Hammer on Anvil '

2012 is a crazy year. We had Leap Day today, Summer Olympics will be in London, it's an Election year (groan), and to top it off the Mayan Calendar ends in December. Personally going to have an "End of the World" Watch party on December 20. With all this going on, the coolest thing I have come across this year is in the evening sky. Whenever I ask people about it, I find that many never look up at the stars at night. One night I looked up and saw Venus, but then saw another bright "star" above it. I had to google it to find out what was going on. Turns out that February/March is a great time to be watching. What I was seeing was Jupiter and about March 9, Jupiter and Venus' orbits will appear to cross and the two will be shining right next to each other. At the same time in the eastern sky, Mars is clearly visible. So every night when I get off work, I look up to see the progress of the three. (If you want to find out more, click here)

Mostly I've just been fascinated with this, but it makes me wonder at how many are completely unaware of what is happening in the sky. What is the reason? Busy, distracted, city-lights (though the two planets are quite bright). I wonder if it is just taken for granted. We are so full of seeing that we no longer see. Example of this: did you know that you can always see your nose, but the eyes/mind dismisses it because it is always there and seen. My thoughts here are similar to Nick's point on Monday with "If my Earthly needs are provided for, why do I need God?" I feel like I get the same way with God that others do with the night sky. Always there, I'm distracted or worse: satisfied. I begin to take Him for granted, slumbering while He is all around to be enjoyed and that I need to get off my duff.

Thoughts?

"Awake, O sleeper! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!"

The American dream. Having money and security. Being able to get whatever you want, whenever you want and never having to worry. Sounds like something worth striving for, right? Sure.

But at what cost? I’ve talked in several posts about how we, as Christians, need to have an eternal perspective. Instead of worrying about the here and now, we need to be concerned about what consequences our actions in the here and now will have in eternity. Lately I’ve been wondering what that perspective means in terms of American culture and especially the American dream. I’ve even been wondering if…maybe, just possibly…the American dream is more of a curse than a blessing.

When I was in college, one of my professors shared a very interesting statement with us: all civilizations begin in stoicism and end in hedonism. At first, I had absolutely no idea what that meant. I mean, those are big words, am I right? But then he broke it down. Stoicism means an indifference to pleasure or pain. It means that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to survive and you don’t care if it causes you pain or if you’re able to be happy. Conversely, hedonism means striving for maximum pleasure with minimal effort. So, all civilizations begin with people being willing to do whatever it takes to survive and end with people wanting pleasure, but not wanting to exert any effort.

If stoicism and hedonism were on opposite sides of a scale, which side would you say America in 2012 is closer to? Regardless of political affiliation, I think most of us could agree that we are much closer to hedonism. In fact, hedonism describes our culture pretty well.

Now let me shift gears from the political back to the spiritual. What effect is an attitude of “maximum pleasure for minimal effort” having on our relationship with God? I’ve thought about this a lot, and I think I can boil down the effect to one simple statement. If my Earthly needs are provided for, why do I need God? This is the unspoken sentiment of many Americans.

We have it so great in America. For most of us (there are obvious exceptions), our worries are more centered on pleasure than necessity. We’re not worried about where our next meal is coming from because that’s not a problem. We’re more concerned about how many times we’ll be able to afford to go out to eat. When we have it so good, what’s our motivation to depend on God? Spiritually speaking, this may be more of a curse than a blessing.

There was a very interesting survey taken in 2010 that found similar results. It has a really cool chart, so I urge you to take a look. But to boil down the results, less money equals more faith.

Jesus himself talked about the perils of pursuing wealth (Matthew 6:24, 7:24-27, 19:23-24). But what are we to do when we are Americans and pursuing wealth is part of American society? We are to be Christians first and Americans second. Paul tells us that we are Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). An ambassador is someone who is sent from their home country to live in a foreign country in order to represent their people. As Christians, our home is Heaven, but we are living on Earth. We need to always remember that.

I’d like to end by sharing an amazing song by Casting Crowns called “The American Dream.” If you’re interested, you can see the lyrics here.

