Violating Children

If someone was to violate your children would you sit back and say "that is just the way they are we should just let that person continue to violate my child." No sober parent in their right mind would react that way. At least the parent would get their child out of harm's way. They would protect their child to death to keep them from seeing pain and torment. Once the child is protected the parent would most likely try to keep that person from violating other children by imprisonment or something worse.

Look at our church today... we are children of Christ and we are allowing ourselves to be violated. Sin is no longer something we draw a hard line against (a line that was placed by God not man) instead we encourage sin, we rationalize sin, we pamper it and coddle it, we "tolerate" it, we avoid the topic in the hopes of having unification.

In a group I attend we are 30 minutes into a 12 hour series called the truth project by Dr. Tackett. I am sure some of you have heard of it, so far it is amazingly profound. Dr. Tackett rightfully relates Truth to God and Lies to the Devil (sin). Truth does not unite it divides. It divides sin from truth, lies from truth, liars from the saved. I have been struggling with how does one hate the sin and love the sinner because when sin is present it wants to destroy truth (though it can't) and it wants to run and hide when it realizes it can't destroy truth. There is a saying truth hurts, do you know why, if you have lived you know why truth hurts. Truth goes against the human nature to sin. They are in direct competition when there is a heated battle there is no unification. The church has to stand up against sin, you see we did not create right and wrong, sin and truth, God did! We are not standing up for what we created but what God the creator of all did.... The world makes its rules to create unity, unity of sin and truth. The world wants to blur truth and sin (which like oil and water can not mix!) so that we can all be "unified."

I am convinced that in this world we will not see peace as the world thinks we will. The world views peace as no fighting, no right and wrong, no dividing of families, no sides at all just one big junk pool of people so confused they don't know what is what. That type of peace does not exist the peace that Jesus brought to the world is the peace that transcends all understanding. Peace that even though we are broken people there is hope, the hope that through Christ we will live, it is by Him we are saved. That peace can not be achieved by man.

Now I am not advocating that we picket gay parades, spit on child molesters, hate those who divorce, avoid the drug abuser, and so on. What I am saying is that if the church starts to look like the supreme court trying to find a way to make everything okay and legal then we are headed in the wrong direction fast. The church should be in trouble with the news for taking a stand. They should look like a group of people that are different, that takes a stand, that holds to the Truth. The church should be hated by the world. Not hated for being cruel to people but hated for siding with the Truth. Christ was not popular with the world, in fact he was hated. However there has never been one more full of love for mankind, even the kind that hated Him. We as a church and as a people still have so much to learn. To balance siding with Truth and love for all. Wow!!

when science is god

Science is god when Global warming is more important than spiritual warming.

Man is ignorant enough to invent a global condition that man "caused" and only Man can solve. You see in this thinking God (and nature for that matter) is not needed not affecting not involved not a part of the equation. Just as man wants things. We caused we are going to solve it. What if "it" does not exist (you see just saying that is modern heresy. I don't think global warming is caused by man and I am not even convinced it exists.  There has never been any order or reason for weather, we get small pockets that seem to be close in structure and call that the norm, you see the norm is never the norm every time I have moved (over 17 times) each place I go people say this weather is not the normal weather... hummm every time... hummm

Science is god when Doctors "save" lives and Christ is not an option...

I have always heard that doctor saved my life. That is a lie. Doctors can not save lives. They can simply prolong living. You will still die I guarantee it. And without Christ your soul is at risk. God bless the doctor that preaches to the soul and heals the body. But the body will fade it is the soul that matters. Only Christ saves lives.

Science is god when study of animals far out weighs the study of faith.

A person gets brutally attacked by an animal and instead of praising God for another day (the animal did not kill them), they say I love that animal now I am going to become an advocate for that species and go around the world prolonging the existence of those creatures. We are watching shark week on discovery. People after people get attacked by sharks (overall the percentage is small but I still don't like the ocean) and each one gets interviewed and they are like " I still love the ocean and have no hard feelings to the shark, I am now going out around the world spending my whole life saving those creatures from man". Many of the victims that are young now are devoting their lives to marine biology. How come "acts of God" don't turn people to God. Instead people say get "attacked" by God and they turn their back and hate Him... they should turn their life to Him and study God when he attacks....

