The Creeds

For many years, the evangelical church at large has dismissed the ancient creeds. But, if the day comes when the church in America is forced underground and the Word is taken away, or if simply the day comes when our eyes and/or ears fail us, we will have the parts of the Word of God which we have memorized to carry us. And, for those have memorized the creeds, we have a summary of whole Bible, a summary of the Christian faith, that cannot be taken from us.❤ Here, my favorite of the creeds, The Nicene Creed:

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

https://youtu.be/tJOyudSdoak

Decline of America

I want to share this thoughtful article from The Epoch Tmes, for your consideration:

https://www.theepochtimes.com/for-us-gradual-ruin-is-about-to-become-sudden_3733858.html

FTA:

“Then, there is the more serious stuff: the nearly $2 trillion so-called COVID relief package that all but guarantees a spike in inflation but shovels much, much more money to teachers’ unions and favored racial groups than to people who have suffered from the government lockdowns during the CCP virus pandemic.

There is the passage in the House of H.R. 1, the so-called For the People bill, which would effectively assure that was never another fair election in this country.

It would do this by all but obliterating voter ID requirements—you need an ID to board a plane but not cast a vote—mandating same-day voter registration and at least two weeks of early voting, and by requiring states to provide unsupervised drop boxes to receive completed ballots.

In other words, H.R. 1 would centralize presidential elections, taking responsibility for oversight away from the states, where the Constitution placed it, and arrogating it to the clutches of the federal government and its sprawling bureaucracy.

If, as seems almost certain, H.R. 1 becomes the law of the land, it would be the final nail in the coffin of electoral integrity.

The widespread irregularities (that’s polysyllabic periphrasis for “fraud”) that attended the 2020 election would be codified into law assuring that, for as long as anyone could envision, 2016 would have to be counted as the last free, fair, and open presidential election.

It used to be that American was the land of the free and home of the brave. A robust culture of free speech was every American’s birthright.

We had free and fair elections, unlike the banana republics we were always called upon to bail out or police.

We also had borders, and even politicians eager to increase immigration understood the difference between entering the country legally and opening the floodgates to the hordes massing on our Southern border.

That’s all behind us now, or at least those traditions appear to be on life support—no, the patient was on life support, but someone came to euthanize him and pulled the plug.

The signs and portents are many and they are not encouraging.”

American Stasi

The man referenced in the news article below did nothing illegal, or even immoral. He peacefully assembled, a right granted him by the Constitution, the same one he fought to protect as a Sergeant in the US Army. What is being done to him and his family is criminal.

Read the article below, with this context in mind, and understand it could happen to you:

From The Nazi Seizure of Power by William Sheridan Allen: “With the propaganda justification for police action firmly established, the Nazis in Northeim made use of familiar tactics of repression and terrorism. The homes of potential or actual opponents were repeatedly ransacked and various people were arrested. This was done under the public eye, to increase its deterrent effect (Snip) Not all arrests and house searchings were reported to the press, but enough were made known so that the public received a good general impression of what was going on. Furthermore, the way in which police actions were reported was enough to give the townspeople an idea of the generally arbitrary nature of such actions.” (p. 186)

Retired Army Sgt. Kenneth Harrelson Arrested for Attending Jan. 6 Protests – Family’s Bank Account Locked Down, Wife Loses Her Job, They Are Frightened and Don’t Know What to Do

