I have been leading a small group of high school girls at my church this past year. We started out doing a study on dating and have since moved into going over passages of Scripture more. Sometimes I don't think I connect very well with the girls and what I am trying to teach them. I can get into kind of sermony mode cuz I just want them to get it so bad!!
I have to admit, last night, I didn't want to have Bible study. I was tired. I wanted to workout and go home. I was struggling with some of my own personal issues that made me not want to be around people. But I went because I knew how much they wanted to see each other and it had been about a month since we had been together. So I picked them all up and we had our usual Bible study at Starbucks.
There are several different personalities in this small group, all of which I love dearly. We have the "I really don't care if people think I'm odd and I say whatever comes to my mind and I struggle cuz I really like what the world offers", we have the "I'm smart and silly and trying to live the way God wants me too, but why isn't he giving me what I want", and we have the "I'm quiet and life has been hard and I just want to be a normal teenager girl, but life won't let me". So these personalities all come together one night a week and I try to share Christ with them.
Tonight we talked about taming the tongue and James 3. A convicting passage for all of us. It went well, but I think the main lesson of the night came on the ride home.
I drive all the girls home and this night was a particularly rainy night and a little bit cold. We always pass this McDonalds on the way to one of the girl's houses. It was 9:30pm and I was hungry, so I said to E., "Do you mind if we stop at McDonald's before I drop you off?" I wasn't really taking too much notice of the homeless man outside of McDonald's until E. said, "That's so sad." Now conversations about homeless people is something that has come up several times with these girls. Sometimes I have sensed a lack of understanding about the homeless and therefore a lack of compassion for them. I have tried to explain that we don't know the story of how the homeless person got there, is it so wrong to ask for food if you are hungry, etc. But tonite it was E. who taught me about homeless people.
E. is a highschool girl who had $2 on her. I was an adult with a paying job and a credit card who could have gotten food in 1/2 hour when I got home. But it was E. who said, "Can I buy him something and give it to him on our way back?" And my response was "Of course!" So she spent her $2 on two sandwiches. We walked over to him, her somewhat hesitantly, and she said, "here sir,I got you some sandwiches." And he looked at her in unbelief. He looked as if he might almost cry. He said, to her, "Thank you. Oh, God bless you. Can I give you a hug?" She looked at me, I nodded, and they had a short embrace before we left. When we got in the car, E. was elated and filled with joy at what had just taken place. I was so happy to see her so obedient to the Lord and so satisfied with the encounter He had given her.
It got me thinking though, who was more satisfied, me with my $3 value meal or E. with her widow's mite gift that had her shreaking with joy in my car? I think the answer is obvious. I hope the next time I have to choose between the satisfacation of McDonalds or the satisfaction of joy from serving Christ among us, I choose to have a heart that listens like E. did.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
What I Shared At My Church About AIDS (Wooster, 2008)
My senior of college, I did a program called hunger, HNGR, which stands for Human Needs and Global Resources. It was a 6 month program that I did in Cambodia and I worked with an organization that had a program for AIDS orphans. I spent time visiting with and teaching AIDS orphans English. But I would say my most direct contact with AIDS patients came through going on AIDS homecare visits to see AIDS patients with my Cambodian friend Sarim who was a nurse at the same organization. It was with her that I really saw and experienced what AIDS does to people physically and emotionally.
I went weekly with my friend Sarim on home visits and the longer I went with her, the more she explained to me what the life of someone with AIDS is like in Cambodia. While we were visiting one woman, Sarim told me that the woman who was taking care of her was not family. Her family was ashamed of her and disowned her. Her husband, who most likely gave her AIDS, divorced her and she never got to see her own son. Now this woman who was paid to take care of her was smoking in the corner of the yard while this woman dying of AIDS was lying in a hammock. Its hard to put into words what AIDS had done to her body. But her ribs were poking out of her chest, her eyes were almost swollen shut with puss, her legs and chest had open sores all over them and she could hardly utter a word. I would smile at her because that’s all I knew how to do. I was too afraid to touch her even though you can’t get AIDS just from touching a person. And the next time I saw her, the same line kept running through my head over and over “No one ever touches her. No one ever touches her unless they are paid to.” And so I let go of my fear and I began rubbing her arm and shoulders and she looked at me with an expression, I will never forget. It was gratitude, awe, and relief all in one look. It was in that moment that I realized that I as a follower of Jesus Christ I am not afforded the right to be immobilized by fear. I had to let the Holy Spirit use my hands and my feet to be Jesus to this woman or no one else would.
I became involved in this kind of work because God has place a desire in my heart to help these people and because I didn’t see how I could be a true follower of Jesus and not become involved in the lives of the poor and the needy. People with AIDS definitely are among the neediest. In Cambodia and since then, over and over again I kept reading verses in my Bible about how God cared for the sick and the poor and the lepers, and He did that for peoples physical needs just as much as he did for their emotional and spiritual needs. Galatians 5:6 says, “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love”. I wanted my life to count and I knew no better way of my faith expressing itself through love than by touching these people and being with them.
This experience has had a huge impact on my life. Working with AIDS patients and seeing how Jesus loves them has become the way I try to see all of those that society and individuals reject. It’s made me know that wherever I am and and whatever I do, I want to express that love to those it is easy to go through life and never acknowledge. That’s why I am involved with Sowing hope, Internationals and that’s why I am going to Africa with our church in a couple of weeks. It’s a big part of why I am planning to go to nursing school. I think that sometimes God allows things to happen in the world to see how His body will respond. I think He is watching and waiting to see His church rise up and be Christ to the world’s rejected and despised.
I went weekly with my friend Sarim on home visits and the longer I went with her, the more she explained to me what the life of someone with AIDS is like in Cambodia. While we were visiting one woman, Sarim told me that the woman who was taking care of her was not family. Her family was ashamed of her and disowned her. Her husband, who most likely gave her AIDS, divorced her and she never got to see her own son. Now this woman who was paid to take care of her was smoking in the corner of the yard while this woman dying of AIDS was lying in a hammock. Its hard to put into words what AIDS had done to her body. But her ribs were poking out of her chest, her eyes were almost swollen shut with puss, her legs and chest had open sores all over them and she could hardly utter a word. I would smile at her because that’s all I knew how to do. I was too afraid to touch her even though you can’t get AIDS just from touching a person. And the next time I saw her, the same line kept running through my head over and over “No one ever touches her. No one ever touches her unless they are paid to.” And so I let go of my fear and I began rubbing her arm and shoulders and she looked at me with an expression, I will never forget. It was gratitude, awe, and relief all in one look. It was in that moment that I realized that I as a follower of Jesus Christ I am not afforded the right to be immobilized by fear. I had to let the Holy Spirit use my hands and my feet to be Jesus to this woman or no one else would.
I became involved in this kind of work because God has place a desire in my heart to help these people and because I didn’t see how I could be a true follower of Jesus and not become involved in the lives of the poor and the needy. People with AIDS definitely are among the neediest. In Cambodia and since then, over and over again I kept reading verses in my Bible about how God cared for the sick and the poor and the lepers, and He did that for peoples physical needs just as much as he did for their emotional and spiritual needs. Galatians 5:6 says, “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love”. I wanted my life to count and I knew no better way of my faith expressing itself through love than by touching these people and being with them.
