February 26, 2007

Yoked

I'm dealing with waves of homesickness. They usually come when my guard is down (in other words, not when I'm sleeping in on a lazy Sunday morning, or when I'm satisfied with circumstances).

There's no way for me to ward them off. In fact, I've been struggling with mini panic attacks for the last few years, and they seem to be manifesting themselves this way lately. I just get to missing my parents and my sister so much!

I was catching up on my voicemails today during my lunch break and heard one from my dad, and then my mom got on the phone and left her two cents. I just wanted so much to be there, cause I just miss them.

Here's the verse I leaned on for help:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. --Matthew 11:28-30

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February 18, 2007

Proverbs

We are reading Proverbs* together.

In the ESV**, it starts with quite a few infinitives. Like a preamble. Like the preamble to the Constitution. Here's the preamble to the Constitution. As you read, notice the stated purposes, set out right at the beginning of the document:

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Here's the first few lines of Proverbs. Notice the purpose set forth, right there, right out front:

The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

To know wisdom and instruction,
    to understand words of insight,
to receive instruction in wise dealing,
    in righteousness, justice, and equity;
to give prudence to the simple,
    knowledge and discretion to the youth--
Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
    and the one who understands obtain guidance,
to understand a proverb and a saying,
    the words of the wise and their riddles.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
    fools despise wisdom and instruction.

--Proverbs 1:1-7

If you are a Bible-reading newbie, an important skill that will help you understand what you're reading is to know the purpose of the book. This list is the stated purpose of the book of Proverbs, and there's a lot of depth to this passage. (By the way, the studied discipline of Bible interpretation is called hermeneutics. One of the basic principles of hermeneutics is to understand the purpose of a passage within the context of the book. There you go! Lesson number one.)

Anyway, The Dude and I really enjoyed the beginning of our trek through Proverbs. I got a lot out of this passage...but I'll share that later.

---

* Proverbs: a book of the Bible. It comes right after Psalms, and is full of pithy little statements that take a lifetime to understand. Most proverbs are two lines, where one line echoes the other line, or where one line contradicts the other line; either way, the two lines deepen each other to bring deeper meaning.

** ESV: a version of the Bible, the English Standard Version. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, so whether a committee or an individual translates into English, they reflect the dialect of the time (that's why the King James Version, commissioned by King James in 1611, sounds so dated with all the 'thees' and 'thous' and 'verilys'). They also have to make translation choices: neither Hebrew nor Greek translates into English word for word, so they have to choose: will they be as literal as possible, resulting in awkward English, or will they emphasize smoothness of English, resulting in less-literal translation? The ESV is a relatively recent translation put out by Crossway Publishing (the NIV is published by Zondervan, and the King James Version is now public domain) which strives for literality of translation. There are many, many English versions of the Bible available; the bottom line for a choice is to find one you will read. Find one that fits your sense of English so you will actually read it. You don't have to be intimidated about old-fashioned clunky English!

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December 04, 2006

Your Word is a Lamp

Yesterday morning in church I sat there crying. It's such a marked difference from my workplace, to sit in a pew surrounded by people who love me and mean it. My husband, his family (they flew in for Madrigals, yay), and my church people.

I had a bad day Saturday. It's not a good place to work, and I was full up to here [points to eyebrows] but now I'm sick of it. Sick, sick, sick. I've had enough.

So I sat there crying because it's hurtful to be treated unlovingly. It's wrong. Sinful behavior hurts people around you, and Saturday it hurt me.

I wrote about this a few posts ago, and just a reminder, here's something Christ showed me during that prayer session:

But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
    redeem me, and be gracious to me.
My foot stands on level ground;
    in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.
-Psalm 26:11-12

So he already showed me that my workplace is not the place where I belong, the place where I am with like-minded folks. I know that my workplace is where I am surrounded by evil-minded folks who do not love and do not know God. But when the unlovingness comes it still hurts.

So--Sunday I was crying and asking God for the answer. "Jesus, what is the purpose in this? My brain knows you have a purpose, but my heart does not. Please show me."

Here comes the answer!

The very next part of the service was The Reading of the Law, wherein we hear some portion of Scripture. Yesterday: 1 John 3. Read it, if you please.

