A book worth reading

Of the many books that I read through each year, perhaps none have been more influential than Heaven, by Randy Alcorn. It is an amazing work that answers numerous questions on the topic of the afterlife. This book is thorough, easy to read, and is set up in a leisurely fashion. You can read the chapters you are interested in and skip the rest. The book can be somewhat repetitive at times and there are some places in which I feel the author is a bit too literal with a poetic text, but it is still quite wonderful and will enrich the life of Christians that read it. Below are some selections from the book.

Chapter 5: What is The Nature of The Present Heaven?
The current Heaven is temporary. While it is immeasurably better than life on Earth, its current state is not the final. There is another transition to make with the creation of the New Heavens and New Earth. Heaven therefore is not eternal like God, but a created place where He dwells. Heaven can and will change when Christ returns to Earth again. There are theories as to the location of the present Heaven. It could be in another dimension or universe, though that is not clearly explained.

Chapter 6: Is The Present Heaven a Physical Place?
We know that Heaven is a spiritual place but it is quite possible that it has substantial qualities as well. If nothing else, we should not be hostile to the idea that Heaven is somewhat physical. Jesus alludes to a physical place when telling the thief on the cross, “you’ll be with me today in paradise.” Paradise references a physical place. Also, angels are heavenly beings, but definitely seem to have physical bodies. Also, the sight of Moses a Elijah at the Transfiguration seem to indicate that they have physical bodies, therefore it makes sense that their habitation would also have physical characteristics. In all honesty, this world will likely seem like smoke in comparison. Heaven will be more real that what we know now.



Chapter 8: This World is Not Our Home…or is it?
As previously mentioned, Heaven is an intermediate state prior to the creation of the New Heavens and New Earth. So the answer to this question is yes and no. While we will live on Earth, it will be a new Earth, completely transformed with the effects of the Fall completely eradicated. We will recognize things from our previous life, hills, trees, and building. However, they will be greater and more perfect that we can actually imagine with our current ability.

Chapter 9: Why is Earth’s Redemption Essential to God’s Plan?
God does not have modest goals for redeeming creation but a masterful one. He desires to restore not just one creation but all. God could have destroyed everything and created everything perfect, but He didn’t. Instead choosing to reconcile His creation to himself through himself. There are numerous questions concerning the necessity of Earth in the plan of God. My answer, it is because God is ostentatious and His glory knows no end. That he seeks to reconcile every Adam as well as every atom affected by the Fall.

Chapter 11: Why is Resurrection So Important?
The resurrection is important because the Christian Faith hinges on the empty tomb. With no eternal hope, Christianity cannot stand. If Christ did not defeat death, but was instead slain by the enemy, he does not have victory over it and neither do we. Also, we are promised a resurrection like that of Jesus and if we are to not receive that, it makes God a liar, which we know He is not. The resurrection is inseparable from true Christianity.

Chapter 16: Will the New Earth Be Familiar…Like Home?
Yes. The New Earth is not a foreign creation but the restoration of the current one. God will make Earth and Christians whole, completing the original work He had planned and erasing the effects of the Fall on both parts of His creation. While it will be new in the sense of experiencing a perfect sinless creation, it will feel like Home because this is where our home truly is, with God. If we could take every place and experience that would make us feel at home, multiply it by the immeasurable and apply it to every aspect of our lives, that will be a glimpse of what Heaven will be like.

Chapter 17: What Will it Mean to See God?
To be with God is what all pleasure will generate from in Heaven. God’s greatest gift will be his presence and intimacy. The primary way that we will see God will be in the person of Jesus. To look upon the face of our Savior without sin-stained eyes and experience Him in His fullness will be our primary and all encompassing joy.

Chapter 18: What Will it Mean for God to Dwell Among Us?
When God will live among us, it means that there will be an intimacy that we have not known before. That God visits with man, and man with him is amazing and should ensnare our focus. That God will rule in our presence, allowing us to see Him in His fullness, will grant us a joy that we cannot fathom in this life. We will be free of our delusions that Heaven will be boring or God’s dwelling disappointing. We will be able to savor God’s goodness and glory, finally seeing, touching, and tasting that which our souls desperately long for.

Chapter 19: How Will We Worship God?
In everything we do we will worship God. From every gesture to every word we will praise our Maker and King. God will dwell among us, giving Himself to us and ourselves to Him, a union in which every way that we respond to Him will be worship unrestrained. God created us as beings with the need to worship. God desires our worship but does not force us. In Heaven and the New Earth, our intended purpose and longing for God will be met in full.

Chapter 35: Will There Be Marriage, Families, and Friendships?
The ending of the rule of Satan’s tyranny does not end history but complete it. However, it will broaden the understanding of relationships. We will relate to others through the concept of family, but we will embrace each other as one great family with a great Father. Friendships old and new will be reconstructed and perfected. We, the Church, will be married to Christ Jesus and find it to be completely satisfying. Our relationships from here will find new depths of meaning in Heaven.

Evaluation
This book has been a great encouragement to me. The author goes into great depth, answering a plethora of questions in an understandable way. Though there is a great deal of repetition throughout the book, none of it is really superfluous. Alcorn, can be woodenly literal at some points when dealing with the book of Revelation, but that should not discount his points either. Rather, I accept that there is still much we do not and cannot know about Heaven in this life. I believe that this book is a great resource for those of us that sometimes doubt the wonder and majesty of truly seeing the face of God and living with him.

I look forward to worshipping now more than ever. I have a greater desire for evangelism, telling others of Christ not out of fear for their torment but out of a desire that they experience the glory of Heaven and God for themselves. I long for intimacy of my soul to be with God and to walk with my Savior. I anticipate the perfection of all relationships I’ve had and the creation of new ones. Mostly, though, I truly, desperately long to praise a Father who has given me so much.

Shifting Sexual Morality in America

Like all nations, America has been in a continuous state of change since its foundation. The momentum of this change has increased greatly over the last century. The ideals, morals, and values that once stood as a positive foundations are not coming to be seen as archaic, fallible, and inconsequential. Where once a cause of prosperity in this nation was due to mutual respect, dedication to beliefs, and moral awareness it has transformed into a breeding ground of derision of religion, contempt for any form of knowable truth, and hostility against all things contrary to the status quo.

