100 Days of Change

EB

The power of the Tongue - Part 1

I will be writing a blog about the power of the tongue and it's ability to yeild a destructive course for those who are not able to "tame" it..(ME!!!)

I wanted to first share this line I heard yesterday because I found it to be quite clear and powerful and succinct.

Gossip - Something you say behind someone's back but hide to their face

Flattery - Something you say to one's face but hide behind their back

Something to Think About !!

:)

EB

Stuffing God in a closet? Is He a Vending Machine?

***********April 21st, 2009 4:48 PM Eastern
BOB BECKEL: Miss USA Flap — How About Keeping God OUT of Politics?
The furor over the anti-gay marriage comments made by Miss California, who was competing in the Miss USA contest were both unnecessary and inflammatory. It reminded me of a former gay-bashing beauty contestant, Anita Bryant. The less than brilliant Bryant traveled the country in the ’70’s spewing hatred towards gays by her hateful speech and support of anti-gay referendums.
How about being Good Samaritans and keeping God out of politics?
I don’t know where this woman is now or if she is still alive but her sentiments certainly are among those felt by a minority of Americans who apparently don’t believe the Constitution of the United States provides for civil liberties for all our people. Some opponents of gay marriage love to quote the Bible as an anti-gay source.
I am a Christian, read the Bible daily, and attend church at least once a week (hard for some of you wingers to believe, isn’t it, that there are born-again Christians who happen to be liberals). I do not believe our Savior would have spoken out in favor of anti-gay referendums. “Give onto Caesar what is Caesar’s.”
How about being Good Samaritans and keeping God out of politics?
Having said that, I am appalled that the question was raised at all. Given the fact that the questioner, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, is gay makes it appear that he is injecting his own politics into what is after all just a beauty contest. It’s time to cool the rhetoric on both sides on the gay marriage issue and leave it to state legislatures and the courts which is where the debate belongs.**************

Ok..Now that you have read the above piece written by Bob Beckel...Allow me to offer up an alternative view..because I get very upset when people claim to want to "Keep God out of it" whatever "it" is...HELLO!!!! God is not a vending machine where you can choose to follow Him on some days and issues and NOT on others..Good Grief..This is exactly the problem that is watering down the Christian Faith and causing it to be less and less relevant...because when an unbeliever looks at statements like this, they ask themselves..What makes him any different than me..Answer...NOTHING.. I have this righteous anger building up with pseudo Christians that claim the mantle of Christianity but live no differently or act no differently than the rest of the unsaved world...

Since when did God and His commands for us a believers become second to our political beliefs or our education beliefs, etc.. What gospel is that? Mr. Beckel claims he reads the bible every day...goes to church...but feels God doesn't belong in politics..God is not something we can choose to turn off and on whenever it is convenient.. God demands our surrendering of ourselves and our submission to HIS authority..Not the authority of mere man.. God demands we live in His truth as revealed to us thru the Scriptures..That means we are to live as He would and it rips me up on the inside when the word is expressly clear on such issues as Homosexuality or abortion and people take the stance that somehow Jesus Christ would have take a different opinion on such "controversial matters" other than what His inspired word says.. Really? Bob what bible are you reading? Since when are you in a position to interpret what Jesus Christ would do when it is in direct contradiction to what is said in His word..

See here us the crux of the problem.. God belongs FIRST..in every single situation known to a human.. Whether we like it or not..and so if it flies in the face of what you believe, you do not get to choose when God is relevant and when He is not.. God is relevant in every single situation no matter how controversial or unpopular.. We are not afforded the right to adjust the truth to suit our political persuasion..God belongs in every decision we make..Period..

He also says that Liberals can be born again Christians..Let me take that issue up for a moment..Understand I am not here to condemn anyone or judge anyone but I am willing to boldly speak the truth..to stand firm with God and against the prevailing winds of this world..no matter the consequences. If you believe abortion is OK...then you are contradicting the written word of God..Plain and simple..The scripture is clear on when God made us..and if you believe in God and that every word in the Bible is true and God inspired available for teaching and reproof..then you do no get to selectively choose the parts that conform to how you want to believe..Either you believe the Bible or you don't.. There is no in between..Either you are on God's side or you are not.. Psalm 139:13 says " For your formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mothers womb. Psalms 139:16 says " Your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed". Psalms 51: "Behold I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me". See these passages are clear that God is the creator of life...not us humans..He speaks of "substance" not a viable fetus..yet many people selectively dismiss this part of the bible because it doesn't "jive" with what they want it to mean.. The same issues can be said of homosexuality.. If we choose to claim Christ as our Savior and not our Lord...that does not work.. In order for Him to be our Lord..Then He must rule and reign in our lives and His edicts must be the order for our lives.. I hear people like Bob Beckel say "voters are not just one issue voters".. I can't hardly think of a more false statement than that..If the issue is an issue relevant to God's Truth, then we have no other choice but to follow the Truth....i.e. Believing in abortion will eliminate you from my vote but just because you don't believe in abortion doesn't mean you get my vote..Does that make sense.. The one issue can eliminate you altogether but doesn't mean you are assured my vote..but you must pass that provision before I can consider you any further.. What I am trying to say is we must filter everything thru the Truth..not your version of it, not the worlds version of it but the written word provided to us by God.. It is just that simple.. Here is another example..You may agree with many positions one takes with regards to economic issues, foreign policy but if they are contradicting the Truth, then you must side with God..You are not given the latitude to selectively choose which issues matter more to you..Either you are on God's side or you are not.. There is no middle ground..

