This is a sad day.
Today 3,000 innocent lives in America will be intentionally ended. Simply put, today 3,000 people who haven't even yet had the chance to offend on any level will be murdered.
Sometimes, it's so easy even for those of us to care to forget what it really is. I can scoot right on through life, do my thing, and I don't hear the cries. Like the story of the Christians in Nazi Germany who worshiped near the train tracks. The cries of Jews hauled off to concentration camps, so many to their deaths, were drowned out by the church's hymns of praise.
A wicked people have legislated their own judgment... As Dr. Piper said, America is not eventually going to be judged for abortion, abortion is the judgment, now.
I feel so helpless, but the horror of the true reality of this genocide causes me to want to ditch the "American dream" entirely and spend my life doing something.
I am being trained to design buildings and solve structural problems. I know that God can be glorified in any career pursuit, done rightly and done for Him. But my heart is elsewhere today...
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Disappointed
Haven't felt the urge to blog much lately. But today, Derek Webb has changed that.
Derek Webb used to be a member of the band Caedmon's Call. He has since gone solo and produced some very unique and thoughtful music.
"What Matters More" does not first bring the word "thoughtful" to mind, and I would not recommend listening to it. Apparently, Derek Webb has been listening to too much Tony Campolo and not enough God-inspired Holy Bible. Mr. Webb likes to attack the church instead of sin. He has called the bride of Christ a whore and has since become far more vulgar. It is true that Christians are called to love sinners. But Mr. Webb has drawn the church to be something it is not and then spoken with horror of what he is seeing. It is accurate to say that the "church" in America is not as a whole a faithful, unified, and loving body. But the church, the true church, is not made up of the unrepentant that we so often see in what most would call the "church."
Furthermore, Jesus said that there would be many who professed Christ that were not, in fact, saved, in Matthew 7. So this church that Derek Webb constantly feels the need to attack is not the true bride of Christ anyways. And where do we start with anyone who is spiritually dead? With the Gospel, the power of God unto salvation. Derek Webb can talk about what Christians should do all he wants, but if the people he's trying to sway are not even Christians, what good is he going to do? They need the Gospel!
Aside from the mistaken origin of his usual stance, the song specifically is based off of an erred opinion. Apparently, the church as a whole is just hating homosexuals and waving off the many thousands of people dying of AIDS. (?!?!?) I guess that this means that Fred Phelps is the best representative for the church?? Every feeling revolts! I don't claim him. And apart from him, I cannot think of any Christians that hate gays. So either Derek Webb thinks that speaking out for the sanctity of marriage is equivalent to hating homosexuals or he doesn't know any Christians besides Fred Phelps. Yikes! A true Christian is not going to hate a homosexual because a true Christian understands this: we are all totally depraved and in desperate need of a Savior. Homosexuality is a sin, and Christians should be able to say so assertively without other Christians accusing them of hatred.
And apart from all of this, Derek Webb has lowerd himself to the common vulgarities so popular in a shockingly crass culture. He doesn't sound like a Christian, but still feels that he has the position to be beating other Christians over the head about something that is not the main point. Even if we were to all be working to end AIDS, if the gospel were not shared, all of these people without AIDS would still end up in Hell. Which to me is a good deal more horrifying than having AIDS. I'm not saying even a little tiny bit that we shouldn't care about people with AIDS (or whatever physical ailment), but God and the gospel still have to be the main thing or we won't have helped a single person.
Read your Bible, Derek.
Derek Webb used to be a member of the band Caedmon's Call. He has since gone solo and produced some very unique and thoughtful music.
"What Matters More" does not first bring the word "thoughtful" to mind, and I would not recommend listening to it. Apparently, Derek Webb has been listening to too much Tony Campolo and not enough God-inspired Holy Bible. Mr. Webb likes to attack the church instead of sin. He has called the bride of Christ a whore and has since become far more vulgar. It is true that Christians are called to love sinners. But Mr. Webb has drawn the church to be something it is not and then spoken with horror of what he is seeing. It is accurate to say that the "church" in America is not as a whole a faithful, unified, and loving body. But the church, the true church, is not made up of the unrepentant that we so often see in what most would call the "church."
Furthermore, Jesus said that there would be many who professed Christ that were not, in fact, saved, in Matthew 7. So this church that Derek Webb constantly feels the need to attack is not the true bride of Christ anyways. And where do we start with anyone who is spiritually dead? With the Gospel, the power of God unto salvation. Derek Webb can talk about what Christians should do all he wants, but if the people he's trying to sway are not even Christians, what good is he going to do? They need the Gospel!
