Freedom of Religion?

The Foundation of Learning

From the movie "Indoctrination"

God's got your back

When you surrender all to the grace of Christ and not your own work and walk in the integrity of God's Word, . . .God's got your back. . . .

And He goes before you to prepare the way. And He is a shield around about you.

And when we fall He picks us up.

Do not be afraid to run after God with all your heart

Christ Centered Preaching - John Piper

Catagorical Thinking

I was talking with a friend, tonight, and he mentioned how instead of listening to what people have to say, we tend to put people into categories. For example, in talking about theology or politics, people tend to set categories, so if you approach those subjects people automatically put you into preconceived boxes that they have for you, whether or not you fit in those boxes. We talked about how often, because of this, we get put in boxes that we actually totally disagree with. But because people have already determined this is what we believe and have shut their ears to anything contrary, they don't hear what we actually are saying. And I have done it to others as well.

The problem is that the Word of God doesn't fit into categories, not even close.

My prayer is not necessarily, how do I get others to change, but how can God change me, and help me to communicate lovingly in a way that breaks down any categories. In His grace, I want to be able to speak in a way that is gentle and loving and strong. To speak in a way that makes others feel welcome, maybe uncomfortable and maybe  even hostile at times, but welcome. Jesus, spoke in a way that struck the hearts and souls of men. He was strong and many people rejected Him because of it. But He also said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.". And like Paul, I want to pray that the Holy Spirit will speak clearly through me, breaking down any preconceived categories men have and breaking down any boxes I put God into, so that they might hear clearly what God has to say.

God calls us to be stewards, God created us to cultivate

God created us to cultivate,  to reflect His character in making beauty out of chaos, when we loose that, we loose a part of who we are.

As a culture and just in our sinful nature, we often have become comfortable with lifestyles that our lazy and messy. We avoid cultivating the things God has placed in our lives. Instead of being the faithful stewards God created us to be, we willing to settle for less joy  than what God has for us, because we think we know ourselves and our desires better than God. We think we know what we are created for better than God.

 When we see the weeds, we try to save ourselves by avoiding the weeds. We choose not to cultivate, because we think we are better off ignoring the hardships of the weeds. We listen to the foolish woman in Proverbs and run after her. And we weary ourselves our attempts to avoid the weeds.

When God created man, He created man to be a steward, to work and to cultivate, to make beauty out of chaos. He created us to reflect Himself. This is a part of the very fabric of what we were created to be.

No, we are not to be perfect, and, yes, there are many weeds, we have fallen from our original state. There is also death and decay. Nor our we to be legalistic or take things to the extreme, sin has made this world full of weeds, and there is a realistic understanding of that, we are not perfect not is our cultivating perfect. But this is still who we are, and despite the weeds, God still calls us to cultivate. We are still to reflect God's heart, and we are still to faithfully act as stewards of what He has given us. We are to still work and make beauty out of chaos.

God is more concerned about our hearts and that we have hearts that pursue being faithful stewards who seek to make beauty out of chaos, than the results. And this will look differently for different situations. But God does not want us to have hearts that when we find weeds, instead of being faithful stewards, we make excuses to not cultivate and be faithful stewards, and instead turn to ourselves and our own immediate wants and desires and become lazy and in the process loose what He created us to be. The foolish woman seems right and pleasing, but God has called us to something more. The foolish woman makes us weary, but God in His wisdom calls us to rest in who He has created us to be.

Some videos on public education

The Children of Caesar

True Woman 2010

From True Woman 2008

Outcomes

Some will measure the success of ministry by outcomes, God measures success as denying ourselves, taking up our cross and following Him and trusting Him on the outcome, for He does not fail.

Knowing God's patients with us in making us wise

With wisdom comes humility and patience, because the wise fear the Lord and understand His grace.

Mars Hill - Being a Man

Beauty fades even in youth and for the still poster perfect

"Like a gold ring in a pig's snout

is a beautiful woman without discretion."

I have heard so many stories of  man who marries a beautiful woman in appearance, only to soon regret his decision, because the woman had no discretion.  This woman who was once a beautiful woman to him, quickly becomes as beautiful as a ring in a pig's snout to him. Even though she has not aged, her beauty fades away.

The opposite is true for a man who marries a woman because of her godly character, no matter her physical appearance. "She is far more precious than jewels." She lets her "adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." This man boasts in his wife and is filled with great joy when thinking of her. Instead of fading, her beauty, both physical and internal, grows and increases and is abundant. And he is satisfied by her physical appearance.

Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;
be intoxicated always in her love.

 
Her children rise up and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her:

“Many women have done excellently,

but you surpass them all.”

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands,

and let her works praise her in the gates.

