The Question that made me go "huh."

Last Friday, the boys, hubs, and I were at the Kids' Night of Worship (NOW) at Southeast. We thought Daniel would enjoy it since it was geared more toward kids. Matthew enjoyed looking at all the lights in the room, the kids and stage crew dancing, and the music. Daniel did more watching than participating, but that's his style. I've learned that Daniel does participate by observation even if he isn't actively involved.

Anyway, the youth pastor asked the kids if they could fill in the blank. "The one thing God wants us to do is ________." Daniel looked at me and I asked him if he knew it. He shrugged, but my mind filled in the blank with "Obey and know the Truth."

The pastor followed up by saying, "The one thing God wants us to do is believe."

What? Daniel was still thinking about the answer, but my answer wasn't what the pastor had said. Granted, the sermon was geared toward kids ages 5 - 14, but still, he had to boil theology down to the very basics, and God wanting us to believe is a very basic piece of theology.

"Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent." John 6:29 (NIV)

Well, there ya go. But that makes sense. We believe in God and then we worship in spirit and in Truth because Christ is the way, the Truth and the Light. We also obey because we believe and are connected to Christ who transforms us (John 15:5, Romans 12:1-2).

So, if belief is the core component of theology, why did I automatically think of "truth" and "obey" as the things God wants the most from us? Or, the Hermione Granger part of my brain asks, "Why did I get the question only partially right, or at the very worst, wrong?"

And why does it matter? It matters because of the little guy that was my arms and the little guy young middle schooler standing next to me that evening. As Matthew's mom and as Daniel's stepmom, I have an influence on their faith and they look to me for spiritual guidance (Ok, Daniel does. Matthew just likes snuggles in church for now). If I want to guide them down the right path, I have to have a solid foundation myself.

Why is it easier to say God wants us to obey and know Truth than it is to say that God wants us to believe? Well, there are rewards for obedience and the Hermione Granger in us enjoys the recognition that comes with knowing something well. Obedience can be measured: I was patient the last three times I waited in line. My co-worker jabbered my ear off again and I didn't snap at her. Knowledge is measurable: I memorized half a chapter today. Belief is less measurable. You either believe that Christ died for our salvation and rose from the dead to give us new life, or you don't. Belief can be demonstrated in outward signs such as baptism, character growth, and good works, but it is definitely harder to grasp.

I think from a developmental standpoint, it's easier to explain to kids that God wants us to be kind, so share your toys, God made the world in six days and on the seventh He rested. These are easier for kids with less abstract thought to digest. I think that's why we start with these. Those aren't wrong, but I could see why a kid would see "obey" and "know Truth" as foundational if they were introduced to those ideas first and then salvation by grace as a gift of God's love as an added bit of truth. I think I was raised in a church that leaned a bit more toward obedience and knowledge as a means to come to God and His grace was less emphasized.

As a parent, I must remind both boys that Jesus loves them and always start there.

Daniel has accepted the basic premise of salvation and chose to be baptized a few weeks ago as a symbol that he accepted Christ's death on the cross for his sins and has been brought to new life in His resurrection. Daniel will understand this truth and all its implications as he develops greater abstract thought, learns more about his faith, and connects with God in deeper ways. I want to facilitate this connection as much as I want to give him little nuggets of theology to learn, and again, that starts with reminding Daniel that Jesus loves him.

Little Matthew's church experience is purely sensory: the lights from the stage, the music, hearing different people talk, but I whisper to him that Jesus loves him. My hope is that some of his early memories, among those of a warm loving home, are those of his parents telling him that God loves him and that will plant the seeds for him to seek out and accept God's love as he gets older.

Lord, help me to grow deeper in knowing Your love and Your grace so that I may grow closer to You. Please use me to draw the boys closer to You as that is my prayer for their lives.

Psalm 1

Hubs and I are both starting our Psalm Journals: reflections on the Psalms and about how King David brought his feelings before the throne room of God. 

I had been looking for a way to journal them, and now here it is! I can update my content and do my quiet time all at once YAY! 

Ahem..

Psalm 1:

Psalm 1 reads more like an instruction list or advice column instead of one pouring out his heart to God. However, when I think about it, emotions are behind one's motivation to give instructions. 

When I instruct Daniel about social skills or when I help him solve a problem on his Wii or while doing his homework, I feel the need to share an important nugget of truth to make Daniel's life better. King David probably felt that sense of responsibility. Especially if he wrote Psalm 1 for his son, he would express love by instructing his son on how to live. True leaders that give the nation advice during an inaugural address or State of the Union feel a responsibility and love of sorts to their citizens; they wish to lead them on a path that will enrich their lives.

David urged his son (if he was writing to Solomon), and his constituents (being a King after all) to follow God. He wanted his son to see that as utmost importance. Therefore, he felt this sense of urgency to tell him to keep God at the center of his life and look to His word for guidance. 

A few weeks ago, I felt a deep longing for Daniel to know God. I was standing near Daniel during worship at Southeast while singing "Jesus Loves Me" by Chris Tomlin. I wanted Daniel to know that Jesus loved him just like Bri-Bri and I were proclaiming that He loved us. I sang, "Jesus, He loves you, He loves you, He is for you." and put my hand on Daniel's heart while giving him a hug. Sweet Bri-Bri did the same :) :) Together we felt this deep longing for Daniel to know this Truth, and I believe David wanted his people and his children to understand the importance of Yahweh being central in their lives. 

