I Got It Honest...

Fighting Words

2013-11-09T16:58:00.000-06:00

Sub·mit [suh b-mit] verb:

1. To give over or yield to the power or authority of another

2. To defer to another's judgment, opinion, decision, etc...

So...who knew that six little letters could cause such an uproar among the women of our generation and of generations past? And why? Why do these six letters make the hackles on the necks of even the most god-fearing women rise like that of a feral dog? Why do they make us narrow our eyes and cross our arms and glare down our noses at the mere mention of them? Good question. Really good question.

It's not really one I have a great answer for. I have no real wisdom to offer here other than what my own experience with the subject has issued. So, if you'll allow me, I'd like to submit unto you (no pun intended) my opinion on the whole matter based upon what I have heard my whole life, what I have heard at church, and what I have personally experienced in my own marriage relationship.

At the top of the page I put the definition of submit as it appears on dictionary.com. The first definition states that to submit means to give over or yield to the power/authority of another person. I think that this is the area of submission that gets most women. I find it funny, however, that it not only affects the lost/unsaved as it does, but that it affects us Christian women equally as much. I find it thus because, isn't the very premise of our faith the idea that we can't do things on our own? That we, in and of ourselves, are not worthy to get into heaven and that we need someone, an intercessor, to get us in? That definition states that to submit means to "yield to the power/authority of another" and, in our case, that means Christ. The very foundation of our Christianity is the idea that we are yielding to the power that is Christ to save us because we cannot do it ourselves. I don't see many Christian women getting ruffled up about that idea. Christ is the head of the church. I think that is something we can universally agree on right? Right. And, as such, don't we love, honor, obey, and yield to Him? We are to go to Him on all matters that are out of our control...meaning basically everything right? Right. Colossians 1:18 says, "And he is the head of the body, the church...that in all things he might have the preeminence." We, Christian men AND women, believe that.

So, lets look at the second definition which states that to submit means to "defer to another's judgment, opinion, decision, etc..." I don't know what other smarter people would say to this, but I find that that first definition can be used to describe the way that we should submit to Christ. I think that this second definition is a good way to describe how we can (and should) submit to our husbands. The bible says that when we get married, we become one flesh (Matt 10:8). We are no longer living for ourselves or by ourselves. We have joined with another soul for life. So it seems only logical to me that not only should we seek our husbands opinion, approval, etc..but shouldn't we want to as well? I don't know about you but for me, when I chose Robert as my one and only, I didn't do it solely based on his looks (though those DID help his cause). I chose him for many reasons including his intelligence, his kindness, his patience, and a myriad of other qualities. Why would I not trust him to make these decisions for and without me? I loved and trusted him enough to share a life with him but not any decisions? Now, I'm not naive enough to believe that everyone has a husband like mine, but God didn't give a whole lot of instruction on what to do if you happened to marry a scoundrel, ya know? If you are married to an abusive type then that is a completely different issue (seek help). For the rest of us, we can only go with what He did give us instructions for and that includes submission to our husbands, however difficult that may be for us independent women.

I know these things are hard to swallow. They have been, and are, still things I struggle with daily. Its hard for me, a go-getter, to wait until I have "cleared" things with my husband. Even saying that makes me warm. So, how do we get over this hill? How do we come to terms with something like this? Something so obviously uncomfortable to us as women especially in today's popular culture of crazy feminism? Again, I can offer only what I have experienced in my own life and marriage. Robert and I are nowhere near perfect and volumes could be written about the mistakes we've made but we would like to think that we can usually work this out. Our solution is this: knowing and trusting each other. In our short five years of marriage thus far, I have learned so much about my husband. I know him like I know myself. He knows me just as well if not better. He knows my flaws, what buttons to push, what makes me swoon, what makes me spit fire, and everything in between. I know all of those things about him as well. So when it comes to my feelings on this topic of submission he knows exactly how I feel both when I'm acting in the flesh and when I'm acting like the Christian I am. He knows its a struggle. He also knows what God has said for me in regards to the topic, so he not only knows how I feel about it, but he knows what I should do despite those feelings. He also knows what God has said for him to do on the flip side of that coin which is to love me as Christ loves the church (which, lets just be honest, is perfect love). So, knowing what I have been directed to do by Christ and what he has been directed to do, he has a choice to make. How does he show me that kind of love and how does he do it while still expecting me to do what i'm supposed to?

He uses what he knows about me. For example I like to be in control of things...meaning I'm a control freak...meaning that obviously this submission thing is horribly hard for me. I often feel that if I don't do it myself it won't get done right. Robert is aware of this need. He knows that I like to feel responsible for things, that I need to have something in my control to feel successful. So, he gives some things over to me. He has allowed me to be the one in charge of our day to day finances. I like dealing with the figures and knowing what we have. He doesn't. If it came down to a huge purchase, like say a home, obviously I would then have to take it back to him, but he knows me and trusts me enough to deal with our everyday dealings in this area. We have several areas like that for both him and I. It works for us. Knowing that we can trust each other with the little things helps us come together on the big things. I know that this may seem oversimplified but it works for us. You have to be willing to look at each other through the eyes of Christ and work out for yourselves the way that you will respond to what Christ has commanded you to do. You have to find your own system; one that aligns with Scripture.

In the end, however, its not how we do it that matters. It only matters that we do. Why?

Because Christ said so. Period. I know that's not the popular answer but it is the honest truth. It's like when your parents used to be obnoxious and answer, "because I said so" in response to your questions as a kid. Now, I know none of us would ever call God obnoxious so why do we scoff so hard at the idea of doing something when He's told us to do it? And more than once I might add. We'd never think to disagree with Christ giving the order but when our husband or preacher or Sunday school teacher brings it up we physically flinch. In my opinion that's just our pride and sin nature getting in the way of what God has planned for us. We ARE smart and we ARE strong and we CAN be logical...so why can't we get this? We like to pretend that its a conspiracy that men like our husbands thought up to make us slaves. Well...they didn't. God did. So what do we say then? How do we process the idea that God, not man, designed the concept of submitting one to another, woman to man? Well, in my opinion, we do it like we do everything else concerning biblical matters. We do it by acknowledging that His ways are not our ways and that we do not have to always understand in order to carry through with it. We do it by reading the scripture and getting intimately familiar with the One who wrote it so that we can be in the right in this and in all things as we ought. This post is not to convince you that its right, the Bible speaks for itself and you believe it or you don't. All I'm trying to accomplish at this point is to get us to start thinking of submission as a God-thing and not some scheme masterminded by the men of this world. It begins with a Holy God...where it goes from there is determined by our attitudes and those of our husbands. Where it goes from there is our choice. We either accept it and embrace it knowing it is God-given or we don't

What will you do?

Whale Belly

2012-03-12T11:56:00.002-05:00

“You have only always to do what is right. It will become easier by practice, and you enjoy in the midst of your trials the pleasure of an approving conscience.”

- Gen. Robert E. Lee

The title of my blog is "I Got It Honest" and the information that follows it serves as a description of what I hope to accomplish through the writings that appear here. I hope to always be brutally honest when I write here, sometimes to the chagrin of my husband, friends, and family who often believe some things are better left unsaid. I agree with them on this to a certain extent. However, I firmly believe that one goes through trials, tribulations, joys, and monotony in order to learn. We learn life lessons from these things and, to me, its almost useless if those things are not shared so that the masses can learn as well. I understand that, more often then not, the lessons we pass on to others becomes more or less like the things our parents try to tell us; we hear them, understand where they are coming from, and often even agree with them. Does it always keep us from repeating those same mistakes? Of course not. Why? Because we are a stubborn society who has to do it for themselves.

However...

Occasionally warning bells will go off inside us that say, "wait, I've heard about this once before. I probably shouldn't go that way or do that thing." When this happens, we are usually able to avoid unnecessary stress or burdens because we opened ourselves up to wisdom given us by someone wiser and smarter than ourselves. Now, I would never claim to be wiser or smarter than anyone else; Lord knows I have and will continue to make my fair share of mistakes (thus the blog), but it is with that slim chance you might take my advice to heart and apply it that I continue to share these lessons I have learned and will continue to learn.

In the last sentence of my informational paragraph (located under the blog title), I mention that I want to share what happens when I choose to do what God wants me to do and also what happens when I refuse. I am holding myself to that promise today by sharing with you something about myself that I have recently been forced to come face to face with. I am a coward. Now, that's a strong statement and I mean to clarify and specify what exactly I mean by that by sharing my story and hoping, once again, that you can take some piece of wisdom from it and learn to not repeat after me in this instance. When I say that I am a coward, that is to say, more specifically, that I have a tendency to run away. When God brings something big into my life, some task or duty I am to perform, I often get scared like a child and run away as far and as fast as I can. I have never seen that aspect of myself more clearly than I have in the last two months. God has brought me forward, shined a spotlight on that attribute of mine, and said, "Hey! You need to do something about this because I'm not going to leave you alone until you obey me."

So, what have I been running away from you ask? The story is this: I have in my possession a fair knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL). I can carry a conversation and, more often then not, have no issues knowing what signs to use to say all that I need to. My introduction to ASL began in elementary school when I came face to face with some cold hard truth: I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Nope. Couldn't sing a lick. I was too shy to do so even if I could. So, when I went to a church camp and sign language was offered as a track I could take, I jumped on it. Why not? That way, I could still participate in the worship and not embarrass myself. In that track, we learned some basic signs and used them to perform a song on stage at the end of the week. I was hooked that first day and I haven't really looked back since. I continued using what I had learned in that track and continued taking that same kind of track at the other camps I went to right up to middle school. In high school I was able to take ASL as my foreign language and did so for 2 and 1/2 years. Also while in high school, I used my growing knowledge in my youth group where I taught my friends worship songs in ASL. We often performed them in front of the church. I used my sign language to lead the worship at other events like women's bible study classes, adult drama ministries, youth group vacation bible school, and other youth led services. I was in love with the language that allowed me to express my love of Christ in an elegant manner using something other than my physical voice.

That weekend has been in my mind ever since and probably always will be. Despite my inexperience, I was able to convey the approximately 5 messages, not to mention plain conversations, prayers, announcements, etc..., in such a way that she had no real issue understand my meaning. Thankfully, that friend is an amazing woman of God and had seemingly limitless patience with me because I am 100% sure I made ample mistakes. So what went wrong then? What happened that weekend that caused it to be burned into my memory indefinitely? I became afraid. I kept remembering myself messing up over and over trying to interpret the many messages of that week and seeing (or believing) how utterly I had failed. My confidence took a blow that weekend and it scared me to the point that I took Robert up on that Psychology class very shortly after! Admittedly, all that fear and feeling of failure was mostly in my head because, again, my friend was amazing with me and would never in a million years have let me leave feeling that way if she'd known. She did nothing but offer praise of my work and thankfulness for my help...and yet. And yet I still left feeling the way I did. I decided the only thing left to do was run. I ran way from God's calling for my life at that time. I got my Psychology degree instead and I didn't practice my sign language for almost two years after that.

