Sunday, November 23, 2008

Why video games are bad for me and for you...

I have had many different conversations about video games with different people. As we all know, men love them, women tend to not like them, some women do, but I digress. I think that the big difference between the way men and women respond to video games is because of the way we were made to interact socially. Women are generally speaking, much more intuitive and social in the way which they interact with people. Women like to have deep conversation and talk about issues going on in each other's life. Men, however, have a tendency towards the opposite. Please understand that this is not a negative connotation towards men and the way they interact socially. I am merely stating the observations which I have made around my male friends when they play video games, and as a women I can assert how women react.
Men have a tendency to shy away from the deep interaction, socially being shallow in a way. I have observed that men would rather play games or do something to take their minds off the serious matters in life than talk about the issues going on in one another's lives. So, because of this wonderful invention called video games, it affords to opportunity for people to get away from reality and focus on the television or computer for hours upon hours of "down time". This is bad for the way we interact with other people in different social situations.
Children who spend all of their time playing video games spend more time honing their hand-eye coordination than developing a personality. As children we soak up knowledge through interaction and by this we learn who and what we are in this world. We learn about the world, not through video games, but through touching, sensing, feeling, hearing, etc. Video games dull these senses to the point that we lose our ability to absorb and process the social interactions that we have. Our minds become overloaded because of the lack of interaction that the child receives. So, to sum this up, I think that video games dull our senses and the senses of children who spend their lives interacting with a computer rather than real people.
I'm not completely opposed to video games, but I think that it's important for parents and college students, etc. alike to realize the negative effect that can and has begun happening to our society via these computer generated graphics. However, perhaps I'm wrong and men bond more during this opportunity than I have previously believed. Who knows...

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Why I listen to Christian music...

 A lot of Christians, especially in my generation, think that Christian music is cheesy. I disagree. Perhaps this is because the Lord has given me a passion for music, perhaps it's in my genes, or maybe it's the simple fact that music speaks to me, body, mind and soul. I believe that living a life for the Lord requires that we permeate ourselves through every possible means with the Word, with His presence in our lives, in every moment of every day. I really wanted to share some lyrics with you, and to be honest, this was the main reason for this journal entry. It's from a song called "You'll Come" by Hillsong United. It goes like this:

I have decided, I have resolved
To wait upon you Lord
My rock and redeemer shall not be moved
I'll wait upon you Lord

As surely as the sun will rise 
you'll come to us
as certain as the dawn appears

You'll come let your glory fall
as You respond to us
Spirit reign flood our hearts
With holy fire again

We are not shaken we are not moved
We wait upon you Lord
Our mighty deliverer my triumph and truth
I'll wait upon you Lord

(and this is my favorite part)
chains be broken
lives be healed
eyes be opened
Christ is revealed.


This last part of the song is my prayer for our country in a time such as this, that we may find Christ amidst all other hopes for anything in our lives. 

Spirit of Timidity, Comfortability

"Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are they who keep His statutes and seek him with all their heart."  Psalm 119:1,2

Before the New Covenant, we were expected to live blamelessly, we had no reconciliation with the Lord except to obey the Law in all aspects and manners. But when Christ came, he reconciled us with the Father by becoming sin. But this wasn't so could sin freely, no, Paul wrote in Romans 6, 
"Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you know know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? we were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life."

     As a body of Christ whose transgressions have been buried with Christ, we have failed miserably at living how we're told to. Why is it that the church as a whole has so many issues with living up to the calling that we were given? Is it a Spirit of fear and timidity or perhaps comfortability in the way we already live. How are we called to live as a people? The two greatest commandments given in the Bible (by Jesus in the New Testament) were to love the Lord your God and to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus' commandments were never, love yourself,  love money. What have Christians given up to live the "american dream"? Are we not sacrificing ourselves and our faith asking the government to give away our money for us, to makes decisions about one's children/grandchildren, to support the things we are certainly called not to support. 
     You may ask yourself where I'm going with this, and to be frank, I'm talking about the election. Christians have given up who they are and what they're called to be as followers of Christ. Some Christians vote on one or two issues such as abortion and gay rights while others vote on the side of socialism and world poverty. How should we vote? How should we represent ourselves? It is my belief that Christians are called to represent themselves on all levels, including politics and to be honest, I feel like we failed in this election. It is hard for me to believe that a faithful Christian (practicing Christian) can vote for a President who as his first act would like to pass a bill endorsing infanticide which also gives underage females the right to obtain an abortion without the consent of the parents. It is hard for me to understand how one could vote for the endorsement of gay rights, which is most definitely sin in the Bible. It is difficult as an American, to understand why my family should suffer for those who have chosen to remain comfortable on the welfare system. 
     I'd like to tell you a little about my family history. We're immigrants. Granted some of my family has been here since the Revolutionary War, we are still immigrants. My Mom's side of the family comes from a LONG line of farmers, not from money, or a fortunate bundle of wealth. My father's side of the family has been working class ever since they arrived in the Americas. My parents paid their way through college, took care of their siblings, and when they got married, lived in a trailer because they couldn't afford a home. But the big difference in the story of my parent's story is that they were smart about investments, savings, and they worked hard to provide for their family and for themselves. I am lucky enough to have been provided for and to have my college paid for, more than my parents had. I am spoiled with money, and I know it. But coming out of college, I also know that this is the time that I also am supposed to work towards more, and if you work hard, you can attain anything. 
For every Christian who voted for Obama based on his tax plan, I have something to say to you and I hope you understand me. The money that my Father makes now doesn't go to fancy cars or a fancy house, it goes to support my grandparents, my mother (who contracted lupus and diabetes when I was at a young age), and to support our church. So, for whatever reason you chose to vote for his tax plan, whether it was the greediness out of what will go into your own pocket, or the ideal of ending poverty, you are part of the reason that my family now has to worry about their well-being. I'm not going to hate you, I'm not going to yell at you, but I want you to know why I feel how I do about your vote and the election. 
     It is not the government's job to take care of world poverty, that is OUR JOB. That is the church's job. We are called to stand up as a church and care for the poor and widows. In James we are told that, "Religions that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world". But that is not what we have done. In this election we have seen an easy out, a way for us to have the government do that job for us. I want to rebuke each and every one of you who would try and use this as an excuse not to do your job as Christians in this world reaching out to the weak and poor. You have no excuse and nor do I for falling down on this job. Jesus never said that He would help those who helped themselves, He said that those who would give up the riches of this world would find themselves rich in the next. We have not done that and I challenge you to find out whether it's true of either of those men who were candidates for each party. 
     I'd also like to address the issue of racial reconciliation in this election, as I haven't seen much of it. I'm happy to see that our country appears to have moved forward so much in this past century, but seeing "black power" posted by Christians isn't reconciliation. If you call yourself a Christian, please, do your best to love your neighbors as Christ would have. He wouldn't have said, BLACK POWER, in regards to this president, and in fact, race or skin color wouldn't have mattered to him. Jesus wanted reconciliation between all people and both sexes. In case you didn't know, racism is and never was a one-way street. It wasn't just the Jews who hated, it was the Gentiles and Samaritans too and it's an endless cycle of everyone calling the other racist whenever something about skin color comes up. It's not that we are supposed to avoid the issue, but that we are called to address it head on. Instead of copping out and calling someone racist, why don't we all take the time to explore why that person feels that way. The Lord didn't just come to reconcile us to God, He came to reconcile us to one another as well, Jew to Gentile, brother to brother, and a white woman to a black congregation. The latter reconciliation is what I am struggling with right now. I'm struggling with the fact that 97% of black americans voted for a man who they perceived as "one of them". I'm struggling with the fact that never before have I felt a divide based on skin color so clearly in the church and in America. To be honest, it scares me and makes me wonder if the people of my congregation truly see me as a sister or just as a white women who attends their church. This is the type of thought that we have to reconcile through, that we are ONE body, with many parts, with many different characteristics on the inside and out and many different passions that the Lord has given us in order to bless one another. 

