You need to read this article. Now.
Here is an excerpt:
"But
let nobody fool you. It is not painless for the child, and anyone who
says otherwise is a liar. Abortion is not an excision of a featureless
bunch of cells; it is infanticide. We have revived the practice of
child sacrifice to the new deities of casual sex and convenience. We
rationalize the reality of murder by altering our perspective of the
nascent life through euphemisms like "fetus" or descriptions of "a clump
of cells"...just like the Nazis convinced themselves that the people
screaming as they were shot or gassed were "Untermenchen," subhuman, and
therefore guiltlessly exterminated..."
I was truly moved to tears while reading this article. I pray that this man finds true repentance and forgiveness in Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Church Membership
Editors note: I originally wrote this post as a facebook note. It's purpose was to further develop some of the ideas that I had presented in conversations with my friends about the importance of being a member of a church.
Friends,
Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to talk
with many of you about the scriptural basis for church membership and my experience
in becoming a member of a local body, Grace Bible Church of Tampa (GBCT). I wanted to take a moment to elaborate on the scriptural basis for the
things I’ve been saying.
Q: Why is Sarah Jo so
crazy about this whole church thing?
A: Because becoming a member of GBC has transformed my walk
with the Lord. For the sake of your eternal soul, please take the time to look
up the Scriptures I reference and meditate on them. Do not be fooled by worldly
logic or your own feelings and opinions. It is not a matter of conviction. Church
membership is a command, and if we fear the Lord we shouldn't ignore it.
Commitment to a local church is an assumption of the New Testament writers.
It's not a matter of Christian freedom; it's a matter of obedience.
Ideas to consider:
1) Jesus died for the church. He established it to be
an earthly institution that would make a clear distinction between
who is with Christ and who is not. If you are not in a church, how do you know that you are a Christian?
2) Scripture constantly commands Christians to submit to
their elders/pastors. How can this happen when you are not a member of a local
church?
Scriptures to consider:
Christ is the head of the church. The church is his bride
and his body, and he bought it with his own blood (Colossians 1:18, Ephesians
5:23, 1:22-23 and Acts 20:28).
Christ promised to build his church (Matthew 16:18).
Q: Well, my parachurch
ministry (Navs, Cru, Intervarsity etc.) is like a church. Isn't that good enough?
A: While it may be LIKE a church, it is NOT a church. For
the following reasons:
- They don’t claim to be a church, nor do their leaders claim to be God-appointed elders or deacons. That should be enough evidence in and of itself.
- They do not have church structure as defined by Scripture (i.e. God-appointed elders and deacons).
- They don’t practice church discipline. When was the last time you heard of someone getting excommunicated from a parachurch ministry?
- They do not administer the sacraments (Baptism and Communion).
Please NOTE: I am not saying parachurch ministries are evil,
or you’re sinning by attending. However, I am saying that if you are not
committing yourself to a local church, then you are disobeying God.
Q: But aren’t all
believers “the church” when we get together and fellowship?
A: Yes and no. Yes, all believers are a part of the
universal church. The universal church includes all believers at all times.
However, membership in and commitment to a local church is necessary. Christ
ordained that there would be physical, visible local churches that have
physical, visible government (i.e. elders and deacons).
Scriptures to consider:
- Christ set up specific God-ordained offices in his church (1 Corinthians 12:28).
- The elders were ordained by God to govern and shepherd us, keeping us away from false doctrine and guarding our souls from sin (1 Tim 5:17).
- Elders will give an account to God for how they fulfilled their ministry toward the members of their local church (Hebrews 13:17).
- They were also given the responsibility of praying and teaching the Word and defending sound doctrine (Titus 1:9; Acts 6).
- Qualifications for elders (1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:6-9).
- The church is responsible for administering the sacraments: baptism and communion (1Corinthians 11:17-33)
- The church conducts church discipline (Matthew 18:15-17).
- We can see that in the Scriptures Christ ordained a structure and order to the church. All of the epistles of the New Testament were written to instruct the local churches.
- We're commanded to submit to our elders, and our elders are commanded to shepherd us. (1 Peter 5:1-5, Hebrews 13:17). This is not optional.
- We're given spiritual gifts to serve the church (1 Peter 4:10-11; Ephesians 4:11-16)
This is just a beginning of what the Bible has to say about
the church.
A few songs on the subject:
Stephen The Levite - Church Membership
Stephen The Levite - Church Membership
For
further reading:
John Piper
How Important is Church Membership? (Sermon)Is Church Membership Important? (Ask Pastor John)
.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Dear Emily
This is my response to an editorial appearing in Slate magazine's DoubleX section. You can read the editorial here.