Science in God when this blog is band from schools but I evolved from a fish is truth

enough said

Science is God when science is the authority and God is a myth...

Science has not created, discovered, invented, logged, studied a damn thing that was not already created by the creator of all... God!

Man is surprised by what he finds on earth, God is not. Man is only figuring out what God already has figured out. Science discovered a new species of what ever, God already knew about that and He is probably pretty tickled when we find it and get excited about the find. God put things on earth for that exact purpose. He wants us to explore discover find joy in learning. The earth is beautiful and God made it that way. God is not mild, meek, boring, or stable. That is all evident by His creation. Why is man taking the creator out of the world and replacing with Science. Why are Christians not seeing that? Instead of yeah how can we combat "global warming" all knowing and wise Al Gore... why don't we say, well so what if there is or is not Global warming we are not in control of this powerful creation but I follow the one that is, let me tell you about Him. Because the one that created this world has told us that it will come to an end.... but I am not focused on that I am focused on the ones living now so they might live for always! and by the way Science will not change that, only Christ has power over living and dying. 

Awake the Dead

I have come to the conclusion we need to live with our hearts and minds wide open. Never swaying to God's word and direction but open for love and open for freedom in the Spirit. If you live with your heart open and have a closed mind you miss valuable opportunity to witness and shut those who need love the most out of your life. If you live with just your mind open and close your heart you don't live at all. What good is it to gain the whole world but lose your soul? You see no matter how much you learn how much you "know" you will never NEVER live if you don't open your heart (soul). Christ wants us to be His he is calling us to him both heart and soul. He wants smart (sharp as serpents) but true knowledge comes from Him so he wants us knowledgeable in Him and his ways. That being said you should be knowledgeable in the world too so you can be prepared for what comes your way.

This came to mind this morning as I was listening to my Christian screamo (hardcore) music. I got to thinking about "church" music and how boring and slow it is. If most "church" people heard my music they would think I am satanic because my music has some hearty guitar rifts, loud screaming (and beautiful singing), and powerful bass. I got to thinking where in the world did people start to think that is satanic music? Is it because some people in the church don't get the music? possibly. I hope it is just a taste issue and not a "right and wrong" issue. There is nothing wrong with slow boring Christian music just as there is nothing wrong with powerful screamo Christian music. We have to have an open mind to all "likes" for we are a colorful diverse creation of our Lord. We were not all created equal or equally pleased (artistically). I like hip hop and hardcore because I see power and truth in both. I feel empowered and joyful hear this type of music. If people take time to listen to the lyrics they will find that they talk of some powerful truths and discuss some very tough topics and struggles. It is very honest music. Having an open mind to music style also requires an open heart because not all screamo is worth a listen or a Christian's time. There is some very evil and disgusting music out there but it is not just hardcore heavy metal, have you listened to the radio lately, unfortunately I have to at work. That "music" is slow and boring but if you listen to the lyrics it is enough to make your skin crawl. And to think our youth know every word and from what I see with teen pregnancy and total lack of respect for anyone but themselves they believe every word of that music!

In conclusion live life with the beautiful combination of heart and mind. Don't close one off to highlight the other. You will never fully live if you close one and open the other. You have to have a beautiful balance of open heart and mind so you can love and love fully. Live in Christ, Love in Christ, Die in Christ, and you will Live with Christ.

The God of Fire

So I was watching a TV show the other night and something kind of irritated me. One of the characters of the show said it is silly that people believe in an "invisible" God referring to Christianity. I know he is a character on a show and is scripted what to say but that comment is all to prevalent in our American society. Because we are blessed with "peace" in this country and more people than not have "comfortable" lives and the only real "worry" we have is an economic down turn we think we don't need God and that we are good on our own. Sad.