I married Robert and we moved to Atlanta, Georgia where we attended Forrest Hills Baptist Church with his parents. Something I had learned a while back about Robert's mother but had tucked away and not really thought about, was the fact that Roberts' mother was an interpreter at that church and also taught special needs deaf children at a local school. Wow...there was no escaping it. Despite this, I still didn't get involved with the deaf ministry the church had. Instead, I avoided the both the deaf and the hearing who spoke using ASL. Occasionally, I couldn't avoid them and was forced to use it, shame burning inside me because I still felt so inadequate. Ironically, I complained quite a bit about how I felt there was no ministry I could really get involved in while there. Newsflash right? Anyway, it was Christmas time around year two of our attendance there and they were putting on a Christmas cantata. I was approached and asked if I would be willing to interpret all the songs because the main interpreters really wanted to be singing in the choir and another would be playing piano. They were desperate and so, again, I was given this chance to use my abilities to serve. I practiced and I practiced and felt so much more confident than I had that one dreadful weekend! I was ready! They needed me and I was excited. When all was said and done, I felt I had done a good job; no mistakes that I could recall. I was clear and precise and even elegant. So why wasn't I satisfied? Why didn't I feel a renewed desire to become involved with the deaf ministry? This time, my problem wasn't ability or lack thereof. This time, my problem wasn't a lack of confidence or shame at a job I thought I had done poorly. This time...it was selfishness. I didn't want to get involved in the lives the deaf or hearing interpreters at our church. I didn't want to take the time to hone my ability, learn new techniques, perfect my vocabulary. I wasn't interested in deaf socials or interpreting conferences or anything of the sort. Why? Because I knew it would take time. I knew it would take effort. Neither of which I wanted to give or exert. I had other things to do that I thought were more important. So I ran away. Again. I stopped volunteering and eventually we stopped attending.

This brings us to the present. My husband and I just spent the last year in Nashville, Tennessee for my husband's job. In January we moved to Huntsville, Alabama because we wanted to be around family and we wanted to be back at Capshaw Baptist church; a church we had joined right before we found out we were going to Nashville. When we came back, we met with our Pastor and his wife for lunch. Over the course of that lunch, we talked about many things including how Robert and I desired to get involved in ministry and what those ministries were. Many things came up in that discussion and I happened to mention that I knew sign language. Oops. Pastor Zach jumped on that in a heartbeat, informing me that there was need for an interpreter at our church as a couple had been coming but were unable to catch much of the message due to obvious reasons. I was eager to please and I jumped on it. However, I must admit I was more excited about being needed and knowing I could be useful more than I was concerned that God could or would use me. In fact, I didn't even consult him on the matter. I simply agreed to seek out this new couple and to introduce myself. As excited as I thought I was, I intended to do things slowly. I wanted to get back into the swing of things at Capshaw, meet new people, get into a Sunday school class, among other things. I figured this interpreting thing was something I could instigate but would not need to actually be a part of. I had visions of grandeur thinking I'd find someone in the congregation who knew ASL and they could interpret messages while I could get back to doing what got me involved in ASL in the first place: the music. I'd teach others to sign the songs as well so that, when my husband and I traveled, as we always do, I wouldn't have to worry about leaving an empty void. This time, I wasn't running away. I was diving into a pool vanity. I was being arrogant, thinking I had this all figured out and this it would all work according to my plans (insert God laughing here).

Needless to say, it didn't and hasn't worked out that way...at all. Indeed, within a week of that lunch with Pastor, he had announced on Facebook that Capshaw was starting a new Deaf Ministry and that, if anyone wanted to get involved or knew anyone who could benefit from an interpreter, to let him know. Say what? Wait a minute! This was not the plan! Right after that status was posted, I received a message from his wife saying she'd seen the couple out and about and informed them about me...I was contacted by them the next day. All of this in a week! I was thinking months! Like maybe 12! That's when I began to hyperventilate. What had I done? More importantly what was I going do! I couldn't back myself out of this one. I couldn't run away, I couldn't move away, I couldn't do anything. It was too late for all of that. That's when the fear started. That's when the doubt started. That's when I went to sleep crying because I knew I had screwed up big time. How was I going to interpret an hour long message and songs when I had never done it before (at least not in at least 8 years) with any great success? All this time I had been like Jonah; knowing what God wanted and going in the opposite direction. Now I was stuck in "Nineveh" without a boat or a whale to carry me away. I thought I was lost.

So, in a last ditch effort to put up my own internal kind of protest, I asked the couple I'd be interpreting for to give me one more week to prepare myself. I told them I would be there Sunday but that I would not interpret; I would wait until the following weekend after I had cleared things with Pastor Zach and our worship leader, Pastor Brandon, to make sure I was all clear to proceed. I attended church that Sunday and that is where I met them. Instantly I was drawn to how sweet and kind they were towards me. I was tripping all over my own hands trying to get some sort of coherent thoughts out and they didn't seem to mind my "stuttering" at all. After those introductions, I felt a tiny bit better. I sat down a few rows behind and to the left of them during service. Never in my life have I ever felt so convicted as I did that Sunday as I sat observing them throughout the service. Having never had a deaf ministry to speak of, there were many things that hindered understanding for them. The lights blocked lips that they might have read to understand, the music in the first service is softer than in the second and thus vibrations did nothing either. The Pastor, not aware of his actions turned his body and face away from them, keeping them from hearing what they might have otherwise. I am in no way implying that this amazing couple needed me because of me. I am not in anyway saying that they are ignorant or incapable of handling their learning on their own. I am not even saying that they are incapable of gaining as much from the pastor without me as they would with me. In other words...they don't need me. I am nothing special as I've well stated. But, as I sat there watching them flip through pages, not quite sure what chapter the pastor had said because he'd turned his mouth from them, I died a little inside. Ok, I died a lot. I felt so horribly overcome with guilt that I wanted to jump up in the middle of the sermon, grab a chair, and do the best I could with no preparation of any sort. I thought to myself, "what kind of person are you that you would withhold even your meager talent from them?" I was horrified at the hard-hearted person I had allowed myself to become. Did I think it was all an accident that I had been brought here? Or that I had been put through those other situations? Of course it wasn't. God knew from the beginning that I would be brought here, to this church, to this ministry, to this couple. He knew all along and had tried to help me prepare and I had chosen to jump ship, ending up in the belly of a whale headed right back down the path he was bringing me down before...with or without my permission.

Unlike Jonah, I don't seek to have destroyed those whom I have been sent to serve. I have since interpreted three times for them and each and every time I have done so I have felt so terrified all the way up until time to start only to find that, right afterwards, I felt relief and gratitude because of the patience and kindness of the two I was interpreting for. It is still a struggle for me and I have to be honest and say that I still freak out and try to argue my way out of it sometimes but I am learning to obey. I am learning to do what I know is right simply because it is so. All of that is not to say, however, that I don't enjoy doing it. I do. I still love ASL and I love to use it. I just habitually feel inadequate. I even feel sometimes like I don't deserve such a position; a position of sharing biblical truths, as preached by Pastor Zach, to those who would otherwise have a hard time getting it. Its basically a love hate relationship if you will. I need to let go and let God or so I've been told. Will I continue to be petrified? No question. Will I ever be perfect at it? Probably not. Will I continue to make mistakes? Of course. Do I still have a really (really) long way to go and a whole lot to learn about interpreting? Absolutely.

But will I try? Yes. I am tired of running away. I need to stop being a coward and I need to face these fears that have been haunting me since college. I need to accept this commitment and do it as unto the Lord. Why? Because with knowledge comes great responsibility and because I can and I should....and I will.

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Colossians 3:17

Spirit Wind

2012-02-09T13:28:00.002-06:00

“In the essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love”.

- Augustine

I write today from a heart that hurts for my church family. We are going through some things right now that I think, for the most part, all churches go through at one time or another. There is some disagreements among our members and it is causing a lot of pain, suffering, and agitation. There are hidden agendas and not so hidden ones that are breaking apart what should be a strong and binding chord, our congregation.

Personally, I am not privy to everything that is boiling beneath the surface of this storm. What I do know, I don't feel the need to elaborate on as it really does no good in light of what I'd really like to say instead. I will simply focus on one of the issues brought forward and share my opinion on that. People in our church are hurting. Some come from a place of bitterness and some come from a place of disbelief in what is going on around them. Some have been utterly clueless and some have been drug in kicking and screaming. Some are surprised and others knew this was coming, maybe even had a hand in its creation, a long time before the problems were ever brought to light. I fit in the category who never saw it coming. I've been a member at our church, technically, for a year and 6 months. The first six months of my membership, my husband and I fell in love with the body of people there and their pastor. My family attends there also and that made the experience all the more enjoyable for us as a couple.

Then, we found out that my husband, Robert, was being relocated to Nashville, TN for his job. While in Nashville, we attempted, although admittedly it was half-heartedly, to find another church we could belong to. We visited a few but could never find one that we really felt drawn to. After a while we simply stopped looking. After a year spent in Nashville, we are back in Alabama and, thankfully, back at the wonderful church we had been made to leave due to the move. When I realized we'd be able to once again attend, I was thrilled. I had realized that the thing lacking in the Nashville churches we'd attended, was life! A real vitality and motivation to do what God had called them. Now, I only attended a few so don't judge them, but I really can't say I'd been called to any of them. I never felt drawn to them as I had with the church we'd left. As soon as we got back we had lunch with the pastor and his wife and were immediately plugged back in. I was asked to start a new Deaf ministry, a chance to reach out to some members who attended but had no interpreter. I was thrilled that Pastor had seen the need and seen fit to meet it or find someone who could. He was also working on the two services they held, trying to meet the needs of the older and younger generations; a sort of traditional first service and a more contemporary second service. He hoped this would help reach others who may not have liked the loud music, contemporary choruses, or stage lights. I applauded this insight into our culture and whole-heartedly agreed it was needed.

When we really got into a routine of going to church, we started learning and hearing things...grumblings from some who were not content with the direction the church seemed to be taking. I didn't understand what the big deal was. I felt that the pastor was taking outreach seriously and the numbers were obviously reflecting that. What was the problem? It came out one Wednesday night in a storm of emotion and anger. I was surprised and flabbergasted at such blatant disrespect of the office of pastor. I won't detail what all the issues were but I will speak to one. It seems there is a tremendous concern about our pastors' beliefs concerning Calvinism. Isn't there always some sort of controversy where that subject is concerned? I would say yes...without a doubt. The point of concern was how many points of the acronym "T.u.l.i.p" did the pastor agree with? In case you are unaware, "T.u.l.i.p" refers to the five points known as the basis for the Calvinistic belief system (though of course I am no expert):

* Total Depravity

* Unconditional Election (predestination)
* Limited Atonement
* Irresistible Grace
* Perseverance of the Saints

Turns out, some people in the congregation feel that this is a deal breaker. What our pastor believes concerning these five points is of utmost importance according to some (though I do not believe this is the case for the majority). These issues and "concerns" were brought up this past Wednesday at the regular Q&A session our pastor holds on occasion. I knew that these issues would be brought up. I knew that they would be discussed thouroughly and would not be dropped. However, I was completely unaware that this Q&A session was going to be, not an informative session at all, but a witch hunt and little else. I was appalled to see the behavior of some members and the disrespect that was thrown at our pastor. I am all for having an open forum and I am all for the right to ask questions and disagree when the need is there. I do not, nor under any circumstances would I ever, be for the horrid treatment that was bestowed upon our God-given leader this past Wednesday night. Was there yelling? No. Were there raised voices? Some. Were names called? Yes, albeit subtly. Questions were flung at him regarding whether or not he thought he was still fit to pastor our church because of his beliefs on these five points. Are we serious right now? Because the man may or may not believe in predestination we're going to slaughter him this way?