God belongs everywhere and should be in everything we do.. No matter what..!! Just because humans created separation of church and state does not preclude you to leave your beliefs at the door..Your beliefs are who you are and are indicative of who you serve..Again, either you serve God or Man...so it is blatant rejection of Christ to act as if you can leave God out of your life for certain areas and use Him when you deem appropriate.. That is not Christianity..That is "religiosity." The bible says there are false teachers 1 Timothy 3-4On my way to the province of Macedonia, I advised you to stay in Ephesus. Well, I haven't changed my mind. Stay right there on top of things so that the teaching stays on track. Apparently some people have been introducing fantasy stories and fanciful family trees that digress into silliness instead of pulling the people back into the center, deepening faith and obedience.

1 Timothy 6: 20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called "knowledge," 21for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.

2 Peter 2: 1-3 there were also lying prophets among the people then, just as there will be lying religious teachers among you. They'll smuggle in destructive divisions, pitting you against each other—biting the hand of the One who gave them a chance to have their lives back! They've put themselves on a fast downhill slide to destruction, but not before they recruit a crowd of mixed-up followers who can't tell right from wrong.
They give the way of truth a bad name. They're only out for themselves. They'll say anything, anything, that sounds good to exploit you. They won't, of course, get by with it. They'll come to a bad end, for God has never just stood by and let that kind of thing go on.

The bible is clear..People will distort the truth for various reasons..to mislead you, to justify their own positions, to hide from their own sin, etc..We must rigorously search the truth for direction..and spend time in God's word asking for wisdom to be able to discern the truth..to separate fact from false..to separate Christianity from heresy. We must not fall into this false sense of Christianity being promulgated today that says God is relevant only when we want him to be and that church should be left at church and not observed in any other part of our life..That is exactly what Satan wants us to do..To be a Christian only while we are at church but to stuff it away in some closet when we are at work, or at home or even in the voting booth.. That is not what a genuine Christian who has been "transformed" by God and given a new life acts like..

James says it best in Chapter one of his letter versus 21-27 " 19-21Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.
22-24Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.
25But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.
26-27Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.

I just felt compelled to speak out against this false idea of what we as Christians are suppose to look like.. We are not to be conformed to this world.. We are to be set apart, separate from this world and that should be evident to all those who come in contact with us..To make a statement like " Keep God of politics" is blasphemy and should be confronted by true believers..God is our life..God is our way of thinking. God is the Truth, the way and the Light.. God belongs in ALL things because God created ALL things and all things are so because He allows it so.. He is the Alpha and the Omega..the Creator of all things seen and unseen..the ruler of all of creation....The God Most High..All knowing, All Powerful, omnipotent, omniscient, immutable Lord of Lords..whether you serve Him or not..

EB

The "Boo Boo"

This is so funny that I just had to place it on the blog..Please do not misunderstand. Lilygrace is 4 and has no idea what she is doing..and it is because she has no idea that makes it so funny..

Enjoy

EB

"Unstable in All His Ways"

I am studying the book of James and as with any book of the bible I believe that each has a distinct message in which the writer is trying to convey to the reader..I know that we should take in to account geography, time frame, audience, etc when trying to interpret the meaning of what is said...however I think an awful lot can be learned by just taking the words for what they are..I am not of the position that God requires you to be a scholar to understand His word. His word is meant and written for all people, regardless of the educational background we might come from..and so if we are truly desiring to read and understand His word, then the Holy Spirit will certainly help us translate what that meaning is and how it is meant for our life.. I noted in an earlier blog that the more time you spend in the word the deeper more transformative meaning you can glean from it...and that in no way contradicts what I am saying here..There are times in our life and spiritual growth we can handle the deeper meanings of God's word and there are other times that just below the surface is a mind full.. So as I was studying James Chapter 1:5-8, I found myself having one of this days where the meaning was very clear to me, sorta of enlightening if you will..I always love these days because I am inspired to take what I have learned and place it into application in my life and to share..This is usually when I would write Nicki and share with her the great truth and revelation I learned today...because it is exciting for me to feel engrossed with the Word and to have been given a mind able to understand enough to write it down in retrospect...

First let me share the actual passage and then allow me to offer up my understanding as it came to me today..