Re: USMC and Department of Defense v. Tucker Carlson

That the “best and brightest” in the upper echelons of the US military either do not actually understand what Tucker Carlson said about the USMC, or that they choose to intentionally misreprent it, does not, in either case, speak or bode well of ot for them, nor does it offer much hope for engaging the everyday man (or, for those who think that refers only to men, I’ll add woman) on the street. For further clarification, consider how many journalists, reporters, commentators, and citizens throughout the years have criticized and questioned the military, both the leadership and the rank and file, with nary a word of reprisal. American POWs during Vietnam were beaten and tortured while news anchors, reporters, and citizens at home criticized them and their leadership. They called them killers and animals. Current Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and former Sec of State, John Kerry, came home from Vietnam and (falsely) characterized his fellow “brothers in arms” as violent killers, comparing them to Genghis Khan, and accusing them of horrid atrocities, and did so to promote himself (he also later lied about medals received, etc). American soldiers were spat upon and shouted down after coming home. During the beginning of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars the media constantly derided the war effort. During the first Gulf War, CNN went to the region, and routinely spread misinformation regarding the effort, and criticizing the military. All that was OK. But, Tucker Carlson expresses the thought that instead of focusing on things that aren’t really an issue, maybe more attention should be paid to actually handling some very real threats we face fun very dangerous enemies. For that, he is fair game for being mocked, criticized, and the victim of an effort to be silenced. And, there was not even a defense of the concerns he raised, but an attack of him for not cheerleading a PC decision. What a sad state we have reached in this country. Reason is thrown out the window. Words are twisted and misrepresented. All must be sacrificed on the altar of politically correct “wokeness”, and anyone who dares to posit any contrary views, or question any decisions, must be roundly vilified and ostracized. I weep for our country, as well as for common and decent conversation.

Dispensationalism

Today I simply want to share a link from the most excellent podcast (and blog!), A Word Fitly Spoken ( wordfitlyspoken.org ), on the subject of Dispensationalism. I hope you’ll listen and, as you do, that you’ll bear in mind the following things:

1. It is possible to believe the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God and NOT be a dispensationalist.
2. Dispensationalism was not part of the teaching of the church prior to the 1800s. There were early church fathers who identified different covenants and ages, but they did not separate any age or covenant from God’s overarching plan of redemption for all peoples through Jesus Christ, or impose the idea that God’s plan of redemption was different for Israel and the church. God’s plan of redemption has always and ever only been through Christ.
3. I think this is most crucial: It is possible to reach different conclusions on this matter, and yet still comport ourselves with Christian love and kindness toward one another. That doesn’t mean that it can’t be discussed, obviously (that’s kind of the point of posting things after all, no?😁), but there is no reason to attack each other, or be defensive or uncharitable about it.

That said, enjoy! And, as always, let’s talk about it! 🙂

http://wordfitlyspoken.org/2021/03/dispensationalism/

God’s Word is Sure

(I want to preface this post by making very clear that this post is not meant as “instruction” or teaching to anyone. I am not a pastor or teacher (except to pre-kindergarteners😁😁), nor do I pretend to be! I do not have a degree in theology. I have never attended seminary. I’m not an expert! 🙂 While some may share different opinions, I believe God’s Word is very clear about who is to preach or pastor… and, for sure, that would not be me! LOL And, I certainly don’t consider my thoughts binding or authoritative. 🙂 I’m simply a Christian, sharing my thoughts and some encouragement, and hoping to dialog with my friends, and that is ALL. :))

¹⁹ We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

²⁰ Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

²¹ For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

(2 Peter 1)

Since most of the people who are reading this know me, you know that I am a Christian (and most of you are a well…yay! LOL). Thus, I don’t think you will be surprised to find me discussing the Christian faith from time to time. 🙂 Likewise,  most of you know I am a Lutheran,  and today I wanted to discuss one of the great doctrines of Lutheran theology: Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone). (To clarify,  I’m not sharing Luther’s words on the subject,  just using the doctrine as a starting point.)

From the Christian Cyclopedia (Concordia Publishing House,  publisher):

Sola Scriptura(Latin, “Scripture alone”).

Term referring to the formal* principle of the Lutheran Church. FCSD Rule and Norm 3 (see references at end of post):

“We pledge ourselves to the prophetic and apostolic writings of the Old and New Testaments as the pure and clear fountain of Israel, which is the only true norm according to which all teachers and. teachings are to be judged and evaluated.” 

There are a FEW (not too many, though, really) superfluous areas where you can be a little “off” and still be considered to be in the realm of Orthodox Christianity.  One of those areas is NOT on the subject of the authority of scripture.  Why,  you ask? To begin with,  if not for the scriptures,  how else would we know the very words and truth of God? How would we know there was a God at all except He had revealed himself to us? While it’s true He COULD have, for example, written His Word in the sky,  plainly visible to all,  or literally stamped it indelibly on our skin when we were born,  or any other host of ways, instead He chose to speak through his prophets and,  later, His Apostles. And,  He told them to write the things He wanted written,  and gave His promise to preserve it. A promise He has kept through the millenia. (And,  just as a side note,  had He chosen any of those other methods,  there would,  indeed,  be people who would still not believe.  😉 ) 

In addition,  Jesus in the New Testament affirms the writings of the Old Testament as being God’s Word, citing numerous OT books,  telling the religious leaders to search the Scriptures,  and many times referencing people and events in the OT.