This experience has had a huge impact on my life. Working with AIDS patients and seeing how Jesus loves them has become the way I try to see all of those that society and individuals reject. It’s made me know that wherever I am and and whatever I do, I want to express that love to those it is easy to go through life and never acknowledge. That’s why I am involved with Sowing hope, Internationals and that’s why I am going to Africa with our church in a couple of weeks. It’s a big part of why I am planning to go to nursing school. I think that sometimes God allows things to happen in the world to see how His body will respond. I think He is watching and waiting to see His church rise up and be Christ to the world’s rejected and despised.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Some Good Quotes On Mission....
Jean-Paul Heldt:
"There is no longer a need to qualify mission as 'holistic', nor to distinguish between 'mission' and 'holistic mission'. Mission is by definition 'holistic' and therefore 'holistic mission' is, de facto, mission. Proclamation alone, apart from any social concern, may be perceived as distortion, a truncated version of the true gospel, a parody and travesty of good news, lacking relevance for the real problems of people living in the real world. On the other end of the spectrum, exclusive focus on transformation and advocacy may just result in social and humanitarian activism, void of any spiritual dimension. Both approaches are unbiblical;they deny the wholeness of human nature of human beings created in the image of God. Since we are created "whole", and since the Fall affects our total humanity in all its dimensions, then redemption, restoration, and mission can, by definition, only be 'holistic'."
Steve Saint:
"Social services without the Gospel are like pain killers for cancer. But the gospel without the offer of loving compassion will frequently meet only a rejection of God's love which they have not seen, and consequently locked doors."
"There is no longer a need to qualify mission as 'holistic', nor to distinguish between 'mission' and 'holistic mission'. Mission is by definition 'holistic' and therefore 'holistic mission' is, de facto, mission. Proclamation alone, apart from any social concern, may be perceived as distortion, a truncated version of the true gospel, a parody and travesty of good news, lacking relevance for the real problems of people living in the real world. On the other end of the spectrum, exclusive focus on transformation and advocacy may just result in social and humanitarian activism, void of any spiritual dimension. Both approaches are unbiblical;they deny the wholeness of human nature of human beings created in the image of God. Since we are created "whole", and since the Fall affects our total humanity in all its dimensions, then redemption, restoration, and mission can, by definition, only be 'holistic'."
Steve Saint:
"Social services without the Gospel are like pain killers for cancer. But the gospel without the offer of loving compassion will frequently meet only a rejection of God's love which they have not seen, and consequently locked doors."
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The Problem Is Me...
1 John 3:4-10:
"Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
7Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 9No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother."
When I started this blog I wrote two blogs mildly berating the extreme liberals and conservatives in the church, politically and theologically speaking. But I promised I would write a blog that confronts the biggest problem in the church today: ME. Ok, I am not trying to look for self-pity or reassurance that I am a good Christian. And I don't mean me alone. I mean all of the "ME's" in the church. But I know this me, Laura G., the best so it is fitting that I use myself as the subject.
I sin every single day. I see a homeless person on the side of the road and don't even contemplate if that is a need Christ wants me to meet. I get angry and swear under my breath at drivers who drive poorly. I waste hours of my day each day doing thing that certainly are not helping bring about anything of eternal value. I do not seek out the poor and engage them with food, drink or shelter the way Jesus does. I do not boldly proclaim tne gospel, in fact sometimes I am embarassed or dare I say ashamed of it. I too often set my bar of what to do against others in the church. I don't live radically because I see few others doing so and justify my inaction by their inaction. I think impure thoughts, I judge people on their outward appearance with very little look at their hearts, I say things about friends I shouldn't say. I wallow in my own problems and desires instead of looking at the blessing in my life. I commit SINS of comission and omission EVERY SINGLE DAY.
If we look at the verses I quoted above, it makes me question how well I know Jesus or if I've seen Him if I continue to sin as I do. How many of us really think of dying to our self daily? I don't. How often do I realize and admit that when I sin, I am ACTUALLY DOING THE WORK OF THE DEVIL? Not often enough.
Why don't I let myself be more transformed by Christ so that I can perform more righteous actions for Him as a testimony to who He is? A few things come to mind, I don't want to look TOO different from the CHURCH. I already know that I look crazy to the world because of my faith, but I don't want to look crazy to the church too! Where would I fit in? But haven't I missed the point? The world is not my home. Very rarely do routine mundane lives make an impact on this world for Christ. I also want to stay close to my family, geographically and thought wise. I don't want hundreds of miles to seperate us if that's what God wants me to do. I don't want the people I love the most not to get parts of me. And finally, it's hard! It takes a lot of tenacity and perseverance to live the life Christ calls us too and those aren't necessarliy fun things.
So, I think the ultimate problem with the world is obviously sin, but of greater concern to me personally are all the "Me's" in the church who settle for mud pie making Christianity when Christ offers us a holiday at the sea Christianity, to steal a concept from C.S. Lewis. This world will not be radically changed without all the little me's in the church being the radical change agent Christ calls us to be.
Ok, I wrote everything above this morning, Wednesday, March 12th. And then I was reading "Desiring God" this afternoon by John Piper. It's so cool to me when God links what we are thinking and learning so directly. So here are a few excerpts from Desiring God that pertain to my thoughts:
"An Almost Unbelievable Indictment of Western Christianity"
"....In Paul's radically different viewpoint I saw an almost unbelievable indictment of Western Christianity. Am I overstating this? Judge for yourself. How many Christians do you know who could say, "The lifestyle I have chosen as a Christian would be utterly foolish and pitiable if there is no resurrection."? How many Christians are there who could say, "The suffering I have freely chosen to embrace for the cause of Christ would be a pitiable life if there is no resurrection"? As I see it, these are shocking questions.....
"I say it again: the call of Christ is a call to live a life of sacrifice and loss and suffering that would be foolish to live, if there was no resurrection from the dead. This is a conscious choice for Paul. Listen to his protest, "If the dead are not raised, why am I in peril every hour? I protest, brothers, by my exultation in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!"(1 Cor. 15:29-31) This is what Paul has chosen. He "protests" because he does not have to live this way. He chooses it: "In peril every hour!" "Dying everyday!" This is why he says he should be pitied if there is no resurrection from the dead. He chooses a path that leads to trouble and pain virtually every day of his life. "I die every day."
OH THAT I WOULD DIE EVERY DAY.
"Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
7Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 9No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother."
When I started this blog I wrote two blogs mildly berating the extreme liberals and conservatives in the church, politically and theologically speaking. But I promised I would write a blog that confronts the biggest problem in the church today: ME. Ok, I am not trying to look for self-pity or reassurance that I am a good Christian. And I don't mean me alone. I mean all of the "ME's" in the church. But I know this me, Laura G., the best so it is fitting that I use myself as the subject.