How did David bring this to God? Well, he recognizes God as "Lord" the more personal name for God, and he probably prayed for his people and his children to know God and walk with Him. 

In that same way, we can bring our longing for others to know Christ to God as well. We can pray for their salvation and we can listen to God's prompting as He uses us to speak truth into others' lives. 

For sweet Bri-Bri and I, we can lift Daniel up in prayer that he would know God, and we could listen for God's wisdom in how to speak to his young heart that his Creator, his Savior - the ultimate Superhero loves him and laid down His life so that he may live and love God.  

Not taking the Cross for Granted

During the Online Campus prayer partner stint, I listened to the segment about communion and I was like, "Yup, we're almost to the message." But I don't want Communion to come commonplace. I don't want The Cross to become commonplace because I would stop praying for my stepson's salvation and I would take God's grace for granted. 

So I stopped and pondered. 

When I survey the Wondrous Cross

On which the prince of Glory died

My richest gain I count but loss

And pour contempt on all my pride

Oh the Wonderful Cross

Oh the Wonderful Cross

Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live.

If I meditate on the truth that God graciously died in my place for my sins so I could be close to Him, if I meditate on the depths of that love and sacrifice, then I would not take the Cross for granted. 

Hey that wasn't so bad

So I just shared my  post: The Vortex of Love with my pastor because his sermon was about Christ's love filling us so we didn't need to demand love from others. If Christ fills us, we can truly selflessly love others. 

A few years ago, I would've walked away from that message in tears. A few years ago, the wounds from being the one to always fill the love wound in another's life were still raw. A few years ago, the physical wounds of self-injury as a result of all that were still dark on my skin rather than faint lines. A few years ago, I was allowing God to fully heal me, which  meant the wounds hurt more as He used His blood as antiseptic and stitched them together.

The feelings of low self-worth, of 'am I good enough' of, 'Why did God put me in that position for so long' are still there. The longer I sit and write this post, the more I don't want to write. But, the thoughts I have and the feelings I have are also, "God, Your praise will ever be on my lips because You redeemed me and You have healed me from this.", "God, You were there through my darkest days." The greater the storm, the louder our song. We sang Matt Redman's song "Loud" as a choir, and as I look at the storm God brought me through of the long years supporting another's self-worth and the pain of feeling like I wasn't doing enough, my praise is loud because God is teaching her that He is enough and God saved me so He can be enough for me for His praise and glory. 

When Heaven and Earth Collide

I really like the song "Heaven and Earth" by Hillsong United / Hillsong Worship. As always, they sing Truth so poetically and they rock! If we ever sing this song in choir, I'll be happy squealing to my choir friends later heee heeee! 

The song is talking about Christ coming to earth, and isn't that the crux of everything else related to our faith? 

I was listening to this song while working on my other blog (Yes, Katie started ANOTHER blog) and I was writing a 'tell your life's story' post and I realized that when my circumstances took a shift, God's sovereignty met my life. Heaven and Earth collided. God is always with us and always working out His plans, but sometimes He does something that seems weird or something and you look back later and say, "Wait... WHAT??? What just happened???" 

For instance, a malnourished infant with bad eyesight and exposure to Hepatitis B (and who may have survived measles and meningitis at this point) was transferred from a government orphanage to a nonprofit orphanage. She was in a particular one run by a particular agency that created her file as a child available for adoption. Heaven met earth because a woman  would walk into said adoption agency, look at that particular file, take a leap of faith, and ultimately bring this little girl home to be her daughter. In that child's life, Heaven and Earth collided during that transfer between orphanages. 

We hear about Heaven and Earth colliding when people say these things in stories: 

"And somehow at just the right time ..." 

"I just got this feeling.... something told me to..."

"I sat by this person who just happened to be..." 

"If I hadn't gone through.... I wouldn't have...." 

"Going through .... helped me to..." 

So why does God throw in these wild turns in people's lives? To keep the universe interesting? So everything works out in the end? That can be true, but there is a greater reason beyond things working out in our lives. Sometimes Heaven and Earth collide, but that meeting don't necessarily bring material good or success. Sometimes people just get through the struggle of life and they somehow know that they have the strength to make it through hard times. Sometimes people go through hard things and they are desperate for hope, so they seek it out. In that, Jesus reaches to them through His work and through His people. Heaven and Earth collide to show people Christ and point people to Him. 

Heaven and Earth collide

Savior for everyone has come

Bringing the dead to life

All for the glory of Your Name

By His stripes are healed

By His death we can live

In Jesus' Name

In Jesus Name

All oppression shall cease

Every captive released

In Jesus' name

In Jesus' name

Proverbs 5 Just Got Real

Today's reading in the Southeast reading guide was Proverbs 5 where Solomon was instructing his son to listen to wisdom. Before I became a stepmom, I would read this and know the importance of wisdom. 