Good evening everyone!
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Lenton Season. It ends on Easter Sunday. Many people think that only the Catholic religion observes Lent, but the truth is many people do. I am one of them. Growing up, I watched my mother give up sweets, cakes, candy, cookies and the like. As I got older and understood what the Lenton Season was all about I too gave up sweets. It became a tradition with us.
So, what is Lent all about? It is about sacrifice. It is about building your relationship with God. It is about strengthing your faith. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son." (John 3:16) Jesus came to save the world. He sacrificed His life for you and for me! He was obediant to the Father and took on the sins of ALL so that we may have life. So, fasting from a particular food, habit, or doing more than your norm seems like a small sacrifice to me.
This Lent is no different for me. I gave up sweets, red meat and soda. This year I am adding exercise. I have always felt better after Lent is over. My goal for this year though is to continue with my sacrifice long after Lent is over.
If you have never tried to fast and pray for 40 days, let me tell ya, it is well worth the sacrifice!
Have a very blessed weekend!
Cheryl

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29

Social media is an ingrained part of today's culture. Although the innovation appeared some years after my generation reached adulthood, it has transcended many of the hallmarks that once separated my grandparents, parents, and children. We are shocked when faced with a person (even someone elderly) who says, "What's Facebook?" I read an article yesterday chronicling the story of three U.S. colleges who say they've invented a "Facebook score" that employers can, in theory, use to screen potential employees. Check out the article here. Which brings me to my message today.

Followers of Christ are taught that our outward demeanor will tell people much about us. The above verse from Ephesians is one such instruction. The message is clear: use your tongue to build up, not tear down. There is another which is like it: Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.-Colossians 4:5 Having taught not only students, but also adults in Sunday school, I can recall lesson upon lesson that attempts to drill this concept into the minds of God's children.

There seems to be a great disconnect between social media and God's command to speak kindly to one another. So many of the posts I come across are slams against someone. Arguments between friends are becoming public knowledge. Hatred toward a political party (or candidate) or a celebrity is expressed freely, and without remorse. Friends and enemies alike use social media as an opportunity to publicly humiliate each other.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not trying to say that Facebook is evil. This problem is manifested in other arenas as well. Customer service reps are regularly badgered, badmouthed, and cussed out over the phone by customers who are dissatisfied with their company's service. (Regardless of whether that particular rep is personally responsible for the issue). I myself have suffered such wrath from people who, in their rage at something they feel slighted by, fail to recognize that I am a person with feelings just like them.

The heart of the problem is just that: our hearts. We feel angry toward someone or something, and we lash out. And the fact that we don't have to look our victim in the eye while we're doing so makes it all SO much easier. We can pretend that the person on the other end of the line is just a recording. That the person we are posting nasty things about either won't see the post or won't know it's about them. We can pretend that our very public sin against them won't actually hurt them.

Paul reminds us of Jesus' teachings on this subject. Be angry, and yet do not sin; don't let the sun go down on your anger."-Ephesians 4:26 Jesus got angry. And how! He turned over the tables of the merchants selling in the temple! How's that for a public display? The difference is that Jesus' anger was righteous, and His actions were backed up by words that did not aim to hurt or humiliate. His words were meant to call others out on THEIR sin and to bring them to a point of repentance.

We need to step up and recognize the sin we are committing when we post hurtful things on Facebook. At the very least, remember that those words are out on the web FOREVER. Even if you can mend the broken relationship caused by them, you can NEVER take them back. And the ripples of those short moments when you have allowed the devil a foothold will follow you throughout your life. If you continue in this type of behavior, don't be surprised if it comes back around during a job interview.

When I was about 8 I thought it was my job to protect my older sisters(one was 10 and the other was 12).  It was a warm summer day and we were playing at the park when I saw a boy picking on my oldest sister.  The boy was 12 but I still could not stand for my sister to be picked on.  After all, if someone was going to pester my siblings, it was my right not anyone else's.  So I approached him and let him know that he would not be picking on my sister without trouble from me!  Do you realize how this sounds?  An 8 year old confronting a 12 year old... well you can guess how it went from there.  He bloodied my nose, but I still had the honor of standing up for my sister.  He also left her alone, which was a bonus.

Have you ever done something that was a waste of effort? If I was asking about a waste of time, someone might suggest video games, which is something I spend more time on than I should. When I think of a waste of effort, I think of putting all your energy into something and nothing come of it. Like completing a project for a competition, only for your partner to bail out before. Maybe weeks of training to run a race, only to be sick that day. For me recently, to work on a college class only to be told that it doesn't apply toward anything. As a Latin phrase puts it: parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus; literally, a mountain give birth to a silly mouse, idea: "all that work and nothing to show for it."

Today was Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. When I was a kid the only thing I knew of Lent was that it was the time before Easter and meant that for lunch on Fridays, it would be fish sandwiches. I didn't like them then and I still don't now. I also knew that it meant a time when many would give up something; things like chocolate, soda, etc. What is the purpose of this fast? Is it merely just a requirement to follow? The prophet Isaiah wrote that the Israelites began to see fasting as such. They asked of God, "Why have we fasted and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves and you have not noticed?" (58:3) They missed the focus of fasting, what God wanted them to do with the time.