I sin every single day. I see a homeless person on the side of the road and don't even contemplate if that is a need Christ wants me to meet. I get angry and swear under my breath at drivers who drive poorly. I waste hours of my day each day doing thing that certainly are not helping bring about anything of eternal value. I do not seek out the poor and engage them with food, drink or shelter the way Jesus does. I do not boldly proclaim tne gospel, in fact sometimes I am embarassed or dare I say ashamed of it. I too often set my bar of what to do against others in the church. I don't live radically because I see few others doing so and justify my inaction by their inaction. I think impure thoughts, I judge people on their outward appearance with very little look at their hearts, I say things about friends I shouldn't say. I wallow in my own problems and desires instead of looking at the blessing in my life. I commit SINS of comission and omission EVERY SINGLE DAY.
If we look at the verses I quoted above, it makes me question how well I know Jesus or if I've seen Him if I continue to sin as I do. How many of us really think of dying to our self daily? I don't. How often do I realize and admit that when I sin, I am ACTUALLY DOING THE WORK OF THE DEVIL? Not often enough.
Why don't I let myself be more transformed by Christ so that I can perform more righteous actions for Him as a testimony to who He is? A few things come to mind, I don't want to look TOO different from the CHURCH. I already know that I look crazy to the world because of my faith, but I don't want to look crazy to the church too! Where would I fit in? But haven't I missed the point? The world is not my home. Very rarely do routine mundane lives make an impact on this world for Christ. I also want to stay close to my family, geographically and thought wise. I don't want hundreds of miles to seperate us if that's what God wants me to do. I don't want the people I love the most not to get parts of me. And finally, it's hard! It takes a lot of tenacity and perseverance to live the life Christ calls us too and those aren't necessarliy fun things.
So, I think the ultimate problem with the world is obviously sin, but of greater concern to me personally are all the "Me's" in the church who settle for mud pie making Christianity when Christ offers us a holiday at the sea Christianity, to steal a concept from C.S. Lewis. This world will not be radically changed without all the little me's in the church being the radical change agent Christ calls us to be.
Ok, I wrote everything above this morning, Wednesday, March 12th. And then I was reading "Desiring God" this afternoon by John Piper. It's so cool to me when God links what we are thinking and learning so directly. So here are a few excerpts from Desiring God that pertain to my thoughts:
"An Almost Unbelievable Indictment of Western Christianity"
"....In Paul's radically different viewpoint I saw an almost unbelievable indictment of Western Christianity. Am I overstating this? Judge for yourself. How many Christians do you know who could say, "The lifestyle I have chosen as a Christian would be utterly foolish and pitiable if there is no resurrection."? How many Christians are there who could say, "The suffering I have freely chosen to embrace for the cause of Christ would be a pitiable life if there is no resurrection"? As I see it, these are shocking questions.....
"I say it again: the call of Christ is a call to live a life of sacrifice and loss and suffering that would be foolish to live, if there was no resurrection from the dead. This is a conscious choice for Paul. Listen to his protest, "If the dead are not raised, why am I in peril every hour? I protest, brothers, by my exultation in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!"(1 Cor. 15:29-31) This is what Paul has chosen. He "protests" because he does not have to live this way. He chooses it: "In peril every hour!" "Dying everyday!" This is why he says he should be pitied if there is no resurrection from the dead. He chooses a path that leads to trouble and pain virtually every day of his life. "I die every day."
OH THAT I WOULD DIE EVERY DAY.
Friday, March 7, 2008
How We Change....
So my dad called me out on going on blogcation. It's true I kinda did. I went to Denver for a week to see a friend and kind of forgot about the internet for the most part. But I'm back for my handful of faithful readers. You are gonna get a little look into my past here today....
Growing up in Ohio, I had a pretty great childhood. I loved being part of a big family (by American standards)and enjoyed all the seasons Wooster offered. I imagined one day being just like my mom raising a family of kids in a small town in Ohio and being a stay at home mom. I mean I actually used to say I wanted 32 kids when I was younger and got mad when people laughed at me for saying such a thing. Now, I am not saying these things will not come to pass (except for the 32 kids part), perhaps they will. But something has happened in me since leaving good old Wooster, Ohio...
I LOVE TO TRAVEL. I absolutely love it. Now, you have to realize that although many of you may have known this for years and seen this in me, I don't think I really did until recently. I have had many friends describe me as very adventerous as of late, and my thought has always been "really?" I think I think that way because in many ways I am still that plain simple girl who wants to be a stay at home mom with her kids in rural America. But I've changed too. When I lived in Wooster last year I thought, I HAVE to get out of here AT LEAST once a month because it felt like there was no one (or very few) people like me there. So I went to San Diego,California, Raleigh, North Carolina multiple times, Dallas, Texas, The Central African Republic, Washington D.C., Cleveland and Columbus multiple times, and Chicago all in a span of less than 12 months!!! And you wonder how I didn't see myself as adventerous, well probably because most of the time I was just going to visit friends, and that to me showed me the importance I place on relationships more than my love of travel.
And then I moved to NC, back to the city with world minded people and people with similiar educational backgrounds. And I didn't feel the same need to get out. But you know what? I have gone just about as much! I've gone back to Ohio twice to see family,I have flown to Denver, Colorado for a week. I've visited the beaches of NC and the mountains, I'm taking a trip to Charlotte, NC next weekend, I'm going to Nashville, TN in April to run a race, and anytime anyone mentions a cheap road trip, I am so excited!!
So I guess I am adventerous and I have changed since those days as a small child in Ohio. I still hope God allows me to be a stay-at-home mom one day, that's my heart's desire and it always has been. But I think it's safe to say that "staying at home" will look way different to me and my kids than to most of those who grew up in Wayne county. I hope my kids are partly raised on a different continent and in different urban and rural settings in the U.S. This isn't a put down on the way I was raised, I LOVED my childhood. But I also love this amazing world that God has created and as much as He allows me, I intend to see and be a part of as many different cultures as is possible.
Watch my kids will probably move back to some place like Red Haw, Ohio, buy a plot of land, and never leave their "town" after the childhood I give them. But that would be ok too. It would actually give me a new place to visit. I've only ever driven through that wonderful place.
Growing up in Ohio, I had a pretty great childhood. I loved being part of a big family (by American standards)and enjoyed all the seasons Wooster offered. I imagined one day being just like my mom raising a family of kids in a small town in Ohio and being a stay at home mom. I mean I actually used to say I wanted 32 kids when I was younger and got mad when people laughed at me for saying such a thing. Now, I am not saying these things will not come to pass (except for the 32 kids part), perhaps they will. But something has happened in me since leaving good old Wooster, Ohio...
I LOVE TO TRAVEL. I absolutely love it. Now, you have to realize that although many of you may have known this for years and seen this in me, I don't think I really did until recently. I have had many friends describe me as very adventerous as of late, and my thought has always been "really?" I think I think that way because in many ways I am still that plain simple girl who wants to be a stay at home mom with her kids in rural America. But I've changed too. When I lived in Wooster last year I thought, I HAVE to get out of here AT LEAST once a month because it felt like there was no one (or very few) people like me there. So I went to San Diego,California, Raleigh, North Carolina multiple times, Dallas, Texas, The Central African Republic, Washington D.C., Cleveland and Columbus multiple times, and Chicago all in a span of less than 12 months!!! And you wonder how I didn't see myself as adventerous, well probably because most of the time I was just going to visit friends, and that to me showed me the importance I place on relationships more than my love of travel.