These changes have left our society morally bankrupt. Sex, which was once seen as a blessing of the marriage bed between one man and one woman has now become nothing more than a commodity. Sex is everywhere in America. It can be found in everything from commercials and children’s programming to nearly all the adds on networking websites such as Facebook. Sex is flagrantly flaunted in our society. It is no longer seen in a biblical context. Rather, most view it as non-personal and unimportant to relationships. Those people are deceived.

Sex is once of the strongest drives of the human body. It is innate. We are created as sexual beings and as such we are geared toward that end. That is why sex is a tremendously effective marketing tool. Advertisements use sexuality because, simply put, it sells. The diminished acceptance of the proper role of sex has far reaching consequences. It has allowed for the degradation of morality on a massive scale.

Some believe that by casting away the useless corpse of values, Americans can live free to make decisions as murder, abuse, and exploitation without worrying about grieving their consciences. Is this not so? Abortion terminates innocent life. That is murder. Rape, incest, and sexual predation are reported often to local law enforcement. And prostitution, pornography, and sex chat-lines exploit people morally for the sake of money.

All of these things are for the progressive pursuit of pleasure and gain. The predominant religion has changed in this country. Greed is the American god. Lust is its main tenet. And murder has become the national pastime. But what has encouraged this unstable and self-destructive evolution? It is not a new philosophy or idea but an ancient one, paganism.

Paganism has always sought to find a relationship between the spiritual and material worlds. It seeks to define the spiritual by the material rather than using spiritual means to define the material world. This thought process naturally lends itself to men and women vainly attempting to control spiritual matters with the manipulation of material situations. It takes the power away from a sovereign God and places it in the hand of the creation.

It is for that reason that paganism is popular. Humans have always wanted to be like God rather than submit to Him. Paganism promises spiritual life through the worship of the material. With the material being a means to bring into submission cosmic power, truth is in the eye of the beholder and therefore relative. A popular pagan belief is that one must indulge in natural desires in order to become closer to nature while another is a denial of those desires and to live in a more ascetic fashion. However, the search for salvation and meaning in the mundane and material is a search for a false god.

In America the medium through which modern pagans are searching is sex. Many pagans are searching for what their souls need, salvation, through sexual acts and expressions. Organizations that line up with this premise such as the GLBTA (Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, and Trans-Sexual Alliance) that encourages people to embrace “alternative versions” of traditional sexuality and SIECUS (Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United State) which on their website claims abstinence as “an agenda that favors ideology over science and common sense” are leading the nation in sexual rebellion. Their plan is working. This wanton sexual excursion claims that salvation can be found through sex effectively rendering null and void, the cross of Christ!.

The justification and promoting of promiscuity along with the removal of all sexual boundaries forms a toxic connection with all connected areas of a person’s life. It is a poison that seeps in, degrading moral foundations and allowing the death and decay of falsehood to take root. This allows for a hatred of God to manifest in which the pagans rebel against that which they should know to be true, but has suppressed with their own desires. Blinded by their hatred, pagans embrace malevolent actions, which in turn drive them further away from God.

This leads not only to denial, but also the reversal of biblical truths and mandates. That which was pronounced good by God is decried evil by pagan belief. This however is nonsensical if one follows it its logical conclusion. For instance, Mary Daly claims that Christian thinking is “inside-out and upside down” and that everything in Christianity must be reversed.

She tries to redefine white as black and black, white. With a relativistic and purely subjective approach to truth, morality, and sexuality Daly’s criticisms may sound plausible. However, logically and practically pagan living is infantile. There is no maturity to an approach about seeking only self and denying others.

Thus, Daly views sexual sin as something to be embraced not looked down upon. But if that methodology is applied to everything, should Christians not care for the widows or orphans? Should Christians not seek to be peacemakers? Are Christians not be good neighbors, honest, and dependable? It is hard to envision a world so cold and cruel that would leave the defense of the most helpless by the wayside.

Although there has not been a rush of denominations ending their charities and social justice ministries for the sake of pagan beliefs, there has been an effect. Pagan thought has crept into our denominations, sometimes it is overt but more often that not it is subtle. A slow eating away of the moral foundation upon which Christianity has been built. Primarily, these attacks come upon God, His Word, and His promises to His people.

For instance, it would have been unheard of 50 years ago to have controversy between not only accepting homosexual members in a church but now they are being ordained as ministers in some denominations. How can that come to pass? It is by the systematic erosion of morality by basing it on other things than the Bible.

It is odd to think that something can be not just ignored but done, in spite of its clear prohibition as sin in the Bible. Yet, it is a danger all Christians face. If the Bible is not the lifeline to which we cling and the rod with which we measure there can be no certainty. We believe what we believe as Christians because God has given it to us in the Scriptures. If we become discontent with our Christian lives, which comes whenever we lose focus on Christ and the ministry that Jesus has us do.

While there are things not explicitly stated in Scripture that we can allow disagreement on, there are other stands that we as evangelicals MUST take. Sexual paganism is one of these stands. Abortion, sexual abuse, and divorce are main topics that evangelicals tend to speak out on in politics. Yet, the undercurrent to them is sexual rebellion.

If the biblical model of sexuality were followed, the world would be different. There would not be any children out of wedlock and the children that would be conceived would have value. The sanctity of human life would be secure and the divorce rate would plummet. This is not a cry to go back to segregation or chauvinistic living, but rather a plea that Christians see the beauty and grace that God has given us by guarding our sexuality through His word.

Yet, biblical sexuality is not frequently taught about in most churches. There are some pastors and elders that see the danger of pagan sexuality and seek to bring that danger to the forefront. However, many of those pastors such as Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA often find themselves under attack by their own peers because of such topics. But why? Sex is not taboo. It is not anything bad when in the context of a Christian marriage. In fact, it is a beautiful gift from God.

Many reactions to the topic are overreactions to the promiscuity that has emerged. But it is not the topic that is harmful to Christianity. No, it is the disregard for the topic and even the overreaction to it that is dishonorable to God. The only cure for this epidemic in Christianity and humanity as a whole is to reconcile themselves with God and submit to His word.

