"Freedom is frightening. There are people who want to be told what to do and when, how to believe and why. And the result is tragic perpetual adolescence." Chuck Swindoll
A big pet peeve of mine is the overuse of spiritual cliches. It's not that I'm an atheist, but every "amen", "just pray on the spirit", "the devil is attacking our ladies", and etc is to me empty, meaningless words. From another point, it's as if these overused phrases gives one something to say when there is no substance to be said. It's playing it safe instead of speaking with sincerity and transparency.
It's a shame really when our English language contains such an exhaustive choice of words. We can say old things in fresh new ways. Perhaps we are just too lazy to do so. For I believe a big part of becoming older is forming your own thoughts and expressing them in an original manner unique to you. Most people seem frightened to do this however. But think. Reason. Feel. And be real. Perhaps in doing so, it'll be a step towards leaving adolescence behind.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Goodbye 2010!
While skimming through my old blogs I realized I had a goodbye post for 2008, but not 2009. Somehow I had two years that have gone by since then. As I wrote on a friend's facebook status: "every year goes by quicker than the one before it". That much I know to be true. Since 2008 was a hard year, it's only fitting I reflect on one of the best years I've had: 2010.
This was the year fulfilled dreams and adventures. When I finally:
finished that last college course,
received my college degree in the mail,
married my best friend,
went on vacations/honeymoon to cool places,
moved to my very first house,
became a preschool teacher (however temporary),
read, learned, decorated and crafted to my heart's content,
and it's safe to say many good things happened in 2010.
As blessed I was this past year, I have so many other goals I wish to achieve in 2011. But regardless of what the new year will bring my main goal is to "...be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." I Cor. 15:58
A blessed 2011 to us all!
This was the year fulfilled dreams and adventures. When I finally:
finished that last college course,
received my college degree in the mail,
married my best friend,
went on vacations/honeymoon to cool places,
moved to my very first house,
became a preschool teacher (however temporary),
read, learned, decorated and crafted to my heart's content,
and it's safe to say many good things happened in 2010.
As blessed I was this past year, I have so many other goals I wish to achieve in 2011. But regardless of what the new year will bring my main goal is to "...be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." I Cor. 15:58
A blessed 2011 to us all!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tangled thoughts
The stomach flu while gross, does provide one with ample time of thinking and reflection. While bedridden the past few days with ginger ale and crackers, I pondered my beliefs and values. I love reading the blogs from various Christians with different theological leanings. I used to be paralyzed at the idea of considering other stances on issues I had long thought I had made up my mind on. Now, I find it intellectually invigorating and it forces me to be a "Berean". I'm asking questions like a critical atheist, but with the goal of digging the meat from the bones; instead of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. (And how bad is it I just used two metaphors in one sentence?)
I'm starting to notice that a lot of Christians that leave legalistic, "Independent Baptist" backgrounds tend to take a reformed/Calvinistic stance. While I relate to no longer wanting to be associated with most of Baptist culture, a part of me puzzles on why they give up much of man's free will/stewardship/etc. And I'll be the first to admit that I haven't figured it all out.
For the goal is that while swimming through the whole Bible versions debate, pinpointing when human conscience begins, noticing when verses are taken out of context, and other big/small issues, is that in the end I'm that much closer to knowing who God is for myself and not what others would have me to believe of Him. My hope is to come close to this before I have a family, but if not I'm willing to be honest about what I do/don't know and learn alongside them.
"Freedom’s calling, chains are falling,
hope is dawning bright and true.
Day is breaking, night is quaking.
God is making all things new.
Jesus saves."
I'm starting to notice that a lot of Christians that leave legalistic, "Independent Baptist" backgrounds tend to take a reformed/Calvinistic stance. While I relate to no longer wanting to be associated with most of Baptist culture, a part of me puzzles on why they give up much of man's free will/stewardship/etc. And I'll be the first to admit that I haven't figured it all out.
For the goal is that while swimming through the whole Bible versions debate, pinpointing when human conscience begins, noticing when verses are taken out of context, and other big/small issues, is that in the end I'm that much closer to knowing who God is for myself and not what others would have me to believe of Him. My hope is to come close to this before I have a family, but if not I'm willing to be honest about what I do/don't know and learn alongside them.
"Freedom’s calling, chains are falling,
hope is dawning bright and true.
Day is breaking, night is quaking.