James 1:5-8 (English Standard Version)
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways

I have written in previous blogs about Wisdom and what it means to apprehend it..This verse further expounds on the idea..See wisdom is not something that can be learned or is innate. It can not be acquired through patient hard work, utilizing careful observation and self discipline. Wisdom is a supernatural gift from God..It comes only by God..We need to first understand this.. If you look back thru the book of 1 Kings you will see a passage where Solomon had an encounter with God over this issue..and little did I know in my infantile state of biblical understanding that the reason we Christians consider Solomon the wisest of all is because he asked for wisdom and God granted it.. I always knew Solomon was considered the wisest, but never understood the reason why..I guess I just attributed it to his writings or the belief of others telling me he was..but in verses 9-12 Solomon as God for an understanding mind to govern God's people, to be able to discern between good and evil and this pleased God so much that he granted this to him..God was delighted that Solomon wasn't looking out for himself and did not ask for untold riches (although we know that later God also entrusted Solomon with wealth unimaginable)..God said " Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before and none like you shall rise after you". So here we can see Solomon seeking wisdom and God granting wisdom...wisdom of the ages in this case..

What this told me is no amount of education, studying God's word or piety will bring about wisdom in terms of how God sees it..It is a gift from God to those who ask for it. This knowledge is possible only because the Lord gives it to the upright. Thus, while wisdom is to be sought diligently and cultivated in practice, it is not something merited by the actions of an individual. According to scripture the first result in heeding wisdom is one will understand the fear of the Lord and that is necessary in order to have the proper perspective and motive as you move forward in your walk. Without a proper fear of the Lord, then you have not the foundation needed in order to build your faith..

Notice it says "it will be given him"...not probably, not if you ask it the right way, it will be..and also see he says without reproach.. God is not going to scold you for coming to him and asking for this..without reproach means without blame or disgrace..God does not want anyone to hesitate to come before Him...hence without reproach..

Now this is where I began to have the word come alive to me and speak to me directly and this can have the ability to get all up in your kitchen..so beware..

He says "let him ask in faith with no doubting.....for he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways"

Ok this is where the rubber meets the road...Either we believe in God's goodness and power or we don't..Doubt is simply another expression of disbelief in God...so when we doubt God will do as He says He will, we are being double-minded...that is to be believing in both God and the world(ourselves)..We waver back and forth..Somethings we believe God is capable and cares and somethings we believe He is incapable(or doesn't bother) and doesn't care...This is a VERY DANGEROUS place to be..The term that comes to my mind when reading this is Christian term called "lukewarm". Where we are sorta half in half out..Not totally sold out to God and His ways..still holding onto the world with some parts of ourselves being in control and not surrendered to Him..This can arise out of pure or impure thinking..meaning some of this wavering comes from a true disbelief and some comes from a "distorted truth". See in today's modern world, Truth is no longer truth..Truth is different for everyone and that kind of irrational thinking is exactly what James is warning against..We must be Solid in our understanding of Christian Doctrine, otherwise we are like gullible children tossed helplessly in waves and wind of cunning and deceitful schemes of false teachers..See some of us want God to be OK with certain parts of our life and not Ok with other parts..We want God on our terms and not His..that means we make God into whatever sort of fits our lifestyle and we reject the God of the bible..Let me provide an example or two..If we are a homosexual, then we might reject a God who condemns such behavior...Or say we lust with our eyes and commit adultery in our heart but think as long we did not touch, we are OK...I have heard many a men say something like this " We can read from the menu as long we don't order"..meaning we can look at other women as much as we want as long as that is as far as it goes..NO..that is a distorted view of God and his view of things.. God searches the heart not the actions per say..He is very concerned with what goes on in your inner being..This sort of manipulation of who God is is not only dangerous, but also deadly..We are not to be double-minded..We have a path in which we are to follow and narrow is its way..

Let me bring this home now.. James ends this verse by saying "unstable in all his ways." Now when I first read over this, I wasn't really sure what to make of it and almost concluded my study with some shallow understanding of that last phrase such as someone who just doesn't get it and will never fully understand God in all His glory..but just as I was about to conclude, I decided to dig a little deeper at the request of the Holy Spirit I can only presume and this is where I was able to truly make this fit my life and draw a real application from the study..

So I looked to see where this "unstable in all his ways" was further explained and I ran across

2 Peter 2:14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!

Their eyes desire adultery with virtually every woman they meet. insatiable for sin. Their appetite for sin is never satisfied. Even worse, they entice (Gk. deleazō, “lure with bait”) unsteady people to join them in their debauchery. Sexual sin and greed characterize these false teachers (double-minded, Vending machine style God where you can choose the God to fit your lifestyle) Accursed children! Peter assures his readers that the heretics will face God's curse.