The truth of the matter is this: most Southern Baptists subscribe to at least one or more of these points. The Umbrella of the title "Southern Baptist" is so broad that it houses those who are one point to those who are four or five pointers. I will not go into what I believe about any of these points because, truly, that's not the point of my blog post today. In fact, it's almost the opposite. I could care less about these five points if I were being honest. I don't think they matter in light of eternity. I don't believe they are worth all out war in the middle of a church service! Anyone who disagrees with that is entitled to their opinion but I do not share it. I don't know who we think we are sometimes, but I feel like its all gone too far. I say this with the understanding that, in every other regard, our pastor has proven himself worthy and chosen by God to lead this congregation. He is beyond reproof when it comes to his own walk with Christ and with the way he shares the gospel. He preaches that Gospel in its entirety, leaving nothing out. So, the only basis upon which he is being judged (and found wanting by some), is his stance on predestination? We go too far.

If we, as the body of Christ, trust him to preach a true gospel, trust him to win souls and represent us and teach us, what do we care if he believes in predestination? In light of everything else, I feel this is a trivial matter; a splitting of hairs when there is no need. Now, that isn't to say that if his belief kept him from doing the Lord's work, saying there is no need to spread the gospel because God has already "predetermined" who will and will not be saved, that that would be acceptable...because it would in no way be so. But he isn't doing that. His stance is such that, even knowing God has predetermined who will be saved, he's not God and he would never presume to know who those "chosen" are and thus he must continue to preach it. So why are we so outraged? Why are we seeking to have him burned on stake? My only question to pastor was this (which I indeed stood up to ask): "Are you going to preach the true gospel or not?" To which he responded, "I will. If I don't do it here, I will do it out there." And again, my response was "Then it doesn't matter to me what you believe about predestination. Keep winning souls."

Why can it not be that simple? Why can we not stop being so hateful concerning issues that are not going to determine whether or not we get into heaven? As long as he's preaching what will get us there, why are we being divisive? It's not WORTH it! Can we just go back to being about the work of the Lord? Isn't that what we should be focused on? I'm tired of people being so utterly consumed with being in control, committees who don't know their place (as servants to aid the pastor in leading, not ACTUALLY leading), of pettiness that ruins communion with the whole body of Christ...it's stupid and not worth it. If you want to discuss it then fine. Do it. But do it with respect. Do it with an open heart. Do it in such a way that allows for discussion and not argument. Do it privately with the one whom it concerns. Don't stand publicly on your soapbox just so everyone can hear the sound of your voice.

James 4:11-12 says this:

"Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There is only ONE Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?"

Seems we should be taking notes. Again, all of this is simply my opinion and I know there will be those who question it. You are entitled to do so just as I am entitled to disagree. No reason to be unpleasant. I only ask that you act with dignity and respect, showing the same to others. Other than that...speak as you wish.

"Spirit Wind" Casting Crowns

Big Purple Dinosaur

2011-11-26T01:43:00.000-06:00

“We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.” - Jonathan Swift

Homophobia. Sexism. Racism. Antisemitism. Classism. This list of categories we separate people into for us to hate or discriminate against can go on and on if I were to let it because, often, we can and do hate people based on a variety of distinguishing factors like the following: race, religion, culture, hairstyles, tattoos or no tattoos, gender, sexual orientation, weight, height, occupation, class, political party, marital status, salary, sports team, birth location (i.e. north or south, etc...), IQ, family size, family situations (divorced, widowed, etc...), age, and so many other things. Because there is no end to our differences there is no limit to the reasons we can choose to like or dislike someone. These kinds of prejudices are the reasons behind many of the great tragedies in history. The Crusades were religiously motivated campaigns against Muslims, heretics, and pagans. The Holocaust was the result of one mans' desire for an Aryan race. The Civil War was, though admittedly along with a number of other factors, fought in part because of a disagreement on whether or not to allow the enslavement of others to continue. The attack on 9/11 was brought about because of certain religious hatreds and disagreements. This list, too, could go on an on.

So what does this have to do with me? What does this have to do with anything since we are all very aware that there is hate and discrimination in the world and are all probably aware, at least to some degree, that it's wrong? Well...it kind of has to do with everything. Everything, that is, that relates to us as Christians. In my last post I talked about not being a so called "convenient Christian." I talked about how we can't choose to say we're saved but then choose to walk however we please right after. It doesn't work that way. Well, this ties into that whole conversation of not picking and choosing when we do or do not do the right thing as we are so called by God. When we take on the mantel of "Christian" we accept that there are certain requirements or commandments that we are expected to follow. So, following this logic, doesn't it make sense to know what exactly those commandments are so we can do them? Well, in Mark 22:35-40, a question was raised concerning those commandments:

"Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked Him a question, tempting Him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Reading this, we now know what the two most important commandments that we, as Christians, are to follow. I realize there are eight others, but a blog post pertaining to all of them could take forever and so I will simply be focusing on the two most important ones as they pertain to the subject at hand which is hate for our brothers and the complete lack of understanding I have for it. This is a hard subject for me, I must admit, because, starting out, I have to admit I'm guilty. I don't write posts that don't apply to me or begin with me first and foremost. That's a hard thing to come out and say; that I'm racist or homophobic or sexist or whatever the case may be. I don't feel the need in this particular area to designate to you which of the ones I struggle with because I feel its more info then needed to get my point across. I hope that it will suffice simply to say that I struggle and that you struggle and that everyone else does as well whether they come right out and admit it or not. We all have our biases and we all discriminate or have preference for or against someone and its a problem that encompasses the world.

I was reading through some of the smaller books of the Bible and it surprised me just how many times loving one another was mentioned and the strong language used to drive the point home. Here are some of the examples I found:

1). "He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes." - 1 John 2:9-11

2). "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him." 1 John 3:10-19

3). "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us...We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." 1 John 4:7-12, 19-21

All of those verses are from the tiny book of 1st John alone. So many verses on the one subject of loving one another and what it means if you don't...all crammed in a few chapters. It seems to me that this matter is of great importance to the God who inspired the Word. This subject was so important that God made it the second greatest commandment! Second only to loving Him! More important than not lying, murdering, adultery, and all the rest because it all comes back to those two commands. If you love God and you love your brother as yourself then you'd never lie against them or to them, you'd never kill them or commit adultery with them and so on and so forth because it wouldn't be right or loving or in accordance to His Word.

And yet...

And yet some of us still drive through certain areas of town and see some kids with saggy pants and instantly lock our car doors as we drive past, you know, just in case. And yet some of us still walk right on past that homeless man in the street without a second thought because he should go and get a job instead of begging me for my hard earned money. And yet some of us still look at a person with a turban or head covering and begin creating scenarios in our heads where they are the villain in some made up terrorist plot. And yet some of us still look down on homosexuals as if they are less then the creatures God made them and, because we know we couldn't possibly be anything other than justified because homosexuality is a sin, we treat them like scum not worthy to come in our churches and not worthy of love and grace and the same all-sin covering salvation that we ourselves have but never once deserved! And yet some of us still cling to the old-school racism that our parents taught us because somethings never change and we are not willing to learn any different. And yet some of us still look at the rich people on Wall Street and feel entitled to everything they have worked for because no one who had honestly earned that money would ever think that keeping it for themselves was a good idea! Spread the wealth! And yet some of us still look at people from other countries and think they most certainly must have come here illegally and are not paying taxes and are stealing our benefits and jobs and everything else they don't deserve!

And yet and yet and yet! Whether we hate someone because of the job they hold, where they are from, whether they love cats or dogs, whether they drink or don't, it doesn't matter. Its all wrong. God was very clear when He said that he who says they love and don't is a liar. He was clear when He said that he who hates his brother is a murderer. He even went so far as to say that he who doesn't love doesn't know God because God is love. This is serious stuff! Newsong, the singing group, has an older hit called "Living Proof" and I think it helps shed some light into this subject.

Verse 1

Slow down for a minute. Take a look at the love He gave.

Just hold on for a minute. Look at how we’ve gone our separate ways.
We’re building walls of confusion and doubt out of pettiness and pride.
While all the while the world we’re here to love just passes right on by
Chorus
If we could stand together this world would be a better place
If we could love each other we’d be living proof of the love He gave
Of the love He gave
Verse 2
Slow down look around you. Is that your brother you see standing there?
Just hold on think about it. How can you say you just don’t care?
It’s up to us we can change this world when they see love in me and you.
How can we say that we love our God if we can’t love each other too?
Chorus 2
If we could stand together this world would be a better place
If we could love each other we’d be living proof of the love He gave
We’ve got to get close enough to our brothers heart
To feel his fear and doubt and know that’s what it’s all about
If we could love each other we’d be living proof, living proof, living proof of the love He gave

I think that song both asks the right questions and gives the right directions. We need to stop and take a deep breath and think about everything we know to be true according to God's commandments. Are we doing everything we can to share the love that Christ exemplified by His death on the cross? Are we looking above and beyond our own preferences for perfection and seeing Christ's preferences keeping in mind the whole time that God is no respector of persons (Acts 10:34)? I don't think I have been and I don't think many of you have either if you're anything like me. I hope you'll take some time to consider all of this information. I hope that you'll take the time to figure out what it is in your life, what hatred or prejudice or difference, that is keeping you from loving those around you. We are all made in the image of Christ (Genesis 1:27) and God makes no mistakes so where does that leave us and our pettiness and pride? Out in the cold and no longer welcome.

(Eli360.com)

The 7-Eleven

2011-11-06T17:45:00.001-06:00

"Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another." - Homer

Today I have decided to come back to the series I started a few posts ago. I was writing not just about things I've personally experienced but about things I felt were affecting everyone. My last post of this nature was about drinking and all of its problems. Today I want to discuss something that I feel is worse: the idea that we can live one way on Sunday and another way the rest of the week. More specifically, I guess, is the idea that we would go so far as to call ourselves Christ followers and never act like it. I call this, though I'm sure I'm not being original in doing so, convenient Christianity.

I guess the easiest way to start this whole conversation is to give an example of just what I mean. We don't have to go very far; all we have to do is look at how the attendance numbers at all the local churches skyrocket on Christmas and Easter. People flock in droves and it's standing room only almost every where you look. I never understood this concept. So...you don't go to church 363 days out of the year but, because you go on those two holidays, you're set? You're Christian duties or obligations are met for the next 363 days? Where does it say that in the Bible? It doesn't. In fact, it says the opposite. In Hebrews chapter 10 verse 25 it says that we are not to "forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is..." So why only go twice? Why go at all on those two days if you don't feel the need to do so the rest of the year? What exactly is the point? Do they think that going and playing religious and spiritual will erase all the bad they do the rest of the year? As I said before: I just don't get it. That's what I mean by "convenient Christianity." It's convenient for these people to attend on the holidays; a time when family gathers and it just feels like the thing to do. Maybe because everybody expects it. I don't know.

What I do know is that you can't choose when you want to be a Christian and when you don't. You can't decide that you are saved and then decide not to follow anything Christ has said you must in order to fulfill your purpose as His child. Christianity should not be treated as some sort of twisted fire insurance; there to protect you in case of an emergency but otherwise ignored. In other words, you can't keep living your life as if you never accepted the sacrifice Christ made for you on the cross. That kind of gift demands a certain amount of respect and awe and honor. How can we act so indifferently towards something that is beyond extraordinary? He died a gruesome and horrific death not so that we could continue living our lives in the same manner as before but so that we could have life more abundant (John 10:10). It's insanity the way we behave. That's like having the lottery tell us we won the jackpot when we never even bought a ticket and then going home and eating the same ramen noodles! What possible sense does that make?