By the way,  while Jesus’s affirmation of the OT can be a helpful apologetic tool when speaking with an unbeliever,  it requires that you first establish the veracity of the OT with them.  🙂  For believers, though, this affirmation by Christ is a great comfort, and a reminder that the whole of God’s Word is important to the Christian,  not just the New Testament.

Through His word,  God has revealed the truth about how the planet we live on,  placed in the Solar System,  situated in the Milky Way,  a small speck in the vast universe, came into existence,  and the care He took to make it uniquely capable of sustaining life (human,  animal,  and plant!). He even gave instructions of how we are to care for it, and to sustain ourselves, as well the plants and animals. He also explains to us what sin is and how it entered our world, and the damage it did,  and continues to do,  to us.  And,  of course,  it unfolds God’s plan to redeem His people once and for all (a plan,  by the way,  that is the same for  Christians, Jews, Muslims,  Hindus, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses,  Buddhists, gnostics,  mystics,  atheists,  moralists, Masons,  any and all religions and beliefs) – God the Son, Jesus, would Himself condescend and humble Himself,  coming to live among us, and ultimately to die a humiliating and agonizing death in our place.  It took no less than that to atone for our sin (not just our sins,  which are many,  but the SIN that dwells inside each of us, making us want to be in charge,  and desiring to cast off the burdensome bonds of God’s perfect, just,  and holy law (Psalm 2), driving us to commit all those sins).

Among other things, we are told God’s Word is more precious and more to be desired than fine gold, and sweeter than honey (Psalm 19:10), that it is all we need for doctrine, correction, and instruction in godliness, equipping us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). So, we see that belief and trust in God’s Word is not  optional for the Christian. We must not try to conform God’s Word to our beliefs (or feelings,  hopes, desires,  opinions,  etc), but must submit ourselves, and conform our beliefs (and feelings,  hopes,  desires,  opinions,  etc) to that Word (Romans 12:2).  These are very important truths for us to cling to in these days where truth has become “personalized” — my truth,  your truth,  his truth, her truth; or optional — there is no truth.  Christians must diligently guard their hearts and minds against these lies and temptations.   It is NOT always easy to stand for the truths revealed in God’s Word.  It can mean a change in our plans or goals for our lives.  But it can also lead to suffering.  Maybe we lose friends or relationships because we stand on God’s truth, and will not participate in or condone certain things.   But,  even more than that,  we can see an intensifying resistance by the culture to the truths of God’s Word.  We are seeing people being mocked and marginalized for their belief in the truths of God’s Word. We have even  seen people’s businesses and livelihoods threatened because of their stand for the truth.  And, yet we must be firm in our stand.  Now,  please, let me clarify– I’m not talking about mounting a protest against your local coffee shop because they took the words Merry Christmas off their cups,  or stores that have chosen to say Happy Holidays, and calling it persecution. But,  when you cannot, for example,  choose to not provide a service for an event which opposes what God’s Word teaches, even though the service could be provided by countless others, that is persecution.  And yet,  you must stand.  When you cannot express your belief,  based on God’s Word,  in the public square that certain things embraced by society are wrong or sinful (not trying to force others to go along with your belief,  but simply expressing it), that is persecution. And,  yet,  you must stand.  When churches are forbidden to assemble, even when other businesses and groups are allowed to, yes, that actually is persecution. And still, we must stand. Even, sadly, when we see some “churches” begin to boldly assert that the Bible is not God’s Word, we must, MORE THAN EVER, stand. (By the way, just as an aside, if you think you’ve stumbled on some big truth which contradicts God’s Word, and which all the prophets, Apostles, church fathers, and brilliant Christian minds have missed for thousands of years… you are most likely wrong, and also likely a bit full of yourself :)) You must continue to stand on God’s Word.  You must not let your emotions or the arguments of the enemy deceive you into fear, silence, or worse,  unbelief.  You must stand firm on God’s Word,  knowing He has called you to do that very thing.  Do not fall asleep. Do not lose sight of Whose you are,  and to Whose kingdom you belong,  and where you are going. They hated your Lord for speaking the truth,  and they will hate you,  too. And,  along those lines,  it’s important to note that Jesus wasn’t always “nice” to everyone,  and he didn’t just  “love everyone”. He did and does love us all,  which is why he spoke the truth. If you think Jesus was never offensive, go read the gospels.  And,  read some of the epistles and the Revelation while you’re at it. 😉  Lying to people about their sin,  or “embracing it” is NOT “loving”.  That,  by the way,  does not require being an obnoxious jerk,  either.  Just don’t be afraid to not compromise,  and don’t be afraid to tell the truth about why.  Do not let the lies of the enemy make your eyes heavy and your ears dull,  until one day you awake and find you have drifted too far away, and have made a “shipwreck of your faith” (1 Timothy 1:19).