Warning: HSV and HPV is highly prevalent in our society and easily spread

75%-80% of sexually active American's will have HPV at some point in their lives. It is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the US. 1 in 4 people have HSV-2 in the US. 80% have HSV-1. Both HPV and Herpes are highly communicable can spread by brief touch, not just sexual intercourse, so any act where skin is exposed can spread these highly communicable diseases. Therefore any act allowing for touch can spread Herpes and HPV, including oral. Condoms do not protect against these two diseases. Some people do not have symptoms of Herpes and HPV can be hidden, but they can still be spread the disease. So even if a partner says they do not have it, you are still at risk. Herpes cannot be cured.  HPV can be chronic and cause cancer.

Chores are just as important as School

We teach are kids to desire and honor education. I believe it is just as vital to teach our kids to desire and honor hard manual work.  I believe part of raising a kid and teaching them to walk in the way of the Lord is to give them chores, and not just a few, and also not to the point of exacerbating them, but a good healthy amount of chores is important. We should teach them to value and love good and hard labor and good stewardship of the resources God has given us. We should teach them to honor people who work with their hands just as much as those who work with their minds. It is the fear of the Lord that gives people honor, my child's character is just as important as what they know.

A Statement of Trust in God's Heart for Our Relationship

A Statement of Trust in God’s Heart for Our Relationship

1.    Intimacy with I am, Emanuel, that we might hear His Voice, cling to Him, and walk with Him in our relationship.  (Ps 41:10, Deut 30, Micah 6:8, Ps. 87:7. Deut. 6:5, John 17:3, Phil. 3:8-11, Matt. 6:33, Ps 63:8)

2.    To live fully and enjoy the abundance of God. To lay our relationship at Jesus’ feet and in complete trust, surrendering all to Him. (Psalm 23; Rom. 12:1,2;  Heb. 12:1,2; Phil 3:12; Acts 20:24)

3.    We will find our answer on our knees. (Our time with the Lord is a priority)

4.    Allow God as our Father to oversee our relationship, to council and advise us, to protect us, and determine the direction of our relationship. (Ps. 19:14, Ps.25:21, Ps 23:3)

5.    To let the Word be uncaged and to rule and reign in our relationship, being living and active and penetrating it and our lives and our hearts.  (Isaiah 66:2,  John 5:39, Ps. 37:31, Ps. 25:4,5, John 16:13, Titus 1.9, Col. 1:9, Jer. 33:2.3, I Thess. 5:21,22. 2 Tim. 1:7,  James l:25, Ps.26:2,3, Ps.119: 105,  John l5:10, John l4:23, Col.3:16, Joshua 1:7-9, 2 Tim 4:2, Rom 15:4)

6.    We will place our relationship under the care of the church, living in community, and yielding to and being accountable to those that God has placed over us.  (Pr. 15:22, Heb. 10:25, Heb13:17)

7.    We will honor our parents and older couples as is fitting in the Lord, not just passively, but actively engaging to honor them and make them a part of this relationship (Deut 5:16)

8.    May God, work in our relationship, in wisdom and grace, that we can be an example to others. Let us set an example of godly male and female roles and honor one another by living in these roles. (1 Pet 2:12, Titus 2:7)

9.    We will pursue to encourage each other in the Lord’s calling on each other’s life, honoring each other, and encouraging each other to pursue Christ above all else.

10.    May God develop our hearts and allow us to minister together as friends, purposely praying for and ministering to others together.

11.    To seek righteousness and purity in the way we think, speak and act towards one another. (Matt. 5:6,8, Eph 5:3) We will protect and save our hearts for our spouses, not giving them to one another, unless the Lord has called us to be married.  (2 Corinthians 11:2, Proverbs 20:6, Song of Solomon 2:7, 8:4, Proverbs 4:23, Proverbs 31:3) We will not defraud each other physically or emotionally, but will honor one another as the Father’s.  (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, 1 Corinthians 7:1-5, Matthew 5:27-30, 1 Timothy 5:2, Proverbs 5:2, Hebrews 13:4, Matthew 19:4-6, 1Corinthians 16:14)

12.    May He teach us to enjoy getting to know one other and enable us to be honest with one another about who we are. May God teach us to develop a deep friendship, as brother and sister, which honors, encourages, and protects the other. May God teach us to walk in patience with one another as God reveals places in our hearts where he wants to bring His truth, conviction, repentance and healing. And may God teach us to have fun in this journey.  (Col 1:28,29, Ps. 139:23-24)

13.    Our pursuit is the Lord and His will. Success is following after God and His heart, honoring Him.  We will seek God for if He would have us marry, and follow Him either into engagement or back into friendship.  May God watch over us allowing us to end our courtship, be it in engagement or as friends, having honored one another and Him in such a way that we have no regrets. (Is. 30:21, Rom. 12:10)

Proverbs 31 describes the single woman not a married woman

"The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. . . . An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels."