Aside from the mistaken origin of his usual stance, the song specifically is based off of an erred opinion. Apparently, the church as a whole is just hating homosexuals and waving off the many thousands of people dying of AIDS. (?!?!?) I guess that this means that Fred Phelps is the best representative for the church?? Every feeling revolts! I don't claim him. And apart from him, I cannot think of any Christians that hate gays. So either Derek Webb thinks that speaking out for the sanctity of marriage is equivalent to hating homosexuals or he doesn't know any Christians besides Fred Phelps. Yikes! A true Christian is not going to hate a homosexual because a true Christian understands this: we are all totally depraved and in desperate need of a Savior. Homosexuality is a sin, and Christians should be able to say so assertively without other Christians accusing them of hatred.
And apart from all of this, Derek Webb has lowerd himself to the common vulgarities so popular in a shockingly crass culture. He doesn't sound like a Christian, but still feels that he has the position to be beating other Christians over the head about something that is not the main point. Even if we were to all be working to end AIDS, if the gospel were not shared, all of these people without AIDS would still end up in Hell. Which to me is a good deal more horrifying than having AIDS. I'm not saying even a little tiny bit that we shouldn't care about people with AIDS (or whatever physical ailment), but God and the gospel still have to be the main thing or we won't have helped a single person.
Read your Bible, Derek.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Vibia Perpetua
Vibia Perpetua and Felicitas by Thomas John
This has been recorded so beautifully by Tertullian himself. ‘The day of their victory dawned, and they marched from the prison with calm faces, trembling, if at all, with joy rather than fear. Perpetua went along with shining countenance and calm step, as the beloved of God, as a wife of Christ, putting down everyone’s stare by her own intense gaze. With them also was Felicitas, glad that she had safely given birth so that now she could fight the beasts, going from one blood bath to another, from the midwife to the gladiator, ready to wash after childbirth in a second baptism. For the young women, however, the Devil had prepared a mad heifer. This was an unusual animal, but it was chosen that their sex might be matched with that of the beast. So they were stripped naked, placed in nets and thus brought out into the arena. Even the crowd was horrified when they saw that one was a delicate young girl and the other was a woman fresh from child-birth with the milk still dripping from her breasts. And so they were brought back again and dressed in unbelted tunics.
First the heifer tossed Perpetua and she fell on her back. Then sitting up, she pulled down the tunic that was ripped along the side so that it covered her thighs, thinking more of her modesty than of her pain. Next she asked for pin to fasten untidy hair for it was not right that a martyr should die with her hair in disorder, lest she might seem to be mourning in her hour of triumph.
Then she got up. And seeing that Felicitas had been crushed to the ground, she went over to her, gave her hand, and lifted her up .... Then she called for her brother and spoke to him together with the catechumens and said: "You must all stand fast in the faith and love one another, and do not be weakened by what we have gone through". All of them were thrown in the usual spot to have their throat cut. But the mob asked that their bodies be brought out in the open that their eyes might be the guilty witnesses of the sword that pierced their flesh. And so the martyrs got up and went to the spot of their own accord as the people wanted them to, and kissing one another they sealed their martyrdom with the ritual kiss of peace. The others took the sword in silence and without moving, ... Perpetua, however, had yet to taste more pain. She screamed as she was struck on the bone; then she took the trembling hand of the young gladiator, and guided it to her throat. It was as though so great a woman, feared as she was by the unclean spirit, could not be dispatched unless she herself were willing’. (Mururilo, op.cit., pp. 125-131.)
This has been recorded so beautifully by Tertullian himself. ‘The day of their victory dawned, and they marched from the prison with calm faces, trembling, if at all, with joy rather than fear. Perpetua went along with shining countenance and calm step, as the beloved of God, as a wife of Christ, putting down everyone’s stare by her own intense gaze. With them also was Felicitas, glad that she had safely given birth so that now she could fight the beasts, going from one blood bath to another, from the midwife to the gladiator, ready to wash after childbirth in a second baptism. For the young women, however, the Devil had prepared a mad heifer. This was an unusual animal, but it was chosen that their sex might be matched with that of the beast. So they were stripped naked, placed in nets and thus brought out into the arena. Even the crowd was horrified when they saw that one was a delicate young girl and the other was a woman fresh from child-birth with the milk still dripping from her breasts. And so they were brought back again and dressed in unbelted tunics.