There are always seasons where the world “tolerates” the church. And,  in America,  we had a longer run than most. But, that window seems to be closing,  and that’s ok.  Hard times expose the true church.  And,  we must not fear these times. We don’t seek out persecution, but neither do we need to fear it. We must not be afraid to stand confidently and firmly on the Truth, or to speak the truth (you may not get as many likes of social media, but I promise it will all be good. ;)) Indeed,  we must do that very thing.  Not just for our sake,  but for the sake of a lost and dying world. 

11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 

12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 

13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

(Revelation 3)

Re: definition of Sola Scriptura:

Formal Principle: the principium cognoscendi or formal principle of the Lutheran Church is Holy Scripture, source and norm of all doctrine.

FC: Formula of Concord

SD: Solida Declaratio or,  Solid or Thorough Declaration

A little MORE conversation, please…

I have decided to revive my blog as a means of communicating with friends and family, as opposed to using Facebook or Twitter.  I am not doing so as a “protest”, but simply because I choose not to be a source of profit for any platform which actively silences those with whom they do not agree, politically or otherwise.  Today it may be a political opponent,  tomorrow it may well be religion,  or a host of other possible “offenses”.

It is true that interacting via blog posting takes a bit more effort than social media,  but that’s okay.  The old axiom is actually true – things worth doing are worth doing well.  And, exchanging ideas,  and actual meaningful conversation, takes some effort.  It requires gaining understanding of a given subject (knowing what you believe,  and why you believe it),  as well as being able to communicate that understanding. It requires thought, and it requires effort to communicate that thought.  Brevity may be the soul of wit,  but not so much for meaningful conversation. Using excess words just to hear oneself speak is,  indeed,  tedious for all concerned.  Bloviating, as I refer to it. 🙂 Talking without really saying anything.  But that should not be confused with taking the time to carefully lay out one’s thoughts and ideas in a manner which allows others to understand them.  A large part of the problem we face today is that we have learned both to communicate and consume ideas via pithy sound bites. We live in a world dominated by catchy quotes and slogans used to reflect our “beliefs”, often with no context of where the quote originates, and even more often with no understanding of the deeper meaning or intention of said quote.  We have learned to talk past one another instead of speaking to one another.  We blast out little blurbs, “drop the mic” (which has been “dropped” so often it is now more like a tin can hitting the floor in terms of impact), put our fingers in our ears so as not to hear any dissent,  and walk away,  thinking we’ve really made some profound impact,  or offered some profound truth.  And,  in return,  those who disagree often fire back with equally innocuous replies (facist,  Nazi, snowflake,  moron,  whatever), but no real substantive explanation of their counterpoint,  often because of an equal lack of understanding of their own position. These are intellectually lazy forms of communication.  That’s not to say there is never a time and place for pithy slogans or comments,   or concise terms,  but there should be an understanding of the actual meaning behind them,  and an ability to engage with those who question the sentiment conveyed.  Real communication requires understanding of a subject,  ability to communicate your understanding,  as well as the ability to carefully listen to and consider what the other person is saying.  When that happens,  you may not always have a quick response. You may have to actually mull over the other person’s point.  You may have to further investigate and consider what they have said.  And, that’s ok. When both people do that,  they are both better for it.  And,  in the end,  whether you persuade someone to agree with you or not, you can, at a minimum,  agree to disagree,  and walk away with a respect for one another regardless. This used to be the actual normal course of affairs – people exchanging ideas, engaging one another,  using logic, rhetoric, and reason. Today,  we angrily shout our “beliefs” at everyone else, refusing to even consider what they are saying in reply. And,  quite often that is because we lack full understanding and,  thus,  confidence,  in what we believe,  and don’t want to consider anything that might contradict that belief.  We want to cling to our subjective feelings instead of objective facts.