I had a random revelation, this morning, I was thinking about verses on being a godly single man and woman, and realized that Proverbs 31 is not describing a married woman, but a single woman.

You see, Proverbs 31 is the advice of a loving mother to her son. She advices him to not seek pleasure in ways that destroy kings, women and alcohol, and instead to pursue justice as a godly man and to find a godly wife. And then we go into a description of this godly woman.

We often read this description of this woman as a description of a married woman, however it is not. It is a description of a single woman. King Lemuel's mother is not telling her son to look for a married woman, but is describing the character of a single woman and telling her son, marry this kind of woman.

God does not have a separate plan for preparing to be a godly single woman than He does for preparing to be a godly married woman. He only has a plan for being a godly woman. Proverbs 31 applies equally to the single woman and to the married woman. God is concerned about the character of a woman and it is the character of a godly woman which will enable her to handle any situation in life, whether married or single.

So single women, read Proverbs 31 again, it was written about you and applies to your life, today. And know that whether single or married, God has called you into an unfading beauty, for you are more precious than jewels.

The list of holiness

Once you make holiness a list of rules, you lose holiness. Because holiness is not a list. Holiness is an adventure and a passion for joy. It is a matter of delighting in God.

Jesus made this evident. The Pharisees had made righteousness a set of rules to live by, "Thou shall not murder". Jesus came and made it tougher, "I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment". Elsewhere He says, "So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.". God is not concerned about a list of rules, but the heart and its pursuit of holiness. We are to ever more and more pursue holiness. We are to increase in our love for God and our love for others. We are to grow in purity and uprightness. We are to do well at our jobs. We are to explore the wonders and challenges of manhood and womanhood. We are to enjoy the fellowship of one another, growing deeper in our relationships.

Some of what He says is hard, but it is hard because He knows what joy and freedom there is in what He says, and He is a good Shepherd. He is a Father who delights in His children's joy. God's way is much more demanding, it causes us to tremble, it puts us on edge, it causes us to feel inadequate and hopeless, we don't know if we like it, it rubs you the wrong way, . . . it causes us to fear God, but it is also much more exhilarating and free.

And He is a God who picks us up and comforts us in our failures as we run into His arms. His heart is not a demanding list, but for us to walk with and to be with Him.

God has more in mind than a list, He calls us to explore and to be a part of a kingdom, a kingdom that is beautiful and fills us with awe, and delights us with its extravagance. And it is fun to explore its immenseness and to grow in the likeness of Christ. God calls us to Himself, the most all satisfying thing for our hearts.

So far all those who are weary and heavy laden, for those who are afraid, stop living by a list, for Christ and the Church cries out, "Come and enjoy the richest of fair."

The Creation, The Flood . . . is that possible pt 2

We know that the Genesis description of Creation is accurate, because it is a description coming from the Creator, himself. And His word is a trustworthy account of what happened.

So then the question is, are the proposed "scientific" explanations consistent with the Genesis account? Because if they are true they must be consistent with Genesis. And if they are not, then they are faulty, and we must keep looking.

I talked about the Flood earlier, because I think this is a good example of where science has definitely failed. We know the Flood happened, the scripture is clear on this, and yet the scientist in general refuse to acknowledge it in their study, research, or theories, not even allowing it in the field. They insist the Flood never happened. Is the scripture faulty or is their refusal to accept the scripture and repress the truth faulty. Their refusal to accept the Flood shows that their science is faulty (well at least on the level where the Flood is concerned). The scientists make observations and theories with blinders on. And just as there is a fault with their view pertaining to the Flood so there is a fault with their view toward Creation.

So if our (the ones created) "scientific" explanations differ or are in conflict with the description given by the One who created the world, the One who has all the observations, time, and facts before him, should we believe Him, or should we insist on relying on our own observations, which come from a very limited and minute point of view. . . . God's ways are far above our own. Humbly we should trust Him at His word. . . . The scripture says,

"All these things my hand has made,

and so all these things came to be,

declares the Lord.

But this is the one to whom I will look:

he who is humble and contrite in spirit

and trembles at my word."

And so as we come to understand this world that God has made, we must do so with a contrite and humble spirit that trembles at God's Word.

And maybe sometimes, what we observe from our vantage point throws us off and confuses us, and that's ok, and we can be honest about what we see and observe, because we don't have the full vantage point, and perspectives can change when you are so small. We are learning and trying to understand things from where we are.