We are so broken. And now is the chance to put our hope and faith in Jesus Christ, not a President, not a man (because as Nina said, that's all he is), but in a Savior who wants to know us intimately and who wants to love us passionately. He is worthy of all honor and praise, and all that we have is due to Him first. It is our job to give Him all that we have, inside and out, riches and poverty, love and hate. He knows the plans that He has for us, to prosper us and NEVER to harm us. I want us to walk in this knowledge as ONE body of Christ, standing up for a change in and through Christ, and I believe that now is the time. 

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Race and Reconciliation

"On an altar of prejudice we crucify our own, yet the blood of all children is the color of God." 
-Don Williams, Jr. 

How true is that. Don Williams, Jr. is an american novelist and poet. Other than that, I don't know much about him except that he was wise when he stated this quote. We are so quick to flock to those who look like us and who we are familiar and comfortable with. Why? Why is this our natural reaction to flock to people who look like us? We are ONE race, of ONE people, called humans. There is no race aside from the human. (others may disagree) We are God's people, one people. He made men and women equally. 

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The Word of God is Living

Hebrews 4:12-16

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any two-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who i unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." 


ENCOURAGEMENT

Gender and Racial Reconciliation: A Reflection on Brenda Salter-McNeill's book, A Credible Witness.

Brenda Salter McNeil wrote a phenomenal book about evangelism called, "A Credible Witness". She based her book around Jesus and the samaritan woman at the well, and her view on evangelism is first and foremost based on crossing cultural boundaries. Jesus went to the samaritan woman. The question is, do we understand what this meant in Biblical times? Allow me to paint a background story on the situation.  Samaritans were thought to be muts, half-breeds, and unclean, but this woman was not only a samaritan, she was an adulterer. This woman had married many men and was in the midst of practicing adultery when she encountered Jesus. Now, please understand that Jesus had no reason to cut through Samaria on his way back to Jerusalem. Jews avoided Samaria like the plague. However, he encountered this Samarian woman, adulterer, at a town well at mid-day. Because this woman was out at the well drawing water mid-day, it lets us in on a little bit about who she was in the community. She was the lowest of the low in the Samaritan community and could not draw water from the well at the same time as women of good standing in her town. Jesus crossed not only a racial divide when he approached this woman, but he crossed a gender and social divide. 
Jesus was all about reconciliation as evangelism. This story of Jesus and the woman at the well is one of the truest example of what it means as a Christian to cross the divides into evangelism. We are called to cross into the divide, to live uncomfortably and for those traveling with Jesus into Samaria wasn't comfortable. In fact, as Jews, it was probably detestable to them to be around these "half-breeds". I'm not quite sure what my point is in writing this except to share with you what I believe about evangelism. I believe that the Lord has called us to reconcile with one another on all levels. We do Him an injustice when we only preach part of the Gospel, when we cop-out and fail to tell people that He not only came to reconcile us with the Lord, but he came to reconcile us with one another. It is so important for us to realize that we are called to preach the Gospel to all people, of all nations, of all social classes, of both genders. The Gospel is for all, not just for a few, or just to say, Jesus saved you, repent and live! There is more to the Gospel than that, and if we are to live out our walks making disciples, then we must preach the entire gospel of reconciliation with our fellow men. Racial reconciliation and gender reconciliation are not things to be set on the back burner. These are what we are called to preach as an integral part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As followers of Christ we have been told to go out and make disciples of all nations, and in this to find reconciliation with everyone. It is no longer Jew versus Samaritan, Black versus white, japanese versus korean, or any other racial divide that I have failed to mention. It is up to us, in a new generation to reconcile with one another and to end this continuous cycle of hate and of looking down on one another based on skin color, the way we speak, whether you're a man or a woman, etc. Jesus crossed all of these divides, ALL of them, and so should we as His followers. Proverbs 19:2 says, "It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way." We must educate ourselves with  God's word and then go out and preach the message that Jesus would have preached, reconciliation, both with God and with men.