If many Christians were honest with themselves and God, it is likely that they would find they view sex incorrectly. Sex is not to be worshipped though it can be a way in which two, committed, married Christians do worship. Worship is praising God for His goodness and giving back to Him that which He has given us. Sex can and should be part of that. But we do not make sex an idol. Sex is not our identity, Christ is. Sex does not meet our true needs, Christ does. Sex does not offer eternal salvation, Christ has.

If Christianity is to make the stand that it clearly needs to make, it will take effort on the part of the individuals. People must be clearly and decisively equipped to defend biblical sexuality by their churches. People must stay accountable by being involved in their churches and small groups. Christians must have faith in God and His goodness to withstand the temptations that Satan uses on others in the forms of media as well as societal sexual promiscuity.

There are certain things that we can know as verifiable fact. America’s view on sexuality is changing. Sex is being viewed more commonly as a non-relational interaction. Sexuality is being redefined not by the Bible but by personal desire. Sex is being seen as the mode of salvation for many, a material means to reach a spiritual place. There are organizations that support, fund, and lobby this agenda in every form of local, state, and national government. As Christians we know those agendas to be false and contrary to God’s desire for biblical marriage.

As Christians, we know that it is not personal desire that defines sexuality but God Himself. We know that sex is a gift from God and that it is a blessing for the context of marriage. The Bible clearly and succinctly illumines proper sexual behavior. Scripture speaks against homosexuality, incest, bestiality, prostitution, sexual promiscuity, and it strongly discourages divorce. God alone determines what and why things are good.

Paganism is another tool of Satan. The enemy uses natural desires given to man by God and with his silver-tongued words attempts to lull people into a middle ground. Coercing them to question God. Therefore paganism is evil just as the one who uses it to corrupt is evil. Those that rally behind the standard of paganism view it as freedom, a release from bondage, and necessary to be truly “whole”. I most strongly disagree.

I posit that paganism is a dangerous and debilitating disease. The three primary definitions of disease are as follows: 1) A medical condition that results in pathological symptoms that are not the result of physical injury. 2) A disorder with recognizable signs and often having a known cause. 3) A serious problem in society or with a group of people.

Pagans do not turn to a breakdown in sexual morality due to injury but due to their own wickedness. The signs are open and apparent, a rebellion against the standards that God has placed down in the Bible to protect His creation. And lastly, I cannot think of a more prevalent, pervasive, and prominent problem in society than denying God and seeking to overturn His rule. That is the root of pagan theology. That is the goal of pagan sexuality. That is the disease of paganism.

But unlike all diseases, this one does have a cure. The cure is Jesus. Christ unchanged, unapologetic, and unyielding to sin. Christ is the only hope for pagans in need for true salvation. He is also the reason we can withstand the lies and shifting sexual viewpoints of our society. Christ is the salvation this world desperately needs. In the words of Priscilla Owens:

We have heard the joyful sound: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Spread the tidings all around: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Bear the news to every land, climb the mountains, cross the waves;
Onward! ’tis our Lord’s command; Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

2 months later...

I assume it is probably about time for a post since A) My semester of stress-induced eating and procrastination is officially over. I've recovered from the stupor that is Finals Week, and am now officially academically unobligated. Woot! So the topic today shall be accountability. Is there a biblical basis for the idea of accountability? If so, how is it done? What is the goal? I reply to the aforementioned questions with Scripture.

The concept comes from James 5:19-20 and Galatians 5:16-6:10.
The methodology is seen in Galatians 6 as well as Matthew 18:15-20.

Whether the concept and methodology are correct, if we have the wrong heart about the matter, our efforts are not godly. If our reason for bringing up the faults and wrongs of others are attempts to make ourselves feel better, more deserving, or out of spite, anger, jealousy, then obviously we are not behaving Christlike. Furthermore, the only way that true accountability can be valid, is in submission to Scripture and out of love for our brothers and sisters.

The proper mindset can be found in Hebrews 10:23-25. We are seeking to reconcile a damaged relationship between God and the person being held accountable, it isn't about legalism but it is about deep, sincere care for one another.

We have the authority to do this as Christian's, it gives us reassurance, 1 John 4:21, and helps us fit more into our natural place in the body of Christ. We are to be one body with a singular mission, to glorify God. 1 Corinthians 12.

All must answer for their actions to God and while "accountability groups" may not have been present in the 1st century church, the doctrine and behavior was. Paul holds Peter accountable because he was behaving in a hypocritical manner in Galatians 2.

Being held accountable is one of the blessings that God has given us. It is prescribed by Scripture and should be enforced by the local congregation through the means of church discipline. What is the harm of being held to God's standard by God's people? There is a need for wisdom, caution, and patience when participating in such a group. Furthermore, being resolute but not stubborn and having love but not a pacifist outlook on sin are fundamental.

There can be negotiation on how the set-up should be since there is no precedent in the Bible. But, for wisdom and common sense, separate groups for men and women are advisable. Also, there needs to be some form of authority present, whether church staff, deacon, or some other spiritual authority in one's life. All things told in accountability should be kept there unless it goes against the legal system.

Not comparing yourself with others in regards to Spiritual maturity must be noted. These groups are to better our relationship with God and each other, not to gloat or view ourselves as better for having committed "lesser" sins than someone else.

Do all things in faith and love.

I Wonder, Do You Know Him?

In regards to this Easter Season, anything worth saying has already been said.

God's Word about Himself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl40wVuCJUA

The Late S.M. Lockridge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z15FlTONVo


Anything more is superfluous

What Is Truth?

I have always wondered what it would be like to live in the Ancient Mediterranean. Mainly, Rome or Greece. I think I would enjoy some aspects more than others. Primarily, I think I would enjoy the discussions. I have always enjoyed hearing other express their viewpoints and in turn, voicing my own opinions. There is great joy to be found in seeking to understand the complexities of not only this life but the one beyond. That statement in itself asserts a viewpoint that I have, that life indeed goes beyond the grave.

I have my own views shaped by my own experiences, beliefs, and also the Bible. I believe that Scripture is inerrant. That is not to say that there are not minor scribal errors due to copying mistakes or that every grammatical hermeneutic is applied with precision. Inerrancy refers to the message. The message of Scripture and its transmission through well over two millenium, remains unchanged. There is a plethora of reliable information about the accuracy of the Bible. As such, in my belief that it is the inspired, inerrant, and life changing word of God, I desire to set it as the lens through which I interpret everything, even my experiences.