Those who operate on a loose truth of who God is and how He desires for us to live and act, are operating on a false teaching..Those who waver back and forth on God and the world(ourselves, man) are vulnerable to instability in their ways.. You will have an appetite for sin that is never satisfied..Sin is hard enough to deal with, but those who are lukewarm, double-minded are sinking their own ship..Those who are kind of Christian and kind of not, depending on what day it is and who they around are the ones who will be insatiable for sin, eyes full of adultery, unsteady souls.. Here is the point..Either you are for God or you are NOT.. There is no in between..You can't have it both ways because the only way is God's way..and anything short of that leads to "unstable in all his ways". If you are a man and you struggle with lustful eyes, then ask yourself if you are lukewarm for God..Is God the most important thing in your life or does He take a backseat to ballgames and work..If He is not priority #1, then you are unstable in all your ways..not some of your ways.....ALL OF YOUR WAYS..Man that is huge..Get your life right with God and allow Him to steady your life..to remove the insatiable desire for sin.. If you are a woman and struggle with submission...ask yourself is God my focus always all day..Do you place God on the back burner when you have those little itty bitty gossip sessions with your girlfriends about your undeserving husband or that friend whom you ridicule behind her back and would be hurt if she/he were to be present.. God is all knowing and all things are visible to Him..maybe not to us..so when we choose to place God second or third in our life and our desire to follow him is diminished or rejected because we feel like no one will know or God will be OK with this because He is a loving God and not a jealous or just God, then understand that you are living a double minded life and that is a life subject to God's judgement. If you want to be free from the bondage of Sin, you must commit fully and totally to Him, the Creator and Sustainer of Life..There are no shortcuts..and God is NOT a vending machine suitable only when we deem so and need Him or don't need Him

God I pray that you alone will rule and reign in my heart, and that you alone are glorified and lifted up, rightfully so, deservedly so..Lord may I be of one mind with you and may the fruit of my life be representative of the flowing waters of your grace and mercy...and let there be no doubt as to my allegiance and my love for You..Lord I ask for the wisdom that can only come from you and that any doubt I have about Your Goodness or Your Power will be removed forever more so that I can stand firm, knowing and trusting in you with ALL things.

In Christ's name I pray

Amen

EB

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever !!

I just wanted to post these verses as it pertains to my earlier blog from today "I want what happened to you to happen to me." I wanted to spend the day just trying to wrap my finite mind around the Love of God...My mission today is to Praise God for His Love and Mercy..and to dwell on that all day and steep myself in His Magnificent presence..to just be still and know that He is God!!!!!!!!

Psalm 135 1-4 Hallelujah! Praise the name of God, praise the works of God. All you priests on duty in God's temple, serving in the sacred halls of our God, Shout "Hallelujah!" because God's so good, sing anthems to his beautiful name. And why? Because God chose Jacob, embraced Israel as a prize possession. 5-12 I, too, give witness to the greatness of God, our Lord, high above all other gods. He does just as he pleases— however, wherever, whenever. He makes the weather—clouds and thunder, lightning and rain, wind pouring out of the north. He struck down the Egyptian firstborn, both human and animal firstborn. He made Egypt sit up and take notice, confronted Pharaoh and his servants with miracles. Yes, he struck down great nations, he slew mighty kings— Sihon king of the Amorites, also Og of Bashan— every last one of the Canaanite kings! Then he turned their land over to Israel, a gift of good land to his people. 13-18 God, your name is eternal, God, you'll never be out-of-date. God stands up for his people, God holds the hands of his people. The gods of the godless nations are mere trinkets, made for quick sale in the markets: Chiseled mouths that can't talk, painted eyes that can't see, Carved ears that can't hear— dead wood! cold metal! Those who make and trust them become like them. 19-21 Family of Israel, bless God! Family of Aaron, bless God! Family of Levi, bless God! You who fear God, bless God! Oh, blessed be God of Zion, First Citizen of Jerusalem! Hallelujah!

Psalm 136 1-3 Thank God! He deserves your thanks. His love never quits. Thank the God of all gods, His love never quits. Thank the Lord of all lords. His love never quits. 4-22 Thank the miracle-working God, His love never quits. The God whose skill formed the cosmos, His love never quits. The God who laid out earth on ocean foundations, His love never quits. The God who filled the skies with light, His love never quits. The sun to watch over the day, His love never quits. Moon and stars as guardians of the night, His love never quits. The God who struck down the Egyptian firstborn, His love never quits. And rescued Israel from Egypt's oppression, His love never quits. Took Israel in hand with his powerful hand, His love never quits. Split the Red Sea right in half, His love never quits. Led Israel right through the middle, His love never quits. Dumped Pharaoh and his army in the sea, His love never quits. The God who marched his people through the desert, His love never quits. Smashed huge kingdoms right and left, His love never quits. Struck down the famous kings, His love never quits. Struck Sihon the Amorite king, His love never quits. Struck Og the Bashanite king, His love never quits. Then distributed their land as booty, His love never quits. Handed the land over to Israel. His love never quits. 23-26 God remembered us when we were down, His love never quits. Rescued us from the trampling boot, His love never quits. Takes care of everyone in time of need. His love never quits. Thank God, who did it all! His love never quits!

EB

I want what happened to you to happen to me!