The Continuing Struggle for Faith

  To be honest, the basis for this discussion, as well as most of my discussions on this blog, stem from recent personal experiences that cause me to reflect deeply on these issues as a christian. I must first say that I have had a number of experiences that I'd like to address tonight. Tonight I want to discuss Creationism versus Evolution and the struggle of faith. I would also like to discuss my view of the Trinity, while including a brief discussion on how skewed we have all become to the importance of one to the other. And finally, I would like to discuss holding one sin up over all others and how this is unbiblical. 
Recently, I have had interesting conversations and/or encounters with all of these topics and they've weighed heavily on my mind. As Christians, we find ourselves challenged on all of these things, is one sin greater than another, how does the Trinity really work, and, did God really create the Earth or did we stem from ancestors who were monkeys? This is especially important to our faith walk, learning to trust in God as we do not understand things, and will never understand these things fully and completely. A friend not long ago revealed to me after 5 years that they believed God did not create the Earth, and in fact, we were descendants of apes. The claim that my friend made was that God told Moses to write down the first 5 books in the Bible, however, they were simply stories that had no truth. 
This reasoning is implausible for several reasons. Let me begin by saying this, GOD DOESN'T LIE. If God were to have made these stories up, he would be a liar, in essence, the Devil. And if there is one thing which has never been disputed by any Christian circles or faiths I am aware of, it is that God (by whatever name you call him) is not likened in any way to the Devil. Secondly, let me pose several questions and make some remarks for us to meditate on:
1. What is our purpose on Earth? It is to worship the Lord, and we are made in His image, so unless God is actually an ape, this theory of being descended from them is definitely false.
2. Why, if God used evolution, would He care s much more about humans, who only evolved? 
3. How would humans evolve from soulless to soul-filled? Because, if someone argues that monkeys have souls, Christ came in human flesh to sacrifice himself to human forgiveness, not monkey forgiveness. A like-sacrifice was needed and there is a massive different between us and apes that the theory of evolution could and never will be able to formulate.
4. No one part of the body can function by itself. That is why in the New Testament, God uses the analogy that we are all different parts of the body, and one cannot function without the other. Also, animals act out of instinct, not philosophical thought. One cell cannot decide that it needed a brain to govern itself, it would have needed a brain to decide that.
5. Please read this book: The Case for A Creator by Lee Strobel. He takes an in depth scientific view on the Creation Story and how is it the only way that we could have been formed. 
Now that I have left us with something to ponder on, I would like to address another issue at hand within our Christian community, the Trinity. This, of course, is not a new issue, but an old one, debated on for centuries by Christian theologians and non-Christian philosophers alike. A recent revelation I stumbled upon was that in the college and university Christian communities, we often focus so very much on experience that the Holy Spirit comes first and foremost before Jesus, His LIVING Word, and His teachings. Throughout my experience with the Christian organization I was affiliated with throughout college, I noticed this one blaring concern out of all others: division due to differences in spirit theology. Now, I believe that it is very important that we Christians address the MAJOR issue of division within the church or we are not loving one another as we should be, so I am addressing it. Division itself is caused by a myriad of things, but more often than not, a difference in theology, on a college level, mostly spirit theology. 
When I refer to Spirit Theology, I am referring to the emphasis put on what most people would call, the Charismatic gifts, i.e. prophecy, healing, speaking in tongues, those things which are visible to the naked eye. Teaching, evangelism, administration, leadership, giving, wisdom, faith, prophecy, servitude, healing, discernment, compassion, shepherding, miracles, exhortation, interpretation and tongues, apostleship, helping, knowledge, these are the 20 gifts mentioned in the New Testament. They are given to strengthen and build the community, and he has empowered us to serve our entire nation and world through them. These charismatic gifts are empowered above all others in this liberal environment called college. You know, it's funny because in college we seek these new experiences, whether it be drugs and alcohol, sex, and for some christians, charismatic gifts. I am not saying that they are bad, however, when we become more captivated by these things than the Word, His Living Word and the Jesus who died for us, then it becomes a problem. 
As a student, I repeatedly saw this fixation on gifts become an issue of pride, or division where one part of the church set themselves apart from the others, have no doubt in your mind brothers and sisters, THIS IS WRONG. At no time are we to set ourselves above others, in fact, Jesus tells us to sit at the end of the table and consider ourselves in a lower position than anyone we see. The division that this newfound 20th century movement of pentecostalism and charismaticism is quickly becoming a danger to the church, in more ways than one. It is our unity and our community that are at stake, when we find ourselves being more captivated with the experience than with the relationship we find with our Father through the wisdom and love he left to us in his Word. By NO means am I putting the Spirit or the Lord our God in a box, it is simply that I wish to maintain the hierarchy of the Trinity. No son (as it is said in the NT) is greater than his Father, and thus, the Spirit is no greater than it's master, Jesus Christ. We Christians generally say the Trinity in order of Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and while they are one, these three are not equal by any means. 
It is this conviction which leads me to worry for my generation and the experience that we seek out so earnestly. My prayer is that God will speak into their hearts and minds and make them sound in their faith in the Word that they are not on shaky ground with whether or not someone prophecy's something over them that very week or day. It is my prayer and my heart for them to know God in a way that is secure and unyielding and is not shaped by their charismatic experiences, but enhanced by them and through them whenever the Lord wishes to bless us with something more. 
Finally, I would like to address how we hold one sin up unequally over the other. In America, I think that everyone can agree that two of the most important issues today in the political spectrum are gay rights and abortion. These two issues have been plastered all over the news, portrayed by even Christians as the mother and father of all sins. However, this is not the case. No one sin is greater than the other. Each sin is equally yoked in the eyes of God. Also, let me say this, we are all sinners, no matter how great or how small the sin is perceived to be, thus, we ALL benefit from the grace and love given us from the Father who sent His ONLY Son to die on a cross for the wretched humans that He originally created and eventually fell from grace. For those of you who have been persecuted because of decisions you have made, I apologize, sincerely, because you are no worse than any of those around us. I am so sorry and my prayer is that you will forgive those who have hurt you in the church and in your community and that you would forgive those of us who, while we did not condone what others have done, sat back and silently watched, for we are guilty as well. It is my belief that God never wished us to hate another human being, but rather, to hate the sin we find in our lives, to abhor it and to find a peace that He alone can give. Jesus called Himself Abba Shalom, meaning Father of Peace. We can find a peace in Jesus, as well as the identity that so many people search for in this life and never fully find. I find my identity in Christ, fully and completely, and much of this requires faith, and there is good news for us all. God made us to be reconciled not only to Himself, but to one another. The bad news is if we are living a life dictated by only one of these truths, then we are denying ourselves a true identity in Christ, as one body, one community of believers bound by a faith and love so deep that no one can touch. 
Yet there is hope. There is a grace given beyond our comprehension, not that we might live as we please, but that there is hope for change. We are given second chances, and as we accept Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior of our lives, we also will begin to change. Lifestyles will begin to change as will attitudes, thoughts, and actions. Works are not proof, as so many would lead you to believe, but the fruit of a life touched by God, of one who KNOWS Jesus intimately and has decided to pursue relationship with Him. Jesus never said that following Him would be easy, in fact, He said that it would be difficult and that we would be rejected by many. It is not an easy road to travel, however, I can fully assure you that it is the most fulfilling relationship you will ever find in this life or the next. Jesus creates in me something that no one else ever has and ever will. He is everything, and more than anything in my heart I wish for you to know that, if you don't already. If you do know Him, PRAISE THE LORD, PRAISE GOD that you KNOW Him and what has been done for you, the sacrifice that was laid down for you. Jesus wants to know you, because we were created to be not only in relationship to the Father, but in relationship with one another. Thank God that he has reconciled us to one another that we may share Him and be encouraged. 
I would like to finish by leaving you with this. If you know the Lord and there are struggles, be encouraged that the Lord has plans for you far beyond your wildest dreams and wishes. He loves you beyond compare, more than the flowers of the fields or the birds of the sky, and NOTHING delights Him more than you. If you don't yet know the Lord, I pray that you would seek Him out and take time to read the Living Word, and that you would find peace, hope, and love that surpasses all understanding and earthly knowledge, and that your eyes would be opened to the miracles of God and of His creation. And if you read this blog and take nothing else from it, take with you the knowledge that He wants to know you deeply and intimately as His creation. And, that He misses you and longs to hear your voice again, not that He couldn't call you if He wanted, but that the Lord wants to hear you call for Him in the darkness. 