    See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
    Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
    For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
    By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
    By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

And the verses that stood out to me? Written in my Bible as if they were glowing, or bold, or italicised, or hyperlinked? Planned before the foundation of the world to teach me and give me new hope? Placed on the pastor's heart to read yesterday--and the pastor not knowing I needed to hear them? Read them:

Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. --I John 3:13-14

A reassurance that my sensitivity to the difference between love and not-love is a right sensitivity. A reminder that there is a real difference between me (part of the body) and Them (not). And a reminder of the Gospel, of the Truth we partake in when we eat the Bread and drink the Wine.

And then we ate communion and it was driven home again. What a blessing to be part of the communion of the Body of Christ. God is faithful.

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November 24, 2006

psalm 26

Vindicate me, O LORD,
    for I have walked in my integrity,
    and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
Prove me, O LORD, and try me;
    test my heart and my mind.
For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
    and I walk in your faithfulness.

I do not sit with men of falsehood,
    nor do I consort with hypocrites.
I hate the assembly of evildoers,
    and I will not sit with the wicked.


I wash my hands in innocence
    and go around your altar, O LORD,
proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
    and telling all your wondrous deeds.

O LORD, I love the habitation of your house
    and the place where your glory dwells.
Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
    nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
in whose hands are evil devices,
    and whose right hands are full of bribes.

But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
    redeem me, and be gracious to me.
My foot stands on level ground;
    in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.

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October 31, 2006

Self-Reformation

In the second half of life the necessity is imposed of recognizing no longer the validity of our former ideals but of their contraries. Of perceiving the error in what was previously our conviction, of sensing the untruth in what was our truth, and of weighing the degree of opposition, and even of hostility, in what we took to be love. --Carl Gustav Jung

Jung makes a good point, don't you think? Maybe even those of us who are in the first half of life ought to do these things: to study ourselves and our behaviors and bring them back into line with Truth.

That's the thing, isn't it? What is Truth? That's been the question since the beginning. Pilate asked it. That's exactly how the Enemy tempted Eve: "Did God really say...?" Getting her to question what Truth is--getting all of us to question what Truth is.

We know what Truth is, and it's our responsibility to recognize our tendency to stray from that Truth. Often it's like an undertow--our default settings that drag us back to our habits of sin, of self-centeredness, of pride, of desire, of need for control. Those responses are understandable, but they are not necessarily Truth.

We who are redeemed know what Truth is. We know Him and we know His voice. We recognize His voice, because He is our Shepherd, and we are the sheep of His pasture.

Once we know what Truth is--and reconcile ourselves to follow that Truth--then the task becomes constant reform. We must measure ourselves to see if we're falling back into error, untruth, opposition, and hostility, and commit to repenting of those sins and choosing the way of Truth again.

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October 10, 2006

Psalm 27

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
   whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
   of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me
   to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
   it is they who stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,
   my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
   yet I will be confident.

One thing have I asked of the LORD,
   that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
   all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
   and to inquire in his temple.

For he will hide me in his shelter
   in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
   he will lift me high upon a rock.

And now my head shall be lifted up
   above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
   sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;
   be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, "Seek my face."
My heart says to you,
   "Your face, LORD, do I seek."
Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
    O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
   O God of my salvation!
For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
   but the LORD will take me in.

Teach me your way, O LORD,
   and lead me on a level path
   because of my enemies.
Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
   for false witnesses have risen against me,
   and they breathe out violence.

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD
   in the land of the living!
Wait for the LORD;
   be strong, and let your heart take courage;
   wait for the LORD!

--Psalm 27

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October 04, 2006

Fast Food Mentality

The follower can't have a fast-food mentality when it comes to the things of God. Once again, the curse of the western Christian has taught us that to wait for God's answer is a burden, not as it should be seen, a relief. Jesus knew that even the thing which is good for us, is only good for us in God's time.

Stine, Brad. Being a Christian Without Being an Idiot: 10 Assumed Truths that Make Us Look Stupid. Franklin, TN: Right Minded Records, 2004. Page 20.

I went to McKay's and bought 4 books and then several from the free bin. I was there right when the guy was dumping books into the free bin and got some beauties. I also passed up some books -- one, for example, was Wastewater Engineering. Yikes. I do not ever want to read about wastewater engineering. Ick. EVEN THOUGH it is a public work and a necessary city utility, still. Just no.

Anyway, one of my purchased books was the source of the above quote. Isn't it a good one? I like it. Stay tuned for more good quotes.

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May 23, 2006

According to Steve H. ...