Where some allow their beliefs to be shaped by their experience, let my experiences be shaped by my belief. I do not believe that man can rely on reason alone. Granted, reason is a gift from God but reason is not infallible. There is adequate evidence to the failure of man's logic and great evidence for the supremacy of Christian Scripture. As such, I desire to submit myself to that which is unchanging, true, and authoritative. I believe that Oswald Chambers was quite correct when he stated, "The golden rule for understanding in spiritual matters is not intellect, but obedience."

While I am sure that some, if not all, of you who read this will disagree at first, I ask that you consider my next proposition carefully. Should intellect be subjugated by our desire to follow God? Before you let out the resounding, "No", understand that we are far too smart for our own good. We bring presuppositions to Scripture that did not exist during the time in which it was written. We scrutinize details of which the original audience considered frivolous, such as the how of miracles. "How could Jesus have walked on water?" or "How can we know that Jesus was deity?" The objections in the first century were not "How" but "Why". The concern was not whether Jesus was deity but whether he was human at all.

Science desires to answer the "how" of things and Theology desires to answer the "why". I feel that we must be subservient to Scripture even when we disagree with it. There is an apparent dichotomy between what I want to do and what I am told to do. I'm told to obey as a servant obeys his master. But what about the aspects in Scripture that are not clearly defined; which happens to be quite a bit! How are we to handle that which is unknown? I posit a simple understanding which may be overused and is to some overrated. We cannot know all of Scripture and we must accept it.

I enjoy debates as long as they remain civil. I appreciate discussion as long as it remains free of diatribe. But there is a line that often becomes crossed. Oftentimes, I see opinion stated as irrefutable fact. I understand that people feel strongly about a particular matter. When that person is a Christian, I praise God that they have a passion for His word and a desire to be obedient. When that person is not a follower of Christ, I pray that the Lord will soften their heart and turn that passion that they have for polemic to subservience to the Cross.

There are some areas of which the Bible is explicitly clear, i.e. Jesus is the son of God, the Resurrection, etc. Where I feel we get into trouble is when we take issues that may have an obscure aspect to them and tout them as an edict. There is a lot of room for interpretation of Scripture. But we use Scripture to interpret Scripture, not our own thoughts. Many discussions become less about, "How do I apply this Scripture to my life?" and rather become "How do you apply my understanding to yours?" I see a fatal flaw is this line of reasoning, chiefly arrogance.

I am just as guilty as anyone else of thinking that I am correct in matters. Honestly, who holds to a belief that they consciously know is incorrect? But to quote Luther Rice, "Defend truth for the sake of truth, not for the sake of being right." We must think rightly about Scripture but we must live it out through love. I inwardly mourn for Christians who do not see the necessity of living a life under the mandates of Scriptural discipleship and love. I inwardly weep for non-believers who have been told the Gospel but reject it in their wickedness.

The eyes of the world are upon me and you. No matter where you go, someone is watching. If they believe in the hope that is Christ, I pray that they are watching us because of a desire to more effectively assist in the spread of the Gospel. I pray we are watching them so as to know how to best minister to them and in that way glorify Christ. If they are not fellow believers, I pray they are watching because of Christ being reflected in our life. I pray we are watching them because we understand what awaits them without salvation.

I leave you with two quotes, two quotes which I hope we can always keep in mind.

1) Both right doctrine and right living are absolutely essential and totally inseparable for the true child of God. --John MacArthur

2) Biblical love is not free open acceptance as many would claim. It is neither promiscuous nor paltry in application, due to the simple fact of its origin.

Blessings to you and yours.

My New View on Being Affronted

My New View on Being Affronted

When another person offends me, I should not actually be offended. I shouldn’t have a reaction of offense because it is not I that they are in fact offending.  Even if someone consciously attempts to offend me, I should still not be insulted.  When we are involved in a situation that causes affront, other than basic miscommunication, that situation is simple disobedience.  It is rebellion.

 

I know that this may seem a bit out of place but I am a “big picture” person and tend to think in the realm of the existential and ethereal.  With that said, I can now relate to how I have come to have my new point of view.  I long for the compass of my morality and emotions to find its origin only in Scripture.  As such, we are to be at peace with our fellow man.  Just examining New Testament, we see that we are commanded to be at peace with our situations, our family, our fellow believers and even our enemies (Matthew 5:9, Hebrews 12:14, 2 Tim 2:22, 2 Thess 3:16, 1 Th 5:13, Col 3:15, Col 1:20, Phil 4:7, Eph 2:14, Gal 5:22, 2 Cor 13:11, 1 Cor 14:33, Rom 15:33, Rom 14:17-19, Rom 8:6, Rom 5:1, John 16:33, John 14:27, Mark 9:50).

 

So when we take personal offense to something it is our flesh, our humanity that feels this injustice.  I’m not speaking of being offended on the account of God.  Jesus was filled with righteous anger and chased the moneychangers from the temple because he was offended on behalf of God.  In Numbers 25:6-13, Phineas is offended at the disrespect shown to God and destroys kills two people because of their act of sin.  It is when we take it personally, that we find ourselves in rebellion.

 

I know it seems difficult to view being offended as a state of rebellion.  In fact, some of your may be tempted to stop reading at this very point, but I ask that you please hear me out.  When we are commanded to be at peace, how do we justify in any way not being in the state that we are commanded to be in?  Our flesh rebels against loving God and loving others, because those are what require us to be Holy.  Our sin nature rages against its inevitable demise.

 

It is not myself that someone seeks to offend but Christ.  I am not being rebelled against, Christ is.  So do not take affront and be exceedingly meek, merciful, and forgiving. Listen to insult without retaliation. Let no bitterness indwell within you but rather let grace take root and flourish.  In the midst of any persecution, rest in the sovereignty of Almighty God; and know fully well that discipline belongs to the righteous judge.