So,  I truly hope that here, in this tiny little corner of the electronic universe…we can actually talk to one another, and that you will take the time and make the effort to become part of the conversation. 🙂

Humble & Kind

True confession: I am not much of a fan of what passes for country music these days. As with so many other areas of my life,  when it comes to music, I’m old -school. Be it country,  Motown, rock,  or whatever.  But, once in a while a song will come along that I really appreciate, for various reasons. So, the other day, early in the morning,  while feeding a baby at work,  I heard a Tim McGraw song, and heard it all the way through for the first time, entitled Humble and Kind.  I’ll be honest, my first reaction was, yeah, good luck with that! None of us are always humble and kind — that is pure law! But, setting my theology aside..lol…I went ahead and listened to the song.  One line, near the end,  that really leapt out at me was, Don’t take for granted the love this life gives you.  Yep, I cried.  (I’m sure the baby wondered what so emotionally moving about his morning cereal.  ;))

Wow. That is a very simple, yet profound, truth.  My first thought was of all the times I took for granted my mom and dad’s love for me. I thought of all the times I didn’t really realize all the sacrifices they had made, all they had poured into me over the years.  I thought of all the times that I thought they didn’t know what they were talking about, that I knew better than them, that I was more enlightened or smarter than them, etc. I thought of how I did not always understand or, worse,  appreciate the love behind the things they said and did.  And, it brought home to me once again some of the very big mistakes I made in life as a result of not listening to them. Some of the things that I deal with in life right now are a result of that. I wish I would have learned much younger in life not to take for granted their love, which somehow I thought would always be there, just like them.  And, I thought of all the times I sought counsel from other people, because I didn’t want to hear what they had to say.  That simple little line reminded me once more of my pridefulness, my arrogance, my sinfulness,  my stupidity at times.  If I had thought things through clearly, I would have realized there were no people on this earth who loved me more than my mom and dad.  I was foolish. And, now that they are both gone, more than ever I regret not listening to them. Now that I can never again ask them for their guidance, I realize what a treasure it was, what a treasure they were.

Then I thought, of course, of the love between a man and a woman. When we are young,  it is easy sometimes to think your opportunities are endless,  be it in love,  work,  school,  or other endeavors. There’s always tomorrow, and always a better opportunity out there. When we get older, we find out that’s not the truth. The things we easily threw away when we were young, we often look back and see the value in, and it’s too late.  I remember a love that I lost, I thought,  and I remember my mom telling me that she thought I was wrong, and that I should just wait. But, of course, what did she know? (A lot,  really!! She had an objectivity, looking from the outside-in, that I did not. ) So, I didn’t listen.  I forged ahead,  and I made a very big mistake, in the form of a very bad marriage.  There were blessings that came out of that wrongheaded relationship (my 4 children being the greatest) but,  there was also a lot of damage.  Damage the effects of which my family is STILL dealing with.  And, it turns out mom was probably right about the other guy, as I found out all these years later.  Now life has changed him in so many ways,  as well. Who knows what our lives would have looked like if I had listened to my mom?  I’d like to think that not only would I have changed in better ways,  which I certainly have but, I would like to think he would have as well. But now,  we shall never know.  Don’t take for granted the love this life gives you.  I also thought, again, of my mom and dad.  I thought of how much they loved each other, and how well they treated each other. And, I thought how, if I had learned well from them, I would not have made the mistake I did. I would have either been a bit more patient, and waited for the gentleman in question to figure some things out or, I would have waited for someone else who would treat me as well as my dad treated my mom.  I was too hasty,  and I paid the price.