With all my love an affection and unyielding urgency,

Merrill

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

The Bible and Homoerotic Behavior PT 2

Of particular significance for our discussion is Romans 1:26-27, the only biblical text which discusses both male and female homoeroticism. In 1:18-23 Paul pronounces the wrath of God on the Gentile world because they have rejected the knowledge of God that is available simply by looking at creation. As a result, he says, they have created idols for themselves rather than worshiping the true God. The consequence of this rejection is that "God gave them up" to all kinds of dishonorable behavior. Specifically, in verses 26-27 he says, 
"For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error."
We should note the language of strong disapproval that occurs in this text: "dishonorable passions," "shameless acts," and "error." This is reminiscent of the pronouncement of homoerotic behavior as an "abomination" in the legal code of Leviticus 18 and 20. Paul's objection to such behavior is based on the God-intended pattern of creation: "God made them male and female," and these two are to become "one flesh." In other words, Paul is taking the exact stance toward homoerotic behavior (minus the death penalty) that is found in Genesis and Leviticus. 
It is an obvious misinterpretation of this text to suggest that what Paul condemns is not homoerotic behavior, but whatever behavior is not "natural" for the individual- i.e., that if one "is homosexual," then this is how one should behave sexually, and if one "is heterosexual", then it would be "unnatural" to act in homoerotic fashion. Paul is not discussing individual orientations or preferences, but the created order of things. What he condemns is not "acting outside of your natural preferences", but acting against the way that God has created men and women for the purposes for which He has created them. 
These three Pauline texts are the only ones which specifically discuss homoerotic behavior. It is often pointed out that (1) we only have a few texts which take a negative view of homoerotic actions, and that (2) none of them come from Jesus Himself. The latter statement is undoubtedly true: Jesus made no specific pronouncement concerning such behavior. However, it is only reasonable to assume that Jesus accepted the proscriptions of homoerotic behavior found in the Levitical Code. Also, it should be noted that one at least two occasions (recorded in Matthew 10:15 and 11:23-24) Jesus referred to Sodom as epitomizing sinful behavior. So to suggest that Jesus would have taken a view different from that of Paul is strongly against the biblical evidence. 
As for the scarcity of texts which address homoerotic behavior, this holds true only for New Testament texts which specifically address this conduct. Others do so indirectly. Jesus references the Sodom story not only in Matthew, but also in Luke 17:28-30. In addition to Jude's characterization of the sin of Sodom as "sexual immorality" and "unnatural desire", a parallel text in 2 Peter 2:6-10 describes Sodom's behavior as "the licentiousness of the wicked." Likewise, Revelation 11:8 uses the same "Sodom" as a symbol of the iniquity of the city of Rome. 
Taken together with the Old Testaments pronouncements against homoerotic behavior, it becomes evident that the Bible actually has quite a bit to say about it, and that the biblical witness consistently negative. No texts indicate that such conduct is acceptable under any circumstances.
That said, I would also point out that, although that Bible consistently pronounces homoerotic behavior to be a sin, it never suggests that it is the worst of all sins, or that it is in a class by itself, as is sometimes assumed. The Levitical Code mentions homoerotic behavior in the context of a host of other sexual sins, from incest to adultery, which are equally condemned. In the New Testament, the specific condemnation of the this conduct invariably occurs in lists of other sings, indicating that homoerotic behavior out not be singled out as "the ultimate sin". Some of these other sins include greed, malice, envy, deceit, gossip, and disobedience to parents in Romans 1; idolatry, adultery, drunkenness, and theft in 1 Corinthians 6; and slave-trading, lying, and perjury in 1 Timothy 1. All such sins are equally violations of what God intended for His creation. This in no way lessens the severity of the New Testament view of homoerotic sin; it is simply to say that those who practice it are just sinners, like all the rest of us.
The New Testament message is not that those who engage in homoerotic behavior are to be vilified or shunned, or that they are excluded from the love of God. Rather, it is that God calls all of us sinners to Himself through the cross  of His Son, Jesus Christ, and offers forgiveness and cleansing from every sin, regardless of its nature, once we repent and turn to Him. Paul's point in Romans 1 is not that homoerotic practitioners are worse than others, merely that their conduct in indicative of what happens when God is taken out of the picture and replaced with a god or gods of our own making. But he goes on to say that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God," and that salvation is available to everyone who believes. And his word to the Corinthians was not that the past homoerotic behavior of some of them put them beyond the bounds of God's grace; rather it was that they had been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, a hopeful possibility held out to all who would call upon His name.