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains fo injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter--when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" (6-7)

All the effort the Israelites put into their fasting and assemblies amounted to nothing because their focus was misplaced. So, if you participate in Lent, where is your focus set? Is it just on what you're giving up, or are you using the time to bring your attention back to God? If you do not typically participate in Lent, is there anything you could give up and would?

Last week I talked about why many Christians oppose gay marriage. I felt that I needed to give a voice to a topic that many Christians have an opinion about but that few of us voice our opinion or the reason behind it. As a few of you said, I tried to “state the truth in love.” I’d like to try to do so again this week while looking at Biblical marriage from a different perspective; I’d like to look at divorce. Last week’s post was intended for non-Christians just as much as Christians. This week is specifically intended for the Biblical Body of Christ.

Let me start by explaining why I chose to write about this. There was one response to last week’s post that I feel really sums up an unfortunately common view of Christianity. He said that Christians “pick and choose what they want to call sin and dismiss what they don’t like.” He went on to talk about marriage in particular by saying “Christians talk about the ‘sanctity’ of marriage they feel so compelled to protect, yet Christians have the highest rate of divorce of all religions in our nation.”

Wow, powerful words. And he’s right. We are such hypocrites. We are against gay marriage for the Biblical reasons I stated last week. But are we ignoring something else that has the same level of Biblical support because it is inconvenient?

Ask yourself, do you support gay marriage? How about if marriage was just a Holy thing in the church and had nothing to do with politics? Would you consider gay marriage to be a Biblical event endorsed by God? Now ask yourself about divorce. Do you support the re-marriage of people who have been divorced? Why is that? Biblically speaking, I feel that the two are intertwined. Let me explain.

One of the chapters I asked readers to focus on last week was Matthew 19. Let’s look at verses 4-6, where Jesus is talking, “[4]’Haven’t you read,’ he replied, ‘that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, [5]and said, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh? [6]So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.’”

You can clearly see why verses 4 and 5 are used in reference to gay marriage. Jesus is clear that marriage is intended for a man and a woman. However, gay marriage was not what Jesus had in mind when he spoke these words. He was addressing what most of us would consider a “normal” marriage. And in terms of “normal” marriage, Jesus is then quite clear about divorce when he says, “what God has joined, let man not separate.”

He then goes on in verse 9, “I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

Wow. Commits adultery. That’s a bitter pill to swallow. But if we place our faith in Christ, trust in the Bible as the true word of God, and don’t “pick and choose what [we] want to call sin and dismiss what [we] don’t like”, then I don’t see how we can ignore this. I mean c’mon, that verse is a quote of Jesus Christ himself.

Now let me share another verse that also explains why I feel that divorce and gay marriage are intertwined. This is 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (the underlining is mine), “[9]Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders [10]nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

(Let me pause for an important side note. The Bible is clear that we are all sinners and none of us will inherit the kingdom of God except by the blood of Jesus. Faith in Christ washes away these sins so that even those of us who have committed these sins WILL inherit the kingdom of God.)

Part of the reason churches re-marry those who have been divorced is because we feel that we should demonstrate the same forgiveness that Jesus showed us. However, Jesus himself is quite clear on this issue. He says that if you re-marry, you sin.

But God will forgive our sins, right? Yes, that’s absolutely true. “What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2). This is how the Bible answers that logic.

Others would argue that taking a stance on this would alienate droves of people. That may be true. But Jesus didn’t chase down the rich man and apologize and say that he could keep his wealth (Matthew 19:16-24). He allowed the man to walk away because his heart was not prepared to fully surrender to God.

Several years ago, I was in a Bible study in which a couple talked about “eligibility” for marriage. In other words, churches should consult the Bible to determine if a couple has met the requirements to be Biblically “eligible” to be married. After all, if we’re going to refuse marriage to homosexuals on Biblical grounds, shouldn’t we be willing to take the same stance towards divorcees?

I’m not saying this would be easy. I don’t have the answer for all of the specific scenarios out there. What I’m saying is this. If we want to show the world that we truly believe the Bible is the true word of God then we have to be willing to live by even the parts we don’t like or understand. I don’t like the idea of denying marriage to anybody who wants to get married, but as I said last week, I didn’t create marriage, God did. Therefore he gets to decide what it is and who is eligible.