Today, as I read the words, "My son..." I looked over at my step-son who was knocking out bad guys with The Hulk on his Wii-U. I thought of Solomon writing these words as he watched his son and suddenly Proverbs 5 took on a whole other meaning. 

My guys ready to save the day on Halloween! 

If Daniel values wisdom, he will make good choices as he grows up. He will listen to God, the source of wisdom. He will not waste his time and money on things that do not matter. 

I paused as I read the bit about adultery and thought about how teenage boys can be enticed by seeing bad things on the internet and even hypersexualized TV and movies. Daniel is a sweet stepson, kind to his cousins who are girls, and likes making his baby sister at his mom's house giggle. I prayed Daniel would keep that kindness and respect for women as he gets older and not see them only as objects. My sweet Bri-Bri is teaching him how to be a good man, and that is something I am very thankful that Daniel has in his life. 

When reading the bit where Solomon instructs his son to love the wife of his youth, I prayed that Daniel would find a wife that would love him for who he is and be his helpmate. 

Proverbs isn't a list of wise things to note. Proverbs is a letter from a father to a son. Solomon loved his son and wanted the best for him, so he wrote Proverbs to instruct him. I love Daniel and want him to know God and follow Him. That is why I prayed the words of Proverbs 5 over him today. 

God's Not Dead: My Review

I joined two friends of mine from Hope Crossing to see the movie "God's Not Dead" where a prelaw college freshman takes up his philosophy professor's challenge to prove God and disprove atheism. Another friend posted this link from Creation Ministries International which critiques the movie based on how well a literal interpretation of Genesis was utilized. Their review also evaluted how realistically other characters who represented different groups in the cultural debates are often portrayed. 

I agreed with the CMI article, and I am still glad I saw the movie. 

To set some background, I am Summitview trained in apologetics and in college, I learned various ways to logically explain my faith and common questions often presented to Christians from others of varying worldviews. Apologetics can be taught in an us versus them fashion, especially if the media and other facets of society tend to demean Christianity. I definitely felt that academia was not on the Christians' side, so I resonated with the kid going up against his professor. 

Also setting some background, I know what it was like to be a person seeking answers. Though I didn't take an anti-God stance, I was looking for someone to explain things like the problem of evil and assurance of salvation in a logical way. Before I became Christian, I had mocked Christians and I thought that praying for an illness to go away was foolish because we had medicine for that. In short, I have been on both sides. 

Now, to address CMI's arguments: 

1. Josh's arguments were insufficient to convince a critically thinking audience such as a true college professor and a philosophy class. He did not follow a literal interpretation of Genesis. Though he quoted much of the narrative, he allowed for evolution to be true. He also tied evil to free will rather than to sin. 

I agree with these criticisms. I think if he had to argue more than the basic first cause argument, the movie would've ended up being more of a giant lecture with plot thrown in. That would be fine for Bible nerds like my Summitview friends and myself (given the right mood), but maybe not for a broader audience. I also think this movie was meant to give Christians a starting point to begin arguing their faith and they would be free to do their research. However, again, if a Christian isn't in an apologetics heavy church like Summitview or a good church where scripture is examined deeply, than just using these arguments against a better trained debator would be quite a challenge. The article addresses this and emphasized that students who watch this shouldn't feel like they can rely soley on Josh's arguments against their own professors. For non-Christians, this movie can give them partial answers, but again, they would need to do more research. From my own experience, I often revisited the same questions as a seeker and needed to dig deeper. Luckily, I had Christian friends who understood my need for understand and explained things rather than friends who saw my questions as attacks on their faith. 

2. Other characters and even other Christians in the film were portrayed inaccurately and in a unhelpful stereotypical way. Amy, a journalist critical of Christians is hostile with her interviewing technique where most journalists would at least be civil when interviewing a subject. Journalists usually save their arguing and spats with fellow newsanchors on CNN or FOX. She only softens up when she is desperate for answers to her own life situation.

Ayisha is a Muslim student, but the directors did not get her traditional outfit right. They also portray her family in a way that would cause non-Muslims to be critical of that people group. CMI said that this would be detrimental for Christians reaching Muslims for the Gospel. I agree. Though they show how hard life can be for a Muslim individual who openly switches faiths, they neglected to stress that not everyone's situation is like hers. 

Professor Radisson is your hard-line atheist and his home is probably not typical of a Humanities / Liberal Arts professor's home. Those guys don't make that much. Anyway, he is almost too aggressive with Josh, and if he was at CSU, Josh could bring his behavior in and outside the classroom toward him to the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and the Office of Conflict and Dispute Resolution. 

Finally, on the non-Christians' side, an unnamed business man is the stereotypical profit-driven cold CEO. All the ladies in the movie theater want to kick him in the balls for the way he treats his girlfriend in her time of need, but again, one can make a stretch that a successful business professional will have a cold money-hungry attitude without Jesus. That is not true. There are many corporate officers who may not be believers, but are kind to their staff and use company funds to donate to charity etc. 

On the Christians' side, Pastor Dave and his missionary friend interact with nearly everyone in the movie. Pastor Dave appears to be a young pastor who is burnt out and wishes he could be "in the trenches" like his missionary friend who works in a foreign country. The missionary encourages Pastor Dave in his faith and is constantly amazed at the conveinences in America. The CMI article criticizes their portrayal as Christians who have shallow faith. Again, I agree with this, and yet I see how they serve to bring the story together rather than detract from the central plotline of Josh's debate with his professor. 

