Soap Box Jockey

Call me crazy, but I'm going to risk it, I'm going to attempt to beat a dead horse. I think I've mentioned before that I grew up in a false church full of theives and robbers. I've seen and heard of unspeakable injustices done in the name of God. I was taught to believe things that have no biblical basis and have nothing to do with Jesus. I did not know who he was, what he did, or who his is now. People do and say all manner of insane things in the name of religion. Let me be the first to say, if you've had these experiences, if you've seen or heard things that just don't jive with what a Christian should do and say, I'm sorry, and you're not alone.

I'd like to continue by saying, if you continue to harbor bitterness or anger at others or at God for these things, you need to stop. God did not do these things or say these things, in fact, the bible says that many will come in his name, many will claim false things and do all sorts of things in the name of Christ. He warned us through his word to not be surprised that these things happen. Anything of value always has a counterfeit, check out e-bay and any gucci purse. Always a counterfeit. They seek to fool others for their own gain.

Yes, God allows it. He allows all sorts of things in order to allow each of us to make our own decisions. That doesn't mean he isn't just or doesn't care. People will face the consequences for these things. Catholic priests who molest children will face justice. People who start cult churches because they desire power and money will all stand face to face with God and be held accountable.

If you've been burned by people, don't blame God. If anyone has a reason to not trust God, it would be me. I missed out on a childhood, no Christmas, no birthdays, no Friday night football games, etc. I had friends who were beaten by their fathers or step fathers and had the church look the other way. I've seen women portrayed as the villian because they left abusive relationships. I could go on and on but I won't. Some of you will use these things as proof that God doesn't care or isn't real, But I don't.

Despite all these things, I have found that God is true and faithful. He never lies and never fails. He is always good, always loving, always available. He hates anyone who harms a child. He despises people lying or cheating in his name. He will not leave these things unaddressed. He has offered us eternal life and forgiveness of all of our sins. For anyone who just wishes they could start over, be someone new, he offers this. If anyone belongs to Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.

Here's the challenge. Don't use the things I mentioned as an excuse to turn your back on God. If you had a really bad experience with a dental assistant as a child, does that mean that the dentist is evil or does it change your need for a dentist? No, it means that someone who claimed to be representing the dentist was a creep. You still need some fillings, and lets face it, some of us need the full veneer package.

And so, I have, maybe needlessly, beaten the dead horse. Maybe I'm just preaching to the choir. Maybe I've used one too many idoms. I'll leave that to you to decide.

A Harry Potter Disclaimer

Disclaimer: The following post may be a spoiler for anyone who has yet to read the last installment of the Harry Potter series. Please use caution.

Also, my apologies to anyone who may be caught off guard by the fact that I do, indeed, read Harry Potter. I do not let my children read or watch Harry Potter, but as I am an adult, I really enjoy them from a literary perspective. I do not condone or promote witchcraft in any way shape or form and I do not see these books as doing so either any more than the Lord of the Rings or A Wrinkle in Time or anything by Rhoald Dahl does. They are truly fantasy. I'm not debating, this is my opinion and The Lord and I are OK between the two of us.

These things being said, please continue on and read my thoughts on Harry Potter 7 and the application of the Lord's truth to concepts mentioned in it.

The Death of Literature.

I am concerned that we are about to face the immanent death of literature as we know it. The story, novel, epic, whatever the mode of tale we look to, there are common archetypes, common themes. There is a battle between good an evil. This presumes that there is, indeed, a good and evil. There is hubris verses humility, love verses hate, self sacrifice verses self gain. I am afraid, because I know that there are many nowadays cheering for Voldemort insead of Harry. You prefer Darth Vader over Luke, and flagrantly deny that Vader turned back to the force when faced with his demise. There are those who look to whatever their ears want to hear and trade the truth for lies. These people say bad is good, and good is bad. They distort truth and make it relative and in this way nullify any faith at all other than the religion of self. They call those with absolutes intolerant and ignorant, if fact, they'll label anyone intolerant who is not just like them. I am astounded at the irony.

I am amazed when many question why characters like Voldemort have to be destroyed completely. One cannot remain while the other one lives. In the end, something has to give. One has to win out. This is the epic struggle of eternity. We are enthralled by it, transfixed on characters like Harry and Voldemort and yet we miss that we too are in this epic battle.

J.K. Rowling uses two epitaphs in her last Harry Potter book, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt. 6:21) and "The Last Enemy that will be destroyed is death." (1 Cor. 15:26)

Christians are told to store up their treasures in heaven because this earth is not our final destination. Like the curtain the Harry's uncle falls through and dies, there is just a thin veil that separates us from eternity, and what we do here has eternal significance. We can live for ourselves and self gain, or we can trust that what we give of ourselves and the lives of integrity that we live are of epic importance. There is any enemy who seeks to kill and destroy all that is good. He thinks only of himself. He seeks his own best interest and yet he can come as an angel of light.

Christ, on the other hand, willingly gave up his life for each of us. He laid his life down, and then, three days later, raised from the dead. Research it yourself if you don't believe me.

Christ will reign until he puts all enemies under his feet, and the last enemy to be destroyed is death. It will be swallowed up forever and he will wipe away every tear. There is an end to this epic battle, and when the King of Kings returns, what side will you be on? Just because you may not choose to believe, doesn't mean you won't be held accountable. Jesus said he would take the penalty for your sin if you choose to follow him. He is the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through him.

We love Harry and Ron and Hermione because they are courageous, they have faith in the midst of persecution and disdain from others like them. They have courage, they believe that there is something bigger going on than what they can see. We wish our lives held that kind of purpose and destiny.

My friends, they do. The number of our days was ordained by God, and for those who have chosen him, he has an eternity we cannot imagine. Will you take the challenge? If the sorting hat were placed on your head, which house would you be in? When Jesus himself separates the sheep from the goats, which side will you be found on?