God is making all things new.
Jesus saves."
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Fall!
Obviously the summer is over. I only have to feel the cold windowpanes upon waking in the morning to know this. While reflecting I realize I did have a great summer--I did deep clean the house, went on a picnic with the hubby and read lots of books in my free time. The painting of the cabinets/laundry room is still in progress and I never did get around to planting anything. We did end up finishing the captain bed...see final result below:
You can't really tell, but it's made up of three open benches in a U shape that I can put baskets in for nice storage option. I love all the hard work hubby put into it and it's beautiful. It'll look awesome with the bookcase headboard when it's done.
With fall comes apple scented candles and cooler weather, but it's also the season for slowing down and savoring the small things. The biggest thing I'm learning is that I need to be willing to reach out to others even if it takes me out of my comfort zone.
You can't really tell, but it's made up of three open benches in a U shape that I can put baskets in for nice storage option. I love all the hard work hubby put into it and it's beautiful. It'll look awesome with the bookcase headboard when it's done.
With fall comes apple scented candles and cooler weather, but it's also the season for slowing down and savoring the small things. The biggest thing I'm learning is that I need to be willing to reach out to others even if it takes me out of my comfort zone.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Assigning Blame
My post today is more theological in nature. Even though I've been a Christian since five years old, there are many things I haven't figured out. In many ways I feel like I'm starting over in my faith since I've left the overly legalistic churches/college I used to be in. I used to blindly accept the standards and beliefs of others, but it is a lot more work to decide for yourself why you believe something. And that is where I'm at in my faith now.
One thing that has always bothered me is how much power Christians attribute to the devil. If a car breaks down it's the "devil's attack"; if one feels depressed coming down from a high of a church retreat that's an attack too. Or even if one loses a job, gets ill, and loses a loved one that's the devil's fault too. Christians love to quote that "he walketh about as a roaring lion seeking whom to devour" (1. Peter 5:8) as proof for their undesirable circumstances. But the Bible states "resist...and he shall flee from you" (James 4:7). If it's that easy...why do we blame him for pretty much everything bad that happens? Sure the devil doesn't like it when Christians assemble to worship or evangelize, but God does--and isn't He more powerful and didn't he already defeat Satan at the cross? Doesn't God decide what Satan can or can't do to his children (i.e. Job 1:12)? And we already know that in the end of all this, Satan gets thrown to the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).
And even if all this were true, how can Satan be everywhere attacking Christians all at once? Only God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. That is, all-knowing, ever-present and all powerful. Satan is a fallen angel and the Bible indicates that angels do not know everything (1 Peter 1:11-12). I'm not one to dismiss the reality of Satan and his legions, but I am really wary of giving him too much credit for things. Isn't it enough to ask God for help to live the trials of life in a Christ honoring way instead of devoting much energy to "binding and losing"? From my perspective this much attention/focus on the devil, comes borderline close to devil worship. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't want to risk being on that side.
This also seems to set up a situation for Christians to have a life filled with anxiety and fear. If we never know when the next attack might come, and if we have to be alert at all times, how can we ever rest? God has not given us the spirit of fear. He also said "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."(John 16:33).
And in addition, don't most of our troubles exist because we live in a fallen (post Eden) world (see Ecclesiastes). There is a scientific law that everything will eventually atrophy or die. Cars break, people die, depression happens, jobs are lost, etc. The point being we're not in paradise and won't be until we get to heaven or until the Lord returns. Secondly, much of our troubles are a result of man's fallen nature. We are stupid people and do stupid things. Jesus describes us as "sheep that have gone astray. Each one to his own way.(Is. 53:6)". We eat unhealthy food, stay up late and then get sick. We procrastinate getting the car battery checked and it breaks down. We believe the myth that Christians are supposed to be happy 24/7 (happiness is not equivalent to joy) and when discouragement comes, we conclude the devil is responsible.
However, Job himself grieved--he tore his mantle, fell on the ground--at the loss of his family and his life. Satan was NOT testing his happiness level (reminds me when folks say "don't let Satan steal your joy!"). Job got angry at God; he had questions that still aren't answered. However, he still "worshiped" which is simply admitting that God is in control of all things and that God always is what he says.