What I would say to other Christians who want to see the movie: 

This is a movie to inspire you to share your faith and to make you remember that even people we would label as 'enemies of our faith' because they outwardly are hostile to Christians may also have very real struggles. If you want to begin defending your faith like Josh, read your Bible, read good apologetics books, and always have faith that God will supply you the answers and remind your heart to have compassion for those asking you these questions. 

What I would say to non-Christians who want to see the movie:

No, not every Christian sees you as a 'Professor Raddison', especially if you are in academia. People such as C.S. Lewis and Lee Strobel have written books about Christianity that present you questions in a very logical format. Many scientists and professors are Christian, though they may not be outspoken due to the climate in academia. You can have your faith and your intellect. Use this movie as a starting point to find answers. 

No movie will be a perfect witness because each Christian is not a perfect witness. We are imperfect. We sin. We backslide. Sometimes quite badly. But Jesus is the perfect example of God coming to earth to redeem mankind. Jesus conquered sin, death, and hell. In Christ and in all that He is, He is the perfect answer.  I believe the producers' hearts were to point people to Christ. After seeing this movie, I will pray for everyone who sees it that they find Christ alive and our Redeemer.

God's Three-Pronged Closing Argument

I "randomly" flipped to Job 40 for my quiet time. God answers Job after Job has questioned Him as well as sought advice from others regarding his suffering. God lays it down with 3 arguments.

1. He Is. He is the only God. "I Am." He has brought down kings and He alone can save. He is the ultimate law-giver and determines justice. He is worshiped in Heaven.

He could've just said, "I'm God. You're not. The end." However, he uses examples of various creatures that Job had either heard about or seen in the wild whose attributes point back to him. Romans 1:20 states that God's attributes can be see in His creation, He was using additional pieces of evidence to make a solid case even more watertight.

2.  He is strong. The behemoth is apparently the most powerful animal on the planet. Its tail is the size of a tree trunk and has enormous legs and a skeleton stronger than the strongest metals at the time. Yet God is stronger than this creature.

3. He is untamable.  God uses the example of the Leviathan which was a water dwelling creature that would be impossible to catch due to its ability to fight with a fishing crew. It would be like the guys on "The Deadliest Catch" trying to catch a shark in the middle of a feeding frenzy. God emphasizes His strength again by mentioning the Leviathan's strong outer coat of hard plates.

Job obviously repents.

Of course, I had to ask myself, so what to make of this exchange? The plaintiff has lodged his complaint against the defendant who responded with a watertight argument in His favor. Is God just up there saying, "I'm powerful, you're not, and I do what I want, and poor humans mwahahahaaa!" No. Because within the argument of "I am," He implies that Job's right hand cannot save him, but God's right hand can save Job. Taking the 'case' as a whole, we see that God and the devil are in a spat and the devil raises an argument: Job only worships You because You give him good things.  God allows Satan to pull away everything Job has dear: his children, his wealth, and his health. Satan was watching as all this was going on. He would be the jury that decides the facts while God affirmed His law.

Job worshipped God ultimately because He is, He is powerful, He is untamable, and He is good. The verdict Satan had to concede was this: God Is. He is real and that is why He is worshiped.

Unity is Epic!

A fellow blogger and my loyal blog-stalker posted on unity focusing on how it might be errantly taught in a church setting. 

I thought about unity today when the Hope Crossing pastor asked us to pray for God to use us in the community. The worship team played a Hillsong song and I thought about my summer mission trip to Boulder with The Rock and suddenly began praying for the believers there. Then I began praying for my peeps at Summitview. Then I even prayed for my little church group way back at Denver Health that I was a part of in 2006. And of course, I prayed for Boaz's church in Parker :) 

I just felt the place in my heart for "my peeps" get bigger :) It was cool! My fellow blogger basically said that unity shouldn't be constrained to just one's local church family. Unity within that group is important, and God can expand your heart to be in unity in prayer with so many other believers!!!! It's really cool and really trippy that you could pray for the whole entire Church - all the Christians on the planet and at that moment, you would be united with every believer. Mind. Blown! 

Today I realized that could be possible when I prayed for all my local churches, and I realized that only with God is this unity on an epic scale possible! 

Ruth and Boaz: Not quite happily ever after?

I was being a dork last night and looking up "Ruth and Boaz marriage" mainly to see if there were any blogs of that same nature. Well, there were no blogs (as of yet ;) but there were a bunch of articles on Ruth and Boaz. Many of them referenced this article which was an article from 1906 on Jewish history.  

Picture of Boaz and Ruth from the internets

Apparently after Ruth and Boaz tied the knot, the story didn't end with: "And they lived happily ever after." because Boaz died the day after his wedding according to the above article. 

Wait... What? 

According to the article, Ruth was 40 and Boaz was 80. So the exertion needed to make Obed very well could've made him very... dead. 

That would leave Ruth and Naomi once again alone. They'd have access to all of Boaz' assets after that, but still, Ruth and Naomi would have raised Obed by themselves. 