I really do not have any particular agenda or message to deliver here but I did want to take some time just to deliver some thoughts to the pages as my mind is weaving in and out of various thoughts concerning my life, my faith, my marriage and my children. I seem to find myself more and more pondering the heavier subjects of life..taking on the very ideas that for so long have sent me packing into reclusion with myself...what I mean is that these heavier topics have been so painful to deal with mentally that it normally just shuts me down and forces me to move on to a different subject matter...but for whatever reason now at this point in my life, I am not only willing to sit and think about them, but I am prepared to challenge myself to deal with them in such ways that cause me to "test myself" or to "check my progress." This is all fairly foreign to me as most of my life has been about me and what I could make of it and what I could get out of it..

Here is what I know.. God has gotten hold of me over the last few years and He is not letting go.. Once He truly gets your attention, I believe He intends to finish the work He started. Once God gets your faith to a certain point and your heart becomes willing and your mind submissive to His authority, then every day from that point on becomes a day in which we grow. The very way we view our life and those involved in it changes..The very framework to which we operate takes on new meaning. Books we read, TV shows we watch, music we listen to all brings about a new perspective. We began to see things as God sees them...I was in church yesterday and we were singing a song and a line in the song went something like this " Lord cause my heart to break for what your heart breaks for." I found that phrase to just jump all over me..because my desires are no longer what they once were..I do want desperately to feel the way God feels about matters such as sin, righteousness, Love, Serving, Marriage, etc...but my flesh is constantly rising up against what my heart and soul feels. It is like my flesh is constantly looking for any opportunity to spring up and cause conflict in my thinking, my framework to which God is altering to be more like Him. The battle is real and it is raging and as I begin to see the world with a different set of lenses, I hurt on the inside..because I can now begin to see this spiritual battle for my soul play out before my very own senses..and as the apostle Paul says " I do what I despise to do, my heart is willing by my flesh is not cooperating." How is that we can have a sincere desire in the inner most parts of who we are to trust and follow God, yet we constantly sin against Him, unintentionally and sometimes intentionally. Is it part of the humbling process so we may not boast in our Faith or righteousness? Is our nature that bent on rejecting the Lord God who created us? Do we not have enough Faith to simply Trust? I am not saying here that I am frustrated with this process or it should not be this way, I am merely suggesting that I recognize the war being waged....and at times, I am extremely sorrowful for my actions and my words that flow from my mouth and then there are times I am feeling spiritual growth take place..almost like two steps forward, one step back process...I can understand the molding process may at times be painful...and there will be opportunities that I miss completely to reveal the Faith that I know I have growing inside me..but I also understand that the foe who wants to destroy me is extremely crafty and is vicious in his attacks... The bible says he is like a lion seeking to devour...and the moments we lose focus and allow satan to enter our mind and our heart, we can see the devastating effects he can have on us and our maturity as a believer.

I know that many people write blogs to try and help others learn and grow in whatever variety of subject matter they take up and that includes me..but as I have said in the past, I have a focus and desire to document my thoughts and emotions as they arrive so that in the future I can look back and see the work God is performing in me. I mean I want to be able to see the changes in my mindset, the way I view and look at the world around me, how I perceive situations and I how I react to them...and over time, it is much like watching my children grow up..I see them every day and so the physical growth that they undergo is often missed by me while those who might see them on occasion or more sparingly can so obviously see what I am not able.. The girl's grandparents might say, "goodness you girls are getting so big" and while I recognize they are getting big, the change is so close to me that I really cant see it as well as they can..if that makes any sense. This blog is meant to serve that sole purpose for me..I am to close to myself to see the changes taking place, but journaling it all down will allow me the experience of a different perspective..much like snapping photographs and then looking back on them and saying to yourself " I cant believe that was me" or " I cant believe I used to look like that." So if you find yourself reading this and you are not me, then you may have some understanding as to why it may not make much sense or why it seems so random at times. I want to be able to look back and say "Wow I cant believe that was me"..I want to see the growth in my thinking and my spiritual understanding..