Anyway to believe God is invisible is crazy, He is far from invisible. We stupid humans think that the only things that exist are the things we can see with our eyes. Let me tell you why that is stupid... fart, you smell it? can you see it? does it exist? hummm... Okay don't like that example well here is another one, for you married folk out there explain to me the joy of sex, bet you can't. You know the joy when you have it but you are hard pressed to really get to the root of that joy until you have it yourself. You see in sex ed (if that is what you want to call it) they tell you about the physical interaction between a man and woman but they can never, nor can you, really explain the emotional wonderfulness of sex. The bond between a man and woman that can not be explained and is enjoyed differently if you are a man or if you are a woman.

God is far from stupid, He is 100% the opposite of that. God is wonderful and is the perfect designer. Much like the above mentioned physical act, you can not fully and completely explain the joy of knowing the Creator through Jesus to someone else. You see it is an unexplainable joy. You can see it in others, you can see evidence of it, you can read about it, but until YOU have it you will never ever understand how you can not live without it! The best part about Joy found in Christ is that it will last forever... sorry guys I don't think the above mentioned physical act with your wife will even have that lasting effect but don't worry God's is better!

Back to the invisible God syndrome. What I find funny in a sad way is that the people who believe God is invisible (because they refusing to experience His Joy) and want God to be visible here on Earth at this moment are the very people who would be eternally destroyed if that were to happen. I was reading Hebrews this morning and in Hebrews 12 the last words are: GOD HIMSELF IS FIRE! You see it is funny that people who have not become one with God want to see God thus they would be destroyed. Because if God does not know you, (meaning if you have not accepted Him as your savior and only accepted yourself as your own savior) you will be destroyed. God does not want people who don't want Him and he needs to make room for those that do. It is crazy how people fear evil, the devil, and murderous humans. However NONE of those can ever destroy you, did you hear me, not even the devil has the power to destroy you! Why do you think God says to fear Him? God made you (or allowed you to be made, that is another discussion) He is the only one who has power to save you or destroy you. Humans are Stupid to run around thinking themselves great, you can not destroy or save yourself, and they try to hide from God by thinking God is "invisible". You see that God you don't think exists is doing you a great favor by shielding Himself from you at the moment. God is not hidden. He is present in Spirit because that is the only way our frail dying bodies can experience Him. He knows this, that is why he is not fully present. No Human eye can ever see God in his full form or we will be destroyed by his Fire! We see Him in full form when we enter His kingdom by the Grace and Mercy of Jesus the Christ.

People want a world without Evil. Well it exists, not here, but through Jesus it exists. Those who enter that kingdom do so through death by the Grace of Jesus. This World will be destroyed by the coming of God, fear not skeptics it is coming. But your job right now is to be ready. Get ready by knowing God. If you shut up, quite down, listen, and ASK you will hear, see, and experience God. He will enter you through Spirit and you will experience the Joy that can not be explained only experienced!

AMEN

The Puzzle

All people are created equal is NOT true! Is that cruel to say? no it is factual. You see if we were all created equal we would be a miserable bunch of copycats. We would all have the same edges the same looks the same talents the same "rights" and we would not fit together at all. We would be exactly the opposite of what God wants we would be individuals instead of community. There is a common theme in my writings because I believe it to be true, God is not stupid. Quite the opposite we are stupid in His comparison that is why we have to look to Him for answers not to ourselves.

My big question is where did we find non-equality something to be hated? C.S. Lewis writes (okay I really like the guy sue me) in his "Screwtape proposes a Toast" that it is the inferior that see inequality as a bad thing. The point is that when someone compares them self to another and sees something in someone else that they WANT they scream inequality!!!! Meaning it is not fair that person has something I don't, that makes us "unequal" and that is not fair, so thus they need to give that to me so we both have it. Do you see his point it is not a matter of equal or not it is a matter of "haves" and "have nots".

