I recently ran across an old blog topic and discussion about the word “sucks”. In this case it was a t-shirt that was printed with the words “hell sucks”. The blogger questioned whether people (other Christians) would think he was a fuddy-duddy because he felt it was inappropriate. Further on in the discussion, other phrases and words were questioned as well, such as “darn”, “oh my god”, and even “crap”. All of these word are questionable when we are trying to be an example of Christ, but later on I'll get into the ones that use God's name specifically.
As far as the t-shirt and the marketing tactics used, I think they call this type of product a conversation starter. Seems like some Christians want non-Christians to think that they are "cool". I assume, figuring that they think that they can get their foot in the door with this person long enough to tell them about Jesus...hopefully. But, unfortunately, slipping ever so slightly over the edge of morality. The problem with that is that this is also something that sometimes leads non-Christians to think that all of the church is full of hypocrites. At times non-believers are more aware of morals than many so-called Christians are, and that is exactly what they will call you, a “so-called” Christian. Don’t get me wrong, Christians do mess up, Christians even sin sometimes, but making the solid choice to sin or even to let your morals slip slightly, can allow Satan to pull a non-believer even farther away from God than they already are. And the main goal here is to save souls, right?
You might say, “But it’s just a joke, it’s funny, doesn’t God have a sense of humor?” I’m sure He does. But is this funny? No. You might even tell me to lighten up, loosen up, that it’s not a big deal. But it is a big deal. It is serious. God expects us to have great morals. If we're following Jesus, not just believing in God but believing in what God believes in, then we have a book that tells us how to live, the Bible. And if we have truly given our lives to Christ, then we will obey the law of God. Ephesians 5:4 says "Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." Could this be a form of the coarse joking mentioned in this verse? (The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction. Proverbs 16:21) God wants us to have fun, be happy, and even joke around. (He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.- Job 8:21) But JOY does not come from crude jokes and sayings, but from the LORD! The Word even says that the joy of the LORD is our strength. That’s pretty powerful considering the context of this topic. Think about it: That is saying that when we are happy because we believe in God, we follow His word and we share it with others, then they will see that joy as our strength. They will desire that same impenetrable joy that we have, and we can show them how they can have it.
About the phrase “oh my god”. So, you’re out shopping and you see something that you have been looking for but haven’t been able to find. You exclaim “Oh! My God! That will look perfect in my living room!” Or when someone jumps out from around the corner and says boo! You say “Oh my god! You scared me!” Or when you see something gross you say “Oh my god, that is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen!” Do you think that is okay? That it is not using God’s name in vain? Here are a few definitions for the word vain from dictionary.com.
Vain:
Senseless or foolish.
Without effect or avail; to no purpose.
In an improper or irreverent manner.
Not yielding the desired outcome; fruitless.
Lacking substance or worth.
Devoid of real value, unprofitable.
Idle, empty.
Having no real substance, value, or importance.
Void, worthless, unsatisfying.
The following are a few questions related to the definition of the word vain. These will help you check your words before God. Ask yourself these questions when you say or preferably before you say one of these slang phrases that involve God's name:
Reverence: Is it showing profound respect for God? How about affection? Is it an example of devotion to God?
Fruitful: Is it beneficial? Does it produce good results? Is it profitable for the kingdom of God?
Substance: Does it show solid character or quality? Does it come from the heart?
Value: Does it have worth or importance? Does it show your love and affection for God? Does it show God’s excellence? Does it show that you have high esteem for Him?
How about “oh my gosh!” you ask? That’s just slang, isn’t it? It really has nothing to do with God. So you say? Well, lets look into that definition. The only definition I found for gosh that does not describe it as an expression or exclamation (in other words a slang or phrase.) is this:
GOSH-- 1757, altered pronunciation of God. Probably from 'by gosse' (mid-16c.).
Now that we know right where that slang or phrase came from, do we still want to use it? I should hope not. You wouldn’t say “oh my holy spirit” or “oh my father” or something similar to that unless you were talking directly to our LORD in worship and reverence. Why say something that is hurtful to the heart of our Father in heaven? Hurting God is sin. "I have resolved that my mouth will not sin." Psalm 17:3
And now you ask, what about “oh my gawd!” Here you must realize that gawd is not even a word in the English language. What is it? It’s a slang word to replace God in this particular expression so that people can make themselves feel comfortable assuming that they are not taking the LORD’s name in vain, therefore twisting the Word of God to their own benefit. If I’m going to blurt out a blasphemy, changing how I spell the word isn’t going to change the way God feels about my saying it. The guy who wrote the blog that got me started on this topic, his name was Todd. So I’m going to use his name as an example, mostly just because it rhymes and therefore gets the point across better. What if I said “Todd dammit” every time I got upset or “oh my Todd!” when something scared me out of my wits. Let’s say Todd and I are good friends and he comes up to me and says “ you know, that really upsets me when you say that. It feels like you’re being disrespectful and don’t value me as a friend. As a matter of fact, it makes me feel like you downright don’t like me at all. It also makes others think that you’re just making fun of me. If you really value our relationship at all, you would try not to say my name that way anymore.” and so I say, “Oh, Todd, I am so sorry, now that I know how it bothers you, I wont say it anymore because I don’t want to hurt your feelings and I do want to continue to be friends.” So, I go on my way and a few days later Todd hears me say it again. He would come up to me furious, saying something like “Why are you still saying that? You told me you wouldn’t say it anymore! I told you it hurt my feelings! I guess you just don’t care about me or our friendship at all!” and then I say, “Oh, but Todd, I wasn’t saying your name. I was saying 'Oh my T-A-W-D', not 'oh my T-O-D-D'. I changed the spelling of it so I’m not saying your name anymore and now we can still be friends.” What a conversation! Huh? Todd was still offended!!! Why? Because first of all it’s still said the same way and still means the same thing, although spelled differently, and because when others hear it, they are still hearing the same thing they’ve always heard and thinking about how disrespectful I am being to my friend. Nothing has changed at all. Even though I didn’t think it should be offensive to Todd anymore, because I changed the spelling, he was still offended. I imagine it’s the same way with God. He still finds it disrespectful and wrong and although we may not understand why, the “why” doesn’t matter, the fact that it hurts His feelings does. And the fact that it lowers the value of his name to others, is also disrespectful. The “why” can be summed up in one bible verse. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isiah 55:8-9
This is all about what’s in our heart. If we truly have it in our heart to please God we will learn what he likes and dislikes. We will truly get to know him so that we will know what upsets him and what makes him happy and we will live our lives accordingly. The word of God is a refining fire. It will purify your heart. Keep reading and studying the word of God and it will cleanse you.
The word of God is living and active…it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) So whether you eat, drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31) Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)
Proverbs 22:10-12 (NKJV)
Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave;
Yes, strife and reproach will cease.
He who loves purity of heart
And has grace on his lips,
The king will be his friend.
The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge,
But He overthrows the words of the faithless.
And last but not least, this is about love and respect. Love and respect for God and for His children. Do you love someone enough to save them from hell? Do you love someone enough to be truthful and honest with them? Do you love someone enough to be a perfect example to them of how to show reverence to God? Sadly, many don’t. In our world, children are not taught how to show reverence to God or respect him in any way. They are taught to believe in what makes them feel good, and that God is what they want him to be, expecting Him to believe in what they believe in rather than them believing in what God believes in. In being taught selfish ways, they have little respect for parents, other adults or even authority figures. Respect is not taught, it’s learned. It is communicated by the respect that the parents (or caregivers) and mentors show others and the respect that they show God. If my children observe that I respect God and other people, they will learn respect as well. I can’t just demand that they respect someone without showing them how. If you love all of God’s children, you will want to teach respect by example. One way to do that is showing reverence to God in the words you speak.
The bible says “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” (Ecclesiastes 5:2) That verse is a bit vague as to why, but I believe it is saying that there is more to heaven than we know, it is God’s Kingdom! Not some quaint little town with some little mayor who thinks he knows it all. His kingdom contains and is more than we could ever imagine. And God is the creator of it all! He is the only King and is in control of everything. He can do anything! So in the end, would you, standing in the presence of God most High on judgment day, feel completely comfortable saying one of these ‘slang’ words or phrases in front of him? Or would you keep your mouth shut because you know it would hurt him and knowing his powers and abilities, even be afraid of what he might do or say to you?