The book of Ruth ends with Naomi praising God. Reading that in the context of Ruth being widowed a second time makes that statement more poignant. Though their kinsman-redeemer was physically gone, God gave them Obed and a house where they could raise him. God provided for them in Boaz' field. And out of Boaz and Obed's line, the true Redeemer of the world would be born. 

Because this story isn't just about Ruth and Boaz, but about Christ, it does end happily ever after. 

Blood for a terrorism defendant

Today the news reported more about the Boston Marathon terrorism suspect who was injured in the standoff with police. The news reported that he was in the hospital and had sustained heavy blood loss. My first thought was, "Oh man, how would I like it if I donated blood and then it went to that guy??" Especially, if I was one of the people that donated blood in hopes it would help some of the injured in the bomb blast? The implication of my thought was this: A terrorism suspect is less worthy of a blood transfusion than one of the injured from the attack. 

An anchor on Fox News was also surprised that the suspect was read his Miranda Rights. My paralegal student side thought, "Yes, but that's a routine procedure in criminal law." Procedural Due-Proccess. He has a right to due process of law under the sixth-amendment of our Constitution. 

Then God brought my mind back to the idea that he received someone else's donated blood. This blood donor gave at a facility like Bonfil's Blood Center or the hospital in-house blood donation center. The donor would never have knowledge about what patient received the blood. It could have gone to a mother in the delivery unit, a cancer patient, a car-accident victim, or the criminal defendant who is currently being treated. Society sees each of these people a different way, and that affects how 'worthy' they are of fair treatment. 

How dare a defendant suspected of terrorism get read his Miranda rights! How dare the doctors keep him comfortable unless all they are doing it for is to ensure he is healthy enough for interrogation! 

Yet, God reminded me of this fact: Christ is the blood donor for all of us.  He gave His blood on the Cross to atone for my sins of lying, selfishness, blasphemy of God, etc. He gave His blood on the cross for the embezzlers, the DUI offenders, those convicted of misdemeanors  the drivers who flip off the RTD bus drivers, and the terrorists. He gave His blood for all. For both the victims of the Boston bombing and the perpetrators. Only in Christ's blood are we all washed clean of sin. 

Humbled. 

And Mind. Blown. 

Ruth and I are having tea in Heaven!

Ok, I am having tea with Ruth in Heaven! :) Yup. Ruth in the story of Ruth and Boaz. Maybe she and I can compare tans as she worked in the fields all day and I - well, I was born with a tan :D 

Hee hee! 

But seriously, I do relate to Ruth because she took care of her mother in law, and I take care of my mother. Ok, I have never gleaned in a field, but there was one time when I had a job and Mom didn't (when I was in Denver in 06) and I helped her with groceries and stuff. I also helped her emotionally because she was devastated about her job situation. 

I also relate to Ruth because I have somehow trusted God is good in the mist of an environment that would say otherwise. 

Ruth was in Moab where the culture revolved around the Moabite theology rather than the theology of Israel. God probably had to do a bit of a worldview switch-a-roo in her brain for her to say to Naomi, "Your God will be my God."  For me, I have grown up in the United States where the worldview is increasingly secular humanist. 

Ruth probably also heard much of Naomi's moaning and groaning on their way back to Bethlehem. Ruth probably had to remind herself that, "Yeah, my husband died. Yeah Naomi's husband died, and my brother in law died, and we don't have food again, but the God of Israel is real and good." She made a choice amid hearing Naomi's lamenting to see God is good. Yeah, that was me. Even though my development wasn't perfect, even though Mom wasn't as well off as she would've liked, even though it was hard to see God during the events of the Columbine shooting and the September 11 attacks, even though the culture was saying that Christianity is narrow-minded, even through the deaths of my grandpa and uncle, even though the economy tanked affecting my post-graduation job prospects, God gave me the grace or - well - something - to believe He was real and He was good. Sometimes it was a hard fight to believe. Sometimes I didn't believe He was good. That's when I wouldn't handle things very well. Yet, like Ruth, I somehow still kept on believing God was real.  

Ruth found Boaz on the threshing floor and uncovered his poor old toe-goo infested knobbly feet as a way of introduction. They had the, "I think you're neat, I just uncovered your feet, and as my kinsman-redeemer, God will have my economic situation beat!" Boaz scratched his old head and said, "Ok. I think you're pretty awesome too, young lady. God loves ya, so do I!" 

As of this entry, I have not yet found my "Boaz." But I - FOUND MY GLORIOUS BOAZ WHICH IS JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've knelt at His nail-scarred feet crying trusting Him for healing from my past. I've danced with Him (think dance parties in my room post-quiet time) and had giggles and cries and arguments with Him (Yeah, those arguments generally didn't last long). :) :) So like Ruth, I have found my Boaz and realized He was for me and all I had to do was ask Him to save me! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) 

Ok - just - a - little - excited - whew! :D heee heeee! 