And if we think that only bad things can come from standing firm on this then we’re selling God short. Who knows what blessings God has in store for those who follow Him even when it’s hard? At the very least, if we started taking a Biblical stance towards re-marriage, maybe Christians would understand that God is serious about divorce and we wouldn’t have the highest divorce rate in the nation.

Don’t agree with me on this? That’s fine. But ask yourself, what is your Biblical reason for your stance? Not sure? Ask your pastor or priest. But when you ask, make sure to ask for Biblical clarification on why divorcees are eligible for re-marriage while homosexual couples are not eligible. I’m definitely not a Bible scholar, but I can’t find any verse that would explain why one and not the other.

As hard as it may be, it’s time we start showing the world and our God that the only thing we pick and choose is the Bible in its entirety.

Good morning everyone!
Last evening a friend and I were talking about the state of the world. In our opinion we are in this turmoil because the enemy has been allowed to come in a remove God from many of the places He use to be. Prayer was removed from schools, public buildings, anywhere it might offend somebody. It just took one person saying that it was against their constitutional rights and God was gone.
So, I told my friend that we as Christians must start standing up for what we bedlieve in! We can no longer be afraid of public persecution for our beliefs. Everyone has the right to believe whatever they want, but if we don't start standing up for God now, where will we stand on Judgement Day?
Jesus said that if we are ashamed to profess Him here in front of men, He would be ashamed to profess us in front of the Heavenly Father!
I took a stand yesterday by telling a nonbelieving friend that prayer changes things and that I put my trust in God because man will always fail you. She politely told me that I was entitled to my opinion and we left it at that. But, I felt good that I took my stand and declared my belief!
So, my friends, where do you stand, who's on the Lord's side?
Have a very blessed weekend!
Cheryl

Jesus never did anything like other people. He didn't aspire to wealth or status, He didn't care what the upper class thought of Him, and He certainly didn't follow the accepted 'rules'. There was no doubt about Him, though--He was free.

Jesus wasn't bound by any of the things that weigh us down today. It wasn't that He didn't experience things like hunger, fear, worry, temptation. He just didn't let those things stop Him from His relationship with the Father or His mission here on earth.

Being fully human makes it hard to identify with the level of freedom Jesus wants us to experience. Every day, we give importance to things like work, school, sports, and parenting; all the while worried about money, basic needs for our families, relationships, and safety issues. On top of that, the question, "What about me?" runs through our sinful minds when we begin to feel stretched by obligations. Certainly, these things listed are important; but when we let them choke our freedom, we become exhausted and discouraged. We start to look at our spiritual lives like a set of rules to follow and tasks to accomplish.

What's stopping you from being free? Busyness? Fear? Depression? Students and the elderly are susceptible to allowing their age to restrict them. Parents and working adults get overwhelmed by the demands on their time.

The truth of freedom is that it changes everything. Satan's tools have no place in the life of a Christian-and make no mistake, all of these 'necessary' things can be used by the enemy to distract us. Being free makes us grateful. Being grateful makes us content. Contentedness leads to passion to minister. Letting passion into your life removes tiredness and distractions.

Matthew 8:5-13 tells of the faith of a centurion.
A centurion was a soldier in charge of 100 other soldiers.  He comes to Jesus and has a servant who is paralyzed at home.  Jesus agrees to heal him and is ready to go make the house call.  The man says who he is and there is no need to come because Jesus can heal him from there.  Jesus applauds his faith.

To the human eye, this centurion may have been many different things:
Arrogant, cocky, bossy - He was a man who was in charge.  He told people where to go and for how long to go.  He was used to bossing people around.
Needy - He sought Jesus out because he needed something that in all of his power and with all of his resourses, he could not provide.
Important, boastful, powerful - He was a man of power and comes off somewhat proud.
Ashamed - He didnt want Jesus in his house.  We could argue as to why, but the question is:  Why?  Was there something there he didn't want Jesus to see?  Was the situation so urgent that it had to be done NOW?  Was it because the house was dirty?  From the human eye, we wonder what it was and why he didn' want Jesus there.

But Jesus tells the story through grace. 
He tells a different story that what we see.  He tells of a man who has faith like he had never seen in all of Israel.  He sees a man who was broken and at the end of his rope and needed picked up.  He sees the need and the faith of the man and through grace heals the servant. 

What a challenge in our life!  May we also see people through Jesus' eyes, through a filter of grace.