Dear Emily,
First and foremost, I would like to express the deep sorrow I felt for you after reading your essay. My heart breaks for the suffering you and your child are experiencing. I cannot begin to comprehend the inexpressible grief you must be feeling. To watch your child suffer in such a terrible way is truly horrific. You have my deepest sympathies. I know that your current circumstance may appear hopeless. You know your son is going to die, and you can't stop it. You don't know when, but you do know that it will be excruciatingly painful. To be in your shoes and live daily with this knowledge is incomprehensible.
In spite of all of that, I would like to offer you hope. Real hope. Hope that lasts and hope that heals. My aim is to encourage you and shine a light into the darkness. I also would like to gently examine some of your presuppositions about suffering, so that you will reconsider some of your statements. Most of all, I would like to point you to the only Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.
First the Hope,
1. Ronan's suffering is not senseless.
Emily, as hard as this may be to understand, your son was born with Tay-sachs for a reason. The Bible makes it very clear that God is in control of suffering. He is sovereign. The LORD said to Moses “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?" (Exodus 4:11). Many people struggle to understand this. How can a loving God cause suffering? There are many truths about the nature of suffering that I could discuss. However, since others have already done it (and done it better than I could), I will just refer you to them. But, I will leave you with these glorious truths: God has promised us that He is working all things out for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28). God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent (Numbers 23:19). He will bring to pass everything that He has promised His children.
Your story makes me think of another disabled child. His story is recorded in John 9. This man was also blind, like your son. We are told that He was blind since birth. When Jesus disciples saw the man they asked Him "Who sinned that this man was born blind? Him or his parents?" Jesus replied "Neither he nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that the works of God might be done in him." I bet if you could ask that man, he would tell you that an entire lifetime of blindness was completely worth the surpassing privilege of being the vessel of God's mercy.
Sometimes the hardest part of enduring suffering is not having an answer to the question "why?". The mental anguish of uncertainty can be horrendous. Sometimes there is a very clear cause to our suffering, but many times there is not. But, no matter what happens to us we must never forget to look to Christ.
2. God cares about Ronan's suffering
We must never forget that no matter how severe our anguish or how unjust our circumstances, it will never compare to the anguish and injustice of the cross. Jesus Christ was the only person that has ever lived a sinless life. Yet, He chose to bear the reproach of the the cross, for us, ungodly sinners who hated Him (Romans 5:6-9, John 3:16; 1Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:4-6).
The book of Hebrews informs us that "we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need".
Additionally, the book of Colossians 1:15 tells us that 'Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God', and Hebrews 1:3 that 'the Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being.' So we know that in examining the heart of Christ, we are getting a glimpse of the heart of the eternal Father. Throughout Jesus' earthly ministry, we see Him healing the sick (who sometimes don't even bother to thank him, Luke 17:11-17). The Gospel of Matthew tells us that when Jesus saw the multitudes who were weary and scattered like sheep without a shepherd, He was moved with compassion (Matthew 9:36). We see again and again in the Bible that Jesus has a heart for the poor, for children, for the suffering. God is not indifferent to the sufferings of the people of this world.
3. Though his body may be broken in this world, it will not be so in the next.
The truth is, the Lord may not choose to heal your son's disease in this life, but He has promised to heal all diseases in the next. We know from the Bible that sin entered the world through Adam "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—" (Romans 5:12) and that even the whole creation is subject to bondage because of man's sin. "For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now." (Romans 8:19-22).
However, God has not given up on His creation. He has not abandoned us. God promises that one day He will return and set all things right again. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. He will wipe every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more death (Revelation 21:4).
In 1 Corinthians 15, the Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, describes the resurrection of the dead.
"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death."
And later in the same chapter:
"For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Now, I have a few things I would like you to consider regarding your presuppositions about the nature of suffering.
1. Quality of life is indeterminable.
By what standards are we to judge what makes a life worth living? Some would say that living with a severe mental impairment would be unbearable, yet I have met many severely disabled children who are thankful for every breath they have been given.
Can your son understand the words that you say? Maybe not. Can your son understand that you love him when you hold him in your arms? Maybe yes. It's impossible for us to know how much a person understands. Therefore, you can have hope that when you cradle your son in your arms, he knows that his mommy loves him more than all the world. Your son may not have the length of life of most people, and he may not be able to do the things that other children do. But, that doesn't mean his life is completely devoid of any meaning. Your sweet little boy is a gift from the Lord to be treasured and loved for as long as the Lord allows you to have him.
