Big Purple Dinosaur

“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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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.

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