I have no idea where the time has gone. One minute I'm Miss Bloggy Bloggy and then next, I am gone for about two weeks. I can't believe how busy life has been. Wait, isn't this time of year when things slow down and get back on track?!
What in the world?!
It's been a long couple of weeks. Little Toot has been going through a rough patch with his OCD and we have been struggling and seeking wisdom on how to best help him. Again, God is faithful and is giving us wisdom with each passing day. It is difficult when you look in your child's eyes and there is only hopelessness within. All you want to do, as a parent, is to protect them. We have been doing a lot of research and have found great tools. Thankfully, he is coming back out of this dark time and doing much better. There is life and there is joy in his eyes again.
We've been talking to him about Martin Luther and how God was able to use him in such a big way BECAUSE of his OCD, not in spite of. Luther was able to see that he would never be good enough. He knew he could never work hard enough to make it to Heaven. In a time when everything was about working your way to God, he knew that he could never cut it. His OCD showed him his flaws day in and day out. It was because of this that he was able to see God's grace and turn to Him as a flawed being. It was because of this that he was able to change the way the world had seen God for over 1,000 years. Unbelievable.
It's a beautiful think to see how God uses our darkest times to change the world. Whether it is just our own little world, or the actual world! (:
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Sunday, September 7, 2014
My Biggest Fear
Christians are interesting people. It seems that we spent about 1,500 years being a church that got what we wanted in the name of religion. Crusades, Violence, Hate and Control. There is a sudden wave of change around 2000. Now, it's as if the pendulum swung to the opposite side. Now we are a religion of something completely different. Coddle. Look the other way. No Judgement. Always Mercy. I don't believe that any of it would even be called Christianity, let alone the same religion!
Look, I believe that God is a God of great mercy, compassion and love. I believe that He will love and take you at any place or turn in your life. However, I also believe in the God that is jealous.
People like to say that now we are a New Testament church. That the entire Old Testament is irrelevant. "I'll go with what Jesus said.". That's all fine and dandy, but Jesus was all up in the Old Testament too. So, yeah, I'll go with what Jesus said, but I'll take it as a whole.
There's plenty of judgement and mercy/anger and love in both. God wiped out nations of innocent children and then loved and took care of His people. Jesus helped the lame and hung out with the "least of these". But he also showed righteous anger. He also told Peter, "Get behind me, Satan.".
Look, I am not in the business of judging others. I am in the business of loving what God loves and hating what He hates. Jesus clearly loved the "sinners". But he also told them, "Go and sin no more". He never said, "Aw, I support you because I'm a merciful God!". Absolutely not!!!!
The God of the Bible is a complex figure. He should be. Why would I worship Him if I understood what He does? Why would I worship Him if I knew everything like He does?
I wouldn't. That's the point.
Stop trying to understand everything and put God in a box. He's GOD. We will NEVER, EVER comprehend His ways. They are above our ways. We can't box Him into what we think is the perfect God. That's a god of our creation.
Christianity is not the design for the church that Jesus left Peter with. We cling to that title and then make up our own gods. It is scary! People are so confused by what God is because everyone has their opinions and labels.
I am sorry if you feel like you are judging someone because you don't like their lifestyle. You should be loving them with everything you have. Not judging them. But supporting them in their sin is the exact opposite of what God would have you to do. Society has burned into our brains that we are judgmental and narrow minded.
Run away from it all. Get back to the roots. Love God with all of your heart, soul and mind. Love others as yourself. Period.
I feel that, more and more, we are being bullied into a faith that is against everything God stands for. It's not acceptable and I won't do it. I won't spend another 1,500 years letting the church confuse people again. Not if I can do a thing about it.
Stop worrying about our "acceptance" bringing them to Jesus. Jesus if fully capable of winning their hearts. We just need to love them (and I definitely don't mean support the things that Jesus hates). Loving God is taking Him as a whole. Even the parts we don't get, or the parts that make us feel angry.
Look, I believe that God is a God of great mercy, compassion and love. I believe that He will love and take you at any place or turn in your life. However, I also believe in the God that is jealous.
People like to say that now we are a New Testament church. That the entire Old Testament is irrelevant. "I'll go with what Jesus said.". That's all fine and dandy, but Jesus was all up in the Old Testament too. So, yeah, I'll go with what Jesus said, but I'll take it as a whole.