2. You can't "save" your child from suffering.
Your desire to spare your child as much suffering as possible is natural and right. Mommies want to protect their children. We want to be our babies' heroes. We hurt when they hurt; their suffering is our suffering. But, ultimately, we are not in control of our child's fate. At the end of the day, even perfectly physically healthy people suffer in unimaginable ways, yet we do not say that it would be better if they had not been born. Suffering goes hand in hand with living. To live a life avoiding suffering is to never really live at all.
To quote C.S. Lewis:
3. Is it really merciful to kill those who are suffering?
There is much I would like to say about this; however, that will have to wait for another day. Instead, I would like for you to consider the following question: What if suffering serves a greater purpose than we can see?
4. Prenatal testing gives false positives.
It is true that the information pre-natal testing provides is neither moral not amoral. It's what we do with the information that brings about a moral or immoral act. However, one CANNOT know in advance how a child's life will be based on prenatal testing.
Furthermore, while I do not intend to write an pro-life apologetic here (that's a topic for another post), I would like to point out that abortion always involves three people: the mother, the doctor, and the unborn child. We know from a purely scientific perspective that human life begins at conception. Abortion, no matter what the circumstances, always involves the killing of an innocent human being. As the saying goes, "Your right to swing your arms freely, stops at the other person's nose." A mother never has the right to take the life of her unborn child, end of story.
Furthermore, the capacity to end pregnancies at will does not make us more fully human, it makes us less than human.
5. Pregnancy is not a punishment for having sex.
It is a consequence and there is a difference. First and foremost, pregnancy is a natural (and I would say, beautiful) result of the physical union of one man and one women. It is the joining of two people in the most intimate way possible and the creation of a new soul. When you create a baby with someone, you are irreversibly linking your DNA with theirs and forever changing the genetic makeup of the human race. It's an incredible thing, really.
Part of being an adult is making decisions. All decisions have consequences, both positive and negative. For example, if I choose to stay up all night playing video games before an exam, I'm probably not going to do so hot. My poor performance would be a consequence of my decision. Sex is an adult decision, and it comes with responsibilities--social, emotional, relational, and financial. To pretend that it is possible to have sex without consequences is foolishness. When an adult chooses to engage in it, they must recognize that should they or their partner get pregnant, they are now responsible for that child's life. They are not their own anymore, they have another life depending on them. That life is a person who has every much a right to life as they do.
In conclusion:
You see Emily, the answer to your son's suffering isn't found in the ending of his suffering. The answer to suffering is in the gospel.
So in light of that, I urge you to run to Christ, Emily.
"Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7).
Jesus Himself said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."(Matthew 11:28-29).
God's promises are glorious, but they only apply to His children. The Gospel of John says "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." If today God has worked in your heart and you see that truly, you deserve death for your sins, then look to Christ and know that if you turn from your sins (repent) and put your trust in Jesus Christ as your only means of salvation (believe) that you will be forgiven.
To all the mothers out there who are caring for terminally ill and permanently disabled children: Hang on, there is hope. Society may give up on your children. The medical community may give up on your children. But you must never give up on your children. Never lose hope. You may never see the fruit of your labor on this side of eternity, but God will not forget your work and labor of love (Hebrews 6:10).
Dear Emily,
First and foremost, I would like to express the deep sorrow I felt for you after reading your essay. My heart breaks for the suffering you and your child are experiencing. I cannot begin to comprehend the inexpressible grief you must be feeling. To watch your child suffer in such a terrible way is truly horrific. You have my deepest sympathies. I know that your current circumstance may appear hopeless. You know your son is going to die, and you can't stop it. You don't know when, but you do know that it will be excruciatingly painful. To be in your shoes and live daily with this knowledge is incomprehensible.
In spite of all of that, I would like to offer you hope. Real hope. Hope that lasts and hope that heals. My aim is to encourage you and shine a light into the darkness. I also would like to gently examine some of your presuppositions about suffering, so that you will reconsider some of your statements. Most of all, I would like to point you to the only Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.
First the Hope,
1. Ronan's suffering is not senseless.
Emily, as hard as this may be to understand, your son was born with Tay-sachs for a reason. The Bible makes it very clear that God is in control of suffering. He is sovereign. The LORD said to Moses “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?" (Exodus 4:11). Many people struggle to understand this. How can a loving God cause suffering? There are many truths about the nature of suffering that I could discuss. However, since others have already done it (and done it better than I could), I will just refer you to them. But, I will leave you with these glorious truths: God has promised us that He is working all things out for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28). God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent (Numbers 23:19). He will bring to pass everything that He has promised His children.
