mirror and reflect upon our OWN crazy in relation to God's rules.

God bless

Fear and Perfect Love

2009-11-16T15:39:00.001-05:00

1 John 4:15-20
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

Just taking the first part of this, I notice that the wording of acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God is very similar to the wording of "whoever loves God." It is really difficult to love someone and hate their child. Living in God is abiding in God. When we abide in God it means we are studying God's word and making his word the standard we hold ourselves to. While we might not always succeed, we acknowledge our failures as OUR failures without blaming God for them. When we abide in God, our love for him grows because we recognize just how glorious the gifts he has provided us are. In this way we have no need to feel fear because we have no punishment to face. Those of us who are not abiding still feel fear because we are not wearing God's armor of truth, righteousness, and peace and we lack confidence and trust in our God...so we feel fear in those areas of our lives where we know we are denying what God has asked of us.

When we are abiding in God instead of condemning others for not abiding in God, we feel compassion for what they are facing in their struggles. When WE are NOT abiding in God, we are quick to condemn others for fear of the condemnation we know we deserve, but choose to blindly ignore within ourselves.

When I read of perfect love, I think of 1 Corinthians 13.

1 Corinthians 13
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

While we can brag about all the ways that we are so much better than everyone else, God knows the truth. God knows the masks that we wear for everyone around us. God knows the mask of fake righteousness that we choose to hide behind rather than simply acknowledging our failures and moving forward. In his love for us, he will sometimes lovingly remove that mask for us so that we might see that EVEN THOUGH we must admit our failures...he DOES still love us. This is how I see perfect love driving out fear. Perfect love is a love that loves us knowing that even though we make mistakes, when we acknowledge them, we have nothing left TO fear. Our shame is in the anticipation of those things which we know we DESERVE condemnation for. In perfect love, we have no reason to feel shame because we have already acknowledged our mistakes, learned from them, corrected what we could and accepted responsibility for our actions.

In the same way, when we see someone going through a hard time, instead of condemning that person, we should recognize that if the person is aware that they have erred they do not need to hear over and over about their poor choices. Condemning a fellow Christian for his or her sin against God is not our responsibility. Perfect love (following 1 Cor 13) keeps no record of wrongs. If the person has accepted responsibility, then continually bringing up their mistake is not bearing Christlike "perfect love" for your brother. If the person has not accepted responsibility, perhaps it is time to 'shake the dust off' and move on to greener pastures until such time as that person is ready to repent. Fear of condemnation will only drive those living in fear continue to make decisions based in that fear rather than based in God's love and what is best for every one of us is God's love.

God bless

King of the Mountain

2009-04-14T00:42:00.003-04:00

I was thinking this morning of the phrase that Paul used in 1 Timothy chapter 1, when he calls himself "chief among sinners" depending on which translation of the Bible you use. I think I know how Paul felt. There are many times I feel like I am the "king of the mountain" when it comes to sin. Only in this game of "king of the mountain," the person who is the one on bottom seems to be the winner, getting crushed by the weight of guilt. Not exactly a competition that any of us want to win, is it?

Sort of like the brother who stayed in the parable of the prodigal son...I can understand how he felt..."Hey! I did everything you wanted, but he gets to share in the glory?! That's not fair!" yet, at the same time, I also feel like the brother who left and returned repentant. He was probably feeling like HE was chief among sinners when he came home. He was willing to be the lowest servant in his father's home and his father returned him to the status of son because he was truly repentant! I wonder at the combination of burning shame and bittersweet happiness he must have felt at his father's mercy.

The centurion in Matthew 8 who wanted his servant to be healed must have felt like chief among sinners and repented of those sins when he said, "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and he shall be healed." I imagine the regrets he must have overcome to come before Jesus and ask for something he knew he was not worthy to receive. I wonder at what he must have said to himself to move forward to draw Jesus' attention...did he tell himself, "The worst he can tell me is, 'No'?" or because of the confidence he had in Jesus' ability to heal, did he fear that by asking, he might call wrath down upon himself for being unworthy to ask? He was throwing both himself AND his servant upon Jesus' mercy when he asked for Jesus to heal his servant.

It had to have been hope that drove the prodigal son home and it had to have been hope that sent the centurion to Jesus. I started thinking about how much easier it is for me to have grace for others BECAUSE I am chief among sinners. How can I possibly condemn someone else when I am so unworthy myself? Paul tells me that I shouldn't hate myself, but the sin IN me...and I do hate the sin in me. I often fall short of being who I know God wants me to be. It doesn't keep me from trying that much harder to be the person he wants me to be, but even if I break the law...I repent and am willing to do whatever it takes to make restitution for my actions. How can I hate the sin in me without hating myself and not do the same for someone else facing those same trials I am facing? I have HOPE that God will forgive me for falling prey to my sins, I have the same HOPE for all of us that we can be forgiven when we show God our true repentance.

But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins. (Mark 11:25)

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:36-38)

Because I am king of the mountain when it comes to sin, I sit at the bottom of the hill, knowing that I am not worthy to be at the top, but I will help anyone else up who wants to go there and I have hope that the mercy I show to others will be shown to me.

The Morality of "Just Joking"

2008-05-08T09:24:00.000-04:00

When I was a teenager, my mom gave me a sage bit of advice.

She told me that when someone makes a remark that upsets me and then after I get upset, the person says, "Oh, Come ON! I was just joking! Don't be so SENSITIVE" I should view those words very carefully along with the person who said them.

I have thought a lot about those words of advice over the years. Every time someone says the phrase, "I was just joking" the conversation pops into my mind. The reason is because I have learned that the people who use that phrase often carry similar character traits to one another.

First, the tone of "I was just joking" is usually resentful.

If it is not resentful, it is hearty, said with a wink to those who they believe will agree with the original statement (as though the person who is offended isn't in on the joke or didn't understand it because the person didn't find it humorous).

On that note, if others ARE around who laugh along with the original 'joke' they usually have similar characteristics to the person who made the 'joke'.

Some of the characterstics I have noted in common are: A lack of respect for others opinions, a similarity to teenagers in the 'teen gang' mentality of trying to 'one up' the people around them (what I usually call a 'lack of maturity'), an excess of pride and/or vanity and an unwillingness to apologize when they hurt someone.

"I was just joking" isn't an apology. It is an excuse. It is a way of rationalizing one's own behavior. It is not a statement of innocence.

Job 21:3
Bear with me while I speak, and after I have spoken, mock on.

Proverbs 21:24
The proud and arrogant man-"Mocker" is his name; he behaves with overweening pride.

Proverbs 22:10
Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.

Proverbs 29:8
Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger.

Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

I have learned as an adult that there are two ways I can handle these 'jokers'. One way is to avoid them. I do that if it is possible. In some cases, it is not possible.

When it is not possible to avoid them, I simply employ what I have learned: That those persons who employ this sort of behavior are immature and have self esteem issues. The only way they can feel good about themselves is to demean someone else. In those cases, I look at them in all seriousness when the demeaning initial statement is made and ask, "Did that make you feel better?" Then when they respond with their false innocence, I smile and say, "I am glad that I was able to help you. God bless you." I cannot see into a person's heart, but I can recognize their actions and I do not have to tolerate being demeaned. I have the armor of God and it shall protect me.

May God's peace and strength be with you and bless you.

You are Not Alone

2008-02-02T19:32:00.000-05:00

Aren't there times that we all feel lonely? Even in the midst of a crowd, I might feel like no one sees me. It is an empty feeling. A feeling of loss and pain and hopelessness.

It can lead to depression.

We withdraw from one another even more, thinking that no one could possibly understand how we feel. We grumble and snarl and take our pain out on those around us, isolating us even further.

It can lead to obsession.

Obsession? You probably think I am crazy, but if you think about it...it makes sense.

Have you ever noticed someone who was lonely, and you were kind to them, and they wouldn't leave you alone? Perhaps that person took it to a point that made you uncomfortable or they took your kindness to mean a romantic interest rather than a friendship sort of interest? Have you ever confused another person's interest in friendship for romance?

I believe this is a way that is used to confuse our discernment of the love of Christ. When the love of Christ is confused for some sort of sexual interest, it can cause us to retreat rather than bringing others into the relationship and increasing the community of the person who we are trying to minister to.

The worst part is that the thought that we are alone is a lie.

When ministering to the lonely, they need not only us as the body of Christ, but they need to know the Love of God so that in the quiet times they know that God is with them and that whether they are in a crowd, or in a secret, quiet place, they are not alone.

We are members of one body. Look for the lonely around you and show them the love of Christ. Bring them into your community so that they feel that love from all around them. Share your light and the light of Christ in the darkness of loneliness. Even though Adam had God's companionship, God still provided Adam with Eve. He said, "It is not good for Man to be alone."

Genesis 2:18
The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

Romans 12:5
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

1 Corinthians 12:27
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Psalm 34:18
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Luke 8:27-31
When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!" For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"

"Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

Psalm 68:6
God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

We all need support from time to time, but if our attention is constantly on self and never on other, then the reason we are lonely is because our focus is not on the Lord. Sometimes though, the body around us that we have been supporting forgets that each part needs support at different times. Legs cannot stand 24 hours a day, sometimes they need rest. We can't lie around all day, we would get bedsores. Every part of the body needs support at different times.

Our attention should be on one another, not our selves. In our flesh, we don't always remember that those who give, also need. Sometimes those who give need to ask so that those in need have an opportunity to give as well.

We need to reach out to the lonely. Our children need to know that they are not alone. Our neighbors need to know that they are not alone.

We are not alone. We have one another. We need one another. When we are lonely and separate ourselves from loved ones and kindness given, it is not of the Lord. Separating ourselves from poor moral choices is good, seperating ourselves from the love of one another is not good.

When we feel alone it is because we need to be a part of the body of Christ. That is the empty feeling of lonliness.

When one is doing for others, putting others first, and sharing our needs with other members of the body of Christ, we cannot help but stop our focus being on self (alone) and start our focus on others ...which is what our Savior has called us to.

God bless you.

What is Your Heaven?

2008-02-02T19:14:00.000-05:00

When I was a little girl, I used to think that heaven would be a place of white clouds and golden streets where we could eat candy, cake and potato chips all day and play and we never had to do chores. I would think that everyone wore a white robe and had wings and a halo. I often hear people describe 'their heaven' in a similar vein.

For example:
I have heard heaven described as a golf course.
I have heard heaven described as a place where things that are sins here on earth will be allowed in heaven (think along the vein of '72 virgins') .
I have heard heaven described as a place where only the people who are 'right' will be.
I have heard heaven descirbed as a place where we won't experience any pain and will all look any way we want.
I have heard heaven described as a place where we won't be around the people we hate.

etc.

I find it interesting that as I got older, I went through a period of time thinking, "Gee, that heaven sounds kind of boring, in fact, it sounds more like hell to me."

Then recently, I looked at what these versions of 'heaven' had in common were aspects of selfishness...the 7 deadly sins: pride, vanity, lust, greed, envy, gluttony, laziness.

In the Lord's Prayer, it says Thy Kingdom Come early on and toward the end it says For Thine IS the Kingdom. If God is the Kingdom and we are praying for Him to come to us, then isn't heaven the complete presence of God with us? Where can sin exist if God is fully present? How can we possibly conceive what heaven really is when our perception of what is 'good' is skewed by our physical desires for what is not good for us or for our fellow man? In all reality, isn't heaven the place that God knows the deepest desires of our spirits and He gives us that? I am not referring to what we think we want, I mean the deepest inner desires that we even hide from ourselves.

So...where do these concepts of heaven that are traditionally expressed come from? Are they scriptural, but misunderstood? Are they from other faiths? Is it a combination?

For example: the streets of gold (Revelation 21:21
The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.)

Is that literally a picture of heaven or is it an example of what we will place value upon in heaven?

I am reminded of the joke about the rich man who asked God to be allowed to bring something from his life upon earth when he died and arrived at the 'Pearly Gates' . God agreed to allow him whatever he could fit in one suitcase. The man joyfully sold all he possessed and had it converted to gold, then purchased the largest suitcase he could and filled it with the gold he had purchased.

Upon his death, when arriving at the 'Pearly Gates', St. Peter was waiting and quite aware of the 'bargain' the man had struck with God. He waited with bated breath to find out what the man had decided to bring.

When the man opened the case to show him, St. Peter looked at him in confusion and asked him, "Why did you bring pavement?"

I find this 'joke' to be theologically interesting for several reasons.

1) The God described in this joke made a bargain with the man that helped him learn a valuable lesson. That reminded me of the book of Job and God making a 'bargain' with Satan with all of his wisdom that involved a learning experience.

2) What perspective do we view heaven from...an earthly perspective or a spiritual perspective?

While I am unable to use my vocabulary limited by my flesh to describe heaven, I imagine heaven to be immersed in God and his eternal love. I cannot imagine anything more heavenly than that.

God bless you.

Teaching Us to Number Our Days

2008-02-02T18:46:00.000-05:00

Job 14:5
Man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.

Psalm 39
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

1 I said, "I will watch my ways
and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
as long as the wicked are in my presence."
2 But when I was silent and still,
not even saying anything good,
my anguish increased.
3 My heart grew hot within me,
and as I meditated, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4 "Show me, O LORD, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath.
Selah
6 Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
He bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.
7 "But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.
8 Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.
9 I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
for you are the one who has done this.
10 Remove your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
11 You rebuke and discipline men for their sin;
you consume their wealth like a moth—
each man is but a breath.
Selah
12 "Hear my prayer, O LORD,
listen to my cry for help;
be not deaf to my weeping.
For I dwell with you as an alien,
a stranger, as all my fathers were.
13 Look away from me, that I may rejoice again
before I depart and am no more."

Psalm 90
A prayer of Moses the man of God.
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn men back to dust,
saying, "Return to dust, O sons of men."
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep men away in the sleep of death;
they are like the new grass of the morning-
6 though in the morning it springs up new,
by evening it is dry and withered.
7 We are consumed by your anger
and terrified by your indignation.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.
10 The length of our days is seventy years—
or eighty, if we have the strength;
yet their span is but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11 Who knows the power of your anger?
For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
12 Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 Relent, O LORD! How long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble. 16 May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children.
17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.

I was just thinking about something that my mother in law said to me when she told us about her diagnosis with stage 3 skin cancer.

She said that God already knows the number of her days and how this is going to turn out, so there is no point in bemoaning it, she just needs to enjoy her days, however many there are.

That statement has taught me so much. When I go back and read the Psalms and Job, both of them pair numbering one's days with trials. In Psalm 90, Moses even says that we should be glad for the days we are afflicted...taking joy in our trials.

Without our trials, how often do we appreciate the blessings? I cannot speak for others, but when things have been going well for me for a time, I don't always spend as much time appreciating the one who blessed me with those things. When I am afflicted with trials though, I spend much more time with the one who loves me. Those trials also help me to appreciate all the good in my life and help me to remember to count my blessings. They teach me to appreciate each day I have as one day more to spend with my husband, my children, the people who I love, the blue sky, the roof over my head, the food in my refrigerator, my health, the health of the people I love...

When God teaches us to number our days, I don't think he is telling us to consider how many days we have left until we die, I think he is reminding us to enjoy each day he has blessed us with and to find as much joy in it as we can.

God bless you.

Refined by Fire

2008-02-02T18:39:00.000-05:00

Isaiah 48:10
See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

I don't believe a loving God would give us a pass on every sin we commit just because we say "I love you" or "I believe in you". I believe that would be the least loving kind of God.

As a parent, I love my kids, but I expect more of them because of that love. I give them a pass when I know they truly didn't know better (depending upon the act), but when they know better and do something wrong anyway, I think they learn the lesson better when they suffer the consequences of their actions.

I think God's love means that sometimes he will step back and let us suffer the consequences of our behaviors so that we will draw closer to Him. He doesn't afflict us, but he does allow us to face the consequences of our actions as a learning experience.

That is not to say that I believe God does not forgive us for doing things wrong. Nor does it mean that I believe God does not protect us from ourselves and our actions, it just means that I think he doesn't protect us from ourselves just because we believe in Him, he protects us from ourselves when he knows that we won't learn anything from it, and he allows us to experience the consequences of our actions when he knows that we will grow closer to Him from it.

Romans 5:2-5 (King James Version)

By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

1 Peter 5:10
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Revelation 3:19
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

Hebrews 12:4-6 (King James Version)

Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Amen.

Lean Not on Thine Own Understanding

2008-02-02T18:33:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 3:5 (King James Version)
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Proverbs 18:2 (NIV)
A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.

1 Corinthians 12:1-27
Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

In the ancient Church, the different churches came together (the 7 ecumenical councils)...Why do you suppose they CAME TOGETHER?

There were things they didn't agree upon. There were things that they discussed and argued about...similar to the way the various faiths argue on a religion forum I post on and the various sects of Christianity argue amongst themselves in that forum. There are times when I am in this forum and I think to myself that this must be much like what those councils were like.

Does any ONE of us have ALL of the gifts of the Holy Spirit? I sincerely doubt it. Thus, no single one of us can possibly know the ENTIRE truth of God alone. We need one another to keep our sins in check because often we will allow our personal fleshy challenges to get in our way without our even knowing it.

I am a fool without God to guide me, but sometimes he uses the people around me to guide me...he doesn't always use MY understanding to guide me.

God bless you.

Bias and the American Victim Mentality

2008-02-02T18:31:00.002-05:00

I was thinking as I was driving home today about how often we call “bias” upon people we disagree with and what causes us to do that. I was also thinking about how often we make a big deal of bias against us, but rarely notice the biases we commit…especially in the cases where we jump to the conclusion that someone is going to be biased against us…so we LOOK for it.

I realized that when I watch television or movies, I look for the politically biased perspective now to see if I notice it. If I disagree with the bias presented (as I see it), I am annoyed and don’t want to watch the show anymore. Then I noticed that when a group, whether it is a matter of race or religion or sexual proclivities or political belief, thinks that they have been ‘discriminated against’ by some group they develop a bias of their own against said group, looking for any opportunity to point it out.

Sometimes we perceive bias where none is present, it is merely disagreement over an opinion. Then the fault lies within ourselves and we need the correction. Sometimes we become paranoid and start seeing things that aren’t there. During those times we should check to find out what someone meant before making an assumption of the worst. Sometimes we see things that ARE there, but were put there in ignorance. During those times we should also ask if the person understood what they did. Sometimes we see things that ARE there and were put there deliberately, but when we explain our position and why it hurt us, the person or people who hurt us repent. Sometimes we see things that ARE there and were put there deliberately, but when we explain our position and why it hurt us, the people who hurt us don’t care. Only the last ones need a stronger and perhaps slightly more painful correction.

As Christians I am aware of the idea that we are supposed to experience trials, but I think that we also tend to create our own trials when we spend all of our time focused upon the biases we experience, especially when everyone has experienced some sort of bias from somewhere. We can compare the biases we experience to one another and say, “The bias I experience is worse than yours because….” or instead of comparing ourselves to one another, we can compare ourselves to Christ and recognize that any bias committed against us was committed against Him first and I am only receiving a shadow of what he did.

2 Corinthians 10:12
We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.

Galatians 6:3-5
If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.

Romans 8:18
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

1 Peter 3:8-9
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

Amen.

Reflection

2008-02-02T18:17:00.000-05:00

reflection

Main Entry: re·flec·tion
Pronunciation: \ri-ˈflek-shən\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, alteration of reflexion, from Late Latin reflexion-, reflexio act of bending back, from Latin reflectere
Date: 14th century
1: an instance of reflecting; especially : the return of light or sound waves from a surface
2: the production of an image by or as if by a mirror
3 a: the action of bending or folding back b: a reflected part : fold
4: something produced by reflecting: as a: an image given back by a reflecting surface b: an effect produced by an influence
5: an often obscure or indirect criticism : reproach (a reflection on his character)
6: a thought, idea, or opinion formed or a remark made as a result of meditation
7: consideration of some subject matter, idea, or purpose
8obsolete : turning back : return
9 a: a transformation of a figure in which each point is replaced by a point symmetric with respect to a line or plane b: a transformation that involves reflection in more than one axis of a rectangular coordinate system

I was reading about refraction and reflection of light on a wall today. When I got home, I was thinking about the word 'reflect' and the different ways it is used and how it is grammatically set up.

The prefix re- means to do again or to go back

The root word -flect- means 'to bend' (as in 'genuflect') from the Latin flectere.

I would love to know what the words used in the original Greek and Hebrew are...I would be interested in knowing if they had the same meaning. In the English, I find the word 'reflection' to have such a rich and varied meaning.

If I apply the original definition...to bend, to bend back, to bend back again...I can look on that as the sort of position my body ends up in, a position of complete and total vulnerability. I can make myself vulnerable by considering my own behavior.

If I apply the first, second, or fourth definition...I can be a'reflection' of someone else's behavior, meaning that I can behave as they do. I reflect (consider) that I want to reflect (repeat the image of) the Lord.

If I apply the fifth definition, it is a reproach. Whose image do you see when you see me if I am NOT reflecting on my own reflection?

The application of the last line is the one I most love, let my reflection be a transformation. Let that transformation be a reflection of ALL the ways I can be a reflection. Let me reflect upon myself. Let me be a glass that the Lord shines through. Let me reflect the Son, not myself, to others. Let me leave myself vulnerable to Him. Let me spend more time considering my own behaviors and let my EXAMPLE be what helps others to reflect upon their own behaviors.

Most of all, help me to remember to spend time in reflection of the Lord and His Word.

1 Corinthians 13:9-13 (King James Version)
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

James 1:22-25 (King James Version)
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Proverbs 27:19
As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man.

2 Corinthians 3:18
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Timothy 2:7
Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Amen

Please Forgive Me...

2008-02-02T18:13:00.000-05:00

As I have mentioned before, several years ago my husband and I attended a Marriage Encounter weekend.

During that weekend, one of the subjects that came up (I don't remember the context) was how to apologize to one's spouse.

Often, during or after an argument, one person would say, "I am sorry you felt that way."

Another 'apology' was "I am sorry that you misunderstood me."

One of the points made was that neither of these statements are actually an apology. They are not repentant. Both statements start with "I am sorry that YOU..." That isn't repentance, that is blame. When you make blame look like repentance, I think that is repentance abuse.

My least favorite of the false repentance statements is, "If I misunderstood you, then I am sorry." That says to me, "I still don't think I did something wrong. It is YOUR fault for not making yourself clearer, not MY fault for being too sensitive."

I don't want false repentance. I would rather not have any apology at all if I am only going to be offered false repentance.

If I am really repentant, then I am aware of what I did wrong, of how it hurt the person who I offended and I will make an effort to make the person whom I have offended know that I really want that person to forgive me. I want to heal our relationship, not damage it further.

I have committed repentance abuse. When I use it, I am using it with deliberation. I am carefully phrasing it so that no one will misunderstand me and think that I think I have done anything wrong. I think my false repentance is either based in pride, a complete lack of understanding for what the person who was hurt by my actions felt, or a desire to simply divert the argument so that I don't actually have to apologize. When I do it, I am trying to look good for others ("Look at what a good Christian I am, I apologized!") and I demean the person who deserves my apology. ("Why won't he/she accept my apology?")

When I use it, I am aware that it is not really an apology. I wonder if others who use it know it is not really repentance? I see people use it in these forums and in real life and I wonder if they are aware that what they are saying is that they are not really sorry for anything. I know that when I use it, I am not really sorry for anything.

In our Marriage Encounter, they instructed us that love truly DOES mean never having to say, "I'm sorry." However, it does require saying, "Please forgive me. I wronged you. This is how I wronged you. I cannot promise I will not do it again, but knowing that it hurt you hurts me. I will make every effort not to do it again."

I have found over the years that those words apply in more situations than just with one's spouse. I feel better when I use those words with my children, with my friends, with family and even with people I interact with online.

Luke 17:3-4
So watch yourselves.
"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."

Acts 3:17-20
"Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.

Amen.

People: It's what is NOT for dinner

2007-11-17T20:45:00.000-05:00

As a very young child, I lived in a trailer park. I remember that at the top of the hill behind our trailer, there was a family and their daughter Amy was about my same age. I was a lonely child and I would ask my mom if I could go to her house to play whenever I could. I am sure that I did traumatic things to her and I do not excuse those things, but as memories go there are two incidents with Amy that were so traumatic for me that I still remember them and they still affect me today.

I do not recall if Amy ever came to my house to play, but the way I remember our relationship is that whenever I went to her house I would always end up unhappy because she would not share. I remember being in her bedroom and wanting to play with one of her toys. She refused to let me play with any toys and would grab anything from my hand that I would pick up. We started bickering and she bit me because I was arguing with her. I remember her father ended up taking me home. While traumatic because it is the only time I ever remember being bitten, I think the reason I remember it so vividly is because this was typical behavior for Amy and her mother would always say that it was my fault if we were playing at her house. Even Amy biting me was my fault in her mother's opinion because if I hadn't been arguing with Amy over playing with her toys, she would not have bit me. I remember my mom asking me why I would want to play with someone who treated me like that and as an adult I can describe the feeling I had as lonliness, but I could not have communicated that to her at the time.

Time passed and as things like this go, Amy and I eventually made up. Another day I went up the hill to her trailer to play in her yard and her mother brought out drinks for us in the Tupperware cups that all the moms had during that time. We giggled and talked while drinking our kool-aid and then Amy said, "Watch this" and suddenly hauled back with her arm and smashed the glass on the screen door with her Tupperware cup. It was frightening. Her mother came out and asked, “Who did it?” Amy pointed at me. I was shocked that she would lie and started crying when her mother sent me home, but I was sure that the truth would eventually come out.

Within a few days, I went up the hill to ask Amy to play. When I arrived, the broken screen window was being replaced and Amy told me that she was not allowed to play with me anymore. I asked her why and she said that it was because I broke the glass. When I started to argue with her and point out that she was the one who broke the glass, she shrugged her shoulders. Her mother saw me and told me to go home. I remember crying when I went home because I was being punished when I did not do anything wrong. I could not believe that my friendship meant so little to her that instead of telling the truth so that we could play together, she would maintain her lie. I was never allowed to play with Amy again.