And then I moved to NC, back to the city with world minded people and people with similiar educational backgrounds. And I didn't feel the same need to get out. But you know what? I have gone just about as much! I've gone back to Ohio twice to see family,I have flown to Denver, Colorado for a week. I've visited the beaches of NC and the mountains, I'm taking a trip to Charlotte, NC next weekend, I'm going to Nashville, TN in April to run a race, and anytime anyone mentions a cheap road trip, I am so excited!!
So I guess I am adventerous and I have changed since those days as a small child in Ohio. I still hope God allows me to be a stay-at-home mom one day, that's my heart's desire and it always has been. But I think it's safe to say that "staying at home" will look way different to me and my kids than to most of those who grew up in Wayne county. I hope my kids are partly raised on a different continent and in different urban and rural settings in the U.S. This isn't a put down on the way I was raised, I LOVED my childhood. But I also love this amazing world that God has created and as much as He allows me, I intend to see and be a part of as many different cultures as is possible.
Watch my kids will probably move back to some place like Red Haw, Ohio, buy a plot of land, and never leave their "town" after the childhood I give them. But that would be ok too. It would actually give me a new place to visit. I've only ever driven through that wonderful place.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Step Off Your Pedestal and Into Their Lives
Well, I think this is a little overdue, but here comes my word to the conservative evangelical church,since I promised it in my response to the liberal Christians. So I was raised in this group, so in a sense it's like I am talking about family and so I have less anger toward this group and a deep sense of wanting them to "get it".
One evening last weekend a dear friend of mine and I sat watching You Tube videos until 2 in the morning. You might think we were being typical twenty somethings just having a good time, but trust me, it was a little different. My friend and I have become immersed in and very passionate about the war for truth in the church and we watch video after video of John MacArthur vs. Brian McClaren, etc. For those of you who don't know those names basically they are the most conservative and liberal voices within the evangelical church, and I'm not even sure McClaren would claim to be part of the evangelical church. But that's not the point. Here is the point: after watching one of the more liberal speakers at a conference in the video speak about God's vast love for all of us, here was the conservative's response who posted it:GETTING ON TOP OF A LITERAL PEDESTAL AND YELLING ABOUT THERE BEING A HEAVEN AND A HELL AND FUTURE JUDGMENT AND GOD IS ALSO A GOD OF WRATH. Ok, is there anything untrue about this? I don't think so. It was the manner in which he was trying to convey this truth.
Too often in the conservative evangelical church, in holding on to the truth we have let go of the amazing model of love and service Christ gave us to serving the poor and those who didn't know Him. We've got our doctrine in our head right, but has it moved to our hearts? Not near enough. Christ did come to bring peace, He did come to feed the sick, cloth the naked, and bind up the broken hearted, He did! And in doing so He never once compromised the truth. Why don't we enter into broken people's lives more? Are we not broken too? The only difference is that somebody came alongside us and introduced us to the One who could mend our souls.
I have this assumption, that many of us in the conserative evangelical church came to know Christ through the sharing of some family member. That family member probably was also meeting your daily needs for food, and your needs for shelter, and your needs for love. They were meeting both you physical and your spiritual needs, right? At least this was the case for me. I knew my parents loved me, they showed me that everyday. So when they explained to me who Jesus was, it made sense. They had modeled His love so well that I got it. Of course, the Holy Spirit did a work in my heart too, but my family set a great foundation to understanding this love.
So when we think about those who do not know Christ yet, it seems essential to me that we step into their lives and build relationship. That we show them that we really care, much in the same way that I knew my parent's loved me before I knew Jesus loved me. That doesn't mean letting go of truth, it means living it!!
Oh church, we are supposed to look different than the world! They will know we are Chrstians by our love. And then when the tough questions come about truths such as eternal destinations, we have more respect and validity to be heard.
I fear that far too many of us, myself included, are far too concerned with what the world thinks of us. We don't want too be too different, too drastic, we want to blend into our society and speak in our comfortable circles about the truth. It isn't supposed to be that way! The irony of this is, that much of the world already thinks poorly of conservative Evangelical Americans. They think we are judgmental,intolerant, and have little concern for the poor and downcast. I would rather be thought radical and crazy because I step into uncomfortable circles for my Jesus, than intolerant and judgmental because of the pedestal I preach from. By all means, yes, PLEASE hold on to truth, the church is in crisis on doctrine. But just as much live a life of love to the least of these so that Jesus can do through you what He did through His own flesh when He walked this earth. This is the truest and best thing we can do for our Jesus.
One evening last weekend a dear friend of mine and I sat watching You Tube videos until 2 in the morning. You might think we were being typical twenty somethings just having a good time, but trust me, it was a little different. My friend and I have become immersed in and very passionate about the war for truth in the church and we watch video after video of John MacArthur vs. Brian McClaren, etc. For those of you who don't know those names basically they are the most conservative and liberal voices within the evangelical church, and I'm not even sure McClaren would claim to be part of the evangelical church. But that's not the point. Here is the point: after watching one of the more liberal speakers at a conference in the video speak about God's vast love for all of us, here was the conservative's response who posted it:GETTING ON TOP OF A LITERAL PEDESTAL AND YELLING ABOUT THERE BEING A HEAVEN AND A HELL AND FUTURE JUDGMENT AND GOD IS ALSO A GOD OF WRATH. Ok, is there anything untrue about this? I don't think so. It was the manner in which he was trying to convey this truth.
Too often in the conservative evangelical church, in holding on to the truth we have let go of the amazing model of love and service Christ gave us to serving the poor and those who didn't know Him. We've got our doctrine in our head right, but has it moved to our hearts? Not near enough. Christ did come to bring peace, He did come to feed the sick, cloth the naked, and bind up the broken hearted, He did! And in doing so He never once compromised the truth. Why don't we enter into broken people's lives more? Are we not broken too? The only difference is that somebody came alongside us and introduced us to the One who could mend our souls.
I have this assumption, that many of us in the conserative evangelical church came to know Christ through the sharing of some family member. That family member probably was also meeting your daily needs for food, and your needs for shelter, and your needs for love. They were meeting both you physical and your spiritual needs, right? At least this was the case for me. I knew my parents loved me, they showed me that everyday. So when they explained to me who Jesus was, it made sense. They had modeled His love so well that I got it. Of course, the Holy Spirit did a work in my heart too, but my family set a great foundation to understanding this love.
So when we think about those who do not know Christ yet, it seems essential to me that we step into their lives and build relationship. That we show them that we really care, much in the same way that I knew my parent's loved me before I knew Jesus loved me. That doesn't mean letting go of truth, it means living it!!
Oh church, we are supposed to look different than the world! They will know we are Chrstians by our love. And then when the tough questions come about truths such as eternal destinations, we have more respect and validity to be heard.