For a couple summers I had worked at a high ropes course, Windermere's The Edge, which Nick has also worked at. It featured zip-lines, a cargo net, a couple rock walls, a giant swing, etc. There was one particular element that I always disliked the name of: the "Leap of Faith." I described this element in last week's post but I wonder about the name. Without jumping there is no hope of reaching the trapeze, so it is quite literally a leap, which is likely the reason for the name choice. However, a leap of faith is generally has a negative connotation. To trust Wikipedia could be one, but anyway it describes it as "act of believing in or accepting something intangible or unprovable, or without empirical evidence." This is very much the opposite of what is done in this element.

When facilitating the "Power Pole" as it's otherwise called, we remind the participant that they are 99% safe (harnessed, hooked to a rope and other equipment) and we give them all the facts, the trapeze is 8feet away, 1foot up, etc. We are not asking them to jump blindly and without caution, though some do climb blind-folded. Rather on the basis of past participants' success and the evidence of their safety, we invite them to jump. If we apply this idea elsewhere, what does your faith look like? Is it more characterized as a blind leap or a reasoned step?


"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life."

Brett

Let me start with some absolutely necessary background. Firstly, this post is not meant to advance the debate on the hot button issue of gay marriage. Rather, since we know that tensions are only made worse when each side fails to understand the other, this post is meant to help increase understanding. Specifically, I’m hoping to help an average American who supports gay marriage to understand why many Christians are opposed to it.

Secondly, the term “Christian” cannot be used to lump together all groups who claim to follow Christ. The church has fractured and broken off in so many directions that it is no longer a single body working in unity. I mention this to emphasize that you cannot get an accurate understanding of what “Christians” think about gay marriage from any single source. Most religions have extremists, and Christianity is not immune to that. The Westboro Baptist Church is one example of this. The vast majority of Christians do not agree with their beliefs or their methods. Jesus’ primary message was love and The Westboro Baptist Church seems to have missed his point.

Thirdly, Christians are human too. We make mistakes and we sometimes hold onto old prejudices just like anybody else. Almost all of us fail to exhibit God’s love in the way that Jesus taught us. We try very hard, but even non-Christians know what it is like to strive for something difficult to attain. You fail. But that should never stop you from getting back up and trying again. In the area of homosexuality especially, many Christians fail to demonstrate the kind of love Jesus intended.

There is no quick answer to the question “Why do Christians oppose gay marriage?” Like most things worth knowing, you have to look deeper. We have to start by looking at homosexuality and marriage separately.

Let’s start by looking at homosexuality from a Christian perspective. If you are not a Christian, I usually would avoid speaking about the topic of homosexuality with you. It’s not that I’m afraid to talk about it or anything like that; it’s just that homosexuality is a divisive issue between Christians and non-Christians. The conversation would eventually drift towards a definition of sin and whether or not homosexuality fits the definition. And before we got that deep, I’d rather begin where we have some common ground. Let me explain in kind of a roundabout way with some Christianity 101.

Do you think you are a good person? Most people would answer yes. Now let me ask you a few questions to see if that’s true. Have you ever told a lie, even a small one? Maybe a white lie? I think all of us have, and you know what that makes us? Liars. Have you ever stolen anything, even something small like a pen? I stole some candy from the grocery store when I was a little kid. You know what that makes me? A thief. Jesus said whoever looks at another person in lust has committed adultery with them in his heart (Matthew 5:28); have you ever looked at someone in lust? C’mon, be honest. I think all of us have.

So, by your own admission, you are a lying thief and an adulterer at heart (and that’s only three of the ten commandments) and you have to face God on judgment day. If he judges you by the ten commandments, do you think he’ll find you innocent or guilty? If he is an honest and true judge who judges by the law he has written, he will find you guilty.

Does that surprise you? The Bible is very clear that we are all guilty (Romans 3:23). Many people who misunderstand Christianity would like to take Jesus’ message of love and apply it here. They’d like to be found innocent because God is a God of love. But, while that is true, it is not the whole truth. God is also righteous and true, and he would be neither of these if he found you innocent (since you are not innocent).

Luckily for us, God IS a God of love, and so he wrote an escape clause. He sent his only son, Jesus, to die so we wouldn’t have to. And what do you have to do to receive this amazing gift? Simply accept it. There’s a reason John 3:16 is such a popular verse; it boils all of this down into one simple statement: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

I know that it seems like I just went off on a tangent to preach, but I feel strongly that this basic understanding is necessary. We have so much common ground when it comes to sin that it seems pointless to focus on something like homosexuality that is so divisive and debatable. Once you believe that the Bible is the true word of God, then I’d be happy to dive into the finer points with you as we try to understand it together.