James T. (Tommy) South, Ph.D.
Glen Allen Church of Christ
11064 Staples Mill Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060
gaoffice@glenallenchurch.org

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

The Bible & Homoerotic Behavior by Dr. James South Pt. 1

(Note: the following is taken from a presentation given at the Life Sciences and Religion Community Forum of Central Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University on March 30, 2005)
I have been asked to offer some perspective and clarification of the biblical view of homoerotic behavior. On one level this is a rather straightforward task, but one which has been complicated by the attempt to have the BIble support various preconceived conclusions, on both ends of the discussion, rather than allowing it to speak for itself. So, my goal is to allow the Scriptures to speak for themselves in order to provide a more concrete and accurate basis for the discussion of sexual behavior and orientation.
First, some context. Both Judaism and Christianity see themselves as "revealed" religions. By that I mean that both see themselves as holding to a faith that does not originate from human invention, but from divine revelation- i.e. from a God who exists outside ourselves and who is distinct from us in both being and nature. The history of this revelation is contained for Jews in the Hebrew Scriptures, and for Christians in both the Old and New Testaments. As my professor of Jewish at the University of Virginia was fond of saying, "Obedience is the essence of revealed religion." That is, if we believe that God has revealed His will on a matter- any matter- the essence of our response is to obey. It is not to debate, to de-construct, or to rationalize, but simply conform our behavior to what has been revealed. It is this context that both the Old and New Testaments speak of all moral behavior, including sexual behavior. 
With these thoughts in mind, we turn our attention to specific biblical texts which speak to the question of homoerotic behavior. I use the term "homoerotic behavior" deliberately, because this is what the biblical texts address. The idea of people "being" either homosexual of heterosexual is a modern construct, the term "homosexuality" not being coined until the late 19th Century by German psychologist K.M. Benkert. Neither the ancient Greeks nor the ancient Hebrews has terms or concepts corresponding to the contemporary dichotomy between "heterosexual" and "homosexual." What matters in the biblical texts, therefore, is not what we are in a sense of an innate sexual orientation, but what we do. So it is to our behavior, not to our nature that the Bible speaks. 
The Old Testament texts concerning homoerotic behavior are of basically two types: narratives in which homoerotic behavior is demonstrated, and legal codes prohibiting it. In the first category is the story of the men of Sodom in Genesis 19 who demanded that Lot surrender them the two angels who had visited him in human form, "that we may know them." "Know" is the Hebrew term yadah, which frequently means to "know" someone in the sense of having sexual relations with them, as in Genesis 4:1, "Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain." This is obviously the meaning of yadah in Genesis 19. To suggest that the "wickedness" which Lot begs his neighbors not to commit toward his guests is simply the violation of Eastern standards of hospitality is countered by the New Testament letter of Jude, which refers to "Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding citiess, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire." (Jude 7)
The legal code of Leviticus is emphatic in its denunciation of homoerotic behavior. Leviticus 18:22 says, "You shall not lie with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination." Two chapters later, Leviticus 20:13 says, "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to their death; their blood is upon them." It is sometimes argued that homoerotic behavior is prohibited in the legal code only because of its associations with the cultic prostitution which was part of Canaanite religion, and is therefore culturally conditioned and not applicable to non-idolatrous homoerotic behavior. However, this argument flounders on the fact that if this is true homoerotic behavior, then it must be likewise true of other forms of sexual behavior outlined in this chapter, including incest (vs. 6-18), adultery (vs 20-21), and sex with animals (v. 23). Likewise, the context of Leviticus 18 and 20 argues against this interpretation: the issue in these chapters, as in the entire book of Leviticus, is not primarily cultural conditioning, but holiness, as indicated clearly in Leviticus 18:24-30, where the word "unclean" occurs six times within seven verses.
Turning to the New Testament, the authors accept without question the moral demands of the Hebrew scriptures and reflect them in their own comments on homoerotic behavior. The only New Testament writer who speaks directly to this issue is Paul, who mentions homoerotic behavior in three texts. I will address each of these briefly. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Paul writes,
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (English Standard Version)
The phrase "men who practice homosexuality" is actually two separate words in Greek. The first is malakos which means "soft", and was used in secular Greek to denote men or young boys who allowed themselves to be used sexually by other men, and who served as the "passive" partner in homosexual intercourse. The other term, arsenokoites, literally means "one who has sex with a man," and was used to indicate the "active" partner in male homosexual intercourse. 
The latter term, "arsenokoites", is likewise used in 1 Timothy 1:10, where Paul responds to the promblem of some who used Mosaic law inappropriately by saying that the law... is laid down for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and what else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
It is frequently said that arsenokoites and malakos do not refer to homoerotic behavior generally, but to homosexual prostitution or to pederasty (sex with children). This is reflected in the New Revised Standard Version's translation of malakos in 1 Corinthians 6:9 by the term "male prostitutes"/ However, there is nothing in the term itself that connotes prostitution. And even if this were its meaning, we must still reckon with the fact that Paul uses it alongside arsenokoites, which the NRSV translates as "sodomites." But a study of the standard lexical resources for New Testament Greek will show clearly that the two terms are simply ways of referring to the active and passive roles of men engaging in homoerotic behavior.


Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Sidenote

Hey there ^_^
        This is a little blurb I wanted to attach to people who might read this and say, well why does she just talk about God and religion, etc? Well, the answer is that my life is Christ. I find my identity in Christ and so I cannot talk about anything but Him. Hm. I'm sure I could expound on that like whoa. Which, if you're interested, I would love to. But for now, that seems to be about it. Goodnight. Love, MJ

Sunday, April 27, 2008

The Mercy Seat/Bound4Life

Just for clarification, this was not one of the issues I intended to address in this blog. However, I feel as if could be a worthwhile discussion. To begin, let me give you a brief history of what Bound4Life is. Bound4Life is a self-proclaimed anti-abortion organization. They focus on having prayer in front of governmental buildings all over the United States with a piece of red tape stating "LIFE" over their mouths. Here is a brief excerpt from their website. 
"When LIFE is written on a piece of red tape and placed on our mouths, we are identifying with the silent cries of the unborn and of those who have no voice. Our stand is not a protest, but a silent prayer meeting. We make our appeal to the judge of the earth and ask Him for speedy justice to be released. It is a plea- 'Oh that God would subpoena that conscience of America!" We dream of a day when all 740 abortion clinics in America will have long lines of people, young and old alike, standing strong on sidewalks, praying and fasting with LIFE covering their lips. If 740 churches would rise up and take on one abortion clinic each with sustained fasting and prayer, what would happen?"
The verse this organization clings to is Ezekiel 4:2-3. It states, "Lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it... Set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it."(NKJV)
Let's examine this phrase in other versions of the Bible. We will begin with the NIV and move to the NASB. We will also examine this text contextually to determine the validity of the statement in accordance with the Silent Siege movement. 
NIV
"Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works to it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it.(3) Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face towards it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel."
NASB
"Then get yourself an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city, and set your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This is a sign to the house of Israel."
Okay, so let's look at this verse contextually. During this passage, Ezekiel was by himself. God tells him to take a brick and write Jerusalem on it, and then siege ti with prayer. Afterwards, he was supposed to set up and iron plate which represented the physical wall in a prayer siege. And so, this is all happening when Ezekiel is shut up in his room. People think he's crazy. The whole point is that he was not going to the actual location and doing it publicly. He was doing it in the place of prayer where God had placed him. So, if you're going to cite the verse, you would think that it would be mimicked in the same way, as a designated prayer place that isn't public. 
Ezekiel at this point, was commanded by God to be praying shut up in the prayer room where God had him. It seems strange to me that though Bound4Life claims not to be a protest, I see no other reason for them to be in front of a building with LIFE tape over their mouths. If not a protest, what is it? This movement is not mimicking the actions of Ezekiel in the closed room of prayer. They are publicly denouncing and judging the actions of those people who have made a choice (whether it be right or wrong). How are we to know the plans that God has for that person. I count myself so lowly as not to know that plans that God has for his people on earth and I have no intention of claiming so.
Not only that, but my question is if there are exceptions to abortion/induced miscarriage. Now, let me dispel any misgivings you may have about my opinion on abortion. I am by no means pro-abortion in cases where the mother has an option to have the baby. However, I am also of the opinion that there are exceptions to this rule. Let me present to you one example that has given me reason to doubt what some Christians claim: Is it acceptable to terminate the life of a fetus if the life of the mother is in danger? Or, would the life of the mother be forfeit because they should choose to continue with the pregnancy despite the complications? Has God given us medical technology to allow mothers to die, to allow those people who haven't planned to have an induced miscarriage or abortion die because we are so convicted that God's heart is for the life of every unborn child who may suffer death from an abortion? 
Maybe I'm confused about the convictions of those people who practice what Bound4Life preaches? Perhaps I am. If so, I wouldn't mind clarification.  

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Worship

Worship: What does it look like to worship an Ever Living God?
The dictionary defines worship as a few different things. However, outside of the dictionary definition, I'd like to share with you what I think of as worshipping the Lord. First, let me give you a little bit of background of myself in order that I may have some sort of credibility with you. I was raised in a home where music was a part of daily life. My Mother was a music teacher, I sang from an early age and learned the basics of piano, although I never learned completely. In church I sang in all the children's choirs, as I was the daughter of the director. In high school I became the Worship team leader for the Ashland District Youth Council. I had been a member of the Greater Richmond Children's Choir and had sung at Carnegie Hall. However, with all of these qualifications to sing, nothing prepared me for the worship team I stepped onto at Virginia Commonwealth University.
I was blessed to be a part of the Intervarsity Worship Team as a freshman and was blessed to have a worship leader who wanted to worship the Lord through his entire being. It was there that for the first time in my life, I really learned to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. As believers we are called to worship in Spirit and in Truth. Now, what does this look like? In John we find Jesus talking a Samaritan woman at the town well. We know from this passage that she was a shameful woman who had previously taken many husbands and now was the lover of another. But when Jesus reached out to her, she recognized Him as a prophet and began to speak of the Jews and the Samaritans and how the Jews claimed it was necessary to worship in a certain place while the Samaritans worshipped on a particular mountain. And Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship what we do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and now has come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." And the woman replied to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." And Jesus replied, "I who speak to you am he". (John 4)
What a revelation to find out that the Lord looks for those who do not worship in a certain place or a certain time, but in a certain manner. To worship in truth is to worship in the word, and to worship in spirit is to worship in the spirit of Christ.

Monday, April 21, 2008

St. Mother Theresa's Prayer

May today there be peace within. 

May you trust God that you are exactly where you're meant to be. 

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. 

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be confident knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love.

It is there for each and every one of us. 

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Don Coleman's Talk on Genesis- Notes

He began with the story of a freshman from VT who went to be with the Lord and about her testimony. Her name was Rachel. 18 years old and dedicated to the Lord.

Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning, God"
Tip of the year, that every moment of your life would begin with "in the beginning, God". Wow. 

Love will cause a revolution, if we really do that (in reference to the environment that Intervarsity tries to provide)
If you're a passionate follower of Jesus Christ you should be broken now. Our world is looking for a beginning. A world that fills us with life now, not life in Jesus.  No! "In the beginning, God!" Dang.

If you want to be a follower of Jesus Christ, at some pt. you have to decide what you believe. Whatever you are doing in your life begins with God. God created the Heavens and the earth. What would it look like to live your life like, "In the beginning, God?" 
-patient all the time
-read the Word
-talk to God everyday

You have to want Jesus, you have to want something real, and it starts with, "In the beginning, God". The original intent of God was that his spirit would come into the earth, that our god reigns, forever His kingdom reigns. Somewhere in between our busy life, we have lost sight of the fact that he wants his kingdom to reign in the entire earth. God wants you to be representing Him in your major, in your life after college. 

At some point, you have to realize that G0d wants to talk to you. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and end. He wants to give you direction in the beginning in the end of your life. 