First the heifer tossed Perpetua and she fell on her back. Then sitting up, she pulled down the tunic that was ripped along the side so that it covered her thighs, thinking more of her modesty than of her pain. Next she asked for pin to fasten untidy hair for it was not right that a martyr should die with her hair in disorder, lest she might seem to be mourning in her hour of triumph.
Then she got up. And seeing that Felicitas had been crushed to the ground, she went over to her, gave her hand, and lifted her up .... Then she called for her brother and spoke to him together with the catechumens and said: "You must all stand fast in the faith and love one another, and do not be weakened by what we have gone through". All of them were thrown in the usual spot to have their throat cut. But the mob asked that their bodies be brought out in the open that their eyes might be the guilty witnesses of the sword that pierced their flesh. And so the martyrs got up and went to the spot of their own accord as the people wanted them to, and kissing one another they sealed their martyrdom with the ritual kiss of peace. The others took the sword in silence and without moving, ... Perpetua, however, had yet to taste more pain. She screamed as she was struck on the bone; then she took the trembling hand of the young gladiator, and guided it to her throat. It was as though so great a woman, feared as she was by the unclean spirit, could not be dispatched unless she herself were willing’. (Mururilo, op.cit., pp. 125-131.)
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Still Alive
Very surprised to have had someone notice I wasn't posting. I did recently get extremely busy. You know - the usual. Bombing thermodynamics exams, locking my keys in my car (whilst it was running, naturally), fixing my second flat tire, etc, etc. However, God is very good to me and reminds me in the most shameful ways. My poor sister-in-law actually took the time to have sympathy for me when she is certainly busier with college, work and taking care of my sick brother. Poor, sweet girl.
I have still been reading Calvinistic Cartoons on a semi-regular basis though. This follower is going nowhere.
And hope to eventually have more Mormons come to my door.
Interesting things:
Heard a man speaking on public radio (while riding the bus) about how he had gone from being a devout believer to a liberal Christian to an agnostic because of his finding "discrepancies" within the Bible. He doesn't think that the gospels line up or that the New Testament and Old Testament can be reconciled. When I was much younger, I actually had some of the same confusion. But I understand the story now, much better in any case and have a hard time seeing how he might think the gospels didn't line up. And God is the same throughout the entire Bible, much more readily seen when one understands the cross as God's wrath toward sin and not simply a Roman device for execution. (What I always seem to hear is that the Old Testament God was mean and the New Testament God was nice. But the simple truth is, He has always been good (nice and mean are flimsy words to describe God).)
I'm really getting thrown off by all my paranthesis up there.
Also, there is a speaker named Robert Koons, a professor of philosophy from the University of Texas, here to talk about science and theism. I would go, but I haven't been to BCM in quite a while. However, I read some of his papers just to see and was a bit disappointed on his understanding on the topic of science and theism. Though he does not see the two as contradictory, he does still hold to the theory of evolution. Another paper he wrote detailed his case for Roman Catholicism to which he converted from the Lutheran church, not even in spite of their view on justification but because of it. I have a really hard time understanding how anyone could even want to believe in a works-based religion over a grace-based faith. At that point, "Christianity" just joins the rest of the major religions of the world with a works-reward system that puts the emphasis on man's goodness and never God's glory.
I have still been reading Calvinistic Cartoons on a semi-regular basis though. This follower is going nowhere.
And hope to eventually have more Mormons come to my door.
Interesting things:
Heard a man speaking on public radio (while riding the bus) about how he had gone from being a devout believer to a liberal Christian to an agnostic because of his finding "discrepancies" within the Bible. He doesn't think that the gospels line up or that the New Testament and Old Testament can be reconciled. When I was much younger, I actually had some of the same confusion. But I understand the story now, much better in any case and have a hard time seeing how he might think the gospels didn't line up. And God is the same throughout the entire Bible, much more readily seen when one understands the cross as God's wrath toward sin and not simply a Roman device for execution. (What I always seem to hear is that the Old Testament God was mean and the New Testament God was nice. But the simple truth is, He has always been good (nice and mean are flimsy words to describe God).)
I'm really getting thrown off by all my paranthesis up there.