I fear that far too many of us, myself included, are far too concerned with what the world thinks of us. We don't want too be too different, too drastic, we want to blend into our society and speak in our comfortable circles about the truth. It isn't supposed to be that way! The irony of this is, that much of the world already thinks poorly of conservative Evangelical Americans. They think we are judgmental,intolerant, and have little concern for the poor and downcast. I would rather be thought radical and crazy because I step into uncomfortable circles for my Jesus, than intolerant and judgmental because of the pedestal I preach from. By all means, yes, PLEASE hold on to truth, the church is in crisis on doctrine. But just as much live a life of love to the least of these so that Jesus can do through you what He did through His own flesh when He walked this earth. This is the truest and best thing we can do for our Jesus.
Friday, February 15, 2008
FINDING PLEASURE...
I know this blog is called Laura G's Philosophies, so you might hope for more original pieces by me. but I have found that the authors I read each day formulate so much of my philosophies on life, that it's best to just put their own words. SO I hope you enjoy my occasional quoting of those who have shaped my philosphies...
"If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
C.S. Lewis
Oh my Christian friends, that we would challenge one another on this!!! Do not be too easily pleased, our joy and the joy of the world needs us to be what the Creator created us to be.
"If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
C.S. Lewis
Oh my Christian friends, that we would challenge one another on this!!! Do not be too easily pleased, our joy and the joy of the world needs us to be what the Creator created us to be.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Waiting and Unfulfilled Desires
I am 25 years old. I live with my brother and his family. I have a job that requires little to no thought. I do not own a home, I do not have a boyfriend or a spouse, and I still question whether I am choosing the right career path. I have many things I long for and desire that the Lord has not yet fulfilled. How do I wait in a way that is honest and yet honors Him? This is what I am wrestling with as of late.
My mom sent me this article this morning that reminded me that most of our life is waiting for something and eventually we are waiting to die. How do we take today, just today, and find purpose and joy in it alone? That's hard when the day is spent in front of the computer, when the things I think would bring me the most joy ellude me. But this is what it is right now. So how do I find joy and purpose in this?
I think there are two thoughts I've had as I've been grappling with this. First, I think we are to take the mundane and try to use it for the glory of God. We know He is more interested in our hearts than the exact work our hands are doing. Do I come to work ready to respond in love to angry clients, to those whose English I can't understand, to the old woman who has never had a ticket before and doesn't know what to do? Sometimes I do, too often I don't. I was thinking that if every interaction, big or small, that we have with people was responded to with Christ's love this world would be more peaceful and less stressful. I think there is definite purpose in that.
The broader thought is this, what processes are underway in my life right now because I am waiting that make me more Christlike, or have the potential to do so? All this waiting and quietness lets me think a lot about myself, who I am becoming, what I want to become, how there is still so much sin in me that I need to let the Lord remove. I'm learning more about desiring God through John Piper's book. I think I could really enjoy being a Christian Hedonist, I am a pretty big fan of pleasure. But the challenge is finding that pleasure in Christ. I'm not gonna lie, more often than not pleasure comes from the things God gives me and not from the giver himself. So when my pleasures are altered or changed or taken away, I feel unfulfilled. So I'm not sure how I make Christ where I find pleasure and joy. I don't think I experience it often enough. But I think and pray that He is taking me a on journey to that place because never before have I so wanted to figure it out.
God is on my side. I know this. So I pray that I would wait well. That I would find my pleasure in Him and that I will stay on this journey of learning how to do that.
My mom sent me this article this morning that reminded me that most of our life is waiting for something and eventually we are waiting to die. How do we take today, just today, and find purpose and joy in it alone? That's hard when the day is spent in front of the computer, when the things I think would bring me the most joy ellude me. But this is what it is right now. So how do I find joy and purpose in this?
I think there are two thoughts I've had as I've been grappling with this. First, I think we are to take the mundane and try to use it for the glory of God. We know He is more interested in our hearts than the exact work our hands are doing. Do I come to work ready to respond in love to angry clients, to those whose English I can't understand, to the old woman who has never had a ticket before and doesn't know what to do? Sometimes I do, too often I don't. I was thinking that if every interaction, big or small, that we have with people was responded to with Christ's love this world would be more peaceful and less stressful. I think there is definite purpose in that.
The broader thought is this, what processes are underway in my life right now because I am waiting that make me more Christlike, or have the potential to do so? All this waiting and quietness lets me think a lot about myself, who I am becoming, what I want to become, how there is still so much sin in me that I need to let the Lord remove. I'm learning more about desiring God through John Piper's book. I think I could really enjoy being a Christian Hedonist, I am a pretty big fan of pleasure. But the challenge is finding that pleasure in Christ. I'm not gonna lie, more often than not pleasure comes from the things God gives me and not from the giver himself. So when my pleasures are altered or changed or taken away, I feel unfulfilled. So I'm not sure how I make Christ where I find pleasure and joy. I don't think I experience it often enough. But I think and pray that He is taking me a on journey to that place because never before have I so wanted to figure it out.
God is on my side. I know this. So I pray that I would wait well. That I would find my pleasure in Him and that I will stay on this journey of learning how to do that.
Friday, February 8, 2008
A Man of Noble Character....
I was moved by this speech by Mitt Romney. It is less about me being a huge Romney fan and more about how noble I believe his decision was. As my mom put it, he sure has got a lot of things right.
Governor Romney's Address To CPAC (As Prepared For Delivery):
"I want to begin by saying thank you. It's great to be with you again. And I look forward to joining with you many more times in the future.
"Last year, CPAC gave me the sendoff I needed. I was in single digits in the polls, and I was facing household Republican names. As of today, more than 4 million people have given me their vote for President, less than Senator McCain's 4.7 million, but quite a statement nonetheless. Eleven states have given me their nod, compared to his 13. Of course, because size does matter, he's doing quite a bit better with his number of delegates.
"To all of you, thank you for caring enough about the future of America to show up, stand up and speak up for conservative principles.
"As I said to you last year, conservative principles are needed now more than ever. We face a new generation of challenges, challenges which threaten our prosperity, our security and our future. I am convinced that unless America changes course, we will become the France of the 21st century – still a great nation, but no longer the leader of the world, no longer the superpower. And to me, that is unthinkable. Simon Peres, in a visit to Boston, was asked what he thought about the war in Iraq. 'First,' he said, 'I must put something in context. America is unique in the history of the world. In the history of the world, whenever there has been conflict, the nation that wins takes land from the nation that loses. One nation in history, and this during the last century, laid down hundreds of thousands of lives and took no land. No land from Germany, no land from Japan, no land from Korea. America is unique in the sacrifice it has made for liberty, for itself and for freedom loving people around the world.' The best ally peace has ever known, and will ever know, is a strong America.
"And that is why we must rise to the occasion, as we have always done before, to confront the challenges ahead. Perhaps the most fundamental of these is the attack on the American culture.