The next thing I thought of was friendships. Now, that’s one area where, though we may have had our ups and downs, and certainly because we are human, we have taken each other for granted at times, I can say that overall, I certainly have not taken the love of my friends for granted. I honestly don’t know how I would have gotten through most of my adulthood without my friends. 🙂 I have four very close friends, all of whom I have known for at least 30 years, and one for almost 40 years!!!  And, I do treasure each of them.  As a matter of fact, the song that came on after Humble and Kind, by another artist whom I shall not even mention…lol…did have one very good line in it: you never get a second chance to make a new old friend.  I really can’t imagine what my life would look like without those close friends of mine, and I’m glad I didn’t pass up the chance to make those friends. I’m also glad I didn’t throw in the towel on those friendships, even when everything was not great all the time. We’ve been through so many ups and downs together, and I can’t imagine my life without them. I remember a song we used to sing in Girl Scouts:

Make new friends,  but keep the old

One is silver,  and the other is  gold. 

Again,  simple yet profound. Let’s be honest, we all make a lot of acquaintances but, we don’t get a lot of true friends in this world. When you find one, treasure them. But, don’t throw away your old friends for a new one.  Remember there are people out there who would give anything to feel like they had even one friend. Don’t take for granted the love this life gives you.

And,  of course,  I thought about children.  It is so easy when our children are young to feel like there’s always another day with them. But, there really does come a last day for everything — the last night you tuck them in, the last bedtime story you read, the last song you sing to them, the last time you rock them to sleep and, one day the last day they come back home to stay. I’ve experienced this for the first time in my life just recently. If someone had told me even at the beginning of this year that one of my children would not be living in my home anymore, but would only be coming to, hopefully,  visit sometimes, I don’t think I would have believed them. When you’re in the day to day of life, it seems like it will go on that way forever. Trust me, it won’t. And, that’s the day you would give anything to have them ask you one more question. And, that’s the day you know you would give them your undivided attention, and that you would think long and hard about what you say to them. I remember so well when my children were little, and they ran around in the backyard with all their neighborhood friends, making up games, playing with the dog, playing in the pool, playing on the swings,  just having the best time. I remember them coming in the house, eating snacks, watching TV, sleeping over. I remember them playing with sidewalk chalk, playing in the hose with them. Laughter. I remember lots of laughter.  I remember running them to activities, taking their friends along with us to church and everywhere else. I remember cooking countless meals, giving countless baths, kissing countless boo boos. All that and so much more.  And, it seemed like it would go on forever, and I would always have tomorrow with them. And, I would always have tomorrow to do things better, to say the things I left unsaid, to tell them things they needed to know, etc. Then one day, I looked up and they were growing up and, one of them left the nest. The funny thing is that it really did not hit me until the day I watched her get on a bus to leave for bootcamp, that she wouldn’t be coming back home to stay anymore. She wasn’t going to be coming home for dinner. I wasn’t going to be driving her to work, or anywhere else. She wasn’t going to be there to go to church with us. She was gone. It all went by so quickly, that it almost seems cruel. Don’t take for granted the love this life gives you.

So, this is NOT where I tell you that going forward I will always remember that lesson. I wont. I really will fail at it again and again. But, I’m at least hoping to remind myself from time to time. And, of course, I can’t go back and fix all the love I took for granted. The best I can do is try going forward to make sure that I don’t take the love in my life for granted now. Because the love that this life gives you is people. Without someone to love, there is no love. God has given me four beautiful children, and some amazing friends, and I hope going forward that I don’t take them for granted, that I don’t take their love for granted.

God help me that it may be so. Amen.

 

 

 

 

Well,  clearly it has been a while since I last posted here! 😮 Like everyone else,  I’m sure,  I’ve been busy, and haven’t had much time to organize my thoughts.  🙂  But,  I’m hoping to resume my blogging.  And, it doesn’t matter if anyone else even notices, it’s kind of like a journal — a place I can share, and save, my thoughts at any given time, and hopefully look back on them, reflect on them, and see if I’ve changed and grown any since I wrote them down. 🙂

In the years since I wrote my last entry, many things have changed in my life, of course. No small change Is that I am now Lutheran.:-)  I’m a member of the LCMS ( Lutheran Church Missouri Synod). I, of course, was Reformed Baptist when I started my blog. But, for myself, I found that the reformed tradition imposed thoughts that went beyond what the scripture actually says. That was problematic to me. I truly love being Lutheran, and can’t even imagine going back now. 🙂 That is not a slam against anybody, trust me. 🙂 I love my reformed brothers and sisters, as I do all who are in Christ. 🙂  I mention all of this, only to explain that I’m sure some of these themes will be reflected in my writing going forward. 🙂