Enjoy your day and let God do his work in you, convicting you, refining you, purifying you, and loving you.
Have a blessed day!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
The Ten Commandments
In the world today the Ten Commandments are viewed as a list of rules that Christians are to follow, a foundation of morality in that if one follows these ten specific rules, they would be a moral person. Many in turn believe that if they follow the Ten Commandments of God and are a "good person" they will go to Heaven. Of course that is wrong, because there is no other way to Heaven but with the grace of God through Jesus Christ.
But when it comes to living a Christian life, these commandments are important because it helps us understand the condition of our hearts. The Ten Commandments are really just a much broader version of the simple explanation of the ultimate law of God, which is:
So then, you will see, that ALL of the Law (God's law) hangs on these two commandments. I see it pretty much boiling down to one simple word. Unselfishness. Giving your life to the Lord and giving of your life to others. It's all about true love. Loving God and loving others. The Ten Commandments are 10 ways to be sure you do not have evil in your heart. We could re-phrase the Ten Commandments into questions to help you see how they affect your life.
The Ten Questions:
1.) Are you putting God first in your life?
2.) Are you worshiping other things? Money? A Person? A Job? Belongings? Do you kneel before a statue to pray? Do you have pictures or statues of Jesus, Angels, or other heavenly things that you feel protect you, or make you holy?
3.) Do you cuss using the name of God or Jesus? Do you think it's funny, or even okay, when someone else does? Do you misuse His name by saying "Oh my God" when something surprises or excites you?
4.) Do you keep the sabbath day holy? Do you rest and spend your time with God on your sabbath day, learning and growing in the Lord?
5.) Do you respect your parents? Do you show them love? Do you care for them regardless of how they have raised or treated you?
6.) Do you have a murderous heart in which that you desire someones death? Do you hold grudges or seek revenge on others? Do you hate another person? (1 John 3:14-15)
7.) Do you have sex outside of marriage? Do you have sex or a personal intimate relationship with someone besides your spouse? Do you desire these types of relationships, whether ongoing or short term? Do you enjoy viewing pornographic or objectionable material? (Matthew 5:27-28)
8.) Do you take things that don't belong to you, from other people, businesses, or a job? Do you use people, by asking favors and for help with a selfish attitude, never intending to pass it on?
9.) Do you lie about other people? Do you gossip and spread things about people that you are unsure are true?
10.) Do you desire to have something that someone else has? Do you wish strongly to have things of another, desiring their spouse, car, house, or other belongings? Do you desire something that would be unobtainable (belonging to someone else) without hurting someone else by getting it?
One last thing, do you accept that it's okay that others do these things? Does it make you cringe when you see others do these things? Does it make your heart ache? Do you feel the sorrow that God feels when these sins are committed?
The Lord gave us these commandments because he knows and sees what is in our hearts. He wants us to understand that it is not a list of rules that will get us into heaven by following them, but the Ten Commandments are a window to our own heart. God already knows what is there, but sometimes we do not even realize the evil desires of our hearts without them being pointed out to us. God is pointing out to us, through His Commandments, the evil within us. When it comes down to it, what we need do is love God with all of our heart, and love other people like we love ourselves, being unselfish and giving of ourselves, and having the heart of God rather than the desires of the world.
Additional related scripture:
James 2:8-11
8) If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. 9) But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10) For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11) For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
2 John 1:6
6) And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
1 John 3: 14-15
14) We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15) Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.
But when it comes to living a Christian life, these commandments are important because it helps us understand the condition of our hearts. The Ten Commandments are really just a much broader version of the simple explanation of the ultimate law of God, which is:
Matthew 22: 36-40
36) "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37) Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38) This is the first and greatest commandment. 39) And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40) All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
36) "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37) Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38) This is the first and greatest commandment. 39) And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40) All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
So then, you will see, that ALL of the Law (God's law) hangs on these two commandments. I see it pretty much boiling down to one simple word. Unselfishness. Giving your life to the Lord and giving of your life to others. It's all about true love. Loving God and loving others. The Ten Commandments are 10 ways to be sure you do not have evil in your heart. We could re-phrase the Ten Commandments into questions to help you see how they affect your life.
The Ten Questions:
1.) Are you putting God first in your life?
2.) Are you worshiping other things? Money? A Person? A Job? Belongings? Do you kneel before a statue to pray? Do you have pictures or statues of Jesus, Angels, or other heavenly things that you feel protect you, or make you holy?
3.) Do you cuss using the name of God or Jesus? Do you think it's funny, or even okay, when someone else does? Do you misuse His name by saying "Oh my God" when something surprises or excites you?
4.) Do you keep the sabbath day holy? Do you rest and spend your time with God on your sabbath day, learning and growing in the Lord?
5.) Do you respect your parents? Do you show them love? Do you care for them regardless of how they have raised or treated you?
6.) Do you have a murderous heart in which that you desire someones death? Do you hold grudges or seek revenge on others? Do you hate another person? (1 John 3:14-15)
7.) Do you have sex outside of marriage? Do you have sex or a personal intimate relationship with someone besides your spouse? Do you desire these types of relationships, whether ongoing or short term? Do you enjoy viewing pornographic or objectionable material? (Matthew 5:27-28)
8.) Do you take things that don't belong to you, from other people, businesses, or a job? Do you use people, by asking favors and for help with a selfish attitude, never intending to pass it on?
9.) Do you lie about other people? Do you gossip and spread things about people that you are unsure are true?
10.) Do you desire to have something that someone else has? Do you wish strongly to have things of another, desiring their spouse, car, house, or other belongings? Do you desire something that would be unobtainable (belonging to someone else) without hurting someone else by getting it?
One last thing, do you accept that it's okay that others do these things? Does it make you cringe when you see others do these things? Does it make your heart ache? Do you feel the sorrow that God feels when these sins are committed?
The Lord gave us these commandments because he knows and sees what is in our hearts. He wants us to understand that it is not a list of rules that will get us into heaven by following them, but the Ten Commandments are a window to our own heart. God already knows what is there, but sometimes we do not even realize the evil desires of our hearts without them being pointed out to us. God is pointing out to us, through His Commandments, the evil within us. When it comes down to it, what we need do is love God with all of our heart, and love other people like we love ourselves, being unselfish and giving of ourselves, and having the heart of God rather than the desires of the world.
Additional related scripture:
James 2:8-11
8) If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. 9) But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10) For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11) For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
2 John 1:6
6) And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
1 John 3: 14-15
14) We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15) Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
I DID IT!!!
I DID IT!!!!! I trashed all my secular CD's! As of 3:15 pm today, they are all gone!
It may sound drastic but the Lord has been speaking to me about it for quite some time now. I just didn't listen to Him for a while, thinking that it was just ridiculous. Then I said to myself, "Okay, I hardly listen to any of them anyway and they are just taking up valuable space." So, I thought I would sort through them and decide what I didn't want and sell them all on eBay.
Well, they sat for three more months, and God started speaking AGAIN! Funny how sometimes you just want to ignore God, but you know you can't. This time, God said "throw them in the trash!" "WHAT? I paid good money for those CD's. There's about 200 of them, a few bucks a piece, that's a great hunk of change." I said "How about I sell them all and do something good with the money?" I'm a very frugal person. I try to save a penny everywhere I can, try to recycle, and trade and sell what we don't use to get what we need. It's ingrained in me. I grew up shopping at the Thrift Stores, and I enjoy it. I just don't like waste. So, God spoke again. Deuteronomy 7:25-26 The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the LORD your God. Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.
So then I started looking through them, and the lyrics, ugh! I can't even believe I ever listened to that stuff! And most of them aren't even heavy metal types like Metallica and Ozzy. They were mellow, pop, alternative, etc. So, after reading many lyrics, I thought I would save a few of my favorite songs on my computer for when I finally get an mp3 player, and I would just resell the ones that didn't have cussing, and sexual lyrics, and weren't speaking out against God, surprisingly a lot of them were. Not to mention, the many artists that thank God in their credits, saying without the Lord they couldn't do what they do, etc. and are singing about booty dancin', sex, drugs, drinking, selfishness, cheating, jealousy, revenge, etc. Or they'll say that their music is a gift from God, but then don't even bother to thank Him in the credits. So they sat for a while longer.