The point is that it doesn't. The point is that some people like to have that religious or spiritual label but don't want any of the responsibilities that come with it. They don't want to give up going to the bars on the weekends and getting wasted with their friends because it might make them look dull. They don't want to let go of those nasty habits of profanity and smoking because they just don't see why they should have to. They don't want to go to a "boring" church service on Sundays or Wednesdays because then they might miss their favorite t.v. show (because you know it's not the same when you DVR it). They don't want to give up sexual immorality because they never want to be mistaken for anything but sexy and cool and free spirited. They don't want to do Bible study or daily devotions because who really has the time to sit and analyze the King James version, or any other version, with all those big words? They don't want to give up their racism and hatred for their brother because that goes against all they were ever taught growing up and they don't want to be the kind to sit around a campfire and sing kumbaya. They don't want to be faithful in their marriage or even work at it because that would mean letting go of everything in the past and opening up and possibly being mushy.They don't want to tithe 10% of their income because, gasp, that would mean not going out to eat every night or not going to the movies or buying coffee at Starbucks.

They want their cake and they want to eat it too. Truth is you can't do that. Not in this instance anyway. You can't walk around with your "light under a bushel" so to speak because the nature of thing is in complete opposition to that very idea. The gospel begs to be shared not hidden in your heart to be called upon on a rainy day. It begs to be brought into the darkest regions of humanity so that its principles may bring sunshine to even the most depraved. We are called for that very specific purpose in Mark 16:15: "And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Nothing about the verse, or any verse for that matter, says we should keep the gift of life to ourselves! Now, this particular post is not really about the actual spreading of the gospel because that's a whole different post all together, but it all ties in one way or the other. If we are only going to church on holidays, or even once a month, but we refuse to live as new creations in Christ the rest of the time then we are neither fulfilling our purpose to witness to the lost nor doing ourselves or our personal lives any favors. Indeed, we are kidding ourselves in this awful game of sharades and we will pay the price eventually.

You either are a Christian or you are not. There is no middle ground. God talks about this straddling the fence of sorts in Revelation chapter 3: "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou were cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth." I think that He's making Himself pretty clear: you can't play the field here. You're either fully in or you're out and to be in the middle is spew-worthy. If you want the spiritual or Christian "label" you have to accept that with it comes the responsibilities due a child of God. You have to accept the mission as well as the blessings and gifts that God is so desperatly trying to give you. It says this in 1 John 2: "And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning." Basically everything I've mentioned to this point was said here first. You can't say you are abiding in Christ and not walk that way too. To this end, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John as well as 1st and 2nd Peterare amazing books to read on the topic.

So now, you have a decision to make. Are you in or out? Are you ashamed and unwilling to go the distance or are you proud and willing to be the salt of the earth? We need to be willing to cast off our old sinful selves. As Christians we need to step up and be what we are called to be...do what we are called to do. If not us then who?

Ramblin' Man

2011-06-30T17:30:00.005-05:00

"Father, hear my prayer. I need the perfect words. Words that they will hear and know they're straight from you. I don't know what to say. I only know it hurts to see my only friends slowly fade away. So maybe this time I'll speak the words of life with your fire in my eyes. But that old familiar fear is tearin' at my words. What am I so afraid of? 'Cause here I go again, talkin' 'bout the rain and mullin' over things that won't live past today. And as I dance around the truth, time is not their friend. This might be my last chance to tell them that you love them...But here I go again." - Casting Crowns

So far, in my blog writing "career," I have only written a post when I had a personal life example or story to go with it. I do that because I find it has more of an impact. When someone can see that you've experienced first hand what you're talking about, they seem to be more drawn in to it, more likely to take what you say seriously. Today is not one of those days. I don't really have a particular story in mind or a personal example to share, just some personal feelings I've been dealing with lately. I have a lot weighing on my mind and heart and I just need to get it all out there because maybe, just maybe, I'm not the only one struggling with these issues.

My heart is burdened for my friends, my family, and for the people I encounter everyday while I'm going on about my normal life. I see people struggling with circumstances they feel they can't change and I see people looking for a hope to break through and rescue them. None of these issues are things unheard of, but rather they are so common that they are often forgotten or seen as less important than they really are. Divorce, affairs, lying, cheating, drinking, porn, music that erodes the soul, sexual promiscuity, and any other thing you can think of that is commonplace in the carnal life. These things are affecting people and causing them to die slow deaths. For those of you who are not saved, I am afraid for you and I feel for you because you are dealing with these things alone. For those born again, don't think that we are above such things. Don't think for one minute that we can tune out just because we have a Savior who died setting us free. We are not immune to the world and it's temptations. If anything, we have farther to fall because we often stand so high and mighty.

I don't intend to discuss every one of those issues at length or even at all, but I would like to briefly comment on a few of them over my next few blog posts that are nearest and dearest to my heart. With each new post I'll be giving my opinions, and maybe a story or two, on a different subject from the list I gave earlier. I hope that, while reading, you'll take the time to consider whether or not I could be speaking to you directly and what you can do about it. I'll be asking myself these same questions. And remember, there is always a choice and there is always a light at the end of the tunnel; only you can decide if that light comes from a speeding train about to take you under or the light of the Son who loves you with an undying, unwavering love.

Today I'd like to talk about drinking. There is quite a big debate going on about drinking and whether or not the Bible directly or indirectly forbids it or whether its even an issue it discusses at all. I am not an expert on the subject and I don't and won't ever claim to be one. I have opinions and I am entitled to them and I hope you will take them as such and no more. To me, drinking is indulging in unnecessary temptation. It's playing with fire and hoping not to get burned. Alcohol impairs judgement which can bring about anything from embarrassing situations to deadly accidents. This year alone, 10,839 people will die in drunk-driving crashes- one every 50 minutes (MADD.org). That's insane! By the time I'm done editing this blog, two or three people will have been killed because of the effects of alcohol. It's needless death!

Now, I know that most people will look at this and say something like, "that's not going to be an issue for me, I'm only a social drinker or I know what my limits are." I think I hate those reasons more than any other. It somehow seems as if some believe they are above making mistakes. Like they are above having one too many in a happy social setting. I have news for you...you aren't. No one is. And, just for arguements' sake, say that you are. What about the person sitting next to you? What about the child looking up at you? Will your self-control seep into them? Can they hold their liquor like you can? In these situations, I find it's always better to remember Romans 14:13-23:

"Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin."

What do you say when you are witnessing to someone and they turn you off because they know where you were last Friday night? Down at Silverado's drinking shots of Patron...socially of course. They begin to think, "Why would I want to be a Christian when you are not acting any different then me?" We should be shining examples not stumbling blocks for our brothers and sisters who may struggle more in that area than we might.

Looking at this from another angle, 1 Corinthians 16:19-20 says this:

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

How is drinking alcohol, something known for its harmful side affects, a good way to honor God with the body He gave you? Newsflash: it's not! He bought us for a price. That price wasn't cheap...it cost Him His very life! He gave up His life to set us free and we do what in return? Sour our minds with drink? Drink that has no real benefit? I get that wine has antioxidants etc, etc...but come on. Does that one tiny benefit out weight the mass amount of harm caused by alcohol? Not even close.

There are so many other wonderful drinks in life, why do we have to have the ones that can not only quench our thirsts (temporarily) but our very lives? Personally, I would rather have a milkshake and never have to worry about what clothes (not to mention dignity) I left on the dance floor of some bar. I'd rather drink sweet tea and not have to wonder if taking one more sip would end the life of another. I'd rather sip on ice water than fill myself with something toxic that would keep me from using my body and my mind to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'd rather just not even go there...its more trouble than its worth.

Again, I'd like to make it clear that I am not an expert on what the Bible does or doesn't say about drinking. Maybe I should be or try to be more knowledgeable in that regard. The truth of the matter is that what I do know makes me want to stay away from it. I know that it can kill people, break apart families, and destroy the mind and body. I know that I don't want to cause someone else to stumble in their walk with Christ just because I may want a drink occasionally. I refuse to even cross that bridge...I want to only do what will glorify God and edify others.

Products Mentioned:

Doppleganger

2011-06-26T22:28:00.004-05:00

"I never did like the word mediocre. I never wanted it to be said of me. Just point me to the top and I’d go over, looking for the very best that could be. So what is this thing I see going on inside of me? When it comes to the grace of God sometimes it’s like I’m playing gameboy standing in the middle of the Grand Canyon. I’m eating candy sittin’ at a gourmet feast. I’m wading in a puddle when I could be swimming in the ocean. Tell me what’s the deal with me? Wake up and see the glory!" - Steven Curtis Chapman

Music. In today's world that one simple word is the topic of many controversial discussions: Contemporary or traditional? Hymns or choruses? Fortunately this is not exactly the topic I will be discussing. Similarly however, I will be discussing one aspect of music that has affected me and my walk with God for better and for worse. I love music; country and Christian in particular. I grew up listening to my father sing while he played his acoustic guitar. My parents are divorced so those moments were few but they were and remain precious to me. They are, in fact, some of my favorite memories concerning my father. He would sit on the couch with his guitar and my brother and I would sit Indian-style on the floor just looking up at him and listening. Whether it was "Walk The Line" by Johnny Cash or "The Fightin' Side Of Me" by Merle Haggard, it didn't matter. I just loved watching him strum on that acoustic and sing to us.

As a teenager, those songs changed from Merle and Johnny to N'sync and the Backstreet boys. I even fancied myself a choreographer for a while in middle school. It was ridiculous and when I think back to it I am utterly embarrassed. However, when I hear the opening notes to "Bye Bye Bye" I can't help but smile and sing along. Now, as an adult, I love the likes of country singers Taylor Swift, Luke Bryan, and Lady Antebellum. I also love Christian artists like Sidewalk Prophets, Casting Crowns, and Third Day. As you can see, my taste in music has changed quite a bit. One thing that has stayed the same however, is the fact that whatever genre I was into at the time, or even now, the impact of that music has stayed with me. Songs like Faith Hills' "Like We Never Loved At All" got me through a break up and songs like "Words I Would Say" by the Sidewalk Prophets help encourage me when I feel like things are going wrong in my life. These songs stick with us. They encourage us, bring us up or down, bring tears to our eyes, make us laugh...every emotion under the sun has a song to go with it. Every life situation, good or bad, has a lyric made just for such an occasion.

With that in mind, I was thinking about how often I look for a song to associate to particular situations in my life. I'll be listening to a T.V. show or a friend speaking and something they say will trigger the memory of a certain set of lyrics stored away in my mind. I was sitting in church one Sunday listening to the preacher and he was speaking about lust and about how the journey from the mind to the hands is short. Immediately I thought of "Slow Fade" by Casting Crowns. This was a simple association because the words my preacher used were almost identical to the words in the song. I sat there and just kept thinking how cool it was that my preacher was talking about something I'd heard in a song. It made me happy and it made me smile thinking, "See? Who says there is anything wrong with contemporary Christian music? Pastor is almost talking about that song directly!" I sat there smugly for a while and had basically tuned out the rest of what was going on.