So this does not do away with what we observe, and it is ok to continue to be scientists and to give the best explanation we know and to be honest with what we find, but it is a humble approach realizing we still have much to learn, and just as throughout history, we have found that our observations have been limited or faulty, so today, we need to realize that are present theories are as well.

When we don't, we are like those who insisted that the world was flat, or that the sun revolved around the earth, because that is what they knew from their limited point of view and observations. Or we can become like the church, who insisted on holding to an Aristotle view of science, even though it was secular, and conformed the scriptures to fit that secular explanation.

We may have leaped in bounds in science compared to those days, but we are still limited and do not see the whole pictures and definitely not as much as God sees. And we are still sinful in how we interpret the findings. Romans 1 shows are sinful bent in looking at nature and suppressing the things of God. Because of are sinful tendency, we must be humble in what we learn. There is a danger of trembling at science, over and above, trembling at God's Word, allowing science to conform are mind, more than God's Word.


“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding."


Other things may fade away, like scientific theories, but God's word does not.

Unlike us, God, however, does see the whole picture, and has no need to be ashamed of His account of creation. He created the world as He saw fit. He didn't have to allegorize it, because He could do anything, and did do it. He created the world how He wanted to, to represent what He wanted it to represent, to bring about a story He wanted, not one of fairy tales, but one that is real. So when God, describes the way He created the world it is not a fantasy but a real account of the story, history.

The question then comes what does Genesis and the rest of the scriptures say about Creation. What does the Lord say about what happened. Where the scripture is sure, we can trust it and we don't have to waver. And we shouldn't let our fears color our interpretation, trying to fit it in with what we know. Let it speak for itself. Scripture works better that way. It is not meant to be caged in, but instead it is living, penetrating our hearts and conforming our minds to its truth. It is to shape us in God's image, we are not to shape it into ours.

I for one choose to believe God and to tremble at His word, instead of insisting on my own perspective. We continue to be scientists, honest and objective. And science will follow along, if it is willing to be objective, honest, and humble, for true Science always obeys God's voice.

 The Creation, The Flood pt1

All I Have is Christ

Food for thought :)

Future of Food


Super Size Me

Open and honest

"What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs"

This is a good argument for being open and honest with who we are. We are in Christ, and our deeds are covered by His blood.

The Creation, The Flood . . . is that possible

"The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep."

In the span of about of 40 days, the earth was covered by waters, then for more days the earth water prevailed over the earth, and then the water receeded and dry land appeared once again. All this, both the Flood and the ending of the Flood, occurred in about the span of a year. This is a major geological feat in a very short period of time, and its suddenness shows the vastness of the event. We get a small glimpse of it in the Bible, "on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights." We don't know all the details or all that happened geologically during the Flood and the Bible doesn't go into great detail, but we can know that it happened, and that it was a significant event.

We live in a day and age where something like this would be considered an impossibility. However, the Flood is a biblical certainty. It did happen. And there is no reason to doubt it. And it happened in the time allotted by the Bible, whether we can explain it or not.

Genesis 1 and 2 describes creation. The Bible also says, "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day". This, too, would be considered impossible, but it is a biblical certainty.

When we put human philosophy above the words of the Bible, the Bible looses, because it doesn't make sense to us, not if we look at it with human wisdom. But the scripture says, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." and again it says, "Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God."

These accounts were written through the Holy Spirit, not through someone who was looking back at an event that they were not apart of. The scripture says that Moses talked with God face to face. He got these accounts from an eye witness of the events, God himself. An eyewitness who is faithful and true. And these accounts in Genesis or accounts we can rely on. So is our wisdom wiser than God's? Are His ways so much higher than ours, that we choose to trust Him at His word?

If we continue to look at these events with a worldly philosophy, we will continue to be foolish, we will not be able to understand science fully. But perhaps if we start looking at these accounts as given by someone who is faithful and true, perhaps, we will grow in our understanding of our world and what we see. Perhaps we will see the wisdom in it after all. And perhaps we will have a better understanding of science.

Proverbs

Righteousness by mere duty, without joy, is a legalistic righteousness. Love for God is the motivation for righteousness. And joy comes with much wisdom, patience, faith, and toil.

Being disciplined is not a burden, it gives you the freedom to run.

Woman foundation of culture - Alexis de Tocqueville

"[I]f I were asked, now that I am drawing to the close of this work in which I have spoken of so many important things done by the Americans, to what the singular prosperity and growing strength of that people are mainly to be attributed, I should reply, to the superiority of their women."  -- Alexis de Tocqueville

Quotes from So Much More: The Remoarkavle Influence of Visionary Daughters on the Kingdom of God by Anna Sofia Botkin and Elizabeth Botkin

Quotes from So Much More: The Remoarkavle Influence of Visionary Daughters on the Kingdom of God by Anna Sofia Botkin and Elizabeth Botkin

"Honor is more than just a feeling or sentiment; it's something you practice daily."