Your story makes me think of another disabled child. His story is recorded in John 9. This man was also blind, like your son. We are told that He was blind since birth. When Jesus disciples saw the man they asked Him "Who sinned that this man was born blind? Him or his parents?" Jesus replied "Neither he nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that the works of God might be done in him." I bet if you could ask that man, he would tell you that an entire lifetime of blindness was completely worth the surpassing privilege of being the vessel of God's mercy.
Sometimes the hardest part of enduring suffering is not having an answer to the question "why?". The mental anguish of uncertainty can be horrendous. Sometimes there is a very clear cause to our suffering, but many times there is not. But, no matter what happens to us we must never forget to look to Christ.
2. God cares about Ronan's suffering
We must never forget that no matter how severe our anguish or how unjust our circumstances, it will never compare to the anguish and injustice of the cross. Jesus Christ was the only person that has ever lived a sinless life. Yet, He chose to bear the reproach of the the cross, for us, ungodly sinners who hated Him (Romans 5:6-9, John 3:16; 1Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:4-6).
The book of Hebrews informs us that "we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need".
Additionally, the book of Colossians 1:15 tells us that 'Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God', and Hebrews 1:3 that 'the Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being.' So we know that in examining the heart of Christ, we are getting a glimpse of the heart of the eternal Father. Throughout Jesus' earthly ministry, we see Him healing the sick (who sometimes don't even bother to thank him, Luke 17:11-17). The Gospel of Matthew tells us that when Jesus saw the multitudes who were weary and scattered like sheep without a shepherd, He was moved with compassion (Matthew 9:36). We see again and again in the Bible that Jesus has a heart for the poor, for children, for the suffering. God is not indifferent to the sufferings of the people of this world.
3. Though his body may be broken in this world, it will not be so in the next.
The truth is, the Lord may not choose to heal your son's disease in this life, but He has promised to heal all diseases in the next. We know from the Bible that sin entered the world through Adam "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—" (Romans 5:12) and that even the whole creation is subject to bondage because of man's sin. "For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now." (Romans 8:19-22).
However, God has not given up on His creation. He has not abandoned us. God promises that one day He will return and set all things right again. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. He will wipe every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more death (Revelation 21:4).
In 1 Corinthians 15, the Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, describes the resurrection of the dead.
"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death."
And later in the same chapter:
"For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Now, I have a few things I would like you to consider regarding your presuppositions about the nature of suffering.
1. Quality of life is indeterminable.
By what standards are we to judge what makes a life worth living? Some would say that living with a severe mental impairment would be unbearable, yet I have met many severely disabled children who are thankful for every breath they have been given.
Can your son understand the words that you say? Maybe not. Can your son understand that you love him when you hold him in your arms? Maybe yes. It's impossible for us to know how much a person understands. Therefore, you can have hope that when you cradle your son in your arms, he knows that his mommy loves him more than all the world. Your son may not have the length of life of most people, and he may not be able to do the things that other children do. But, that doesn't mean his life is completely devoid of any meaning. Your sweet little boy is a gift from the Lord to be treasured and loved for as long as the Lord allows you to have him.
2. You can't "save" your child from suffering.
Your desire to spare your child as much suffering as possible is natural and right. Mommies want to protect their children. We want to be our babies' heroes. We hurt when they hurt; their suffering is our suffering. But, ultimately, we are not in control of our child's fate. At the end of the day, even perfectly physically healthy people suffer in unimaginable ways, yet we do not say that it would be better if they had not been born. Suffering goes hand in hand with living. To live a life avoiding suffering is to never really live at all.
To quote C.S. Lewis:
" To love at all is to be vulnerable.
Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly
broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give
your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round
with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up
safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken;
it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”
3. Is it really merciful to kill those who are suffering?
There is much I would like to say about this; however, that will have to wait for another day. Instead, I would like for you to consider the following question: What if suffering serves a greater purpose than we can see?
4. Prenatal testing gives false positives.
It is true that the information pre-natal testing provides is neither moral not amoral. It's what we do with the information that brings about a moral or immoral act. However, one CANNOT know in advance how a child's life will be based on prenatal testing.
Furthermore, while I do not intend to write an pro-life apologetic here (that's a topic for another post), I would like to point out that abortion always involves three people: the mother, the doctor, and the unborn child. We know from a purely scientific perspective that human life begins at conception. Abortion, no matter what the circumstances, always involves the killing of an innocent human being. As the saying goes, "Your right to swing your arms freely, stops at the other person's nose." A mother never has the right to take the life of her unborn child, end of story.
Furthermore, the capacity to end pregnancies at will does not make us more fully human, it makes us less than human.