That being said, one reason many Christians are opposed to homosexuality is because there is sufficient evidence in the Bible to suggest that God deems it to be a sin. In Genesis 18-19, we can read about the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Much has been said about this, so I’m not going to say too much about it. I will mention, though, that when the men of the city asked Lot (the man of God) if they could have sex with his male guests, Lot offered them his virgin daughters instead. It seems clear by this simple distinction that homosexuality was one thing that Lot (and God) saw as sin.

And then God’s stance is stated plainly in Leviticus 18:22, “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.” There are several other verses scattered throughout the Old and New Testaments that affirm God’s stance that homosexuality is a sin. (Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

That being said, Christians should not expect non-Christians to behave according to the same belief system. This is where the Christianity 101 stuff that I shared before is important to understand. God’s law (all those commandments and sins and such) is not meant to be a set of rules that we can follow in order for God to find us innocent on judgment day. Quite the contrary. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s grace, and that is the point; we all have to depend on Jesus, not ourselves.

Because of this, there would be no point in me telling you not to lie, steal, lust, or even to practice homosexuality. Even if you stopped sinning altogether, you would not be able to earn God’s grace.

(Incidentally, this is why Christians often seem like hypocrites. It’s because we are. We also struggle with lying, stealing, lusting, and yes, even some of us struggle with homosexuality (see Exodus Int’l). Remember, we’re human too.)

So now we finally move on to marriage. To boil it down, Christians believe that marriage is something different than what non-Christians believe marriage is. Christians believe that marriage was created by God and therefore the definition of it also belongs to God. In the Bible, God clearly defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. There are many verses that affirm this, and you can see several of them at this website. Pay particular attention to what God says in Exodus 2 and what Jesus says in Matthew 19.

So now we get to the crux of the issue as to why many Christians oppose gay marriage. Marriage began as something Holy and as something only between a man and a woman. Non-Christians liked the idea of a deep bond between a man and a woman, and so they adopted the practice and called it the same thing. At this point, all was fine because, on a basic level, it was the same thing; a spiritual bonding of a man and a woman.

But now we’ve gone so long that marriage has come to mean different things to different people. It has become ingrained into our society and now carries certain rights and privileges that are purely based in society and politics. These rights and privileges have come to mean the same thing as “marriage” to many people, but they are quite separate from the Biblical foundation on which it began. Biblically speaking, you could take or leave the political rights and privileges of marriage because they are not relevant to what marriage is.

Most Christians who oppose gay marriage do so not because we feel that homosexuals are second-class citizens who do not deserve those rights and privileges. In fact, we believe that God loves homosexuals every bit as much as he loves all of us, which is infinitely beyond what any of us can even imagine. We oppose gay marriage because it is a foundational contradiction of terms. God made marriage and so he gets to define it, not us. For marriage to be taken and made into something different is sacrilegious and a violation of our religious rights. It is a group of people telling us that we can believe what we want to believe but then taking something we believe and molding it into something they like better.

To draw a religious parallel, think about an Islamic mosque. Men and women are segregated and are not allowed in the same areas at the same time. An outside observer might see this and feel that it is a violation of women’s rights. Should we then impose our beliefs on them and force them to integrate their mosque? Absolutely not! This would violate their religious rights.

In the same way, many Christians feel that changing the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples is a violation of our religious rights. It isn’t religion imposing itself on the government; it is the government imposing itself on religion.

I’m not saying you have to agree with this; it is completely up to you. As I mentioned at the start, this is not meant to advance the debate or to convince anyone to see things my way. It is merely intended to increase understanding by helping advocates for gay marriage understand why many Christians are opposed.

Good evening everyone!
It has been a really long week and some how I find myself in the middle of a storm. They say that is the calmest place, in the middle of the storm, but often as humans, we worry about how we are going to get out of the storm with no damage.
But I have learned over the past few years that it is best to leave the navigation of the storm to God. He knows the way. He sees the clearest path to the other side. When we try to make it through the tempest ourselves, we usually end up on the wrong side of it and we are very battered and worn!
Follow God! He will keep you through it all! He never fails and will not let you fall! The enemy will try to stop and make you falter, but with God on your side and leading the way, you will make it through. I did and He will lead me out of the storm I'm in now! Praise His Holy Name!!!
Have a blessed night everybody and a good rest of the weekend!
Cheryl

Matthew 28: 19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you to the end of the age.

Philippians 2:4-6 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped

Colossians 4:5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

The concept of goal-setting is tossed around a whole lot in an older teenager's life. Young people on the cusp of adulthood are asked to define what they want out of life: what career they want, how much money they want to make, if they desire a family--the list goes on. Unexpectedly, goal-setting has been cropping up in my life lately as well.