I finally had the opportunity to sit and watch the movie "Fireproof" last night with Nicki..There has been a lot of hype about this movie in my circles and I was concerned just because it was a Christian movie made by a church that they were just showing favoritism toward it, but that in all actuality it could not be as good as they all made it sound.....I was ASTONISHED. That was one of the most inspiring movies I have ever watched..I laughed and I cried, I was on the edge of my seat as well as sitting back on the couch thinking about what just happened and how it challenged me as a man, a husband and a believer.. I must say that after all the chatter about this movie and all the church billboards I saw saying "Fireproof your marriage", I can see why it has had such a profound impact on those who have seen it. I know that for me and how my marriage has transpired over the years, it brought up some very ugly emotions that I stuffed away hoping to never relive again but did as I saw myself in many of those scenes..The tears that formed on my cheeks were birthed from my overwhelming sorrow for how I have acted so many times in my own marriage and so totally against God. I was amazed at just how accurate these scenes were to real life but not only real life but my life.. The scene where He comes to accept Christ with his father standing beside the cross and he talks about being spat on by his wife and how undeserving she was of his love and how they wove that into the idea of how we are constantly rejecting God, Him being spat on yet He still finds a way to Love us was a very heart wrenching moment for me..because I am so that person..and for so many years I have rejected surrendering my life to Him...not allowing Him to have a say so in my decisions..even though I knew intellectually that God loved me, I really never felt it and therefore blew it off as not part of the life I would ever know of God..but seeing that scene play out and with the work that God has done in my life in the recent months allowed me to see this in a way that touched the essence of the man I am today..and Praise God that I have this perspective and that is matters to me when once before it did not..For all the sick, twisted, sinful desires I have pursued in my life, God still loved me enough to Save me from all that..to pull me up out of the desolate pits and place my feet upon a secure foundation in Christ...even though I was so undeserving and not worthy of any love from Him at all, after all my constant rejecting, HE still cared.. That is a love not known to me and one that escapes me but one that I am forever grateful for and humbled at the very existence of..This is very emotional just to think about and causes me to weep and grieve in my soul...at just how much God can care for you even in the midst of your most wicked days..I pray for a love so great as that to be inside me....just as the wife at the end says " what has happened to you, I want to happen to me". What a model of the affect we can have on others by how we act, if we can allow God to show Himself thru us.....then there was the bedside scene where Kirk Cameron kneels at the bedside of his beloved wife and says to her " I have trampled on your for 7 years and I am so so sorry" and " just as God has forgiven me, I pray that you to will also be able to forgive me." Those were some very powerful words that again caused tremendous pain in me for how so many years I have trampled on those I love, particularly my wife, and how sorry I am for that and how I wish I could take it all back and start over knowing what I know now...but being the selfish, ignorant man I was and still am, I can only seek the same forgiveness from them as I seek from my Lord...and to extend that same forgiveness to those I love, especially my wife, that God has extended to me...It is a true "mark" of your genuine conversion to have within you a capability to love and forgive as God has with us...to suppress our flesh to such a degree that it is no longer about me and my feelings as it is about others and how I treat others...for if Christ truly lives inside me, then I ought to act like it and display that in everything I do..and allow Christ to rule and reign in my heart, unrivaled and unchallenged, totally surrendering to Him and giving up on my desires and seeking only the desires of God and what He wants for my life..to seek Him so earnestly that His desires are clear and precise to me and doubt has no residence in my heart...to fully and absolutely trust in Him and to make my life about Him...to share that with everyone I know and see, regardless of how I might be perceived...There is a song by Brandon Heath "Give me Your Eyes"...That is my desire..To have the eyes of God, the ears of God, the heart of God and for Him to Open me Up and rip out the old wicked self and replace it with His parts...

So the war wages on and battles will not cease for my heart by the evil one...but as for me and my life...I choose to serve the Lord and His will is my will and His desires are mine. I surrender!!!

EB

A feminine view of feminism

i LOVE controversy and debate. i am sort of obnoxious when it comes to being a submissive wife and a conservative republican. i'm even a little loud about having a sweet and quiet spirit. i am an oxymoron, really. i'm a work in progress...some of my more liberal friends (colleagues) might even say i'm a 'piece of work'... but i love my God...and love His Word and i love when people proclaim it. so in the spirit of a good debate and a good word from God...listen to this INCREDIBLE pastor from the great state of Texas. (I'm making myself an honorary Texan...but that's a WHOLE 'nother blog) Eddie and I have seen this guy in person...and he's awesome. Now...please...if this steps on your toes...let me know...and i'll try to help you understand why it shoudn't! :)

about a month ago we had a 'fam-fest' at our church. it was a friday evening and saturday morning event that was a to high-light the distinctive roles of boys and girls (men and women) in the family. i love my pastor because he isn't scared of his congregation, or scared of the politically correct members of our community. the man fears God Himself...and that's really about it. so it is a privilege to sit at his feet and hear truth...God's Word is always pastor Jeff's foundation...and he does not waiver from its truths.

the distinctive roles of men and women have become such a controversial topic that...of course... i'm going to LOVE blogging about it...but controversy is like a comfort zone for my pastor! :) So...lets start with the basics... men are to lead...women are to submit (follow)...children are to honor their parents (that means do what they say when the say to do it) and families are a picture of God. God is neither male nor female...and marriage is from HIM by HIM for HIM.

ok...so now that those basic principles are out there....we learned how these truths are to be lived out by us...Christians. when i was younger, you would NEVER have convinced me that any man would ever lead me. no one would ever lead me...i would lead myself and i would make my own decisions. it was safer that way for all involved. i would be the only one accountable to me. i would be responsible for my destiny and that way i only had myself to congratulate when my life worked out according to plan. only....the flip side of that is that when life doesn't stick to the plan you GAVE IT...you are also the accountable (to blame). so...as dr. phil would say..."how's that workin' for ya?"