...who was my pastor last year:

Unless Jesus is first and best and most in our lives, nothing else with be worth anything.

And according to a pastor (I can't remember his name) at a Big Church in Hilo (and I can't remember the church's name):

All sunshine and no rain makes a desert. Do you want your life to be a desert or a garden?

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April 30, 2006

Revenge

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:12-17

I've been thinking lately about anger, bitterness, hurt, reconciliation, and holding grudges. The Lord led me this week (by coincidence) to this passage twice...and the pastor read the next section ("Husbands, Wives, Children, Fathers, Slaves, and Masters") this morning in church.

Notice the list of attributes we as God's people are called--no, obligated!--to put on with one another. Picture wearing them like clothes, like garments of pure clean white linen:

Just in case we miss any of these attributes, we are instructed to bear with one another and forgive (don't miss that we're given Christ's forgiveness as an example). Then there's the 'overcoat' of love--the varnish that seals the furniture and makes it safe, beautiful, and worthwhile. We're to be peaceful in the way that we live together (how can we tell if we've got peaceful hearts if we become hermits? It's by living in community that we put wheels on these teachings). And then there's the command to be thankful.

Whew.

NOW my temptation is to email this passage to _____, literally and figuratively. (It's ok, just compose your angry, hurt, and vengeful rant in your head and click 'send' in your imagination. It'll stay in your head instead of flying off through cyberspace to hurt _____ back. Sheesh. Here's the cure for that sinful overcorrection:

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

Galatians 6:1, emphasis mine.

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April 25, 2006

Anger.

Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harms we do, we do to ourselves.

Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven

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Ownership/Possessiveness

Parah quoted this in relation to parenting, but I quote it in relation to something else.

The sense of ownership in general is always to be encouraged. The humans are always putting up claims to ownership which sound equally funny in Heaven and in Hell, and we must keep them doing so. Much of the modern resistance to chastity comes from men's belief that they "own" their bodies -- those vast and perilous estates, pulsating with the energy that made the worlds, in which they find themselves without their consent and from which they are ejected at the pleasure of Another!

...We produce this sense of ownership not only by pride but by confusion. We teach them not to notice the different senses of the possessive pronoun -- the finely graded differences that run from "my boots" through "my dog," "my servant," "my wife," "my father," my master," and "my country," to "my God." They can be taught to reduce all these senses to that of "my boots," the "my" of ownership. Even in the nursery a child can be taught to mean by "my Teddy bear," ..."the bear I can pull to pieces if I like."

C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

This is so true! Friends, do not use your words to pierce others. Use them to love one another, all the more so if they are family--or Family. Get it straight in your mind what your priorities are and how those priorities fall short of God's best for us. Repent of those false priorities and start living and behaving according to the right priorities.

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February 13, 2006

Clear Instructions (Light II)

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not associate with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
  "Awake, O sleeper,
   and arise from the dead,
   and Christ will shine on you."
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
--Ephesians 5:6-17

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February 12, 2006

Light

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
  "Wake up, O sleeper,
   rise from the dead,
   and Christ will shine on you."
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.
--Ephesians 5:8-17 NIV

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February 09, 2006

Doubt

Doubt was like smoke--it found cracks and worried its was inside until it clouded the joy that was there before. A little could fill a big volume of space.

Henderson, Dee. The Healer. Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah, 2002.

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February 02, 2006

Idols Exposed

Eastern Birds also had these questions to expose our idols.

1. When I think "I'll be happy if only..." , that "if only" is an idol.
2. What sends me quickly into depression?
3. What do I avoid or seek at all costs?
4. What do I dream about night and day? If I'm not forced to do something, what do I do?
5. What do I pray for?
6. Whom MUST I please?
7. On my deathbed, what will I consider has made my life worthwhile?

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Fruit of the Spirit

Eastern Birds had this to say:

Spirit, source of fruit.

love. I hold others in a state that’s their best
joy. I am quick to be restored to union with my God
peace. I have equilibrium in this broken world
patience. I wait expectantly in hope
kindness. I respect, honor, and encourage
goodness. I have an outside source for right
faithfulness. I will be here to trust
gentleness. I turn away wrath with a soft answer
self-control. I am strong and alert.

Learning to practice until it comes natural.