5. Pregnancy is not a punishment for having sex.
It is a consequence and there is a difference. First and foremost, pregnancy is a natural (and I would say, beautiful) result of the physical union of one man and one women. It is the joining of two people in the most intimate way possible and the creation of a new soul. When you create a baby with someone, you are irreversibly linking your DNA with theirs and forever changing the genetic makeup of the human race. It's an incredible thing, really.
Part of being an adult is making decisions. All decisions have consequences, both positive and negative. For example, if I choose to stay up all night playing video games before an exam, I'm probably not going to do so hot. My poor performance would be a consequence of my decision. Sex is an adult decision, and it comes with responsibilities--social, emotional, relational, and financial. To pretend that it is possible to have sex without consequences is foolishness. When an adult chooses to engage in it, they must recognize that should they or their partner get pregnant, they are now responsible for that child's life. They are not their own anymore, they have another life depending on them. That life is a person who has every much a right to life as they do.
In conclusion:
You see Emily, the answer to your son's suffering isn't found in the ending of his suffering. The answer to suffering is in the gospel.
So in light of that, I urge you to run to Christ, Emily.
"Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7).
Jesus Himself said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."(Matthew 11:28-29).
God's promises are glorious, but they only apply to His children. The Gospel of John says "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." If today God has worked in your heart and you see that truly, you deserve death for your sins, then look to Christ and know that if you turn from your sins (repent) and put your trust in Jesus Christ as your only means of salvation (believe) that you will be forgiven.
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
(Hebrews 3:15)
To all the mothers out there who are caring for terminally ill and permanently disabled children: Hang on, there is hope. Society may give up on your children. The medical community may give up on your children. But you must never give up on your children. Never lose hope. You may never see the fruit of your labor on this side of eternity, but God will not forget your work and labor of love (Hebrews 6:10).
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
And death came knocking
Death came knocking,
Arrayed in popularity, prosperity and the promise of fulfillment.
she called out
"stolen water is sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant,
come to my house, and you will see,
that you can have all you ever wanted"
Enticed, mind raceing at all the possibilities
cracking the door for "just one peek!"
Not seeing that under that shimmering gown
there lay a corpse
And in her house, the dead are there
for her guests are in the depths of hell
Entranced, heart desiring to be master of my own fate
ready to forsake the arms of my first love
who died and bled so I could be free
ready to forget His promises
of true peace and true joy
ready to fling away His sacrifice
and put Him to open shame
Then I remembered, how the Lord has said
"You fool! Tonight your life will be required of you!"
and "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?"
and "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth
and "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God"
I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes....
Scripture references in order of use (Proverbs 9:13-17, Revelation 2:4, Hebrews 6:6, Luke 12:15-29, James 4:4, Revelation 3:16, Luke 9:62, Job 42:6)
I wrote this today in response to some serious soul searching and repenting the past few days. It's meant to be a spoken word (that is a poem that is performed). I'm usually not much for creative writing, but occasionally I manage to produce something of marginal quality.
The semester is in full swing now. It's week seven and things are getting hectic. I'm carrying 18 credits this semester (along with 10-12 hours of clinical), on top of attempting to write my Honors thesis, maintain two jobs and an active church involvement. Everyday there are a million things grasping for my attention. And sadly in all this noise, I lost my focus.
I stopped living for His glory and started living for my own.
I spent this weekend laid low with a stomach virus of epic proportions, hardly able to get out of bed until Sunday, and even then, only with great effort. However, praise the Lord for that stomach virus! It forced me to finally stop moving long enough to see the direction I had been heading. I can see that this illness was indeed mercy from the Lord. Had I continued any longer in my foolishness, I would have plunged right over the spiritual cliff I was heading towards.
I get so caught up with the cares of this world. The lure of academic and career success, of relational success in marriage, of physical success in training and dieting pulls me away from my God. It's so deadly because the cares of this world slip into my life and grab a hold of my heart so slowly as to be almost imperceptible.
It is so shameful, how I could I turn my heart away to idols? After all my dear, sweet savior has done for me, how could I give my love to another? As I consider the weight of my sin, I frequently weep. It was my sin that nailed my savior to the cross. God should have crushed me, cleansed the earth from the filthiness of my depravity. Yet, God choose to crush His Son instead. The only human being who never left a sin stain on this world. Jesus loved us, served us, healed us and taught us about God. Yet we crucified Him, as surely as if we nailed His bloody hands the cross ourselves.
Arrayed in popularity, prosperity and the promise of fulfillment.
she called out
"stolen water is sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant,
come to my house, and you will see,
that you can have all you ever wanted"
Enticed, mind raceing at all the possibilities
cracking the door for "just one peek!"