But seriously, that is AWESOME that God had worked out Ruth's story so one day I could resonate with it. Ruth probably thought a lot of her life was crappy and wondered, "Why me, God?" I've thought that plenty of times. "Why is my life looking like this so far? I know You have a plan for the hard stuff in my life, but I want to know what it is." But maybe like Ruth, someone else could be encouraged by my life to see God's soveriegnty even though hard times and God's real provision even when the situation looked hopeless and praise Him because of it. 

Ultimately, Ruth's story points to Christ, and thanks to God's grace, my life points to Christ as well. 

Isaiah 4:2

And THIS is why I like the book of Isaiah and one of my friends likes the book of Isaiah too!!! :) :) :) :) 

"In that day, the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel."  - Isaiah 4:2 (ESV emphasis added)

 I asked myself, "What is the fruit of the land that would be the pride and honor of the survivors?" Then I thought of the 1930's Dust Bowl because Mom and I watched a PBS special on it (yes we're nerds).

 

Kansas and other places in the Midwest were utterly laid to waste and buried under dust. The agricultural community lost its only source of income. 

Those people that didn't relocate to the cities and survived the Dust Bowl really truly rejoiced over the crops they had once the Dust Bowl ended. They had survived and persevered, and now they had a crop again! 

I'm sure these people had other 'fruit of the land' that resulted in surviving the Dust Bowl. They probably learned a lot about improvisation in hard times and just what determination and loyalty to their land and their way of life truly meant. 

The Israelites Isaiah was writing about were the ones who would return from exile. They would once again live in and off of the Promised Land again, but he was also writing about God's people overall. So how about us as Christians? In one sense we are also the "survivors of Israel" because we're God's people stuck in a fallen world. 

That verse struck me because in one sense, I have survived a lot. I really did survive being born very low birthweight (3 pounds and I was term), having Hepatitis B, having measles and menengitis, having severe sensory integration problems (WHERE THERE WAS NO INTERVENTION FOR ANOTHER 10 YEARS FOR IT GRRRRRR...), mild autism spectrum disorder, and attachment issues. 

So, what has that taught me: Well, that God is The Man because only He could've brought me through that. So, one fruit is gratefulness to God :) Empathy for people going through hard times, because, man! They are no fun. A dependence on God for comfort through it, and a seeking of Him that ultimately led to me accepting Him as my Savior. The Fruit of the Spirit because God made me new and His Spirit is in me. Yay for tangible examples, and my life happens to be one of them :) 

Interesting! :) I pray for all my Christian brothers and sisters that are going through hard times and are / have survived little and big things. I pray that they would be able to trust God for fruit from it and trust that He is with them in it :) Because it's cool when He shows the fruit and brings Him glory and makes Him more real for us :)

Middle East Issues, End Times, and Reminders

"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be faminesand earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." Matthew 24:6-8 NIV1984

In case you all in the blogsphere didn't know, the Israel-Palestine conflict is heating up with the Israeli's countering missles fired into Tel-Aviv in the last few days. An analysis here explains it all. Whenever I hear about issues between Israel and Palestine, I am tempted to either think two things: Oh, it's just another skirmish we hear about on CNN or I think: 

It's the end of the world as we know it!!!!!!!!!!! 

(R.E.M. Video from YouTube)

And I don't necessarily feel fine. 

When I wonder if the end of the world is coming, I think about how that might mess up my own plans: my career path, my dream of maybe meeting prince-charming and living in a castle (house somewhere) and otherwise just living an ordinary American life suddenly seem less predictable. 

If I think the end of the world is coming, I often wonder if I will wake up and see this:  

"AVENGE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

Ahem... anyway, I must ask myself this question: So what do I think is truly real and the most important? Do I think my (potential) paralegal career is important? Do I think my Mom and my family is important? What about my dreams for the future? In every day life, I think these are the most important thing. But when I hear about world events that might change things, I am forced to draw back and see the bigger picture. 

God's story, His-story is the most important thing and all these smaller variables are a small part of it. Being an to Christ example to my Mom, doing my paralegal program stuff, and doing whatever else God has planned in my life are a sub-plot within the main plot of God's plan for the whole world. If my little sub-plot falls right before the end-times or still 100 years before the end times, I don't know. What I do know is that each generation is called to be obedient and faithful to God. That is what I see as I read 2 Chronicles. Each king had the choice to be obedient and faithful to God. Yes, the history of Judah was affected as these were heads of state, but individually every leader had to chose God each day. 

In my own small world, I am reminded to chose God each day and influence my little circle for Him. In the larger scheme of things, I should not neglect to pray for the rest of the world - for our leaders and for the nations. Prayer and material support for missions work is always needed no matter what part of history we are in. 

The reminder that God, as the sovereign ruler of this universe, could allow events that change the geopolitical landscape of the world in an instant reminds me to focus on what is truly important which is to love God and love the world for Him. 

Ruth and Boaz - A match that only makes sense in Heaven

Drawing of Ruth & Boaz
obtained from Google Images

At Hope Crossing we're in a series on Ruth. I really enjoy Ruth because I can TOTALLY RELATE to being a young poor single lady looking after her mom! :D (who is also poor and yeah).  Our pastor pointed out that a lot of people though Ruth and Boaz's meeting was "love at first sight" but it might not have necessarily been. 