lets fast forward a few years to now. and get back to our distinctive roles. as a woman i was never meant to lead...a family...a husband...a church or a church's congregation...or (lets get in your conservative kitchen here) a country. I was created by God Himself to be a helper, a caretaker or homemaker, and a nurturer. now there is an amount of 'leading' that needs to take place in these primary roles God has given women...but i'm not supposed to lead my husband (or any other man) around by the nose ring. I'm not supposed to be the final say so in my house...I'm not supposed to degrade my husband with my extra special super-smarts :), and i am NOT supposed dishonor my husband even with my thoughts and especially not my words or actions. and if i try to head up my house it is dishonoring to my husband. now don't get me wrong here...i work for a woman...and i voted for a VP in november that is a woman...i admire many women...i gave birth to 3 women...and heck, i am a woman! women have a unique spin to put on things and are incredibly valuable...value is not what i'm after here. i just understand that God created women to do certain things better than men...but running the show was NOT one of them. I can say all of this because, like i said, i am a woman. it does not hurt my feelings that i'm not the head of my home or the minister (or even a deacon) of my church. i used to think that i could do anything i wanted to do...but i failed to realize that its not what i want for me...its what God wants for me that will determine my future and what i 'become'. God designed me to be a girl. a lady...a woman....a vessel of sorts. i'm not a real girly girl (though i spawned at least 2 of them...and i don't know how it happened), but i love being a girl...feminine. and i see nothing wrong with it. i don't want to be a man...i don't want to dress like a man....i don't want to have the responsibilities of a man...now that i know what they are. :) i have no desire to be masculine at all. and honestly i don't think most women want that either. i don't think they realize that trying to 'succeed' by this world's standards fits us all, men and women, into one mold. as a little girl...i don't think i was ever encouraged to be a "good mommy", or a good home maker. in school i was encouraged to be a well educated (and i think i am) and use my education to go as far as i could in the business, academic, or science world. i'm sure that i wouldn't disappoint God by being successful in these areas but i think what we miss as women is that God calls us to succeed as wives and mothers and nurturers and care givers. its not wrong for a woman to become an astronaut...but at what cost does it come? the whole point of my blog is this...what God plans and desires for us, girls, is not always the popular thing in our culture. I have tried doing things my way and the 'world's' way. and now i'm doing things God's way (or i'm constantly, with God's grace, trying) and the contentment and the peace that i have from handing over all the 'say-so' that i thought i HAD to have to my wonderful husband is worth more than any promotion or pay raise or 'win' (in an argument or otherwise) in my life. God's way is the best way...period.

God made me to fit perfectly in my distinctive role. Ladies, have you ever watched your child try to stuff a triangle into a square hole? they get so frustrated and they cry and their little faces turn so red (or at least the little faces at my house do). Girls, lets stop trying to be something that we aren't and lets give God's creation a chance to work the way it was intended. be the very best woman you can be...and just watch all of the incredible successes God will bring you.

Nicki

The "Cantaloupe" "Seed"

I was sitting here at my computer, more or less rummaging the news and looking over some blogs from others, just reading and looking to fill some time when I realized something that quite simply has changed my life..Has everyone heard the story of the mustard seed...

The Mustard Seed 18 He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches."




Have you ever really just sat and thought about what a seed is and what that seed can become when it reaches it's full potential..A seed if never planted can never be anything..It can serve in no other capacity nor be anything else..It must be planted in order for it to ever be something..

So as I was saying I was sitting at the computer and look over to my left by the window and noticed a small pot with some potting soil and a few very small cantaloupe plants..and I said to myself.."What a great picture of God"..Those small baby plants started out as a mere seed...dropped in some soil and then a couple 10 days later, you have these small plants that are on their way to maturity, to produce fruit...A little water, lots of sun and these small seeds germinate and begin the journey of reaching their fullness ...to be what they were designed to do..To bear fruit..The seed has no other avenue to which it can take..It cant become anything else..It can only become a cantaloupe..Not a watermelon, not a tomato or not even an oak tree..It can only become a cantaloupe..That is what it's entire existence is to be..It will take months before it reaches the apex of its life, but when the fruit are ready to be picked, it will have successfully carried out it design...

Now lets get deep and translate this over to our lives since God felt this was a very appropriate parable to give us in the bible.




We as humans are just like these seeds..without soil, water and sun they can not fulfill the design..We without Jesus (our soil) and without the Word (water) and without the Holy Spirit and Prayer (Sun) we can never fulfill our design.. We must be firmly planted in Jesus Christ before any amount of watering can begin..We, just like the seed can never be anything unless we are first planted..We are of no use if we never accept Jesus as Lord and Savior..We are just like a seed in that regard..being nothing, producing nothing, existing but not for the purpose to which we were designed..I imagine a seed could stay in the packet for as long as we left it there...but it is of no use or value until it gets planted..We must understand that Jesus Christ is the life blood to our existence just as the soil is the lifeblood for the seed..No soil, no growth..No Jesus, no growth( spiritual growth)..If we are never planted in Christ, we are also of no value or use for the kingdom of God..no matter how good of a person we think we might be.. This is crucial for us to understand.. Jesus Christ is the only thing that can help us reach our potential..our created design to bear fruit..only our fruit will be different than cantaloupe, it will be Love, Joy, Hope, Peace, faithfulness, etc..but that fruit needs some help along the way..Just planting it in the soil is a great first step, but there has to be some watering and sun in order to help grow the seed to fullness.. Jesus is the first step and that step can not be skipped or manipulated..It must happen first..Our germination as humans begin when we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and believe in Him as the only way..Once the germination happens, which is the most difficult phase in this wonderful journey of life...then the spiritual growth can begin.. We need to water our souls and mind with the spiritual food of the Word of God..This is absolutely necessary in order for us to sprout some small leaves and begin to mature as Christians.. Just like a plant, you cant just water it once a week, or once a month and expect it to grow and look healthy.. We are the same way..We can open the bible sparingly and read it occasionally and expect to grow as a Spiritual being and look like a healthy spiritual being..It is a daily dose of God's Holy Word that can amazingly work in our lives to bring us to a fulfillment of our created design..This renewing of the mind as mentioned in Romans 12:2 is source to which we go to for nurturing..without it, we wither and fade, just like the small tiny fragile little plant does without its water source..