Recently in a group fellowship, the question was raised: 'What goals have you set for your marriage?' I was startled by that question. As a woman married 17 years, I had never quite thought of my partnership with my husband as having an 'end-result' or a 'goal'. As I struggled to come up with an answer, I began to look at the bigger picture.

Each of us set goals for what we want our life to look like in many different areas: career, finances, family, where we live, etc. Those goals give us wisdom in making choices. "Will this person make a good spouse?" "What classes should I take in college?" What would happen if we applied this goal-setting mindset to our spiritual lives?

God calls us to live for Him. He calls us into a relationship with Him. However, many Christians find this difficult, even vague. We struggle with motivation to read and understand the Bible, spend time in prayer, tame our sinful nature. Is it possible that not having a clear direction is causing us to flounder? Not having a budget causes us to spend without thinking, failing to choose a major gives us the tendency to take whatever classes seem cool at the time. Why wouldn't it be the same with our spiritual lives?

Take some time today and think about where you want your relationship with God to be in 5 years. Spend a little time praying for God to reveal what He desires for your life, and what His purposes are for you. Each of us has been called by Him to reach someone specific. To accomplish specific goals. If we don't spend any time trying to discover what those are, we will continue to flounder.

Psalm 37:4- Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is some of my favorite teaching from Him.

There are so many things that He says that are counter-cultural... so many things that just don't make sense... unless they are filtered through grace.

Take His teaching on loving your enemies for example.  In Matthew 5:43 and moving forward, we are challenged to do the following:  love your enemies, pray for them, greet them, treat them like God would.  God treats them just like he treats us - the fact is that the rain falls on the just and on the unjust... the sun rises on evil and good.  It is impossible to move away from God's grace and mercy.  We can certainly ignore it, but it is IMPOSSIBLE to not experience it.  The simple fact that you drew that last breath... grace, mercy.

We get so caught in revenge and getting even with people that we miss an opportunity to give grace.
Live today, making the most of your time and give grace and mercy to that person who would be the least deserving of it.  After all, what good is it to just love those who love you... everyone does that.

I decided to post something I had written a few years ago. Enjoy.

Recently I was thinking about the place I used to work, The Edge, a challenge course with high ropes, climbing tower and most challenging at times, the Leap of Faith. You have a rope attached to your back, climb to the top of this pole, about 25 feet high, 1 foot in diameter, stand up on top of it and face a trapeze that's 8 feet away. Once you've done all that, you're still standing there with the pole rocking, not from the wind, but from your own body shaking. Then the choice is left to you, will you jump out to the trapeze?

This led me to think about other "risks" that I have taken. Most infamous, especially to my mother, is the time I hitchhiked. I had a couple days off at Windermere and wished to go home. So I got a friend to drive me to Eldon and I started walking toward Jefferson City, about 27miles away. After trying the thumb, which didn't work, I just continued to walk. Within an hour, a guy named Gary in a yellow delivery truck, pulled up behind me and offered me a ride. I accepted and we talked until he dropped me off in JeffCity. At this point, I walk the 9blocks to my mom's work and smiled as I rode the elevator up and smiled even more when my mom figures out that I hitchhiked and proceeds to call my dad and tell him what his son had done.

Now those that have not heard this story will wonder how much of a risk taker is Brett? I would have to say that I do not feel like much of one. The first example of the Leap of Faith, while it stills shakes me up a little each time I do it, does not enter my mind as too much of a risk. I know I am safe because of experience and knowledge that the equipment is good. The hitchhiking episode, while at first glance would appear risky, was actually very planned out on my part:
1) I chose a time early in the morning so that I could most likely walk the distance by the time my mom got off work.
2)I had a cell phone with me to call just in case I was not able to.
3)I brought water with me so as to not get dehydrated.
4)I would have enough common sense to refuse a ride with someone I did not feel safe with.
5)There are no large towns between Eldon and Jeff, so I reasoned that if anyone was to give me a ride, it would be all the way.
So I had really thought out and measured the "risk" I would be taking ahead of time. This is how I am with a lot of things. The "risks" that I appear to take are usually not that big to me because I have experience in it or have measured it out. For instance the rooftop expeditions I have taken with some friends, are not scary because of experience in climbing. The reasoning behind all this talk is that I wonder about the risks that are before me now and because of no experience to fall back on and the inability to to fully measure it out. I am left unsure as I stand on top of the pole as it shakes, wondering, will I take the leap?