 

Forgive others so that we may find our own forgiveness.  I am dead, Christ lives in me and any anger I have need only be of the righteous sort.  Let us not be guilty of the blood of our fellow man by harboring hate in our hearts. Never let us slander, gossip, or find ourselves in any semblance of the unbeliever.  But instead, be a peacemaker and abide in love.  Be aware of our prideful nature.  Do not let yourself be too proud to accept rebuke because even our enemies can be used by God to point out truth.

 

Let us find encouragement in God and that He is using all people and all things to glorify Himself.  Meekness, mercy, and humility are ours to have.  Judgment, retribution, and salvation belong to God.  That is all we need to know in regards in any situation.

Ahem* Post coming forthwith.

This isn't the actual post.  However, it is in the process of being edited and reviewed.  Please keep an eye out for it.  I think it is something we can all relate to and will be helpful in all of our relationships whether that be friends, family, significant other, or with God.  It'll be up sometime this week.  k thx byes.

A secret...a long secret

Generally speaking, I am an optimist.  So do not stop halfway through the following tirade.  Also, do not allow yourselves to view this as a wallowing in self-pity blog.  I believe the message is an essential one.  So, I begin.

I have a secret.  It is a terrible secret.  It isn’t terrible due to the fact that most remain ignorant of it.  The terror comes from its pervasive depth.  It tricks the eye like a mirage.  It fools the mind like an illusion.  What is this great secret?

My secret is that I restrain my heart.  It stays behind walls far stronger than stone or steel.  Though it can oft be dark and cold, it can withstand any siege.  The walls are my protection.  They are my Jericho.

If the truth should be told, I must admit that I am not particularly nice and definitely not the best one to comfort someone’s self-image.  I suffer from chronic pride.  I have my own idea of what I deserve, and nothing in this world has met up with my expectations.

Many have tried to scale the walls, but even those persistent enough only find a maze of razor wire and roadblocks.  Inside the walls there is a nonsensical wasteland that is sharp and cold as the worst winter night.  It is my last defense.

Time is my only adversary.  Erosion has already begun.  Its effects are plainly evident.  The keep-out sign is dull and faded.  The barrier remains, but I cannot foresee how much longer.

How did I get here?  You see, I do have some more problems.  I invest too much into those around me.  I take the smallest sleight as a personal offense.  I am drawn to coy, sarcastic, and flirtatious women.  Oh, and I’m vain.

I often love the attributes of my friends, which are part of them.  However, it is extremely hard for me to love them in their entirety.  In regards to women, the same flirty sarcasm that attracts me, brings into genesis a false hope and skewed expectation.  Behind my walls, I am woefully albeit successfully alone.

I fear loss, rejection, and the searing guilt of inadequacy.  I am atypical in regards to all of my relationships.  I am not a good son.  I’m not necessarily a bad one, but I see in numerous ways each and every day the shortcomings that I possess in regards to loving my parents.  I was not a rebellious child nor was I excessively doted upon.  It is just hard for me to love.

There is a depth that I desire in all of my relationships.  But I do not know if what I want, at least to the degree of deepness that I desire, is even possible between 2 parties.  The aspect in which this is exhibited the most is in my relationship with God.  I know of God’s greatness, mercy, love, and sacrifice.  I praise God for being Himself. 

I just think that my actions oftentimes resemble nothing more than heinous apathy.  If I truly loved God, would I not study more?  Would I not be more obedient to His word?  Would I not resemble the Christ who has saved me more closely?

In regards to others relationships, I’ve often said, “Guard your heart, but never fear its use.”  I believe that it is essential to productive, healthy relationships.  However, I do not obey my on mantra.  I don’t guard my heart; I imprison it.  I don’t bring down my barriers for anyone at anytime.  For this reason, it is hard for me love.  I don’t give people the chance to prove themselves to me and I don’t desire to prove myself to others.

I try to live my life subject to the rules that have been pre-established by our society and culture.  The problem is that their rules are wrong.  Friends should not be casual.  Parents should not be somewhat detached from their children.  Your spouse should not be temporary because of the chance that he or she may not love you like you feel you ought to be loved.

We base our relationships off of what we know, the fallibility and weakness of the human will.  I am the greatest of hypocrites!  The reasons that I list for my insecurity and reluctance are they very things that I hate and wish to be destroyed.  I rage at my chains.  I refuse to accept the standards of social etiquette that others demand I follow.

None of us desire to be hurt, nor do we desire a life of subjugation.  We are all alive and we are all going to die.  Those are 2 great truths of this existence.  It is what lies in between those truths that we are held accountable for.  From birth to death there is time.  That time is longer for some than others but we must answer for how we used it regardless.

But oh how fickle are my brothers and I.  How easily we lose our way.  We fear our loss of control.  We want to be puppet masters and have the world march to the beat of our drum.  Chaos and fear are our nemeses.  We cannot let fear overcome us.  It seeks to usurp the foundations of our minds.  It is a blind hysteria, seeking to overturn the seat of sanity.

The only way to find a resolution to removing myself from my prison while still rebelling against the status quo of relationships is to pour every ounce of my energy and passion into every aspect of my life.  I must rely on God to sustain me as I race at breakneck speed to my eventual death.  I must have faith that Christ will speak on my behalf at that time of judgment.  I must be a stayer in the midst of this chaotic world.  I must prove myself to you and you to me, all the while understanding that not every failure is absolute betrayal.

But it is much easier to accept a life of defeatism and despondency than to fight against what this world says you should be.  You and I are not cattle.  We are not a mindless mob.  We simply must find the will to rebel against the lesser gods of this world that demand control of our lives.  There is hope for us yet.  

The Great Divergence

I have found myself at a certain place.  I’ve been here before but it was only in dreams.  I stand in the dirt of the road and there are many paths that lie before me.  The paths have many shapes.  Some appear to be winding like a serpent and others are straight as an arrow.  Yet, still there are wider paths and some that seem as if they are perhaps more narrow, if only by a bit.

There is also a single narrow path that seems to be calling to me.  The terrain of the narrow path is rocky, steep, and I sense many perils.  The journey along this path will be long, tiring, and laborious.  My hands are already shaking.  Whether they tremble from fear or eagerness, I honestly do not know.

Oh how I long for the other paths.  They seem to walk themselves.  They show the signs of having had many travelers.  Those paths are easy and I do love easy.  It is my natural inclination to do less work for more immediate profit.  But why then, does this solitary road seem to expand its influence in my mind.