There's plenty of judgement and mercy/anger and love in both. God wiped out nations of innocent children and then loved and took care of His people. Jesus helped the lame and hung out with the "least of these". But he also showed righteous anger. He also told Peter, "Get behind me, Satan.".
Look, I am not in the business of judging others. I am in the business of loving what God loves and hating what He hates. Jesus clearly loved the "sinners". But he also told them, "Go and sin no more". He never said, "Aw, I support you because I'm a merciful God!". Absolutely not!!!!
The God of the Bible is a complex figure. He should be. Why would I worship Him if I understood what He does? Why would I worship Him if I knew everything like He does?
I wouldn't. That's the point.
Stop trying to understand everything and put God in a box. He's GOD. We will NEVER, EVER comprehend His ways. They are above our ways. We can't box Him into what we think is the perfect God. That's a god of our creation.
Christianity is not the design for the church that Jesus left Peter with. We cling to that title and then make up our own gods. It is scary! People are so confused by what God is because everyone has their opinions and labels.
I am sorry if you feel like you are judging someone because you don't like their lifestyle. You should be loving them with everything you have. Not judging them. But supporting them in their sin is the exact opposite of what God would have you to do. Society has burned into our brains that we are judgmental and narrow minded.
Run away from it all. Get back to the roots. Love God with all of your heart, soul and mind. Love others as yourself. Period.
I feel that, more and more, we are being bullied into a faith that is against everything God stands for. It's not acceptable and I won't do it. I won't spend another 1,500 years letting the church confuse people again. Not if I can do a thing about it.
Stop worrying about our "acceptance" bringing them to Jesus. Jesus if fully capable of winning their hearts. We just need to love them (and I definitely don't mean support the things that Jesus hates). Loving God is taking Him as a whole. Even the parts we don't get, or the parts that make us feel angry.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Books
I wanted to share some of my fav books I've been reading.
1. Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge -- It is about the personality of Jesus. We see Him as so rigid and religious, but that's exactly what He hated. Eldredge describes it as "Watching tv without the sound on". When we see Jesus' playful and fun side, we began to understand and connect on a deeper level with Him.
2. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers -- It's a retelling of the story of Hosea and Gomer. Hosea was asked by God to love and marry a prostitute. She continued to leave him and go back to prostitution, even having children by these other men. It is not your typical silly novel (which I like too!). It's very deep and explores the heart and it's response to what life brings. Good stuff.
3. Erasing Hell by Francis Chan -- If you have heard all the drama, or read Rob Bell's latest book, Love Wins, you will want to read Erasing Hell. It's a flat out rebuttal. Get both sides of the story. It shows us the truth of what the Bible says about Hell. Unfortunately, some of it you won't like!
--Must Read Staples for your library--
-Crazy Love by Francis Chan
-Radical by David Platt
-Forgotten God by Francis Chan
-The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne
-Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper
-The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel
-The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning
-Chasing Elephants: Wrestling with the Gray Areas of Life by Brent Crowe
-The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
1. Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge -- It is about the personality of Jesus. We see Him as so rigid and religious, but that's exactly what He hated. Eldredge describes it as "Watching tv without the sound on". When we see Jesus' playful and fun side, we began to understand and connect on a deeper level with Him.
2. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers -- It's a retelling of the story of Hosea and Gomer. Hosea was asked by God to love and marry a prostitute. She continued to leave him and go back to prostitution, even having children by these other men. It is not your typical silly novel (which I like too!). It's very deep and explores the heart and it's response to what life brings. Good stuff.
3. Erasing Hell by Francis Chan -- If you have heard all the drama, or read Rob Bell's latest book, Love Wins, you will want to read Erasing Hell. It's a flat out rebuttal. Get both sides of the story. It shows us the truth of what the Bible says about Hell. Unfortunately, some of it you won't like!
--Must Read Staples for your library--
-Crazy Love by Francis Chan
-Radical by David Platt
-Forgotten God by Francis Chan
-The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne
-Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper
-The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel
-The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning
-Chasing Elephants: Wrestling with the Gray Areas of Life by Brent Crowe
-The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)