All you see and all you don't see, God created. What else is there besides what you see and what you don't see. That's why in the beginning, God. God's got it all, but YOU have to let Him have it. And how much you yield to God is your choice. "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain."

Genesis 1:26-27 Basically, he made us in his likeness, in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female. What does it look like that my life belongs to God. John talks about spirit and in truth, who we are as spiritual beings who have come into contact with a Living God. A spiritual man eats the Word of God. Are we on a spiritual diet and losing weight spiritually. Are you not in His likeness because you aren't eating. 

People want to create a divine reality other than what they're created to be. But we're going around protesting instead of telling you that. God has a destiny and purpose for you. Human beings were created in the image of God! If God made it, it's probably best to take the broken instrument to God. 

The owner's manual of God tells us to take it back to the dealership, i.e. God to take it back to the owner. Go to the book, go to God. Dang!

Keep reading it even if you don't understand it. If you read it and don't understand it in a class, you can't tell your teacher that and put that on a test. You'll get an F. You don't want an F in life, do you?!
And so we ask Jesus for help. The Bible says to love one another and to live in peace with all people.

All of us serve the same Jesus. Obama's race speech? Race will not be changed by politicians. When we start living the gospel, then things will change.

Genesis 18: 22ish- Abraham will be blessed and his offspring will be blessed, all nations of the earth will be blessed through them. Abraham is the father of all of us who are saved through faith in Jesus Christ. We as the people of God, IV is here to bless this campus. 

BE A BLESSING
SEA UNA BENDICION

Keep the way of the Lord so the Lord will bring about for Abraham what He has promised by doing what is right and just. The God of the Bible declares that we have to live according this book, it sets you free, it doesn't put you in bondage, but you have to choose to live it. We got some Sodom and Gomorrah. God saw the outcry and their sin was so grievous, he will see if what they have done is as bad as the people cried out. We need to stop turning and running and cursing people and stand and cry out to our God.

2 Chronicles-  I will hear their prayers and heal their land. Our God is big. The God of the Bible wants relationship with other people. But denominations aren't what God called for, for division. 

It is God's plan that we be a blessing to other people, it's always been God's plan. A blessing to the world. Not only to certain people. 

"Unchristian"- a book he recommends, statistics to validate the top 6 things they think about Christians:

1. hypocritical
2. too focused on getting converts (don't care about the person)
3. anti-homosexuals
4. sheltered old fashioned afraid of getting involved in people's lives
5. too political
6. judgmental 

We are the ones who will have to change it, so that people know John 3:16

Genesis 50:19 Vengeance is the place of God. wow. Worry not for me, I am in the place of God. 
His family sold him into slavery. 
Joseph ended becoming a tremendous leader and saved his entire family. 

Don Coleman believes that we have an opportunity to be a blessing to this campus and those who don't know God. They were all created by God in his likeness and we have to reach out a love him despite what they're doing and acting. 

At some point people have to forgive and say that vengeance is the Lord's. Like Joseph. We should treat them with love, we should be the ones standing the gap. I'm not going to judge people, I'm going to love people and demonstrate that God loves them and that he died for them. Amen. 

Bless ALL nations

Our God always intended that His people are to bless ALL nations. Be intentional and aggressive in how you love. 
Song: they should know that we are christians by our love

If someone did a survey of Intervarsity would love be in there? A love that comes out of us living in such a way that it demonstrates how to live a holy life. If we demonstrated that to them, then they'll respond with "hey man, can I get some of that?"

"In the beginning, God"
Every person you meet on this campus was created in the image of God
as followers, we are to live in such a way that they can be blessed by Him through us. 

Future topics

Future topics will include: 

1. Community versus Evangelism: Finding a healthy balance
2. Being members of one body and how we can honor one another in areas of different strengths and weaknesses.
3. Justice and Poverty: Are we called to love the poor and how does this play into our lives as Americans?
4. Humbleness and Pride: Dear Lord help us to be more humble and to boast only in you.
5. Living for the Lord instead of living for the love of the world; perfection of Jesus Christ; His likeness
6. Singleness: Finding contentment in a world that tells you it's wrong to be single and what true love is. 
7. Living in Fear: Do not be afraid
8. Servanthood: What does it mean to be a servant? 
9. Worship: What does it look like to worship an Ever Living God?

I'm looking forward to sharing with you what the Lord has shared with me in these areas throughout the past 4 years as well as how we can grow with each other in these issues.