The problem here is not whether contemporary Christian music is good or bad, that's another discussion entirely. Any guesses as to what the real issue was? I didn't realize it for a while after the service; months later actually...today to be precise. I had it all backwards! I would read my bible or listen to preaching and instead of being like, "Yes Pastor Zach, I remember that scripture!" I was more focused on what song it reminded me of. The truth of the whole matter is that I have more songs memorized than I have scripture. So, while those songs are great (especially because they are Bible inspired), why settle for a song that only reflects the true treasure of scripture? After all, isn't that where most Christian artists got their inspiration? Its not the other way around, songs didn't inspire the Bible...God did. The scripture that Pastor Zach was referring to was 1 Corinthians 10:12 which says to "be careful if you think you stand, lest you fall." That's the verse that inspired Mark Hall to write the song "Slow Fade" and that's the text that Pastor Zach used to support his sermon. It is sad that I recognized the song but not the verse.

In Psalm 119:15 it says "I shall meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways." We should be taking the time every day to think about God's words so that we can have them on the tip of our brains, ready to call them forward for the different situations in our lives. We do this with songs, or at least I do, so why not with the Word of an All mighty God which are far more important and eternal in value? Our discussion should not be whether we should choose hymns or choruses but whether or not we are choosing either for the right reason. Are they enhancing the scripture or detracting from it? Are they bringing focus to God or are they bringing focus to the singer or songwriter? I have been invited to several churches where the main thing wasn't God, it was the Worship leader and the praise band. "Why should I come here?" I'd ask and the response given was "Well, we have a great worship band!" What I should have said was "Whooptie do! What about a great preacher who tells about a great God? What about a Sunday School teacher that helps you learn about The Great Teacher? What about a choir or praise band that sings songs about the one who inspired the Psalms?"

But I didn't.

Why? Because I didn't have the right focus. I was settling for less than the best. I was content to settle for piece of the puzzle instead of striving to have the whole grand picture. Its kind of like the moon and the sun. The sun is the source of light. The moon simply reflects that light. Would you rather have a reflection or the source itself? Similarly, why settle for a mere reflection of the Son, Jesus Christ, in song when we could have the source itself through His word? I don't want to settle anymore. I want the real thing! I want God to speak to me first hand through His Word and not be content to hear it second hand from someone else.

Besides...I never did like the word "mediocre." ;)

**Disclaimer: I just wanted to briefly state for anyone who may be confused, that I am in no way condemning either hymns or contemporary choruses. I love using music to enhance a point and feel it can impact people in ways that a simply spoken word can't sometimes. I just wanted to make it clear that scripture should come first. Its amazing to have music with godly lyrics because that only helps our walk, but I just didn't want to get so caught up in the music that I forgot who inspired it. Hope this is a little more clear.**

Newtons' Law

2011-06-22T21:37:00.001-05:00

"Character is much easier kept than recovered." - Thomas Paine

Isn't it funny how a single event in the life of someone else can bring memories from your own past flooding back to you? That is how it was with me anyway. An acquaintance of mine recently got married and just the thought of it threw me back about 6 and 1/2 years ago. You see, he wasn't an acquaintance exactly, but an ex-boyfriend. Now, I feel no love for this person, a simple kind of indifference actually, but it just amazes me to think of where I was back then when we were together. I think of all the choices we made and how much my life has changed since then. Obviously hindsight is 20/20 and Lord knows that I would change almost 100% of everything that happened back then but He also knows, as does everyone else, that I cannot.

The honest truth is that I never should have dated him in the first place. As awful as it sounds (and is), he was mostly a distraction. You see, I had already met the man I was going to marry. Robert and I met my very first week of college at the TTU bookstore. I left that store knowing he was my future and I told everyone so. A few weeks later, however, I found out he had a girlfriend. I was upset with God and impatient. I wanted someone right then. I didn't want to be left out or dateless to homecoming or any of the many other events TTU would host in the coming year. Around this time I met my ex and we became friends. We already hung out with some of the same crowd and so it was easy to be around him and he was easy to like. We started dating. It was wrong of me because I knew in my heart of hearts I was going to marry someone else. I knew that I didn't love him and I never would. I just needed someone to help me bide my time. It was wrong and heartless of me. I did it anyway. I guess my payback came when he broke up with me four months later. It was the first time I'd ever been broken up with and I didn't handle it very well. It shocked me if I were to be honest and I don't know if I was more angry because I didn't get there first or hurt because my pride was shaken. Either way, I deserved it.

To this day I don't believe my ex knows that whole story (though obviously he might now if he were to ever read this) and it really doesn't matter to me if he ever does. As awful as I know I was for behaving that way, he had his own share of issues that he brought to the table and, both together, made for a really bad four month relationship that should never have happened in the first place. Both of us had hearts elsewhere and because of that, we each caused the other a great deal of pain and aggravation that, to this day, is unresolved and has affected nearly every one of the friendships we made in college. Our bitterness towards each other did a lot of damage and ripples from those waves are still moving forward today.

I say all of that and lay my conscience bare before you because I realize now with absolute certainty that my choices do not only affect me but everyone around me. I've written about bitterness, I know, and I probably will again, but for now bitterness is simply an end result of what I will actually be discussing: bad choices. Most things that people regret, if not all, are the result of bad choices we've made at one time or another. I have made many, many, many bad choices in my life; just ask my mother and father. I have hurt people and I have ruined friendships. I'm not proud of it...any of it. I used the example of my ex because he is a shining example of how long the consequences of bad choices can last. I'm still suffering those consequences: bitterness, anger, a loss of friendships, etc...I'm still working on forgiveness after six years. I have this feeling that it will always be something I struggle with and that is my cross to bear for just one of my bad choices.

The Bible gives us so many examples of great men who made awful decisions: Lot, David, Moses, etc...those decisions almost seem to define who they are now in our memories. Who can think of David without thinking of his adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband? Who can think of Lot without thinking about Sodom and Gomorrah and his wife turning into a pillar of salt? Who can think of Moses without thinking of how God forbade him from entering the promised land because of his disobedience? Not me. Some of these men also did great things as David was a man after Gods' own heart, and Moses helped set his people free, but how much less turmoil would they have suffered if they had simply made better choices? These men spoke to God and were led by Him and they still messed up. How can we even have a chance of doing what's right? It feels that way sometimes; like there's no hope for us if there was no hope even for men like David and Moses.

But there is...

We just have to realize bad choices often come from bad (or wrong) desires. We need to consider the condition of our hearts when we are making these choices. What are our motivations? Do they bring glory to God or do they shame Him and us? Often there is no pause between what we think we want and actually going after it. We don't take that extra second to think, "Is this ok? Should I be wanting this?" I doubt David, after seeing Bathsheba in all her beauty, paused to ask Himself what God would have him do. Because we rarely take any time to consider the right and wrong of a thing in the moment, then maybe we should resort to already knowing. Maybe we should decide beforehand that we will seek God's face as often as we can so that when a rough choice comes to us, we will already have that information stored away. We will have more to go on and know more about how to avoid putting ourselves in compromising positions in the first place.

Avoidance is the key and our best line of defense. Proverbs 5 talks about the mysterious woman and her cunning ways and says this in response: "Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house, lest you lose your honor to others and your dignity to one who is cruel." If we made the choice to not even walk by her house then we would not have to even consider all the problems laying with her could cost. In verses 3-6 she is described this way, "For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it." Finally, in verses 11 through 14 it describes the aftermath of being with such a woman: "At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent. You will say, “How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction! I would not obey my teachers or turn my ear to my instructors. And I was soon in serious trouble in the assembly of God’s people.”

If we listen to our Lord and do what His Word says then we can avoid some serious trouble. We should also consider the advice of those who have come before us such as our parents or grandparents or even friends. I often regret not listening to my mother on many occasions. She had far more wisdom than me and I refused to listen sometimes. I brought unnecessary pain upon myself by not heeding her warnings. We often feel this crazy need to live and learn...we believe we must experience things and make our own mistakes and figure it out on our own...why? Why intentionally ignore good advice and sound wisdom for the sake of going through it ourselves? We love to sing songs like "God Bless the Broken Road" because it rings of redemption and of how everything bad in our lives can all work out for the better. It glorifies the mistakes we've made "because they point us down paths that make us who we are." I for one don't want to live that way anymore. I don't want the "freedom" to make mistakes with consequences if there is even a slight chance to avoid them. I can accept them if and when I slip, but again, why not do what I can to eliminate the possibility of it occurring more often than needed?

Though I used the example of the mysterious woman and sexual mistakes, there are far more examples out there. This one of sexual immorality is simply a more easily recognizable one. We can make many many other ones including ones at work, ones with friends and parents, financial ones, etc... We just need to see that every action/choice we make has a consequence. I for one intend to try making better choices and thus have better outcomes.

Photo: Creatively edited by me

Blissfully Unaware

2011-04-27T13:34:00.002-05:00

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." ~Mark Twain

As I have mentioned a hundred times before, I am an avid fan of traveling; you could definitely say I'm obsessed. I love going to new places and seeing things that existed hundreds of year before I did. It gives me this awesome awareness of how small I am and of how fleeting life is. I enjoy soaking it all in and learning about and remembering how life used to be. It gives me an appreciation for what I have when I find myself doubting my blessings. I bet if I asked, many of you would say the same thing. For those of you who have never been overseas, it is a must. There is something magical about seeing the buildings and structures over there. They say that people who live in Europe and visit America can't believe how new everything looks. When we, as Americans, visit Europe, we can't believe how old it all is. It's like glimpsing through the window of a time machine thats traveled back centuries.

Recently, however, I had the chance to see up close one of the remnants of probably the most recognized tragedies in history. I was forced to acknowledge the painful reality that the world is not always a nice place despite all the wonders it contains. In February of this year, Robert and I traveled to Germany to visit friends. While there, we made a day trip to visit Dachau, the first concentration camp in Germany. To say it was an experience I'll never forget is an understatement. It was eerie and awful all at the same time. We took a tour in English and, when it was over, decided that we'd always be a little sad thinking of our trip to Germany because of what we'd seen there at Dachau. We walked in buildings where people were grouped together like cattle. We saw rooms so small that the prisoners held there could neither stand nor sit on of the floor; they were forced to crouch for up to 48 hours at a time. We walked down hallways that had been walked through by guards making sure no one ever escaped their version of hell. We saw doors that led into what were labeled as "showers." They weren't. We walked on dirt and concrete where prisoners fell after breathing in the toxic gas leaked into their so called shower room.

Eventually, Robert and I exited through a gate that thousands never did. How did I feel after all of this? How did I feel after learning about the sufferings of thousands of people and seeing first hand where it occurred? Honestly...slightly detached. Was it sad? As I mentioned early, of course it was. Was it eerie? Again, yes. The reality, however, is that as we walked and saw and experienced, we understood that we could never in a hundred years walk and see and experience all that they did almost 70 years before. I looked at the cells they were held in, I read the writings on the wall left by some of the prisoners, I touched the ground where their bodies fell and yet I was not driven to tears. I left that awful place wondering why I did not or could not cry. I wondered what that said about me as a person. Did it mean that I had no heart? Did it mean that I was not sympathetic to their plight? That I didn't care about something that had happened so long ago? How could I not feel when death was surrounding me? How could I be so stoic in a room where people had been cremated two or three at a time?

To be truthful, I don't know exactly why. I can't explain the lack of emotion I felt at the time. The friends I was there visiting actually refused to escort us there because they had been before and wished never to go again. They felt so strongly against going again that they left us to venture there ourselves, two Americans who'd never been in the country before. When we returned from Dachau I felt the need to justify my actions, my unemotional state. Frankly, I lied. I exaggerated my feelings because I didn't want to seem like the callous American who didn't care about anyone but herself. I've thought many times about this whole situation and I've come to a conclusion, though not a perfect explanation, that helps me see what was going on in my own heart.