Ruth was a foreigner and the Israelites were told not to marry foreign citizens. Therefore, Boaz wouldn't have even considered her for marriage. Also, he calls her "my daughter" when he addresses her. John Piper said that could indicate a large age gap between them. Therefore, he probably wouldn't think of her as marriage material because she was too young for him. 

Boaz was a rich guy, but he was OLD! Like, he probably had to trim his ear and nose hair and pop his back in five different places before going out to the fields to greet his workers. Ruth probably didn't consider marrying him at first because a) she was a foreigner and probably thought he wouldn't want to marry him anyway and b) she was barren so she couldn't really be of any value in continuing on his line. She hadn't had kids in 10 years of marriage and that was when The Pill and such definitely didn't exist. 

However, God had other plans. He made Ruth see that Boaz is a nice guy and by the way her kinsman-redeemer. He made Boaz see that here was the opportunity to show he had a pair and step up for his family he never knew existed until recently. Their marriage wasn't based on mutual feelings of drooling over each other, and I'm sure when Naomi basically told Ruth, "Hey! Propose the the guy!" the conversation may have gone something like this: 
"Um.... Mom - do you mean propose to the old guy?" 
"Yes, the old guy who HAPPENS TO OWN THE FIELD YOU WORKED IN ALL SUMMER! Our kinsman-redeemer *wink wink*" 
"Oh - oh yeah. *cringe* Um, but I'm a barren previously married foreigner and such." 
"Well, if he has a pair and remembers which family you married into AND  knows the Levitical law, he'll do it." 
"Well. Ok. See ya, mom!" 
"Ok - FIX YOUR HAIR!" 

And God softened Ruth's heart to listen to her mom :D 

But anyway, yeah. Just reading the story without knowing God was in it, people might be like, "What!?! That's a nice love story but... odd?" But when we read it knowing God used a very unlikely pairing to continue the Messianic line of Christ, it becomes epic!!! 

It can all be lost in a generation

In 2nd Chronicles 10-12, Rehoboam is king over Judah and has a very different reign than Solomon. Jeroboam is king over Israel and the David / Solomon's kingdom is divided into Israel and Judah. Rehoboam institutes harsh laws regarding forced labor causing the Israelites to rebel against him. He nearly went to war against Israel, but God had told him not to. So he settled in the regions of Judah and Benjamin. Rehoboam still maintained the Levitical religious practices and so the Levites came to Jerusalem and continued practicing there. They walked in the ways of David and Solomon (Ch 11:16-17).  Unfortunately, the king of Egypt attacks Jerusalem and takes all the gold and treasure that Solomon had built up through his reign. 

When I read that the gold and treasure had been taken in that one raid only a generation after Solomon's reign, I was struck at how in one generation, nearly everything can be lost. Of course, this could be speaking financially because the economy of Judah probably took a hit (oh no! RECESSION!!), but spiritually, the country was not what it was. The people  of Judah probably had a harsh view of the king due to his laws on forced labor, and they probably thought he was weak in terms of foreign policy as Egypt invaded their land. This is so different from how they viewed David and Solomon where they praised God because of their reigns. In one generation, nearly everything spiritually was lost. Rehaboam may have outwardly kept the Levitical practices, but he did not truly follow God because in Chapter 12 verse 5, a prophet tells Rehaboam, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak [King of Egypt].’”

Me being me, when I think about generations, I think about kids. A parents' strong faith is not necessarily passed down to the children. A closer look at Solomon reveals that he was slipping a bit. Rehaboam's mother was an Ammorite, and in 1 Kings 11:12, God states: “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Solomon had epic amounts of wives, which is weird. Anyway, David walked with God and he messed up, but he passed down enough to Solomon that Solomon didn't completely mess up. Children's faith is positively correlated with their parents' faith usually. We talked about it at Hope Crossing this last Sunday as a matter of fact. They haven't got the message up yet, but they talked about it. 

It goes back to childhood socialization principles. Kids see how their parents live out their worldview and they copy it first in behavior and then internalize the philosphy of the parents once they are capable of abstract thought. 

Something I think about is that if I have kids, I must guard my faith while praying and encouraging Prince Charming to guard his so he can lead the household in the ways of God. We would not ultimately save our kids - that is Jesus' job, but we will play a vital role in showing what faith looks like to the future generation. We must always pray that God in His mercy passes down the faith to the next generation. 

Matthew 6:33 in the Old Testament!

Matthew 6:33 is coming true in the OLD TESTAMENT!! Solomon asks for wisdom which is going after God’s heart and then BAM the economy goes CRAZY! Now, some people (and I have also) thought, “Wow. The man asked for wisdom and then he found a way to blow up the stock market!” We-ell… I’m sure wisdom obviously helped because he knew what to do with his resources and how to advise his people, but I think the deeper issue here is that he asks for wisdom and shows that he is after God’s heart, so God provides the country with epic amounts of resources. The main goal during the first few years of peacetime is building of the Temple, so most of the resources will go to there. That’s interesting :) So when we ask God to bless us in the US (God, help us get OUT OF THE RECESSION), what if the deeper question we should be asking is, "God, what do You want for us as a nation? What do you want us to be seeking to know You better?" 