The Lord is Good

So let me preface this blog by saying that, as cheesy and obvious as this may be, our God is faithful. He is good! So today, I am here to talk about these few things; bitterness, anger, and being content in the Lord and what He has for us. I left off my last blog by quoting Jeremiah 29:11 which says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." And for the first time in a long time, I believe that. I would like to share some of my experiences with all of you in order for you to better understand why this is such an important concept and how the things of this world can hold you back from understanding it. 
Bitterness and anger have ruled over my life for the past 2 years in a number of situations. Sometimes it stemmed from the fact that I didn't understand why the Lord could allow a certain event to happen. Other times it was in conjunction with feeling hurt, abused, or betrayed by people who I thought of as friends. Ephesians 4:25-27 ain't no joke when Paul instructs the church in Ephesus, saying, "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."(NIV, with quote found in Psalm 4:4) A friend of mine recently said something to that stuck in my memory. They said, "instead of saying, 'to be honest' or using the phrase to be 'honest' why don't you let all your words be honest". I promise it was as much a rebuke as it was meant to be. And the Lord used that in my heart and has been healing situations within my heart that anger and bitterness have taken hold over. And I'm here to tell you that the anger and bitterness that you hold in your heart will reflect every action in your daily life and will dictate it until you face the situation and deal with the issues you have against one another in your heart. 
I need to apologize to several people for dealing with issues for so long and letting my attitude towards other people influence their hearts and thoughts. I was wrong. And I need to ask the Lord to reconcile those relationships in Him and through His word. I think that world feeds us so much crap about how we need to be strong and find our strength in ourselves because no one else will do it for us. But I'm here to tell you that it's not true! If we depend on our own strength, we will fail time and time again, and a situation will go from bad to worse. But the good news is that if we find our strength in the Lord, he will sustain us. David speaks to us in Psalm 55:22 (and in many other instances) saying, "Cast your care on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." And likewise in Isaiah, he instructs saying, "The sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like on being taught."(Isaiah 50:4 NIV) The Lord will sustain us, but only if we put our hope, faith, and trust in Him and Him alone. I am not saying that he will has not provided for you through those who he's brought into your life, because I don't believe that. The Lord is faithful with those who he brings into our life, whether it be for a season or for the entirety of our lives. 
It is hard being content in what the Lord has for our lives, because as humans we ultimately struggle against it, finding ourselves wanting the things of this world and the plans that we have for ourselves. My struggle right now is to find where the Lord wants me after college and by no means is it an easy thing to try and discern. Discernment itself is another issue. It is important to ground yourself in the Word of the Lord in order to find what He wants for your life. I believe that in order to truly understand what the Lord wants of us, we must first bury ourselves and steep ourselves in His perfect Word. Don't let my words fool you, I am by no means perfect in this, and I know how hard it is to "find" the time in the life of a busy college student. However, it is essential to our walk with the Lord that we both spend time in prayer and meditating in the Word. It's our spiritual soul food and when we don't have it, we starve. I can describe to you more than one occasion when I've fallen away from spending time with the Lord and I've felt empty, hungry, like I needed more. 
In my experience hanging out with the Lord, I find that I'm never satisfied, that I want more and that I can never get enough of Him. He sustains us through the time that we spend with Him and if we don't do that, our hope and faith slowly dwindle away and through this, feelings like anger, despair, and bitterness can take hold and reign over you in place of the King. I've addressed to you the FACT that the Lord wants you. We were created for relationship with the one who made us, our Creator. And the cool thing is, he reigned before any of this world was ever made. Isn't it amazing to think that the Creator of the world made us to be in relationship with Him? Not only that, but he made us in His likeness! His likeness! For me that statement and realization elicits a "wow". My only hope is that we can recognize this on a daily basis and revel in the awesomeness that we were created to live, to love, and ultimately, to be in relationship with one who will sustain us and love us when the world does not. Praise be to that man who allowed me to be in relationship with Him and covered me in the grace that I so desperately need daily. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is no from yourselves, it is the gift of God-"(Ephesians 2:8 NIV) Amen.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

The Voice

This is a song sung by Celtic Woman, and I really like the lyrics. For those of you who don't know me very well, I tend to live my life through song lyrics. Most of the time, in fact, when I'm mad and I want to be passive-aggressive, I'll use song lyrics to tell you how I feel. This song however, I feel as if it describes that voice that will always be calling out to you. The Lord's voice that will always be filled with the things that have happened, not that they should be forgotten but that we should grow from the wounds we've previously sustained. 
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not someone who enjoys pain, whether it be emotional, physical, or spiritual. However, if there is something that I have learned over these past 3 1/2 years of college, it's that pain is necessary for obtain growth. Pain comes in many different varieties. The verse we should cling to in in James 1:2-4 when the author says,
      "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that          the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may          be mature and complete, not lacking anything."(NIV) 
How amazing that God allows us to take pure joy in by joining in his sufferings. This is the same thing that Paul says his letters to the churches in Rome, Corinth, and Ephesus. His voice remains and echoes now through the struggles which we endure as Christians in this world today. However, I would challenge you to live this life which we have been instructed to live (instructions found in Galatians, where Paul states that in chapter 2, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."(Galatians 2:20 NIV) and later in chapter 5, "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not  what you want."(Galatians 5:16-17 NIV)
 My prayer for us is as David's in the Seventeenth Psalm, "O Lord, by your hand save me from such [wicked] men of this world whose reward is in this life. You still the hunger of those you cherish; their sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children. And I- in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness."( 14-15 NIV) This is my prayer, to see more and more likeness to the Lord within myself, not gratifying the sinful natures and sinful human desires, but living in full righteousness sharing in the suffering of the Lord. It never has and never will be that Christians are going to live lives blessed beyond belief, beyond suffering, but suffering produces righteousness and perseverance, PRAISE GOD. 
God's voice is always calling you, always calling me, it's just making the choice to respond. And no matter what we do, nothing will quench the longing in God's heart to know us. Us, in our sin and brokenness, he wants to know us, intimately, infinitely. He calls out to you calls you son or daughter. Jesus Christ, son of God, was sent down for us. And when he prayed to His Father, he set a new precedent within the Jewish tradition by using the word Abba. Roughly translated, Abba is Hebrew for Daddy. What an intimate word to call out to a supreme being, this should serve to show us that he wants to know us as intimately as possible, every little aspect. And yes, He knows our thoughts and our movements, but He would much rather we tell Him. If we never talk to someone, how is it that we find ourself in relationship with them? It's not possible. In likeness, to have relationship with the Lord, you must talk to him, and at time, get angry at him. 
There are times when I have been so angry at the Lord for trials and sufferings that I have cried at him, I have shouted at him, I have been so angry at him that I was ready to say no and never look in that direction again. But He draws me nearer when I come back to him. James says, "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."(James 4:8) Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. Soak that in. He never leaves you, good times and bad times. So wash your hands, Praise him, and persevere in your sufferings. For the Lord never leaves you. Hear the voice of the future and the past and listen, choose to respond to Him who loves you more than any mortal man on earth can or will ever be able to. Accept grace given to you, live a life filled with the Spirit given to us by the death of a man on the cross named Jesus Christ. Live your life and know the Lord, intimately, infinitely. 


"Listen my child," you say to me
"I am the voice of your history
Be not afraid, com follow me
Answer my call and I'll set you free"

I am the voice in the wind and the pouring rain
I am the voice of your hunger and pain
I am the voice that always is calling you
I am the voice, I will remain

I am the voice in the fields when the summer's gone
the dance of the leaves when the autumn winds blow
Ne'er do I sleep throughout all the cold winter long
I am the force that in springtime grow

I am the voice of the past that will always be
filled with my sorrow and blood in my fields
I am the voice of the future, bring me your peace
bring me your peace, and my wounds, they will heal." 

-"The Voice" Celtic Woman

My hope is not my own, it is in this God whom I trust. "For I know the plans that I have for you', declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11 Amen.