"God meant for women to be honored and respected. However, this respect was not to be gained in the same way as for men. It is said, "Behind every great man there is a great woman." In times past, people would see a great man and know that much of his greatness ans success was due to his wife, and she would be honored and praised accordingly. Because women are not praised for being good wives and furthering their husbands in our society, it is little wonder that women don't think of that as being a praise-worthy thing and seek praise and glory elswhaere. No wonder our society is so short of real men! If our men aren't successful, it largely means that their women have not made them successful. They need our help." p. 46,47

"Confiding in our fathers (and, of course, or mothers) is another way we can show them honor. When we let our fathers know our hearts - our struggles, our weaknesses, our hopes and dreams - it encourages them to pay closer attention to the instruction and guidance they give us."

" We have a friend who used to ask us, very kindly, but pointedly, 'Do you get your father's slippers for him?' . . . . His point was, 'Are you helping your father even in the small things which he might never ask help with?' Those are things that will simply make his life more comfortable and pleasurable, things that will simply bring joy to his heart and make him more free to accomplish the work that God has given him. " p.48,49

"My father is responsible before the Lord for the guidance of his famiy. His heart is relieved and encouraged when he can trust his household, when he knows that our hearts are with him, that his wishes are obeyed, that his decisions are submitted to cheerfully, and that his family is praying for him and supporting him as he seeks guidance from the Lord. Helping my father has been a fun adventure and one that I am constantly growing in and learning from." p. 49

"A real woman understands that God designed femininity because masculinity was not enough in itself to represent God's image and glory. The differences downplays God's glory. A real woman wants to bring glory to God by being a woman." p. 76

"By self-denial, we mean something deeper than the usual meaning, 'denying yourself things you want'. Rather we mean 'denying that you have a "self"' " p.77

"The kingdom of God is depicted by relationships. It advances through relationships. Remember it was not good for Adam to be alone."

"We can dress in drab grays and browns, wear no makeup, and grease our hair flat back, but if we are haughty in heart and proud of our own 'righteousness', we are as worthy of judgment as the 'mincing' daughters of Zion." p.87

BarlowGirl - Sing me a love song

Quote by Hess - God's leading

"Long ago I made my life’s decision

To serve the Lord and have Him choose my way;

And when I’ve felt uncertain at a crossroad,

He’s never failed to lead me day by day." —Hess

"Church Discipline!? Is that Purpose Driven!?" - Jeff Noblit

Words matter

    God puts much value on the spoken word.  And we are to trust God at His word. Sometimes His word is all we have. Not a hint of what God speaks is untrue or unworthy. Through His word the earth was created and established. The integrity of His word is so valued that Jesus is said to be the Word of God made manifest in flesh.

    As Christians we should emulate God's character not just by our actions, but in our speech as well. We should be men and women who the very integrity of our speach can be counted on and trusted. Our words should not be a mere vapor, but words with substance and truth. Our words should be pure and holy and good. And just as we trust God at His word, others should be able to trust us at our word.

Other verses to meditate on:
Matthew 12:36
James 3:2
Proverbs 18:21
Proverbs 12:19
Proverbs 10:32
Proverbs 10:11
Proverbs 16:24
Proverbs 12:18
Proverbs 15:28

John Piper - Spankings Don't Save Kids

RC Sproul The Total Sovereignty of God

Even though we chose to reject God, He chose us. What amazing love!

How do we go from being an enemy of God, hating God, and murdering Christ to loving God? What so drastically changes our hearts? . . . Grace alone.

1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience . . . . 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. – Ephesians 2:1-10

And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
--1Corithians 1:30,31

Is our love for God "erotic"?

In our love for God, I believe it is easy to have an "eros" (or erotic) kind of love. Being caught up in the experience and awe, we are full of excitement and our desire for this experience becomes lustful and dangerous. The experience overshadows God.

It is so easy to be constantly seeking the "emotional high", the "movement of God", "the power", instead of understanding the true greatness of who God is, and trusting His character. We become in love with and addicted to some experience and not God, Himself. Just as one is more interested in the physical experience than the person.

But their is a deeper love, an "agape" love, that is interested only in God and not some idolized version of what we want or an "experience" we desire to have. We take Him for who He is and trust Him for who He says He is. It is coming to know (in the biblical sense) God, in a deep and full way. You don't need a "movement" of God or have to see some "power", or even to feel anything, because His character thoroughly satisfies you.

In the Bible, love is not a noun, the focus is not what we feel or an experience, but what we do. You can seek an experience or you can seek God.