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January 21, 2006

Widowhood

When young women make their wedding vows, they are seldom pondering how they will prepare for widowhood. And yet, many women, sooner or later, do become widows....Women need to understand some important principles that will help them now, equip them for later, or just enable them to encourage widows they know. What are some of these principles?

First of all, it is fundamental that every Christian woman comprehend that "your Maker is your husband, the Lord of Hosts is his name." If you are a child of God, you are part of the Bride of Christ....Though earthly husbands may be called away from the family through death, you heavenly Husband has promised never to leave you or forsake you. Wives, while your earthly husband is alive, cultivate biblical thinking about this....

--Nancy Wilson. The Fruit of Her Hands: Respect and the Christian Woman. Moscow, Idaho: Canon Press, 1997.

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January 04, 2006

Faith as a Floor

"I believe in the floor. I put it into place and I walk on it. Faith is a floor. If you don't work at making it for yourself, you have nothing to walk on."

--The Mason in Gregory Maguire's Mirror Mirror.

(Ok, if it's true about the floor, then who puts in the subfloor? Who provides the joists that hold up the subfloor? Who puts in the foundation that hold up the joists that hold up the subfloor? And who maintains the ground for the foundation for the joists for the subfloor? And who provides stability for the planet for the ground for the foundation for the joists for the subfloor for the floor?)

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December 13, 2005

On Letting Others' Blessings Become Curses to You

But, O! how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man's eyes.
Will Shakespeare, As You Like It, V.ii. 16
Update: I posted this for you, Jeep. I see you found it. See, The Bard himself understood.

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December 07, 2005

Pride

The lust to be served, honored, and noticed is nothing less than the lust to be treated like God. This monumental arrogance never can be satisfied; we will never become God. That's why pride always leaves the aftertaste of frustration.

Thomas, Gary L. "Downward Mobility." Discipleship Journal July/Aug 2005 p. 35.

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November 21, 2005

The Lonely in Families

Please go read this. It has a lot of wisdom.

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November 17, 2005

Wisdom that Comes From Heaven

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. James 3:13-18 NIV

I learned this in NIV but I really prefer the NKJV of this passage:

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:13-18 NKJV

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The Tie that Binds

I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them. Hosea 11:4

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Farm Imagery

Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12 NIV

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Evil in the Dark

Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.

John 3:20-21 NIV

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Judgment

Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.

John 7:24 NIV

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November 04, 2005

Take Heart

Are you listening? Did you hear? It isn't her--it's Him. The witch's magic is weakening! You thought it would last forever, but the ice is melting and the winter of your discontent is drawing to an end. This is the meaning of Father Christmas's unforeseen appearance in the Narnian woods. It's also the intensely real, eternally rock-solid, and deeply personal significance of the birth of Jesus--that same Jesus who was born during the days of Herod the king. Therefore, take heart, "for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11).

Bruner, Kurt, and Jim Ware. Finding God in the Land of Narnia. Saltriver (Tyndale House), 2005.

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November 02, 2005

In the Bleak Midwinter

It was during the days of Herod the king that the Savior was born. And it is in the "bleak midwinter" of personal failure, heartbreak, and disappointment that Jesus delights to encounter us today.

Bruner, Kurt, and Jim Ware. Finding God in the Land of Narnia. Saltriver (Tyndale House), 2005.

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October 24, 2005

Multipurpose entry

In this entry, find the following:

Grammar Rant
Saturday with Husband
My Church
The Weather
The Interview and Subsequent News
Conclusion


Grammar Rant
I went to a Fondue and Facials Mary Kay Party Friday evening, and had a good time. First we had fondue, which was delicious, and then we did the facials/makeup time.

There are two big grammar mistakes in the Mary Kay booklet. Why can't people tell the difference between a question and an exclamation? I also wonder why we seem to feel the need to put fragment after fragment after fragment when a series (separated by commas) will do. Why, people?