"Over the years, my business has taken me to many countries. I have been struck by the enormous differences in the wealth and well-being of people of different nations. I have read a number of scholarly explanations for the disparities. I found the most convincing was that written by David Landes, a professor emeritus from Harvard University. I presume he's a liberal – I guess that's redundant. His work traces the coming and going of great civilizations throughout history. After hundreds of pages of analysis, he concludes with this:
"If we learn anything from the history of economic development, it is that culture makes all the difference. Culture makes all the difference.
"What is it about American culture that has led us to become the most powerful nation in the history of the world? We believe in hard work and education. We love opportunity: almost all of us are immigrants or descendants of immigrants who came here for opportunity – opportunity is in our DNA. Americans love God, and those who don't have faith, typically believe in something greater than themselves – a 'Purpose Driven Life.' And we sacrifice everything we have, even our lives, for our families, our freedoms and our country. The values and beliefs of the free American people are the source of our nation's strength and they always will be.
"The threat to our culture comes from within. The 1960's welfare programs created a culture of poverty. Some think we won that battle when we reformed welfare, but the liberals haven't given up. At every turn, they try to substitute government largesse for individual responsibility. They fight to strip work requirements from welfare, to put more people on Medicaid, and to remove more and more people from having to pay any income tax whatsoever. Dependency is death to initiative, risk-taking and opportunity. Dependency is a culture-killing drug. We have got to fight it like the poison it is.
"The attack on faith and religion is no less relentless. And tolerance for pornography – even celebration of it – and sexual promiscuity, combined with the twisted incentives of government welfare programs have led to today's grim realities: 68% of African American children are born out-of-wedlock, 45% of Hispanic children, and 25% of White children. How much harder it is for these children to succeed in school and in life. A nation built on the principles of the Founding Fathers cannot long stand when its children are raised without fathers in the home.
"The development of a child is enhanced by having a mother and father. Such a family is the ideal for the future of the child and for the strength of a nation. I wonder how it is that unelected judges, like some in my state of Massachusetts, are so unaware of this reality, so oblivious to the millennia of recorded history. It is time for the people of America to fortify marriage through Constitutional amendment, so that liberal judges cannot continue to attack it.
"Europe is facing a demographic disaster. That is the inevitable product of weakened faith in the Creator, failed families, disrespect for the sanctity of human life and eroded morality. Some reason that culture is merely an accessory to America's vitality; we know that it is the source of our strength. And we are not dissuaded by the snickers and knowing glances when we stand up for family values, and morality, and culture. We will always be honored to stand on principle and to stand for principle.
"The attack on our culture is not our sole challenge. We face economic competition unlike anything we have ever known before. China and Asia are emerging from centuries of poverty. Their people are plentiful, innovative and ambitious. If we do not change course, Asia or China will pass us by as the economic superpower, just as we passed England and France during the last century. The prosperity and security of our children and grandchildren depend on us.
"Our prosperity and security also depend on finally acting to become energy secure. Oil producing states like Russia and Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran are siphoning over $400 billion per year from our economy – that's almost what we spend annually for defense. It is past time for us to invest in energy technology, nuclear power, clean coal, liquid coal, renewable sources and energy efficiency. America must never be held hostage by the likes of Putin, Chavez, and Ahmadinejad.
"And our economy is also burdened by the inexorable ramping of government spending. Don't focus on the pork alone – even though it is indeed irritating and shameful. Look at the entitlements. They make up 60% of federal spending today. By the end of the next President's second term, they will total 70%. Any conservative plan for the future has to include entitlement reform that solves the problem, not just acknowledges it.
"Most politicians don't seem to understand the connection between our ability to compete and our national wealth, and the wealth of our families. They act as if money just happens – that it's just there. But every dollar represents a good or service produced in the private sector. Depress the private sector and you depress the well-being of Americans.
"That's exactly what happens with high taxes, over-regulation, tort windfalls, mandates, and overfed, over-spending government. Did you see that today, government workers make more money than people who work in the private sector? Can you imagine what happens to an economy where the best opportunities are for bureaucrats?
"It's high time to lower taxes, including corporate taxes, to take a weed-whacker to government regulations, to reform entitlements, and to stand up to the increasingly voracious appetite of the unions in our government.
"And finally, let's consider the greatest challenge facing America – and facing the entire civilized world: the threat of violent, radical Jihad. In one wing of the world of Islam, there is a conviction that all governments should be destroyed and replaced by a religious caliphate. These Jihadists will battle any form of democracy. To them, democracy is blasphemous for it says that citizens, not God shape the law. They find the idea of human equality to be offensive. They hate everything we believe about freedom just as we hate everything they believe about radical Jihad.
"To battle this threat, we have sent the most courageous and brave soldiers in the world. But their numbers have been depleted by the Clinton years when troops were reduced by 500,000, when 80 ships were retired from the Navy, and when our human intelligence was slashed by 25%. We were told that we were getting a peace dividend. We got the dividend, but we didn't get the peace. In the face of evil in radical Jihad and given the inevitable military ambitions of China, we must act to rebuild our military might – raise military spending to 4% of our GDP, purchase the most modern armament, re-shape our fighting forces for the asymmetric demands we now face, and give the veterans the care they deserve.
"Soon, the face of liberalism in America will have a new name. Whether it is Barack or Hillary, the result would be the same if they were to win the Presidency. The opponents of American culture would push the throttle, devising new justifications for judges to depart from the Constitution. Economic neophytes would layer heavier and heavier burdens on employers and families, slowing our economy and opening the way for foreign competition to further erode our lead.
"Even though we face an uphill fight, I know that many in this room are fully behind my campaign. You are with me all the way to the convention. Fight on, just like Ronald Reagan did in 1976. But there is an important difference from 1976: today, we are a nation at war.
"And Barack and Hillary have made their intentions clear regarding Iraq and the war on terror. They would retreat and declare defeat. And the consequence of that would be devastating. It would mean attacks on America, launched from safe havens that make Afghanistan under the Taliban look like child's play. About this, I have no doubt.
"I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know. But I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq, on finding and executing Osama bin Laden, and on eliminating Al Qaeda and terror. If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.
"This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters – many of you right here in this room – have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming President. If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country.
"I will continue to stand for conservative principles. I will fight alongside you for all the things we believe in. And one of those things is that we cannot allow the next President of the United States to retreat in the face evil extremism.
"It is the common task of each generation – and the burden of liberty – to preserve this country, expand its freedoms and renew its spirit so that its noble past is prologue to its glorious future.
"To this task, accepting this burden, we are all dedicated, and I firmly believe, by the providence of the Almighty, that we will succeed beyond our fondest hope. America must remain, as it has always been, the hope of the Earth.
"Thank you, and God bless America.
Governor Romney's Address To CPAC (As Prepared For Delivery):
"I want to begin by saying thank you. It's great to be with you again. And I look forward to joining with you many more times in the future.
"Last year, CPAC gave me the sendoff I needed. I was in single digits in the polls, and I was facing household Republican names. As of today, more than 4 million people have given me their vote for President, less than Senator McCain's 4.7 million, but quite a statement nonetheless. Eleven states have given me their nod, compared to his 13. Of course, because size does matter, he's doing quite a bit better with his number of delegates.