To this day, I worry about how something appears on the outside to others because I do not have a problem receiving just punishment if I did something wrong, but being punished when I did not do something wrong offends me deep inside and literally causes me emotional pain.

I think back as an adult on how those incidents affected who I am today and I think of how God was even at work then in my life. God knew that being blamed for that and feeling that punishment would stay with me as hard lessons always do. It even influences the kind of parent I am today, because I do not want to be a parent like Amy's mom. Her mom refused to believe her child could do wrong. I know that Amy behaved worse and worse because she knew she would get away with it and she knew she would get away with it because her mother made excuses for her behavior and refused to see her child’s faults. That did not help Amy to become a better person because no matter what she did wrong, she faced no consequences for her actions.

It also influenced my opinion of lying to get out of trouble. After that, I could not lie about something if I thought someone else would suffer the consequences for my actions. I am not saying that I did not lie, but I would not let anyone think that someone else was at fault for something I did wrong.

I do not know if the story I heard was true, but I was thinking of this incident when I heard that Jeffrey Dahmer said that he was never told by anyone while he was growing up that killing people and eating them was wrong. Not that a parent would normally think as his or her child is growing up that telling the child, "We don’t eat people" is actually necessary, but I wonder if he lived in a home where nothing he did was wrong so eating people would naturally be OK if that is what he wanted to do. I wonder what kind of limitations his parents did give him growing up.

Everyone needs limitations. People need to hear what they should NOT do, even when the culture they live in says it is ok. When it comes down to it, is that not what God did when He ended human sacrifice? God had to come out and say, "Abraham, it is not necessary to kill your son." All the other societies said, "Killing your children is fine" and "There is nothing wrong with human sacrifice." All the neighbors might have thought it was ok, but it was a limitation that humanity needed. Good parents give their children limitations, whether the limitations are, "You have to eat your dinner to get potato chips for dessert", "do not touch the stove", “you have to clean your room if you want to go out with your friends” or “do not eat people.” Limitations are the gift of a person who loves you wanting you to be more than what you are...not for them, but for YOU.

So the next time your feel like someone is criticizing you, remember that the person is just sharing the world of their limitations because he or she loves you and wants you to be the best you that you can be. The next time your child does something wrong, remember that he or she will become an adult you can be proud of due to the love you show, through the just punishment you bestow. Every one of us is a better person for the limitations we have been taught.

Psalm 119:124
Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees.

John 14:23-24
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

God bless you.

The Judas Church

2007-08-30T13:00:00.000-04:00

I noticed this on virtueonline.org and thought that it spoke about current issues in the TEC. With one minor exception as to the presiding bishop of TEC it is right on the money.

Pax,
Fr. Jon

The Judas Church

by Dr. David Kyle Foster
August 29, 2007

We are living in the days of the Great Apostasy. Whether we are in the early stages or nearing the end will only be known in hindsight. But that we are in the throes of the greatest "falling away" the Church has ever seen is clear. At the same time, we are seeing the greatest ingathering of souls that the world has ever seen.

Jesus informed His disciples in Mt 13:24-30, 36-43 that the Kingdom of Heaven, (His presence on earth through the Church), would be infiltrated by the enemies of God. He prophesied that while everyone was sleeping, an enemy (the devil) would come and sow weeds among the wheat. The wheat (sons of the kingdom, - i.e., believers) and weeds (sons of the evil one) would grow together in the world. At the end of the age, Jesus will then send angels to collect the weeds for burning and the wheat for harvest. He puts it this way: "The Son of Man will send out His angels and they will weed out of His kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil."

Jesus warned of a time when "many will turn away from the faith", when "many false prophets will appear and deceive many people" (Mt 24:10-11). We have seen this prophecy repeatedly fulfilled throughout history, and yet what we see happening today in the church has not been seen since the days of the Borgia and Medici popes.

Aspects of the final "Great Apostasy" are spoken of in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. And as with many prophecies, there is most likely an initial fulfillment within a generation of the prophecy (the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD being the obvious candidate), perhaps multiple, partial fulfillments as history progresses, and one final and complete fulfillment awaiting mankind in the last day.

In Acts 20:29-30, after admonishing the presbyters in the Ephesian church to carefully watch over the flock put under their care by God, the Apostle Paul warns:

I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

The Bible often warns of a day like ours, when the world will become so corrupt that even so-called "believers" will fall away. As one biblical passage describes it: "They went out from us in order that it might be shown that they are not of us" (1 Jn 2:19b).

We are seeing these scriptures fulfilled before our very eyes, as denomination after denomination, leader after leader, and believer after believer turn from their Lord to serve themselves and the kingdom of darkness.

It was not odd even in the early church for there to be weeds among the wheat. In 1 Tim 1:19-20, we see the case of Hymenaeus and Alexander, who Paul says had "shipwrecked their faith" by rejecting both faith and good conscience. Paul hands them over to Satan "to be taught not to blaspheme" and later warns in 4:1: "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." Later, in 2 Tim 4:4, he says:

The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

In the early centuries of the Church, we can see this played out in the Judaizers, Arians and Gnostics who continually bled the Church of those who professed to be "believers". In a way, they were pruning tools in the devil's hand, serving the purposes of God.

In more recent centuries, we've seen ongoing apostasy through the rise of various cults like the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses.

Today, however, we see the falling away taking place primarily from within the structures of the Church itself - Protestant, Orthodox and Roman Catholic - particularly in the older sectors. It's akin to the decomposition that happens when a long-buried artifact is exposed to the light. As God begins to subject the visible church to a more intense and holy gaze, parts of it are disintegrating into dust. Satan's weeds are being exposed and have only power, money and the pretense of lies to perpetuate their charade.

Today we see men and women inside Christian seminaries, denominations and churches who pretend to be servants of God yet who deliberately deny the clear word of truth found in Scripture. They prognosticate truth by throwing colored stones into buckets and tear down everything that is holy on national TV specials every Christmas and Easter. And we see millions of pastors, priests, teachers, bishops and church-goers who sit in those same churches, send their children to those same seminaries and who do nothing of substance to correct the situation. What is worse, they continue to fund the ongoing apostasy with their tithes and offerings and become deceived as a penalty for their own collusion. They are like deer frozen in place by the headlights of a car, awaiting their own demise. They see the danger, and do nothing. In that place of compromise, they are overtaken.

In 2 Thess 2:1-12, Paul writes about a coming "rebellion" and how those who "refuse to love the truth" (v 10b) and who "delight in wickedness" (v 12b) are given over by God Himself to "a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie" (v 11).

Paul sees them as collaborators or agents of the kingdom of darkness. In 2 Cor 11 he speaks of them as teaching "another Jesus" (v 4a) and imparting a different spirit and gospel (v 4b). In verses 13-15, he writes:

Such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

In 2 Timothy 3:1-7, Paul speaks of the "last days" once again and how it will be populated by those who are "lovers of themselves" (v 2a) and "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (v 4b). He says they will "have a form of godliness but deny its power" (v 5a).

As Satan, through this appearance of light, spreads his darkness more intensely across the land, God is simultaneously ratcheting up the intensity of His light. The hypocrisy, the compromise, the immorality that He once waited patiently to see forsaken by His people is no longer able to stand that refining light and its devotees are shifting even more blatantly into the kingdom that will sustain it - the kingdom of darkness - the synagogue of Satan (cf Rev 2:9; 3:9).

What we are seeing is the rise of the "Judas Church".

You see, Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Christ, was more than just an individual. He was a type. His life and actions were a template that has been repeated throughout Church history, and has finally culminated in our day as the "Great Apostasy".

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a "Judas" as . . . . . "A person who treacherously betrays another under the semblance of friendship; a traitor or betrayer of the worst kind."

Judas was someone who pretended to be a faithful follower of Christ, yet stole from the One he called Lord (Jn 12:4-6), eventually becoming a traitor (Lk 6:16). Many speculate that he was somehow saved in the end, but the Scripture is clear that he was not (Mt 26:24; Jn 17:12; Acts 1:25).

In a similar way, the "Judas Church" robs God and His people in ways both material and spiritual and in the end turns traitor to the Lord and leads everyone in it into perdition (Mt 23:15).

Just try remaining faithful to God's Word in the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA) today, for example. If you dare try standing with our Lord against the enthronement of unrepentant, practicing homosexuals to the episcopate, you will likely be sued for your church properties, stripped of your salary and pension and might even be defrocked from the priesthood altogether. Such draconian sanctions have already been imposed on faithful priests in that denomination by the very people who cry "Peace and unity!" And the purging has only just begun.

It is alright if you deny the deity of Christ, or His bodily resurrection or atoning sacrifice for sin. No one will bother you there. Being a Christian hasn't been a requirement for the priesthood in ECUSA for decades. But dare oppose the imposition and enshrining of the immorality that nailed Christ to the Cross and there will be hell to pay. Yet people are still debating about whether to stay or not.

What is happening is not the friendly, inclusive sharing of differences among brothers that it is being presented as by those who have taken over the denomination. What is happening is the stupefication of both clergy and laity by means of sweet-sounding words and sentiments by those who put allegiance to organizational unity above allegiance to Christ. It is the same parlor trick that has been run by the World and National Council of Churches for decades. In truth, through compromise, unbelief and misplaced loyalty, they have collectively become a synagogue of Satan - a Judas Church.

The Presiding Bishop of ECUSA (Frank Griswold) likes to issue PR statements waxing eloquent about how the Episcopal Church USA has always embraced diversity of opinion and how "unity amidst diversity" is their highest value. However, if you defy that sentiment, refuse to bend the knee to Baal, and out of faithfulness to Christ deny the legitimacy of or obedience to their new homosexual bishop, one way or the other, these paragons of inclusiveness will crush you. We have only just begun to see what they will do with dissenters.

Like Judas Iscariot, the leaders of this apostasy pretend to break bread with our Lord in the Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion). As if donning costumes to disguise their union with Baal (the ancient Canaanite god of sexual depravity), they wear the white robes instituted by God at Sinai to reflect the holy calling of the priest (Ex 28:39-43; Lev 16:4), and which believers wear as a sign of being cloaked in the righteousness of Christ (Rev 3:4-5; 6:11; 7:9, 13-14; cf also Mt 22:11-14). With professions of love for Christ, they betray Him, as it were, with a kiss, selling their souls for power, prestige and pieces of silver.

Because of his ongoing duplicity, there came a time when Satan entered Judas and he went out to betray the Lord (Lk 22:1-6). This is why I do not expect to see any turnaround in those communions that have been living in compromise - communions that have been supporting the murder of children in their mother's wombs; communions that have been knowingly ordaining and enthroning practicing homosexuals and adulterers; communions that have forsaken the Word of God as their infallible guide for faith and doctrine and teaching others to do the same.

When you see the abomination in the Holy Place, it is already too late. In other words, when you see the overt display of apostasy being sanctioned and sanctified by the majority of the leaders within a denomination, Satan has already gained too much ground for that communion to be saved. Having forsaken God's expressed will for so long, having denied themselves the medicine of the graces of God that flow only to the repentant heart, having refused to demonstrate their professed love of Him through obedience (Jn 14:15, 21, 23-24; Lk 6:46-49), they have built their house on sand and are going down.

God will not supervene the ongoing willful choices of human beings. He will give them into the hands of their lovers and it will be those lovers who punish them (Jer 2:19; Ez 16:35-39; 23:9, 24, 35, 49; Rom 1:18-25, 28-29). Satan has entered ECUSA and other denominations already and the final act of betrayal is at hand. The only choice a faithful follower of Christ has left to him at this point is to flee from the wrath that is to come - to flee before they too become so deceived through sloth and compromise that they stand staring into the coming destruction and are lost.

This warning applies to more than those in the Episcopal Church USA, however. That particular denomination is only the most glaring example at the moment. Satan has been at work in the leadership of other communions for so long that they too are already set on "auto pilot" for destruction. For example, we are probably only months away from the official sanctioning of homosexual behavior in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Recent decisions in the United Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church USA are also frighteningly representative of the final stages of apostasy despite the many good and faithful people who remain in membership. The United Church of Christ has been terminal for decades. And as for the Metropolitan Community Church, it has never been a Christian body. It was stillborn from the beginning by rebellion against the Lord it claims to serve and love.

Finally, one should also understand that many independent, charismatic, fundamentalist and evangelical churches are also guilty of apostasy. Hardly a week goes by before another story of long term immorality, power grabs or blatant thievery is uncovered among the leadership of one church or another. The "Judas Church" can be found everywhere and under every guise. And which is worse, the betrayal of Christ by those who claim to believe in the authority of His Holy Word, or by those who don't even bother with that pretense?

Ultimately, we must allow the Bible to show us the way (1 Cor 6:15-17) . . . . .

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a harlot is one body with her? For He says, "The two will become one flesh." But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him."

And in 2 Cor 6:14-18 . . . . . .

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial (Satan), or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord. And do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you. And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me," says the Lord Almighty.

Got a lot to lose by leaving your church or denomination? Hear once again what Jesus told the rich young ruler in Mt. 19:21: Go, sell what you have, give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow Me!

---Dr. David Kyle foster is the President of Mastering Life Ministries

Forgive me for I knew not what I did

2007-06-25T00:42:00.001-04:00

I was looking at classmates.com tonight and I started thinking back to people I knew at different points in my life.

I thought about the person I was when I knew them. I thought about things I said and did. Some things I did I am not ashamed of, some things I did and said I am not proud of though.

I thought about how those people would see me now. There are people who knew me in high school who thought I was 'sweet'. There are also people in high school who thought that I was not sweet. Interestingly, the people I first thought of when I typed those words were the cheerleaders on the squad I was on. I was told that I was 'too nice' and that 'no one is REALLY that nice' and since I wasn't gossipping with them, I must be gossipping about them. That led me to choose to change for the worse and snipe and gossip too. Me and my self righteous cheerleader haughty self decided that if my friends said it or did it, I could say or do it. Wrong!

My mom told me about sex when I was in third grade and told me that I should never let a boy hug me or kiss me because all they wanted was sex or to feel my private parts. My dad and brother were boys in my reasoning, so if they wanted to hug or kiss me, it was to feel my boobs. There was no separating affection from sex. It was all one and the same. So I wouldn't kiss my dad or my brother, not even goodnight. I wouldn't hug them either. My parents started fighting because my mom finally had to make me kiss my dad goodnight (and it made me sick to my stomach).

I had no education in understanding relationships and the education that I did have was confusing to me. I had trouble with understanding how my mom could swear that I could not trust the boys in my youth group (because they might rape me) when they were some of my very best friends in the world and treated me like a little sister. I had no idea who to ask because I was considered naive by my friends as it was and sex isn't exactly a subject that teens are going to be comfortable discussing at church or in front of 'adults'.

I was upset with my friend in fourth grade for telling me the reason I had few friends was because I was a whiner, but my mom told me that she did me a favor and was really a good friend for telling me that and I should take it as constructive criticism.

So...I told my best friend in sixth grade that her house smelled like cat pee so that was probably why she didn't have a lot of friends. My 'best friend' wasn't my friend for much longer after that. I look back on that as an adult and I know that in my heart at that time, I thought I was being helpful, but I know see that I hurt someone because I was an ignorant child.
1) It was a mean thing to say and I probably wouldn't have said it if I hadn't been hurting over something myself
2) Anything I used to justify it to myself isn't good enough because she was a genuine, kind person. Whether her house smelled like urine or not, she was my friend and she was a child who had no more control over the smell of her house than I had over the smell of my house.

In fifth grade, I climbed across the tables that we were sitting around screaming I was going to kill the Pastor's son because I bragged to one of the girls in the class that I had a crush on his friend (and it was bragging) and he overheard me and said he was going to tell. The Sunday School teacher walked in and told me to sit down in my seat (saving both of us). The stupid part is:
1) I didn't have a crush on the guy I said I did...I hadn't even noticed him until a slumber party I went to where all the girls had to say who their crush was and since everyone named him, I went along with it
2) for the rest of the year the boy sent me nasty cursing notes calling me every curse word you can name.

By the time I was in middle school, I was scared to open my mouth because it never failed that the wrong thing came out and I ended up having no friends.

I learned something from every one of those experiences though...

Now, I look back on those things and think, "By making mistakes and being hurt by the mistakes I made, I learned something important." Making mistakes, repenting from them, learning from those mistakes...those lessons lasted. Those lessons have stayed with me my entire life.

I can look at myself in shame and think of what a horrible person I have been my entire life...or I can see the changes God made in me through repentance.

I can be afraid of the person I was, or I can know that I am not that person anymore. I have committed every sin and I have repented of them. I will commit more sins, but I will learn from them and I know that by learning from those sins, I will grow closer to God and I will learn to love my God and my family and my friends and my enemies because each time I have erred, I have hurt myself as much or more than I hurt the person I sinned against. I am sorry and I wish I could go back to every person I have ever hurt and say, "I am sorry I hurt you." I may never have a chance to do that, but I can show the person who hurts me that I forgive them...for they probably didn't know what they did to hurt me and in forgiving those who sin against me, I have the opportunity to be forgiven. Through being forgiven, I have learned forgiveness and so much more. Being forgiven changed me and gave me a chance to make up for the mistakes I made.

I still hurt people. I hurt my husband sometimes. Sometimes I hurt my kids. I don't intend to, but it happens. Love is about forgiving and being forgiven. It is about making mistakes and repenting of them. It is about accepting responsibility for one's actions and forgiving immature choices as people who never learned better and helping those people who want to learn to do better to know how to do better. God lets us learn lessons because he loves us. While we might suffer for our mistakes, our suffering doesn't last forever. My children will make mistakes also, but they will learn from them and be better people for having learned from their mistakes. My friends will make mistakes and I will be hurt, I will tell them, and they will be sad for having hurt me and they will learn from their mistakes. I will hurt my friends and family unintentionally, but people will let me know I hurt them, and I will learn not to do that which hurts those who I care about.

It is about overcoming our limitations, but we can't do it alone. We need the body of Christ to help us. We need to trust the Lord and submit ourselves to him. Through our repentance, we allow Him to change us.

God bless

Overcoming my Limitations

2007-06-17T09:26:00.000-04:00

I was thinking about Jesus this morning and realized what a Pharisee I am.

It all started when I was thinking about the derogatory word “sheeple” in reference to people who follow the pack rather than think for themselves. This led to me think about Jesus referring to himself as a shepherd and the people around him as lambs. Then, I tried to imagine someone coming along today who was constantly showing fruit of the spirit and saying the exact same words Jesus said…and I realized I would react the exact same way the Pharisees did. Ok, maybe not exactly. I wouldn’t want the person to be crucified, but I would certainly NOT think that the person was Jesus since, in my mind, he would automatically be prideful and self righteous by claiming to be Jesus.

I would be offended that someone tried to put themselves on the same pedestal as I have Jesus on.

Then, I thought about why that would offend me. I don’t mind kneeling before Jesus, so why would I mind kneeling before anyone since, as Christians, we should humble ourselves…period? Then I thought about Jesus saying to his disciples "I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward." I went back to thinking about the reference to “sheeple” and thought about being considered a sheep and how often humans do act like sheep, listening to the media and believing everything we are told, following the crowd because everyone else is going there so it must be the place to go, going our own way and getting ‘lost’.

I don’t want to be a sheep, but in not wanting to be a sheep, I discovered that I act more like a sheep than ever! In not wanting to put someone in Jesus’ rightful place, I am acting just like the Pharisees looked at Jesus for putting himself in the place of God. "Who are you to judge ME?" I would rather look at the person who corrects me with scorn for ‘judging me’ rather than humbling myself and looking in the mirror at my actions.

How often do any of us do this? Isn’t this part of Jesus’ reference to the speck someone else’s eye and the log in our own? He said that we should remove the log from our own eye before trying to remove the speck from someone else’s. In other words, we should look at our own behaviors and see where we fall short before attempting to correct someone else. We should humble ourselves and when we do, we don’t give anyone a foothold to shame us, because we can say, “Yes, you are right. I did that. This is what I have done to correct it. It was wrong of me to do that. I have been doing my best to correct that flaw in my behavior.” Rather than becoming defensive and allowing our accuser to divert the concern we have in love for one another into humiliation. We can’t be humiliated if we have already humbled ourselves.

So, am I one of the “sheeple”? Yes, I hope so. I hope that I am one of the sheeple that follow the Shepherd. I hope that instead of worrying about someone claiming to be Jesus, I can treat everyone as though they were Jesus and humble myself before everyone, thinking that I am no better than anyone. Since I am one of the Pharisees who would not recognize Jesus when he comes, I need to be making sure all the more that I treat everyone like Jesus. When I fall short of the fruit bearing spirit, I hope that people correct me in love and I need to look for the love in their correction. When those I love fall short, I hope that they will accept a humble correction from me given in love. Throughout it all I will continue praying that the Lord will guide us all and protect all of us from ourselves, one another, temptation and evil. I pray that He lets only the learning experiences through that will bring us closer to Him and that in coming closer to Him, earth can be more like heaven.

Matthew 25:31-46

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

God bless

A Culture of Violence

2007-04-18T10:22:00.000-04:00

From the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1994
A few thoughts that I have quoted for consideration...

Beyond the violence in our streets is the violence in our hearts. Hostility, hatred, despair and indifference are at the heart of a growing culture of violence. Verbal violence in our families, communications and talk shows contribute to this culture of violence. Pornography assaults the dignity of women and contributes to violence against them. Our social fabric is being torn apart by a culture of violence that leaves children dead on our streets and families afraid in our homes. Our society seems to be growing numb to human loss and suffering. A nation born in a commitment to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is haunted by death, imprisoned by fear and caught up in the elusive pursuit of protection rather than happiness. A world moving beyond the Cold War is caught up in bloody ethnic, tribal and political conflict.

Not all violence is deadly. It begins with anger, intolerance, impatience, unfair judgements and aggression. It is often reflected in our language, our entertainment, our driving, our competitive behavior, and the way we treat our environment. These acts and attitudes are not the same as abusive behavior or physical attacks, but they create a climate where violence prospers and peace suffers. We are also experiencing the polarization of public life and militarization of politics with increased reliance on "attack" ads, "war" rooms and intense partisan combat in place of the search for the common good and common ground.

In parishes and schools, human service agencies, and family life and youth programs, our community of faith offers alternatives to violence, a commitment to education, and a source of hope and help in places of fear and failure. Now is the time for all of us to follow their leadership, to build on their example, to place our facilities at the service of the community. Our young people, especially, need support and challenge, discipline and opportunities to use their talents and carry out their responsibilities in a world of conflicting values and often dangerous choices.

We also need to encourage a commitment to civility and respect in public life and communications -- in the news media, politics and even ecclesial dialogue. The search for the common good is not advanced by partisan gamesmanship, challenging other people's motives, or personal attacks. The focus on the sensational, the search for conflict, and the assumption of bad will are not the basis for dialogue, and hurt the search for common ground.

Perhaps the greatest challenge is the call for all of us to examine our own lives, to identify how we can choose generosity over selfishness, and choose a real commitment to family and community over individual acquisition and ambition. In many small ways, each of us can help overcome violence by dealing with it on our block; providing for the emotional, physical and spiritual needs of our children; dealing with our own abusive behavior; or, even treating fellow motorists with courtesy. Violence is overcome day by day, choice by choice, person by person. All of us must make a contribution.

We close these reflections with a word of support and appreciation for those on the front lines -- parents, pastors, parish leaders, youth workers, catechists and teachers, prison chaplains, men and women religious. At a time when heroes seem scarce, these people are real heroes and heroines, committing their lives to the service of others, standing against a tide of violence with values of peace and a commitment to justice. We commend peace officers who daily confront violence with fairness and courage and we support those who minister to them and their families. We also offer a word of encouragement to parents who daily confront the cultural messages that influence their children in a way that is so contradictory to basic values of decency, honesty, respect for life and justice.

This issue is near and dear to my heart. I truly believe that the media (video games, news, violent television shows, violent movies) are one of the strong contributing factors to violence in our culture, but they are only PART of the problem. The answers begin with each of us...stepping in to prevent our children from watching the violent movies and television shows, voting for candidates who support reasonable gun control laws, watching how WE respond to one another, both in real life and in the written word.

WE are the example that we should set. Those who don't 'fit in' look to our culture to find what the 'norm' is, and a strong part of our culture is our media. The media (news, video games, television shows, movies) can teach good or evil. We promote the idea that 'educational' television shows are good for our toddlers minds, how can we possibly think that violent media doesn't educate our impressionable teens that violence is an acceptable answer to difficulties. The gun lobby says that stricter laws won't do anything. I disagree. More people die every day from legally purchased weapons than from illegally purchased weapons. 30,000 people a year die from gunshot wounds in the United States alone.

Article San Diego News

While some focused blame only on the gunman, world opinion over U.S. gun laws was almost unanimous: Access to weapons increases the probability of shootings. There was no sympathy for the view that more guns would have saved lives by enabling students to shoot the assailant.

Article AP Wire Service

"We had a terrible incident at Port Arthur, but it is the case that 11 years ago we took action to limit the availability of guns and we showed a national resolve that the gun culture that is such a negative in the United States would never become a negative in our country," he said.

The new gun laws in Australia, which banned military-style weapons and toughened licensing and storage restrictions, were unpopular among farmers and other gun owners that are key supporters of Howard's conservative coalition. The government paid owners to take more than 600,000 firearms off their hands in a national buyback scheme.

What truly made us a superpower was our morality, not our military. People don't look to military might for leadership, they look to morality. When are we going to stop depending upon violence for our leadership and start depending upon being a moral leader for the world again?

The United States is a leader in the worst way in our world today. We lead the world as having the highest number of violent deaths outside of acts of war. In some cases, we have more violent deaths per year than countries that ARE at war. Our culture of violence consumes even the weakest of our country: The unborn, the elderly, the incapacitated; and we are failing to protect them.

Please, pray for those who are in mourning today for their loss. Pray for those who are healing from their pain. Pray for those whose hearts desire vengence, that they are filled with peace. Pray for those who have gone on, that they are with the Prince of Peace.

God bless you all. Go hug those you love.

False Prophets

2007-04-08T06:01:00.001-04:00

There are twenty two mentions of false prophets throughout scripture (in NIV). Nineteen verses still using the same words when using the New KJV. Seventeen in the KJV.

Let's see what scripture has to say about being able to discern a false prophet...

Jeremiah 14:14Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.

Jeremiah 23:16This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.

Jeremiah 23:33[ False Oracles and False Prophets ] "When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, 'What is the oracle of the LORD ?' say to them, 'What oracle? I will forsake you, declares the LORD.'

Jeremiah 28:1[ The False Prophet Hananiah ] In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the LORD in the presence of the priests and all the people:

Jeremiah 50:36A sword against her false prophets! They will become fools. A sword against her warriors! They will be filled with terror.

Lamentations 2:14The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading.

Ezekiel 13:9My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.

Ezekiel 22:28Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says'-when the LORD has not spoken.

Micah 2:6[ False Prophets ] "Do not prophesy," their prophets say. "Do not prophesy about these things; disgrace will not overtake us."

Matthew 7:15[ A Tree and Its Fruit ] "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

Matthew 24:11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

Matthew 24:24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.

Mark 13:22For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible.

Luke 6:26Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

2 Peter 2 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell,[a] putting them into gloomy dungeons[b] to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.[c] This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature[d] and despise authority.

Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.

They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.[e] With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—a beast without speech—who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness.

These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit,"[f]and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."

1 John 4:1-6[ Test the Spirits ] Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Romans 10:5-9For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.”[a] But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”[b] (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, “‘Who will descend into the abyss?’”[c] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”[d](that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Galatians 1:8-9But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

Galatians 5:19-23Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,[a] fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders,[b] drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
So, what kinds of things do you suppose a false prophet says?

Jesus is not Lord and is not raised from the dead.
They say things that sound appealing, but do not fit scripture as a whole. Especially saying things like, "Works don't matter" or "If you don't do these specific works, then you won't get into heaven." Fruit represents works in the Bible, so the fruit that you should be looking for is whether the work is flesh driven work or spirit driven work. In either case, we need our works to be a product of love and they need to give credit to the Lord so that others are evangelized. (Galatians 5:19-23)
They do not glorify the Lord, they glorify themselves and their own actions.
The world at large (including the majority of the media) is going to like a false prophet. False prophets say things that make people feel comfortable about where they are at. They don't challenge you to be better than who you are, they tell you that you are great just as you are. False prophets don't love you enough to want the best for you, they want you to be satisfied with what you have and never want more or expect better of yourself. Looking back on the previous point, they also will be loved because of the glory they give themselves for their works rather than glorifying the Lord.
They put their own desires first. "If it feels good, then it must be ok" and "I enjoy it, so God must think it is ok". Instead of overcoming natural impulses (instinct) and putting the Will of God ahead of their own desires, they muddy the water by trying to convince you that if it is available to you, then God must have provided it for your pleasure, so it must be ok. "God would want me to be happy."
What you have done is unforgivable. The Lord rejoices more over a repentant sinner than he does over a man who has never sinned and comes to him. When we turn our back upon our sins, the Lord rejoices that we are no longer in pain (because the person being destroyed by the sin is the person committing it).

The good news is that what you HAVE DONE is not as important as the fact that you can CHANGE who you have BEEN and BECOME a new person through repentance. The Good News is that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is RISEN and you can die to the sin in YOUR LIFE...you can reject sin and turn your back upon the old you. The Lord loves you and will accept you with open arms, but He desires that you turn your back on sin first. He gets to decide what sin is, not you. He gets to decide what is acceptable in His house...and if you want to live with Him, then you can live by his rules or you can reject Him.

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow

2007-02-11T17:51:00.000-05:00

We got the letter stating that hubby won his case. He should have a job again within the next week!

Glory be to God our King!

Thank you all for your prayers.

Amazing Grace (How sweet the sound)
That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ'd!

Thro' many dangers, toils and snare,
I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall profess, within the vail,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call'd me here below,
Will be for ever mine.

~John Newton

Rock of Ages

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labour of my hands
Can fulfil Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears for ever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Saviour, else I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When my eyelids close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgement throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

~Reverend Augustus Montague Toplady

I Know that My Redeemer Lives

I know that my Redeemer lives;
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever living Head.

He lives to bless me with His love,
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed,
He lives to help in time of need.

He lives triumphant from the grave,
He lives eternally to save,
He lives all glorious in the sky,
He lives exalted there on high.

He lives to grant me rich supply,
He lives to guide me with His eye,
He lives to comfort me when faint,
He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.

He lives to silence all my fears,
He lives to wipe away my tears
He lives to calm my troubled heart,
He lives all blessings to impart.

He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly Friend,
He lives and loves me to the end;
He lives, and while He lives, I’ll sing;
He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.

He lives and grants me daily breath;
He lives, and I shall conquer death:
He lives my mansion to prepare;
He lives to bring me safely there.

He lives, all glory to His Name!
He lives, my Jesus, still the same.
Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives,
I know that my Redeemer lives!

~Samuel Medley

When Bad Things Happen to Good People

2007-02-05T19:18:00.000-05:00

I can't read God's mind. I wouldn't presume to try. I can't read ANYONE'S mind. I try to take what people say at face value, if I don't understand, I ask.

My understanding of God is what He has told us about himself. He loves us. As a parent loves their children, he sometimes allows us to suffer the consequenses of our own actions. In the same way, as a parent, there are times that he has to let us suffer for the evil actions of others...not because he CANNOT do something about it, but because he has allowed free will, there are some consequences that we must suffer for our own choices and the choices of our fellow Man. God would have preferred that Adam and Eve just did as he requested from the beginning, but they didn't. I am sure Adam and Eve were not too happy to be removed from the Garden, but actions have consequences.

Anything that happens that makes us unhappy is not God's will, it would be the will of flesh (not spirit). Not everything that happens on this earth is God's will, however, he does turn all bad things into good things for those that love him and follow his commandments. God's will is for us to be happy, but our happiness is dependant upon us not straying from his will. What he requires from us is ultimately for our own good.

A parent loves his child. That child grows up and through no fault of the parent, makes a choice to become a thief, a murderer, a child molester and any other evil thing you can imagine. That parent has another child. The parent is the only one that knows everything his first child has done. The same parent knows that if the first child is not punished for his crime, he will kill the second child. The parent also knows that if he turns his child in for the crimes, the first child will be sent to prison/electric chair. Is it better for the parent to allow the second child to be murdered at the hands of his first child or is it better for the parent to allow the first child to suffer for his choices, either to learn from them or at least to protect his other child? That good parent will do what is best for both children, letting the first suffer the consequences of his actions.

God is the parent. We are the children.

In the Pentateuch, God was instructing the Israelites in order to prevent them from following the ways of the 'bad children.' He was instructing them in order that they might have a better life and their better lives would indicate God's existance and great love for us. A better life is not necessarily wealth; peace alone can make for a better life. In addition, he knew they would continue sinning and gave them ways of correcting their errors. I want to point out that the planet did not always have billions of people on it. At the time God laid out the rules, there were many fewer people on the planet and they died younger and more easily due to the harsher environment. 'Miracle' healings were more necessary due to lack of medical care. God reveals things to our scientists and doctors today and those are the modern 'miracles' that heal people.

I have one last thing to say to you, then I am done. I might believe in a 'fairy tale,' but living within my 'fairy tale' I am happier than you will ever be without it. I know that I am loved with a love that is greater than you will ever imagine and I know that I am blessed in the same way. I know that you are loved in that same way. I regret that you won't accept that love because of whatever pain you have experienced.

God bless you

Hope

2007-01-28T09:38:00.000-05:00

I am a bad Christian.

I look at the book of Job and I think "Wow, I am nothing like him."

I say this because I have finally reached a point where I simply want to know where God is.

I am hurting and scared right now. My husband has lost his job. We don't have insurance to cover our son's insulin needs.

I am reading the Psalms to try to be comforted and they ARE a comfort...at times.

My son has enough insulin to last for a month...maybe.

How are we going to pay our bills with no job? We are trying to do everything you want God and I feel like my prayers are just smacking against an invisible ceiling. There are moments of calm and moments of fear and it seems like when I calm down and feel your presence, there is hope, but hope only goes so far when my hope keeps getting shattered.

We can't even seem to get past our fear to talk to one another anymore. He is stressed out because he is trying to find a job, but he feels so lost and alone as well. He is doubting himself, his abilities, his vocation...everything. We KNOW you are there, but we are wondering why our prayers haven't been answered yet.

My husband is qualified for so many jobs. At the interviews they tell him, "You are a great fit." No one calls to offer him a job though.

Every other time, he has been offered two or three jobs. This time, he has gotten NO job offers. All we want is one that will give us insurance for our son's doctor visits and insulin costs and pay our bills.

I know God is listening. I know there is a reason for this. I just feel like my prayers are not being heard...much less answered. God WILL answer our prayers, I just want it answered in my time. I need to trust in God's perfect timing and his perfect will. He has better things in store for us. I know he is there and he loves us and is watching over us. I know he loves our son and will take care of our entire family. I just need to remember to wait upon God's perfect timing and his perfect will. Patience, hope, faith and trust in Him.

Amen

Difficulty Seeing God's Will

2007-01-11T10:19:00.000-05:00

Trusting in the Lord is incredibly difficult when you are going through a trial.

It always seems that the worse the storm is, the more difficult it is to keep our eyes upon Christ.

We are in desperate need of prayer right now. A month ago, Jon heard that he might lose his secular job due to a misunderstanding. I am not able to explain the various issues involved, but it is to the extreme that we have had to hire a lawyer to correct the misunderstanding, sell one of our cars to pay for the lawyer, I am going to have to go back to work, and Jon's last day of employment is today and there is no sign of another job to pay our bills in the works for him. Our son has type 1 diabetes, so we NEED health insurance to cover his insulin and doctor visits.

I know that God is watching over us and has something better in store for us, but it is so hard to remember that when I have been hoping and praying throughout this crisis that the storm would pass quickly. The longer it takes for the storm to pass, the more anxious I become.

But the Bible tells us to be anxious for NOTHING and to trust our Father to care for us. Jesus says that we should not worry about food nor drink nor clothes to wear.

God will provide for us and we WILL weather this storm. Please pray for it to pass us more quickly though.

God bless

In Grateful Anticipation of His Birth

2006-12-04T15:44:00.000-05:00

The season of Advent is upon us.

During this season, when I was a child, going to church each week to see the candles lit on the Advent wreath would remind me that Christmas was one week closer. Every week was one more week of grateful anticipation ...honestly, knowing the presents were coming was wonderful...but the beauty and majesty of Christmas carols, Christmas Eve services with the celebration and candles, spending time with family and friends, baking cookies with my mom, buying presents that my loved ones could open on Christmas morning and seeing if they would like what I got them...all of these things made the season more joyful for me. The older I grew, the more precious the latter things became and the less important that material gifts on Christmas Day really mattered.

A few years ago, I had spent a week at a Bible study and when I got back, my perspective on Christmas had changed once again. I had always anticipated Christmas with the same joy we anticipate the birth of any newborn child...except this was Jesus, the special child who was born to be a Savior and King. I came upon Advent with a more bittersweet feeling for the first time. It actually felt more heartbreaking to me to know that there was once a mother who bore a child who would someday give his life for me and for all the things I do wrong.

There was a donkey who carried Mary to Bethlehem. There was a donkey who carried Jesus on Palm Sunday. Like Lent, the season of Advent is a time of preparation. It is a time of self sacrifice for people we love and for strangers. During Lent, a common 'sacrifice' is to fast from something we enjoy. I don't normally think of Advent as a 'sacrificial' time, but in the last few years, it has more of that feeling to me. Not that I resent the sacrifice, but isn't that the point? Should we regret any sacrifice we make? Should we be at all proud of ourselves for sharing what first has been given to us?

Oftentimes this time of year is the time that we do more for the poor than any other time of year. This time of year, we are more willing to dig a little bit deeper for the people around us. There are canned food drives, Grocery stores have gift boxes to purchase for food banks, there are toy drives and fundraisers, all because the world knows that during this time of year, we are more willing to make that sacrifice. This is known as the 'Season of Giving'. Wouldn't it be wonderful if that season of giving wasn't so special, because we were all giving so much all year long?

Mark 9:37

"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."

Matthew 25:31-46

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

We went and saw "The Nativity Story" at the theater this weekend. I was touched when Joseph was concerned that Mary should have enough to eat during the journey to Bethlehem, he then hid what little food was left and gave it to the donkey to carry Mary. Do we often think of the sacrifices that Joseph and Mary must have made on the journey? I was touched at the sacrifices that both Joseph and Mary must have had to accept. Joseph and Mary both accepting God's will that Mary should bear a child...a child that Joseph accepted as his own and raised. One of the points made in the movie is that in their village, everyone had to know that Mary was pregnant before they officially married. It was suggested that since they were betrothed, by Joseph accepting the baby in Mary's womb he would be scorned as someone who anticipated his wedding vows. He would go from being a man respected, to a man shunned by some of his friends for his behavior...or at least, for what they perceived as his behavior. Mary experienced the same thing, an unmarried pregnant girl...she might have faced being stoned to death. How quick are we to judge by appearances even now? Who is it that we judge based upon what a situation appears to be rather than trusting God? We judge others based upon what we 'think' is going on and if they don't deny it, how often do we jump to conclusions and react rather than patiently waiting upon God to see what he does with a circumstance?

In grateful anticipation of Christ's birth, I hope and pray that I can be a better representative of Christ in the coming year. I pray that we might be one body representing him with our gifts and not trying to tear down one another, but instead that I might build you up as you all so often build me up. I pray that I am better able to represent Christ through my deeds as well as my words. I pray for peace and hope that in some small way, I can do whatever I might be called to that would help bring peace and that if we all were to do our small parts, the world would be at peace for the sake of the Prince of Peace. I pray that instead of getting in his way so much, I will step out of the way and let his light shine.

God bless you all. Merry Christmas.

Discerning Good and Evil

2006-12-02T06:46:00.000-05:00

You know, I understand that in certain situations, judgement is a necessary thing and I don't consider judgement in and of itself 'bad,' but I do think it can be overused.

In thinking on this further, I suppose it can be underused as well.

So, I suppose judgement is really a tool to be used properly. Determining the proper use of judgement...that would require discernment. Proper discernment would require time and training in the tool of judgement.

If your information is incomplete, then you cannot make a good judgment, because you don't have all the tools you need for your information...which is why certain things should only be judged by God...the state of someone's salvation for example. There is absolutely no way that any of us can be ASSURED that we have all the information that God has about someone's state of salvation. We don't read hearts and if you think you can, then I think you probably need to take a stronger, harder look at yourself and your pride because I believe ONLY God can read hearts. I suppose that God could give that ability to anyone He chooses, but I am going to reserve that belief until I see pretty darn good evidence that one of us have been given that gift (or would it be a curse???).

However, we can all look at someone's actions. I still won't necessarily know what caused those actions, but if the actions are actually causing harm to others, then it would be fair to identify the problem...biblically to that person first, then in front of witnesses, then take it to the spiritual leader (or if the spiritual leader is the problem, take it to the church council). You see, without doing it that way, since we don't know the heart of the person, we have no way of knowing what caused the person to act (or react) in such a way that ended up being sinful.

It is generally good to take a step back if we are jumping to judge someone's actions without going through the proper procedure and look at ourselves and what hurts we might be experiencing that might be coloring our own observations. Things that might make us assume something is happening that really isn't. Things that might be blinding us to the truth rather than revealing the truth to us. If we are being quick to take offense at an action, perhaps it is because we are blinded by our own weakness rather than depending on the strength of the Lord?

I know that especially if I get too unwilling to forgive someone, then I probably have some personal hurt that I am not willingly turning over to Christ and allow him to heal in me. I might redirect all my anger at whoever appears to be leading me in a direction that am afraid to go in because going down that road appeared to lead me in the wrong direction in the past. The difference though might be that now that I have been down that road, and fallen into one of the pitfalls along the way, now I am more careful and discerning of the path that I am on. Instead of blindly skipping down the path, I am walking with my eyes open, not just looking for the good, not just looking for the bad, but being aware that I can accept the good while at the same time, acknowledging the bad is there so that I might avoid it.

THAT is discernment. It isn't just generically throwing everything into a 'bad' pot when you find one thing wrong with it and it isn't generically throwing everything into a good pot and assuming all is perfect when you find something good in it.

It is knowing that we should embrace the good AND reject the bad.

1 Corinthians 10:23-33 (King James Version)

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.
Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.
If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, this is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

Philippians 1:9-11

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Amen.

Finding Your Mate and Dating

2006-12-01T17:44:00.000-05:00

Although my husband and I didn't start out putting God first in our marriage, we both had a deep and abiding faith in God, we simply came at it from different directions and our relationship with God most CERTAINLY was NOT put first in the beginning of our relationship.When we finally did start putting God first in our relationship, we found that our boundaries changed. We were far more accepting of one another's mistakes and far more forgiving...at the same time, we learned to recognize that when we put God first, we are sinning first and foremost against HIM, even before we are sinning against one another.

By putting our relationship with God ahead of even our relationship with one another, we are far closer and more loving than we ever were before.We are even now teaching our children that dating leads to marriage, and no matter what our culture promotes, God has already picked out their mates. Friendships are necessary, boyfriends and girlfriends are not.

I pray for my children and their spouses, because God knows who those spouses are, even if we don't. I pray that my children, and their spouses, grow in deep, loving, abiding faith in the Lord and that they grow in love and kindness toward one another. I pray that if they must learn through pain, that it is pain that can be healed quickly and they learn their lessons earlier rather than later.

God has a plan for each one of us. He is preparing each of us for one another for the perfect time, His time.

God bless.

In Touch, In the Presence, In the Moment

2006-11-14T15:54:00.000-05:00

God is everywhere whether we are thinking of Him or not.

Even when we are not focused upon Him, He is still with each of us. It might be difficult to experience the FULL effect of God, but we can still experience Him whether or not we are sensing His presence.

It is hard to see the fullness of a skyscraper when you stand right next to it. You can only see one, maybe two sides and not very high up...in fact, from your perspective it might almost look flat when you look up at it instead of having dimension. God is like that. He is so grand, so wonderful, so much, that when we are right next to Him our smallness is almost a lonely sensation. That doesn't mean He is any less there with me, but I might not be fully experiencing the awe and beauty of Him that I would see from a little more distance. However, if I am too far distant, I won't see Him at all.

If you are teaching children or being a parent or whatever you are doing, you are working WITH God, bearing fruit, just because you don't sense His presence doesn't mean He isn't right there with you and guiding you.Thinking OF Him, isn't always the central part of being with Him and knowing Him.

Sometimes you might be right next to Him, but not sense his presence. It isn't because He is not there, it isn't necessarily because you have done something wrong. Perhaps it is simply because He is so big and has filled your life so much, that you have no emptiness to compare it to, then when you step even slightly away that emptiness is the most empty you have ever felt.

However, sin also gets in the way of fully experiencing God's presence here on earth. The lonely, emptiness we might feel in the place where God belongs feels only temporarily filled when we put things of this earth there. We have to have some knowledge of God in order to fill that place with Him to know for certain that it is God we are filling it with. I guess what I am trying to say is that we have to be careful that we aren't confusing God's presence with any general pleasurable experience. Then, we might come to worship the experience rather than worshipping God.

I think that thinking on him requires knowing him and knowing him requires thinking on him. You can't have one without the other...But at the same time, we can't expect to think any of us know him perfectly either. The mind of God is far greater than I can conceive, and yet, it is in attempting to know him more that I grow closer to him and develop my relationship with him.

But if I spend all my time thinking on him, and no time working...

Here is an example that might help: I tell my husband I love him. I think about him all the time. I talk to him. I tell him I love him. If I do that, he is glad that I love him and knows that I love him, but if that is ALL I do, then he doesn't really know the fullness of my love. If he came home to a messy house and no dinner and when he asked, "What did you do today?" and I said, "I thought about how much I love you! I talked to you on the phone. I wrote about you on the computer. I love you so much!" I think he might be ...disappointed?

Yes, it is wonderful that I love him, but it is so much more wonderful when I SHOW him my love for him by doing things that need to be done. I might not be THINKING of my husband while I am in the midst of doing these things, but deep inside I know it is for his ultimate joy and the strengthening of our love that I do these things.I think of God in the same way. I need to pray to Him, I love to experience Him, but because I love Him, I want to do for Him as well. That doesn't mean I will be able to bask in my contemplation of him all the time. Sometimes doing for my husband is doing for God. Sometimes, doing for my children, or my neighbor or my stepmother or sometimes...holding my tongue when I was trying to be helpful and directed the woman at the school to where the fundraiser boxes were and she nastily said, "THANK YOU" in the tone of "I don't want or need your help." All of these things can be serving God even if you aren't concentrating on HIM.... (actually, I was concentrating on him quite hard during the last one....lol).

But, in the quiet moments, I need to think on Him so that in the moments that are not quiet I can hopefully respond more naturally in the way he might approve of. It is His approval I should be seeking, not that of the world.

God bless

Why! You're Almost a Christian!

2006-11-13T16:35:00.000-05:00

I know I tend to write heavy posts, but even though this isn't heavy...it has been on my heart to share this story from the Bishop today. Any errors in the relating of the story are mine...

The Bishop often has to face people who have a misunderstanding of what Catholic means or what we mean when we say we are Catholic. One of the stories he shared with us in the past had to do with a funny, friendly Southern Baptist woman who (bless her heart) had decided that the Bishop needed some good old fashioned 'converting'.

She started earnestly explaining to him who Jesus was and telling him that Mary was "only Jesus' mom" not God or anything. He smiled and nodded and responded mildly to her statements by saying, "Yes, Mary was Jesus' mom. No, Old Catholic's don't believe she was co-redemptrix. Yes, we consider her a saint, but then again, doesn't the Bible call her 'blessed among women'?" She told him why infant baptism was wrong (he explained why it wasn't). She explained why praying to "dead people doesn't do anything" and he explained that praying for others to pray for you is inviting those saints to pray with you for God's intervention and doesn't she believe that those saints live through Christ?

After she went through her entire conversion litany...I suppose you could say a light came on over her head and she declared to him, "Why! You're almost a Christian!"

I wonder how often we all judge the state of one another's salvation...and isn't declaring whether someone is a Christian or not doing just that?

Sharing the Good news is just that...sharing the good news of Christ's rebirth and our ability to be reborn with him through our repentance. Let us all repent and share the GOOD NEWS that HE IS RISEN, HE IS KING and we brothers and sisters are one in his body. Let us not let our divisions seperate the body, but let our individual gifts bring ever greater glory to Him instead.

Alleluia! God bless!

My Relationship with God

2006-11-12T09:11:00.000-05:00

I love God. He is my parent, mother and father. He is my comforter, he is who I turn to when I am hurting. He is a strict parent, he lets me suffer the consequences for my poor behaviors if I am not 'getting it', but he also forgives my mistakes, especially when I see the error of my ways.Sometimes, it is necessary for him to let me suffer for others actions. Whether those actions were actions of love that were mistakes or were actions of fear that were intended harm. Ultimately that can be so others can learn from their mistakes or because of some reason that I might not understand (now or ever). Someday I might see why, or I might not. That is ok with me because I know that God wants what is best for me.

I know that he cares for us and that He will make the right decisions regarding judgment. It is not my place to make those determinations for anyone else. I might argue for or against their case, but I accept God's judgement whatever I might think the ultimate judgement should be. There are some who will not be able to tolerate God's presence and similar to the way that Moses went temporarily blind when turning his face to God, they will suffer greater than that when coming into His presence. In the way that a drowing victim struggles against the lifeguard who comes to rescue, they will ultimately suffer more if they do not trust Him.

I know that I am not completely with God at this time. There is an emptiness inside of me that he wants to fill, but I choose too often to fill it with things of this world instead of Him. When I fill it with Him, I feel the peace that passes all understanding and I know that whatever happens, God's will is my greatest joy. When I doubt God's perfect love, then my fear causes me to be angry, hurt, resentful, and/or afraid of myself and my fellow man. When I am in God's perfect presence and he has cleansed away all of my hurts and resentment for others, like a parent cleansing away the dust and dirt from an injury that needs a band aid... when He has done that, then I will only feel his perfect love and that will be heaven.

I have come to realize that we appreciate nothing unless we have to sacrifice something of ourselves for it. I can understand why God wanted sacrifice from us...so that we would appreciate Him. I make sacrifices every day for my family. They might not be great sacrifices, I certainly don't resent them in any way, but no matter how small they are, they are still sacrifices. Each sacrifice I make shows the person that I make it for that I don't just say I love them, I mean it. Perfect love is in not considering that sacrifice sacrificial, but a joy and opportunity to do something for someone you care for. God wants that relationship with me and I want that relationship with him.

God bless you and may your relationship with Him grow.

The Lord's Prayer

2006-10-10T15:50:00.000-04:00

Our Father who art in heaven,
~thank you for being my dad, thank you for caring for all my needs,
hallowed be thy name,
~you are so holy that even your name has power,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,
~heavenly father, I look forward to the day when everyone on earth puts YOUR will above OUR flesh, I trust YOUR will above my own, please help me to put YOUR will above my own so that earth is truly like heaven, a place filled with YOUR love,
Give us this day our daily bread,
~thank you for providing for all of us here on earth, you are a great and gracious God, help me to remember to provide for those who don't have as much because their having less is my opportunity to be more like you and share what you have given me and my family,
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,
~Lord (here I go into specific sins of mine) I know I am completely unworthy of you. Tell me, lead me, to know what I must do for those I have sinned against in order that I might be able to forgive myself for the harm I have done against them. Help me to overcome my flesh that I don't continue to sin against you. Help me to be open to your lessons (This is also where I pray for other who have hurt me with their actions) Please help me to forgive ______, help me to remember when I deal with him/her that it is not me that they are hurting, it is you and they do it out of some hurt in their past. It is not personal (although I might take it that way).
Lead us not into temptation,
~Help me to recognize and overcome my flesh when I wish to choose a way that is contrary to you and your word.
Deliver us from evil,
~Lord, I trust you and your angels to protect me and those I love from the evil that exists in this world. I know that you will not let me suffer without some good coming from it. Please take me in your hands, I turn myself and those I fear for and love over to YOU and trust you completely to keep us safe from the evils that exist in this world.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever,
~You are all powerful, you can do anything. You can do all these things I have asked of you, let me ask nothing of you that is not your will, help me to know you, trust you, feel your presence with me all the time, that I can carry your peace with me and share it with others, let me reflect you Lord, to the world, that in the darkness we are walking through, I can help be a guide for others to bring them to know the peace I have in knowing and loving you. I want to be a part of your kingdom, I want to be a part of your presence here on earth. For the sake of your son, who you sent to die to save me from sin.
Amen
This is most certainly true.

Gifts

2006-08-25T22:46:00.001-04:00

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight Oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

I have been thinking about families this week. I suppose it makes sense since yesterday we attended a family reunion for my wife’s family up at Lake Anna and it was interesting seeing the brothers and sisters, cousins, 2nd cousins, 3rd cousins and so on all playing and laughing together.

The benefit of being an observer at one of these functions is that I can see how the different family relationships come together…

There are the energetic idea people, who come up with the idea for these gatherings so that the family and extended family keep in touch with one another. There are the guides, who make sure people can reach the destination. There are the organizers who make certain that the idea of the reunion becomes a reality by making sleeping arrangements, food arrangements, et cetera. Then there are the worker bees who follow the arrangements made by the organizers. There is always one leader who directs all the others and manages to get the entire thing to come together.
This reminded me of a test that my wife, Tammi, had me take when she got home from a religious retreat. It was a test about spiritual gifts. It was a simple test that basically told you very generally how you best serve the church with the natural abilities that God gives you. Some people will be leaders, but won’t be able to comfort someone when their problems get in the way of the ‘goal’. Some people will be idea people but not so good at putting ideas to practice because they lose track. Some people are wonderful at putting things to practice, but have to be told what to do because they aren’t self starters. Some people are the emotional center…the ones who make the process complete by reminding us that the reason we do this is for love…but they aren’t necessarily going to be good at organizing an event or working out the details of what might be missing.

Today’s epistle really brought this to my heart…when Paul tells the Corinthians, “Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.” I can hear him telling me that you can’t expect a horse to be a cat…because it is a horse. That is how God created it and it can only do what God put it here for. If you try to make the horse catch mice, it will make the horse miserable and you miserable and you are still going to have mice because that isn’t what the horse is here to do.

We are the same way. God has blessed each of us with gifts that He has a plan for us to use. He brings experiences into our lives that hone those gifts so that we might BEST serve God with them. He blesses some of us with the gift of wisdom. That isn’t their wisdom, it is God’s wisdom manifesting to us THROUGH them. And the person blessed with God’s wisdom shouldn’t be jealous of the person blessed with knowledge because we are supposed to depend upon one another, working together. We are each only a part of the whole and it is in working together that we truly fulfill our calling to Christ. No one person can nor should do everything. We should do what God has blessed us with the ability to do and give others the opportunity to use their gifts that God has blessed them with.

So now back to the “family.” Each person in a family has certain things that they are good at … Some one might be good with art and someone might be good with reading, but each of us has something that we are good at. The question is will we use what we are good at for the good of us all or are we going to squander what we have been given and keep it hidden. As with the parable of the talents each servant has been given a specific number of them to use and expand upon. Now we know that two of the servants used and expanded upon their talents; However, that one servant went to the back yard and dug a hole and buried his talent and never developed it. The two who did were blessed by the Master and the one who didn’t was cast out. Now I guess that question is which one will you be? Will you be the one who develops his or her talent or the one who is scared to try? Think of what kind of story it would have been if Peter decided not to step out of the boat and walk to Jesus. Peter had a gift of faith and when he started to fear he took his eyes off of the Lord and started to sink. Yes, there are going to be times when we all seem to turn from God and our faith wavers, but if we keep using our talents, our spiritual gifts, and keep trudging along that path towards God our faith will increase and our talents will become stronger.

Remember that each of our talents work together with others talents and God uses each of us to complete the bigger picture. The different spiritual gifts given to us by the Lord are not just given to one person to figure everything out. God gave each of us a gift. If even one person isn’t using their gift then God compensates and provides for another, but what a wonderful world we would live in if everyone was using their gifts as the Lord would will us to. Each one of us is like a single puzzle piece and our gifts help complete the work that God has prepared for us here on earth. Imagine a puzzle with pieces missing and you can see how the beauty of God’s creation is even evident in the management of his plans for us.

When we were out yesterday, I was looking at how beautiful the lake and trees and sunset were and thinking about how the sun reflected just right on the trees and through the clouds and how the breeze was coming across the water and simply admiring the beauty of God’s creation and that each of those things were just themselves. The water didn’t give off light and we didn’t go swimming in the trees, and the sun didn’t blow to cool us off. Each part does what God created it to do and that is what makes it so beautiful. God created you and me with SPIRITUAL gifts and we ALL have them, no matter how few or how small our gifts might seem, there is a purpose for them and that purpose is that they be used for God’s plan, not our plans. That way the puzzle of God’s plan is a complete picture without pieces missing.

God bless you all.

Evacuees from Lebanon

2006-07-20T23:17:00.000-04:00

There are supposed to be five flights coming into BWI tonight from Lebanon filled with evacuees. The MD Defense Forces Chaplain Corps will be doing what they can to help them find lodging, give comfort, counsel, etc tonight. Please pray for both the evacuees and those who will be spending tonight giving them what support they can.

Psalm 4:8 I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 29:11 The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.

Psalm 122:6-8 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels."
For the sake of my brothers and friends,
I will say, "Peace be within you."

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Amen

I have noticed...

2006-07-19T02:49:00.000-04:00

I have noticed from my handy dandy stat counter that people are coming to my blog based upon the name and they are looking to find out what 'bearing fruit' means...

Simply put, 'fruit' is work that you do. Good fruit is work that glorifies God. Bad fruit glorifies ourselves.

Some previous blogs I have written on fruit bearing are No Real Title, Just a Chat, Branching Out, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Come and I Will Make You Fishers of Men. Since no one ever goes looking through the blog, I figured that I would just plop it in here. My opinions haven't changed since writing them...lol

God bless you all and may you bear good fruit for our Lord.

Ok, I'm Back!

2006-07-14T22:14:00.000-04:00

We have been home for the last week. The second day I was home I had started to write a little review of our 'synod/vacation' but nothing I wrote came out right and I ended up just closing without saving.

On to other things though...

Have you ever noticed that God gives you more than you ask for?

lol

Matthew 7:7-11

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the
door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds;
and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he
asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know
how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Luke 11:9-13

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who
seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be
opened.

"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake
instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though
you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will
your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

I have been thinking about funny times when I will think of something that I want that will draw me closer to the Lord or help me understand better or simply bring me more joy in my relationship with him...and how God blesses me.

For example, I was thinking several different times recently as I walked through our local bookstore, "I wish that there were more 'Catholic' Christian Fiction." I enjoy Christian fiction, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend all of it to everyone. Today as I walked through the bookstore, I saw a title that grabbed my attention and held it, but it wasn't with the Christian Fiction, it was in the General Fiction section.

The title of the book is Full of Grace, by Dorthea Benton Frank. This is the first book that I have read in a very long time that not only made me cry, but helped me with a few thoughts I have been struggling with lately: The dichotomy of 'perfection' verses humanity, the grace that is the product of love, what 'doing the best I can' means to me, and healing.

So, this is my next book recommendation. If you dislike the Catholic faith, this book might open your eyes to the difference between the expectation of perfection, and the standard of perfection. If you love the Catholic faith, you will tremendously enjoy this journey of faith. If you are Protestant, you might find that this book expresses itself in a similar way to traditionally Protestant Christian Fiction. What I enjoyed most from this book is that God's standard of perfection is unchanging, but his expectation is far more realistic. That we try, in the midst of our imperfections, is a good start...that we try for love of Him is an even better start. His ways are not our ways, but he knows the end results that we cannot see.

God bless

Just a Quick Note

2006-06-25T09:24:00.000-04:00

I am sorry I haven't been on here lately. We are getting ready to go to Florida for Church Synod, so I haven't had a great deal of extra time to post. I don't expect to be writing anything new before July 5th unless I have some sort of amazing experience or conviction that I just have to write down so I don't forget.

Please keep us in your prayers as we travel on the road (and that the stuff we are supposed to get in the mail arrives before we leave!), but most of all, just pray that God's will be done with regard to our Synod...that His Presence manifests itself in big and beautiful ways to all of our spirits that we might be refilled with His Joy.

Health, happiness, peace and joy be with everyone this summer!

God bless.

Trinity Sunday Sermon

2006-06-11T22:44:00.000-04:00

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. +In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

We have been celebrating the Easter season which reminds us of some of the most important events and beliefs in Christian tradition. In the last seven weeks, we have remembered Jesus’ Last Supper with his friends (regarded as the institution or establishment of the Eucharist); Jesus’ death on the cross; the discovery of the empty tomb on Easter Sunday; the appearances of the Risen Lord to his disciples; the Ascension into heaven; and finally, the Holy Spirit filling the disciples at Pentecost.

These are the events that have shaped Christian belief for nearly 2,000 years. They provide the basis of beliefs and teachings such as: Christ present in the Eucharist; the resurrection of Jesus and the hope of resurrection for all people; the divinity of Jesus; and the ongoing action of the Holy Spirit in the world. The period of Easter-Pentecost celebrates these truly momentous events, beliefs and teachings. Almost to round off this extraordinary focus on Christian beliefs and teachings, the Church this week celebrates the central doctrine of Christian faith: the Trinity.

The belief in the Trinity is the belief that there are three ‘persons’ in the one Godhead: Father; Son; and Holy Spirit. I must admit this is probably the hardest thing to explain and where we all fall short because we are human with human understandings. When I was in seminary we were required to read a book by Clark Carlton called “The Faith; Understanding Orthodox Christianity.” In this book, it has a section on the Trinity which seemed to explain it well enough for me. Although the doctrine of the Trinity was not fully revealed until the coming of Christ, there are hints of the Trinity throughout the Old Testament, in which is recounted the creation of the world and God’s dealings with the people of Israel.

In Genesis we find that when God was creating mankind he said, “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness” (Gen 1:26). The early church fathers understood the use of the plural here as an indication of the three persons of the Trinity. The Psalmist tells us that God created the world through His Word and His Spirit: by the Word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the Breath of His mouth (Psalm 32[33]:6) One of the Hebrew words for God, Elohim, carries with it the idea of plurality and thus the name of God itself denotes the plurality of persons within the unity of nature. One of the most important Old testament hints of the trinity is the visitation of Abraham by three Angels: in Gen 18: 1-5 And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre; and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; and he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three Men stood by him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself forward the ground, and said “My Lord, if now I have found favor in Thy sight, pass not away, I pray Thee, from thy servant; Let a little water, I pray You, be fetched, and wash Your feet, and rest Yourselves under the tree; and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort Ye Your hearts; after that Ye shall pass on ; for therefore are Ye come to Your servant.: And they said, “So do, as thou has said”. Notice that in this account, there is a constant interplay between the singular and plural. The Lord appears to Abraham, and yet he sees three Men. He addresses Them at one point in the singular, and later in the plural. Now compare this to what St. Gregory Nazianzus (4th c.) says about the Trinity: "No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the splendor of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish them than I am carried back to the One. When I think of any One of the Three, I think of Him as the whole, and my eyes are filled, and the greater part of what I am thinking of escapes me. I cannot grasp the greatness of that One so as to attribute a greater greatness to the rest. When I contemplate the Three together, I see but one torch, and cannot divide or measure out the undivided light."

The only Icon of the Trinity which the Orthodox Church allows is, strictly speaking, not an icon of the Trinity per se, but of the visitation of the three Angels to Abraham. One cannot make a pictorial representation of the Father because He is spirit and has no depictable form. Similarly, one can depict the Holy Spirit only symbolically, as a dove or as tongues of fire. The Angels, which were clearly seen by Abraham, provide the Church with an indirect way of depicting the All-holy Trinity. The most famous icon of this kind is by the Russian iconographer St. Andrei Rublev (15th c.). Indeed, this is perhaps the most famous icon in the world. What makes this icon so special is the way in which Rublev captured the interplay between the one and the three. In the icon, we clearly see the three Angels, representing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit And yet, these three form a perfect circle, a complete communion of love. There is no disharmony, no rebellion or self-will among them. Rather, there is perfect concord. One and many, motion and rest--- Icons of the Hospitality of Abraham capture the dynamic paradox of the Trinity and present to the faithful and image of that divine life we seek in union with The God of Triune Love. That life was revealed to the People of Israel only indirectly, in types and shadows. When Christ became man, however, the shadows passed away, and man beheld One of the Holy Trinity in the flesh. This is the essence of the Orthodox Faith. At the beginning of the chapter on the Trinity there is a quote that sums it all up. “God is not an impersonal concept or an isolated individual, but the Father Who exists in an eternal communion of love with his Son and His Spirit”. That quote seems to sum it up, but as humans with only have the ability to understand on human terms we are not God and therefore fall short of the full understanding of what the Trinity is and must hold fast to our Faith in God, because we know that God will not lie to us and that he will always be there for us.

Fighting the Good Fight

2006-06-11T21:31:00.000-04:00

2 Timothy 4:7

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Instructions preceding this statement:
2 Timothy 4:1-5

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

Matthew 5:43-45

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Luke 6:20-26

Looking at his disciples, he said:
"Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when men hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
"But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when all men speak well of you,
for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

Luke 6:27-35

"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Who are our enemies?
Matthew 10:35-38

For I have come to turn
" 'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her motherinlaw—
a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

I was reading something and I remembered that a signifigant while back, someone online argued with me about who our 'enemies' are. I was telling them that we are supposed to love our enemies and the person told me that the person they were arguing with wasn't their enemy. I think our enemy is anyone who we believe is blinded in some way to the faith. Truly not the person, granted, but the one blinding them. However, since it manifests through the person, that is who the 'enemy' verses are referring to, I think.

To be as blunt as possible, I think we are supposed to be harder on those who believe the same as we do (our friends) and more careful in our ministry to those who do NOT believe as we do. I think of Jesus telling Peter "Get behind me Satan" when Peter rebuked him and I think of the statements regarding 'pearls before swine' and I can't help but put 'of wisdom' after the word pearls in my mind. Those who are blind, will not be able to see until the Lord forces the scales to fall from their eyes...and some will choose blindness. That is their unfortunate choice and a choice that God gave them.

But those who believe as we do, we should be quick to lovingly rebuke. They should already recognize and have experienced our love, and so rebuke, though especially painful from those we love and respect, would be more willingly received. The closer the person is to being a 'milk' Christian, the more grace and instruction that person might need...and those who are more 'meat'...who offer a poor reflection even though they know better...they are the ones who need a bit harsher rebuke.

I find all too often we give more grace to those who should know better and offer no grace to those who DON'T know better. That seems backwards to me.

That is not to say that those who are outside of faith should not get some kind of correction for ACTIONS (so no one thinks I am saying we should let non-believers get away with murder). I simply believe that their BELIEFS, the matters of SPIRIT...not the matters of flesh...should receive more grace from us, because we already know their situation at this point, there is no point in 'rubbing it in' or doing something that makes the situation worse.

So...fighting the GOOD fight... requires putting on the armor of God:

Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

A belt is to carry tools. So God's Truth is the tool we use. A breastplate protects the heart and is used to protect us in time of battle, so our righteous behavior is protection. Shoes are for walking...so we should be walking in peace. With our shield, we defend face to face battle...so our faith protects us as well. The helmet covers our head...the place where our knowledge is stored and our salvation protects us in knowing that even in death, we live. Finally, the sword is our weapon...the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, if we pray in the Spirit (use our sword) ON ALL OCCASSIONS and with ALL KINDS of PRAYERS and requests, keeping in mind that God knows what is best for each of us and all of us as a whole and that he has even numbered the hairs upon our heads, if we are praying for God's will, then how could we doubt that it is God's will that all be saved? If we are praying for the salvation of those who we want to be saved, then we must have confidence that God will do it, but he might not do it through you or me, he might accomplish it through someone else. Does it matter so much WHO he accomplishes it through?

You can't fight God's battles in a physical way...you can only fight flesh in a physical way. Spiritual battles are best accomplished through the Lord, through love, gentle rebuke, prayer and supplication. This is what I believe fighting the good fight requires of us.

God bless you all.

Being a Lampstand

2006-06-08T21:39:00.000-04:00

God has entitled us to put laws in place for the betterment of our society, so that it can run more smoothly (after all, we can't just run rampant saying, "Live and let live"...then murderers and child molesters and thievery and...you get the idea...would abound), but being a lampstand to ME is about reflecting the light of Christ in your life and giving others something to come TO. I turn people over to God, I let HIM push them out of their 'comfort zone'...and He does and will. Judging someone's physical sin under the laws society has in place is acceptable, judging someone's spiritual sin is best left in the hands of God.

I am talking to a friend from high school who found my 'myspace' account page. She said that when she saw my page, she had to write to me to talk about problems she was having. I haven't seen or spoken to this woman in 16 years and even in high school we were only acquaintances. I simply started sharing with her where I was, what I have been through, where I am at now and said, "I don't know your exact situation, but I hope that helps you."

She wrote back to me and told me that she cried when she was reading what I wrote because it spoke directly to her heart and helped her see where she needed to put her priorities. I don't know if it really did that or not, I hope so...I only said that I stopped worrying about what my 'so called' friends wanted and started putting what God wanted first...and to do that, I needed to read the Bible and learn it, to receive some guidance from spiritual leaders, but working on my relationship with God affected how I relate to my husband, my children, my friends, my dad, my step mother, my in laws, even people I don't like...because instead of condemning every act that hurt me as evil, I spent more time simply loving them where they are at...and over time, several of them started seeing the difference. Some of them (who had stopped attending church and turned away from God) realized that they wanted what I had found...peace. They wanted that same peace and asked to attend our church when we have a place to worship. At my husband's ordination, it was the first time my dad had attended church in ten years...and I cried because he said afterward that it meant a lot to him and he missed church and wanted to start attending again.

I prayed for my sister (in California) for years. One day she called me and we were talking about several things, church being one of them, she hadn't attended in a long time and I just told her, "Well, I love you. I am praying for you, whatever you decide."

She started going back to church and taking my niece and nephew and they loved it. She said, "It was like coming home again." I laughed and said, "Yeah, that prodigal son story has new and special meaning to all of us I think." It made us closer than we had been in a very long time. I wasn't doing it...I was praying for the Lord to work in her heart...and in my Dad's heart, and in my in laws hearts, and in the hearts of everyone. I pray for the waitress at the restaurant...and GOD WORKS in their lives, not me. God might use me in some small part of the whole, but God does the work.

Not in MY time, in HIS time...but He DOES work. Anytime I start trying to do it, rather than putting it in God's hands, it never happens as I want it to, but when I do the little things God prompts me to do, and also pray, God makes huge wonderful miracles happen. Tiny, little seeds bearing big beautiful fruit...not MY work, His work, my little part is only a tiny part of the whole...and I need to remember that if I try to do the whole job, instead of the part that God has given ME authority over, if I try to take over God's job, then I am going to end up ruining the entire thing....and I am more likely to drive people away rather than drawing people to the light of Christ.

This sort of goes into spiritual gifts I think...we don't get the spiritual gifts we WANT, we get what God bestows upon us. He gives us as much as we need to do the good work he has prepared for us to walk in, no more, no less. Thinking of the servants with the talents, if we bury our spiritual gift and don't use it, then we are doing a disservice to the Lord by not taking a chance and using the gift he has given us to glorify Him.

What if the same servant had attempted to steal his fellow servant's talents and use them? Then he would have been taking on more authority than he had been given. Would his master have been pleased? Would our master be pleased by our taking away a gift he has first given us? The gift of the freedom to CHOOSE Him with love? Isn't that being the same type of hypocritical person whom Jesus condemned in the Bible? The fig tree that Jesus came across and withered because it was not bearing fruit...I think back upon the story of Jonah and see Jonah being upset about the tree that grew up to give him shade and withering overnight...I see that God has purposes for all things that we can't always see. I see the story of Jesus and the fig tree as, "Bear GOOD FRUIT that God can use, or you will wither like this fig tree." But I also see the tree of Jonah as God has purposes for all things and all people and He will forgive whom He will forgive and condemn whom He will condemn...we only have what authority has been granted us by Him and taking more authority, as Jonah attempted to, can only be self defeating...not working for God's will, but for our own.

God bless

Spiritual Gifts

2006-06-07T23:14:00.000-04:00

Jon's Third Sermon

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer."

Today is Ember Wednesday. Ember days are the days at the beginning of the seasons ordered by the Church as days of fast and abstinence. The purpose of their introduction, besides the general one intended by all prayer and fasting, was to thank God for the gifts He has first given us, to teach men to make use of them in moderation, and to assist the needy. They are supported by the verse in Zechariah 8:19 “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.” If March is the first month in the Jewish calendar, then June is the fourth month.

I consider this particular set of Ember Days especially meaningful due to their close proximity to Pentecost and the bestowing of spiritual gifts upon the apostles. There are so many places in the Bible that speak of gifts that the Lord bestows upon us. Until we begin counting our blessings, it is easy to forget just how very blessed we are. We might complain about what we don’t have…the grass is always greener on the other side…instead of appreciating what has been given to us for us to use to glorify the Lord.

The Israelites in Numbers chapter 11 were grumbling to Moses and to God about only having bread to eat rather than praising the Lord for feeding them. Like them, we all fall into the trap of looking for what we don’t have instead of praising God for what we DO have and using those gifts to glorify Him. Whether those gifts are material blessings or spiritual gifts, we should offer thanks and praise for those wonderful blessings and the best way to praise the Lord is by using the gifts we have received to do all such GOOD WORKS as He has prepared for us to walk in.

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells us that as the Israelites received manna from heaven, which fed them physically, he is the bread which feeds us spiritually. He is the bread of life, which we will never hunger again once we have received him. This isn’t a physical hunger, it is a spiritual hunger. It is a hunger to grow closer to the Lord, to be a part of his heavenly kingdom. We see this ‘fulfilled’ hunger at work in Peter and the other apostles in the signs and wonders which the Holy Spirit performed through them, through wisdom, prophesy, healing, discernment. We all have spiritual gifts. Like the servant in the parable of the talents, we are given these gifts to glorify our heavenly master…we are supposed to use them, not hide them away. This is how we give praise to our Lord; by using the gifts he has given us to glorify him. Like Abel, giving God our first fruits, the best of what we have been given, so that he will be pleased with our joyous giving “For God loves a cheerful giver”.

You might think, “I don’t have any gifts” or “I don’t have much and I need what I have.” I wonder if the servant who only had one talent felt that way. Jesus said at the end of the parable of the talents, “For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have in abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'” I don’t want to be a worthless servant, I want the Lord to look at me and say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
All of us have gifts we can use to glorify the Lord, no matter how small and the more you use your gifts for God’s glory, the more abundantly He will bestow his gifts upon you. 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 states “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts.” Perhaps you are thinking, “But I don’t have any spiritual gifts.” Think of the shepherd David. He was the youngest of his brothers. King Saul gave him strong armor and a shield and sword when he went to fight Goliath, but instead of depending upon human means, David chose to put his faith in the Lord and the gifts the Lord blessed him with. David picked up three stones...and using the abilities God honed while David was a shepherd, God took out Goliath. Today we remember David as ancestor to Jesus and one of the greatest kings of Israel.

Luke 11:13 states “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Ask the Lord to reveal the gifts to you that he has blessed you with and use them for His glory. As part of the body of Christ, if each of us uses the individual gifts we are given, we work as a unit, and we are Christ’s representative here on earth. Let us remember that He is who we represent in the world and it is His glory we achieve through using our gifts in such a way to only glorify him…never ourselves…never for the pat on the back of ‘what a good person I am’. If not for God first giving us gifts, we would have nothing to give, so we are merely being good stewards of those gifts we have received.

Amen

Asking Questions to Receive Answers

2006-05-31T11:05:00.000-04:00

I read this recent speech given by Pope Benedict XVI:

To speak in this place of horror, in this place where unprecedented mass crimes were committed against God and man, is almost impossible - and it is particularly difficult and troubling for a Christian, for a Pope from Germany. In a place like this, words fail; in the end, there can only be a dread silence - a silence which is itself a heartfelt cry to God: Why, Lord, did you remain silent? How could you tolerate all this? In silence, then, we bow our heads before the endless line of those who suffered and were put to death here; yet our silence becomes in turn a plea for forgiveness and reconciliation, a plea to the living God never to let this happen again....

...On 7 June 1979 I came as the Archbishop of Munich-Freising, along with many other Bishops who accompanied the Pope, listened to his words and joined in his prayer. In 1980 I came back to this dreadful place with a delegation of German Bishops, appalled by its evil, yet grateful for the fact that above its dark clouds the star of reconciliation had emerged. This is the same reason why I have come here today: to implore the grace of reconciliation - first of all from God, who alone can open and purify our hearts, from the men and women who suffered here, and finally the grace of reconciliation for all those who, at this hour of our history, are suffering in new ways from the power of hatred and the violence which hatred spawns.

How many questions arise in this place! Constantly the question comes up: Where was God in those days? Why was he silent? How could he permit this endless slaughter, this triumph of evil? The words of Psalm 44 come to mind, Israel’s lament for its woes: “You have broken us in the haunt of jackals, and covered us with deep darkness ... because of you we are being killed all day long, and accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not cast us off forever! Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression? For we sink down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground. Rise up, come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!” (Ps 44:19, 22-26). This cry of anguish, which Israel raised to God in its suffering, at moments of deep distress, is also the cry for help raised by all those who in every age - yesterday, today and tomorrow - suffer for the love of God, for the love of truth and goodness. How many they are, even in our own day!

We cannot peer into God’s mysterious plan - we see only piecemeal, and we would be wrong to set ourselves up as judges of God and history. Then we would not be defending man, but only contributing to his downfall. No - when all is said and done, we must continue to cry out humbly yet insistently to God: Rouse yourself! Do not forget mankind, your creature! And our cry to God must also be a cry that pierces our very heart, a cry that awakens within us God’s hidden presence - so that his power, the power he has planted in our hearts, will not be buried or choked within us by the mire of selfishness, pusillanimity, indifference or opportunism. Let us cry out to God, with all our hearts, at the present hour, when new misfortunes befall us, when all the forces of darkness seem to issue anew from human hearts: whether it is the abuse of God’s name as a means of justifying senseless violence against innocent persons, or the cynicism which refuses to acknowledge God and ridicules faith in him. Let us cry out to God, that he may draw men and women to conversion and help them to see that violence does not bring peace, but only generates more violence - a morass of devastation in which everyone is ultimately the loser. The God in whom we believe is a God of reason - a reason, to be sure, which is not a kind of cold mathematics of the universe, but is one with love and with goodness. We make our prayer to God and we appeal to humanity, that this reason, the logic of love and the recognition of the power of reconciliation and peace, may prevail over the threats arising from irrationalism or from a spurious and godless reason.

The place where we are standing is a place of memory, it is the place of the Shoah. The past is never simply the past. It always has something to say to us; it tells us the paths to take and the paths not to take. Like John Paul II, I have walked alongside the inscriptions in various languages erected in memory of those who died here: inscriptions in Belarusian, Czech, German, French, Greek, Hebrew, Croatian, Italian, Yiddish, Hungarian, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Russian, Romani, Romanian, Slovak, Serbian, Ukrainian, Judaeo-Spanish and English. All these inscriptions speak of human grief, they give us a glimpse of the cynicism of that regime which treated men and women as material objects, and failed to see them as persons embodying the image of God. Some inscriptions are pointed reminders. There is one in Hebrew. The rulers of the Third Reich wanted to crush the entire Jewish people, to cancel it from the register of the peoples of the earth. Thus the words of the Psalm: “We are being killed, accounted as sheep for the slaughter” were fulfilled in a terrifying way. Deep down, those vicious criminals, by wiping out this people, wanted to kill the God who called Abraham, who spoke on Sinai and laid down principles to serve as a guide for mankind, principles that are eternally valid. If this people, by its very existence, was a witness to the God who spoke to humanity and took us to himself, then that God finally had to die and power had to belong to man alone - to those men, who thought that by force they had made themselves masters of the world. By destroying Israel, by the Shoah, they ultimately wanted to tear up the taproot of the Christian faith and to replace it with a faith of their own invention: faith in the rule of man, the rule of the powerful...

By God’s grace, together with the purification of memory demanded by this place of horror, a number of initiatives have sprung up with the aim of imposing a limit upon evil and confirming goodness. Just now I was able to bless the Centre for Dialogue and Prayer. In the immediate neighbourhood the Carmelite nuns carry on their life of hiddenness, knowing that they are united in a special way to the mystery of Christ’s Cross and reminding us of the faith of Christians, which declares that God himself descended into the hell of suffering and suffers with us. In Oświęcim is the Centre of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, and the International Centre for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust. There is also the International House for Meetings of Young people. Near one of the old Prayer Houses is the Jewish Centre. Finally the Academy for Human Rights is presently being established. So there is hope that this place of horror will gradually become a place for constructive thinking, and that remembrance will foster resistance to evil and the triumph of love.

At Auschwitz-Birkenau humanity walked through a “valley of darkness”. And so, here in this place, I would like to end with a prayer of trust - with one of the Psalms of Israel which is also a prayer of Christians: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff - they comfort me ... I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long” (Ps 23:1-4, 6).

I found this because a group of people were using this speech as a reason to bash the Pope because he asked "First year seminarian type questions" within this speech...specifically

"Constantly the question comes up: Where was God in those days? Why was he silent? How could he permit this endless slaughter, this triumph of evil?"

not noticing that they were rhetorical questions. This ended up evolving into an argument with sedevacantists about all the things they think are wrong with the last few popes. The things they most reviled were the ideas that the Jews (or anyone outside their Church) could attain salvation.

My response is the following:

If the Catholic Church, or ANY church, teaches something that is directly contradicted by scripture. Specifically contradicted I mean, then is the church wrong or is the Bible wrong?

The reason I am asking is because I have been under the impression that Man has a tendency, all too often, of being prideful and forgetting that God is the one in charge and that the only understanding that truly matters is God's understanding. That is why HE is the judge of our hearts, and we aren't the judges of one another as to who is 'saved' and who is not 'saved'.

Are you saying that, whether or not the Bible agrees with you, the only salvation comes through the Catholic Church? Because I thought salvation came through Christ. Are you saying that your church teaching and human understanding is more important than discovering God's Truth? Churches are made up of human beings...imperfect human beings who make errors. Human beings who still require forgiveness because they make mistakes. Human beings who follow errors because it appeals to their pride or vanity or laziness. Human beings that misunderstand God's word and don't recognize their own willfullness and put their own understanding ahead of God's understanding.

I trust God implicitly, I simply don't always trust humans to have it perfect. I am willing to have an open mind regarding any church's teachings because I believe God is in control, not Man and God will ultimately guide us to do the right thing that is His will. Although in our human weaknesses we stumble and fall repeatedly, God always helps us back up and puts us in the correct direction...we just need to be open to receiving His help instead of going our 'sheeplike' own way.

Finally, I think (regarding the statements made regarding the Jews) that Romans chapter 11 explains most eloquently the situation regarding salvation of the Jews and it explains as well that those who are without grace and mercy are equally (if not MORE) in danger of being broken off and tossed into the fire. God is eternal and his promises are everlasting. He made a promise to Abraham, God does not lie, so why would God have lied to Abraham? Which is more likely to be true: God lied to Abraham about the eternal covenant or a later human being allowed pride to overcome Truth and taught it...with God stepping in to make changes so that his church would continue to grow in Truth and not falsehood? I think humanity will continue to allow Satan to blind us to truth and God will continue to step in and open eyes to the Truth of his eternal love.

God's Church is not a manmade institution, it isn't a social club, with an official membership decided by human beings. It is God's Church. Whatever it is CALLED, it is God who knows who belongs to it, who is written in His Book of Life, and no 'church roll call' determines who is a member of His church, because we are members by faith, hope, and love, not by dogma. God wants us to love one another and learn his Truth. I love God more than I love any church and I think that is the way God wants it to be. I love the church only because it is part of God, the bride of Christ.

What I see the Pope doing is simply being humble, being Christlike. What a great man to recognize that he doesn't have all the answers! The last shall be first and the first shall be last.

A woman came up to my husband while he was wearing his collar when we were out of town a few weeks ago working a booth for a mission. She pointed to his collar and told him it was a sign of authority. He and I both said simultaneously, "No, it is NOT!" That collar is a sign of humility, it is a sign of a SERVANT, it is a symbol of the yoke...the burden that he carries. He is responsible for the care and spiritual (if not physical) well being of every person whom he ministers to. When the bishop was talking to us before my husband's ordination, he told my kids, "Do you know why we enter the sanctuary in the order we do? With Christ coming first, then the Deacons, then the Priests, then the Bishop?" The kids and I had no idea. He replied, "Because Christ is the most important, so he goes first, the Bishop is least important, and he goes last. It is to remind the bishop that his position is last because he is least. It is a reminder of his burden to SERVE the church."

When I read of things like what the Pope is saying, I can admire him for recognizing a need for this world we are living in to overcome our selfishness and overweening pride and start serving one another again. I admire him for teaching us to turn to God with our questions and joys and sorrows that our relationship with him will grow. Who better to teach that than the Pope, who better to teach that through word AND deed? As Christ was reviled for teaching Truth through love, so will any teacher who, when teaching Truth through love be reviled.

May God bless you.

Can God be Limited to a Body?

2006-05-30T00:22:00.000-04:00

Recently I was asked this question...

While considering the question I raised in the title, a statement Jesus made occurred to me, Matthew 24:36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

Now, this is not to say that Jesus was not fully God and fully Man, lest someone think that is where I am going...

I simply wonder if the fullness of God's knowledge...eternity...can it be contained by flesh?

God can do anything, but for various reasons, does not always do so. As with an eternally flowing pitcher of wine that never grows empty, or the simple knowledge that the more love you share with others, the more love you have...a miracle that is a mystery...and yet, scripture seems to support that Jesus, though fully God, was not the fullness of God when in flesh.

I think that is where the understanding of the Trinity always becomes confused. People want to say that Jesus is the Father and is the Holy Spirit rather than respecting the sovereignty of the position Jesus held, the sovereignty of the position that the Father holds and the sovereignty of the position the Holy Spirit holds.

If three people think exactly alike on a matter, does it really matter who is 'in charge'? One like mind, three seperate individuals, all God.

It does not diminish Christ in any way if he is not the Father, anymore than it diminishes me in any way to be a daughter. In maturity, I have friendship with my parents. I love and respect them for who they are/were, but I am neither above them nor below them, I simply love them. I can respect them, admire them, but it doesn't make me less than them. I left my parents home to be joined with my husband. Based upon how I was raised, I might think like my mother thought, but that doesn't make me my mother...it makes me the image of my mother perhaps. That doesn't mean I know all my mother knew, but it doesn't mean I never will either. As my husband becomes the head of our family upon our marriage, we are our own household, I can respect my parents still, but I hold a different position now.

I see Jesus in a similar way, here on earth, he is like we are...he is the child of God, but upon the bride of Christ coming into existence, upon the marriage of Jesus to the church, he becomes the bridegroom and as such, what is required of him changes. That different place doesn't bring the Father down, nor does it change who Jesus is. Seated at the right hand of the Father, He has the knowledge of the Father and His authority as well.

So, can God be limited to a Body? Yes, with God all things are possible, even eternity contained by flesh. Was God limited to a body? I believe so. Was the entire fullness of the knowledge and power of God contained within that body? I don't think so...and I think there was a purpose to it though. The purpose of that lack was to show us the way. If Jesus had the fullness of God contained in his flesh, he couldn't have identified with temptation. Jesus is NOW equal to the Father, always existed with the Father and was equal to the Father and eternal with the Father, however, during his time in flesh, He voluntarily gave up that aspect to take on our weaknesses. In life he was more than man, but by appealing to the Father, He could show us how we can appeal to the Father for ALL things, so long as we desire God's will and not our own. Upon becoming the bridegroom of the Church, His father becomes Our Father, we are married into His family and can receive the parental blessings of the Father, yet still have Jesus as the head of our 'household' being guided by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. As when we are married, we become the heads of our own households, upon Jesus' marriage to the Church, his bride takes charge of the household (the world) but he is the head of our household, the head of our family...the family of Christ.

God bless

Maimonides

2006-05-28T18:45:00.000-04:00

Moses Maimonides was a Jewish scholar of the 12th century. The article in the link above was an interesting one that I wanted to share.

I googled Maimonides because I wanted to find out more about this person. I had read of him several times and I was interested in discovering if what I was told this morning at church was true (that he did NOT consider Christians idolators towards the end of his life).

Here is the statement in the linked article that refers to that possible inference:

Concerning Christianity, with which he probably had no real contact, Maimonides’ views underwent a decided change over time. In his aversion to what he considered to be Christian dilutions of pure monotheism, especially in its doctrine of the Trinity, much of Maimonides’ philosophical critique of Christian theology is similar to Islamic arguments against it. In his earlier work, Maimonides translated his theoretical disdain of Christianity into practice. He deemed Christians to be idolators and bemoaned the fact that political necessity forced many European Jews to live in Christian societies.

Nevertheless, this is not the whole picture. At the end of his great code, Mishneh Torah, in his discussion of the political–legal role of the Messiah–to–come, Maimonides makes a predictable concession to Islam, but a surprising concession to Christianity. He argues that despite the errors of Jesus and Muhammad, the religions that emerged from their respective teachings are instruments of divine providence for bringing all of humankind to the worship of the one true God. Now it is obvious from this concession to Christianity that he no longer regarded it to be a form of idolatry, the worship of a "strange" god. Surely no form of radical idolatry could possibly be the means for the universal spread of monotheism. (Ironically enough, the Christian censors of the printed editions of Mishneh Torah forced the publishers to remove that passage.)

Moreover, in a responsum written after the publication of Mishneh Torah, Maimonides rules that Jews may teach the Torah to Christians but not to Muslims because Christians believe Hebrew Scripture in toto to be the revealed word of God, whereas Muslims believe that primary text to be the Quran; for them, Hebrew Scripture is a flawed revelation. Thus Jews and Christians share a common revelation in a way that Jews share with no other religious community. Furthermore, Maimonides believes that Jews can best proselytize Christians because of this common text. All Jews need do is show Christians how they have misinterpreted that common text (the New Testament being the erroneous Christian interpretation or midrash he has in mind) and how Judaism’s interpretation of it is ultimately more convincingly accurate. (Using the same logic, Christians have frequently regarded Jews as the most logical objects of their own proselytizing efforts.) The Jewish problem with Christianity, for Maimonides, is largely a matter of exegesis, and the differences there are more theoretical than practical. True idolators, on the other hand, could hardly have accepted Hebrew Scripture as the word of God.

I thought this interpretation was excessively interesting. I started searching further, but found that the majority of modern rabbinical scholars either overlook this or still maintain that Christians are idolators.

For example, on one Jewish site, I was informed that we Christians literally worship the cross that we have in our churches. This is absolutely NOT true. If they wish to consider me an idolator for considering a man (Jesus) to have been God, that I can accept their consideration of idol worship, but to believe that the simple reminder of his sacrifice ...a pictoral reminder of a sort is equivalent to idolatry, that I will deny.

This all comes back to the Christian belief in the Trinity.

I cannot fully explain the mystery of the Trinity. I have opinions of what I believe God has revealed to me, but I would not presume to force those opinions upon anyone outside my family. I believe in the Trinity, I believe that I understand it so far as I am able to in this life, in this body of flesh. I hope that in the next life, in my eternal body, that I will be able to better understand, but if I am not able, I can accept that it is not for me to understand, it is merely for me to accept God's will and His word regarding this.

These same people who have called me an idolator in the past have made efforts to help me understand the 'errors' that I have been taught. Errors in translation or otherwise. I believe that it is 'possible' they are correct (after all, we are sinful human beings still of flesh and fully capable of error), but I also believe that it is equally possible that ancient rabbinical scholars made efforts to hide the truth. I cannot consider the possible guilt of one without the possible guilt of the other. I know God. I know His love, it is boundless and eternal. In the Jesus I know, I see God's love at work and I see absolutely nothing that proves otherwise. I have asked God to reveal the truth to me, thus far, I have not received any revelation that Jesus was not God. Through the Holy Spirit, I hear God's voice from heaven, in my heart, in what I read, and in my dreams.

Jesus was born a Jew. Romans 11:11-32 says:

Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!

I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

"The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
And this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins."

As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

Revelation of the knowledge of Christ will come to the Jews and Christians, it will come from God when the time is right. It is not our (Christian) place to tell any Jew that he or she is 'going to hell'. We are not the judges. They worship God, they love God and they were born into God's family, we are merely ingrafted branches and we should keep that prideless, unworthy thought in front of our minds. To diminish the law is to diminish a part of God, the law is a blessing, but forgiveness, redemption, grace...these are infinite blessings as well.

So let us, Christian and Jew, come together if only in acknowledging our love of the infinite Lord. Let us love the same God together, the God of love, a just God whose justice is tempered only by His mercy. We know the same infinite God, we love the same just and merciful God, we merely don't see Him the same way. Someday, we will all worship Him together and before Him, all truth will be revealed.

God bless

Eternity...Forward and Backward

2006-05-23T15:42:00.000-04:00

I was on my way home this weekend from a trip to Virginia and we stopped at a bookstore on our way home so that the kids and I would have something to read.

I was not able to find the book I was looking for, but I came across C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce and it looked like an enjoyable read.

I didn't get to read it that evening because the sun had set by the time we made it back to the car, instead I read it yesterday evening. It is a short book, but it contains a great concept that I want to quote and share with you...

'Son,' he said, 'ye cannot in your present state understand eternity: when Anodos looked through the door of the Timeless he brought no message back. But ye can get some likeness of it if ye say that both good and evil, when they are full grown, become retrospective. Not only this valley but all their earthly past will have been Heaven to those who are saved. Not only the twilight in that town, but all their life on Earth too, will then be seen by the damned to have been Hell. That is what mortals misunderstand. They say of some temporal suffering, "No future bliss can make up for it," not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory. And of some sinful pleasure they say "Let me have but this and I'll take the consequences": little dreaming how damnation will spread back and back into their past and contaminate the pleasure of the sin. Both processes begin even before death. The good man's past begins to change so that his forgiven sins and remembered sorrows take on the quality of Heaven: the bad man's past already conforms to his badness and is filled only with dreariness. And that is why, at the end of all things, when the sun rises here and the twilight turns to blackness down there, the Blessed will say "We have never lived anywhere except in Heaven," and the Lost, "We were always in Hell." And both will speak truly.' ~Page 69

I marked this place in my book and read it to my husband. I said, "That is the best understanding I have ever gotten of eternity and it is one that I agree with."

My reasoning is that when I read that, I remembered the Prodigal Son times that were hard and they seemed to pile up on one another. The times when I lost my faith. Rather than viewing trials as learning experiences or opportunities to grow closer to the Lord, I viewed them as punishments. Hell is a punishment, but it doesn't have to be, it can be a place we pass through or it can be a place we choose to stop and stay in, but the choice is ours because God loves every one of us and He doesn't want to force us to a place we don't want to be. If we can't or won't accept God's divine will, then He won't force it upon us, no matter how miserable we make ourselves, and He won't force our chosen misery upon others either.

When I view each trial as a gift, as a moment to learn and grow from, every experience is one that draws me nearer and nearer to God. How can growing closer to the Lord be anything BUT heavenly? How can we, knowing where we were, want anything less than to share that joy with others? Not in such a way that draws us back into Hell, but in such a way that brings those who still are in Hell to where we are...in Heaven.

Choose your eternity, let it be Heaven, let it start now here on earth.

God bless you.

Chapter One~Dark Night of the Soul

2006-05-19T08:53:00.001-04:00

On a dark night, Kindled in love with yearnings- oh, happy chance!
I went forth without being observed, My house being now at rest.

First Stanza of Dark Night...

It has been a short time since I started reading this. I have been thinking about it, meditating upon it, praying about it, in order to know what to write here regarding it.

The spiritual road is a journey that will not end until our death. In the process of traveling that road, we recognize our human failings and, with God's help, attempt to overcome them. We reach for Him, for his closeness, for His mercy, for His grace...but we recognize our unworthiness and want to please Him, knowing that in and of ourselves we are incapable of pleasing, but through our love, and the DESIRE to please Him, we can achieve more than if we simply give up.

So, we look inward and see our faults. We hold the law up as a mirror to ourselves and see how unworthy we are...how arrogant, how lustful, how grotesque our physical yearnings are and hope that through Spirit, we can let Christ overcome our flesh.

Some throughout history have used different forms of mortification of the flesh to ...prove (?) their desire to overcome the flesh and put spiritual above physical desires. Unfortunately, even this can lead to an arrogance as well. A spiritual arrogance that inflates one's opinion of one's own worth in our eyes. A blinding arrogance as to our own faults.

Fasting is well and good, but for the right reasons, we fast not to show what 'good Christians' we are or can be, we fast not to 'follow a rule' and be viewed by our fellow man as a wonderfully faithful person. Our fasting should be for the purpose ONLY of drawing us closer to God. If we are looking for human condolances or kudos, or receiving pleasure of someone giving us those kudos for our willingness to fast (or any other mortification) then we are doing it for pride and human purposes, not for the purpose of drawing us closer to God.

However, when we DO fast for the proper reasons, for the purpose of drawing nearer to God, we see our own imperfections so much more clearly. God shows us the weaknesses of our flesh and his strength is so much more apparent, his miracles so much more beautiful, his Word and works so much more clearly defined. In seeing our own imperfections, we feel shame and sorrow. It is our desire to draw closer to Him that creates even more pain in the awareness that we are so weak, so unable to overcome our own imperfections, but our love for Him that we desire to not cause Him any more pain than we already have.

In that sorrow, in that recognition of our weaknesses, we experience a dark night...but it has great value in shining light upon the darkness of our souls, that we might offer our souls up to God for His ability to clean them.

God bless

Brokenness

2006-05-18T00:04:00.000-04:00

Lately, I am finding brokenness everywhere around me.

It seems everyone I come in contact with seems hurt and broken in some way. I hurt for them.

They either just want to talk about their brokenness or they want to know how to fix it, but when I tell them my suggestions, they say, "That's too hard" or "That won't work for me." Not because they have tried it, but because they don't want to fix it THAT way.

They would rather stay broken than try something new? I don't think so. I think it is because they are afraid.

Fixing brokenness requires letting yourself be vulnerable sometimes. You have to show someone your wound. That leaves your wound open to be poked at and possibly creates more pain.

An example would be when a doctor has to set a broken bone. When he pulls it back into place, it HURTS, but it can't heal properly unless it is in the right place. Once it heals properly though, it is stronger than ever.

The same goes with emotional brokenness. It is painful and difficult, but worth the pain to have the healing.

I told my kids tonight that they are already broken. Everyone is broken. Sometimes we break ourselves, sometimes we give others the power to break us, and sometimes we get broken through no fault of our own.

I think the first step is in identifying where we are broken. We can't change others, so we must start by changing ourselves. Either we remove ourselves from whatever is hurting us (which requires trust in God and can be painful in itself) or we have to stop letting whatever we are allowing to hurt us, be viewed as something painful...perhaps the problem is with our perception. Finally, we must look to see if we are saying and doing things to ourselves that are harmful and stop doing those things (whether those things are physical or mental).

Then, we have to let God fill in those broken places. I am not saying it is easy to do, but when we find a place where we are broken, we need to put our trust of God in that place and know that He uses the most broken jars of clay for great things.

Isaiah 64:8

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.

Romans 9:20-24

But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' "Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

2 Corinthians 4:4-9

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

God bless

Limitations

2006-05-16T13:58:00.000-04:00

I find that in my marriage, one of us creates boundaries and the other one stretches the boundaries of the one who created them. This works well in my marriage, oddly, I find that since I noticed it and put a name to it, I see it in other marriages as well.

Now, I am generally the boundary 'creator' and my husband tends to be the boundary 'stretcher'. This is a good thing.

People NEED boundaries. That is why God gave us the law, but God also gave us love in order to properly apply those boundaries he gave us. Marriage is a beautiful example of Jesus himself...the marriage of law and love in one person.

Our boundaries for one another should not be set in stone. They should be handled with grace and forgiveness. Not that they should be limitless, but they should be for our own good and for the good of one another. They should not be used as punishment, but for teaching.

Examples of what I mean are like when my husband returned from Korea...he was in the military and had gotten into the 'drinking' mentality. His family has a history of alcoholism and it concerned me. At a calm time when we were talking on the phone, I mentioned that this concerned me and he told me not to worry because he had no intention of drinking so much when he returned to the States. I asked that he limit himself to no more than two drinks in an evening and those only when he didn't have to work the next day. He agreed.

When he returned home, he attempted to go beyond the limitations he agreed to, and I reminded him of his promise. He was upset during that time because I stuck to the limitation. It even caused a couple of minor arguments. However, later, when it wasn't so important to him and he didn't behave as though he NEEDED the alcohol, I had no problem with him having an occassional drink. The behavior changed, so the limitation changed too.

In the last few years, he made the comment several times that he hadn't realized how addicted he had become to alcohol while he was in Korea. He said to his family at one point, "If it weren't for my wife, I would have come home from Korea an alcoholic." I don't know if that is the case, but I am glad that he saw the difference between me 'ordering him around' and me making a limitation in love.

In the same way, I tend to be a hothead when it comes to myself or my family being unintentionally hurt by someone's inconsideration. I tend to not say anything until I get home and then I fly off the handle expecting my husband to support me 100 percent in my fury over the hurt caused.

He doesn't always support me 100 percent. I am not always right, and he tries to point it out to me. I have to calm down and explain it differently for him to understand what I am saying and by the time I calm down, I usually see that I am making a bigger deal over the situation than it warrants. I am setting my boundaries too short and he is stretching them. When I can calm down, I can identify the difference between a problem and a mistake.

Not that there aren't times that he wants me to move that boundary (like in the first example) but there are also times that the boundary has been moved as far as I am willing to move it, and no further. At those times, because I have willingly moved that boundary in the past, my husband recognizes that I have reached my limit and he takes command. He also recognizes a need for boundaries. Laws are necessary, but love is equally important because mercy is based upon love and none of us are without a need for mercy. We all cross one another's boundaries from times to time. That is why we are blessed with God's grace.

As husband and wife, we are a team. God created us to be one.

Genesis 2:21-22
So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

Genesis 2:24
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Mark 10:6-8
"But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.''For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one.

Prayer

2006-05-11T22:09:00.000-04:00

What is the purpose of prayer?

I believe the purpose of prayer is communication with God.

Why does one pray?

One prays to develop that relationship to its fullest potential.

What does one pray for?

God's will.

Praying God's will is simply about submitting to God.

Matthew 7:7-8
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

God is not our magical genie. He gives us what we most NEED, not what we most WANT. His Will is not our WILL. He is perfect, how can someone know what perfection is if they are imperfect. I have used this analogy before.

My son thought his vision was 'perfect' until we had his eyes checked. Once the doctor checked his vision and he got glasses, he could see far clearer than before. NOW his vision was 'perfect'.

In the same way, we can say, "God isn't perfect because he doesn't do things the way I want them done." However, since we are not perfect, we cannot know what God has in store for us. I could pray that God let me marry my crush from elementary school...but maybe he would have grown up to be abusive...or He simply had someone better picked out for me.

Luke 11:13
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

He is our parent. We don't give our children matches to play with or let them eat poison. However, sometimes we might let them suffer the consequences of their actions because that is the best way for them to learn...through experience.

In what manner are prayers answered?

I believe prayers are answered by God. Sometimes He answers "Yes" and sometimes His answer is "No" and sometimes his answer is "Wait." He answers me with scripture, in my heart and in my head. He answers me with experiences. I find that when I start looking for 'signs' though, the answer is usually wrong (for me).

If you ask, will God answer and tell you whether or not a teaching is true?

Yes, but I might not understand the answer. He might have to explain it to me several times in different ways for me to 'get it'.

Does the Holy Spirit play a role in answering these questions?

Yes.

If so, what is it and how do you know the answer given is from God or not?

I cannot answer what the Holy Spirit is, other than to say, it is God. I think starting from a place of humility is always a good plan with regard to understanding God. I should recognize that I am imperfect as are the people around me and none of us have it 'right' because we are not God.

In other words, how do you discern the truth?

I don't know how I discern the truth, if I do so. I am simply stumbling along as best I can with the gifts God has blessed me with. My experiences have been my best teachers, so I am aware that things in the Bible are true because I have applied them and my experience leads me to believe they are true.

I guess the best answer I have is, "I discern the truth because God tells me it is so." But, if I make a mistake, I know it is MY mistake. That is why I must be careful to be patient and let God lead me in His time. If I rush His answer, then that is not God, that is ME. I simply KNOW when I get the answer from God...but it is hard waiting for that answer sometimes because I am impatient. So since I want the answer, I start looking for the answer where ever I can find it...that is not a good plan.

What does the Bible say about prayer?

Proverbs 15:8
The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

Proverbs 15:29
The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

Proverbs 28:9
If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable.

Jeremiah 29:11-13
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Lamentations 3:44
You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.

Matthew 5:43-45
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Matthew 6:5-15
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
"This, then, is how you should pray:

" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 21:22
If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Mark 9:28-30
After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"

He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer.*"
* or by prayer and fasting

Mark 11:24
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mark 11:25
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Mark 12:38-40
As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."

Luke 5:16
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Luke 6:28
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Luke 18:9-14
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Acts 1:14
They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Acts 6:6
They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

Acts 7:59
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Acts 8:15
When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,

Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

James 5:13
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.

James 5:14
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.

and a LOT more...

God bless

No real title, just a chat

2006-05-04T15:32:00.000-04:00

I know people are reading this because I have this neat stat counter on here now (you can't see it, but it is there) ;) Not that I didn't hope that other people might eventually read it, but this blog is more my way of working out my thoughts than it is for others... I am just hoping that by letting other people read them, they might see something that they identify with or see something new that they hadn't thought about before.

Anyway, since more than just my husband and sister have been reading...I don't know who you are, but I just wanted to explain something about me. I love God. I am selfish, prideful, (at times I can be hateful). I am pretty self absorbed...right now a lot of my relationship with God is about 'me'. I went through a good period of my love of God bearing fruit, but for right now...its about me getting to know him. Listening, learning.

So, if my posts come across as self absorbed, please grant me a little grace. I know that and it is something I am working on...but I am working on some other stuff in real life too, stuff that I won't discuss on here, but it is a little scary and it is stuff that I am just trying to figure out. In the meantime, it helps me to use this blog to work out my thoughts, and if it appears I am pontificating...well, you don't have to read it. ;) For those who don't know...the title is about doing works. Fruit is another word for works. Good fruit is works that we do to glorify God. Bad works (rotten fruit) are works that glorify ourselves.

This is more me working out my relationship with the Lord. I yearn to know him more and this is my way of being able to go back and read things that I understood at one point, that maybe I am not getting now. If I go back and read what I wrote, then I sometimes can get back to bearing real fruit in the world (I hope).

I can't change anyone else. I can only change me. I can pray for others so that God changes them. But hopefully, by asking God to help change me and by praying for them, I get a little closer to him. I forget to ask God to change MY heart sometimes, for a little while. But, when I remember, it brings me full circle again. I get a little peace for a little while.

Lots of "I" in my posts. Sorry.

God bless and thanks for 'listening'.

Intro ~Dark Night of the Soul

2006-05-02T13:47:00.000-04:00

Well, I read it and prayed about it. I am reading the book online and you can find it linked in the title.

The introduction includes a brief history and goes in depth into the original premise of St. John's Dark Night. It seems to be a very personal walk with a great deal of introspection.

The first stanza is:

On a dark night, Kindled in love with yearnings- oh, happy chance!- I went forth without being observed, My house being now at rest.

On a dark night, I find it hard to see. As a new believer, there is so much I don't know and yearn to know, but there is joy in what I have discovered so far. Everything has fallen into place. My heart is at peace. I feel the joy of God's presence and it is precious to me.

Getting into the chapter, St. John of the Cross explains the new believer's relationship is very much like a mother and infant. As an infant is not ready for meat, but begins being fed mother's milk, so a new believer is being eased into faith. Initially, the new believer makes sacrifices ...but perhaps for appearances sake? Or to fit the mold of what they think a believer 'should be'? The full focus is not yet on God's view, but still on earthly matters. This time is a time of easy transition, but when the faith is secure...God starts moving and growing...stretching the believer by challenging thoughts and ideas...perhaps some preconceived notions. This is likened to a mother weaning her child from breastmilk and the child beginning to get to the first real food of scripture.

He suggests that the "seven deadly sins" are somewhat of a journey of study for the new believer. One that the believer must recognize within himself and deal with each one within himself individually. He starts with pride.

Meditations on "Dark Night of the Soul"

2006-05-02T00:59:00.000-04:00

It has been recommended that I/We (hubby and myself) read St. John of the Cross' Dark Night of the Soul. Before I begin, I want to put a few thoughts down that I have learned through my own experiences of the difficulties we have faced during this...journey. After I read Chapter One tonight, I am going to sleep on it and write tomorrow. I wanted to put a few thoughts down before I begin though...

First of all, I have a new appreciation for Jesus saying, "My God, My God, why have your forsaken me?"

It brings the thoughts of the Footprints poem to my mind.

One night a man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand:
one belonging to him, and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of his life
there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it.
"Lord, You said that once I decided to follow you,
You'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."
The Lord replied,
"My son, My precious child, I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I Carried You."

At the times I believe I am most forsaken, the Lord is so close to me, he is holding me up, but I cannot see him for my pain. I cannot feel his presence in the loneliness and emptiness I face. Yet, I know he is there. In the absence of 'feeling' God, sometimes it takes a conscious will to KNOW He is present, to trust Him that much.

It reminds me a little of when I spoke of miracles...by that I mean that during God's greatest miracle, the salvation of us from our sins, when God was MOST present, Jesus felt forsaken. I KNOW that I am explaining this poorly, but if I could explain it, rather than sense it, it seems like it wouldn't need to be explained.

When we take our eyes and hearts attention from the miracle and focus instead on the chaos around the miracle, then all we see is the tomb...but when we look directly at the miracle...the EMPTY tomb, instead of seeing an absence, we see a presence. The presence of the miracle...the presence of the angel...the presence of Christ himself. Like the disciples being fearful instead of joyful because they were seeing Jesus dying instead of Jesus dying for us. They were seeing conviction rather than redemption because they were looking at what was going on around the miracle instead of looking, really looking, to Christ.

When we look at the cross, we can see Christ's torment, or we can see his love for us...and our salvation because of that love. In that moment of Christ calling out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" I am right there with Christ. I deserve to be forsaken, but it was MY sin that he took, and I am present with him when he is suffering for me. But, if I am looking at his torment, I cannot miss his enduring love. His willingness to experience that pain the utter absence...for me.

How dark was Christ's night when he endured my pain, your pain, all of our pain? How deep was the loneliness? How empty? But how close was he there at that moment? The moment of deepest, darkest, emptiness was also the moment of greatest, most enduring love. The moment he felt most alone, the moment he chose to experience that feeling of being absolutely forsaken, was the same moment that he became the personification of perfect love for all of us. Because in willingly taking that on, he was both the personification of perfect love and taking on all the unloving things that he never did nor would do. In the moment of our greatest sorrow, was the same moment of our greatest rejoicing. That was the moment he had every one of us with him...it was in that moment we became the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani."

Misunderstanding

2006-05-01T23:15:00.000-04:00

Psalm 49:3
My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding.

I sometimes feel so alone and lost.

I become angry.

The people I love, they don't understand what I am going through. I can't explain it to them so that they do understand. When I try to explain it, I make it worse. Then, my frustration leads me to yelling, because if I can't make it clearer, at least I can say it louder.

Not very smart.

I used to just give up. Either they would eventually 'get it' or I would eventually 'get over it'. It lead to a lot of misunderstandings.

Recently, a similar situation occurred in my family. I have been getting sick and trying to avoid saying my concerns out loud. I was really sort of denying it to myself as well. Instead of confronting my fears, I was avoiding them.

It led to a lot of misunderstanding again.

My husband was misunderstanding why I was constantly sick. He was tired of me being sick all the time and was so caught up in big things happening to him, that he didn't see what was happening to me wasn't that I wasn't going to the doctor, it was the doctor giving me medicine that wasn't fixing the problem...it was simply covering one of the symptoms. So I was exhausted and he couldn't see why I wasn't being myself.

My kids were tired of me being sick. They are used to a Mom that is on the go and doing fun stuff with them.

My entire family was getting sick of me.

I am pretty sick of myself.

So, I needed to confront the problem. But, I didn't realize that this problem has been stirring other things up for awhile. So I had to get to the heart of the matter...it has affected my prayer life, my behavior, my family relationships...it has touched every part of me.

A few nights ago, I decided to try to explain some of it, and I kept explaining it over and over again, a little at a time, until we both understood what I was saying. Maybe that sounds crazy, but even though I knew what the problem was, I couldn't put it into the right words so that the people around me understood my heart. I finally was able to get it out correctly tonight, and once I explained it correctly, I felt slightly better.

Once my husband understood, then it was time for my children to understand. I am not certain they understand completely, but at least they understand better than they did. They know I am not simply abandoning them, I am just doing my best to do what I can for them, for all of them.

Matthew 13:15
For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'

Healing of the spirit comes with understanding. God's word applies to ALL of our relationships, our relationship with Him and our relationships with one another. When we close our hearts and minds to understanding one another, we cannot reach one another, but when we listen, with softened hearts to one another, we heal our relationships and our relationship grows and is more beautiful than ever. It is as beautiful as the Song of Solomon, like the romantic love you remember from the earliest days of your marriage.

Proverbs 17:22
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

My family couldn't understand because they didn't know something was wrong, or they knew something was wrong, but weren't aware of the real problem. The misunderstanding was partially my fault for not telling the people around me what was scaring me, mainly because I didn't want to face it myself. God gave us one another to lift one another up, he gave me a husband to share my concerns with, not for me to shoulder my burdens alone. By trying to carry the burden alone, or by trying to pretend the burden would simply disappear, I made the burden worse...and my empty fear became a burden itself. By explaining my concerns to my husband until he understood, I made my burden lighter and he was able to comfort me...and better yet, was no longer angry, but now he understood why I was behaving the way I was.

I know many women hide their burdens from their families, I want to stress to you that is a mistake. Your family is aware there is a problem, they are not completely selfish and foolish. It is better for you to share your burden with them. Not even Jesus himself carried his cross alone.

Luke 23:26
As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.

Simon ultimately became one of the first converts to Christianity.

Pray for God to help you with your burden, but share your burden as well. That is what the body of Christ is here for, so that you know you are not alone.

God bless

Praying for our Enemies

2006-04-28T12:32:00.000-04:00

There are just some people who it is hard to love.

They aren't always enemies, sometimes they are persecutors. When I am hurt by someone, especially someone who knows they hurt me and are unrepentant about it, I find it helps to pray.

Some of you are saying, "Of course you pray: For peace, to be able to forgive them, for God to make them stop, etc." How about praying for the unrepentant person who hurt you? That soul is going to suffer for the unrepentance, either here or on the other side. Wouldn't it be better for them to learn not to repeat that action so they don't hurt more people?

Now I realize that people think, "Why should I pray for that (insert negative comment here)?"

First, because you have enmity for that person...Just a little. Praying for the enemy of your heart can bring you peace and sometimes open your eyes to sins you have committed against the person that caused them to behave that way toward you. Occasionally, I have realized that the hurt starts with me, either I was oversensative or they were simply having a bad day and it wasn't intended to hurt.

Second, because isn't it better for that person to become/return to being a penitent child of God rather than an unrepentant sinner? I don't think it is easy to pray for my enemies, but I have found that by doing so, I learn to put them in God's hands and God's timing rather than expecting my own timing. It teaches me to love and to be patient, to trust the Will of God and to be more aware of both his justice and mercy.

Finally, because if that person isn't repentant, then he or she doesn't see what they are doing as wrong. If that is the case, they will do it over and over, hurting others. Isn't it better to pray that fewer people are hurt rather than more people are hurt? I would much rather put my 'enemies' in the Lord's hands, asking him to help them see the light than wishing more pain upon them in revenge. I don't want revenge, I want the Lord to help show them the way. Sometimes we need painful lessons for us to see the Lord's light, sometimes we don't. Either way, I think it is better for the Lord to find the best way for them to reach him, he knows their hearts and he knows them best, just like he knows me best. He can number the very hairs upon each one of our heads, so I know that he also knows the best way for us.

And if that person learns repentance, then I would want God to have mercy on them. The lessons that lead that person to repentance are far better instructors than any person on earth ever could be.

Psalm 27:11
Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.

Psalm 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

Matthew 10:30
And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Matthew 5:
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Proverbs 9:8
Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.

Revelation 3:19
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

Jon's First Blessing

2006-04-26T22:08:00.000-04:00

IMG_0335[1]
Originally uploaded by MissThDance.

This is my husband blessing the guests at his ordination. He just said, "May the Peace of the Lord be with you all. Let us share the peace of the Lord."

Marriage Encounter

2006-04-25T16:50:00.000-04:00

This is a public service announcement...

Anyone who has been married for a few years should look into this. My husband and I had been married for 7 years and attended Marriage Encounter. It totally changed our marriage.

We went from constantly misunderstanding one another and arguing to having a relationship again. It taught us to forgive and to communicate with one another, to respect the qualities we love about one another and compromise on the small things, to know that as long as we both know that our greatest and best advocate is one another...

Over time, I realized I could apply Marriage Encounter to ALL the relationships in my life. No one is perfect. I certainly am not. Because I am not perfect, I don't have the right to expect perfection from my spouse. My job is simply to love him and support him. That doesn't mean I want him to always agree with me. I simply want him to acknowledge my feelings and the fact that I am entitled to feel like I do. Sometimes he will be wrong. Sometimes I will be wrong. The blessing is in being able to explain it so that your spouse understands the hurt and mourns that hurt with you. In the same way, sharing the joys is an even greater blessing when you can clearly explain how joyful you truly felt.

1 Corinthians 7:4
The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.

Ephesians 5:28-34
In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

The Way

2006-04-23T05:30:00.001-04:00

One night before we moved away from Germany, I had a dream...

I dreamt that I was on a path. In the beginning of the dream I was young. I had no thought of leaving the path. Although the path was generally comfortable, there were occasions of darkness along it, but I generally walked down the path without a care, in my own little world. My path crossed other paths and I had opportunities to meet other people walking on their paths that intersected my own.

As I grew older, I started noticing things about the path I was on. I saw the sky. I noticed the trees that lined the path. The trees were beautiful, friendly, and adventurous looking. I started noticing that occasionally there were paths that branched off the path I followed. As I continued along the path, these other offshoots appealed to my sense of adventure. I would draw closer to them, look at them, consider them, but I still wanted to see what was ahead on the beautiful path I was on.

A time came when I was becoming frustrated with the path I was on. I was getting nowhere, tired of the path and those offshoots looked so appealing. I wanted adventure. I knew I was supposed to stay on the path, but I made a willful decision to deliberately step off the path because I had an opportunity. I thought no one was watching me...and I stepped into the woods.

Initially, when I stepped into the woods, they still seemed appealing. The offshoot I followed had things I had never seen before, so I pressed forward. This was ADVENTURE! As I drew deeper into the wood, it grew denser, darker. I decided to forge on ahead in the name of adventure! Eventually, the offshoot I followed stopped having any appearance of a path. Then I became concerned. I was in the middle of a dense, dark, cold wood. I looked back and couldn't find the offshoot behind me anymore. I began to regret leaving the path I was on originally and wanted to find my way back. I knew the general direction, but I didn't know how to get there. I discovered there was no way to go backward and undo what decisions I had already made. I knew that I needed to find my way back to the path I was on originally, so I turned in the 'general' direction that I knew that path was in, and I forged ahead.

Now, forging ahead through the middle of the densest thickest part of the forest is fine when you think you have a path in front of you, but when you totally leave any semblance of path in order to return to the original one, you discover that the forest that appears so beautiful can also be painful. I stumbled into brambles and thorns, I came across other paths, some were very dark. Between the pain and darkness, I became afraid. At times it was debilitating to the point I couldn't go forward. I occasionally ran into people on those other paths. I saw my husband on one of these paths and I grabbed a hold of him because it was so dark I couldn't see where I was going (but I knew it was my husband...hey, it was a dream! lol). He offered to help me find my path again, I was relieved. So I held onto him as he led me along his path. It was nice not being alone anymore. I was less afraid.

After some time as he led me, I became frustrated because he wasn't finding my path and now I was blinded besides! I occasionally took out my frustration on him, but really, I was frustrated with myself for ever losing my path to begin with. Following my husband wasn't working. His path and mine could intersect, be close to one another, or parallel, but as long as I was holding onto him, I wasn't going to find what I was looking for. I decided to finally let go. I wanted to stay close to him, but I still needed to find the path I belonged on.

As I stepped away from him, just a bit, I could see again. I started to notice that where I was, things looked familiar. I realized that I must be getting closer to MY path! When I looked closer in the direction I needed to go, I saw that to reach my path, I had to go through brambles and sticker bushes. I knew I was going to get dirty, and I was going to experience pain. I became afraid again, but this time, I made a deliberate decision to choose to go through the pain in order to be on my path again. I accepted that my temporary pain was worth being on the right path. I stepped into the bushes.

I had found my way. My heart was overflowing with joy. My husband celebrated with me. Now when I walked on my path, I had a companion close to me. I looked ahead on my path and there was a beautiful light ahead of me. Looking at the woods on either side, they were still beautiful, but I respected them and could appreciate them for what they were, yet know that I was where I belonged.

Now, after returning to my path, I noticed something that I had been completely unaware of prior to returning to my path. During the entire time I was walking my path as a youth I had a warm, safe, presence with me. I realized that even while I thought I was alone in the woods, that presence was with me and comforted me and brought the right challenges to me and the right comforters to me at the times that I most needed them in order to return to my path. Although I had turned away from the comfort and warmth that He offered, He knew what I wanted, what I was searching for wasn't just my path, it was Him. When I was on my path, the one He designed with me in mind, I was closest to Him. When I chose to go my own way, He allowed me to, but He continued to watch over me.

Thank you, God.

Like a Window

2006-04-22T11:07:00.000-04:00

Today I am giving my husband away to the Lord. He is being ordained a priest. May God bless his ministry and may he decrease to self that the Lord might increase.

Lord, please clean the glass of his soul that your light shines clearly through him and you receive all credit. Whatever you have in store for us, please strengthen us to meet every challenge you allow to come our way and let us witness your work in the people around us.

Amen

...and a Time to Dance

2006-04-16T15:05:00.000-04:00

He is RISEN!

Hallelujah!

Jesus Christ is ris'n today!
Sinners wipe your tears away!
Jesus' death upon the cross
Saveth us from endless loss.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

See the holy women come,
Bearing spices to the tomb;
Hear the white-clad angel's voice
Bid the universe rejoice.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Go tell all His brethren dear
"He is risen, nor is here!
Seek Him not among the dead;
He is risen as He said!"

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Glory, Jesus be to Thee!
Thine own might hath set Thee free!
Come! for primal joy restored,
Let us bless our Paschal Lord!

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Matthew 28

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

And he is still with us, to this day. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

God bless you all.

A Time to Mourn

2006-04-14T02:49:00.000-04:00

On the night in which he was betrayed...

Tonight church had such deep meaning for me. So many things happened on this night over 2000 years ago...

On this night, Jesus knew he would be betrayed...and yet, he washed feet, even the feet of Judas, his betrayer. He knew his body would be broken...his blood shed, and yet, he prayed for his disciples and he prayed for you and me.

I remember being taught just what a humbling act this was, the filth that was upon the feet of the disciples included dust from the road, but in that dusty road was also dried animal waste...it couldn't have been a pleasant experience. He undressed...wrapping a towel around his waist in order to dry their feet once washed.

I can understand Peter's embarrassment...

"Jesus, please don't do this. Let me wash YOUR feet, my Lord, my King."

"Unless you allow me to do this for you, you cannot have a part of me."

"Then don't just wash my feet, but please wash my head and hands as well!"

Much like baptism... He washes us clean...and unless we allow him to wash us clean, we can have no part of him. Are you willing to allow him to wash your feet? Are you ashamed...knowing how undeserving you are to have your feet washed by him?

He humbled himself upon the cross, so that we might learn humility.

In his humility
He humbled me.

John 13

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"

Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Then, his body is broken...his blood is shed... for me...and for ALL people for the forgiveness of our sins.

This Passover night, Jesus...the first born ...only begotten Son of God, showed humility.

Not the pride of Pharoah...whose heart was hardened and would not release the Jews...

Passover, when the Jews remember the placing blood upon their doorframes so that the Spirit of God would pass over their homes and take the lives of the first born of Egypt. The blood that saved them that night...the blood on the door frames...that is the blood we are saved by...that is why we call Jesus "Lamb of God".

Exodus 12

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire—head, legs and inner parts. Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover.
"On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

He went willingly. Yet, he did not kill himself. I killed him. His blood was for me. He was without the blemish of sin, yet he willingly died for me...his body broken, his blood shed...and he thanked God.

I even eat the broken body and drink the blood of the lamb who was broken and shed for me.

Yet, I cry for him...and for me. I mourn because I betrayed my Lord, my King and because he died, I live.

And he blessed me for it...

Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those that mourn, for they will be comforted.

Forgive Osama bin Laden?

2006-04-12T17:51:00.000-04:00

Luke 6:27-36
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

As an American, what Osama bin Laden and the 9/11 hijackers did offended me...but as one of the few people who lost absolutely NO ONE in that horrific incident, it is far easier for me to say what I am about to say than I would expect it to be for anyone else.

I believe that the 9/11 hijackers are in hell. If when I die, they are there...in their heaven...then it is my belief that will be the equivalent of hell to me. As far as I am concerned, I would be in hell (based upon my personal belief...not because this has come up for discussion at church in any way).

Now, that is under the assumption that they are in 'their' heaven.

In MY understanding of heaven, there will be a time of ...purging of evil. That would be purgatory to Catholics (or the BEMA to some protestants). If some of them are there after going through that time of purging, I leave that in G-d's hands. Perhaps they repented of their actions. I really don't know and it isn't my place to judge what G-d chooses to forgive and what he chooses to retain.

I believe I will also go through a time of purging. I hope that by making every effort to follow G-d's laws (as I understand them) that will leave as little as possible that is necessary to be purged from me.

Regarding OSB, I pray for him. I pray that he repents of his actions. I pray that he feels sorrow for what he has done. I believe he suffers for those actions in this life and I believe he will continue to suffer for those actions... So, I do feel pity for him. If he is captured, I expect he will receive the death penalty...and if he lacks a willingness to repent for ALL of his evil (as I am willing to repent for ALL of my evil) then (I believe) he will spend eternity in hell. What saves me is that Christ died for me, but what I suffer for are my own sins. In times when I face what I believe to be unjust suffering, I can only look to myself and say, "Look at what Jesus suffered for me. Do I believe I am more worthy than he is?" There is no value for me to complain about any injustice I face because ANY injustice I face, I know deep inside I deserve far worse than Jesus suffered to die for MY sins. I don't always succeed at not complaining (in fact, there are times I believe I enjoy it a little too much) but I make every effort to identify MY issues because I don't want to hurt someone else.

I don't hate Osama...I don't like him either. I think I probably would hate him if someone I love died. I don't blame anyone who DOES hate him and I don't think that hating OSB would prevent someone from entering heaven. I think G-d would understand that hurt. I believe that allowing that hurt to rule the rest of my life would poison what G-d requires of me. I would become bitter and hateful and be more inclined to see the negative in people than try to help people overcome that and soften toward the Lord. My own actions resulting from that behavior might end up with me having just as many sins as Osama...and hating G-d as well. I believe G-d does allow us to experience trials in this life when he knows that we NEED the discipline in order that we might return to his love. I believe that until the day that Osama dies he will experience trials...and the more trials he experiences in this life, the softer his heart can become and the more likely he will repent...the fewer trials he experiences in this life, the less likely that his eternity will be spent with G-d. Because if he isn't experiencing trials in this life, then (I believe) G-d has determined that he will never repent and he is destined for hell. I believe that some people have no repentance whatsoever in their hearts and that lack is their downfall.

And if you have NO faith in G-d, then there are sins (not all sins) that you have no reason to repent of.

So, do I forgive Osama and the hijackers? I don't really feel it is my place to forgive them as they hurt me emotionally, but their actions didn't directly touch my life. I would HOPE that I could forgive them (in my heart), but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't expect them to still face the penalty for their actions on this earth.

Mark 11:24-26
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Submission=Trust

2006-04-09T22:22:00.001-04:00

1 Peter 2:13-25
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

1 Peter 3
Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:
Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

It sometimes seems like the scariest word that a modern Christian woman can face today is 'submission'.

I think that in this day and age, women either think of the sexual connotations of 'submission' or they think it means being a doormat. I don't think either of those things is what God suggests. I don't think biblical submission should be considered something to be feared. Biblical submission covers man submitting to God, women submitting to their husbands, children submitting to their parents and slaves submitting to their masters. I think men can learn from their wives examples of submission because that is how they are supposed to be submissive to the Lord.

I want women to recognize that biblical submission I speak of is not about a woman being abused and staying in an abusive relationship. Nor is biblical submission a reason to say "Slavery is a good thing." Neither of those statements are true. Before anyone says, "I will NEVER be 'submissive' to my husband" or some similar statement, consider who you submit yourself to on a normal day...

Do you ride in airplanes? Then you submit yourself to the pilot and air traffic controlloers. Do you ride a train? Then you submit yourself to the conductor and anyone in charge of the switches. Do you ride in a car? Then you are submitting yourself to the driver, the mechanic, the auto maker.

Biblical submission is about TRUST.

How do you build trust? You give people a reason to trust you. If you don't trust your husband enough to submit to him, then you shouldn't have married him. God's submission is about saying, "I know you love me, you know what is best for me. I trust your decisions."

THAT is the sort of submission that our God is looking for.

2 Chronicles 30:7-9
And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see.
Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you.
For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.

Luke 10:17-20
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Hebrews 13:17
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

James 4:1-8
From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

I don't think God does not welcome our suggestions..He welcomed Abraham's suggestions regarding Sodom and Gommorrah and He welcomed Moses' suggestions regarding the Jews. In the same way, husbands can be the final decisionmakers of the household, but still welcome the decisions of their spouses. Wives can still be submissive, but that does not mean we have no say in decisions that are made. However, only ONE person can make the 'final' decision. The bible says that the husband should be the one making the final decision.

Wives, if you have a husband that is not faithful to the Lord, this is your opportunity to show HIM how devotion to the Lord blesses the home. Submission is a blessing. Since we have begun faithfully practicing submission, our homelife has become more peaceful, because it isn't my husband or I 'ruling' our home...it is the Lord. HE is in the driver's seat and HE is who we are placing our trust in. When we consider making a major purchase, we are putting the decision in HIS hands and preparing ourselves for whatever answer HE leades us to.

Submission to the Lord is trusting Him in the face of what the world tells us is illogical. Even if it at times is painful. We are so impatient, we rarely see miracles anymore because few of us have the PATIENCE nor the TRUST to wait for the Lord's answer...nor do we SUBMIT to His answer when it comes if we do not agree with it.

So, we rush into marriages that don't last, or we depend upon science to create or kill our children or we spend money we don't have and then our poor suffer because we have forgotten them in our rush to think of ourselves.

Submission means not doing what your flesh wants you to rush into, it means waiting upon the Lord and His will. Trusting the Lord.

God bless

In the Peaceful and Quiet Place

2006-04-09T17:09:00.000-04:00

Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the heart. ~Mother Theresa

Psalm 37:7
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Zechariah 2:13
Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling."

Job 6:24
"Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong.

Ecclesiastes 9:17
The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.

Isaiah 32:17
The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.

Lamentations 3:25-26
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

Mark 4:39
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

1 Peter 3:3-4
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

How often do we spend our time yelling and arguing over what we believe God has called us to do? We spend our days telling one another, "THIS is what God says!" Would that instead we remember that God calls each of us to His purpose and it is not our place to tell another what that purpose God has called him or her to do, but it is our place to listen to the Lord and follow His commands. It is a matter of submission for all of us to stop...listen...and trust Him to move our hearts. Pray unceasingly for one another and patiently wait upon the Lord. May the peace of God which passes ALL understanding, keep our hearts and minds in the love and mercy of Christ Jesus.

Lord, Father in heaven,

I humbly ask that you soften my heart to be conformed only to YOUR will for me. I pray that you conform the hearts of both my enemies and my friends, my loved ones, political leaders...everyone of us...that earth might be more like heaven and we might humbly serve only you rather than our own flesh and pride. Let us be still, that we might hear you over the clamor of the world. I ask these things for the sake of your son, Jesus Christ, who died for the sake of MY sins.

Amen

Anatomy of a Schism

2006-04-07T16:50:00.000-04:00

I believe that in every religion, we have people who were raised in a faith, hear something, and misunderstand it. THOSE people, when sharing their faith, pass their misinformation on, someone else hears it and explains it to someone else and it is passed on until it reaches someone who knows better (either knows better as in, "That isn't the teaching" OR knows better as in, "That shouldn't be the case because the Bible says THIS ).

Now, the original mistake maker didn't make the error with 'criminal intent'...we are talking about a 'milk' believer as opposed to a 'meat' believer. The person simply didn't know any better. If anything, the first thing taught in any confirmation class (in my humble opinion) should be, "Don't answer questions that you don't fully comprehend the answers to," but I digress.

Now...welcome to the point of my post:

These mistakes sometimes get magnified over time and poor vertical communication and a schism forms. By vertical communication, I mean that when the church leader (priest/pastor/minister) is being taught, something is missed in their education. Then, they pass that on within the church community and the ground level faithful hear the poor message and misinterpret further what has been taught (leading to poor horizonal communication and the spread of misinformation). It is my belief that schisms of all churches then tend to form from an excess of pride in RELIGION rather than an excess of humility in faith.

Now, I am not just referring to the schismatic church, I am also referring to the original church.

Before anyone gets upset...think of this...

When you excommunicate someone and demand that they see things YOUR WAY (or they can't come back to the church) when they don't understand it the way you are communicating it, then who is being prideful? Is it the person who is staying honest to the fact that they truly cannot agree with their UNDERSTANDING of the teaching, or the person who refuses to see that the other person is not being deliberately obtuse, they are simply not understanding the way it is being related to them? How about when you don't even INVITE someone to a Papal conclave, and when the person contacts you to find out why not, and you use that as an opportunity to excommunicate them, who is being prideful? Where is the dialogue? Shouldn't the dialogue occur while the church is whole BEFORE a schism occurs?

Not all, but several, schisms of the Catholic Church were because of individual pride in the RELIGION rather than a desire to maintain the integrity of the faith. Do I believe it is painful for the schisms to be in place? Absolutely...for BOTH sides. Do I believe that it is always the fault of the schismatic church? No. Do I believe it is always the fault of the Church whose earthly guidance comes from Rome? No. Do I believe that BOTH sides are always at fault? Yes.

Let's look at what generally (not always) occurs once the church leader is excommunicated...

1) Communication with Rome GENERALLY ceases.
2) Due to the lack of communication, over time further discrepancies creep into the doctrine and further schisms occur in the schismatic church...leading to MORE distance from the original Church fathers.

When I pray for the unity of the faith, it is not me praying for others to come to 'my religion'. I am literally praying for the UNITY of the various religions under God to all work together for God's will and not personal pride or prejudice. THAT INCLUDES MY RELIGION. I would not say, "I hope that you leave your schism and return to the true church," because that strikes me as prideful, not recognizing the humanity that is still a part of all church leaders. In my heart, I have NEVER met a church leader of ANY faith that did not have pride issues about their own faith (I refer to an "I am perfectly right and if you do not agree with me then you are wrong" attitude). That doesn't mean they aren't God and man loving, good, wonderful church leaders...it means that they are human.

Finally, if you want to attack me for what my religion is...don't go into the history...because I wasn't the person who got into the argument that caused the excommunication...I wasn't there and neither were you. Recognize that I respect your religion and expect the same in return. I don't agree with ALL aspects of my faith, but sadly, I deliberately didn't choose the Roman Catholic Church because FAR too many times I was treated with contempt because I wasn't 'Catholic' and FAR too many people were worshipping the Religion rather than the Lord. That isn't the fault of Rome, that is the fault of the treatment I received at the 'ground level' of the faithful.

Truly, the more I read of what the Vatican has taught during the times of Pope John Paul the Second, the more I agree with the FAITH and DOCTRINE of the Roman Catholic Church...but I cannot and will not worship before and beside people who won't put those doctrines into practice.

Suffering

2006-04-03T09:31:00.000-04:00

I was watching the news this morning and thinking of the people of the Midwest. They are in my prayers and I hope they are in yours.

In times of suffering, like 9/11, Katrina, and storms like those of Tennesee, people can be so quick to say, "Why would God do this to me?"

A better question to ask is, "Why would you assume God did this to you?"

I don't believe God causes our suffering. I believe that we cause our own suffering and that of those who we love. God simply allows us to feel the results of our own actions so that we might learn from them.

That doesn't mean He doesn't also protect us from ourselves...but there is a point at which protecting us from ourselves isn't the most loving choice. Sometimes, the most loving choice is for us to receive a rebuke.

If we view death as 'THE END' then we will totally misunderstand the heavenly perspective. Death isn't the end, it is simply another stage in our growth toward the Lord.

1 Samuel 2:25
If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?" His sons, however, did not listen to their father's rebuke, for it was the LORD's will to put them to death.

Proverbs 9:8
Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.

Revelation 3:19
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

But, God is also a God of mercy and grace. His rebuke is not unending. Learn from Job

Job 36:15
But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction.

from David

Psalm 22:24
For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

and from Jesus

Acts 3:18-20
But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.

Our suffering can be a lesson, or a gift...there is value in suffering. We should pray for wisdom that we use the blessing of our suffering for the joy of the Lord.

Romans 5:1-4
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Romans 8:17
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Romans 8:18
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

2 Corinthians 1:6
If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.

Philippians 1:29-30
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Hebrews 5:7-10
During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

James 5:10
Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

God bless.

My Purpose

2006-03-17T08:11:00.000-05:00

I come here to discuss my relationship with God. I hope that, by coming here, I can share some of what I experience through my relationship, but more than that, I hope to LEARN and SHARE and GROW with others that also love God.

By talking to people who don't share my faith, my beliefs are challenged. I am ok with that. My faith cannot grow unless it is challenged. Every challenge gives me a reason to turn back to God and ask Him when I don't know the answer to a "Well, then why....?" question. Sometimes I have even seen verses in a new light. Sometimes I have finally felt inspired to open a book that I have had trouble reading in the past because I felt no 'connection' to it before...and suddenly my eyes were opened to the rich meaning within the texts.

I don't believe I can convert anyone. No where in the Bible have I read that it tells ME to convert anyone. It tells me to be prepared with an answer, it tells me to show my love and to cast seeds. The soil is prepared by the person receiving it and by God, but the vine doesn't grow unless GOD grows it. If I start bragging about all the vines I grew and feeling pretty puffed up about how many 'souls' I won for Christ, I am not recognizing that I haven't done a darn thing. God did it all. I would deserve to have my pride pricked for that sort of attitude.

When I talk about my relationship with God, I am just trying to share a joy I have...the same way I would talk about a new friend, or a book, or a television show, or amusement park, or a new restaurant I found that I love. Yes, I might sound a little obsessed at times, but it is because I love Him so much that he fills ALL the parts of my life. He is a part of all the best things in my life. He is a part of my family, my past, my present, my future, my hopes, my dreams, my sorrows. I have a friend that I want to share with you because I believe that my friend can ease your hurts. If a friend saw you hurting and recommended a doctor, would you be offended?

On the other side, if I kept shoving that doctor down your throat when you have already said, "No thanks." Am I doing a disservice to the doctor as well?

When I talk about my relationship with God, maybe I am trying to convert you...but I am certainly not thinking about YOU...I am thinking about me and how happy I am. I am thinking that perhaps you seem sad or sour and I want to share my joy with you. I want you to be happy with me, not sad and bitter by yourself. I will bend over backwards trying not to offend you, but I won't change what I believe or change why I believe it. I won't demand that YOU believe it, I might be sad that you don't believe it, but I am content that there is a reason you aren't ready yet.

You might think that I am a heathen, living in fantasy land, a 'milk' Christian, confused, in denial, or a religious nut. I am disappointed that you think that. However, when you tell me and I get offended, I can take joy in knowing you have pricked my pride and let some of the air out of me. Obviously if I am offended on my own behalf, my pride is in myself, and it should be pricked. If I am offended on another's behalf, the pride is in that person/entity and I have to decide if it is an opportunity for me to defend that which I love. If I have an opportunity to defend that which I love, then I can take joy in the opportunity as well.

But remember, although I am sharing what I believe, it isn't necessarily because I am conciously saying, "I want to convert you." I figure that it is God's job to convert you...I simply want to be friends and share what makes me happy. I am sorry that if my wanting to make you happy offends you and I do try to do it in such a way that I don't deliberately offend you. But I will not change who I am because you don't like me as I am. I will not change what I believe simply because you don't agree. I certainly will not stop loving Jesus and talking about him because the mention of his very name offends you.

What is a covenant?

2006-03-07T12:43:00.000-05:00

Please correct me if I am wrong...a covenant is similar to a 'binding contract'.

Covenants of the Bible

God's Covenant With Noah

Genesis 9
Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
"But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.
"Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made man.
As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it."
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."

And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

Hmmm, covenant still in effect? I haven't seen any floodwaters...

God's Covenant With Abram

Genesis 15

After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:

"Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward. "
But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."

Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."

But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?"

So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon."

Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates- the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

The Covenant of Circumcision

Genesis 17

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty ; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers."
Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram ; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God."

Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant."

God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her."

Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!"

Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year." When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.

On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, and his son Ishmael was thirteen; Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that same day. And every male in Abraham's household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

God with Moses (confirming the covenant)
Law added to the covenant 430 years later, original terms were only circumcision...

Exodus 24

Then he said to Moses, "Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, but Moses alone is to approach the LORD; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him."
When Moses went and told the people all the LORD's words and laws, they responded with one voice, "Everything the LORD has said we will do." Moses then wrote down everything the LORD had said.
He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD. Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey."

Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words."

Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.

The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction."

Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. He said to the elders, "Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them."

When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

The New Covenant

Ezekiel 34:24-31

I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the LORD have spoken.

" 'I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of wild beasts so that they may live in the desert and sleep in the forests in safety. I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations. Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Sovereign LORD. You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign LORD.' "

Ezekiel 37:25-27

They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Matthew 26:27-29

Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."

Temporarily on Hiatus

2006-02-20T15:10:00.000-05:00

I am going through a prayerful, meditative period right now that is preventing me from any desire to post here. I will return when I am renewed.

Anniversary

2006-01-18T16:37:00.000-05:00

I am sorry that I haven't had a lot of time to post lately as I am getting ready to go on a cruise with my husband to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary.

Don't ever let anyone tell you that marriages cannot work out.

My husband was my first and only boyfriend. I was a National Merit Commended Scholar and had been offered several scholarships to colleges. We chose to anticipate our wedding night and I discovered I was pregnant. I could have had an abortion, in fact, my father was 'heavily encouraging' me to do so.

Many people told me I was going to ruin my life by marrying my husband. They told me my life would be hard.

I won't lie to you. It HAS been difficult. I had a lot of growing up to do. I had to do it WHILE I was raising (eventually) two babies. My husband had a lot of growing up to do also. The thing is, now that we have gone through all these battles together, our marriage is SO incredibly strong. I wouldn't trade my husband for anything. Not that he is perfect, he isn't. But, then again, I am not perfect either. It would be hypocritical of me to expect more from him than I do from myself.

If I had compounded my bad choices by making more bad choices (abortion, single parenthood, divorce) I wouldn't have my husband in my life today and I am very blessed to have him. I have joked with friends that I finally have him 'trained' so why would I want to trade him in? The fact is, that we haven't been 'trained'...we have grown into knowing one another. If you give up too soon, you are just going to go through the same things in another relationship. You are only putting off the inevitable.

If you are feeling like you are ready to give up on your marriage and your husband is not abusive...work on your marriage. You will eventually be very happy that you did.

Resistance is Futile

2005-12-19T22:35:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I have been thinking about my resistance to God's will for me.

Actually, I have been thinking about more than just my resistance, but how we all have a tendency to resist what God's will is for us.

I see it so much in my kids...and in my friends...and in my friends' kids...and in myself, that I wonder at it.

See, I see lessons in EVERY experience we face...especially in our difficulties. So if I keep facing the same difficulties time and time again, I have to realize the problem lies in one of two things. Either I am not at peace because of some sin in my life that I am refusing to recognize or someone I love is not recognizing some sin in his or her life and I am not giving that person to God and letting Him help them see the unresolved sin in his or her life.

For example: My son and daughter are at those lovely pre-teen/teen years where homework is 'optional' in their minds. I have tried everything under the sun to get them to do their homework: bribery, punishment, spankings, etc. Until they see for themselves that the only person they hurt by not doing their assignments are them, they won't get it. It upsets me, but I need to trust God to do a good work in them. I pray for them. I ask God to lead them, but the decision is THEIR decision, not mine.

In my life, we went to a party recently that I did not want to attend. While I was there, I learned a lesson about family...God's family isn't made of flesh and blood, but of love. It is a lesson that I am still having a difficult time with, but I can see how God is using my weaknesses to show me His strength.

God's will for me is to depend upon Him. Not to depend on Him partially, but to cast ALL of my cares upon Him and trust Him to lead me to where He wants me to be. That might not be where I had planned to go, but what He has in store for me will always be better than I plan for myself. I simply need to trust Him. Trust is a lesson that I have difficulty with, but the longer I walk with God, the easier it becomes, because He is equipping me with everything good for doing His will.

1 Peter 5:7

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Hebrews 13:20-21

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Fighting the Wrong War, Choosing the Wrong Battles

2005-12-15T14:26:00.000-05:00

I realize this statement is going to be unpopular, but it needs to be said.

Responsibility for the secularization of Christmas lies with no one but the Christians.

For whom, but a Christian, should wish someone a, "Merry Christmas"? For what reason should a Christian expect a Muslim, Hindu, Jew, Agnostic, Atheist or Buddhist to wish them a "Merry Christmas"? Common courtesy?

Did Jesus receive common courtesy? Do you believe you deserve more than Christ?

The reason I believe we are so vocal about others when fighting this "War on Christmas" is that deep within, we are ashamed because we know that the reason that it got to this point is that we weren't showing others that our reason for the season IS Christ. From the point of view of others around us, the point is presents, and we rarely voice otherwise. We are not being lampstands, shining His light. We buy our kids presents and receive our rewards here on earth of them hugging and kissing us and saying pretty, "Thank you"'s instead of giving to those who have nothing and are unaware of who their benefactors are.

So, the world is doing as the world does. The world sees our holiday as being about purchasing 'things' for our 'loved ones.' The world sees this as commendable and appropriates it into a fleshy celebration of self. Nonetheless, it is still our responsibility to show that our loved ones include those who despise us, spit on us, and sneer at us for our generosity to strangers. THAT is what Christ was about...loving even those who don't love you in return. Leaving their just rewards in God's hands and sacrificing the joys you might receive of gifts on Christmas morning for the treasures of heaven. Loving the homeless man who needs gloves and a coat by providing him with warmth, loving the starving family who won't have a Christmas turkey for dinner by donating Christmas dinner for them, loving the neighbor who complains about your children playing too loud by praying for them and whatever trial they are experiencing right now.

If Christmas is a Christian holy day, then it is the CHRISTIAN obligation to return the message to Christ and away from commercialism. It is not the fault of liberals nor conservatives, it is our own fault for allowing the message to be swamped by commerce rather than letting the message shine through faith. Especially after the last two years of hurricanes devastating the Gulf states, this year we should be making Christmas about charity for strangers, and the gift of time spent with our loved ones who are still living.

And why do we fear someone being offended by saying "Merry Christmas"?

Take joy that you had good intentions for the Lord when you said it. You are sharing the joy of his birth and if you receive some flak for it, "GREAT!" Who cares if they are offended? That is THEIR problem, not yours! Why get uncomfortable because they don't like it?

But, if you are going to say it, make your Merry Christmas mean something REAL. Share Christmas with your family, but share it with strangers as well! I remember a few years ago someone was trying to get a 'random acts of kindness' movement going. THAT is the kind of attitude that is at the heart of Christmas. If we took every chance we could to do a little for the elderly woman in the grocery store using her last few dollars until her social security check comes in to buy milk or her medicine...ten or fifteen dollars? If we help the young mother on WIC purchase a treat she cannot afford for her kids, or diapers? If we bought a pair of gloves and a hot lunch for the beggar on the corner at the stoplight? If we ALL did these small things, and said, "Merry Christmas," wouldn't the season be Christmas? Wouldn't we be LIVING Christ rather than simply SPEAKING it? Make the words "Merry Christmas" actually MEAN something this holiday...THAT is how you take the secularism OUT of the holiday and put it back into charity.

God bless and Merry Christmas!

God is Love

2005-12-10T14:01:00.000-05:00

God loves us.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Just thinking on that part puts me in awe of Him. When thinking of that week of creation I cannot help but be amazed. God knew who and what He was planning. He created Paradise He loved us so much. He made the colors. He made texture. He made sunrise and sunset; He made taste, flavor, moonlight, starlight. He gave us everything beautiful and asked us not to overdo it.

Don’t gorge on the good stuff (he didn’t say…or you won’t appreciate it…would we have listened anyway?). For those that have kids and have told them WHY they shouldn’t do things has it occurred to you that sometimes kids do it anyway because they just don’t seem to know any better? Whether it is too much sun, too much soda, too much candy, too much work, too much alcohol, too much smoking, too much money, too much sex, too much food, or just too many ‘things.’ Have you ever experienced that joyful moment in parenting when you told your child not to do something and they told you, “Well I didn’t realize THAT was why you told me not to do it!” Gee, duh, I thought you would just realize that I want what is best for you and you would obey me. Obedience is love. We are to obey God like a child, like a servant. We are supposed to trust him that he knows PERFECTLY what is best for us. No human knows what is best for me or you; I don’t even know what is best for me, only God does.

He even gave us perfect instructions in the Bible. It never fails to amuse me when we, as people, start thinking we know better than God. It reminds me of my kids. My son especially thinks that he knows better than I do. I am told it is that ‘Teenage Thing.’ He will be told that he needs to take his insulin shot. I realize it is painful. It hurts me every time he has to take one. My heart aches to imagine that he has to do this for every meal for the rest of his life. But if he goes without insulin in his body (even for the purpose of skipping a meal) he feels nauseous and will get even more ill. Our doctor told us, let him experience it for himself, he will make the right decision eventually. One day, we got up, Nick had a headache, he was feeling nauseous and I asked, “Did you have breakfast? No? When did you last have a shot of insulin? It was yesterday?” Sure enough, he ended up getting sick within a few minutes. Did he get mad at himself for not having breakfast and taking his shot? Nope, he WAS ashamed, and eventually realized it was his own fault after a little soul searching, but initially he was just mad.

How often do we do things that the Bible tells us not to do, and we make excuses that “It isn’t the same?” or “That was a long time ago.” Why do we choose to look for the differences in situations so often instead of the similarities? When we do something that God’s Word says we shouldn’t do and we end up in a bad situation or a mess, how often do we blame God or someone else for the situation that we got ourselves into. Sometimes out of love, because he wants us to learn, God lets us suffer for our actions. HE didn’t do it to us. We do it to ourselves, but we want God to get us out of it instead of realizing that he wants us to learn from this so we don’t keep hurting ourselves the same way over and over again. He wants us to repent. A good book to read that talks about God’s desire for our repentance is Secrets of the Vine by Bruce Wilkerson.

Are you any different than Adam or Eve? If you did something that you knew your parent asked you not to do and you realized afterward, “Hey! They were right!” Were you ashamed? Did you try to hide it, like Adam and Eve hid in the bushes? The snake might have tempted them, but THEY were the ones who separated themselves from God, by their choice. How often do WE do the same thing? Do you ever avoid coming to Church because you think you haven’t been ‘good enough’ or that you imagine someone will look down on you because of some sin (which I would like to point out is between you and God and as long as you know it was a sin, and are working on it, it does not concern anyone else) or are worried your offering isn’t enough (another thing between you and the Lord since he wants you to give back to him with a JOYFUL HEART what he has first given you).

God created us to love him. Jesus said the most important commandments were “You shall love the Lord God with all your heart” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” which he changed to “Love one another as I have loved you.” Love covers a multitude of sins. Until you look in the apocrypha of your Bible and see how many times the Bible speaks of Love and you read all of those verses you can’t understand how important Love must be.

Don’t let anyone or anything separate you from God’s love, not at church, at home, at school or anywhere else.

“God is love.” 1 John 4:16

God is patient, kind, courteous, doesn’t boast. He isn’t rude or selfish; he is slow to anger and keeps no record of wrongs. He doesn’t delight in evil but celebrates when he can bless you with good things and he rejoices in Truth. He will always protect you, knows every good and bad part of you, and knows you what you are most capable of for him and he wants the best of you and knows you can do it.

What I am starting to realize is that God forgives EVERYTHING as long as your first purpose is to love HIM. Your relationship with HIM is more important than your relationship with anyone else. Anyone, including: your parents, your children, your spouse, your siblings. That being the case, your relationships with everyone else fall into the right place if your love for God comes first, because through your love for him, you learn HOW to love everyone else too.

May God bless you and keep you this Christmas season. Keep his love for all your friends, family, and strangers in your heart. Pray that your enemies come to know and love God that he might work within their hearts and they might become your friends.

Merry Christmas

2005-12-07T08:38:00.000-05:00

In honor of the Christmas season, I would like to ask everyone to remember the poor. Giving the gifts of donations to organizations like Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army not only give an opportunity for deductions, but they also help people who desperately need our help. Many of the poor cannot give their children even one gift for Christmas. Out of our plenty, let's help those who have less.

When you make a donation, you can do it in the name of one of your relatives and they can use that as a tax write off. Please give the gift of giving this holiday season.

God bless.

Giving Thanks~Happy Thanksgiving

2005-11-25T01:04:00.000-05:00

Let us remember to give thanks to the Lord, for it is right to give Him thanks and praise.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you.

Thank you for my life. I am still alive to hear my children bicker and my husband shout. Thank you for my voice. I am still able to speak to grumble over housecleaning. I can still speak, sing, and argue with my husband and children. Thank you for my hands. I can still cook and type and write checks to pay the bills. Thank you for my husband. I don't deserve the wonderful man you gave me, I don't always appreciate him, but thank you for giving him to me, making him especially for me and thank you for helping him not give up on me when I am a pain. Thank you for my children. Thank you for their behavior, good and bad. Thank you for their trials to help them grow into better people and teach me to let go. Thank you for the dog. I am not sure why she is chewing the furniture, but when I figure it out, I am sure I will appreciate the lesson you are trying to evoke and I do appreciate you using her to teach the lesson to me.