Choosing a Wife/Beauty is Vain - Tim Conway

Men, if we all started treating beauty as vain, we would change the world. For us few, who will do this, we will be a strength to those around us.


    

Why we choose to sin. -- John Calvin

...we allow that man has choice and that it is self-determined, so that if he does anything evil, it should be imputed to him and to his own voluntary choosing. We do away with coercion and force, because this contradicts the nature of the will and cannot coexist with it. We deny that choice is free, because through man's innate wickedness it is of necessity driven to what is evil and cannot seek anything but evil. And from this it is possible to deduce what a great difference there is between necessity and coercion. For we do not say that man is dragged unwillingly into sinning, but that because his will is corrupt he is held captive under the yoke of sin and therefore of necessity will in an evil way. For where there is bondage, there is necessity. But it makes a great difference whether the bondage is voluntary or coerced. We locate the necessity to sin precisely in corruption of the will, from which follows that it is self-determined.
 

--John Calvin from Bondage and Liberation of the Will, pg. 69-70

Learning To Love Correction - Joshua Harris

Psalm 73

21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.

23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

--Psalm 73

The significance of the name Sovereign Grace - C.J. Mahaney

There is no safe sex

Here is an article on how common genital herpes are within the US population. Herpes will spread even if a condom is worn and also can spread with any sexual contact, not just coitus. The idea that there is safe sex or safe sexual acts (such as oral sex, etc.) is simply not true. If there is any physical contact these things can spread. There is also no cure for this condition.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100310/hl_nm/us_herpes_usa

Herpes is not the only STD that is spread in a similar way. Genital warts are also common and spread through contact with the condom not providing protection.

In the diseases where a condom helps such as HIV, it only reduces the risk, it does not get rid of the risk all together. 

How to gain your wife to love you

The Bible compares the love and admiration and romance of marriage to the bond that that Christ and the Church have. "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body."

Husbands, learn to love your wife well. What does the scripture say, "We love, because He first loved us." Husbands, love your wife as Christ loved you and enabled you to love Him. Lay down your life for her, love her with the word, be gentle washing her as something that is cherished, a precious jewel, bringing out her beauty.

Husbands, it is for us to love and to love first and to love well. May God help us to do so.

Run the race

Fathers tell their children how to live life better all the time, while at the same time being swollen with pride at their child's attempts.

Philippians 3
 

Let them be like the snails that dissolves to slime

 Article by John Piper:  Let them be like the snails that dissolves to slime

Polarized theological views

When it comes to theological conflicts, so many people can only see a jilted perspective on the issue. They become reactionary and polarized and full of false assumptions, even if they are right on a point. The actual truth is that truth is something totally "other", then the jilted perspectives often presented. God's view on this issue is "holy". The Bible fights against the polarization of point of views and the assumptions that so many make, presents something so much more. It is our holding on to our assumptions and "our side" which are often distorted that makes the scripture unclear. And it is letting go of "our side" of the issue, and then coming humbly face to face with His heart that we find that He has for us more than we can imagine that we understand. And as a father teaches his child, He teaches us His ways. We can no what is true and what is sound theology if we are willing to lose our selves and listen to the one who is sovereign over it.

 Thus says the Lord:
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house that you would build for me,
and what is the place of my rest?
All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things came to be,
declares the Lord.
But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word.

Wealth and Riches

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” – 1 Timothy 6:17-19

    Where is our hope, our delight, and our desires? The western world and other parts of the world in this generation has seen an abundance of prosperity. In many places such as the United States and Europe the general population lives in greater richest not only when compared to the rest of the world, but also when compared with the generations of man. Many live with great wealth – homes with several different rooms, indoor plumbing, a vast host of a variety of delicacies to feast upon, transportation that conveys us quickly to distant places and does so in comfort, the ability to learn a variety of skills and explore different occupations, scores of clothes to choose from, and more. In other places, today, and in other generations, these riches are not known. And for many of us, including me, these riches have become so common, that we have forgotten how much we have been given and these riches have become what is expected and demanded and even have  become considered a necessity, instead of a blessing.

    As God has been blessing me with these abundances, I see my own sin and how easily riches can corrupt the heart, and how easily the desire for comfort and the desire for security can affect my decisions, whether I am poor or rich. And these desires in my heart are sin creeping up to rot the blessings the Lord has given me. John wrote, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eye and pride in possessions – is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

    As I eat the food with my nice clothes at a comfortable table in a modern home that the Lord has provided, can I consider it my right to have these things, when others can only afford basic nutrition; some eat the same thing for every meal, every day; and some die of starvation? Can I consider it a right to have a fancy home with many rooms and indoor plumbing, when families of different generations have to live in one room in other parts of the world? Is it a necessity to have a closet full of clothes, when others have so little?