Since I am stuck on themes there are several themes in the Bible that point to being content in not only what we have but who we are, seeing the usefulness in both and using it! We are not created equal that is evident, some created rich, some poor, some healthy, some sick, some strong, some weak, some "pretty" some plain, some American, some not... It is NOT in the commonalities that we find community, Christian community, it is in our differences. Equality is a joke, it is system of thinking created to take from others not to give to others. The rich do not look at the poor and say, wow they are not equal we should give half of what we have to them. The intelligent don't look at the simple and say "boy I wish they were as smart as I", The strong don't look at the weak and say let me spend all my days with them until they are as strong as I am (unless of course they are fitness instructors charging a fee, but that is not the point).

The point of all of this is the puzzle pieces fit together when you put everyone together in love, not envy. The simple minded are often spiritually strong and can offer that to the "intelligent" who at times lack spiritual strength. The strong can offer a hand to the weak, the weak can offer humility to the strong. Physically handicap are more often than not full of joyous living and that can offered to a world stuck on physical living. You see it is not in our likeness that we fit together it is in our differences our unequal parts, like a puzzle we are carved out to look different, act different, love different, feel different, but when you step back and put the pieces together AS they are they fit, they make a whole, they make community. So stop trying to make everything equal, stop trying to make it the same, and start trying to put it together in love.

Living Life MY way!!!

Living life for God is just a personal choice right, it is good for some but for others they don't need God they are good on their own. They have learned to not hurt people, break laws, they are good (in their own mind), because we all go to heaven in the end, how we live does not matter.

I beg to differ. God is the only way and the way to God is through Christ, not through ourselves. I want to revisit selfishness ("pride" "doing life MY way"). Does it hurt anyone? Yes it does. To understand how we need to visit the definition of life without Christ, the selfish life!

The selfish life, life spent getting your own way looks like this:
Repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs at happiness; trinket gods; magic show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community... (Galations 5:19-21 The Message)

Sound familiar? anyone of the above statements hurt someone. You see everything we do, everything without exception, everything we do affects someone! Sometimes that person is our self many times it is a multitude of people. You see you can do things in love and affect people in the right way or you can be selfish and affect them in the above mentioned way. Loveless sex hurts the giver and the receiver, emotional garbage please we see that hurt people everyday dragging people to their depression depths to the point of suicide, joyless grabs at happiness leave anyone it its path empty and hurt. You want to be really selfish and really self gratifying? learn to Love! Love others and you will love yourself, Love God and you can love yourself, Love others and God and you love yourself. Get it? God is not stupid, God does not work how we want Him to, He does not always work how we understand. But He works to the best in everything, the best in us, the best in His creation, and the way He works is not hidden to us, He works in LOVE.

We are human beings (more accurately our actions) are infectious. As C.S. Lewis calls it we as Christians are a good infection. That would mean we as selfish beings are a bad infection. You can not really live and not infect others one way or another. So if you are living selfish thinking it is not going to bother or disrupt anyone else, think again! We can not help being infectious we were created to co-mingle, co-exist, co-in habitat, there is not way around it. With that in mind live for Christ and your infection will be good and helpful, don't live for self it is ugly and sickening.

In the words of the musical artist Trip-Lee: "what do you pursue is it Christ or is it you"

Existence

I wonder how many people wish they did not exist. My guess would be not many. People seem to get frustrated or hateful of their current situation in life but I would argue they are not wanting to cease existing just to cease being in their current situation. People get caught up with power, wealth, self righteousness, pride you name it but one thing they forget is without the gift of existence (a gift from God) they can not have anything. I believe God wants us to appreciate the gift of existence first and foremost. I think that is why He talks so much about enjoying life and not getting caught up in the circumstances because they are fleeting. When people say they hate life my guess is they hat their situations in life. You see if you were to ask those people what would make life better they would give you a list of reasons they don’t like life an the things that would make that life better. My guess if they are not Christians that list would consist the things. Such as: “if I had money, if I had a better job, if I did not have to work, if my kids would behave, if I had a better car…” You see the focus is on circumstance not Joy.