I just want to scream with every shred of my existence.  “Where in the hell are the signs?”  “How do I know which way to go?”  The silence is painful and deafening.  Truthfully, those are not fair questions.  I know which way to go.  I have always known it.

I think everyone has always known which paths to take.  We just have the proclivity to ask questions in order that somehow we may receive an answer that we like better than the obvious one.  No wonder our questions so often go unanswered.  After all, it is much easier to believe that there are simply no signs, no answers, rather than there being answers we do not want to hear.  But what do I do?  Do I begin on the toilsome trail alone?

I have always had a penchant for soft paths, the ones that do not rub my feet raw.  But the call to the path is becoming irresistible and I find that my will is being overtaken.  Part of me rejoices at this while yet another part rages terribly.  My path lies before me and while it was not my beginning it will surely be my end.  I will face pain and persecution by taking my path.  But it is still a better path.

It is not better because it is longer or harder.  It is not better because I am the one walking it.  No, my path is better because of where it leads.  Not all paths lead to the same places.  When I look behind me, I cannot see any path that I may have taken to lead me to my current spot.  While there have been many divergences, none carry the magnitude of importance that this one embodies.

There are none that can make me walk this path.  There are none that can walk it for me.  Each step must be my own.  I don’t feel as if I am in anyway prepared but still, I must walk it.  An arduous journey awaits me but then again it is not about the path, but where it leads.

Questions Deserve Answers

Questions of Change

Has it come time for the change of the season?  Has the heart grown weary of the usual, the routine?  Does it long for the soft, sweet seduction of the sun or an enveloping blanket of rain?  Is there a desire for delicate touch of November’s chill or the bright resurrection of Spring?  Do not seasons change when it is their time?  Why should our lives be any different than the dirt they were formed from?

Why do we look constantly into time?  How do we profit by demanding tomorrow today?  Is now not enough?  Are we not being sustained this very minute by grace immeasurable?  Can Autumn be Spring, Winter, or Summer?  Can we accept where we are, or must we rage against the path laid before us?

Why do we seek so hard for the darkness when the light has been shown?  Why is it easier to embody the antithesis of our purpose instead of the Archetype?  Why is that yearning, that insatiable longing for change, driving us like a whip at our heels?  Is it because we truly need change?  Could it be, that we are still rebelling against our Creator?  Is it possible, that relying on one greater than us is what our flesh rages against?  Is the cure a change of the seasons or a change of the heart?

 

 

Blessedness

Blessedness

 

Nothing we do can force God to act.  Salvation is not by our own influence.  It is solely by the grace and mercy of God.  It is similar to prayer.  C.S. Lewis once said, “Prayer doesn’t change God, it changes me.”  I believe that Lewis’ statement is exactly correct.  One of God’s attributes is His immutability or in other words the fact that God never changes.  So why pray?  If anything, our prayers, true prayers and not just words, reconcile our wandering heart to God.

When we find ourselves praying in earnest to be obedient, meek, of pure intentions, to be merciful, and desiring righteousness we also discover that we are, in part, living the Shemah found in Deut 6:5.  The Pharisees ask Jesus what the greatest commandment is and Jesus replies with an adaptation of the Shemah and adds, “to love your neighbor as yourself.”  Loving God and loving others fulfills the 10 commandments, the Shemah, and every other declaration for a follower of God.   So if we desire to love God and our neighbors and we are seeking diligently to be obedient and faithful in the ways of God, then we are also fulfilling that which is stated in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.  

If we live in such a way that we reflect a dedicated and obedient heart, then we are blessed by God.  The blessing is not due to our actions but because we find our joy in being faithful to our Creator.  These actions not only encompass the Beatitudes along with the rest of the teaching of Jesus but also it illuminates our deep, desperate dependence on God.  By attempting to truly be faithful we are shown our sinful nature, a nature that desires to rebel against the Spirit.  So blessed are those who know their need for God and seek to do His ways for they rightly understand their relationship with their Savior, Christ Jesus.     

I still view blessedness as a state of relationship with God.  Granted, God blesses everyone with His common grace of nice weather, pleasing music, and delicious food but I think the term “blessing” has perhaps lost some of it’s meaning.  God blesses us by granting us a deeper understanding of who He is by drawing us closer to Himself.  I fully accept that I can be completely wrong but this makes sense to me when I think of the relationship aspect between God and myself.  I am happiest when I’m most submissive to the will of God.  I have no fears or troubles that plague me because I know God is my shelter.  When I mourn, I mourn in part knowing that this life is not permanent and that soon I shall rejoice and glorify God in His presence.

The Truth of Ethics 2

An understanding and acceptance of absolute truth is necessary for a proper view of ethics.  If there is any truth claim that can be held absolute it would suffice that, if there is one then there are possibly more than one.  To what extent does this go?  We know that not every claim can be correct because that is logically unacceptable.

But is there a moral law?  Does this thing referred to by Christian’s and other theists known as conscience actually exist?  From my previous explanation in Truth of Ethics 1, I feel that a case for the existence of right and wrong is not easily dismissed.  So what does this have to do with ethics?  Simply put, motivation.

Is hardness part of a rock or is a description?  Is it part of the rock’s nature or is it a way that we as humans can relate to it?  What makes the rock hard?  Is the culprit the environment of a rock, how we feel towards it, or is it the makeup of the rock.  Not all rocks are hard.  Some, like limestone, can be soft, porous, or anything in between.

It is the same way with our actions.  Our actions can be good or bad.  The determination of that outcome is based on motivation.  Just as the rock has it’s makeup, our decisions have their own genesis.  When we make a decision based on an impure motivation it corrupts the action.  This affects all decisions, large and small.

Ethics is not like hardness, however, in as much that it is not based on a relative concept of understanding but rather an appeal for absolute truth in the area of morality.  Existentialists will argue against this and rally around the premise that perception equals reality.  While the statement, “There are no absolutes,” is a self-refuting claim, the issue of relativity in the area of morality is much more subversive.