Not seeing that under that shimmering gown
there lay a corpse
And in her house, the dead are there
for her guests are in the depths of hell
Entranced, heart desiring to be master of my own fate
ready to forsake the arms of my first love
who died and bled so I could be free
ready to forget His promises
of true peace and true joy
ready to fling away His sacrifice
and put Him to open shame
Then I remembered, how the Lord has said
"You fool! Tonight your life will be required of you!"
and "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?"
and "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth
and "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God"
I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes....
Scripture references in order of use (Proverbs 9:13-17, Revelation 2:4, Hebrews 6:6, Luke 12:15-29, James 4:4, Revelation 3:16, Luke 9:62, Job 42:6)
I wrote this today in response to some serious soul searching and repenting the past few days. It's meant to be a spoken word (that is a poem that is performed). I'm usually not much for creative writing, but occasionally I manage to produce something of marginal quality.
The semester is in full swing now. It's week seven and things are getting hectic. I'm carrying 18 credits this semester (along with 10-12 hours of clinical), on top of attempting to write my Honors thesis, maintain two jobs and an active church involvement. Everyday there are a million things grasping for my attention. And sadly in all this noise, I lost my focus.
I stopped living for His glory and started living for my own.
I spent this weekend laid low with a stomach virus of epic proportions, hardly able to get out of bed until Sunday, and even then, only with great effort. However, praise the Lord for that stomach virus! It forced me to finally stop moving long enough to see the direction I had been heading. I can see that this illness was indeed mercy from the Lord. Had I continued any longer in my foolishness, I would have plunged right over the spiritual cliff I was heading towards.
I get so caught up with the cares of this world. The lure of academic and career success, of relational success in marriage, of physical success in training and dieting pulls me away from my God. It's so deadly because the cares of this world slip into my life and grab a hold of my heart so slowly as to be almost imperceptible.
It is so shameful, how I could I turn my heart away to idols? After all my dear, sweet savior has done for me, how could I give my love to another? As I consider the weight of my sin, I frequently weep. It was my sin that nailed my savior to the cross. God should have crushed me, cleansed the earth from the filthiness of my depravity. Yet, God choose to crush His Son instead. The only human being who never left a sin stain on this world. Jesus loved us, served us, healed us and taught us about God. Yet we crucified Him, as surely as if we nailed His bloody hands the cross ourselves.
I am praising God today for His eternal patience.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Thinspiration
If you've never heard of the above term, I would read this article.
The idea of thinspiration is not a new concept to me. My younger sister actually introduced it to me as a way to motivate myself to loose weight in high school. I would toy with the idea of trying to follow their rules to achieve 'perfection'. I never followed through though. At that point in time I believed that this was a sign of gross personal failure. Now I see, that despite my indoctrination to the world of thin-at-all costs, I still had a semblance of a healthy psyche and healthy body image. Even as an unbeliever I knew there was something seriously sick and twisted about their way of thinking.
To be perfectly honest, even today, when I see so called "thinspiration," I am very tempted to believe the lies the pictures promote.
"If you were thinner, you'd be happier"
"If you were thinner, guys would like you more"
"No one will ever love you if you don't loose weight"
"You will never matter as long as you are fat"
These lies are so deceptive and twisted. They will take over your life if you let them. They are so dangerous because they strike right at the heart of a women. What woman can say that she does not, at the core of her, wish to be loved and cherished? Whenever I see pictures of 'thinspo', I am simultaneously disgusted and entranced. And sadly, sometimes I find myself wondering if perhaps they are right.
But these are lies. Lies straight from hell.
But, it is not enough to simply recognize the lie, we must also replace the lie with the truth.
The truth is, no matter how skinny you are, you will never feel skinny enough.
The truth is, if you hate who you are now, there is nothing you can do that will change those feelings.
The truth is, perfection is not attainable by human methods.
The truth, being skinny will not fulfill your deep desire for love and acceptance
All of these things will only leave you dry and empty, always searching but never satisfied.
Ladies, all of these lies must be addressed with the gospel. It is our only hope.
Jesus himself said:
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who 'Himself is our peace' (Ephesians 2:14), lived a perfect life, He never sinned, not even once (Hebrews 4:15-16). Yet, he choose to bear the eternal wrath of God for us, even when we hated Him (Romans 5:1-9). "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
Friends, if you have been struggling with an eating disorder. I just want to encourage you, there is hope! There is freedom from bondage to sin. If we run to Christ, He can make us whole. Look to Christ!