"To all of you, thank you for caring enough about the future of America to show up, stand up and speak up for conservative principles.
"As I said to you last year, conservative principles are needed now more than ever. We face a new generation of challenges, challenges which threaten our prosperity, our security and our future. I am convinced that unless America changes course, we will become the France of the 21st century – still a great nation, but no longer the leader of the world, no longer the superpower. And to me, that is unthinkable. Simon Peres, in a visit to Boston, was asked what he thought about the war in Iraq. 'First,' he said, 'I must put something in context. America is unique in the history of the world. In the history of the world, whenever there has been conflict, the nation that wins takes land from the nation that loses. One nation in history, and this during the last century, laid down hundreds of thousands of lives and took no land. No land from Germany, no land from Japan, no land from Korea. America is unique in the sacrifice it has made for liberty, for itself and for freedom loving people around the world.' The best ally peace has ever known, and will ever know, is a strong America.
"And that is why we must rise to the occasion, as we have always done before, to confront the challenges ahead. Perhaps the most fundamental of these is the attack on the American culture.
"Over the years, my business has taken me to many countries. I have been struck by the enormous differences in the wealth and well-being of people of different nations. I have read a number of scholarly explanations for the disparities. I found the most convincing was that written by David Landes, a professor emeritus from Harvard University. I presume he's a liberal – I guess that's redundant. His work traces the coming and going of great civilizations throughout history. After hundreds of pages of analysis, he concludes with this:
"If we learn anything from the history of economic development, it is that culture makes all the difference. Culture makes all the difference.
"What is it about American culture that has led us to become the most powerful nation in the history of the world? We believe in hard work and education. We love opportunity: almost all of us are immigrants or descendants of immigrants who came here for opportunity – opportunity is in our DNA. Americans love God, and those who don't have faith, typically believe in something greater than themselves – a 'Purpose Driven Life.' And we sacrifice everything we have, even our lives, for our families, our freedoms and our country. The values and beliefs of the free American people are the source of our nation's strength and they always will be.
"The threat to our culture comes from within. The 1960's welfare programs created a culture of poverty. Some think we won that battle when we reformed welfare, but the liberals haven't given up. At every turn, they try to substitute government largesse for individual responsibility. They fight to strip work requirements from welfare, to put more people on Medicaid, and to remove more and more people from having to pay any income tax whatsoever. Dependency is death to initiative, risk-taking and opportunity. Dependency is a culture-killing drug. We have got to fight it like the poison it is.
"The attack on faith and religion is no less relentless. And tolerance for pornography – even celebration of it – and sexual promiscuity, combined with the twisted incentives of government welfare programs have led to today's grim realities: 68% of African American children are born out-of-wedlock, 45% of Hispanic children, and 25% of White children. How much harder it is for these children to succeed in school and in life. A nation built on the principles of the Founding Fathers cannot long stand when its children are raised without fathers in the home.
"The development of a child is enhanced by having a mother and father. Such a family is the ideal for the future of the child and for the strength of a nation. I wonder how it is that unelected judges, like some in my state of Massachusetts, are so unaware of this reality, so oblivious to the millennia of recorded history. It is time for the people of America to fortify marriage through Constitutional amendment, so that liberal judges cannot continue to attack it.
"Europe is facing a demographic disaster. That is the inevitable product of weakened faith in the Creator, failed families, disrespect for the sanctity of human life and eroded morality. Some reason that culture is merely an accessory to America's vitality; we know that it is the source of our strength. And we are not dissuaded by the snickers and knowing glances when we stand up for family values, and morality, and culture. We will always be honored to stand on principle and to stand for principle.
"The attack on our culture is not our sole challenge. We face economic competition unlike anything we have ever known before. China and Asia are emerging from centuries of poverty. Their people are plentiful, innovative and ambitious. If we do not change course, Asia or China will pass us by as the economic superpower, just as we passed England and France during the last century. The prosperity and security of our children and grandchildren depend on us.
"Our prosperity and security also depend on finally acting to become energy secure. Oil producing states like Russia and Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran are siphoning over $400 billion per year from our economy – that's almost what we spend annually for defense. It is past time for us to invest in energy technology, nuclear power, clean coal, liquid coal, renewable sources and energy efficiency. America must never be held hostage by the likes of Putin, Chavez, and Ahmadinejad.
"And our economy is also burdened by the inexorable ramping of government spending. Don't focus on the pork alone – even though it is indeed irritating and shameful. Look at the entitlements. They make up 60% of federal spending today. By the end of the next President's second term, they will total 70%. Any conservative plan for the future has to include entitlement reform that solves the problem, not just acknowledges it.
"Most politicians don't seem to understand the connection between our ability to compete and our national wealth, and the wealth of our families. They act as if money just happens – that it's just there. But every dollar represents a good or service produced in the private sector. Depress the private sector and you depress the well-being of Americans.
"That's exactly what happens with high taxes, over-regulation, tort windfalls, mandates, and overfed, over-spending government. Did you see that today, government workers make more money than people who work in the private sector? Can you imagine what happens to an economy where the best opportunities are for bureaucrats?
"It's high time to lower taxes, including corporate taxes, to take a weed-whacker to government regulations, to reform entitlements, and to stand up to the increasingly voracious appetite of the unions in our government.
"And finally, let's consider the greatest challenge facing America – and facing the entire civilized world: the threat of violent, radical Jihad. In one wing of the world of Islam, there is a conviction that all governments should be destroyed and replaced by a religious caliphate. These Jihadists will battle any form of democracy. To them, democracy is blasphemous for it says that citizens, not God shape the law. They find the idea of human equality to be offensive. They hate everything we believe about freedom just as we hate everything they believe about radical Jihad.
"To battle this threat, we have sent the most courageous and brave soldiers in the world. But their numbers have been depleted by the Clinton years when troops were reduced by 500,000, when 80 ships were retired from the Navy, and when our human intelligence was slashed by 25%. We were told that we were getting a peace dividend. We got the dividend, but we didn't get the peace. In the face of evil in radical Jihad and given the inevitable military ambitions of China, we must act to rebuild our military might – raise military spending to 4% of our GDP, purchase the most modern armament, re-shape our fighting forces for the asymmetric demands we now face, and give the veterans the care they deserve.
"Soon, the face of liberalism in America will have a new name. Whether it is Barack or Hillary, the result would be the same if they were to win the Presidency. The opponents of American culture would push the throttle, devising new justifications for judges to depart from the Constitution. Economic neophytes would layer heavier and heavier burdens on employers and families, slowing our economy and opening the way for foreign competition to further erode our lead.
"Even though we face an uphill fight, I know that many in this room are fully behind my campaign. You are with me all the way to the convention. Fight on, just like Ronald Reagan did in 1976. But there is an important difference from 1976: today, we are a nation at war.
"And Barack and Hillary have made their intentions clear regarding Iraq and the war on terror. They would retreat and declare defeat. And the consequence of that would be devastating. It would mean attacks on America, launched from safe havens that make Afghanistan under the Taliban look like child's play. About this, I have no doubt.