Do not be deceived. There is a right and wrong. There are standards and there is a holy and righteous God who is faithful. He is faithful to save those who call upon him, he is faithful to punish those who choose to follow the religion of self and love their latte more than their Lord.

The bible says that we fight not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world that we cannot see. We may not have the Sword of Gryffindor but this is what we have been given:

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Eph. 6:13-18)

There is good and evil. There is an epic battle. Count me on the side of Lion of Judah, the King of Kings, the one who was, and is, and is to come. The one who will put even death under his feet.

Back in a Flash...

I should have pictures coming soon of my kiddos, but I have to have them DEVELOPED...Yes, the old fashioned way. My Dad was gracious enough to give me a better camera, our digital point and click is, lets just say, a disappointment at best. The 35mm Canon Rebel, on the other hand, may be "old fashioned" but man, it takes much better pictures. Because I'm working on delayed gratification, I thought this would be a good exercise for me. Maybe for some of you too because you have to WAIT to see my darlings.

I heard rumor that some of you are MOVING to Spokane. You know who you are. I sure hope we'll get to see you once in a while!!

Singing off!

Kacey

A Living Prayer

In this world I walk alone with no place to call my home
But there's One who holds my hand
The rugged road through barren lands
The way is dark, the road is steep
But He's become my eyes to see
The strength to climb, my griefs to bear
This Savior lives inside me there

In Your love I find release
A haven from my unbelief
Take my life and let me be
A living prayer my God to thee

In these trials of life I find
Another Voice inside my mind
He comforts me and bids me live
Inside the love the Father gives

In your love I find release
A haven from my unbelief
Take my life and let me be
A living prayer my God to thee
take my life and let me be
A living prayer my God to thee

Nat's first fish for father's day

Caught with your hand in the cookie jar?

Two twin boys lived with their mother and father, and I'm sorry to say it, were both only 10 when they found out they had diabetes. Their poor mother, who loved to give them treats, was beside herself. And yet, because she loved them, she told them that sweet snacks were prohibited unless she gave them out at the proper time. Tommy and Timmy, typical 10 year old boys, were sad and somewhat indignant. They loved their chocolate chip cookies, and one or two wouldn't hurt, right? The boys were old enough to make their own choices and so the mother, wanting them to make good choices even when she wasn't around to make them, set up a bit of a test to see what each would do.

"I"m going shopping sons, please do your homework while I'm gone, and remember, there is celery and peanut butter for snack! See you in an hour." and with that, mother set off in the car.

"Timmy," said Tommy, "you know what this means, right?"

"Cookies!" They both shouted, and ran as fast as they could to the cookie jar in the kitchen.

Now mother could have hid the cookies, could have kept them locked up, but this would only have served to teach them to obey when someone was forcing them.

They stealthily maneuvered cookie after cookie, rearranging the remaining treats in such a way that the jar still looked somewhat full.

While they were still arranging and quite occupied with their activity, father had slipped in the back door, having pulled his car around back. It had been prearranged with mother, and so both twins were thus caught with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar.

"My sons," said their father, "Do you have so little respect and care for us and for yourselves that you would make such a bad choice?"

The twins stared at their sneakers, not wanting to look their father in the eye.

Timmy's eyes began to well with tears. He may love cookies, but he also loved and respected his parents, and he knew they wanted him to be healthy.

Tommy's eyes also filled with tears, not to be outdone by his brother.

"We're sorry Dad!" They said in unison.

"I can see you both seem to feel badly, time will tell whether your actions will follow your apparent remorse." Father replied.

"Huh?" said the twins.

"Next time you're faced with this choice, what you decide will determine if you've really felt badly enough to change your actions. That choice is in your hands, and it will determine what kind of man your turn out to be."

Not a month later, Timmy and Tommy were at the home of their friend Sam. Sam's mother brought them a plate stacked high with gooey chocolate chip cookies. Tommy looked at the stack with a gleam in his eye. He devoured more than his share, and consequently, left Sam's house early feeling very poorly.

Timmy, on the other hand, recalled what his father had said. He thought about his mother's instruction, and how much she cared for him. He also thought about how bad he felt when he made the wrong choice. Now of course, he thought these things in a very 10 year old way, but the outcome was the same. He chose to ask for a string cheese instead, which Sam's mom was happy to get for him.

Timmy had truly felt sorry, he'd asked for forgiveness, and his repentance was followed by action. He turned and went the opposite direction.

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Many times we are faced with similar choices. God says, don't lie. Don't steal. Don't commit adultery. Why? Because he's trying to keep us from having a little fun? No way. It's because it will inevitably lead to the pain and suffering of all involved. His boundaries keep us safe from the natural consequences of sin.

The bible says that the wages of sin are death. Every time we choose to follow our own path instead of God's, something dies. In our pain, we may cry out to God in sorrow or indignation. We may truly look sorry as we moan and cry and rant. But if we feel true sorrow, if we see our actions in light of how much God wants for us and how much he loves us, we will choose to follow him the next time we have the choice. True repentance is followed by a changed heart and life.

So the next time you're caught with your hand in the cookie jar, ask yourself, "Do I feel bad because I see my sin in light of a holy and loving God, or am I just sorry I was caught?"

If you are a sinner like me, but have not yet asked Jesus to cover your sin, come into your life, and make you a new creation, read on.


Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

We have all sinned. We have all done things that are displeasing to God. There is no one who is innocent.

Romans 6:23 teaches us about the consequences of sin -

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death!

Romans 5:8 declares, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Jesus Christ died for us! Jesus' death paid for the price of our sins. Jesus' resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus' death as the payment for our sins.

Romans 10:9, " if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

Romans 8:1 teaches us, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Romans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."