   For those who see these things as a necessity, the scripture gives this warning . . ."Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs."

    The things we have are not a necessity or a right or a privilege, but a blessing. And we should always be thankful for what the Lord has granted us, giving Him glory. Paul states,

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Earlier Paul writes,

“7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

    What we are and what we do are founded in Christ. In Him and through Him, we have are being, we have our life. In Him alone are we rich. Christ gives us the strength to live whether in plenty or in want. And in Him we can do all things, that is of faith. What we have is not important. Whose we are is.

    What we have is not ours, these possessions are the Lord’s, we are only stewards of them. And we will one day have to give an account for are stewardship. If we lived our lives trusting in these possessions, hording them for ourselves, and finding our delight in them, not only will we find ourselves hoarding what is rightfully the Lord’s and not ours, and essentially robbing the King, we will also find that our hope has rotted away with these hoarded possessions. “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eye and  pride in possessions – is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

    Our attitude should not be how do I get a nice home, or how do I make sure I am eating well, or how do I have nice clothing. Our thoughts should be on how we can be faithful stewards of what is the Lord’s. How do I let Christ’s strength work in me, so “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Our treasure is Christ and our passions and our love and our devotion are for Him. So let us throw aside all that hinders and entangles us and run with our eyes upon Christ, desiring and longing for Him, being enamored and captivated by his beauty, and having pride in His possessing us, for in this the love of the Father is truly in us, and this does not fade away.

    Christ stated,

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:19-21

    Our treasure is Christ and we should pursue that treasure with all our heart, mind, soul, and body.  Jesus calls to us, “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” And He is honest about the cost of following Him . . . “Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’" Our very lives are His, how much more are our possessions. And He is are King and Shepherd, we follow Him wherever He may lead us. And wherever He leads us, whether in plenty or want, He will give us the strength in all things, and He will enable us to be rich in good deeds. So with joy we cast off all that hinders us and we run with all our might and take pleasure in our freedom.

Training a woman for a career

I was listening to a sermon, today, about raising daughters. One of the points of the sermon was how in our culture the focus is to train women for a career. Even in homes where it is believed that the mother should stay home, often the thought is to train her for a career and then when she gets married, she can leave the career and be a mother, as if being a mother is an easy thing and doesn't need much training.

This is backwards. When we train our daughters, the focus of our training should be to train them for God's calling on their lives, not the world's opinion on what they should be. The focus of training our daughters is to teach them how to be godly women and to equip them to follow the calling that God has for them as wives and mothers.  This does not mean that we don't educate our daughters or equip them with skills. The Proverbs 31 woman was a skillful and well educated woman. She was truly and independent woman and quite capable of taking care of herself. And she was quite capable of taking care of others. She kept her family warm and helped a many hungry have a full belly. And even quite capable in business matters, as well. And a godly woman should hone these giftings that God has placed in her. But these giftings are used to build up the home and to establish God's work in her as a mother and wife and the ministry of her home. These giftings are not for building her career. A career is never her focus, being a godly woman and a godly mother and a godly wife are her focus.

So in training our daughters our focus should be in training her to be a godly woman, not a career woman.

One objection might be what if my daughter never marries. There are two things, a daughter is under the father till she marries, so if needed she has that as a protection. But even with out her father's care, a woman like the Proverbs 31 woman, is more than adequately capable of facing the hazards of this world and has the mental fortitude as well as the strength and wisdom to do well. Also a woman well trained in being a wife and a mother has been trained in skills that will not be wasted, they will help her as a single woman both for herself and for others. A woman trained in this way is a huge asset to the church and to others, whether or not she ever marries.

Missing God

We are often more worried about missing God, instead of trusting and having faith that He will uphold us and be there when we do miss Him.

The Purpose of Family Worship - Voddie Bauchan

The Consequences of Feminism - Voddie Baucham

Family Driven Education - Voddie Bauchman

An amazing story about a friend of Ravi Zacharias - Romans 8

The Children's Hour by Henry Longfellow

The Children's Hour by Henry Longfellow

Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupations,
That is known as the Children's Hour.

I hear in the chamber above me
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet.

From my study I see in the lamplight,
Descending the broad hall stair,
Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,
And Edith with golden hair.

A whisper, and then a silence:
Yet I know by their merry eyes
They are plotting and planning together
To take me by surprise.

A sudden rush from the stairway,
A sudden raid from the hall!
By three doors left unguarded
They enter my castle wall!

They climb up into my turret
O'er the arms and back of my chair;
If I try to escape, they surround me;
They seem to be everywhere.

They almost devour me with kisses,
Their arms about me entwine,
Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen
In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!

Do you think, o blue-eyed banditti,
Because you have scaled the wall,
Such an old mustache as I am
Is not a match for you all!