"I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know. But I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq, on finding and executing Osama bin Laden, and on eliminating Al Qaeda and terror. If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.
"This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters – many of you right here in this room – have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming President. If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country.
"I will continue to stand for conservative principles. I will fight alongside you for all the things we believe in. And one of those things is that we cannot allow the next President of the United States to retreat in the face evil extremism.
"It is the common task of each generation – and the burden of liberty – to preserve this country, expand its freedoms and renew its spirit so that its noble past is prologue to its glorious future.
"To this task, accepting this burden, we are all dedicated, and I firmly believe, by the providence of the Almighty, that we will succeed beyond our fondest hope. America must remain, as it has always been, the hope of the Earth.
"Thank you, and God bless America.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Ravi Said It Better....
"In the cross alone, pain and evil meet in consummate conflict. In the cross alone are integrated love and justice, the twin foundations upon which we may build our moral and spiritual home, individually and nationally. It is theoretically and practically impossible to build any community apart from love and justice. If only one of thse two is focused upon, an inevitable extremism and perversion follow. Throughout history, mankind has shouted ideals of liberty, equality, and justice; yet the ideologies that have risen, supposedly in the pursuit of human progress, have left in their wake some very dastardly experiments that echo with the whimpering sounds of man, like a trapped animal. Rising above the cry of liberty, equality, and justice is the more rending plea for that sense of belonging we call love. And love unbounded by any sense of right or wrong is not love but self-centeredness and autocracy. In the cross of Jesus Christ, the demands of the law were satisfied, and the generosity of love was expressed." (emphasis mine)
Excerpt taken from "Can Man Live without God" by Ravi Zacharias
Excerpt taken from "Can Man Live without God" by Ravi Zacharias
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Why Do I Cringe at the word "Humanitarian"?
Way to pic a lofty topic for my first real blog entry, right? I am a professing Christian who cares about the spiritual and physical needs of people. I try to live my life in a way that models this. So I grew up in the church, the kind of church, that "cared" about the poor, but didn't do a whole lot about their welfare on a continuous basis. But I got down the basics of the gospel for sure and understood the brevity of life and the seriousness of the afterlife.
Upon entering college, I was introduced to a group of Christians who were much more about the physical needs of the world, all truly in the name of Jesus, and I became a part of them for a season. I learned that the things these people were concerned about had a highly specified named called "humanitarian causes". I thought "that can't be bad, a group of people caring about the needs of people, the real physical needs of people." And it wasn't bad...not initially. But the more I was surrounded by these types of Christians, the more I wondered if they actually were only concerned with "humanitarian" causes. Slowly, I learned that some humanitarian Christians didn't believe what I thought were the basic tenets of the faith. They weren't so sure about their being a hell, if you didn't know Jesus you probably just ceased to exist after you died. This group also thought, the more liberal you were the more Christian you were. And so I found and continue to find myself thinking, several years removed from this intimate circle of people, that a humanitarian is this: A PERSON WITH LITTLE REGARD FOR THE HARD TRUTHS OF SCRIPTURE WHO WOULD RATHER IDENTIFY THEMSELVES WITH PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE BODY OF CHRIST WHO CARE FOR PHSYICAL NEEDS THROUGH SECULAR PROGRAMS.
And that is why I cringe. I in my human mind with friends who do not know the Lord do not like the thought that there is a hell that they are going to. But what I cringe at even more is so thoroughly thrusting the focus onto people's physical needs today that I change my beliefs to be more comfortable to my human mind than to what Scripture states. And I cringe even more because I see the humanitarian as one who has little more than cynicism and belittlement for those Christians who have missed the boat on the Christian privledge and duty to meet the needs of the poor and the oppressed. They would rather be a voice on Capital Hill than a voice in the church for the needs of the oppressed. And I cringe furthermore because they are looking to secular government to do what Christ has called the church to do.
I know my definition is not the true defnition of a humanitarian, but our experiences cause us to make associations and this is now my thoughts when I hear anything about "humanitarian" causes. So you think I am some simplistic right wing evangelical who missed the boat? If that's the case I think you missed the boat. But don't worry, I'll dive into my problems with that group next week. And the week after that, I'll dive into the biggest problem of all, my self and my lack of total surrender to Jesus Christ.
That's all my heavy thoughts for today.
Upon entering college, I was introduced to a group of Christians who were much more about the physical needs of the world, all truly in the name of Jesus, and I became a part of them for a season. I learned that the things these people were concerned about had a highly specified named called "humanitarian causes". I thought "that can't be bad, a group of people caring about the needs of people, the real physical needs of people." And it wasn't bad...not initially. But the more I was surrounded by these types of Christians, the more I wondered if they actually were only concerned with "humanitarian" causes. Slowly, I learned that some humanitarian Christians didn't believe what I thought were the basic tenets of the faith. They weren't so sure about their being a hell, if you didn't know Jesus you probably just ceased to exist after you died. This group also thought, the more liberal you were the more Christian you were. And so I found and continue to find myself thinking, several years removed from this intimate circle of people, that a humanitarian is this: A PERSON WITH LITTLE REGARD FOR THE HARD TRUTHS OF SCRIPTURE WHO WOULD RATHER IDENTIFY THEMSELVES WITH PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE BODY OF CHRIST WHO CARE FOR PHSYICAL NEEDS THROUGH SECULAR PROGRAMS.
And that is why I cringe. I in my human mind with friends who do not know the Lord do not like the thought that there is a hell that they are going to. But what I cringe at even more is so thoroughly thrusting the focus onto people's physical needs today that I change my beliefs to be more comfortable to my human mind than to what Scripture states. And I cringe even more because I see the humanitarian as one who has little more than cynicism and belittlement for those Christians who have missed the boat on the Christian privledge and duty to meet the needs of the poor and the oppressed. They would rather be a voice on Capital Hill than a voice in the church for the needs of the oppressed. And I cringe furthermore because they are looking to secular government to do what Christ has called the church to do.
I know my definition is not the true defnition of a humanitarian, but our experiences cause us to make associations and this is now my thoughts when I hear anything about "humanitarian" causes. So you think I am some simplistic right wing evangelical who missed the boat? If that's the case I think you missed the boat. But don't worry, I'll dive into my problems with that group next week. And the week after that, I'll dive into the biggest problem of all, my self and my lack of total surrender to Jesus Christ.
That's all my heavy thoughts for today.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Monotonous Days begs the Mind to Play...
So I have started this blog with the hope of adding some stimulation to my workday. I am blessed with a job that requires little effort and rarely any stress, but I often find myself wasting days away on My Space, People.com, and Facebook. This should not be dear friends. Not with the education I have or the spiritual convictions. So, I initially intend to post weekly (much to Ivanildo's chagrin) and as I become more adept at this, hopefully they will become more frequent. Quite honestly, I think changing my mind from producing mush to matter will take some time. But I'm excited for this journey and wonder what my mind will come up with and what also the Spirit might lead me to share...See you in a week!!
Laura G.
Laura G.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)