Saturday with Husband
Husband took me out on a date Saturday. All day! First, we went shopping together (Target, to buy a shower gift for the new sister-in-law a gift), then up the mountain to get Husband's Sister to sign the card...then the date began! The Corn Maze, then to the Carousel (which is in Coolidge Park, only costs a dollar for an adult, has all hand-carved horses, and has a nice long ride), and then to the Park to read (what nerds we are). We caught Elizabethtown in the Bijou, and it was a pretty good movie. Mesh, you had some good insights into the movie in the Pulse, but I don't really agree with you that it was a stinker. I am glad I saw it, though it wasn't really what they marketed it to be. (The advertising said it was a romantic comedy, but it was really a movie about death, and there was this girl thown in.) THEN we went to Big River Brewery (the best cheeseburger ever! Oh my. And the white cheddar mashed potatoes. Oh my. It used to be the perfect meal until they stopped brewing their own ginger ale. It was great, and they don't make it anymore. Still, it was a wonderful meal.) THEN we went to Clumpie's, and then to the cheap theater to catch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I really enjoyed it! It was a good adaptation of the book, it was creative and interesting visually, it never seemed to lag or get boring, and Willy Wonka was good and weird, not just weird.

It was a good date, all in all.

My Church
We attend Brainerd Hills Presbyterian Church. Their main distinctive is that they only sing Psalms during worship, so Husband can sing. (He's an Exclusive Psalmodist.) The congregation is comprised mostly of Homeschool Moms and Patriarchal Breadwinners and they are nice.) And the preaching is just excellent: Pastor Roop does really good exegesis, but also manages to come out with a list of three (or seven, or four, or whatever) applications to daily life. It's a really good sermon...a good meal.

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----Update. 2 Nov 2005. Please read this.----
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Here are some notes from the last few sermons:
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Reasons why I fail, like the disciples who had little faith:
1. My focus is on my ability rather than on God's ability.
2. I focus on my own experience, rather than on God's. (I've only lived 25 years. How long has God existed?)
3. I focus on my own assessment of the situation, rather than on God's assessment of the situation. (He said I could move mountains! Who cares if the mountain seems to big? He said I could do it!)
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Meaning behind the Feast of the Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread:
1. Symbolism. Passover was the time God redeemed his people in Egypt from slavery. The Feast is a remembrance of God's deliverance of his people. The subsequent feasts did not repeat the painting of the lamb's blood on the lintel because the redemption was already accomplished. So also, we do not re-sacrifice Christ when we celebrate the Lord's Supper. It's a remembrance, not a re-redemption service.
In Scripture, yeast symbolizes sin. When God commanded his people to get all the yeast out of their lives, he was telling them to get all the sin out of their lives. This takes effort and work, and sometimes very repetetive work.
2. Sequence. Feast of Unleavened Bread comes after the Feast of Passover. So also, the effort, work, and discipline of sanctification come after the achieved redemption. Work, effort, and discipline do not save us, but only the blood of the innocent lamb who died in our place. BUT the work, effort, and discipline are vital to a continuing life lived in holiness and growth.
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Do not become stumbling blocks to each other. How?
1. Do not tempt one another.
2. Do not set a bad example.
3. Do not misuse Christian liberty. (If my liberty offends my brother, I must stop. I must give up my liberty, my 'rights,' freely, because I consider my brother better than myself, just as Christ gave all his liberty up for me.)
4. Do not be part of false teaching. (Think cult leaders, but also, think heresies taught from pulpits.)
5. Do not live in sin. Do not continue in sin.
All of these require humility. How do we maintain humility?
1. Know God as he truly is.
2. Know myself as I really, truly am. (Isaiah saw God, knew himself truly, and cried out because of his sin. May we all do the same.)
Of course, we know God and ourselves clearly by knowing Scripture.
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Do not despise your brother or sister. How do we despise one another?
1. Look down on others in the body who do not have the maturity we ourselves have.
2. Be a favoritist.
3. Withhold from those in need.
4. Ridicule personal appearance. (I struggle with this one. It's related to my struggle with favoritism.)
5. Be hateful/smug/indifferent toward someone caught in sin.
6. Resent someone who catches us in sin.
7. Take advantage of a fellow believer in any way.
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The Weather
I'm not liking this cold, but I do like the relative lack of humidity and the blue skies. And I like my fuzzy slippers, and the comfort of a warm mug of hot coffee or tea. Oh yes. And snuggling under the comfy warm covers? Yes, I like that too. But getting out of the comfy warm bed into chilly bedroom is torture.

The Interview and Subsequent News
The interview went well. I have an awesome interview suit and shoes. I had prepared and written down questions for them. I knew one of the questions would be about my discipline style, so I wrote down my summary since it's been a while since I've been in a classroom. I think I did an awesome job. But the position started today, and they haven't called me yet. (They told me they'd call me soon. So I'm waiting for them to call.)
Sigh. This is hard.

Conclusion
I have errands to do, so that's all the blogging for now. And don't worry, the blogthing frenzy will resume. Woo hoo. Also, I did quite a bit of editing in the paragraph which describes the demographic of my church, so I might have to post about that cognitive dissonance. Maybe.

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October 12, 2005

Private Morality

In The Abolition of Man, Lewis says modern education has certain tendencies. Primarily, it tries to teach that value statements are merely statements about the emotions, and emotions, because they are aroused by associations contrary to reason, are contemptible. Frost [a wicked character in That Hideous Strength], for example, argues that all motivations, actions, and feelings are biochemically induced. But Lewis argues that in every culture there is a "Tao"--natural law, traditional morality, a set of objective values--which sets up an objective basis for all values and judgments. In other words, the world has a built-in moral "yardstick."

The "debunking" of emotions through propagandistic techniques is therefore wrong. Lewis illustrates the inconsistency of those who claim to debunk these value statements. They try, for example, to derive a system of value from the platitudes of practical reason or by appealing to factual propositions, such as saying preservation of the species is an "instinct." Since these are not the basis for any system of values, says Lewis, they are doomed. Furthermore, if we do not accept the Tao, the moral order of the universe, we will move steadily toward our own constructs built on man's assumptions, with a resulting loss of objectivity; for without a belief in some external standard of value, man will be forced to turn to private constructs.

Sammons, Martha C. A Guide through C. S. Lewis' Space Trilogy. Westchester, Illinois: Cornerstone Books, 1980. Page 74.

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September 20, 2005

The Fantasy Story

Although millions of Christians have delighted in the Narnia stories, I have encountered several and heard of others who shy away from any form of fantasy literature containing magic or real-world impossibilities. They mistrust such stories as conveyors of truth or treat them as escapism from reality. Lewis himself encountered the same attitude and effectively laid to rest such ovjections by showing how such tales can be "truer" than much of what children read in contemporary fiction. ...He saw the way in which the realistic story addresses wish fulfillment as dangerous and egocentric. Children run to them to escape the humiliation and disappointments they encounter in tye real world. They pleasure they get consists of picturing themselves as the objects of admiration--all flattery to the ego.

The longing aroused by the fantastic tale is quite different. The boy reading such a story does not really desire the dangers of dragons and giants and ogres and enchanters. His desire is diffused over the entire world he enters, and it's impossible to indentify any single object as the focus of it. The whole magical aura of castles, knights, spells, woods, mist-shrouded mountains, dwarfs, caves, courage, and honor draws him. As Lewis said, "It stirs him and troubles him...with the dim sense of something beyond his reach and, far from dulling or emptying the actual world, gives it a new dimension of depth. He does not despise real woods because he had read of enchanted woods: the reading makes all real woods a little enchanted."

Addressing the charge that fantasy literature is escapism, Tolkien asked Lewis, "What class of men would you expect to be the most preoccupied with, and most hostile to, the idea of escape?" The answer: jailers. Lewis described the Christian life as warfare in which Christians lived in enemy-occupied territory. Naturally our enemies would oppose our escape; they would condemn any sort of reading that opens the door and shows us the glofy of our true commander, inspiring us to rally to him and throw off the yoke of oppression.

--Thomas Williams, The Heart of the Chronicles of Narnia. pp. xviii-xix.

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September 13, 2005

Missionaries

So many missionaries, intent on doing something, forget that His [God's] main work is to make something of them, not just to do a work by their stiff and bungling fingers.

--Jim Eliot, Shadow of the Almighty, p. 179

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Death and Love

[Death] is a warning to any of us who love. We should love hard, and not casually; fervently, playfully, and simply, never heavily or slowly. Slovenly loving makes for wearisome living. ...If you ever love, Jane, love like a school girl with giggles and sighs, and keep love alive by consciously keeping wonder and surprise at the core of it. For many 'young-marrieds' get used to it after a year or two, because they think they have to. For me, I can't afford that with Betty. I've got to make it last and last. I have not found it hard, but I have found that love is not effortless. It needs control and direction.

Jim Eliot, Shadow of the Almighty, pp. 177-78.

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The Will of God

The will of God is always a bigger thing than we bargain for, but we must believe that whatever it involves, it is good, acceptable, and perfect.

--Jim Eliot, The Shadow of the Almighty, p. 166

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God's Moral Goodness

In reading the Scriptures I find a great moral power. Therein I am made aware of two great forces for good in human experience: the fear of God and the grace of God. Without the fear of God I would not stop at doing evil; the fear of God restrains. Without the grace of God I would have no desire to approach positive goodness. The one is a dererrent from evil; the other is an encouragement to good.

--Jim Eliot, Shadow of the Almighty, pp. 155-56

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The Past

The past is gone, and I am glad, both for its going and for the way it went. God has led in, through, and out, by the best route possible, we may believe. I am particularly conscious of the Christian's right to expect events to be exactly timed for good. 'As for God, His way is perfect.'

--Jim Eliot, Shadow of the Almighty, p. 153

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September 10, 2005

Art Museum 'Deep Thoughts'

Expressing his initial ideas for a new home for the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Cloepfil commented, "In making space for contemporary art, the architecture must first serve the artist; not by attempting to render a 'background' for the art, but by providing the artist with a specific spatial presence, an intentional vacancy that achieves meaning through the art itself." --Cloepfil. Emphasis mine.

Cloepfil, Brad. Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. 10 Sep 2005. . Click here for the site.

So. What if my life is an art museum for someone else's art? It is! God calls me to do good works so that he would be glorified.

God, make my life an intentional vacancy so that others notice you, not me. Let me be emptied of self so that you would be exalted. And let it be in a quieter way than this architect designed his museum. Let me be truly invisible compared to the wonder and glory that you are, and let me not make a big deal about how I want you to be glorified in me. Just be my masterpiece and I'll be your spotlight, your frame, your setting, your display case. You must become greater and I must become less.

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The Broken Road

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you
Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

--Rascal Flatts, The Broken Road

Continue reading "The Broken Road"

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September 09, 2005

Wonderful Grace of Jesus

Wonderful grace of Jesus,
Greater than all my sin;
How shall my tongue describe it,
Where shall its praise begin?
Taking away my burden,
Setting my spirit free;
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus,
Deeper than the mighty rolling sea;
Wonderful grace, all sufficient for me, for even me.
Broader than the scope of my transgressions,
Greater far than all my sin and shame,
O magnify the precious Name of Jesus.
Praise His Name!

Wonderful grace of Jesus,
Reaching to all the lost,
By it I have been pardoned,
Saved to the uttermost,
Chains have been torn asunder,
Giving me liberty;
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus,
Deeper than the mighty rolling sea;
Wonderful grace, all sufficient for me, for even me.
Broader than the scope of my transgressions,
Greater far than all my sin and shame,
O magnify the precious Name of Jesus.
Praise His Name!

Wonderful grace of Jesus,
Reaching the most defiled,
By its transforming power,
Making him God’s dear child,
Purchasing peace and heaven,
For all eternity;
And the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus,
Deeper than the mighty rolling sea;
Wonderful grace, all sufficient for me, for even me.
Broader than the scope of my transgressions,
Greater far than all my sin and shame,
O magnify the precious Name of Jesus.
Praise His Name!

--Haldor Lillenas

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Balance

Lord, give me firmness without hardness, steadfastness without dogmatism, love without weakness.

--Jim Eliot, in Shadow of the Almighty, page 110.

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August 27, 2005

Heroes

At dinner recently with a group of Christian high school and college students, I asked whether they had any heroes. There was silence. They looked at each other, then looked blankly back at me. Heroes? What is a hero?

I was taken aback. While they discussed definitions I remembered what a long list of heroes I had when I was their age. I would have had no difficulty in answering the question had I asked, not would it have been necessary to define the word. Gideon, David, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Hans the Hero of Haarlem, Florence Nightingale, and Abraham Lincoln were on my list, along with a good many nineteenth- and twentienth-century missionaries.

No, was the answer of my dinner companions. They had no heroes.

Is there anyone, then, whom you admire?

A short pause, then, hesitantly, well, yes--some rock stars, a few athletes--people not by any means always exemplary in many ways, but they had a goal they worked hard for.

Feeling very sorry for these young people, and a bit desperate, I asked if there was anyone they wanted to be like. The answer was an immediate and definite no. They wanted to do their own thing, be their own person. That seems to me to be a hard assignment. If we are to find the channel and the harbor, surely we need some lights to steer by." (emphasis mine)

Eliot, Elisabeth. Shadow of the Almighty: Life and Testament of Jim Eliot. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1979. Page 13.

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