It seems Satan's role is to tempt Christians to sin; not heap trouble on us that is really the result of a fallen world or our undisciplined actions. God will test our faith by giving us trials. Satan however tempts us to do evil. The first chapter of James clearly explains this. To summarize, I guess I just wish we weren't so quick to blame the devil in our statements and called a square a square. I am not attempting to judge anyone for their believes, but I would like to explore the Biblical perspective of this. I've heard it said we either give Satan too much credit or too little. What then is his role? Thoughts?
One thing that has always bothered me is how much power Christians attribute to the devil. If a car breaks down it's the "devil's attack"; if one feels depressed coming down from a high of a church retreat that's an attack too. Or even if one loses a job, gets ill, and loses a loved one that's the devil's fault too. Christians love to quote that "he walketh about as a roaring lion seeking whom to devour" (1. Peter 5:8) as proof for their undesirable circumstances. But the Bible states "resist...and he shall flee from you" (James 4:7). If it's that easy...why do we blame him for pretty much everything bad that happens? Sure the devil doesn't like it when Christians assemble to worship or evangelize, but God does--and isn't He more powerful and didn't he already defeat Satan at the cross? Doesn't God decide what Satan can or can't do to his children (i.e. Job 1:12)? And we already know that in the end of all this, Satan gets thrown to the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).
And even if all this were true, how can Satan be everywhere attacking Christians all at once? Only God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. That is, all-knowing, ever-present and all powerful. Satan is a fallen angel and the Bible indicates that angels do not know everything (1 Peter 1:11-12). I'm not one to dismiss the reality of Satan and his legions, but I am really wary of giving him too much credit for things. Isn't it enough to ask God for help to live the trials of life in a Christ honoring way instead of devoting much energy to "binding and losing"? From my perspective this much attention/focus on the devil, comes borderline close to devil worship. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't want to risk being on that side.
This also seems to set up a situation for Christians to have a life filled with anxiety and fear. If we never know when the next attack might come, and if we have to be alert at all times, how can we ever rest? God has not given us the spirit of fear. He also said "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."(John 16:33).
And in addition, don't most of our troubles exist because we live in a fallen (post Eden) world (see Ecclesiastes). There is a scientific law that everything will eventually atrophy or die. Cars break, people die, depression happens, jobs are lost, etc. The point being we're not in paradise and won't be until we get to heaven or until the Lord returns. Secondly, much of our troubles are a result of man's fallen nature. We are stupid people and do stupid things. Jesus describes us as "sheep that have gone astray. Each one to his own way.(Is. 53:6)". We eat unhealthy food, stay up late and then get sick. We procrastinate getting the car battery checked and it breaks down. We believe the myth that Christians are supposed to be happy 24/7 (happiness is not equivalent to joy) and when discouragement comes, we conclude the devil is responsible.
However, Job himself grieved--he tore his mantle, fell on the ground--at the loss of his family and his life. Satan was NOT testing his happiness level (reminds me when folks say "don't let Satan steal your joy!"). Job got angry at God; he had questions that still aren't answered. However, he still "worshiped" which is simply admitting that God is in control of all things and that God always is what he says.
It seems Satan's role is to tempt Christians to sin; not heap trouble on us that is really the result of a fallen world or our undisciplined actions. God will test our faith by giving us trials. Satan however tempts us to do evil. The first chapter of James clearly explains this. To summarize, I guess I just wish we weren't so quick to blame the devil in our statements and called a square a square. I am not attempting to judge anyone for their believes, but I would like to explore the Biblical perspective of this. I've heard it said we either give Satan too much credit or too little. What then is his role? Thoughts?
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Things I want to do this summer...
Paint the kitchen cabinets and the laundry room.
Help hubby finish assembling the captain bed he's building.
Plant summer flowers.
Really deep clean the house. *sigh*
And lastly, visit the new park in bedford and have a picnic with the hubby. :)
Monday, April 12, 2010
Frustrations...
I spent most of today feeling discouraged with several negative thoughts biting at me like lice that refuse to go away. Why can't I be this person I want to be? Why do I fail, get discouraged, and struggle? And then I came across this verse:
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.
And then I realized, I have to give everything--my discouragements, failures, self-doubts--up to Him. I can't make myself into what I should be for I'm not God. All I have to do is be willing to be used and follow where He leads.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.
And then I realized, I have to give everything--my discouragements, failures, self-doubts--up to Him. I can't make myself into what I should be for I'm not God. All I have to do is be willing to be used and follow where He leads.
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