But by this time I guess God was getting frustrated with me, because he finally said, If they're not Christian music, THROW THEM ALL OUT!
I've searched the scripture, searched the "Should Christians listen to secular music" websites, and every time, this verse kept coming back to me, over and over and over. 1 Cor 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
And then I decide to listen to a few of my old CD's, (Looking back, I can't believe that I was being so defiant!) I enjoy a wide range of music styles, from Dave Matthews to John Anderson, Jewel, Sinead O'Conner, Tracy Chapman, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Gin Blossoms, it's a huge variety. So, I put in John Anderson to listen to what used to be one of my favorite songs, Seminole wind. It talks about calling to the Seminole wind, and the ghost of Osceola. Glorifying? I think not. Then I listened to "Let go of the stone" which must have been God telling me AGAIN to dump them. Here are the lyrics.
you shouldn't wade out in deep water when you don't know how to swim
he told you it was over, and like a fool you followed him
into a world full of emotion, spinning out of control
****It's killing you, but you won't let it go.
Let go of the stone, if you don't want to drown,
In the sea of heartache, that's dragging you down,
its pulling you under, and you keep hanging on,
if I'm ever gonna save you, let go of the stone.
Don't you realize the danger and the hurt your headed for,
put your arms around me and swim with me to shore,
just let go of that old memory, i know its hard to do,
but I'll be here, holding on to you. ****
Now, mind you, this is a song about a man trying to save a girl from a bad relationship. but if you read the lyrics between the stars, that's what I heard. It's like God was telling me to let go of it! It's not important! It's almost like a symbol of all the junk that I need to let go of in order to be completely obedient and to follow God. No wonder Jesus told his disciples to "drop everything and follow me".
And another one, hard to give up, was my Creedence Clearwater Revival collection. In addition to Live, John Anderson, and Dave Matthews, they are (were) probably my all time favorite band. Now, mind you, I haven't listened to any of my CD's for quite some time, but I do catch the songs on the radio sometimes. Unfortunately I never paid much attention to the lyrics...until now. Mostly about voodoo, one night stands, bad luck, spells, paganism, being broke, being down and out, going to jail, every now and then there's a hint that they're looking for someone to save them, wanting to pray, that there is something else, but they just never get it. I noticed this on most of the music I had. But then there is this song that blew me away. Sounds to me like he might have came close to Jesus, but instead just ran away, not wanting anything to do with Him. Don't you think?
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Walk On The Water Lyrics:
Late last night, I went for a walk,
Down by the river near my home.
Couldn't believe, with my own eyes,
And I swear I'll never leave my home again.
I saw a man walking on the water.
Coming right at me from the other side.
Calling out my name; "Do not be afraid."
Feet begin to run, pounding in my brain;
I don't want to go; I don't want to go.
No, no, no, no, no...I don't want to go.
Mmmmmmm...
and I say "hmmmmmmmmm..."
And then there's 'Sting'. You think mellow, love songs and such. Some of his recent stuff almost seems religious, I guess that's because it is. Any religion, whatever feels good. The following are quotes from Sting about his religion:
"In a sense I am more of a Hindu ... I like the Hindu religion more than anything else at the moment."
"I would not consider myself a Christian any longer. My beliefs are much wider than that. I don't believe God is necessarily a Catholic or Islamic or anything else...it's a much larger concept than that..." said this latest Champion of the Universal Religion.
As I continued hesitating about this big difficult task that God has given me, I went to church on Sunday and within the scripture that went along with the sermon was Psalms 10:3 He put a NEW SONG in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Then that evening reading my bible I came across Psalm 118:14 The Lord is my strength and MY SONG; he has become my salvation. Then these two showed up out of the blue, Col. 3:2 Set your minds on things above, NOT ON EARTHLY THINGS. and Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us THROW OFF EVERYTHING THAT HINDERS AND THE SIN THAT SO EASILY ENTANGLES, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Let me add another: Psalm 91:1 Sing to the Lord a NEW SONG, for He has done marvelous things.
Now the LORD has spoken in my life again and I want to be obedient to Him in every way. So, I DID IT! 200+ CD's in the trash. And guess what, it feels good!
It may sound drastic but the Lord has been speaking to me about it for quite some time now. I just didn't listen to Him for a while, thinking that it was just ridiculous. Then I said to myself, "Okay, I hardly listen to any of them anyway and they are just taking up valuable space." So, I thought I would sort through them and decide what I didn't want and sell them all on eBay.
Well, they sat for three more months, and God started speaking AGAIN! Funny how sometimes you just want to ignore God, but you know you can't. This time, God said "throw them in the trash!" "WHAT? I paid good money for those CD's. There's about 200 of them, a few bucks a piece, that's a great hunk of change." I said "How about I sell them all and do something good with the money?" I'm a very frugal person. I try to save a penny everywhere I can, try to recycle, and trade and sell what we don't use to get what we need. It's ingrained in me. I grew up shopping at the Thrift Stores, and I enjoy it. I just don't like waste. So, God spoke again. Deuteronomy 7:25-26 The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the LORD your God. Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.
So then I started looking through them, and the lyrics, ugh! I can't even believe I ever listened to that stuff! And most of them aren't even heavy metal types like Metallica and Ozzy. They were mellow, pop, alternative, etc. So, after reading many lyrics, I thought I would save a few of my favorite songs on my computer for when I finally get an mp3 player, and I would just resell the ones that didn't have cussing, and sexual lyrics, and weren't speaking out against God, surprisingly a lot of them were. Not to mention, the many artists that thank God in their credits, saying without the Lord they couldn't do what they do, etc. and are singing about booty dancin', sex, drugs, drinking, selfishness, cheating, jealousy, revenge, etc. Or they'll say that their music is a gift from God, but then don't even bother to thank Him in the credits. So they sat for a while longer.
But by this time I guess God was getting frustrated with me, because he finally said, If they're not Christian music, THROW THEM ALL OUT!
I've searched the scripture, searched the "Should Christians listen to secular music" websites, and every time, this verse kept coming back to me, over and over and over. 1 Cor 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
And then I decide to listen to a few of my old CD's, (Looking back, I can't believe that I was being so defiant!) I enjoy a wide range of music styles, from Dave Matthews to John Anderson, Jewel, Sinead O'Conner, Tracy Chapman, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Gin Blossoms, it's a huge variety. So, I put in John Anderson to listen to what used to be one of my favorite songs, Seminole wind. It talks about calling to the Seminole wind, and the ghost of Osceola. Glorifying? I think not. Then I listened to "Let go of the stone" which must have been God telling me AGAIN to dump them. Here are the lyrics.
you shouldn't wade out in deep water when you don't know how to swim
he told you it was over, and like a fool you followed him
into a world full of emotion, spinning out of control
****It's killing you, but you won't let it go.
Let go of the stone, if you don't want to drown,
In the sea of heartache, that's dragging you down,
its pulling you under, and you keep hanging on,
if I'm ever gonna save you, let go of the stone.
Don't you realize the danger and the hurt your headed for,
put your arms around me and swim with me to shore,
just let go of that old memory, i know its hard to do,
but I'll be here, holding on to you. ****
Now, mind you, this is a song about a man trying to save a girl from a bad relationship. but if you read the lyrics between the stars, that's what I heard. It's like God was telling me to let go of it! It's not important! It's almost like a symbol of all the junk that I need to let go of in order to be completely obedient and to follow God. No wonder Jesus told his disciples to "drop everything and follow me".
And another one, hard to give up, was my Creedence Clearwater Revival collection. In addition to Live, John Anderson, and Dave Matthews, they are (were) probably my all time favorite band. Now, mind you, I haven't listened to any of my CD's for quite some time, but I do catch the songs on the radio sometimes. Unfortunately I never paid much attention to the lyrics...until now. Mostly about voodoo, one night stands, bad luck, spells, paganism, being broke, being down and out, going to jail, every now and then there's a hint that they're looking for someone to save them, wanting to pray, that there is something else, but they just never get it. I noticed this on most of the music I had. But then there is this song that blew me away. Sounds to me like he might have came close to Jesus, but instead just ran away, not wanting anything to do with Him. Don't you think?
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Walk On The Water Lyrics:
Late last night, I went for a walk,
Down by the river near my home.
Couldn't believe, with my own eyes,
And I swear I'll never leave my home again.
I saw a man walking on the water.
Coming right at me from the other side.
Calling out my name; "Do not be afraid."
Feet begin to run, pounding in my brain;
I don't want to go; I don't want to go.
No, no, no, no, no...I don't want to go.
Mmmmmmm...
and I say "hmmmmmmmmm..."
And then there's 'Sting'. You think mellow, love songs and such. Some of his recent stuff almost seems religious, I guess that's because it is. Any religion, whatever feels good. The following are quotes from Sting about his religion:
"In a sense I am more of a Hindu ... I like the Hindu religion more than anything else at the moment."
"I would not consider myself a Christian any longer. My beliefs are much wider than that. I don't believe God is necessarily a Catholic or Islamic or anything else...it's a much larger concept than that..." said this latest Champion of the Universal Religion.
As I continued hesitating about this big difficult task that God has given me, I went to church on Sunday and within the scripture that went along with the sermon was Psalms 10:3 He put a NEW SONG in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Then that evening reading my bible I came across Psalm 118:14 The Lord is my strength and MY SONG; he has become my salvation. Then these two showed up out of the blue, Col. 3:2 Set your minds on things above, NOT ON EARTHLY THINGS. and Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us THROW OFF EVERYTHING THAT HINDERS AND THE SIN THAT SO EASILY ENTANGLES, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Let me add another: Psalm 91:1 Sing to the Lord a NEW SONG, for He has done marvelous things.
_______________
Now the LORD has spoken in my life again and I want to be obedient to Him in every way. So, I DID IT! 200+ CD's in the trash. And guess what, it feels good!
Oh, and I was able to keep just a few, a four CD collection of classical piano masterpieces, a Christian music mix CD, a spa/music/nature sounds CD, a Christian CD by Rick Cupoli that my mom gave me and I have yet to listen to, and some Toby Mac on my computer. (but I'm not all that into rap these days.) I was going to keep Simon and Garfunkel but God said "ALL". I wanted to keep 'Live' too. It even sounds on the most recent CD that I have that they are getting closer to God, but still there's all that cussin' and other junk. But God said "ALL" so, hopefully I can find a good Christian band that I will like their music just as much.
_______________
The following are just a few other things that provoke my thoughts about this subject:
- I saw a photo of Brittney Spears wearing a SixSixSix tee-shirt at a MTV party. and many others sporting shirt's, tattoos, and album covers with this sign.
- The many deaths in the 'industry' due to suicide, and drugs and alcohol.
- Blasphemy and denial of God in secular music.
- Kurt Cobain was into satanism, look what happened to him. You might say he was just joking around, but seeing his demise, I think not.
- A lot of musicians are questioning the existence or searching for God in their lyrics. They may not even realize it but read some of the lyrics in your secular music and see what they say.
- Even the 'milder' music leans toward non-monogamous sex, hanging out at bars and night clubs, homosexuality, and lust, etc.
- Madonna- we all know the blasphemy she performed and is still spreading. Do you think secular musicians sell their souls to the Devil for riches and fame? Read the lyrics to 'Beautiful Stranger'. Don't think the Devil still makes that offer to people? He offered it to Jesus, why wouldn't he offer it to people in current times?
- The average age of a rock star is 36.9 years? Can that be true? http://www.av1611.org/rockdead.html Is it possible that the rock stars are selling their souls for Rock n Roll? A thought to ponder.
- I could go on but why bother? I'll just read 1 Corinthians 10:31 again!
_______________
Here's a nice little blog post from a pastor, that I found about listening to secular music (mainly country). Usually people think country music is better to listen to than other secular music. Read this for another perspective: http://shanekastler.typepad.com/pastor_shanes_blog/2006/07/should_christia.html
He poses the question; “Would I be listening to this song if Jesus were sitting next to me?” Definitely something to think about.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Respect I understand, But FEAR God?
We tend to think of God as just another person, but he isn’t. He is God, the one and only, the holy, powerful, and awesome God.
In the bible it says to fear God. I have always wondered what does that mean? How do I fear God? I love him. But do I really truly respect Him in the way that He would want me to? I don’t use His name in vain. I don’t disrespect Him by saying bad things about Him. I study his word, follow it, and try to be more like Him (Matthew 5:48). I believe in Him. I have faith in Him. But exactly how do I fear God, and more importantly, why should I be afraid of Him?
God isn’t a just a person and we shouldn’t try to put Him on our level or think of Him like just another person. He’s our friend and our Father but He is so much more than what an earthly friend or father would be. Not to mention that in today’s society, we don’t even give most people the respect that they deserve, and then we try to bring God down on our level, as just another friend, without giving Him the respect and glory He deserves. We think of only ourselves, expecting Him to be there for us when we need Him, just like we expect from our friends of the world. We expect him to provide for us, just as we expect form our earthly father, mother, or our family. We just expect Him to take care of us because we think we deserve it. We don’t deserve God’s love; he only gives it as a gift. We should humble ourselves and realize that we don’t deserve it. And for the sins we have committed, and the wrongs we have committed against God, what we actually deserve is to spend eternity in hell. But since God loves us so much, He gives us a gift, a very special one, a second chance, a chance to be with Him in the kingdom of heaven. And He will even forgive the sins we have committed and completely forget about them. Can you say that about any of your earthly friends? And I haven’t even mentioned all the other gifts and blessings that He gives us throughout our lives here on earth and all the more gifts and blessings He will give us in heaven. We don’t deserve even one of them.
How do I fear God, and why? Good question. I have an answer. Imagine God. Not just as you do in prayer or devotion but imagine Him as a being as he sometimes presented himself in the Old Testament. He was awesome in every extent of the word. (Definition of Awe: an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear or wonder produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, etc. i.e.: GOD!) Imagine if you heard His voice with your two ears, or actually saw Him with your own two eyes, standing in front of you. So grand and glorious, bright and beautiful, marvelous and breathtaking. I would be scared. I would certainly fear God then. He is all-powerful and can do anything He wants to. He could strike me dead, He could send me straight into hell, discipline me in any way He felt necessary, He could do whatever He wanted to me, and I would surely deserve it. Even as one whom many people might have, by observance, called a “good person”, I have sinned against God excessively throughout my life. He has every right to be angry with me and in His anger He could strike me dead right here and now and not accept me into His kingdom, and He probably should. But instead, He takes me in His arms and forgives me, and I love Him for that! But I still fear Him for what He is, who He is, how powerful He is, and because He is God, the one and only.
In the bible it says to fear God. I have always wondered what does that mean? How do I fear God? I love him. But do I really truly respect Him in the way that He would want me to? I don’t use His name in vain. I don’t disrespect Him by saying bad things about Him. I study his word, follow it, and try to be more like Him (Matthew 5:48). I believe in Him. I have faith in Him. But exactly how do I fear God, and more importantly, why should I be afraid of Him?
God isn’t a just a person and we shouldn’t try to put Him on our level or think of Him like just another person. He’s our friend and our Father but He is so much more than what an earthly friend or father would be. Not to mention that in today’s society, we don’t even give most people the respect that they deserve, and then we try to bring God down on our level, as just another friend, without giving Him the respect and glory He deserves. We think of only ourselves, expecting Him to be there for us when we need Him, just like we expect from our friends of the world. We expect him to provide for us, just as we expect form our earthly father, mother, or our family. We just expect Him to take care of us because we think we deserve it. We don’t deserve God’s love; he only gives it as a gift. We should humble ourselves and realize that we don’t deserve it. And for the sins we have committed, and the wrongs we have committed against God, what we actually deserve is to spend eternity in hell. But since God loves us so much, He gives us a gift, a very special one, a second chance, a chance to be with Him in the kingdom of heaven. And He will even forgive the sins we have committed and completely forget about them. Can you say that about any of your earthly friends? And I haven’t even mentioned all the other gifts and blessings that He gives us throughout our lives here on earth and all the more gifts and blessings He will give us in heaven. We don’t deserve even one of them.
How do I fear God, and why? Good question. I have an answer. Imagine God. Not just as you do in prayer or devotion but imagine Him as a being as he sometimes presented himself in the Old Testament. He was awesome in every extent of the word. (Definition of Awe: an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear or wonder produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, etc. i.e.: GOD!) Imagine if you heard His voice with your two ears, or actually saw Him with your own two eyes, standing in front of you. So grand and glorious, bright and beautiful, marvelous and breathtaking. I would be scared. I would certainly fear God then. He is all-powerful and can do anything He wants to. He could strike me dead, He could send me straight into hell, discipline me in any way He felt necessary, He could do whatever He wanted to me, and I would surely deserve it. Even as one whom many people might have, by observance, called a “good person”, I have sinned against God excessively throughout my life. He has every right to be angry with me and in His anger He could strike me dead right here and now and not accept me into His kingdom, and He probably should. But instead, He takes me in His arms and forgives me, and I love Him for that! But I still fear Him for what He is, who He is, how powerful He is, and because He is God, the one and only.
A Christmas Letter From Jesus
NOTE FROM THE BLOGGER: I was thinking that this letter might be a little bit premature at the beginning of November, but considering that the retail industry starts their holiday campaigns at the beginning of November, I think I need to start my CHRISTmas campaign early as well!
Share a smile today! :)
God bless!
-2C33
Hello dear friend!
Well, as you know, it's time for my birthday again. Last year they had a real big party for me and it seems like they will again this year. After all, they've been shopping and preparing for it for months now, and there have been announcements and advertisements almost everyday about how soon it's coming! They really do go overboard about it, but it's nice to know that at least on one day of the year some people are thinking about me a little. You know, it's been many years now since they first started celebrating my birthday. Back then they seemed to realize and appreciate how much fun it is for the little children. Just the same, it seems that most folks are missing the point of it all. Like last year for example...when my birthday came around they threw a big party but can you believe it?... I wasn't invited! Imagine! The guest of honor, and they forgot all about me! Here they had begun preparing for the festivities two months in advance but when the big day came I was left out in the cold!
Well, it happened so many times in recent years I wasn't even surprised. Even though I wasn't invited I thought I'd just quietly slip in anyway. So I came in and stood off to the side. Everyone was drinking, laughing and having a grand time, when all of the sudden, in came this fat fellow in a bright red suit wearing a phony white beard and shouting "Ho Ho Ho!" He looked like he had more than enough to drink but he somehow managed to weave his way across the floor while everyone cheered. When he collapsed into a big armchair all the children went running over to him excitedly yelling "Santa!! Santa!!" I mean, you'd have thought he was the guest of honor and the whole holiday was in his honor! Then he began telling them the most ridiculous stories you've ever heard ... that he lived at the North Pole with a crew of dwarfs and that every year on my birthday he rides in his sleigh pulled by a bunch of flying reindeer, delivering presents to children all over the world!! I mean there wasn't a word of truth in anything he said! Imagine telling such poor, little, impressionable kids such far-fetched fables! Finally I just had to leave, I walked out of the door, and it was hardly surprising that no one even noticed that I had gone.
As I walked on the street afterward I felt about as lonely and forlorn as stray dogs! I could hardly remember the last time I'd felt that low. Maybe you do not think I cry...........
That little manger scene you had put in the corner of your living room was really touching!! It's sweet of people to commemorate my birthday like that. But did you know that nowadays, in some countries, the authorities won't even allow manger scenes to be displayed in the parks, streets, or public places anymore??? Not to mention their schools! And I'm not talking about Communist countries! I'm talking about the U.S.A. Imagine!! What could be more innocent than a manger scene to remind people of my birthday? .... and yet they ban it! They've actually passed laws against it and made it illegal! What's this world coming to? Another thing that amazes me is how, on my birthday, instead of giving me presents, most people give presents to each other! And to top it all off, it's usually all kinds of stuff they don't even need! Let me ask you, wouldn't you find it odd if when your birthday came along, all your friends decided to celebrate it by giving each other presents and never gave you a thing? Someone once told me, well, it's because you're not around like other people are, so how can we give you a present? You know my answer to that one...then give gifts of food and clothing to the poor, help those who need it. Go visit the lonely! I said, "Listen, any gift you give to your needy fellowmen, I'll count as if you gave it to me personally!" (See Matthew 25:34-40)
Well sad to say, things are getting worse each year. You can just imagine my shock a few years ago when I began seeing them taking my name out of my birthday greeting and replacing it with an X. What an insult!! Think of it!...X-mas!! What if I wrote you a birthday card and said Happy Birthday X! You'd probably never talk to me again! And that's just about how I feel. I mean what more could they do to push me right out of the picture on my own birthday? It reminds me of what happened recently to a friend of mine, a sweet elderly fellow. He's from the poorer side of town and he's been trying unsuccessfully for years to join the church. But it was a very exclusive church for the proper kind of folks, and they just did not think he was good enough to be a member. I found him one day sitting by the church steps with his head on his hands bowed and I asked him what was wrong. He told me about it, I put my arm around his shoulder and told him I knew how he felt. I've been wanting to enter that same church for twenty years and they've never let me in either! Well, there's an end even to my patience. So I'm going to let you in on a secret.........
Now this is something I've been planning on doing for quite sometime, but the way things are going, I think I'm planning of holding my own party! How about that? It's going to be the biggest, most fantastic feast, you could possibly imagine! It might not happen this year but I'm sending out invitations now anyway because I know you'll want to come. There's going to be room for billions, for everyone who wants to come! Some really famous old timers and celebrities are going to be there and I'll reserve you a seat of honor right with them! (Matthew 8:11) So hold on to your hat because when everything is ready I'm going to spring it as a big surprise and a lot of people are going to be left out in the cold because they didn't answer my invitation!! Let me know right away if you'd like to come and I'll reserve you a place and write your name in large golden letters in my BIG GUEST BOOK!!
Much Love,
JESUS
Borrowed from the net at:
http://home.att.net/~JesusIsTheReason/9.htm
Well, as you know, it's time for my birthday again. Last year they had a real big party for me and it seems like they will again this year. After all, they've been shopping and preparing for it for months now, and there have been announcements and advertisements almost everyday about how soon it's coming! They really do go overboard about it, but it's nice to know that at least on one day of the year some people are thinking about me a little. You know, it's been many years now since they first started celebrating my birthday. Back then they seemed to realize and appreciate how much fun it is for the little children. Just the same, it seems that most folks are missing the point of it all. Like last year for example...when my birthday came around they threw a big party but can you believe it?... I wasn't invited! Imagine! The guest of honor, and they forgot all about me! Here they had begun preparing for the festivities two months in advance but when the big day came I was left out in the cold!
Well, it happened so many times in recent years I wasn't even surprised. Even though I wasn't invited I thought I'd just quietly slip in anyway. So I came in and stood off to the side. Everyone was drinking, laughing and having a grand time, when all of the sudden, in came this fat fellow in a bright red suit wearing a phony white beard and shouting "Ho Ho Ho!" He looked like he had more than enough to drink but he somehow managed to weave his way across the floor while everyone cheered. When he collapsed into a big armchair all the children went running over to him excitedly yelling "Santa!! Santa!!" I mean, you'd have thought he was the guest of honor and the whole holiday was in his honor! Then he began telling them the most ridiculous stories you've ever heard ... that he lived at the North Pole with a crew of dwarfs and that every year on my birthday he rides in his sleigh pulled by a bunch of flying reindeer, delivering presents to children all over the world!! I mean there wasn't a word of truth in anything he said! Imagine telling such poor, little, impressionable kids such far-fetched fables! Finally I just had to leave, I walked out of the door, and it was hardly surprising that no one even noticed that I had gone.
As I walked on the street afterward I felt about as lonely and forlorn as stray dogs! I could hardly remember the last time I'd felt that low. Maybe you do not think I cry...........
That little manger scene you had put in the corner of your living room was really touching!! It's sweet of people to commemorate my birthday like that. But did you know that nowadays, in some countries, the authorities won't even allow manger scenes to be displayed in the parks, streets, or public places anymore??? Not to mention their schools! And I'm not talking about Communist countries! I'm talking about the U.S.A. Imagine!! What could be more innocent than a manger scene to remind people of my birthday? .... and yet they ban it! They've actually passed laws against it and made it illegal! What's this world coming to? Another thing that amazes me is how, on my birthday, instead of giving me presents, most people give presents to each other! And to top it all off, it's usually all kinds of stuff they don't even need! Let me ask you, wouldn't you find it odd if when your birthday came along, all your friends decided to celebrate it by giving each other presents and never gave you a thing? Someone once told me, well, it's because you're not around like other people are, so how can we give you a present? You know my answer to that one...then give gifts of food and clothing to the poor, help those who need it. Go visit the lonely! I said, "Listen, any gift you give to your needy fellowmen, I'll count as if you gave it to me personally!" (See Matthew 25:34-40)
Well sad to say, things are getting worse each year. You can just imagine my shock a few years ago when I began seeing them taking my name out of my birthday greeting and replacing it with an X. What an insult!! Think of it!...X-mas!! What if I wrote you a birthday card and said Happy Birthday X! You'd probably never talk to me again! And that's just about how I feel. I mean what more could they do to push me right out of the picture on my own birthday? It reminds me of what happened recently to a friend of mine, a sweet elderly fellow. He's from the poorer side of town and he's been trying unsuccessfully for years to join the church. But it was a very exclusive church for the proper kind of folks, and they just did not think he was good enough to be a member. I found him one day sitting by the church steps with his head on his hands bowed and I asked him what was wrong. He told me about it, I put my arm around his shoulder and told him I knew how he felt. I've been wanting to enter that same church for twenty years and they've never let me in either! Well, there's an end even to my patience. So I'm going to let you in on a secret.........
Now this is something I've been planning on doing for quite sometime, but the way things are going, I think I'm planning of holding my own party! How about that? It's going to be the biggest, most fantastic feast, you could possibly imagine! It might not happen this year but I'm sending out invitations now anyway because I know you'll want to come. There's going to be room for billions, for everyone who wants to come! Some really famous old timers and celebrities are going to be there and I'll reserve you a seat of honor right with them! (Matthew 8:11) So hold on to your hat because when everything is ready I'm going to spring it as a big surprise and a lot of people are going to be left out in the cold because they didn't answer my invitation!! Let me know right away if you'd like to come and I'll reserve you a place and write your name in large golden letters in my BIG GUEST BOOK!!
Much Love,
JESUS
Borrowed from the net at:
http://home.att.net/~JesusIsTheReason/9.htm
Scripture discussion for Today, Saturday 11/4
Psalm 133
A song of ascents. Of David.
How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron's beard,
down upon the collar of his robes.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.
Comments:
Position yourself in the body. Blessings flow down from God like oil poured over Aaron's head, flowing down.
Blessings of happiness could put a smile on someone else's face during a sad time.
Blessings of prosperity could build your church, feed the hungry, clothe the poor.
Blessings of a new/better job could make your family feel more secure.
Blessings of understanding may reunite your marriage.
Blessings of forgiveness can change someones heart.
There are so many kinds of blessings you can receive and they flow down from God, through Jesus, to you and on to your family, children, friends and others, even to unbelievers. In this way you might even bring others to Christ.
It talks about the dew on the mountain, a few drops of dew here and there, but all over a mountain, can make a river. You may only receive a few drops of blessing, but it may flow as a river to your spouse and children.
What awesome promises of God!!!
I pray you are blessed today!
A song of ascents. Of David.
How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron's beard,
down upon the collar of his robes.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.
Comments:
Position yourself in the body. Blessings flow down from God like oil poured over Aaron's head, flowing down.
---God---
---Jesus (head)---
---body (followers of Christ)---
---(husband---wife)---
---others---
If you refuse to be blessed, you are denying others of their blessing. Who could you bless with your blessings.Blessings of happiness could put a smile on someone else's face during a sad time.
Blessings of prosperity could build your church, feed the hungry, clothe the poor.
Blessings of a new/better job could make your family feel more secure.
Blessings of understanding may reunite your marriage.
Blessings of forgiveness can change someones heart.
There are so many kinds of blessings you can receive and they flow down from God, through Jesus, to you and on to your family, children, friends and others, even to unbelievers. In this way you might even bring others to Christ.
It talks about the dew on the mountain, a few drops of dew here and there, but all over a mountain, can make a river. You may only receive a few drops of blessing, but it may flow as a river to your spouse and children.
What awesome promises of God!!!
I pray you are blessed today!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
The one to watch, Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee for president.
I'll admit it, I'm not big into politics. I'm not even 'little' into politics. But I do vote. I think it's always important for each one of us to make our vote count. I've been concerned with the upcoming election because I was starting to think that there were no qualifying candidates that were running for president. At least I personally wouldn't hire any of them if I had the say so, and even though I am one in over 300,000,000 here in the US, my vote still counts. In the past, I have felt the need to vote out a certain candidate, rather than voting in someone I thought was worthy. But just recently someone sent me an email with a video clip of Mike Huckabee in a debate. I was intrigued. So I went to his website and checked him out. www.mikehuckabee.com. Go check this guy out. I like where he stands on the issues and he seems like a sincere Christian man who wants to do what is best for our country. He all for supporting Israel, he supports the sanctity of life, he defines marriage as between one man and one woman, he just seems to have it all together.
I've signed up for his email updates and am going to keep watching him through the next several months. It would really be nice to vote someone 'in' this election, rather than feeling it necessary to vote someone 'out'.
I urge my blog readers to comment on this article with any updates or news about Mr. Huckabee's campaign.
I'll admit it, I'm not big into politics. I'm not even 'little' into politics. But I do vote. I think it's always important for each one of us to make our vote count. I've been concerned with the upcoming election because I was starting to think that there were no qualifying candidates that were running for president. At least I personally wouldn't hire any of them if I had the say so, and even though I am one in over 300,000,000 here in the US, my vote still counts. In the past, I have felt the need to vote out a certain candidate, rather than voting in someone I thought was worthy. But just recently someone sent me an email with a video clip of Mike Huckabee in a debate. I was intrigued. So I went to his website and checked him out. www.mikehuckabee.com. Go check this guy out. I like where he stands on the issues and he seems like a sincere Christian man who wants to do what is best for our country. He all for supporting Israel, he supports the sanctity of life, he defines marriage as between one man and one woman, he just seems to have it all together.
I've signed up for his email updates and am going to keep watching him through the next several months. It would really be nice to vote someone 'in' this election, rather than feeling it necessary to vote someone 'out'.
I urge my blog readers to comment on this article with any updates or news about Mr. Huckabee's campaign.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Scripture discussion for Today, Wednesday 10/31
Deuteronomy 7: 25-26
The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the LORD your God. Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.
What has God spoken to you through this scripture?
I've recently been doing some housecleaning...spiritual housecleaning, I would call it. Getting rid of things that don't belong in a Christian home, things that might hinder my walk with God. Old CD's, movies, photos, decorations, and clutter that just "clutters". I feel that I need to do this to follow God's Word and to be obedient to Christ.
I've been deliberating about giving away, selling, throwing out, or destroying these items. I'd like to hear from others what they think about this issue and what you may have done with your things when God told you that you should no longer keep them. What did you do with them and why? etc.
The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the LORD your God. Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.
What has God spoken to you through this scripture?
I've recently been doing some housecleaning...spiritual housecleaning, I would call it. Getting rid of things that don't belong in a Christian home, things that might hinder my walk with God. Old CD's, movies, photos, decorations, and clutter that just "clutters". I feel that I need to do this to follow God's Word and to be obedient to Christ.
I've been deliberating about giving away, selling, throwing out, or destroying these items. I'd like to hear from others what they think about this issue and what you may have done with your things when God told you that you should no longer keep them. What did you do with them and why? etc.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Is there a God?
Does God exist? Is there proof of God? The following offers candid, straight-forward reasons to believe in the existence of God...
http://www.everystudent.com/features/isthere.html
You can even listen to this article or download as an MP3.
http://www.everystudent.com/features/isthere.html
You can even listen to this article or download as an MP3.
Judgment
I was thinking today about judgment. Lately I've been in several situations where the topic is judgment or where I have been judged. We've even had our yearly "Judgment Night" presentation going on at our church this week. I've been called a fanatic, I have been told that I spend too much time at church, or doing church things, and I hear other comments as well. The closer I get to God, the farther away my non-christian friends and family seem to get. Funny how that works. A lot of people act like I have some kind of "Christian" disease that they don't want to catch.
Before I started getting to know Christ, I was always partying and doing all those things that people do and think are fun. (Now I realize that they weren't fun at all, just a way to escape sadness, and something that made others accept me.) I still thought I was a Christian because I was saved and baptized as a teenager. I always thought; "I'm not going to church, where every one is going to judge me." "I don't need to go to church to spend time with God." "I'm a good person and God understands why I don't go to church." "You don't have to go to church to be a Christian." (You don't but it sure helps, especially when you still have a lot of learning to do) I tell you, I had all kinds of excuses. And I'll also tell you, I believed them! To me they weren't excuses. They were the facts. Even though I said those things, as if I did have some kind of relationship with God, and I really thought that I did, but I honestly didn't.
I prayed...when I needed something.
I opened my bible...when I was looking for something to try to justify that what I was doing was right.
I never sang to God.
I helped other people...when it benefited myself.
I never sat quietly in His presence.
I never worshiped Him.
I never did a thing for Him.
But I expected Him to be there in crisis. I expected Him to get me through troubled times. I expected Him to bless me and work for me, but I never wanted to do any work for Him. I never did thank Him for all the things, however undeserved, that he did for me. How typical of humans. How typical of me.
Sadly, a lot of people I know are still believing like I did. They say, "I believe in God." They say, "I'm glad He sent Jesus to die for me so I can go to heaven." (believing that they will.) They say, "I try to keep the ten commandments and I do a pretty good job of it." And they also say; "I just don't go to church because I don't like to be judged." What they are thinking the whole time is that they don't want 'church people' to judge them for the sins that they do commit because they think that all 'church people' are about is judging what 'non-church people' do. In some unfortunate cases this may be true, but in most it is not. What they don't know is that the church is for sinners. We are all sinners. We were born sinners. The best that we can do is to ask God for forgiveness and to ask Him to help us not to sin anymore, and then make an effort from the heart. Does that mean that we won't ever sin again? Unfortunately not. We will sin, and if we truly repent God will forgive us, and He will help us not to keep on committing the same sins over and over again. Church can be a great place. A place to make friends that will help you on your journey with Christ. A place to learn things about God that you never knew. A place to stand in God's presence. God commands us to turn from sin. When true Christians speak out against sin, often that is perceived as judging. It's not a judgment against any single person, but a judgment against sin. Christians hate sin and want God's best for everybody. They are praying that their loved ones turn their faces from sin and toward God. If a Christian says something to you about your sin, it's likely because they are concerned about your well being and hope that you will seek solace in God instead of in sin. If they are judging you in a hypocritical way, please consider that Christians aren't perfect and God is still working on every one, refining them to perfection.
The bible is another great place to go to learn about God. It's the best place to go to get to know about and to hear from God. I believe that God directed me toward my church. If it wasn't important to go to church, then he wouldn't have kept pushing me to go (even though I thought it was a chore and had no desire to go.) I even went to several before I found one where I actually felt God's presence. Since I was obedient to his request that I find a good church, he rewarded me. He does that often with me now, in many ways, regarding many things. Not all churches are good, not all churches are bad. Go and judge for yourself. If you still don't feel like you should go to church, at least worship at home, welcome God into your home and into your life, study your bible (don't just read it), make Christian friends, invite Jesus into your heart and your life and share Him with others. One last thing, don't forget prayer. Prayer is simply having a conversation with God. You just talk to Him and when you take the time to listen, He responds back (He really does.)
And I have to be honest with you. You will be judged, no matter how you live your life. If you sin, people will judge you. If you do good, people will judge you. If you sneeze, people will judge you. It doesn't matter what other people think, it matters what God thinks, and one day we will all have an appointment for our ultimate judgment. And on that day, we will not have the choice of whether we want to attend or not.
Bible scripture for this topic:
Church:
Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV) And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Relationship:
Mark 12:30 (NIV) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
John 14:23-24 (KJV) Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
Judging Others:
Matthew 7:1-3 (NIV) Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Luke 6:37-38 (NIV) "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
1 Corinthians 4:14 (KJV)"I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you."
Proverbs 28:5 (KJV) "Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the Lord understand all things."
Matthew 12:36 (NIV) But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
Before I started getting to know Christ, I was always partying and doing all those things that people do and think are fun. (Now I realize that they weren't fun at all, just a way to escape sadness, and something that made others accept me.) I still thought I was a Christian because I was saved and baptized as a teenager. I always thought; "I'm not going to church, where every one is going to judge me." "I don't need to go to church to spend time with God." "I'm a good person and God understands why I don't go to church." "You don't have to go to church to be a Christian." (You don't but it sure helps, especially when you still have a lot of learning to do) I tell you, I had all kinds of excuses. And I'll also tell you, I believed them! To me they weren't excuses. They were the facts. Even though I said those things, as if I did have some kind of relationship with God, and I really thought that I did, but I honestly didn't.
I prayed...when I needed something.
I opened my bible...when I was looking for something to try to justify that what I was doing was right.
I never sang to God.
I helped other people...when it benefited myself.
I never sat quietly in His presence.
I never worshiped Him.
I never did a thing for Him.
But I expected Him to be there in crisis. I expected Him to get me through troubled times. I expected Him to bless me and work for me, but I never wanted to do any work for Him. I never did thank Him for all the things, however undeserved, that he did for me. How typical of humans. How typical of me.
Sadly, a lot of people I know are still believing like I did. They say, "I believe in God." They say, "I'm glad He sent Jesus to die for me so I can go to heaven." (believing that they will.) They say, "I try to keep the ten commandments and I do a pretty good job of it." And they also say; "I just don't go to church because I don't like to be judged." What they are thinking the whole time is that they don't want 'church people' to judge them for the sins that they do commit because they think that all 'church people' are about is judging what 'non-church people' do. In some unfortunate cases this may be true, but in most it is not. What they don't know is that the church is for sinners. We are all sinners. We were born sinners. The best that we can do is to ask God for forgiveness and to ask Him to help us not to sin anymore, and then make an effort from the heart. Does that mean that we won't ever sin again? Unfortunately not. We will sin, and if we truly repent God will forgive us, and He will help us not to keep on committing the same sins over and over again. Church can be a great place. A place to make friends that will help you on your journey with Christ. A place to learn things about God that you never knew. A place to stand in God's presence. God commands us to turn from sin. When true Christians speak out against sin, often that is perceived as judging. It's not a judgment against any single person, but a judgment against sin. Christians hate sin and want God's best for everybody. They are praying that their loved ones turn their faces from sin and toward God. If a Christian says something to you about your sin, it's likely because they are concerned about your well being and hope that you will seek solace in God instead of in sin. If they are judging you in a hypocritical way, please consider that Christians aren't perfect and God is still working on every one, refining them to perfection.
The bible is another great place to go to learn about God. It's the best place to go to get to know about and to hear from God. I believe that God directed me toward my church. If it wasn't important to go to church, then he wouldn't have kept pushing me to go (even though I thought it was a chore and had no desire to go.) I even went to several before I found one where I actually felt God's presence. Since I was obedient to his request that I find a good church, he rewarded me. He does that often with me now, in many ways, regarding many things. Not all churches are good, not all churches are bad. Go and judge for yourself. If you still don't feel like you should go to church, at least worship at home, welcome God into your home and into your life, study your bible (don't just read it), make Christian friends, invite Jesus into your heart and your life and share Him with others. One last thing, don't forget prayer. Prayer is simply having a conversation with God. You just talk to Him and when you take the time to listen, He responds back (He really does.)
And I have to be honest with you. You will be judged, no matter how you live your life. If you sin, people will judge you. If you do good, people will judge you. If you sneeze, people will judge you. It doesn't matter what other people think, it matters what God thinks, and one day we will all have an appointment for our ultimate judgment. And on that day, we will not have the choice of whether we want to attend or not.
Bible scripture for this topic:
Church:
Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV) And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Relationship:
Mark 12:30 (NIV) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
John 14:23-24 (KJV) Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
Judging Others:
Matthew 7:1-3 (NIV) Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Luke 6:37-38 (NIV) "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
1 Corinthians 4:14 (KJV)"I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you."
Proverbs 28:5 (KJV) "Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the Lord understand all things."