Good morning everyone!
It is a wonderful day! Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that leave us asking 'Why not me?' This happens mostly when tragic events occur in our lives. Loss of a loved one, an accident or any number of problems can have us asking that question. Most people would ask 'Why me?', but when it is people we love and care about, we want to take their place. The one relationship where this feeling of care is greatest is that between a parent and a child. If your child is sick, you want to stop the pain. If your child is being picked on, you step in and speak on their behalf. You want your children to be safe and happy all the time.
That is how our Heavenly Father felt when He sent His only begotten Son to save us from ourselves. God saw the hurt and damage in our lives and He wanted to take our place. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit decided that someone had to step in and save mankind. I have to say thank You Father for taking my place, for saving my soul, and for loving me so much!
Have a very blessed day everybody!
Cheryl

In the Old Testament story of the exodus of the Israelites lies a retelling of a miraculous event. God redeemed His people and broke them out of bondage to Pharoah. He led them away from Egypt and even saved them from a last-ditch attempt by Pharoah to reclaim them. But even these great miracles and the signs that came before them don't carry the significance of God's provision of manna.

This was not a greater miracle than those that came before it. Manna was, however, a direct test by God of His people's trust in Him. This was the Lord's teaching moment in regard to relationship. Each morning, the people were to gather enough manna for ONE day only, except for the day before the Sabbath. That first week must have been tough.

Exodus 16:20 recounts the people's first response to the one-day rule: 'But some of them didn’t listen to Moses. They kept part of it until morning, and it was full of worms and smelled bad.' Can you imagine that first Friday (the Hebrew Sabbath was on what we now call Saturday)? The one time they tried to store up food, it went completely rancid overnight. Now the Lord was telling them to keep leftovers. Talk about stepping out on a limb!

Security is measured very differently today than in generations past. Sure, we still worry about safety from physical harm (criminals, natural disasters and the like) but there are so many other areas in our lives where we can become fearful of hurt. Divorce, identity theft, and bankruptcy are all in the forefront of our society, and the terror of "it could happen to me" wreaks havoc on our stress levels. Our security today is measured in dollars and watchdog services as we watch marriage become a disposable commodity.

The miracle of manna reminds us that security is not found in our savings account or our super-secret passwords. God is the only reliable watchdog in our lives. The catch is this: God doesn't always provide us with tomorrow's needs today. Sometimes, when our circumstances are uncertain and we feel the most fear, it is then that God is saying to us, "Trust Me."

The Lord doesn't promise an easy life. Some of the troubled times we face are God's tests. What our Heavenly Father does promise is that He will never give us more than we can handle, and that He will never leave us. That's the kind of security we can take to the bank.

God really opened up a passage for me this week and I want to share with you the insight.

The disciples make a request of Jesus in Luke 11:1. Lord, teach us to pray...
These men had walked with Jesus and saw all sorts of miraculous things.
-they saw Him walk on water.
-they saw Him heal.
-they saw Him raise the dead.
-they saw Him feed thousands with very little.
-they saw Him forgive sins.
-they saw Him interact with people.
The disciples walked with Jesus and saw all of this and more... but this one thing they ask for... to learn to pray.

Why? I mean woulldn't you ask for something better? He did all these awesome things... I must confess, I'd probably ask Him to teach me the walking-on-water trick. Maybe I would ask how to feed thousands with a few tortillas and couple sardines. I would want some cool trick that would be a popular party favorite.

The disciples asked to learn how to pray. Why? I think there are several possible reasons.
First, they saw the power in prayer.
Second, they saw that Jesus made it a priority.
Third, they saw that it was more awesome than the miracles... I mean, given the choice, we always pick the best thing, right?
Fourth, I believe they experienced some frustration in self-powered living/ministry.
Lastly, they saw a difference in Jesus' life.

What would you ask for?
Lord, teach me to pray.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Here's a random factoid: much of Ashland, MO is on a water table. While this will probably never be on Jeopardy, the effects are important. This is where my parents' house is located and they've had foundation problems ever since they first moved in when I was still in high school. Because of the water table, the weight of the house causes the ground to shift and the foundation to begin to crack, this in turn can cause cracks in the walls and ceilings, and eventually if nothing done, could split open the house. Relax if you're worried, they've been working on resolving the issue.

The relevance of my parents' house is this, for any structure to remain strong and whole, it needs a good foundation. My thoughts have been on this for a couple weeks now. Previously I asked about showing your work and how this is essential to math, but is also important when we say "Jesus is the Answer." Now my thoughts are zeroed in and revolving around these verses: