06.12.09
Posted in Living the Christian Life at 2:58 pm by savinggrc
Lots of things are floating through my head and I’ll put them down. They’re pretty random, but hey, that’s my head.
#1 - Why is it that when I see you at the grocery store you ask about my kids, ask how I’m liking the weather, ask if we’re going anywhere on vacation, etc., but when I see you on Facebook, you’re all the time acting spiritual? What is up with that? I mean, really, when I see you face-to-face, you’re all about “worldly” things, in fact, I can’t recall a single conversation where you’ve even acted remotely spiritual, but when I can’t see you, but lots of others can, you’re all of a sudden Mr (Mrs, Miss) Spiritual-always thinking about God?
Quit fronting. It’s not cool. It makes me wonder what else in your life is a lie.
#2 - What is it with churches slamming other churches who choose to “worship” in a different way? I love hymns (as long as you don’t play and sing them like a funeral dirge every week), I like praise & worship, I love Southern Gospel, not all that into Bob Jones U. sort of music, but hey, it takes all kinds, right? But, when I visit your church, where there is no discernible beat to the music and no one would dare tap their feet or clap their hands, that you say yours is the “only true worship?” On the other hand, I visit a church that only does 7-11s, (Oh, how I hate the 50th repeat of your current favorite 7-11.), and you say the same thing. Those hymns and that no-beat music, they aren’t real worship! We’re the only ones doing it right! I could go on and on, but the point is the same. Everyone says they are the only ones doing it right, and I’m asking, did a 7-ft Jesus come and tell you that? Because I can worship in a lot of different situations, but I haven’t really found any of you who’ve “got it all going on.” There are some churches (BMBC) whose music I love, but then, I sing in the choir and do specials. My dh doesn’t and hates that there aren’t more songs for the congregation to be involved in. So again, I’m asking, who gave us the right to decide what is “true worship” and what isn’t? You think it’s too “worldly” because they used drums (God forbid! sarcasm intended) and they think it’s too boring because you didn’t.
Did I miss the day that God came down and declared that only a certain type of music was good enough for Him? I must add that I think Christian Rock is an oxymoron, so you’ll likely know my thoughts on Christian Rap as well. That doesn’t mean I think you’re evil or not really worshipping because you listen to, sing along with, whatever, that music. Just means that it doesn’t fit my personal taste. Certainly means that I’m not all fired up about hearing it in church.
Does “true worship” involve one-upping the church down the street? Tearing them down to make us look good? Doesn’t true worship involve loving one another in spite of our differences, even being friends and hanging out with one another? Doesn’t it mean being all things to all men in order to save a few? Who am I to say that their method is wrong or bad? I mean, dude, I don’t see the altars full every week with everyone we’re wooing in with what we’re doing. The same Bible that says things should be done “decently and in order” also says that we are to submit to one another - hold each other in higher esteem than we hold ourselves. Wow, what a concept. If we could learn that one and apply it regularly, perhaps the altars would be full every week.
#3 Barack Hussein Obama. Almost without another word, I could stop with that. But I won’t. Some of you are already feeling convicted. You should. When it became apparent that our newest president would be a Barack Obama, many of you promised to pray for him and honor him just as you did George Bush or Ronald Reagan. And yet…and yet, I hear your talk. You are calling him the antichrist, you are slamming him moment by moment, you are not talking about praying for him and your voice, when you speak of him, is not full of love (as it would be if you really were praying for him and asking God to give you love for the man), it is full of hate.
Just like you, I despise the man’s policies. I think his agenda is ruining this nation. (which part of his agenda you ask? ALL of it.) Nonetheless, we are commanded in the Bible (you know, that Book you claim to live your life by) to honor him. How is it we are to honor him? Has he done something honorable? Not so much. We are to honor him for his position alone. God put him in the position, not the voters of America. God did not fall asleep on November 4, 2008. Honor him, pray for him, love him as God loves him. That is the way to win him to Christ.
Okay, I think I’m done ranting for the day. See ya’ll later.
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05.01.09
Posted in Go at 1:24 am by savinggrc
[Karen steps onto soapbox]
On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was re-established after nearly 2000 years of nonexistence as a political entity. On Sunday, May 16, 1948, pastors of churches across America began a new brand of preaching. A mix between despair that “all the endtime prophecies are coming true” and delight that “we won’t be here for all of these terrible things that are going to happen to the unsaved,” the messages didn’t draw the lost to the cross. There was no “revival of 1948″ as happened in previous generations (cf Wikipedia on “Christian Revivalism” for somewhat good info on this), there was no cleaning up and clearing out at the local churchhouse. Instead, a new wave of apathy set in the church that has yet to be removed.
Based on the pretrib dispensational teaching, the church was to be “removed” from earth via the “Secret Rapture” within one generation of Israel becoming a nation. (Some do use the end of the Six-Day War in 1967 to set their generation from, but the result is similar.) Since they also claim that a generation is either 40 years, or 60 years, or (conveniently?) 100 years, then the rapture either has (had) to happen in:
1988 (oops)
[2007 if you use 1967 and oops]
2008 (oops again)
[2027 for 1967 as starting point]
2048
[2067 if 1967].
Sorry if that’s complicated, but I’ve really got a point to make about this. Please hang on ’til the end. During the time from 1948 to present, preachers began this message (in a million variations, but with the same basic thrust): Participating in civic life is a waste of time. Make sure your spiritual life is up to par because He can come any minute. Here is the checklist of things you should not be doing; make sure you can check off every one of those boxes every single day. Make sure you hand out plenty of tracts, knock on plenty of doors and tell people about the rapture, because we don’t want them to have to “live through the tribulation period,” but hey, even if they wait, they can still get saved later. I mean, today is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2), but it’s okay if you wait, you’ll get a second chance after we’re gone.
Certainly, I know that any preacher worth his salt will say, “that’s not the message I meant to convey. Instead, I want Christians to live right because they love Jesus. I want Christians to tell others about what Jesus did for them because they love Jesus.” And that’s nice. But does it matter what we want people to hear and what they actually hear? I tell my son, take out the trash now. He hears, take out the trash whenever you feel like it. I often have to repeat my message many times using different words each time in an increasingly louder voice before something snaps in his head and he says, oh, you want me to take out the trash now! (Not that he just takes it out even then without his very own special case of whine flu, mind you.) A frequent discussion point in our home is “It doesn’t matter what you meant, thought or intended, it only matters what you actually said.”
So, now, it’s 61 years since Israel became a political entity. How’re things looking in America? I mean, the preachers have been passing out lots of checklists and Christians across America have spent decades checking off their little boxes (I’ll save the whole ”revolution from the checklists” thing for another blog), how has that changed the face of America? Well, few American Christians hold public office. We quit running for mayor, city council, senator, congressman, state representative, president, vice-president. We even quit applying for jobs in the government sector by and large. We all wanted to be “in the ministry,” rather than actually doing the ministry. We wanted to (pardon the vernacular and yes, I recycled the phrase from “Stuff Christians Like”) pimp God rather than serve Him. Christian teachers quit teaching public school. We only teach in private schools at our local church. We quit going to and participating in the local school board or PTA. We just sat at home and complained about SEX EDUCATION (Can you believe, gasp, what they want to teach my innocent little Bessie in school these days!?!?!). Since we’re not holding public offices anymore, when some new kid on the block came into the local alderman meeting and asked about having a “Gay Awareness Day,” we weren’t there to point out that, really, we are all aware of homosexual activity in America. Instead, we sat in our easy chairs and secretly thought, “He got what he deserved for desecrating God’s law.” as we watched news coverage of the Matthew Shepard killing. I could go on and on, but the point is made. We are much more willing to rest on the laurels of what Christians did one, two, three hundred or more years ago than go out and do the same ourselves.
Now, to the title of the post. Christians are no longer in charge in America because, back in the ’50s, after the establishment of Israel as a nation, churches started heavily preaching that Jesus was coming any minute via the “Secret Rapture,” therefore it did not matter what we did or did not do in civic life anymore. We aren’t going to be here anyway, right? We willingly abdicated our roles in society, we are reaping the results, and we don’t like it. Hence, the WHINE FLU.
How many evangelical pastors have you heard lately telling Christians to get involved in their local community? I’ll grant you that I’m not going to churches all across America, but we have spent a lot of time church-shopping in the last 10 years, and I’ve never heard it. My only advice? Do something about it or shut up.
When someone (who’s personal life is really in a shambles, but who claims the name of Christ) stands up and says “I’m a Christian and I’m running for office,” nevermind the rules in your church that would not allow them to be deacons or in ministry at all, they said “Christian” and “I am one,” so we had better support them. Maybe I’m jaded. Maybe God has given me an extra measure of discernment (at least sometimes?). Maybe, just maybe, we should look a little deeper than the surface we’re shown in the political ad. I mean, yeah, God, the flag, apple pie, and God Bless America. Does that make a good leader? Does that make a Christian? Did ya’ll not notice that every single candidate out there (including the Mormon…what’s up with that????) claimed to be a Christian this past presidential election? Why throw so much weight behind these statements?
The Christian church in America reminds me of Israel, “We want to be like other nations, we want a king.” God said, “Really, trust me on this, you don’t want a king.” They said, “No, no, you’re God and all, but you’re not human. You don’t know that it’ll be bad. We look bad. We’re feeling the peer pressure to be like everybody else. Give us a king.” God? Okay, you got it, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. And look how that turned out! Go figure that God was right. Amazing, isn’t it? Now, it’s 2009. We have a president who sat under the most racially-motivated preaching I’ve ever heard - worse rhetoric than I have ever heard (and I’m from the South, so that’s saying something) - and then said, “I’m a Christian.” And millions of Americans (even plenty of evangelical Christians) believed him and voted for him saying, “He’s a Christian. And he’s black and we’ll make history.” Don’t misunderstand, this isn’t sour grapes about Obama winning the presidency. It isn’t about Obama being black. It isn’t even about him being a Democrat. In the end, not a single one of those things is important. The important thing is that we turned our backs on God’s commands in the Bible (especially that part in Peter where we are commanded to do our civic duty, then we whine about the result.
Several thousand years ago:
Nation of Israel: Oh God, we’re slaves in Egypt. Hear our cries and rescue us.
God: Okay. Moses, you lead’em out.
Nation of Israel: We should have stayed in Egypt. There we had meat, leeks, onions, grapes, great food…yeah, well, we had to make bricks and gather our own supplies. Yeah, we were slaves, but at least we had food. Out here in the desert? Puh. We’re following Moses? What in the world were we thinking? We’re going to starve to death.
God: Food? You want food? Okay, I’ll send you manna from Heaven.
Later…
Israel: Manna? We loathe this light bread. We want meat. We should have stayed in Egypt. Why in the world did we listen to Moses.
God: So now you want meat? Okay, I’ll give you meat until it’s coming out of your nostrils and you will absolutely loathe it.
Skip forward a few thousand years:
American Christians: What are we thinking working so hard? We are the “rapture generation!” God is going to take us away before anything bad can happen to us. Yeehaw! We don’t need to worry about evangelizing the lost. We don’t need to worry about the direction the country’s going in. We’re not going to be here. Let the heathen reap what they sow. We’ll be in Heaven sitting at the banqueting table. Wooo! GO GOD! Yeah!
God: Wow, the remnant of the nation of Israel is starting to be gathered in and they interpret that to mean that I’m going to snatch them out any second and no one else will know about it until they see their empty clothes laying around? Sigh. Where did they see that? Didn’t I tell them, “In this world, you shall have tribulation??” Fine, you want to ignore my commands to be good citizens so that you give honor and glory and praise to me among the heathen? (See 1 Peter 2) I’ll give you a taste of what it’s like without Christians being involved.
a few decades pass…
American Christians: Look at the state of our country! What happened? We’ve been checking off our boxes. Well, we can’t have believed a lie. We can’t have misunderstood this teaching. It must be that we’re not counting right. It must be that a generation is longer than we thought. Though we believe we can see every remaining prophecy in the Bible being fulfilled right before our eyes, we must have gotten the timing wrong somehow. Really, it’s still anyday, but only at the end of a generation. Can a generation be longer than 100 years? Hear our crys oh God.
God: I told you to be salt and light. A city set on a hill. What was so hard about that? I didn’t tell you to go home and wait for me to come. I told you there was a field ready for harvest. Not only did you not go, you spent all of your “tithe” on yourselves. You didn’t even give it to Me. Oh sure, you gave it to the church, but you didn’t give it to me. You built bigger buildings. You bought nicer cars, and clothes and televisions.
90% of the money you gave stayed in your home church.
It didn’t go to the mission field - home or abroad. You consumed it upon your own lusts. So what if you kneel at the altar and pray to me every week? So what if you have a “mission conference” every year? So what if you have a “revival meeting” every year? So what if you send your youth group on a “mission trip” every year? You took the bounty I gave you and you said, phooey on what God wants. I earned it, I’m spending it on what I want. (How did this blog turn into something on giving??? Yikes!)
You checked off your boxes on the checklist.
You went out on “visitation.”
You wore a suit and tie to church. (or a dress and high heels)
You took up the offering (akin to putting the fox right in the henhouse).
You didn’t drink.
You didn’t smoke (at least not in public).
You didn’t fool around on your wife. (That internet/tv/magazine/newspaper thing doesn’t really count does it?)
You didn’t cuss, well, unless you were really mad, and surely God is okay with that?
You quit going to movie theaters. Someone might see you and think you were going to the R-rated show. Instead you ordered cable or satellite so you could see the same things at home without anyone else knowing about what you did.
You didn’t, you didn’t, you didn’t.
Honestly, (still God speaking) I’m more interested in what you actually DID do. Did you tell your neighbor with the bratty kids that Jesus died for your sins? Did you tell them exactly where you were when I picked you up and saved you? Or, did you hide behind your privacy fence and curtained windows? Did you help out that family down the street when the dad lost his job and they were going without food and then lost their house? Or did you say, Oh, that’s too bad, I’ll pray for them, then go out to dinner with the money that could have fed their family for another week? What did you actually do in My name?
Offer a cup of cold water?
or wag your tongue gossiping about their shoddy house/yard/clothes, etc?
Tell them about the Way, the Truth and the Life?
or tell them that if they vote for HIM, they’re going to hell?
Visit them in prison?
or complain about the justice system and how they should be behind bars while you speed down the road?
I’m not interested in what you did not do. God’s not interested in what you did not do. What you didn’t do doesn’t change the kingdom. What you did do does. Quit whining. Put on your big-girl (boy) panties and suck it up. (that’s the modern translation of 1 Samuel 4:9a) You put yourself into this position by not doing anything at all. Now’s not the time to organize a boycott or to march in protest. Now is the time to step up to the plate and become involved in life again.
You want to turn America around? You want to turn the church in America around? The only way to do that is to get up, get involved OUTSIDE the church doors (and no, I don’t mean going door to door on visitation.), take part in our community. Quit hiding behind your false piety of “I don’t go to those place” and “My friends are all Christians” and “I wouldn’t want to be seen there, even though that’s where the sinners are.” Prove that you really do love like Jesus does. He was a “friend of sinners.” Go figure. Why was He their friend? It wasn’t because He looked down on them for wearing raggedy jeans and long hair to church on Sunday. It wasn’t because He gossiped about them being an ex-con when they weren’t around. It was because He met them where they were at and gave them everything they needed to be where He is at.
He said, I love you, even with your filthy rotten dirty disgusting sin (just like he did for you and me, by the way). He said, I have something better for you, though. Here it is. I’m not asking you to change yourself. I’m not asking you to look a certain way, or act a certain way, or walk a certain way. I’m asking you to simply follow Me. That’s it. Renounce your past. Embrace Me. C’mon, it’s easier than you think.
We, on the other hand, say, get cleaned up, get out of the gutter, make yourself look presentable to the world. Oh sure, we want you to get saved, but please, can’t you wash off the dirt before you get our carpet dirty? Do you have to sit in the pew with those filthy clothes on? If you’re not going to at least TRY to be presentable, how can you expect us to reach out to you? You stink, to be honest. Your breath isn’t pleasant. Would you like a mint? We’ve got lots. But, can you stay outside until you don’t smell so bad? Thanks. We’re here whenever you’re all prettied up for us. We’re excited to tell you all about Jesus, just as soon as you look good on the outside. Oh, and here, we have this checklist for you. No, of course we’re not under the law, but we just want to make sure that we’re right with God when the secret (shh?) rapture happens. You may as well get a headstart on it, eh? It can’t hurt to be doing the right things before you get saved, can it?
We chase them off. People are hungry for God and we’re so wrapped up in our churchianity that we can’t even see that we may as well be standing at the door with a shotgun saying, “No, you can’t come in yet. We don’t want your kind. This church is only for those who look like us.”
So American Christians, that’s the face of American Christianity as I see it. Oh, and don’t make any mistakes, I’m just as much to blame as any of you. I’m pointing the finger at myself. Just when I think I’ve gotten past this stuff and become a “mature Christian,” I find myself wallowing in the mire again. But please, can’t you quit whining about it? Especially can’t you quit preaching and saying really dumb things like, “What happened to our country?” I just told you what happened. You quit serving in the community. Get over it, get back out there and get busy.
[Karen steps off soapbox]
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04.19.09
Posted in Living the Christian Life at 11:57 pm by savinggrc
(Stepping onto soapbox)
Honestly, it’d be better if I never got into these discussions, but Sam wasn’t there to give me “the look,” and I was just annoyed enough to just say it, so I did. The discussion only came up because someone was once again amazed that we drive 45 minutes to church. You know, in major cities, many folks have to drive 30 minutes or more to get to church, either because of distance from it or because of traffic. We happen to be out of town, but really, it’s not that big a deal. Of course, Sam usually drives and I usually sleep, so I really don’t mind, but that’s neither here nor there.
I was talking about all the pantywaist preachers in our town. That might set some teeth on edge, but it’s the reality. Of those who actually attempt to really preach, most are Calvinist. I’m not, end of story. (I have to listen to every single word through a Calvinist filter, then I spend all my time trying to figure out what he’d be saying if he weren’t Calvinist and it really ruins the whole thing for me.) I mentioned that the best preaching we had heard here in our tiny little burg was a woman. You can imagine the shocked faces. The entire picture could be pretty humorous if I were in a better mood. We visited a church in town; the pastor was on a mission trip; the pulpit fill for the week was a woman in the church and she was absolutely on fire. It was awesome! I’m from the South, Independent Baptist circles. You know I’m used to really good ON FIRE preaching. She matched any of those men. Anyway, the reply (after about 45 seconds of absolute silence) was, “I guess it would be okay once, but I wouldn’t want to go there, it’s not Scriptural.” What’s not Scriptural? Preaching the Word? Being instant in season and out? What? Oh, she’s a woman. I (perhaps not so wisely) pointed out that the Bible commands us all, men and women, to preach the Gospel. Well, I was told, that’s not what it means. Well, what does “preach” mean then? Exhort? Rebuke? Share a challenge? <<<----gag, barf, puke over "challenges" Only share the Gospel message to lost souls? If that's the case, then that's the only thing the regular preacher should be doing because that's what it says.
Of course, the next statement was, well the Bible says that women shouldn't be in the pulpit preaching. LOL. Now, at this point, you can imagine my reply. Oh, where does it say that? I not-so-innocently asked. It actually says that PASTORS (Bishops) are to be men and it says that women aren't to usurp the authority of men, and that women aren't to teach men, but it NEVER says that a woman can't preach - to men or otherwise. Well, women are to keep silent in the church, she so unwisely said. Well, we don't, I said. We teach Sunday School, we sing in choir, we sing specials, some of us even amen the preacher (Me, I mean.) We're not silent at all, so if that's what we really believe, then why aren't we obeying it in any of those areas?
You can see how fruitless this will be. It will be one more round of, "but it says..." when it doesn't really say any such thing. (Take "women aren't to be in the pulpit" for example. I defy any of you to find "pulpit" used in conjunction with women teaching in the Word. It's not there.) So, it ended up with some strange silence and some really weird looks coming my way. I do want to point out that I don't believe women are to be pastors in churches. I just don't see that in Scripture. If you think it's fine, have at it, but don't expect me to come to your church regularly. Some women are gifted as preachers. Should we muzzle them just because tradition in America says they shouldn't be preaching? Why is it okay to follow vain tradition if it suits the men in church, but not otherwise? I mean, we hear about other churches (mostly Catholic and Episcopalian) following vain tradition, not the Bible and it's the most horrible thing in the world. But if we're doing it, then hey, must be fine!
I guess if raising your hands (nevermind what the Psalms say about clapping or raising your hands) isn't really praising God, then neither can women preachers be okay. If they’re not, though, I wish some of these pantywaist preachers (and I use “preacher” loosely) would copy their sermons from the women (or at least from this one woman in our town) and deliver them with just as much fire. Maybe then we wouldn’t have to drive 45 minutes to church!
(Steps off of soapbox)
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03.24.09
Posted in Go at 5:56 am by savinggrc
We landed safely in Dhaka after a short hop from Bangkok and a seven hour layover. The new airport in Bangkok is a giant duty-free shopping mall!
Praise God, all of our bags made it to Dhaka in one piece. In fact, the entire trip has been very uneventful, and that’s a good thing. We are currently sweating in the van on the ferry across the Ganges River. I wish I could scroogle.org some information about this nasty river for you, but there is no wifi on the Ganges (go figure). Anyway, we have been inundated with beggars and I’ve really enjoyed watching mom’s and Peggy’s faces as we play chicken with buses and cargo trucks. Ha ha. It is very amusing. I’ll keep you posted as we go and I can connect with wifi.
Fi
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03.22.09
Posted in Go at 2:33 pm by savinggrc
5:00 AM sure comes early when you’re keyed up and excited to go! Last night we finished loading the bags–all 7 were either 50 or 51-lbs. All that was left was to get ourselves ready and go. Sam generously offered to fix breakfast for us, so pancakes were ready at 6:00 AM.
We made it to the airport in plenty of time, paid $100 for an extra bag (cheaper than 6 overweight bags) and we’re off! TGIF @gate C28 offered a good, but pricey lunch. After a run to a last minute gate change in concourse A, we are now about halfway to Los Angeles. We are excited because they told us our bags checked all the way to Dhaka. Woohoo! That’ll save us a lot of hassle. Back to my nap!
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02.22.09
Posted in Being a wife and mom at 12:23 am by savinggrc
Long ago and far away, my boys were sweet. They loved to help Mommy wash dishes or vacuum or make their beds or clean their rooms. Ever since they contracted this disease, however, they’ve become recalcitrant, belligerent, prideful, stubborn, whiney, lazy, and messy. On top of that, this disease makes them believe that they know everything about anything worth knowing and warps their brains into believing that Mommy and Daddy are absolute idiots. The disease? They have become teenagers.
I know what some of you are thinking. If you’d just ______________. Fill in the blank, I’ve heard it all. Read a book. Love them more (said in a sappy, breathy voice). Hug them more. Spank them more. Discipline them less. Put them in public school. Get them involved in youth group. Get them out of youth group. Blah blah blah, ad nauseum. Most of these folks have littles and no real idea what in the world I’m talking about, though they are absolutely positive that they won’t have these kinds of problems when their kids become teenagers. Others haven’t had teens around for 30 or more years and apparently have blocked out all the bad things from their own children’s teen years, so that all is painted with a rosy glow (sorta the same way folks who could sit in the front of the bus remember the ’50s).
My experience has been that there is no pat answer, no one size fits all cure-all, not even one thing that works equally well with both of our teenagers. We are learning through the trial and error (mostly error) method. If I remember from my science labs in college, trial and error is not the most efficient way to get things done! It’s too bad there’s not some list somewhere that says, “If…, then….” It’d sure make life easier! In the meantime, I’m going to stick with the advice I received from a mom who has all age groups at home and some grown - pray, pray, and when you think you’re done, pray some more. The rest is just fluff.
So for all my well-meaning friends and family, thanks, but no thanks. Write down the advice you were going to give to me and try it when your littles become teenagers. Smile. What a visual I get from that! I know that I had plenty of “good advice” for the parents of my students when I was teaching at Yuma High and at Salisbury High, and I know, now, that the advice was worthless. Kids act differently for teachers than they do for parents. It is amazing how a surly, sullen brat can become a smiling, happy, eager-to-help youngster in about half a second!
I love my boys dearly; I’d give my life for them if need be, but there are days when they are very difficult to like! Praise God, though, that this too shall pass. It didn’t come to stay!
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01.22.09
Posted in Living the Christian Life at 10:27 pm by savinggrc
This was a question posed to us in Sunday school this week. What makes you mad? Not what irritates you or annoys you or gets under your skin, but what makes you really mad? We joked that it was our teenagers…and sometimes they do, but really what makes me mad?
A lot of us, off the cuff, would say that those out dealing drugs or making child porn or myriad other horrific crimes, but honestly, does any of that surprise us? Does it not make sense that sinners sin? Nope. These are not the things that make me mad. What makes me really mad, enough to blow my top over, are Christians who sin.
You know, we all sin everyday - Christian or not. I’m really focusing on those Christians who trample the name of Christ publickly. That bugs me much more than anything else. When I head into church and see a woman in ministry of any sort dressed like she just got home from the bar and headed to the church - THAT makes me mad. When I hear about that woman or others IN MINISTRY at the church headed out to the bars or to rock concerts or sleeping around or, God forgive us all, doing anything that publickly tramples on the cross of Christ, then I get steamed.
When I don’t pray for you as I should, I’ve sinned. I’m always sorry for it. It’s never my intent to not pray. I just fill my time with other things. When I don’t read my Bible as I should, I’ve sinned. I’m sorry for this, too. And, I know we all stumble. I’m not perfect. I know that others aren’t either, but some things are inexcusable. It is inexcusable for someone to keep nursery, sing a special, sing in choir on Sunday night when they were out at the bars or a rock concert on Saturday night.
Maybe you have a looser view of how Christians should behave. I believe that we are called to be separated - just as Paul says. We have to live in this world; we don’t have to wallow in it. I wish, for a moment or two, that I could just let loose on these people every time I see them behaving this way. How in the world do we suppose to show Christ to others when our lives are exactly like theirs? I mean, if we do the same things they do, listen to the same music, go the same places (except church on Sunday morning), then what draws them? Getting up early with a hangover is our idea of fun? Do those who do this feel like they are paying penance because they suffer through another boring sermon with a headache?
Christ in us, us living as if we actually do believe what we claim to, is what draws others to the cross. We cannot wallow in the muck and mire of the world and expect the world to come running, “Yes, that’s what I want too!” They already have it! Yes, according to Paul, all things are lawful. He also says that they’re not all expedient.
Yep, hemlines within two inches of the knee (either direction) are too short. Yep, necklines that are really breastlines are too low (They call it a neckline for a reason! Where is your neck exactly?). Yep, bars are not places for Christians to hang out. Yep, rock concerts do not glorify God. Yep, alcoholic beverages have no place in the Christian’s home. There you have it. An extremely short list of my “this makes me mad”s.
Girls, if it would embarass your daddy to see you out in it in public, then don’t wear it. If you’re wearing that to look “sexy,” then it’s for the bedroom, not the church house. If you’re married, honor your husband by covering up your “attributes.” If you’re not married, honor your future husband by covering them up. Nobody wants to have to wonder how many other men have looked/touched/etc. If you look chaste and behave chastely, perhaps you’ll be chaste. Otoh, if you look like a hooker, well…
You remember that saying, why buy the cow when the milk’s free? Well, you’re it, babe. You look tacky and cheap and honestly, it’s hard to believe your testimony when you look that way. If you’re offended because of this, perhaps you need to be offended to repentance. If, instead, you harden your heart and continue down the same path, then well, that just shows where your heart is. You know, I’m not saying you have to look like a drudge. You can be extremely feminine and modest at the same time. Give God glory and honor in everything, including your clothing and the places you go. It does matter.
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01.01.09
Posted in Pray at 1:14 am by savinggrc
Annie Mae is sassy and sweet. Caring about even those who do her wrong, she has always gone out of her way to be a blessing to others. She will be there for you, but no nonsense, you hear?!? I have been so blessed to know her.
Recently, she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Patty, her youngest daughter, faithfully updates us on how things are going. I cringe, really, when I read one of the updates. I’m afraid that one of them will tell me that Annie Mae has moved on. I know, truly I do, that will be for the best. Annie Mae will be healed. She will be, best of all things ever, with Jesus forever. We, on the other hand, will be stuck here without her. Without her encouragement. Without her saucy replies. Without her hugs. Those last things will be devastating.
You know, you always believe that you can go home and everyone around will be the same as when you left. I’ve lived away from home more than near it since I’ve “grown up.” Annie Mae and the Preacher are one of those fixtures - unchanging, always there, steady, solid, a foundation stone. What ever will I do when I go home and Annie Mae’s not there?
I love you so much, sis. I wish I could make things all better for you here so that you could stay with us forever. Well, sort of. I really do wish that I could go to see Jesus with you. In that area, I’m jealous (with a godly jealousy). I miss you now.
Annie Mae Updates
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11.10.08
Posted in Just Stuff at 3:08 pm by savinggrc
That’s a big question right now. I mean, if it’s just a matter of “my body” then certainly, we should be able to do what we want. Sort of. We don’t think it’s okay for a man to “choose” to rape a woman - after all that impacts her body. We don’t think it’s okay for an adult to “choose” to have sex with a small child - after all, that small child is much too young. We don’t think it’s okay for anyone to “choose” to rob a store - it’s not their money.
Why is it, then, in this most important of issues, do we ignore the choice of the one most affected? Babies in the womb are just that - babies. They can’t live on their own until they are much older. In fact, even after they are born, it is many years before they are old enough to survive without someone taking care of them - feeding them, clothing them, sheltering them, teaching them. Yet, that excuse, “they’re not viable,” is one of the most used anymore. If it’s okay to kill them when they are three months old in the womb, then why not when they are three months old out of the womb? After all, neither is viable on its own. Both must have someone else feed them, clothe them, shelter them. Why do we only protect the one and not the other?
When I was a teen, they actually taught us in “sex education” that it wasn’t a baby until it was 6 mos old (in the womb). It was just a blob of tissue, they said. As a result, many people believed that and chose to abort. Now, as technology proves them wrong and allows younger and younger babies to be born alive and remain “viable,” then their arguments from back then seem especially ludicrous. What happens when, a few years from now, we have the technology to allow a baby born at 4 months gestation to live? Will we re-think this national horror? Or, will we make a new excuse?
As a nation, we do not stand for choice. When he chose to murder his rival, we, as a nation, chose to try him and send him to prison (maybe even gave him the death penalty). Yet, when she “chooses” to kill her baby, we allow it. I believe that this nation is full of hypocrites. We allow one and forbid the other. We should either allow them all or forbid them all.
Beyond that, the history of Planned Parenthood and Margaret Sanger, her beliefs and what she wanted to do, fly directly in the face of this new cry for “change” that has reverberated within our nation for the last year and a half. We say that we want true equality and we want change, yet so many also advocate to keep the very thing designed to kill off Black Americans. Sanger’s overarching goal had nothing to do with making abortion safe and legal. It had everything to do with getting rid of blacks. Abortion kills more black and hispanic babies than it does white ones. She wanted black men and women to believe that killing their kids was a good thing. Unfortunately, many have believed her. Here is a link to some of the things she was interested in:
http://www.acts1711.com/sanger.htm
Her own words: “We do not want word to get out that we want to exterminate the Negro population.”
http://blackgenocide.org is a great site to visit to read more about “choice” in America.
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08.16.08
Posted in Living the Christian Life at 4:50 pm by savinggrc
So, we’ve talked about being “ultra-sensitve.” Now, the question is why are some people that way? Admittedly, I can be that person at times. I remember quite clearly times when I was offended where there was not only no offense intended, but truly, no offense at all. *puzzled* How does that happen? How can we get offended when there is no offense? But some of these folks are always ultrasensitive. Well, I’ve not researched it Scripturally, exactly, and I may not find the answer “specifically mentioned” anyway, but I’m going to give a shot at it and see how it turns out. ;o)
I was saved July 6, 1973. I was baptized nearly exactly 2 years later. I was away from God for nearly 20 years. I lived the “high life.” I was married, we had plenty of money (2 incomes, no kids, not much debt to speak of), we could, and often did, whatever we wanted to do. Nice clothes, nice cars, pretty nice home, etc. But God was not invited. After all, I was doing fine without Him, right? It didn’t matter what commitment I made to Him in 1973, the reality (in my poor mind) was that I didn’t particularly want Him (’cause I’d have to change some things) and I didn’t “need” Him.
Nearly 20 years into it, though, something snapped. I don’t know exactly, even now, what it was that drew me back, but one Sunday I got up and went to church, spent a lot of time at the altar that evening praying, getting right, confessing, repenting, the whole nine yards, and I’ve never looked back. That’s not to say that things have been hunky-dory since then. Hubby didn’t like the whole “living right” thing. “You were a Christian before weren’t you?” he said. “Then why does anything have to change? Can’t you just keep on the way you were and still be a Christian?” And off he went seeking who knows what. I didn’t marry to divorce, mind you. This was for life for me. I promised God. But I couldn’t fight it. No-fault divorces make fighting impossible. Being back in the arms of Christ (well, really, I was there all along, but knowing I was in His arms, aha, that’s the point!) changed how I viewed everything. Submission is required? You’ve got it! I’ll submit and with my entire heart I did. Eww, what are you thinking? I don’t want a wife wearing long dresses and going to church and following what I believe is right for us (or following only God when they contradicted). I like the wife I had before. He said. I felt like I was dying, and maybe, just maybe, some of me did. Maybe some of me had to die in order for healing and true obedience to God (not even pretending to always be in obedience here! even now!) to occur.
The result of all this (and the point, you’re thinking! :o)) was a 20-yr-old Christian (I was older than 20 in case that’s confusing, but only 20 in Christ) who was still a babe in Christ. Immaturity reaps its own negative rewards. It made me feel singled out. It made me feel like I was on top of the world, I was living right and I could see that “they” weren’t, so HA, I was the better Christian, I must be all grown up now. Now, I can chuckle about that. Now, I can see how “dumb” I really was. “I can see clearly now…” On the other hand, when I got around other Christians, those who were really in the Word and really were living separated lives, I felt inferior. I felt “judged.” I felt like they were pointing fingers at me and nitpicking and showing just how much “better” than me they were. They are so “holier than thou!” I thought. They think they are so much better than me! When the reality was nowhere near that. They prayed for me (and praise God for it because without that prayer, I’d never have made it this far and I still have such a long ways to go!!!), they loved me in spite of myself, they ACCEPTED me. Wow. That’s truly amazing. They accepted me just like Christ. Not to say that it was all loving and no rebuking, but they knew the fine art of gentle rebuke (I reckon maybe they had a lot of experience being on the receiving end of it from Christ, eh?) and how can you really be offended when someone so lovingly tells you, Hey sis, you’re wrong. Here’s how you can make it right.
So, the ultra-sensitive. I think these are like the “teenagers” in Christ. Their hormones (or the spiritual equivalent of that and is there really such a thing???) are flying all around. The least little rebuke makes them cry and they are sure that someone is not being fair, not being nice, not being ….well, obviously not Christ-like if my feelings are hurt, huh? (stomp foot and cross arms and stick lower lip out to pout) How do you deal with these folks? Do you just keep cutting up the meat into tiny bites and force feeding it? Or, do you have to go back to the toddler years and pre-chew some of it for them? Just when will they really be able to take a bite of the Word, chew it and swallow it without gagging on it? See, the thing is in this particular analogy, the gagging part is the ugly part. Yep, they gag, their eyes water, they can’t breathe, and the next thing you know, they’re hacking it back up, half chewed in too big a bite to swallow to start with. They’ll blame it on you for not cutting the meat up enough or not cooking it enough or not trimming the gristle out, but really, they’re simply still too young to receive it.
How do you deal with the upchucked part though? It’s just lying there for everyone to see. Can you just cover it up and pretend it didn’t happen? Do you politely clean it up and move on to something else? Do you leave them there to wallow in it? What do you do!?!?!
I’m not pretending to have all the answers. I’m sort of the mean one here. I say things like, cut it in half and try again. You can try to wash it down with a little water, but in order to really digest it, you’re going to have to chew it. You can’t just gloss over it (wash it down) because then it doesn’t mean anything to you. In your mind, you might feel like you’ve “grown as a Christian,” but in reality, you’ve just pretended to. You still don’t have real understanding. I think, if you, the older Christian who has been spanked so many painful, but good times, by God, really are the older and more mature one, you’ll cut it up into smaller bites and feed it to them again - yep, even the upchucked part. Gross, nasty? Only in the natural. In the Spirit, it’s still His Word. It’s still a beautiful piece of what He is speaking to us, of how He wants to change us and mold us into being more like Him.
Is it easy? Nope. Sometimes, they won’t let you feed it to them again. They turn away and write you off (happened to me, the meanie, just today in fact!), but God will send someone along who can indeed feed them so that they’ll be able to digest it and before you know it, they’ll be able to feed themselves and won’t be the “teenagers.” They’ll be in the same spot you’re in now reaching out to someone younger in the faith (no matter how long they’ve been saved), being rejected [be encouraged, they used to stone the prophets!!], being maligned, and oops, even being right. *sigh*
God is good and faithful and I love Him and people disappoint me. They let me down. They have clay feet. They don’t live up to my image of them. But GOD. Wow, He is amazing. He never lets me down. He abides with me even (like for those nearly 20 years) when I run from Him. Yeehaw! I like God! I like serving Him. I even like being rebuked by Him because I know that I’ll grow from that rebuke if I really and truly listen. Thank you Jesus for loving me enough to die for me.
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