I have you fast in my fortress,
And will not let you depart,
But put you down into the dungeon
In the round-tower of my heart.

And there will I keep you forever,
Yes, forever and a day,
Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,
And moulder in dust away!

Belief and life

There are times, that when you speak about your belief in the Word of God, that you will get a hardy "yes". But if you live out what the Word of God says, often that hardy "yes" disapears.

--Hebrews 11

Clip from the Nativity Story

I really love this movie because it challenges me on what it means to be a husband. This clip for the first 5 minutes and 5 seconds shows good part of how this movie demonstrates a godly husband.

Kirk Cameron Interviews John MacArthur

Roles women in the church can take - Ask Pastor Tim Conway

http://biblical-womanhood.blogspot.com/

Christians who harp on Homosexuality have made a mistake: My sincere apology

Christians who harp on Homosexuality have made a mistake: My sincere apology

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

There has been a fervent outcry among those of the Christian faith against Homosexuality and the Homosexual agenda, an outcry that has set these people apart. Homosexuality is treated as a “particularly” horrid form of depravity, as if it were one of the deepest sins of the heart. And the Homosexual agenda is treated as a “particularly” corrupting influence in our society. We communicate to the homosexuals that they are more depraved than others who do not commit such a sin. This angers me and my heart hurts for those who are caught up in this sin.

The reason I have heard from people, so many times, for this reaction specifically towards homosexuality is a misunderstanding of Romans 1, where it states,

For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

These verses are quoted and said to be a descending spiral into the depravity of the human heart, and that here, homosexuality being presented as being “particularly” depraved. However, this is not the argument that Paul gives, at all.

Paul is not talking about the depravity of the heart and its descending spiral. Instead Paul is presenting the madness that comes out of a mind that suppresses the truth of who God is.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

This lack of faith and the suppression of truth is the source of the rotten power of sin that corrupts and erodes mankind and brings them into madness.

“For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became (futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, . . .”

In Isaiah, God speaks of this madness and foolishness.

Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow. Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, "Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire." But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god." They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. No one recalls, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, "I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals I roast meat and eat it Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!" He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, "Is there not a lie in my right hand?"

Paul goes on describing our insanity . . .

Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

And in this insanity and madness God gave us over to its passions. Here Paul uses homosexuality as an example of the fools we have become because there is an obvious exchanging the natural order of things for the unnatural.

However, Paul is not using this example to state that those who commit these unnatural sexual acts or more depraved than others, He is only describing how insane sin makes us become.

Right after this, Paul describes this madness with other sins. If this is a downward spiral, Paul is describing, then these sins fall below homosexuality, and must be more depraved. How many of these sins have you committed? No, Paul is describing the madness of sin and how utterly corrupt we have become.

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Now, let’s read on to the next verse,

Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. . .

Paul states that we are . . .

all under sin;
as it is written,
"THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,
THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."
"THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE,
WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,"
"THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS";
"WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS";
"THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,
DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,
AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN."
"THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."

Paul in his argument brings all men under this madness of sin. We have all become depraved and corrupted. And this is Paul’s point: sin, itself, from the very conception in the heart of man is utterly corrupting, bringing us all under the wrath of God.

So why do some Christians have a special indignation toward homosexuality? Do you who speak out against laws promoting homosexuality also speak out against laws promoting divorce (something that has devastated our society)? Do you who harp about homosexuality outside the church, get angry over adultery and promiscuity and divorce that is so prevalent within the church? How about the sin in your own life? . . . . Do you have contempt for the kindness and tolerance and patience of God, who saved you from such filth?

Paul in his letter to the Corinthians tells the church “not to associate with sexually immoral people –“. But he is quick to say, “not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.” His judgment is on those who are in the Church. “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler – not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside.”

The Gospel brings a compassion and conviction to sinners. Christ was known as a man who associated with “sinners and tax collectors”. He brought the Gospel into the madness of this world. He loved those who were unloved and were considered “great” sinners. He spoke the truth and called for repentance, but He did so to all men.

Should we speak out against homosexuality. "Yes", a definite "Yes". It is a horrible and devastating sin. And we do not have to fear to call sin sin. If we love, we will speak out against it, but we must speak out against it in a biblical way. We need to get off our high horse and be real with who we are without Christ and come to the homosexuals as people under the same corruption and filth and madness, people with just as much need of the Gospel as they. Some harp about “specific” sins, without looking at their own, but it is the fact that we are all sinners that keeps us from God. So we have nothing to boast against someone who has done a "specific" sin. Unless I repent, I will likewise perish, and I need the grace of God, through Christ Jesus.

Kirk Cameron and John MacArthur on Salvation!