God calls us to be joyful in all things. Why is that? I believe because He sees the whole picture like we can't. He knows that circumstances are fleeting and we are eternal. He knows that if you get that better job, nicer car, behaving kids, more money, that all those things will lead to new circumstances that need to be changed and create hate of life. You see it is a focus thing. If you focus on the World and the circumstances you are in all you see are the things that are wrong and need changed (most of the time in your own life but sometimes in the lives of others) and you never find joy. Joy is not to be found in life, in good circumstances or bad. You see life is what happens before you die. But we are not called to focus on it. We are called to focus on the one that brings life, that brings existence. When you focus on Him circumstances fade away, they become part of life. You learn to learn from bad ones and enjoy good ones. Our existence extends beyond life so it seems silly to focus on something that is temporary and forgo that which is forever. Our existence was meant and is meant to last forever that is why we at times feel so weird in this temporary world.

Live life to the fullest enjoy the good times learn from the bad times, but don't only wish to change either. You see if your focus is to change your circumstances they start to control you. You become a captive to circumstance and if it is good it never last long enough (you are mad about that) if it is bad it is unfair and lasts too long, do you see the cycle that you create in that thinking, I do! I have! It is a trap, one I wish on no one, but see in many. You find joy in life by not focusing on life but the Giver of Life Christ. You find Christ by denying yourself, you deny your self by giving it all to Christ, and in return Christ gives you life beyond the circumstance!

Praise God!

Why

To be a Christian and to love God you have to know all the whys, correct? I struggled (struggle) with this question just like everyone who has ever lived. We as humans want to understand, want to know, and feel at times we need to know to believe in anything all the "whys". When we get the answer to the whys they have to meet our liking. I believe this search for why was instilled in us by God, I think He wants us to search for higher meaning in things that happen, in things we believe, and in things we do. However I do not believe the answer to that question is always revealed, and at times it is revealed but not to our liking!

As I have struggled through this understanding my uncle explained to me that if I knew all the whys (knew everything about everything) I would be God. I know and he really knows I am not God! Where does that leave me, to be a stupid little child who has to walk around blind not knowing what is happening or why to be lead through life all the time by God and others? No, I think that is ignorant to think we are hopelessly helpless. You don't have to know everything to be able to survive and to believe in God. What you do have to know is how one does get to know God and become one with Him, that way is Jesus, the only way. However, knowing Jesus does not even answer the whys and lead to a completely all knowing relationship. We are not designed to live and to know completely on our own, we are designed to need Him! to need God! to need Jesus!

The Bible refers to us humans as slaves, servants, children... all belonging to God. We are children of God we are servants of God we are slaves to God. Being described in those terms leaves us to believe and know through experience we are not to know everything. In fact Jesus even says the servant does not know the masters work. The truth is we have a loving caring and just master and He loves us more than we can imagine (more on love in my future post). God does not leave us completely blind to His work. I believe that when we need to know He lets us know, when we don't He doesn't. There is plenty that God has let us mere servants in on, plenty to build a belief that can be unshaken, plenty to point us to Him and to Eternity with Him. Where is your focus? Is it on God and what is pointing to Him that you do know? or is it on self and the things you don't know (or can't know) and thus looking to find ways not to believe?

Have you ever met someone who "knows everything"? Think about that person... (hum some of you are picturing yourself ;-) now have you ever tried to explain something to that person or offer help. Many times they don't want it or think they don't need it because they already know it all! Just a thought, but if God let us in on everything where we are at in this World do you think people would draw closer or farther away from Him?

Everything in this life is designed to draw us closer to God, the emptiness you feel at times, the hurt you feel at times, the love you feel at times, the joy, and even the not knowing. You see by not knowing we seek out the One who is knowing (or we should) and we long to be "in the know" as we long to be with the One who is the knowing. I was watching the short documentary on "The Case for Faith" by Lee Strobel last night. In that there are several examples of people who are at a crossroads in life. Each was lead there by something. The first by not knowing he did not know the answers to why there is pain and evil in the world. The next was lead to the crossroads by his 18 month old daughter being ran over by a car driven by his wife and killed. Both were at a crossroads as the second man explained it naked and humbled, fearing and cold. Standing at that crossroads of not knowing why they each had only two choices. Am I going to take this horrible thing in life that I don't know the "why" and use this to draw closer to God or run away from God. Am I going to walk down the road of not knowing and draw closer to the One that is knowing or am I going to go at it alone in my anger of not knowing.