For me personally, I say a lot, "God, I'd like a paralegal job after I graduate!" I should also be asking, "God, what do You want me to learn about You as I do this career change?" Will that automatically make my finances go through the roof? Who knows, but really, with the mentality of seeking God first, then that becomes secondary :) We'll just have to see, but it's interesting. 

Solomon looses this focus on God eventually, and I will read about it more later. But yeah, it's interesting to read about his epic start! 

The God of Peacetime versus the God of War

1 chronicles 22 -  Interesting how David wanted to build the Temple but God had told him no. Here God gives a reason: Because he had done so much killing - I’m guessing during his military campaigns and also because of his sins. Solomon would build it in a time of peace.

Logistically this makes sense. A region has to be secured first before infrastructure can begin. It doesn’t make sense to build a road if it’s just going to get bombed the next day. Also, during peacetime, the government’s income can go to infrastructure rather than military spending (yeah, ya think I’ve been listening to ads about government spending much??)

I also wondered if there was a spiritual component to God’s law. God being God, there probably is. I did a search in Bible Gateway for the words “kill and murder” through the Levitical law books (yeah, paralegal nerd side coming out just a little), and I didn’t find anything that said, “If you kill or murder, you can’t do stuff like build a city / temple / stuff.” Well technically, you can’t because if you murder you’re usually dead after a trial where you have multiple witnesses (BASIS FOR TRIAL BY JURY YEAH!!!!!!!!!! Or at least a hearing or something where more than one witness is called). Anyway… um… I didn’t find that.

But I thought about how God wants His fame spread throughout the region. If David built the Temple, the other nations could say, “David killed a crap ton of people and now he has this amazing worship facility… Dang is his God like bloodthirsty or something?!” God DEFINITELY does NOT want that reputation. So, I think He has Solomon do it because of the logistical reasons above and also so the other nations see the side of God that is grace and blessing. They saw the God of Wrath, but I think He wants to show the grace side too. 

Just like with the Cross. We see the God of Wrath when we see Jesus on the Cross. We see His wrath when He goes all epic warrior on the whole entire world. But we see the God of Grace when He reveals the new Jerusalem where His reedeemed live and it’s AWESOME and peaceful. Not to mention, all the animals up there are fluffy and cute and don’t bite :D But that’

A Census according to God's statutes

I PARALEGAL NERDED out today for my quiet time :)  It was actually really interesting! 

The fact situation: 1 Chronicles 21:1-6: David orders a census against Joab's advice. Joab is part of David's "cabinet." He is basically the Secretary of Defense. David ordered the census to be taken of "all of Israel" and for Joab to create a report detailing the numbers. Joab obeyed reluctantly and counted everyone except the Levites and the tribe of Benjamin because he was upset that he had to do this. 

The legal question: Was David's request for a census lawful according to the law given to Moses that all the Israelites were required to follow? 

Relevant statutes: Exodus 30:11-16 A census is lawful only if the people counted pay half a shekel to give an atonement for their lives as an offering to God. Taxes appear to be used as offerings to God. The intent of the census appears to be in remembrance of what God has done for the country. 

So... THAT is why David got dinged for doing a census. He did it just to see how much of an army he had rather than for the country's spiritual good, and as a service to God. Joab knew the relevant statute, so that's why he protested so much. That is also why God was justified in bringing a plague on them. He didn't authorize the census and it wasn't used for His intended purposes, so God, as the creator, interpreter, and enforcer of His laws and statutes punished David and the nation of Israel by wiping out 70,000 people with a plague. 70,000 people is about half the population of Fort Collins! :O So, yes, what David did was really serious. 

David offered a peace offering according to Leviticus 3. God accepted it because it was burnt completely. I think he learned his lesson, and I think Joab probably told him, "I told you so." 

Faith in an Evidence Based Society

I'm going through 2 Corinthians now. I'm on Chapter 11. Paul details his sufferings and trials of being a Christian. He has to reassert himself because the Corinthian church has said that he wasn't that great of an orator even though his writing is ah-MAZING. It sorta reminds me of me :) I enjoy writing, I do NOT enjoy public speaking. This is why I could never be a lawyer and stand in front of a judge trying to sound coherent :D I'll just be the paralegal holdiing up the sign on the legal pad saying, "YOU GO, COUNSEL!" j/k I wouldn't really do that, you know ;) 

Anyway, Paul has to reassert himself because the Corinthians are part of Greek culture that values eloquence and academic achievement. They want proof that he's legitimate. Paul had to straighten out some issues because other teachers had come in and taught them undoctrinal stuff even though they probably sounded super intelligent. Poor Paul. 


Paul's proof of his faith is this: I've been through persecution and trial after trial (wanna look up my legal file?) and other hardships for Christ and I still haven't given up. I have gone through all this stuff because Christ is legit. This is my proof. That Christ is worth all the suffering I went through, and I have praised Christ through all this. 

Offa NASA's website 

Our society also esteems scientific achievement (in the nerdy-geeky circles and academia). For instance, today, NASA landed a probe on Mars :) Like ancient Greece, we are an evidence-based society. As Christians, legitimate evidence of our faith can include how we suffer for Christ and how we trust in Him in spite of suffering.