As an American, I see things from such a different perspective then say Russians, Germans, or Italians. I do not live in Europe where World War II did most of it's damage. My country cannot be classified as a war torn country and because of this I cannot relate, on any level, to those who did and those who do live in such countries as Germany who were affected first hand. As my Russian friend so bluntly put it, I do not know what it's like to wake up and fear for my life for any reason. I do not know what it is like to starve or to thirst for days on end. I cannot honestly empathize and thats the simplest and most basic truth of the matter. I simply do not have anything within my personal frame of reference or schema that can help me explain and relate to all the things I experienced. I just don't.

Now, I don't want you to read this and think, "Wow she is cold!" because it's not true. I said that I didn't feel much, not that I didn't feel at all. The whole thing is extremely difficult for me to explain. I just know that when I came back I had a new perspective on another, similar topic: Christs' death on the cross. He suffered physically from the crown of thorns, the lashings, the nails in His hands and feet. He suffered severe mental anguish when His father looked away from Him because He carried the sin of the world on His shoulders. He died willingly for us, because He loved us, because He wanted to be our propitiation before God the father. He died so we could live. And yet, even knowing what we know about His unconditional love and about His gruesome death (and eventual rise), we look upon the whole event from afar. We view it as something less than it was. I felt awful towards myself for how indifferent I seemed while at Dachau but do we not, as Christians, often find ourselves acting and feeling that same way when we think of the cross. Why?

Because as Christians, we gladly accept salvation, we gladly accept the blessings God has given. We even have and accept a head knowledge that there will be trials and pain. What we hardly give credence to is how this gift was purchased. Blood was required. Jesus willingly gave His own. We were saved from a hell worse than any Dachau could deliver and we are apathetic about it. We had our cells unlocked, chains removed, health restored and given an inheritance and yet we act as if by some merit of our own we deserved it. Inscribed on the font gate at Dachau are the words, "Arbeit macht frei" which means "through work one will be free." That wasn't true for the prisoners then and it's not true for us today. Works won't get us anywhere. Sometimes we also convince ourselves that the price Christ paid was easy and painless. How quickly we forget it was not that way! It takes Mel Gibson and his graphic movie "Passion of the Christ" to get from us any kind emotional reaction. We go to an Easter service to celebrate His resurrection. What about His death??? He had to die first. He had to suffer first. He had to be crushed by His father first. We know this. We understand this. We just don't feel this.

Picture: By Melissa Lee, Germany 2011

Sadly, the fact of the matter is that there is nothing much we can do now about the deaths of those during the holocaust except to honor them with a vow to never forget. There is, however, something we can do about the death of our Lord Jesus Christ: accept the gift His death brought. Casting Crowns has a song with these lyrics:

"One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain. One day they nailed Him to die on a tree. Suffering anguish, despised and rejected, bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He. Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree and took the nails for me. Living He loved me, dying He saved me, buried He carried my sins far away. Rising He justified freely forever. One day He's coming, oh glorious day!"

Christ died so that we could have life (1 Thessalonians 5:10). He was wounded and crushed for us so that we could have peace (Isaiah 53). Hitler and his army caused the holocaust and we, as sinners, put Christ on the cross. We could not pay the price that was necessary and so Jesus, innocent and blameless, died in our stead. We deserved that same death but He gave mercy. How could we do anything but fall on our faces any time we even think about our salvation? If you're not saved, I ask you to ask yourself why not. He loves you no matter what you've done. Ask Him and He will save you. For those of us who are saved, I pray that both you and I will come to a place where we can admit that we have become careless and indifferent to a passionate and caring God and the sacrifice He made. He deserves more than that.

Products Mention:

Tea With Winston and Nancy

2011-03-31T16:29:00.001-05:00

“It is a simple but sometimes forgotten truth that the greatest enemy to present joy and high hopes is the cultivation of retrospective bitterness." - Robert G. Menzies

Earlier this week, on Sunday, my husband, sister, and I went to a night service here in town. We happened to be a half hour late because of a misunderstanding about when it actually started. However, I can't help but feel that maybe it was fate (AKA God) that brought us in when it did. We walked into the atrium of the church and a man sitting there (one of the associate pastors) explained that church times had changed and that service had already begun. For those of you who don't know me, I hate to be late and things like patience are not my forte. I was miffed to say the very least. Despite my great desire to turn around and just go home, Robert dragged us towards the doors leading inside the sanctuary. Right outside the door was a large bowl filled with a variety of rocks in all shapes and sizes. The sign above the bowl said, "take one," and so we did. We walked in (with more noise than I would have cared for) and found a seat in back (though not as far back as I would have liked...so as to avoid stares of course).

We settled in and I took out my notebook to take notes on whatever remnant of the message we might catch. I sat back and finally looked up towards the speaker...or speakers as was the case this time. A man and a woman I'd never seen were standing on the stage with a white board between them. It seemed odd to me at first, since I was expecting a preacher, but I sat back and tuned in and heard something so simple yet, for me, so necessary. It seemed almost as if they were waiting until the moment we entered to really begin to deliver the message they had come to share. They began, rather they continued, with this quote:

"Bitterness is like swallowing a deadly poison and expecting the other person to die."

It just doesn't happen that way. As they continued, I caught on to the fact that this couple was sharing their testimony. Though I didn't get all of the facts, the gist was that this couple and their children had moved about ten times in thirteen months and she, we'll call her Jane, was "wounded" by this. I say wounded because it was the word they used to describe a hurt inflicted that can begin a never ending cycle. This wound led to many other emotions that caused Jane and her husband, we'll call him Jake, to become distant with each other. This distance eventually led to Jake having an affair with Jane's best friend. Personally, I can't even begin to imagine the pain and hurt that Jane felt. I have no frame of reference that covers that sort of emotional distress.

Jane continued to explain that her bitterness was a result of a wound that had been caused by Jake and the moves and his affair. She said that it started as this wound and began to fester until it became grief or sorrow. She was grieving because of what he and her best friend had done to her. She was grieving because she was (she thought) losing all that she'd come to hold dear to her: her family, her husband, her best friend, their church family, everything. Then, she said, it became anger. She was angry at him for all of the moves the past year. She was tired of dragging her kids from one place to another, uprooting from friends and places she'd come to love. She was angry that her best friend had betrayed her with her own husband. She finally admitted that all of these emotions: grief, sadness, and anger all led her down the road to bitterness. This bitterness caused her to harden her heart against her husband, against her best friend, and against God. This bitterness took up roots in her heart and began to grow and grow because she fed it daily thinking of all that had happened to her and, in her own words, "where resentment lives, intimacy begins to die."

It stayed this way for a while...until God got a hold of her again. Jane did not go into great detail about exactly how God brought her back to Himself...but does she need to? Who can explain the ways of God? No one. Jane said her heart was changed and she was able to come to the conclusion that she needed to forgive. She mentioned that she had avoided it for so long because she felt what we all think about forgiveness sometimes; that if we forgive, the other person gets away with whatever they did. We think that they win. We feel that if we forgive, somehow we are weak and that, by holding all this in, we are punishing them. But, it's like that quote said, it's not hurting that other person, it's simply killing us! She knew she needed to forgive her husband for moving them all those times. She needed to forgive him for having the affair. She needed to forgive her best friend for participating. So, she worked on it and they had counselling. She said she reached a point where she sat down and wrote a long letter to her friend, saying that she forgave her and even asking for forgiveness herself for the anger and bitterness. Then, she waited...and waited...and waited.

She explained then that she became angry at her best friend for a second time. She, Jane, had gone out on a limb and given an olive branch. She had extended precious forgiveness and what did she get? Silence. Nothing. Nada. How dare she? How dare her best friend ignore her? How dare she not respond with gratitude at what Jane had done? Jane said that she was angry and bitter all over again because she hadn't fully comprehended the whole truth about forgiveness. The fact that forgiveness can only be true forgiveness when you expect nothing in return for it. She said specifically that, "forgiveness is only true forgiveness when we forgive regardless of the response." She also explained that she came to understand that when we do forgive, it's not that the other person wins, it's that Christ wins. We don't forgive seven times seventy for the offenders' sake, we forgive him for our sake; so that the poison doesn't consume and destroy us. Jane later explained that the rocks we picked up on our way, contrary to what we probably thought, were really not to stone Jake with. They were there to demonstrate that even though we want to put the name of our offender on that rock and throw it, that it is always better to simply decide to drop it. Holding on to that rock can be heavy and if we add more and more rocks to our already heavy burden we'll buckle under the weight. It's so much easier to simply let go...and let God.

Okay. So what does all of this have to do with my life? Well, honestly, because bitterness has been my constant companion for quite some time. In some cases, I knew it was there living inside me. In others, I wasn't aware of just how heavy it was or how much it was weighing me down. This message really helped me to see and understand some things that I had heard previously. I know what forgiveness is. I understand it. I know that we are called by God in Matthew 18:22 to forgive seventy times seven. But, for me, its difficult because I am like Jane. I am like most of you and I have a hard time forgiving when I think they will get away with what they've done. I feel like, if I let it go, no one will remember and it will all be swept under the rug and I just can't let that happen. God says, however, in Romans 12:19, that vengeance is His and that He will repay. So, if we trust in God to save our souls can we not trust Him to avenge us? His children? His heirs? He feeds the sparrows, clothes the Lilly and does abundantly more than that for us; can we not trust Him to right the wrongs against us? Of course we can. So why don't we?

I pray that you, like me, will consider this question and how it affects your own life. I have many things to think over. I have forgiveness to offer and forgiveness to beg for; from God and from others. I hope that if you have things in your life that you are holding on to, that you will simply let them go and let God, the Creator of heaven and earth, take care of it for you. He will...He says He will. The way we act is like having someone email us and say "the cure to cancer is on the second floor in a file if you want it" and then not ever going down there to get it. God will take care of it! We just need to let him.

**A Good song to check out is Chris Augusts' "7x70"**

The Goose Pond

2011-01-26T18:56:00.001-06:00

“A distracted existence leads us to no goal.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

My husband and I went to a tracking class with our puppy, General, a few days ago. We'd never been to one before so we didn't know exactly what to expect. The class teacher, Bev Stewert, emailed us and instructed us to bring some items to be used in class including a 6-foot lead (leash), some smelly treats for the puppy, and some water. We gathered these things and headed out to Nolansville where the class was being held. When we got there, we were greeted by a small group of people; some who had been there before and some who, like us, were brand new. I have to say I was pretty excited to be getting General out and about for some exercise. I was also excited at the prospect of him being able to "track" my lost keys or cell phone in the future!

When all of the meet and greets were over, class began. I watched a few of the more advanced dogs for a while before it was our turn to let Liz, another instructor, teach General this new "game." Liz started out by placing a large stake in the ground with a flag on it. She bent down and placed a scarf with her scent on it on the ground near the stake. Then, she took my bag of smelly dog treats and placed some in a small glove she had brought with her. She put the glove in her pocket and then took some additional treats and crumbled them up and rubbed them on the bottoms of her shoes. She took very calculated and precise steps forward, about 20 yards, and placed the glove on the ground. When she did this, she made sure that General saw her do it by making a high-pitched noise to get his attention. Then, she continued to walk a bit and placed another flag indicating the end. She then did an about face and walked back the same way she had come saying to General, "I lost my glove! Can you go find it?" We were up!