I pray that everyone will take the road that leads closer to the One that is knowing the One that is Love, the One that will suffer right next to you and love you through the pain of hurt and not knowing the why. You see for God to love you He does not have to give you answers, He gives much more He gives Love, He gives us Himself!

Only the Strong survive

So there is a theory that Christians are weak, wimps, losers or some other demeaning term. I would like to explore that theory and see if we can come to a conclusion it is correct or false. My initial thoughts are yes one must admit they are weak in order to fully let God take over their lives. We find many references in the Bible backing this claim of weakness. Is that where Christians stay do they just crumble into God and become nothingness. I think not.

Claiming oneself as a Christian means that one is living in Christ or better said Christ is living in them. One thing that needs to remain clear throughout any discussion on God is that it has to be preceeded with the thought that the Creation does not define the Creator! The Creator defines the creation. That being said we can not define what God is, He can only define what we are. To get to God's definitions we have several sources, one is the written Word of God, next is confirmation through the Spirit of God living and moving in us, lastly I do fully believe that God uses His own creation to define Himself to His Creation. Trippy huh. God created us so that we could know Him and by knowing Him we could be come whole and we become whole through Him and only through Him. See Paul was on to something when he said that nothing happens that God does not let happen, we only live because he lets us live! God is the one who gives Meaning!

So back to the statement or theory that God's people Christians are weak. Here are some points to consider: is it the weak or the strong who: Say no to temptation, who die to themselves, give up all, take on the cross daily, allow God to lead... the Strong. You see it is far easier to just give into this life lay down and die in your sin. It is far more difficult to fight, stand up to sin, and die to self. But here is the rub... we are all human and in that too weak to stand up to sin and fight off evil. We can't do it.... WITHOUT GOD! The weak who admit they are weak, surrender all to Christ and let Him lead are the only ones who are strong. No strength exists that God does not give. We can not live on our own we have to die to self and live in Christ. It is through Christ that we get the strength to run the race, to fight the good fight, and to live forever. Heaven (the place we spend enternity with Christ) is not going to have any weak people in it, it can't. All the weak do is drag down the strong or drag down the weak who are too prideful to become strong. It takes a strong person to live forever it takes a strong person to live this life fully alive. Some have seen glimpses of life lived fully and they fear it as they fear the One who created it and they run scared to death into the arms of death. How they can do this is beyond me. The day I realized I was weak I longed for the One who could make me strong and He answered my call in a milisecond.

Many people love to lie. In fact the master of the lie (Satan) loves to teach people how to lie. One of the biggest lies of all is that we who run to the One who gives strength are weak. Yes we are as we approach but once we are in God's loving arms we are never weak again. You see the theory of Christians are weak is wrong but at the same time half right. Just because something starts weak does not mean it stays that way, a body builder did not come out of his or her mother with buldging muscles (if they did I will sincerely pray for that mother) they got them some how. In the case of muscles it is always through hard lifting and devotion to exercise. But for true strength, strength to look death in the face and say "you have nothing for me," that is only for the Christians and only through Christ!!

In closing, think of God as a mirror. If we really as Christians live full of Christ then we become a mirror to those who look at us. If we are a mirror then what the world sees when they look at us they see weak people, they see themselves. It is not until they allow God to fill them that they can look at God (the mirror) and see God who is full of strength. Not until you reflect God's glory do you become strong and look strong. God's reflection can only reflect goodness and strength and when the weak look upon it in their weakness they only see their weakness.

Don't let the word lie to you anymore, wake up, get up, and kneel down to the One who wants to make you whole and in that wholeness make you strong.