SO now we have sprouted a few leaves, our roots are digging deeper into the soil and we begin to need more and more in order to continue to grow..What was once a drop of water now has turned into a half a cup in order to maintain our path to bearing fruit..That means we must spend more time in the word and begin to meditate on it and memorizing it...Our bible intake must grow substantially in order for us as eternal souls are to grow and mature.. Now you add the powerful force of the sun, coupled with the soil and the water and this plant can really begin to take off.....so we now have the power of the Holy Spirit shining down on us, guiding our way, helping us to become the mature spiritual being we were designed to be..If you notice a plant will lean toward the direction of the sun if it is at or near a window..This plant in front of me is just inside the window, but the entire direction of the plant is pointing out the window..You can almost see that it desperately seeks out the sun to help it grow..We as humans must desperately seek out the Holy Spirit and look toward it, if we are to gain understanding from our time in the word..The Bible is vastly deeper than we can imagine and there is much more in those words and pages that what meets the eye...but with the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, we are able to make sense of the beautifully woven fabric of the Word of God..and how it is to apply to our life in this moment and this day..Without the spirit translating the Word, it is merely words on paper that may or may not have that much of an impact on how you live..Just like the plant..without the sun, the plant will possible grow, maybe not at all, but certainly will be much much slower than it should and could potentially die off.. The interesting thing about the plant is no matter what stage of the plants life it is in..it must have water..You take the water away and it will without fail, fade away and die..You can plant the seed, water it once and expect it to produce anything but an empty pot.. We are the exact same..You cant become a germinated Christian rooted in Jesus Christ and then not read the Bible ever again..You will also wither away and die..You will become a victim of the world...The word is an absolute necessity to the Christian Life..There is no way around it..You can 't simply get by on hearing a Sunday sermon no more than a plant can get by on a droplet of water..You need irrigation..You need a life spring of water to grow you up strong in the Faith...When the bible begins to collect dust and ceases to be opened and studied, then your spiritual growth begins to wither and fade until you either begin to water it again and get nourished or you leave God behind and take up the worldly agenda..rejecting the plan God has for you and the created design.. So we must be diligent stewards of our time, always allowing time for the Word of God to Grow our minds and our souls so that we can reach our potential...of bearing fruit...


Then there will be a day in our life with the right soil, proper and consistent watering, plenty of sun that we will bear fruit..just as this tiny little plant will also one day bear fruit..That is the culmination of perseverance and steadfastness..If any of your have ever tried to grow a garden..it takes work..It takes constant attention..It takes effort..but the end result is a wonderful fruit that is soothing to the palate...Our created purpose is to follow Christ and submit our life to Him..To spread the gospel to all peoples and to be doers of the word and not just hearers..to live out our faith and to one day reach our full potential where we are producing so much fruit, it is unmistakable who we are..Many plants look alike along their journey to producing fruit...but once the fruit comes, it is unmistakable what kind of plant that is..Are you not yet bearing fruit, and at a point where the people around you are not sure if you are a Christian plant or a Worldly plant.. Can others look at your fruit and see that you are a plant of God's design...and not one that looks like the plant of this world..? or better yet..are you watering your soul every day in order to reach the point you will sprout the fruit of the spirit..when you can turn your cheek and walk away from a situation...or humble yourself in front of your spouse or children and apologize for acting foolish or immature, or reaching your hand out to help those who are in dire need, to love someone who has treated you like dirt for years, or to forgive someone who has stabbed your right in the middle of your heart..If not...keep watering, look toward the sun and press on!!

How appropriate my study today was in James 1..:)

James 1 (The Message)
James 1 1I, James, am a slave of God and the Master Jesus, writing to the twelve tribes scattered to Kingdom Come: Hello! Faith Under Pressure
2-4Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
5-8If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.
9-11When down-and-outers get a break, cheer! And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don't ever count on it. You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that beautiful face is a barren stem. Well, that's a picture of the "prosperous life." At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing.
12Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.
13-15Don't let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, "God is trying to trip me up." God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one's way. The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.
16-18So, my very dear friends, don't get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.




EB