Matthew 12:36 (NIV) But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Fanatic or Hypocrite
Recently, someone called me a "borderline fanatic". I considered this for a while, almost offended, until I realized that there are only two choices when it comes down to being a "Christian". (not listed in order of importance)
First Choice: Claim Christianity, following the traditions of 'the church', being a good person, and often assuming that certain parts of the bible weren't for you or changing the meaning to suit how you believe at that moment in time.
Second Choice: Follow God, read the bible, believe it and do what it says, all of it. Share the Word, telling others about Jesus. Having sincerity in your heart and desiring a real closeness with God.
In the past I chose the first choice, Not realizing that I wasn't following God at all, but following Satan. With God, it's all or nothing. The bible is made up of honest words spoken from God to us. Either we choose to believe it and follow it allowing people think we are fanatics, or we choose to water it down and not take it all too seriously, but still telling others we believe in God and his Word, making us hypocrites. So it all boils down to HYPOCRITE or FANATIC. I'll choose Fanatic every day of the week... and I'm proud of it!
Borderline (fanatic)??? I guess I still have some work to do. :)
First Choice: Claim Christianity, following the traditions of 'the church', being a good person, and often assuming that certain parts of the bible weren't for you or changing the meaning to suit how you believe at that moment in time.
Second Choice: Follow God, read the bible, believe it and do what it says, all of it. Share the Word, telling others about Jesus. Having sincerity in your heart and desiring a real closeness with God.
In the past I chose the first choice, Not realizing that I wasn't following God at all, but following Satan. With God, it's all or nothing. The bible is made up of honest words spoken from God to us. Either we choose to believe it and follow it allowing people think we are fanatics, or we choose to water it down and not take it all too seriously, but still telling others we believe in God and his Word, making us hypocrites. So it all boils down to HYPOCRITE or FANATIC. I'll choose Fanatic every day of the week... and I'm proud of it!
Borderline (fanatic)??? I guess I still have some work to do. :)
Chasing Bible balloons in North Korea
I found this article somewhat refreshing after my last post on North Korea. It's still sad, but to know that there is an effort going on to share Jesus with them, and that the people are starving for the bread of life and willing to sacrifice their lives for it, is encouraging. Not that I want to see people die over something they should have every right to, but to know that they have even a little foundation in God before their inevitable death, is heartening.
Read the article here: http://www.chosunjournal.com/chasing.html
Read the article here: http://www.chosunjournal.com/chasing.html
Thursday, October 25, 2007
National Geographic: Explorer/ North Korea
Last night on Nat-Geo (funny how everyone has to have a COOL name these days) I watched Explorer. I typically stay away from most TV other than the kids stuff, and a good documentary, and a good movie every now and then. But this one really caught my eye. I didn't realize at all what I was getting into. If you want to watch a Horror show this Halloween season, watch this! But trust me... it's not the kind of horror film that you're used to seeing. I can describe it in three words..disturbing, scary, and sad.
I was aware that the guy running North Korea, Kim Jong-Il, was a bit of a dictator. And I was aware that they had some nuclear weapons. But I'm just not that much into politics and world news, so I must sadly admit, I keep my distance. So obviously, I don't know much. I assume that I'm not the only person in the world who just doesn't want to try to wrap their mind around world news. So, if your like me, and haven't a clue what's going on over there, you will find this quite interesting.
To sum up this documentary, Lisa Ling went in undercover with a Napali eye surgeon and recorded what she saw 'inside'. In this country it's all about their "great leader". This guy isn't a 'great leader', he's a 'cult leader'. The people of N. Korea worship and praise Kim Jong-Il. They have been brainwashed from birth to worship his father Kim Il Sung, and now him. They have prison camps that they will send a persons whole family to, if that person messes up, complains, or doesn't bow down to this man (and I use the word 'man' loosely.) He has statues, pictures and billboards of himself all over the place (Way worse than Saddam Hussein did.) He has a million man army that he is in complete control of. He has nuclear weapons and he alone is in control of "the button". The citizens are poor, malnourished, and lacking medical care, while they give their all to their leader, who lavishes himself in expensive imports of all kinds. It's pathetic. Watching the documentary; my stomach turned several times. And they weren't even showing blood and gore, just a narcissistic, self centered, wretched little man, and the poor, sad, sickly people that he was controlling. I just wanted to throw up...on Kim Jong-Il. (lol---ugh) He has even been known to say that if things start going down on his country, he'll take the rest of the world with him, if he can. Makes you think a bit more on his sole control of "the button" doesn't it?
After watching the show, I couldn't even go to sleep. It really was terribly disturbing. I kept thinking about those poor people who can't even have a chance to know God, who are dieing every day without Him. And I felt, as I often do feel about this sad world around me, helpless. That's when I know it's time to do the only thing that I can do in many situations, PRAY. I can't pray enough for these people. Please pray with me! These people need the opportunity to know God. Pray that they will get it. And pray with me for Mr. Kim Jong-Il. He obviously needs something in his life, and look what he has done looking for it. His grand-mother was a devout Christian. I hope a thread of that has been passed down to him. I pray that he will find Jesus, repent, and turn to God. Sadly, that may be the only way the people in that country will have a chance.
1 Timothy 2:1-4 (New International Version)
1. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2. for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4. who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Watch it again on National Geographic channel on Wed. 11/07 3pm.
I was aware that the guy running North Korea, Kim Jong-Il, was a bit of a dictator. And I was aware that they had some nuclear weapons. But I'm just not that much into politics and world news, so I must sadly admit, I keep my distance. So obviously, I don't know much. I assume that I'm not the only person in the world who just doesn't want to try to wrap their mind around world news. So, if your like me, and haven't a clue what's going on over there, you will find this quite interesting.
To sum up this documentary, Lisa Ling went in undercover with a Napali eye surgeon and recorded what she saw 'inside'. In this country it's all about their "great leader". This guy isn't a 'great leader', he's a 'cult leader'. The people of N. Korea worship and praise Kim Jong-Il. They have been brainwashed from birth to worship his father Kim Il Sung, and now him. They have prison camps that they will send a persons whole family to, if that person messes up, complains, or doesn't bow down to this man (and I use the word 'man' loosely.) He has statues, pictures and billboards of himself all over the place (Way worse than Saddam Hussein did.) He has a million man army that he is in complete control of. He has nuclear weapons and he alone is in control of "the button". The citizens are poor, malnourished, and lacking medical care, while they give their all to their leader, who lavishes himself in expensive imports of all kinds. It's pathetic. Watching the documentary; my stomach turned several times. And they weren't even showing blood and gore, just a narcissistic, self centered, wretched little man, and the poor, sad, sickly people that he was controlling. I just wanted to throw up...on Kim Jong-Il. (lol---ugh) He has even been known to say that if things start going down on his country, he'll take the rest of the world with him, if he can. Makes you think a bit more on his sole control of "the button" doesn't it?
After watching the show, I couldn't even go to sleep. It really was terribly disturbing. I kept thinking about those poor people who can't even have a chance to know God, who are dieing every day without Him. And I felt, as I often do feel about this sad world around me, helpless. That's when I know it's time to do the only thing that I can do in many situations, PRAY. I can't pray enough for these people. Please pray with me! These people need the opportunity to know God. Pray that they will get it. And pray with me for Mr. Kim Jong-Il. He obviously needs something in his life, and look what he has done looking for it. His grand-mother was a devout Christian. I hope a thread of that has been passed down to him. I pray that he will find Jesus, repent, and turn to God. Sadly, that may be the only way the people in that country will have a chance.
1 Timothy 2:1-4 (New International Version)
1. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2. for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4. who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Watch it again on National Geographic channel on Wed. 11/07 3pm.
Love Letter- Why 2C33?
2 Corinthians 3:3
2. You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 3. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 4. Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. 5. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant- not of the letter but of the Spirit.; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
This is my chosen verse because I hope to be, In the way that I live and speak, not only a letter, but a love letter, to everyone I interact with. A love letter from Christ...to you!
2. You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 3. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 4. Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. 5. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant- not of the letter but of the Spirit.; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
This is my chosen verse because I hope to be, In the way that I live and speak, not only a letter, but a love letter, to everyone I interact with. A love letter from Christ...to you!
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