Thank you for my home. I know I complain about it, but some people don't have a place they can call their own. I appreciate my home so much more since we returned from Germany. It is mine. I can paint it. I can decorate it any way I want and no one can tell me otherwise (except my husband and you blessed me with a great one that lets me decorate any way I want). Thank you for our cars. They have enough room for our family. One gets good gas mileage, the other is spacious with benefits. Thank you for those gifts.

Thank you for my bills. I have them because you have blessed us with nice things. They remind me that I must be a careful steward of the gifts you have given us. They remind me of times when we did not put you first and were not careful stewards of your gifts.

Thank you for my trials. From them I learn how to be more like you and not put myself first.

Thank you for my blessings. They remind me you are loving, merciful, and full of grace.

Thank you for everything.

Amen.

Giving my Day to the Lord

2005-11-21T13:03:00.000-05:00

1 Chronicles 23:30

They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD. They were to do the same in the evening

As I am getting older, staying up late isn't the pleasure that it once was. I don't like the feeling of starting my day feeling exhausted and having to fight to wake up, and likewise at night I find myself falling asleep earlier from pure exhaustion after a long, busy day.

I would like to find a happy medium between the two for a couple of reasons.

I like starting my day early because I have time for me and time for God that I can use to make sure my day begins as it should. I don't always remember to put God first and give Him control of my day. It is easier to put God first if I wake up early and in those quiet moments, I give the day to Him.

I like to end the day without being completely exhausted, because I would like to give all my cares to the Lord and I simply don't remember to tell Him, "Thank You." Not that He doesn't know I appreciate that He made it so that I accomplished all I could for Him in this day, just that I would like to stay awake long enough to thank Him for the opportunity. When I can praise the Lord, it is a good day.

1 Chronicles 16:31

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"

Psalm 39:4

"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.

Psalm 44:8

In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. Selah

Psalm 55:22

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

Psalm 61:8

Then will I ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day.

1 Peter 5:7

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

God bless.

Symptoms of Arrogant Pride

2005-11-11T10:59:00.000-05:00

Psalm 10:4
In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

I find myself getting aggravated with people when they tell me that I am wrong. Especially when I KNOW I am right.

More than that, I know they should do it MY way. If they did it MY way, then their lives wouldn't be so difficult.

After all, I know better. I have better understanding, I have studied longer, harder, have a better relationship, am closer to him, than they are. Don't you think they should realize that?

They just don't understand because they are sinning. They don't want to understand because their sin keeps them from understanding.

Does the above sound familiar?

Are ANY of us perfect in our understanding of the Lord? All of the above could be true, but can you read it and see the apparent blindness of the speaker?

Just so that you understand, these are symptoms of MY PRIDE. This is NOT HEALTHY pride, this is UNHEALTHY for my relationship with the Lord. If you are saying this to yourself, then perhaps you are having the same pride issues that I am.

The Lord can use ANYONE He chooses. Generally, if I am hearing something I don't like, if I get immediately offended and want to remark back in a way DESIGNED to irritate, then I need to stop focusing upon the world and start back at the beginning, focusing upon my relationship with God.

It is ok to be proud of our relationship with the Lord, so long as we don't use that as an excuse to 'Lord it over' and instead use it as an opportunity to share with others how we are blessed. Look at Uzziah, 2 Chronicles 26, I think he probably thought he was worthy of approaching the Lord and burning the incense because he had been working so hard on behalf of the Lord, perhaps he was so proud of his relationship that he lost sight of his lowliness?

If I am not at peace with someone, then the problem with my peace lies within me, within my pride. I arrogantly become angry, rather than showing my peace. In sharing peace in the face of my anger, I show how I belong to God rather than being controlled by my flesh.

Not that we should not defend, but our defense should not be of ourselves, it should be of God and of others and it should never come from a place of 'self'.

Proverbs 13:10

Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

Proverbs 8:13

To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.

Proverbs 21:24

The proud and arrogant man-"Mocker" is his name; he behaves with overweening pride.

If I am mocking someone, then my behavior is coming from a place of arrogant pride.

Proverbs 29:23

A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.

Ecclesiastes 7:8

The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.

Jeremiah 13:17
But if you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with tears, because the LORD's flock will be taken captive.

God bless.

Fear of the Lord

2005-11-05T21:40:00.000-05:00

Christ is not someone 'we' can imitate. We are incapable. Our fleshy natures are simply incapable since Adam and Eve chose denial. I think I am coming from a place where I have always 'feared' God to an extent, it is the love and trust that I was missing.

I can understand a need for fear of the Lord. To me, fear is acknowledging how much greater He is than we are. How much greater his knowledge, mercy, ability...simply how much MORE He is than we could possibly comprehend. The Bible is merely a small bit of the fullness of Him, therefore, we cannot possibly expect to FULLY understand his divinity, we cannot possibly expect in our human, fleshy natures to have full understanding of His grace and mercy.

If I were to think that I have full understanding of the mind of God, that would be claiming that I am equal to God. That would be prideful of me. I know that I need others around me to keep my pride from taking control. I need them to remind me that I am merely His creation and am still of flesh, so I can return to a worshipful place of humility, rather than a boastful place of pride. When I am listening to myself and my boasting more than I am listening to the Holy Spirit, then He sends others to me that ARE listening to Him, and they check my pride. Then, I can recognize my sin and ask His forgiveness, so that I can hear Him again. By doing this, He keeps me from getting too far away from Him, I merely need to be certain that I listen and am not choosing to blind myself to the messengers He sends me.

It is similar to the analogy my son told me of thinking he could see just fine, then his eyes were checked by an optometrist and when he got glasses, he discovered that he couldn't see as much as he thought. When our 'glasses' are 'dirty' we stop letting the light shine through us, but we also stop seeing ourselves for what we are. In our pride in ourselves, we forget our fear of the Lord. I appreciate my husband, children, church family, and even the people on this forum, for helping me to remember that I can only serve and through being a servant, I can only hope that God grants me the wisdom He believes I need.

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs 9:10
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 14:16
A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.

Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

God bless.

End of Times

2005-11-03T07:58:00.000-05:00

I wouldn't presume to predict the end of times. Better men than I predicted them and were wrong. The Apostles thought it would happen in their lifetimes. I am certainly NOWHERE near as close to Christ as the Apostles were. In addition, Christ himself said that even the Son of Man (himself) did not know the day that the Father chose.

We were given the signs because the Apostles wanted to know. It is our responsibility to continue accomplishing the job we were given to do. We aren't supposed to focus upon the end of times (aka Judgement Day, the Apocolypse, whatever). We are supposed to keep focused upon Christ. If we are focusing upon the end, we are not focusing upon Christ. If we are worrying about the end, we aren't trusting God to know the best time, the perfect time, for Him to end it.

In addition, none of us know when OUR end will be. I could walk out the door tomorrow and be hit by a car. I could go to the hospital and discover that the headaches I have been having are a cancerous tumor. The simple fact is that it is more important that I live EVERY DAY as though it could be my last. By doing that, I can know that I am doing the job that I was put here to do. I am only here to plant seeds. I am NOT here to grow the plant. It would be impossible for me to do anyway, that is something God alone can do. I can care for the plant so that it grows strong, but I cannot make it grow. By following Christ's example and giving credit to him, I can plant seeds. In this way, I never have to worry when my end will be, because I am always prepared for it.

God bless.

The Little Church

2005-11-02T19:17:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, a church family went looking for a bit of land upon which to build a church building. They searched high and low for something within their budget that they would have enough money left over for a deposit on the mortgage and be able to build a beautiful church.

Eventually they found a plot of land and it was ideal! In fact, it was so ideal that it already HAD a little building that could serve as a church on it. It had beautiful stained glass windows that the members KNEW would be beautiful when the sun shone through them.

So the church bought the property and had a cleaning day. They cleared out the cobwebs, they dusted, they brought in an altar and altar clothes, they brought in pews. They scrubbed the windows, they swept and mopped the floors. They even waxed them.

And yet, something just wasn't right.

When anyone came into the church, there was an odor, not of cleanliness, but of death. The stained glass windows simply wouldn't come clean, they continued to have a dull film over them so the light simply wouldn't shine through. They realized there must have been some sort of rodent infestation in the past and the smell must have been left over from that time. When the sun was shining, the light simply could not penetrate the grime upon the windows, so the beauty of the stained glass would not shine through.

Finally, they called the realtor that sold them the property. The realtor suggested they contact the builder to find out what needed to be done to fix their problem. The builder suggested they contact his son, who owned a cleaning service that also took care of pest extermination. It was run by a single man who would come in and clean out any rat infestation and remove the bodies that were stinking up the church.

The son arrived, squeegee and soap in hand. He used special chemicals to wipe the grime away. What was so difficult for the members of the church was quite simple for the man. He had the proper tools for the job. He came into the church and went directly to where the problem odor was coming from. He plugged the holes that the rodents entered through and removed the decay that was causing the offending odors.

When he was done, the light shone through the beautiful creations of the windows and the interior of the church was so lovely it took everyone's breath away.

The builder's son explained that they could keep trying to clean the stained glass and the church building, but the infestation and grime would return over and over. They could have the builder come in, tear down the building and start over, but the members loved the little church building. They decided that they would prefer to have the builder's son return and keep cleaning the church and its windows because they knew that they could never do as beautiful a job as he did.
~~~
The little church was originally built to be a place of beauty by the builder, but it had become infested and decrepit. The son is the only one who had the capability to properly clean it so that it could be used for the purpose it was intended. Once cleaned, the purpose was clear because the light shining through made it possible for the church to function. The cleanliness didn't drive anyone away, it drew people to want to be there.

We have that same cleaning service in our lives. He takes care of the places we are unable to clean. We give him far less work to do when we lovingly maintain our church. His cleaning glorifies the builder.

God Bless

Envisioning the Invisible

2005-11-02T08:27:00.000-05:00

How does a blind man 'see'? He uses the senses he HAS that relate to the world around him. We can 'see' God the exact same way. By relating to how He interacts with us within this world.

Second, 'He' is a universal pronoun. If you have ever studied foreign languages, 'He' is the pronoun that is fallen back on. In the way Americans use the universal 'you' when they mean 'one'. As in "One does not expect anyone to do odd things at odd times."

Since God is an invisible God without what humans consider a physical body, you have to know what to look for in order to see him. Without a physical body, He cannot be man or woman, because that requires a human body in order to have sexual organs. However, He is both man and woman in regards to behavior.

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

(referring to Christ)
Colossians 1:15

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

1 Timothy 1:17

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 11:27

By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.

God is love.

1 John 4:8

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:16

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

And since God is love, we can know God by knowing what love is:

1 Corinthians 13

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

When you see even a poor reflection of that love, you are seeing God at work.

God Bless.

Christ or the Church?

2005-10-28T14:47:00.000-04:00

Here are the questions I have for you: Do you think Jesus would prefer for you to be loyal to your church or to Him? If the hierarchy of the church is teaching something that is not traditional nor biblical (and that has happened in the past) is it better to be excommunicated for staying true to Christ or is it better to stay loyal to a dogma that you don't believe to be true?

That is not saying that any church is wrong today. Just that in the past there have been times that the churches have been more worldly than spiritually oriented. AT THOSE TIMES, schisms occurred.

I think that Jesus would prefer that we aren't loyal to a particular church or dogma. That we focus upon Him rather than any one church. There were 7 churches in Revelations and two of them were commended for getting it 'right,' not only one. I believe commitment to Christ himself is where we should be rather than judging any particular dogma as perfect. NO church is perfect because they are all made up of imperfect people. The difference in the churches I have attended (all Christian) have had dogma differences, but regarding faith, some Catholic churches have been deeply spiritual and touched my soul, some have not. Some Lutheran churches have touched my soul, some have not. Some Anglican churches have touched my soul, some have not. I am glad that you have found a church that connects you with Christ, I simply have trouble believing that it is the religion that did the work, rather than the Holy Spirit.

I am in no way saying the your church is wrong. I am simply saying that any church that says "Our dogma is the only dogma that is correct" strikes me as arrogant because rather than accepting there are different ways of explaining ONE truth so that different people understand it, it has implied in the past that the only way to the ONE truth is the way that THEY understand it. Some believers are still at the 'milk' stage and the Catholic Church is more like solid food for them. For others, the Catholic church is the 'milk' stage and another church is solid food for them. I think it is arrogant of me to think that MY understanding is the BEST understanding for EVERYONE. I attended so many different churches because I was trying to know GOD. I missed the closeness that I felt as a child and was looking for the exact same relationship. As I grew and learned more, I wanted to have a more mature relationship. One not on 'my terms' but on HIS terms.

I don't think the prodigal son had the same relationship with his father when he returned. I think the relationship he had was FAR more humble. Rather than feeling like his dad 'owed' him something, he was humbled, knowing his father owed him NOTHING and what he truly deserved was to be treated as less than a servant for the way he treated his family. That return, in humility, is the direction I returned to my faith from. I ran from God because I felt like he owed me something for taking my mother at such a young age. When I returned, I realized that he had already replaced her with Himself. I was simply refusing the gift. That isn't dogma from any church, that is just my relationship with God. The more I learn his word, the more I understand what he wants from ME. I don't want a church to get in the way of that, I want my fellowship to be an expression of that.

Every church out there tells their history from their own vantage point. The history of the church isn't relevant to my faith. What IS relevant is where is the church's center. If the church's center is Christ, then that is all that counts. I DO believe that the Catholic Church's center is Christ. I also believe there are OTHER churches who center themselves upon Christ. Those are the churches I want to attend, not those that put dogma ahead of love.

God bless

Which One Am I?

2005-10-27T03:55:00.000-04:00

There are literally THOUSANDS of Christian denominations. Each one has a slight difference in their teachings. In fact, the only thing I know they have in common is some belief that Jesus was the Messiah.

Now, in any of these churches, you will find people of certain types:

1) Cultural Christians-"I attend church occassionally on Sunday, so that makes me a Christian and I have the right to look down on anyone who does not behave like I think they should." These people attend church, but are not there to hear the Word. When they move, they try to find a church that doesn't make them feel 'uncomfortable' because they don't want to be told things they are not ready to hear. They don't want to hear about Jesus or why He did it or what he did. They rarely, if ever, read the Bible and when they do read it, they only read a verse instead of context. Prayer to them is like a 'magic spell'...say a few empty words. These people see no sin within themselves, only the sin in others and they are very quick to point it out. These people 'might' even go to church every Sunday, but it isn't about God, it is about showing their faith off and what 'pious' people they are.

2) New Believers-These are believers who don't know a whole lot about the Bible, but they listen when the Pastor/Priest speaks. They have been touched by the Holy Spirit, but they don't have much knowledge of the Word and are easily diverted. They are very quick to preach and on fire for God because they are just learning to read the Bible, but they forget to pray over the meaning. These are blind faith believers. This group can be easily led in the wrong direction with the Word, VERY EASILY.

3) Broken-hearted Believers- These are believers who are angry with God. They threw themselves into faith because they wanted something from God (very much) and when they didn't get it, it hurt them and they turned from Him. They are hurt because they were probably New Believers, but didn't have the protection of His Truth because they had not devoted time to study. They have turned from Him and sometimes feel like "I'll show Him." "He doesn't REALLY care about me." They doubt His existence, but deep in their heart, they still feel Him there, talking to them. They sometimes declare themselves atheists and agnostics (or decide they will become Buddhists, Hindus, etc). There is also another reason that people enter this group. They put another believer on a pedastal and that believer falls off. The Pedastal person could be anyone in 1-5 but the minute the person recognizes that there is still sin in the Pedestal person's life, that fall burns the person who witnesses it, and a broken-hearted believer is born.

4) Healing Believers-At one time, these might have been Broken-hearted Believers, but somehow, they continued to hear God's call through his Spirit. These believers are more willing to walk carefully in their belief. They are at a point of learning BEFORE they try to teach. They see how pride was their downfall and try to be humble about their faith. They have recognized how Big God is, and how small they are. Perhaps they looked back at what happened to them since becoming a Broken-hearted believer and saw how it made them a better person. This group spends time learning scripture and developing a personal relationship with God. They worry about their own sin more than others, try to be faithful to the Word, spend a great deal of time in Study of Scripture.

5) I don't know what to call this group, but I want to call them saints. The disciples fell into this final group. The Prophets of Israel would fit in this group (just as an example). These are people who live a life completely devoted to God. This is the group that God's miracles most often happen through. I don't 'think' it is possible to go back to group 1 from this group without going through at least one of the in-between groups. To be honest, once reaching this group, I think it would be very hard to leave it.

Denominationally, you will find most of these types in almost all churches. The ones who are most vocal are groups 1 and 2 and there are more people in those groups than in the others it seems like sometimes. I don't consider group 1 Christians because I think they are the lukewarm ones Jesus spoke of 'spitting out of [his] mouth.' They can be doing good deeds all day long, but they aren't doing them to serve God or serve others, they are doing them for prideful gain, for 'appearances'. Even the second group is declaring they are doing it for God, but they feel pride in what they are doing and want everyone to know about it so they get kudos for what 'good Christians' they are. That is when God prunes them so they can bear more fruit (3).

You might not hear about the last three groups works, but they are doing them for others, not for appearances. That is bearing fruit and that will be recognized because it is what Jesus taught "Don't let your right hand know what the left is doing."

Don't get me wrong...there are blends of groups also and it is very easy for all of us to fall into group 1 from time to time. People in all of these 5 groups might call themselves Christians, but they see those in the other groups from very different perspectives. Everyone can get stuck at one group or another also. Each group views the Law differently as well. Each group views Love differently. The central questions we should be asking ourselves are, "Which group do I fall into?" and "Which group does God want me to be in?"

God bless.

Those Whom I Love...

2005-10-24T01:24:00.000-04:00

This morning in church, I started talking with one of the ladies in our Bible study. We were discussing the kids going to Youth Group. She asked if I liked their school. I was honest (they have attended worse, but no school is perfect). We discussed the problems we see in the schools these days and how difficult it is to keep kids 'straight.'

Then, she told me that she used to be a secretary for the school system (my mom used to be a secretary for the schools, my mother in law used to be a secretary for the schools) so I felt a bit more of a connection. She told me that when she retired ten years ago, the administrators were saying that "If we can get girls through the age of 15 without getting pregnant or becoming drug addicts, we are doing good. If we can get boys through the age of 15 without becoming drug addicts, then we are doing good."

WHAT????

I have higher hopes for my kids than that.

Let's be real here. If I had to choose between having "straight A" students who are brats, backtalking, cruel to the weak, dishonest, drug addicts, and/or pregnant and having loving children that stick up for the weak, read constantly, believe in saving themselves for their future spouses, talk to us when they have problems, and love the Lord, but get average grades; which do you think I am going to pick?

Granted, I would wish that my kids could be all those things and get straight A's also; but, if my choices were limited in that way, I would be satisfied knowing that I had done a good job if they were loving the Lord and growing in Him.

Then, this evening we went to a friend's house who we knew in Germany because we were saying good bye to a shared friend visiting from Germany. While we were there, I was told how polite, mature, and friendly my children were. It has been SO long since I have received a compliment on my children that I almost forgot that the way I am raising them IS the important part...not their grades.

I am not a perfect parent. God was a perfect parent, but even Adam and Eve made mistakes. My kids are going to make mistakes. If I am a good parent, I will let them learn from those mistakes. Some parents call that 'tough love' but I call it real love. Loving them enough to let them fly and sometimes fall.

Proverbs 20:11

Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.

Proverbs 22:6

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:15

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.

Proverbs 23:13

Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.

Proverbs 29:15

The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

Deuteronomy 8:5

Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.

Job 5:17

"Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty."

Revelation 3:19

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

God bless.

Like a Candle's Light Fills a Dark Room

2005-10-23T18:26:00.000-04:00

God is Truth.

Have you ever noticed the denial that those in darkness experience? I am not sure how to explain it fully, but the best example I can think of is the difference in being blind and being able to see.

Acts 9:17-19 (New International Version)

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Jesus is the glasses that I see all things clearly through now. He is the light that reveals darkness in the world. He is all things good...hope, love, joy.

God bless.

Branching Out

2005-10-22T18:27:00.000-04:00

Purpose of fruit in nature, carries the seeds of the vine to create new vines.

John 15:1-17

The Vine and the Branches
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.

God is the gardener. He tends the seeds, branches, vines.

He prunes the vine. Pruning is painful, but necessary for the vine to grow, pruning cuts off the dead branches that bear no fruit so that the branches that do bear fruit will bear more fruit, much fruit.

By remaining in the Vine, in the Word, the Word will remain in us. As a branch cannot bear fruit without being attached to the vine and the vine being in the good soil, being tended; neither can we bear fruit (scatter seeds) without abiding in the Word, being pruned, tended by God, that He clears the soil for new seeds to accept the soil.

To glorify the Lord, we must show that it is because of HIM that we bear fruit. Obeying Jesus' commands, we must show that we ARE in the vine, we ARE being tended by God and we DO trust him to do a good work in us, taking care of us. He will protect us from storms, but if the storm will prune dead branches, sometimes he might allow the storm to do the pruning. A light, mild storm will break off easily broken branches.

He has chosen us, all of us to be his disciples. Accept the call.

God bless.

Quenching my Thirst

2005-10-20T10:43:00.000-04:00

I can think of times in my life that I have gotten busy working or playing outside and forgot to rehydrate myself. In fact, there are times that I do that when I am working around the house. I get so caught up in what I am doing, that I get thirsty without realizing it, or in the back of my mind I think, "I will get a drink as soon as I am finished with 'this'. " Whatever 'this' might be.

Anyway, by the time I am dying of thirst, there is only one thing I want to drink...water. Either cold or room temperature, it doesn't matter as long as it is wet. It can't be milk or tea or coffee or soda, it is only water that I crave. When I finally feel that water in my mouth, it sooths my entire body from head to toe. It tastes like sweet ambrosia. I feel cooler all over, I can think easier, I simply feel better.

When I first started studying the Word as an adult, I read the story of Jesus telling the Samaritan woman at the well about the Living Water. I really had difficulty understanding what he was saying. I thought, "Ok, is this allegorical? Is the Living Water a metaphor, a simile, what is he saying here? We can't live without water, so we can't live without God. Is that it? Is there more to it?" I studied the Word with my Bible study group weekly.

Then we moved and couldn't find a church in our immediate area, we tried churches that we used to attend, but my husband and I were having trouble finding a congregation that 'fit' us as a family. Some were too large or too small. Some didn't care about Bible study (shocking, isn't it?). Some taught things that were completely the opposite of what I understand the Bible to say. Some were laissaz-faire about their approach to God. Some were a little too focused upon judgement and not enough about helping. Some were a little too 'much' in terms of the 'drama' of the service. We were looking for something simple, where we could study the word and our children can grow in their love and understanding of the Lord. Not a 'popularity contest' type of place where people are showing off their works, but a place where they invite you to work together to show your love of Christ. We were looking for simply a 'community of believers.' Someplace that we knew was God's house.

Eventually, we went to see our Bishop down in Tennessee. He made some suggestions that we took to heart. We searched online for what he suggested and we found a small church that was built before the Civil War. There are a few younger families, only one other family with children the same age as mine, but it is an established community of believers. Although the style of service was more formal that I had previously been accustomed to, I was content with more formality for the service because it was so obviously with the intent of showing respect. It was a breath of fresh air.

After we started attending, I started getting lazy about my private Bible study. I had gone so long without studying with others that I didn't really want to make time in my schedule to add their Bible study to the time that I was taking to study my Bible. I liked the way I was doing things far too much. Then, I thought, "Well, I have been reading my Bible, I just don't feel like it today." One day turned into two, then a week, then a month. Our homelife started to become more chaotic again, frustration set in.

Then, the church announced they were starting a new Bible study on Mark. My husband and I discussed it and decided that we wanted to try it together. I opened my Bible and started reading.

I suddenly understood what Jesus meant by the Living Water. My soul was finally quenched after being so parched. I had been longing for Him, longing to spend more time with His Word, more time in His presence. I was simply longing for Him. I felt fresh and renewed. I could think again. It literally felt as cleansing to my soul as water does when I am thirsty. Now, I know how to never be thirsty again.

John 4:4-14

Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

God bless

Growing my Garden

2005-10-19T00:01:00.000-04:00

Some of us chose to be parents because we thought we should and hated the first couple of years because we were so selfish to begin with, but as we matured, we realized how important our job really was. I am a stay at home mom, I am raising the next generation of leaders of our country. When it is time for me to retire from whatever job I have after my children are grown and gone, my children will remember that I raised them to be responsible, independant people that care for others. I am blessed to be able to afford to be a stay at home mother and I know it. My kids talk to me, their friends talk to me and although they think I am a little old fashioned, at the same time, they tell my kids that they envy the fact that my kids KNOW that they can tell me if they need help that I will always be there. I try to make sure that their friends know that I will be there for them also. I would rather the kids call me to tell me that they need help than end up dead. I make clear what I consider right and wrong, but always with love and once I have made my point, it's over. I am NOT my children's friend, nor their friend's friend. I am a mother and for that I deserve respect and I expect it from my children and their friends.

We have dinner together as a family every night, usually around the dining room table, occasionally at a restaurant, but always the four of us. We say grace whether we are at home or out to dinner and my kids know how to properly set a table (going out from plate: knife, spoon on right...dinner fork, salad fork on left on top of napkin which is placed in the lap before eating). When using silverware, start on the outside and work your way in. Don't talk with food in your mouth and wait until the other person completes their thought before you respond. These are the kinds of things my children and their friends learn when eating dinner at my house.

Like I said, my kids' friends think we are a little 'old fashioned,' but my kids show the benefit when we are in company of other adults. I see the benefit every time an adult tells me how well behaved, honest, and respectful my children are. I simply hope that the influences that they receive from society don't counter what I have taught my children. I pray for my children to grow in the Lord. I pray for my family to grow in our faith and to meet each blessing God sends us with hope, confidence and perseverance. By raising my children to learn to abide in Christ, I am planting seeds. By planting seeds, I hope that I am bearing fruit, good fruit, for the Lord.

God bless.