Also, there is a speaker named Robert Koons, a professor of philosophy from the University of Texas, here to talk about science and theism. I would go, but I haven't been to BCM in quite a while. However, I read some of his papers just to see and was a bit disappointed on his understanding on the topic of science and theism. Though he does not see the two as contradictory, he does still hold to the theory of evolution. Another paper he wrote detailed his case for Roman Catholicism to which he converted from the Lutheran church, not even in spite of their view on justification but because of it. I have a really hard time understanding how anyone could even want to believe in a works-based religion over a grace-based faith. At that point, "Christianity" just joins the rest of the major religions of the world with a works-reward system that puts the emphasis on man's goodness and never God's glory.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Mormons
AWWWW.... I just had the perfect opportunity to witness, and I got too nervous and didn't know what to say!!! I had Mormons come to the door, nooooooooooooooo!!!! I'm so disappointed with myself.
Haha, I tried to ask them about justification, but all they would say was through the atonement of Jesus. And I didn't really know how to squeeze the heresy out of them, so I pretty much chickened out. It totally stinks.
I don't think they wanted to debate with me though. At all.
The lesson I learned is be prepared. I should've given them my million dollar tracts. Very sad.
Haha, I tried to ask them about justification, but all they would say was through the atonement of Jesus. And I didn't really know how to squeeze the heresy out of them, so I pretty much chickened out. It totally stinks.
I don't think they wanted to debate with me though. At all.
The lesson I learned is be prepared. I should've given them my million dollar tracts. Very sad.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Goats
Can a sheep be drawn to a goat and maintain an assurance that she is indeed a sheep?
I guess I don't really need an answer. I just sometimes wish I had gone to a "Christian" university before I realize it might not really be much different.
I guess I don't really need an answer. I just sometimes wish I had gone to a "Christian" university before I realize it might not really be much different.
Friday, January 23, 2009
A Random Thought From Wretched Radio
A thought from the Wretched Radio program today... do worship leaders use music as a means of manipulation of the emotions of people? My best answer is some do. Really, especially among the unsaved, the tactic probably does more harm than good. I knew a girl a few years ago that claimed to be a Christian after "getting saved" at the church of a major charismatic denomination. However, when prodded as to what she believed and why she believed it, her answer was, "I know it's true because of how it makes me feel." She now calls herself agnostic.
The problem is not feelings, the problem is allowing feelings to be the force behind belief rather than allowing truth the be the force behind emotion. This is not to create any sort of false dichotomy. It's equally frustrating to meet someone who believes without any form of emotional response. That is such a rare experience that it can hardly be considered any sort of troubling problem though. Generally when someone realizes how depraved they are, the response is sadness and appropriately fear. And when someone really understands the cross, the response really ought to be joy and unfathomable gratitude. Perhaps not always. I'm not omniscient. Actually, I know really very little and would have no problem with receiving wisdom from believers more mature (it may not be measurable, but I think they would know) than me.
Wow, am I ever disorganized, but I have no time for this. I have to read my thermodynamics book!
The problem is not feelings, the problem is allowing feelings to be the force behind belief rather than allowing truth the be the force behind emotion. This is not to create any sort of false dichotomy. It's equally frustrating to meet someone who believes without any form of emotional response. That is such a rare experience that it can hardly be considered any sort of troubling problem though. Generally when someone realizes how depraved they are, the response is sadness and appropriately fear. And when someone really understands the cross, the response really ought to be joy and unfathomable gratitude. Perhaps not always. I'm not omniscient. Actually, I know really very little and would have no problem with receiving wisdom from believers more mature (it may not be measurable, but I think they would know) than me.
Wow, am I ever disorganized, but I have no time for this. I have to read my thermodynamics book!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
A Long Week... or Two
I felt first as if I had a lot to complain about from these past couple of weeks, which have been very, very long. But God, in His love and sovereignty, has already turned these complaints around.
I went on a youth retreat as an adult sponsor (aka chaperone), last week. Man was that rough! And somewhat demoralizing as I pondered the sad state of the modern American young person. The blessing therein? I was reminded of the wretched little snot I was as a fifteen-year-old (not that I don't still have the tendency...) and was overjoyed to see the cross where Christ died even for some of those wretched, little, fifteen-year-old snots (I'm not talking about anyone specific).