Only by examining the truth claims of others and of our own minds can we truly have an epistemology worth pursuing.  We don’t have to agree with everyone, nor will we.  But fairly examining that which claims to be true with discernment, wisdom, and caution is honorable.  Ethics is an area in which I feel that there can be no compromise.  There is right and wrong and there is our inability to distinguish from the two.

The Truth of Ethics 1

Can any decision be thought of as ethical?  What defines the morality of an event or decision?  Does a baseline exist that allows us to judge these things?  I ask those questions not so that my own religious beliefs will be purported but rather that you and I may think openly and clearly about a situation, especially in regards to the existence or non-existence of morality.

Primarily, I think the question of whether universal standards of truth exist should be examined.  If there is no absolute truth and if indeed things are relevant to each individual and situation, then a basis of ethics is null and void.  I will not use any religion's text to examine this case but I would like to use our your own understanding of life.  I am going to tell a story and perhaps we can gain some insight.

Mr. White was leaving a luncheon with the board of his very successful company.  He was dressed in a immaculate suit that his company bought him.  Mr. White was praised by his peers as a brilliant man of business.  He donated large amounts of his yearly income to AIDS research in Africa and sports programs for the youth in his community.  Mr. White has been married to Mrs. White for many years and they have 4 children and are exceptionally happy.  Leaving the lunch, Mr. White goes to meet a potential client who owns another successful business.

On the way to his client's place of business Mr. White is approached by a man in shabby clothes, dirty-matted hair, and more teeth missing than not.  The man asks Mr. White for $5.  Mr. White, overcome with pity at the unfortunate events, gives the man $300.  The man thanks Mr. White profusely and gleefully trots away with his generous gift.

The meeting between the client and Mr. White goes splendidly.  At the conclusion, the client agrees to support Mr. White's cause.  Mr. White glances at his watch and sees that it is nearing the end of his day.  About that time, his cellphone rings.  Ahh, it was Mrs. White.  She asks Mr. White to go by the store on his way home and pick up some asparagus to go with the potroast, mashed potatoes, and gravy that she is preparing for their dinner.  Will, Mr. White doesn't mind at all because that is his favorite meal.

Going into the store Mr. White notices a small child standing next to an alley parallel to the entrance.  The child is struggling to open a piece of candy.  The child is still a toddler, recently learning to walk by the way that he was wobbling on his tiny feet.  Mr. White goes and buys his asparagus and a dozen roses for his wife.

Leaving the store Mr. White notices a cardinal drinking water from a deep puddle on the side of the street.  Cardinal's are Mr. White's favorite.  As he sits and gazes at the bird for a short while his belly begins to rumble.  Mr. White, realizes that he is beginning to get hungry.  Although his wife is cooking his favorite meal, Mr. White decides that something small would do nicely.  "Something sweet would be perfect," thinks Mr. White.  

Behind him, Mr. White hears a faint crackling sound.  He turns to see the child behind him in the alley still fidgeting to remove the wrapper on the candy.  Mr. White sees a gleam in the corner of his eye.  Sitting in a pile of trash is a large brass rod, pristine and shining beautifully.  "Kids like shiny things, perhaps I can trade it for the candy," White thinks.  The child looks up at Mr. White as he approaches.   "Do you want to trade this for your candy little boy?" asks, Mr. White.  The toddler shakes his head.

Slightly resigned Mr. White asks the child if he wants help opening the candy.  Just then, a loud noise comes from the alley and both Mr. White and the child look to see the cardinal flapping and chirping loudly at a piece of metal.  Upon further inspection it appears that the metal broke off from a near by building.  Mr. White looks around an no one else heard the loud noise.  

Then, while the child is looking at the cardinal, Mr. White takes the brass rod and bludgeons the child's head until he stops moving.  Mr. White picks up the piece of candy, opens it, and pops it into his mouth.  Then, Mr. White deposits the rod, the body, and the wrapper in the dumpster in the alley only stopping to wash the gore from his hands in the cardinal's puddle.  Mr. White gets in his car and drives home.

Not to patronize, but is their any action that you would classify as wrong or evil?  When someone murders, not in self-defense but in an act of unprovoked aggression, can that be a neutral act?  Granted, the objection could be made that actions such as Mr. White do not exist in actual life.  But, what about companies who take advantage of the dying in Africa by using them to test new drugs?  What about regimes in countries trying to privatize the water supply to the point that even collecting rainwater is illegal?  What about pharmaceutical companies that increase the cost of their medicines exponentially in areas that have greater need for them?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,489389,00.html

http://www.afrol.com/articles/14516

http://www.reason.com/news/show/34992.html

Can these acts be unequivocally impartial?  Some probably can read this and feel no emotional response.  But I would speculate that those people have no view of human life as anything but chemical reactions and a nothing is real mindset.  Your thoughts?  

In Christ

The majority of this world is enslaved.  We are enslaved by marketing, our socioeconomic backgrounds, banks, student loan companies, our commitments, and our desires.  As any slave, we may have our own areas in which we have autonomy but we are still subject to our masters.  Deep down we all desire freedom.  

Unfortunately, there is only one way to gain that freedom and that is to die.  We must die to this world, who we are, and what we own.  We must die at the cross and be risen with Christ.  Do that, and we have freedom in Christ.

Freedom in Christ is not having the freedom to do what we want, to sin, and be forgiven, but rather freedom from sin.  In the flesh, prior to experiencing the salvific grace that we find in Christ, we have no freedom.  In the unregenerate state, we must sin.  We must sin because it is who we are without God.  It is our nature.  Birds fly, lions prowl, humans sin.  None are created pure.

All good things come from God.  This includes actions.  An act is based on its motive.  So even when a non-Christian does something that the world would judge to be "good" it is still evil because that person did not do it out of submission and love to God.  Any action we do apart from the the direction and guidance of our Creator is an act of sin.  Granted, it can have benefit but because the person is following their own ways and not God's, it is evil in nature.  As Christians we are no longer subject to that because of the Holy Spirit.  The good actions that we consciously do are by compulsion of the Spirit and not of our own flesh.

With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we have freedom.  We no longer have to sin.  We still will sin and we will face the consequences of that.  However, the wrath of God was imparted to Christ on the cross and we in turn received his righteousness.  Freedom in Christ is having the freedom to not sin, to no longer be in constant rebellion with God.  With Christ we are enslaved no more.