I lead General up to the stake on a loose leash. I bent down as she had done and made sure he got a good whiff of the scarf (article). Then I stood and we were off. It seemed as if he already knew what to do. I said "go find it!" in a happy voice and he did. He put his little nose to the ground and began sniffing the straight line she had created with her shoes. This led him all the way to the glove where I rewarded him with the treats that Liz had placed inside. It was so much fun seeing the focus he had while looking for that glove. The funny thing is, he didn't really know what he was looking for until he got there but he was determined to play this game anyway. The dog that went after us, Fritz, had a bit more of a challenge. He didn't seem to be interested in the game like General had been. He would begin right and then become sidetracked by all of the other wonderful smells, sights, and sounds around him. One thing in particular was a large white goose that was swimming on the pond next to the field where we were tracking. He couldn't stop looking at that goose! It was almost as if the goose were intentionally making noise and flapping his wings so as to be as much of a distraction as he could! Fritz just couldn't resist looking and barking at him and never really finished tracking the item he had set out to.

How much like Fritz can we, as Christians, be? Personally, I'd have to be upfront and admit that I am more often like Fritz then I am like General. It seems to me that I set out with good intentions and a desire to follow God and the path He has for me, and then I become distracted by life and the many situations it brings before me. I allow Satan to dangle other "smelly treats" in front of my face and I wander off the well-beaten path that I know is safe. Sidetracks for me include my husband, my puppy, my friends, fun activities, and a variety of other things that I let get in the way of my relationship with Christ. Other things people in general struggle with are the opposite sex and the choices made in those relationships, family issues, friends and the choices they make, and things like drugs and alcohol. All of these things can cause us to become sidetracked and to lose focus on whats really important:Christ.

Now, again, these things aren't bad but they can be distractions in our lives if we let them. Even if the things we are doing we are doing for God, it can get to the point where it's not really God-focused. I heard a quote once that said, "Don't get so caught up in the work of God that you forget the God of the work." I think that's so true! I think I get so focused on the work I'm doing, or the relationship I'm perfecting, or the activity I'm participating in that I forget who I'm doing it for. Colossians 3:23 says, "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." Everything we do should be as unto the Lord. He is the giver of life and thus our lives should be lived for Him.

We need to make sure that as we wander down the many roads in our lives, that we stick to the path that God has marked for us. We need to make sure we are being purposeful in all we do and run towards the mark, the goal, that pleases God (Phil 3:14). If we do find ourselves distracted, however, and off the beaten path towards temptation, we simply need to refocus and ask for forgiveness if necessary. We can accomplish this goal everyday with continuous prayer and with daily time spent in His word. I heard a story about runners in a marathon; how they had to have extreme pinpoint focus or they could lose just by becoming distracted. They have to keep their eyes on the finish line. If they look behind them at the other racers, they could stumble, lose time, or run off the path and thus lose the race. We are like those runners. We have to have severe focus or we could stumble and fall and lose the race. God will always be there to pick us up if we do, but, if we kept our eyes ahead, how much less would He have to do so? So...let's keep going! Let's keep pressing on!

Picture: By Melissa Lee, Kentucky 2008

Unchecked Baggage

2011-01-23T22:56:00.012-06:00

“The things you want are always possible; it is just that the way to get them is not always apparent. The only real obstacle in your path to a fulfilling life is you, and that can be a considerable obstacle because you carry the baggage of insecurities and past experience.”

- Les Brown

Many times I'll ready myself to sit and write, already knowing exactly what it is I'll be discussing, just to find that God has other plans. Last minute, God will say to me, "no, that is not what I want you to write about. Someone out there needs to hear this instead. Write about it." Sometimes His word to me isn't so clear. It is often more like a gentle tugging in my chest that lets me know I'm about to change my mind because I've been touched and lead in another direction with no choice but to follow and see where it leads. I find that when I listen to these callings and feelings that the results are far more positive than if I had chosen to ignore them. Today I felt such a desire to write about becoming sidetracked...and then... I was sidetracked. I was sidetracked by God telling me what it was he really wanted me to write about: unchecked baggage.

Check this out and then continue reading: http://skitguys.com/videos/item/baggage-skit/

We all have baggage that we carry around with us every where we go like luggage we haven't checked onto the plane and, sadly, we just seem to keep adding more and more to the already heavy and unbearable load. What is this baggage that we carry? Unfortunately, It can be anything. Grudges, hate, bitterness, envy, and sadness are all examples of the burdens we carry. I personally struggle with quite a few of those for a variety of reasons. I hold anger in my heart for people in my past who have wronged me and hurt me and my loved ones. I carry bitterness over situations that didn't go my way. I have sadness over plans that didn't quite work out. I hold envy for those who I consider to be the "haves" while I (albeit unrealistically) consider myself a "have not." I struggle with carrying these unchecked bags every single day and it is wearing me down.

One of the most personal examples I can share about the baggage I hold is the baggage of anger, resentment and bitterness. I have a figure in my past who tried to come between me and my then fiancée, Robert. I had just finished college and Robert was still there. I was working in Huntsville and he was in Chattanooga. This person, whom I will not name, tried everything she could to wreck our engagement. I don't know what her motives were, other than her claims to love Robert more than I could, and it doesn't really matter. I was so scarred and insecure, being separated from Robert, that I didn't handle things well at all. I said and did things that, to this day, I regret. However, despite the regret (which I also carry with me) I have extreme bitterness and resentment for her. I resent her trying to ruin our relationship. I am bitter that I have to have these unwanted memories of those events. I am angry that it even happened in the first place. These unchecked bags are extremely heavy in my heart. There are others, for sure, that I also struggle with daily.

So...why don't I check them and get on with my life? There's an old hymn called, "Leave It There." In case you've never heard it, here are the lyrics to the chorus:

"Leave it there, leave it there, take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out. Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there."

How easy is that? To take our burdens and baggage to the Lord and just leave it there? He wants us to; He says so in Matthew 11:28: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." How much relief and comfort would I receive if I could just give up my anger, bitterness, and resentment to God? I guess the question here is not how to find relief from these burdens because we know how. The question is, if it's as easy as simply giving them to God...why don't we? What holds us back? I think that also has many answers. For me personally, I sometimes believe that if I don't judge them and "punish" them, then no one will. I feel that everyone needs to know what that person did and that they need to receive some sort of public humiliation in order for me to feel better. It's funny how that never works out. Here it is almost three years since that girl tried to ruin my relationship with Robert and I'm still thinking about it. She probably has no idea I even still care. She probably has no idea that I'm even still bitter and angry. The truth of the matter is that I'm probably the only one still suffering and it's self inflicted!!!

In Romans 12:19 God says this, "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." It's so hard for us to remember that God knows everything. He sees everything and nothing happens that He didn't already know was going to happen. Why can't we just give it to Him and let Him avenge us? He is the creator of the world...I think He can handle the feelings stored in my heart that are unhealthy to say the least. I just need to let it go. I just need to leave it at the altar. I just need to realize that the picture is so much bigger than my understanding and that, thankfully, I have a God who is also bigger than my understanding who can take care of it all...and who wants to take care of it all. If nothing else, knowing that God, our loving Abba Father, wants to check those heavy bags for us and be the pilot in our lives should be comforting. I hope you'll join me in striving to just sit back and enjoy the flight. We are free to roam about as carefree as we choose...let's do it. Let's give these heavy "suitcases" to God and simply forgive and forget the things we carry.

Picture: By Kevin Slater, Germany Airport 2006

Here's to letting Him fly the plane...

All We Like Sheep...

2011-01-13T18:37:00.001-06:00

"You're never too far down. I promise you'll be found. I'll reach into the mud, the miry clay, pursue you to the end. Like a faithful friend, nothing in this world will keep me away..." - Audio Adrenaline

A couple of summers ago, some of my family (my mother, step-father, and 5 brothers and sisters) lived in Crete, Greece. While they were stationed there, I was a college student at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga. Fortunately, because I was a student, the government paid for me to travel to visit my family there in Crete. When I found this out I was beyond excited! You know me, I love to travel! I packed my bags as soon as the semester was over and headed out on the next flight. Greece was an amazing and beautiful place! The sand on the beaches ranged in color from black to white to pink and the water was always bathwater warm and crystal clear. I couldn't believe I'd been granted a free visit! What wasn't to like? My whole trip was an experience that I'll never forget and one day, when I write a book, I intend to write about it and the lesson I learned while there.

For now, however, I'll simply share it with you here on my blog. Many of us have heard the age old comparison of Christians to sheep. We see in Isaiah 53 where it says, "All we like sheep have gone astray..." and in John 10, Jesus talks about how He is the good shepherd and lays down His life for the flock (as He did for us on Calvary). While I was in Greece I saw this picture, the meaning of this idea that He is the shepherd and we are the flock, come to life as I had never seen before. I never knew the depth of the love the shepherd has for his flock until I experienced it first hand. I was blown away.

It happened like this: my family and I were driving down the one lane, dirt paths that are considered roads near my mom's house. As we were driving, she or one of my siblings would point out things here and there like olive tree groves, little personal house churches, and caves. Everything I saw had this old world feel to it; as if I were in a time long past and long forgotten. After a little while on the road, I noticed how slowly and carefully we were driving. My step-father is not known for driving slowly in deer-infested Leesburg, Georgia, so I was unsure as to why he was doing it here where there were clearly no deer. So, of course, I joked on him about it. My mother was quick to explain his reasons. She told me this, "there are only two things that the Greeks around here care about and that is their olive groves and their sheep. And, since I don't expect any olive trees to jump out at us, we are watching for the sheep." Now, this I could understand, not wanting to hit sheep. But seriously? Five miles an hour in an obviously deserted part of the island? Again, my mother had an answer for this: "they are everywhere! They blend in! There are little caves off the sides of the road and they sometimes wander in and hop out unexpectedly. You just never know."

Ok...got it. Watch out for suicidal sheep. I stored this obviously important information in the back of my mind for safe keeping. Over the next several days, I came to see that my mother was right. There were sheep every where in Crete! In fact, my mother lived next to a pasture where a shepherd and his flock would walk daily. It was an interesting experience to actually see a man with a stick herding a large group of sheep. I'd never seen it before; not like that. He had little lambs that would jump to a fro (yes, fro) near their mothers. It really was darling to see. My mom came outside that night and we got to talking about Greece and all the things she had experienced since living there; things about the culture and the people and their ways of doing things. Eventually, the conversation steered back towards the topic of sheep and she told me just how important they were.

On the Greek island of Crete, there are two main ways of making a living: 1) planting and cultivating olive groves to produce olives for things like olive oil and 2) raising sheep. It seemed to me that that was obvious since there were a billion of each everywhere you looked. My mother told me that these two things were so important to the Greek farmers that, in the event of a fire, the first things they would try to save were these groves and these animals (after family of course). Houses could be rebuilt, things could be repurchased, but the sheep and the olives were their livelihood and they were first priority! That idea in and of itself was foreign to me; protecting what is essentially a job, before the house and things. That is not the case here in Greece. These animals and groves are not just a source of income but they are almost life itself; it is the way that they survive. For them, there is no getting another "job" because there really isn't anything else. Once I understood this, I was able to semi-understand the second explanation my mother gave me about why they try really hard not to hit sheep when out driving in town.