When I got home, I came down with a nasty cold. So my entire last week of break, I pretty much sat around, drooling or sleeping or both. Being sick though, always reminds me of the incredible blessing of health. And it reminds me that I can assume nothing about my future other than that I am safe in God's goodness. It just doesn't always display itself as I might prefer. Other than that, it was a blessing in that I finally stopped walking around constantly on my horribly sprained ankle-and now it's healing!
But today. Today was the worst. I had to drive back to Laramie. That in and of itself is nothing happy because it's been rather a lonely place for me what with me being a "fundamentalist" and all. But two hours from home and two hours from Laramie, my tire blew out. I began the attempt to actually change the tire (on the interstate). But I could not for the life of me get the nuts loose. Then a nice man named Jack stopped and helped me... meaning he changed my tire for me. But also informed me that the spare was really low. No way I'd make it. So I went to the near town (po-dunk) and searched for AIR. No one had any AIR. Every gas station's AIR compressor was broken. It's nuts, I know, but true. And there were no tire repair places open. Apparently, no one gets flats on Saturday. So I went looking for Pamida, I knew they had a Pamida, but I drove the wrong way. After managing to get lost in town Po-Dunk, I found an Ace, bought an air compressor, broke it a minute after starting to air my tire and bloodied up my thumb. (I seem to be unable to stop smirking as I type this.) So I exchanged the air compressor, aired up my tire and drove 55 all the way to Laramie.
And what did I get from this? Contrition. I forget sometimes that the world doesn't revolve around me. Everything went wrong, but I realized, it's not as though I personally deserve any better. Also, I had to praise the Lord over and over again for the nice man Jack and for my dad. Not previously mentioned, I probably made between ten and twenty calls to my father throughout this entire two hour ordeal. And by the time I told him there was no AIR, he and my mom were actually leaving Gillette and heading to Po-Dunk. I'm glad they didn't have to drive the whole way but even gladder that they were willing. If God's love displayed in imperfect people is so wonderful and humbling, how much more His love displayed in His perfect Son. Reminders, reminders. I'm learning.
I went on a youth retreat as an adult sponsor (aka chaperone), last week. Man was that rough! And somewhat demoralizing as I pondered the sad state of the modern American young person. The blessing therein? I was reminded of the wretched little snot I was as a fifteen-year-old (not that I don't still have the tendency...) and was overjoyed to see the cross where Christ died even for some of those wretched, little, fifteen-year-old snots (I'm not talking about anyone specific).
When I got home, I came down with a nasty cold. So my entire last week of break, I pretty much sat around, drooling or sleeping or both. Being sick though, always reminds me of the incredible blessing of health. And it reminds me that I can assume nothing about my future other than that I am safe in God's goodness. It just doesn't always display itself as I might prefer. Other than that, it was a blessing in that I finally stopped walking around constantly on my horribly sprained ankle-and now it's healing!
But today. Today was the worst. I had to drive back to Laramie. That in and of itself is nothing happy because it's been rather a lonely place for me what with me being a "fundamentalist" and all. But two hours from home and two hours from Laramie, my tire blew out. I began the attempt to actually change the tire (on the interstate). But I could not for the life of me get the nuts loose. Then a nice man named Jack stopped and helped me... meaning he changed my tire for me. But also informed me that the spare was really low. No way I'd make it. So I went to the near town (po-dunk) and searched for AIR. No one had any AIR. Every gas station's AIR compressor was broken. It's nuts, I know, but true. And there were no tire repair places open. Apparently, no one gets flats on Saturday. So I went looking for Pamida, I knew they had a Pamida, but I drove the wrong way. After managing to get lost in town Po-Dunk, I found an Ace, bought an air compressor, broke it a minute after starting to air my tire and bloodied up my thumb. (I seem to be unable to stop smirking as I type this.) So I exchanged the air compressor, aired up my tire and drove 55 all the way to Laramie.
And what did I get from this? Contrition. I forget sometimes that the world doesn't revolve around me. Everything went wrong, but I realized, it's not as though I personally deserve any better. Also, I had to praise the Lord over and over again for the nice man Jack and for my dad. Not previously mentioned, I probably made between ten and twenty calls to my father throughout this entire two hour ordeal. And by the time I told him there was no AIR, he and my mom were actually leaving Gillette and heading to Po-Dunk. I'm glad they didn't have to drive the whole way but even gladder that they were willing. If God's love displayed in imperfect people is so wonderful and humbling, how much more His love displayed in His perfect Son. Reminders, reminders. I'm learning.
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