The idea of thinspiration is not a new concept to me. My younger sister actually introduced it to me as a way to motivate myself to loose weight in high school. I would toy with the idea of trying to follow their rules to achieve 'perfection'. I never followed through though. At that point in time I believed that this was a sign of gross personal failure. Now I see, that despite my indoctrination to the world of thin-at-all costs, I still had a semblance of a healthy psyche and healthy body image. Even as an unbeliever I knew there was something seriously sick and twisted about their way of thinking.
To be perfectly honest, even today, when I see so called "thinspiration," I am very tempted to believe the lies the pictures promote.
"If you were thinner, you'd be happier"
"If you were thinner, guys would like you more"
"No one will ever love you if you don't loose weight"
"You will never matter as long as you are fat"
These lies are so deceptive and twisted. They will take over your life if you let them. They are so dangerous because they strike right at the heart of a women. What woman can say that she does not, at the core of her, wish to be loved and cherished? Whenever I see pictures of 'thinspo', I am simultaneously disgusted and entranced. And sadly, sometimes I find myself wondering if perhaps they are right.
But these are lies. Lies straight from hell.
But, it is not enough to simply recognize the lie, we must also replace the lie with the truth.
The truth is, no matter how skinny you are, you will never feel skinny enough.
The truth is, if you hate who you are now, there is nothing you can do that will change those feelings.
The truth is, perfection is not attainable by human methods.
The truth, being skinny will not fulfill your deep desire for love and acceptance
All of these things will only leave you dry and empty, always searching but never satisfied.
Ladies, all of these lies must be addressed with the gospel. It is our only hope.
Jesus himself said:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
and,
"It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning
and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost
from the spring of the water of life." (Revelation 21:6)
and once again,
"I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will
never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35)
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who 'Himself is our peace' (Ephesians 2:14), lived a perfect life, He never sinned, not even once (Hebrews 4:15-16). Yet, he choose to bear the eternal wrath of God for us, even when we hated Him (Romans 5:1-9). "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
Friends, if you have been struggling with an eating disorder. I just want to encourage you, there is hope! There is freedom from bondage to sin. If we run to Christ, He can make us whole. Look to Christ!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Who Would You Save: Response
This is what am submitting as my answer to the question posed by my ethics teacher. You can see the question Here.
I am a follower of Christ. I attempt to make all of my
decisions in accordance with the teaching of the Bible, as I believe it to be the
word of God (though I am far from perfect in my understanding and application).
I have included scripture
references, if you are interested in following my argument.
My Biblical Presuppositions:
1. No one deserves to be cured. No matter how they
contracted the virus. It would be sinful to declare someone morally superior to
another person, because no one is. (Romans 3:10, 3:23, 6:23, Isaiah 53:6).
2. All people
are created in the image of God and are of equal value. (Genesis 1:27)
3. It is vanity to believe that we have the ability to
“save” someone. God is ultimately
in control of life. He is sovereign. (Hebrews 9:27-29, Colossians 1:16, Job
14:5, Acts 17:25-16)
4. There is always a way out of every moral quandary. God
will always provide a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). If this were a real
situation God would make the correct choice apparent through prayer, bible reading
and seeking wise counsel.
5. We must submit our selves to the will of God and be
careful not to violate our consciences.
6. God is merciful and
loving, He works all things out for the good of those who love Him. (Romans
8:28, Psalm 103)
My personal presuppositions: (not absolute and up for debate)
1. I believe that as a
society we has a duty to protect and promote the welfare of our children first
and foremost.
2. Generally, the policy for
scarce medical resources (ex. organs for transplant) is to treat the sickest
first and then those who are most likely to benefit and survive the treatment
process.
Therefore these are my suggestions:
1. Go to great lengths to
get more money and purchase more vaccines.
If this is nor possible:
2. Give everyone a ½ dose
and pray.
If that is not possible:
3. Give the doses to those
under 18 and then the five sickest adults.
Ultimately, we must not
attempt to choose people based on their supposed value or worthiness.
Who would you save?
This is an assignment for my nursing ethics class. I want some opinions. Please tell me how you decided.
I will post what I submitted in a few days.
You have a vaccine that cures AIDS. But you only have 7. Who do you choose?
1) A 15 year old African American female was exposed to the virus through her 14 year old boyfriend. She comes from a two parent, middle class family, attends junior high school and is the fifth of nine children.
2) A 52 year of Caucasian business executive and father of four, recently released from a federal penitentiary where he served two years for insider trading on the bond market, contracted the virus during a minor medical procedure in the prison hospital. Currently, he is doing 1000 hours of community service teaching job skills and money management to inner city youths.