When my mother first told me this second reason, I wasn't sure how much to believe because it just seemed so impossible! She told me, in a very serious tone, that if you hit a sheep and there are witnesses, you could be in for some serious financial hardships in the future. I thought this meant you'd simply have to pay for the sheep you hit or something in that ball park. Oh no...it goes so much deeper than that! If you hit the sheep, you not only have to pay for it, you also have to pay that shepherds' best estimation on how much money he would have made off of its' meat and wool over the course of its' life. Secondly, you would have to pay the shepherds' best estimation on how many offspring that one you hit would have produced and then, again, how much he would have made off of their meat and wool in their lifetime. Can you imagine having to pay that much money for hitting a single sheep? Here in America, you'd have to prove I hit it in court before we would even pretend to determine a price tag. If you could prove I hit your sheep, you'd never be able to get more than the cost of that sheep out of me. I was mind-boggled as I had never been in my life!

As crazy as I thought all of this sounded, I was also able to see a deeper truth in it. I learned the dire importance of the flock to the shepherd. I learned that his love for them was a thing rarely seen in this day and age. As I looked out at the shepherd and his flock walking past my mothers house, I was able to see them as I hadn't before; with comprehension. I was able to comprehend just a little bit more about the love our shepherd, Jesus Christ, has for us, His sheep. The best example of His love towards us was his death on the cross. He willingly gave Himself to die for the sins of the world. John 10:11-15 says this:

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."

There is no greater love than that. And to take it furthur, Jesus not only mentions the sheep that are currently His (Christians), but He also expresses His desire to bring the other sheep (the unsaved), into the fold. John 10:16 says this: "and other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd." He expresses His desire to love us all and to call all of us His own. He talks in Luke 15 of how, if one of us were to wander away and get lost (and we do), He would leave the flock to come and rescue us.

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"

Picture: By Melissa Edmondson, Greece 2007

To me, this was a very powerful illustration. The love Jesus has for us is amazing and unparalleled and I got to see an earthly example of that first hand. I love it when God uses earthly things to show me heavenly truths. It resonates like nothing else and I can only pray that I am open and available every time He wants to show me. I hope that you, too, will open yourselves to Him and be prepared for what He might have to say. If you're not saved, I pray you'll turn to Him. He is ready and waiting to take you in to the fold. Who can resist that type of love? Who would want to?

Which One Trusted God?

2011-01-09T23:24:00.002-06:00

"There were two farmers who were experiencing a drought. Both farmers prayed for rain. The first farmer, after praying every morning, went out and tended to his fields. When the second farmer saw this, he said to the first: 'We haven’t had rain for months. What are you doing?' The first farmer said: 'I’m preparing for rain.'"

It's January 9th, 2011 and everyone is hustling to get what they need from the grocery store. Why? Because there is a winter storm advisory in effect for many southern states including Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. I've learned over my years living in those three states as well as in Virginia, that even an inch of snow is cause to cancel school and shut down businesses. My mother, being from the northeast, usually just smirks at the "panic" that usually ensues with these winter weather advisories and continues going about her daily life as planned. The rest of the south, however, heads out to Publix or Kroger with a sense of urgency. Bread and milk seem to be on the top of everyone's shopping list; for reasons I do not nor ever will understand. After all, if I were to be unable to leave my house due to the one inch of snow, I would not want items which would soon spoil. I, to quote my good friend, Janae Burnside, would choose canned goods and bottled water. Alas, this story is not about me it is about you: the ones scurrying about like summer ants preparing their winter food supply.

My question to you all is this: if we prepare so eagerly, urgently, and sometimes a bit intensely, for a little bit of snow why do we not prepare as passionately for the coming of Christ? In His word He reminds us over and over to do so. Why do we not? What gets in our way? I think that that answer can be found every where; including the radio. Have you ever heard the song, "Live Like You Were Dying?" I know most of you have. The message in that song is basically to never take life for granted. Life is short and we should never waste a moment we might not get back. It is an amazing message and it's something we should all strive for: to live like we're dying. The problem here is that most people forget that its true..we are dying. It's an inevitable part of our life. We should absolutely live like we're dying and that means preparing for that day.

When we get up in years, many of us will start preparing our last will and testament. Some of us will decide what funeral arrangements we want made. We may even go so far as to arrange a plot and headstone so that our loved ones left behind will not be faced with such decisions themselves. These things indicate that we are well aware of what is coming eventually and that we want to take care of all things related to the time of our physical death. But have we prepared our souls for that physical death? For the time when Christ comes for us? Are we ready spiritually? Mark 13:33 says for us to watch and pray because we do not know when the time is (for His return). And it's true; neither we nor even the angels know the day or hour of His coming (Matt 34:36). So...shouldn't we prepare? As if it might happen tomorrow? It seems the logical thing to do and yet many of us act as if we have eternity to worry about the condition of our hearts and lives. We do not because we don't know the time we have left. We could be called up before I finish my blog post. James 4:14 says, "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

Not only should we prepare because time is short or because we do not know the precise day or hour of Christs' coming, but we should prepare because He specifically tells us the difference between the servants who are and the servants who are not doing the work of the master while he is away. Matthew 24:44-51 tells it this way:

"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

What will you be found doing when the Master, Jesus Christ our Lord, returns? Will you be doing the work of the kingdom? Will you be working the fields and preparing it for the coming rain? Or will you be the second farmer who decided to wait for the rain before preparing his fields? I hope you choose to be the first farmer. I hope you will be the diligent servant who is rewarded when the master returns. That is my aim and my desire. This message was mostly for those of us already saved by grace. If you have not committed your life to Christ and asked for His salvation, my prayer for you is found in Isaiah, "Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near."

Today, let us prepare for rain...and snow if we must.

Picture: By Melissa Lee; Marks' Melon Patch 2009

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Hello World

2011-01-06T22:11:00.004-06:00

"Sometimes I feel as cold as steel, and broken like I'm never gonna heal. Then I see a light, a little grace, a little faith unfurl... the empty disappears. I remember why I'm here; To surrender and believe..." - Lady Antebellum

Every time I hear this song by Lady A, I think of my life and the brevity of it. I think of all of the things I have yet to do and of all the time I've wasted not doing them. For example, I have a strong desire to roam and it consumes me! I love to travel with an ungodly passion. I love the adventure and the excitement of seeing things, people, and cultures from all over the world. In my mind I cannot discover history here at home; it is elsewhere, anywhere, but where I am and I need to go! As much as I desire to travel more in the future, however, I cannot deny that I have been blessed with the travel I've done thus far at my young age. I have been to 7 countries overseas and I have been to 23 of our 50 states. I have seen things some people only dream about including the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and the London Eye, and even the fifth largest mosque in the world (the Hassan II Mosque). I have visited cultures so different and new that they both awed and terrified me at the same time. I am truly blessed.

Picture: By Melissa Lee, Morocco 2003

And yet...

Despite the song pulling at my heart strings and reminding me, "hey, life is short...use the time wisely!", I continue to want more and more. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with wanting more and having the desire for excitement and adventure. God has provided us a beautiful world and we should accept and enjoy the view. So, this desire is not my issue. My issue is that these desires are usually selfish. Why? Because 99.9% of the time they are our desires! We hardly ever stop to remember that maybe, just maybe, God has desires for us; that He has plans for us. He absolutely does! Jeremiah 29:11 says He knows the plans he has for us, ones to prosper and not to harm, plans to give hope and a future. So why is it that, when I think of life and how it passes by so quickly, I only consider my own desires and not those of God? He lives in my heart and rules my life but do I give Him every thing? Do I surrender the desires of my life to Him? Do I sit patiently and wait for my Abba Father to bless and prosper me or do I take it into my own hands?

I'd have to say that I usually take things into my own hands. I do this to my own detriment most of the time. For example, I pre-pay for a trip and then my car breaks down or I buy new clothes and a bill I had forgotten is due. I understand that these are worst case scenarios but it happens nonetheless does it not? And again, I am not saying that pre-paying for a trip or buying new clothes are bad things. The point is simply to make sure that God is in it all. Personally, I find it easier to ask and pray to God about the disasters that have already happened and much more difficult to ask Him about the things that are yet to come. When we are broken and on our knees, of course we have the tendency to look up at God and ask, "why?" rather than intentionally going to our knees and asking, "May I?" or "should I?" Why can we not ask the One who already knows our future to tell us which path we should take and which joys and adventures are just right for us and which ones may lead to some unforeseen devastation?

I cannot answer those questions for you but I can tell you what I often tell myself. I am selfish. I am sometimes faithless. I fear that God will say "no" and I am not willing to hear it. I am a pauper wanting to live as a queen; outside my means. I tell myself these things when I begin to feel guilty. However, though these statements are sometimes true, albeit a little harsh, they are all nothing more than excuses. Excuses that I tell myself and God when I am apologizing later. Oh, but to be able to foresee the pain and frustration that can come from this lack of focus and meditation on God's plan! But we cannot unless we seek Him and seek Him daily! We need to humble ourselves before Him and plead that He would be as He promises in Psalm 119:105: a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Until we do this, diligently devour His word, we cannot hope to find the way He planned and the joys of a real and true contentment of life.

I hope you will continue on with me in my attempt to do just that: diligently devour His word. As I leave you, this is my prayer and it comes from Psalm 90: 12: "Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom." Here's to growing in wisdom!

Where Do I Start?

2011-01-04T16:21:00.002-06:00

"...The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one." - Mark Twain

It is with encouragement from the ever wise Mr. Clemens that I will begin this new adventure in my life known as a blog. Blogs are incredibly popular these days and I have to admit that I am excited about getting started. I feel as if it can go one of two ways: 1) absolutely no one will read it and I will be venting into cyberspace on my own or 2) some will read it and maybe get a little bit of insight on what to do or, more probably, not to do in their own lives. I pray it will be the latter but, quite honestly, I vent to myself either way. You are welcome to tag along.

I must start out by being honest and admitting that I am probably not the greatest role model when it comes to how one should or should not live the Christian life. However, I firmly believe that I am one of many examples on how people usually do live the Christian life. This is a sad but true fact of life; one I am attempting to remedy in my own being. I find it difficult to go day to day without stumbling in some fashion and thus discover myself giving up quite often. I go through times of self-doubt, brief depression, and even times of raw guilt at not seemingly being competent enough to accomplish the tasks and way of life I know God has laid out for me. I struggle with the sense that maybe I am just not feeling enough, I'm not emotional enough. I see some people around me raising hands in worship, others with tears rolling down their faces (whether for joy or sadness I know not), and still others falling to the altar on bended knee before the invitation is even given. What am I missing here? Is my heart so like a stone that it simply isn't possible for the message they must have heard to penetrate? I often feel that this is the case; that I'm too cold-hearted to be melted by such spiritual thanksgiving and meditation.

I am embarrassed to acknowledge this darkness I sometimes feel. I know in the end, however, that it might be this candor that assists someone else when they too seem to fall into despair. For the lessons I have learned through these trying times in my life have been for my benefit...and now for yours. Take comfort in knowing that no one is alone in these trials. Others are suffering right along side you. Also, never make the mistake of believing that one persons' trial is more or less significant than anyone else's. God gives me only what I can handle and that may or may not be a difficulty for you. One thing we can take comfort in is that God promised He'd never forsake us...ever (Hebrews 13:5b). With that in mind, I persevere in the bad times and thrive in the good.

I leave you with this: my blog will be as honest an account as I can muster. It will tell of things I've either personally experienced or of things shared with me by others. I cannot say it will always be happy and I cannot say it will always be neat and packaged. It will be what it will be: my life and my heart.

Photo: By Melissa Lee, Jekyll Island 2010