While we become discouraged at our failures and shortcomings with our relationship with God, we can know that we are not forced to turn our backs on Him.  We know that God loves us and that His love is not on a sliding scale.  God's affection and loyalty to us is not given only after a strict checklist is met, even though in reverse, ours probably is.  Freedom calls to all of mankind.  Freedom is only completely found through the cross that Jesus bore.  If we believe upon him, we can taste that freedom.

Stop and Smell...

The appreciation and affection once held for beauty is on a major decline.  Our standards have dropped, if not becoming near non-existent.  Recently, a musician by the name of Joshua Bell played two concerts.  One concert was in Boston with the average seat price costing around a hundred dollars while the other which was in Washington D.C. was free.  

Also, to this point I have failed to mention that Joshua Bell is one of the premier violinists in the world.  I think the choice as to which concert would have more a higher turnout is obvious.  I was wrong.  Because, the obvious choice for me was not the obvious choice for our nation's capitol.  

Joshua played for 45 minutes in the metro.  In that 45 minutes, only 6 people stopped to listen.  The crowd was too busy to stop and listen because they were on their way with their lives.  Granted, I'm not saying business for an entire city should come to a standstill because an artist was practicing his or her craft.  

I want to know if they appreciated it at all.  Twenty people gave him money, which totaled to the astounding amount of $32.  He made thirty-two dollars of playing his music on a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.  I say all of this to propose a question I think everyone should consider.

How much have we missed?  How much beauty and passion for music, painting, poetry, dance, etc. have we lost because we are too busy?  We are busy with kids, work, wife, ex-wife, school, or church.  We are too busy in our lives to enjoy the beauty of life.  We need simplicity.  

Do we appreciate that which is beautiful when we are not specifically looking for it?  Do we even care?  It is my opinion that the world would be a much better place if there were a few more days in which we enjoyed the world around us and the gifts that God has given us and a few less meetings.  Simplicity is an inward discipline, yet it continuously creates change in our lives.  

A simple life breeds freedom.  By understanding that all things are given by God and that we have done nothing outside of God's control we can shed the silly superstitions of the morning routine and enjoy the blessing that is life.  Tomorrow, if someone was to ask me, "How much have you missed?" I would be honored and humbled to reply, "Nothing."

Thanks, to Kit for posting the article on his blog!

The article that I have referred to can be found at http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=28442

Escargot

I Think I Can...

Charles Spurgeon once said, "By perseverance the snail reached the ark."

This may quote conjures a humorous thought in my mind of a snail with beads of sweat on its brow and a contorted look on its face as it slowly pushed towards his goal.  It is reminiscent of perhaps an episode of Loony Tunes or something of the sort.  Whatever the case, this quote also makes me ask myself, "Why have I left so much unfinished?"

For our grandfather's the phrase, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going," was apt.  To my current generation the phrase has had a few changes and now reads something along the lines of, "When the going gets tough, stop because you probably weren't going to finish anyway and as long as you can justify it, quitting is ok."

There was a time in the history of our species when a person could give his word and it meant something.  There was a time when once committed, a promise or task would be completed.  It has been quite some time since modernity has allowed a "yes" to mean "yes" and a "no" to mean "no".  What is the reason for this?

While I am no sociologist or psychologist, I think that I understand some things about my peers.  One such thing, is our complete aversion to submit to anyone or anything, including ourselves.  Our hearts are so rebellious that it looks at all things as potential shackles, enemies desiring to subjugate us into an existence of slavery.

When we question ourselves on the basis of why or why not our behavior falls in certain parameters, if we answer honestly, we can usually come up with a single word, pride.  We want to be in control of everything.  We demand with every ounce of our humanity the omniscience and omnipotence of God.  We are a living internal conflict.  Spirit and flesh in a battle to the death.

The flesh has already lost but in the throes of death it wants to destroy that which it can.  The strength of its fight should not be underestimated.  It is crafty, it is deceitful, and it serves none but itself.  But, it can be disciplined.  It can be brought to submission, but it takes a lifetime of skirmishes with a bitter adversary.

If we commit ourselves to God, it is one step at a time.  Day after day, and year after year it is one step at a time.  To persevere is our calling.  One day we shall hear the death rattle of our flesh and be free of its influence.  One day we will exist and have no desire to ever rebel against God.  One day we will reach the ark.

With Fear and Trembling

I find myself in a state of deep remorse today.  Not because of something that has happened to me but rather due to what I and many Christians have become.  Pride has always been mankind’s biggest shortcoming.  Pride led to disobedience and the Fall.  It led to the breaking of the covenant with the Jews and the subsequent cycles of exile, redemption, betrayal, further exile, and destruction of the temple.  Pride led to the Pornocracy, the period starting with Sergius III lasting some 60 years though the rule of Pope John XII.  Not only were these men unfit for the papacy, but also it is definitely worth mentioning that they were not even Christians.  Pride has been mankind’s biggest struggle and it still is.

 

As Christian’s we are not exempt from the temptations of humanity but in every victory against those temptations we view it as triumph by which we were the deciding factor in the battle.  God is our strength and our salvation.  Yet, I often feel as if all of creation orbits around my desires and me.  Yes, it is a silly notion but not one that is foreign to any of us, especially in the West.

 

We have lost the fear of God.  We do not pray with fear and trembling.  We are skeptical of God’s wrath, forsaking that immutable trait for ones that are more pleasing to our narcissistic and self-preservation mindsets.  This trend is partially the fault of prosperity preaching, which is compounded by the fact that we fail to remember the power of God.

 

God does love us.  He loves us more than we can comprehend.  However, God hates sin and we wallow it like a pig in the muck.  As Christians our sin penalty has been paid through the atonement of Christ. 

 

But we often still live as we had when we were dead.  The new birth, the new life is still under attack by the old one.  When we fall victim to sin we face the repercussions of our actions, whatever they may be.  Yet, as God sanctifies our hearts these things become more of a shadow than a predator, though we are never truly rid of it in this world.  It is in that sense that we should truly praise God.  We know what it was like to be void of Christ, so it is with fear, trembling, and hope that I look to my Savior’s return and the abolishing of anything that stands in opposition to His glory.