3) A 35 year old Hispanic mother of one child, 5 years of age, was exposed to the virus during an emergency blood transfusion. She has been happily married to her second husband for three years ( her first husband, the girl's father, left the community and maintains no contact with either of them).
4) A 40 year old single African United Nations refugee settlement worker is responsible for placing thousands of refugee children from war torn countries in permanent adoptive families. A member of an African tribe that practices polygamy, he was exposed to the virus through one of his mates. He has many children by a number of women.
5) A 23 year old single Caucasian female is training to become an Olympic athlete. Her family has made great sacrifices so that she might reach her full potential as an athlete. She is concerned that if she does not get the vaccine, she will not be able to repay them for the sacrifices they have made.
6) A 38 year old single Asian male is one of the few artists to have survived the persecution in his homeland and he seeks to perpetuate the artistic traditions of his people.
7) A 72 year old mother, grandmother and wife is the sole caretaker of her 76 year old husband who has severe arthritis.
8) A 49 year old white woman with four children (one of whom is developmentally disabled) is from an upper middle class background and was probably exposed to the virus during an extramarital affair.
9) A 56 year old Hispanic male, with a wife and seven children, was also most likely exposed to the virus during an extramarital affair. He is a machinist and the sole support of his family.
10) A 20 year old single college student majoring in education has no idea how she became exposed to the virus and has not told her family that she tests positive for HIV.
11) An 18 month old baby was exposed to the virus through his mother, who has a full blown case of AIDS. His father has already died of the disease.
12) A 49 year old clergyman is the spiritual guide to the congregants of the largest church in the state. He has blessed thousands of babies, presided over hundreds of weddings and funerals, and provided solace and support to countless persons who needed it.
13) A 29 year old house husband takes care of a house and three children while his wife attends medical school and works part-time as a lab technician.
14) A 56 year old single Caucasian genetic researcher is close to completing work on finding a cure for diabetes, which has a good possibility to ultimately resulting in the perfection of a gene-altering procedure that would rid us of the scourge of diabetes.
I will post what I submitted in a few days.
You have a vaccine that cures AIDS. But you only have 7. Who do you choose?
1) A 15 year old African American female was exposed to the virus through her 14 year old boyfriend. She comes from a two parent, middle class family, attends junior high school and is the fifth of nine children.
2) A 52 year of Caucasian business executive and father of four, recently released from a federal penitentiary where he served two years for insider trading on the bond market, contracted the virus during a minor medical procedure in the prison hospital. Currently, he is doing 1000 hours of community service teaching job skills and money management to inner city youths.
3) A 35 year old Hispanic mother of one child, 5 years of age, was exposed to the virus during an emergency blood transfusion. She has been happily married to her second husband for three years ( her first husband, the girl's father, left the community and maintains no contact with either of them).
4) A 40 year old single African United Nations refugee settlement worker is responsible for placing thousands of refugee children from war torn countries in permanent adoptive families. A member of an African tribe that practices polygamy, he was exposed to the virus through one of his mates. He has many children by a number of women.
5) A 23 year old single Caucasian female is training to become an Olympic athlete. Her family has made great sacrifices so that she might reach her full potential as an athlete. She is concerned that if she does not get the vaccine, she will not be able to repay them for the sacrifices they have made.
6) A 38 year old single Asian male is one of the few artists to have survived the persecution in his homeland and he seeks to perpetuate the artistic traditions of his people.
7) A 72 year old mother, grandmother and wife is the sole caretaker of her 76 year old husband who has severe arthritis.
8) A 49 year old white woman with four children (one of whom is developmentally disabled) is from an upper middle class background and was probably exposed to the virus during an extramarital affair.
9) A 56 year old Hispanic male, with a wife and seven children, was also most likely exposed to the virus during an extramarital affair. He is a machinist and the sole support of his family.
10) A 20 year old single college student majoring in education has no idea how she became exposed to the virus and has not told her family that she tests positive for HIV.
11) An 18 month old baby was exposed to the virus through his mother, who has a full blown case of AIDS. His father has already died of the disease.
12) A 49 year old clergyman is the spiritual guide to the congregants of the largest church in the state. He has blessed thousands of babies, presided over hundreds of weddings and funerals, and provided solace and support to countless persons who needed it.
13) A 29 year old house husband takes care of a house and three children while his wife attends medical school and works part-time as a lab technician.
14) A 56 year old single Caucasian genetic researcher is close to completing work on finding a cure for diabetes, which has a good possibility to ultimately resulting in the perfection of a gene-altering procedure that would rid us of the scourge of diabetes.
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