I’ve also changed jobs since I started this blog! 🙂 I left the nonprofit 2 years ago, and took a job as an acting director at a Lutheran pre-school, and currently work at a Lutheran Child Care Center. 🙂

My family life has changed as well! I have a daughter who is a Marine! Oorah!  Two other children are doing great in their jobs, and have recently been promoted, and my youngest is getting ready to start work as well. 🙂

Anyhow, that’s just a brief update on me. Fascinating, I know! LOL Now, hopefully, I can get back to talking about life, and theology. 🙂

 

 

Broken….

There is a beautiful song by Casting Crowns, entitled Broken Together.  It is about marriage, and about the realities of marriage — the fairy tales turn out not to be real, and we have to let go of some of our dreams as we see the imperfection in each other.  The challenge is can we love the person each other is and not the ideal.  As I said, the song is about marriage, but, how apropos to Christians in general.  This line especially strikes me:

How I wish we could go back to simpler times
Before all our scars and all our secrets were in the light…

Just as in some marriages, many Christians try very hard to keep their scars and secrets out of the light.  It’s okay for others to know we are not “perfect”, but we don’t want them to know just how imperfect we actually are.  And, so, we hide from one another.  We refuse to be authentic.  Oh, sure – we might share how we got angry at the guy who cut us off in traffic, or MAYBE even that we said something inappropriate when it happened.  But, what…?  You want me to tell you that I struggled with lust this week?  That I looked at something inappropriate?  That I lied to my wife/husband/child/friend/boss/customer?  That I lost my temper and became enraged?  That I was abused and still struggle with the effects of it? That I was once an alcoholic/drug addict/porn addict, and still struggle with the things I experienced? The Bible admonishes us otherwise:

Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;

and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

(James 5:14-16)

Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.

Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

(Gal. 6:1-3)

Why does God call us to do these things?  The fact is, we are ALL broken.  We ALL sin, and we all fall.  We have all hurt others, and we have all been hurt.  And, we are all in need of God’s grace.  And, God, in his great wisdom, has placed us in a family, otherwise known as his church.  He gave us fellow believers not just to sing and pray with, and to celebrate life’s victories…but, also to weep with us when we are hurt and struggling, when we are in need, when we sin.  Not only is there great comfort in sharing our deepest struggles with someone and finding out they love us anyway, but there is also much to be said for the power of accountability.  Knowing that someone else knows where we are weak…and us knowing where they are weak…gives us incentive to reach out to someone else when we struggle, hopefully before we fall.

So, what stops us from this deep and true fellowship?  Pride, of course.  If I tell you all about me, you may not like me anymore. You may think less of me.  And, it is a possibility that might be the reaction of some (and, if so, they are in need of prayer themselves), but I have to decide if my pride is more important than obeying God’s word.  I can tell you that I spent many years trying to be “perfect”.  I was not, of course.  And, of course, I was  not really fooling anyone.  Instead, I was miserable.  I could never really be me, and I could never share my struggles…and, so, I never really had anyone to pray with and for me in those struggles.

Now, I’m not suggesting you have to tell everything to everybody.  Be wise in choosing whom to share with.  And, you don’t have to call someone every time you burn your finger and say a bad word.  😉  But, for the areas where you really struggle, DON’T let your pride tell you that certain people “wouldn’t understand”, or that they wouldn’t know enough to help you.  Don’t rule out those you think are “too simple” OR those you think are “too spiritual”.  You might be surprised.  In general, use discernment and pray for wisdom.  God can use that relationship to grow you in ways you would not have thought of. And, on the other side of that coin, there is something deeply humbling in having someone trust you enough to share their true self with you.  It is a blessing for both parties.

Finally, I leave you with the chorus from the aforementioned song.  What a perfect picture of the Body of Christ this side of heaven…

Maybe you and I were never meant to be complete –
Could we just be broken together?
If you can bring your shattered dreams and I’ll bring mine,
Could healing still be spoken and save us?
The only way we’ll last forever is broken together…