Today's Bread

I was driving Clara to school yesterday and singing along to the radio. A song came on that I've heard at least a hundred times before. One of the verses is "This is my daily bread, your very Word spoken to me". You've probably heard it too.

As I was singing along and thinking about the words, I felt that still small voice speaking to me.

"You must be starving!"

It's true. I've been starving myself lately! When it comes to spending good quality time with the very Word of God...the Bible...I've been quite the slacker. It's my goal this weekend to spend some good quality time getting my fill. I feel hungry for it.

I opened my Bible this morning as I at my breakfast. I love the Psalms. Not so much the Psalms where David is moaning and groaning about something (although they have their time and place too, of course)...I love the Psalms that are full of praise and worship. I always seem to learn a thing or two about God's character when I'm reading the Psalms.

There was one verse that really popped out to me this morning (don't you love it when that happens? :) )

Psalm 89:14
"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you."

Righteousness. Justice. Love. Faithfulness.

Why did this jump out at me? I think it has to do with the "New-Agey" spiritual stuff that's been really on the rise lately. As you might know, I've been spending quite a bit of time on Oprah's discussion boards, where they are discussing her new book selection "A New Earth".

It's terrible, what's going on over there. There's lots of talk of "enlightenment" and "ego" and "self" and letting go of the ego and self and just...being still.

On the surface it seems fine...but what is being still if you are not in the presence of God? What does "god" even mean to you if you reject Jesus as savior...not just "highly enlightened" or "a great man"...but THE SAVIOR? Jesus is being completely lost in the discussion and teachings. The Gospel is being forsaken in the name of being "open minded." It keeps me up at night, what's going on with Oprah's new project.

My point? Well, a common argument that people have when debating the validity of Jesus as Savior...as God... goes something like this:

"God is love. God loves all. We are all his children. We all have God in us because we are made in his image. There are many paths to God. Heaven and Hell are only in our heads anyway, not real places. If you say that Jesus is the only way, then you are being judgemental and filled with hate and conflict. You are not in touch with God if you believe that Jesus is the only way."

There are lots and lots of arguments to this way of thinking. It's hard to hold my tongue and not really start "Bible thumping", since the Bible is FILLED with valid arguments to statements like those.

But the bottom line? The bottom line is that YES, God is love. But he is also righteous. He is also Holy. He is also faithful. There will be a penalty for our sins...thank the Lord, that the penalty was paid by Him for us if we accept the gift of his sacrifice.

Dying on the cross for us was the ultimate in love. But why was it necessary in the first place? It was necessary because I have sinned and because God is Righteous.

I rest with a satisfied belly today...filled with the Bread of God's Word. I rest today knowing that God is many things. He his perfectly loving. He his perfectly just. He is perfectly righteous. And that great big God who is so perfectly all things good? He loves me...little ol' me!

Loving God

Yesterday's post about love languages has had me thinking this morning. What is God's love language? How can I please him? How can I best love the One I was made to love?

I don't want to be accused of making God smaller than he is, but I think that one of the best ways to understand God is to simply look at ourselves. We were made in his image...what a gift for so many reasons!

If all of us speak one (or a combo) of the 5 love languages, then it seems to me that God must speaks all of the languages perfectly. What does that mean in practical terms?

1. Loving God with Words of Affirmation

This one seems pretty straight forward to me. Praise him! Tell God how wonderful you think he is. Verbally, mentally, or in print...list all of the wonderful qualities of God. Think and meditate on God's qualities and really communicate with God all of the things that you think are incredible about him. Worship him in spirit and in truth...let his goodness sink into your very soul and then sing his praises.

2. Quality Time

How can we spend time with God? I think a great way is to simply have a conversation with him...Pray. The Lords asks us to pray continually. Why? Could it be that God simply want to spend time with us because he loves us? Because he wants to be loved by us?

3. Receiving of Gifts

I had to think about this one for a while. After all...what can I possibly give God? Anything I have, I received from him in the first place! Seems pretty silly to try and imagine what I could give him. But then it hit me...my heart.

God wants a real and loving relationship with us. If he forces us to have a relationship with him, how can it be a genuine relationship? Every true relationship is based on the fact that both parties choose to be involved. Each person exercises their free will to love the other.

All I have to really offer God...something that he doesn't have already and something he can't/won't force me to give...is my own love. All I can give God is my heart, my love, my devotion...my life. I can live for him. I can live to love him.

4. Acts of Service

This one makes me think of "feed my sheep". When we serve others with love, we serve and love him.

5. Physical Touch

This is a tough one! After all, how can we physically touch God when we are not physically in his presence?

I suppose we could look at it in the same way that we look at "acts of service". When we physically serve others, we are serving him. That's going to have to do it while we're on this side of heaven.

But there will come a time when we will "know as we are known". There will come a time when we are physically risen from the dead, just as Jesus was. There will come a time when we will be able to physically touch the face of God. Can you even imagine? Wow.

It seems that then...when this whole earthly drama is finally played out...only then will this love story be complete. We will be forever with the one who made us. The one who made us so that he could love us and so that we could be loved by us.

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Well, this post took me all day to pray and think about! I am so thankful for this lesson today...I've never put much thought into how to love the Lord my God with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength. I hope it was a blessing to you too.

The Gospel Of Jesus Sure Causes A Stink!

I've been spending my free time reading A New Earth, and discussing it on Oprah's message boards. My, oh my...I don't exactly feel welcome!

My friend Becky always reminds me that "the Gospel is offensive". Based solely on people's reaction to my comments on the message boards, I'd definitely have to agree.

Have you noticed how the Gospel is always, always, always met with resistance?

I am trying to keep things simple. There are lots of points that the author makes in his book that I don't agree with...but I'm trying to ignore them as petty arguments. What I can not, and will not ignore, however, are the things being said about Jesus.

Tolle (the author of ANE), makes Jesus out to be nothing more than a highly enlightened individual who was operating on a higher level of consciousness...or something like that.

And although that sounds all spiritual and fancy...it makes Jesus out to be so much less than who he really is.

Folks - I'm only just past chapter one...ONE! I'm going to keep reading and keep participating in the message boards. It just grieves me too much to see Jesus being washed out...I can't ignore what's going on in those discussions! The truth of the Gospel is being lost in all this discussion of "self".

If you're up for it, please join me. I'm pretty overwhelmed with just reading the comments and trying to respond.

Let's Talk About Evolution

OK gang. I'm confused. Maybe I'm not very smart or something, but I just do not get the whole idea of evolution.

First a bit of background...I grew up going to public schools. Obviously, I was taught that Darwin's Theory of Evolution is how we got to be the way we are today. I accepted it without really any thought that it might be inaccurate or just flat wrong. Actually, I accepted it without much thought at all...except the thought that I'd have to remember what it was called for the next pop quiz.

It seems to fit. It gives a good explanation as to how we are so genetically similar to apes. It gives a good explanation as to what we are to make of certain fossils. And of course, it is a good lesson to teach kids when you're not allowed to use the word "God" in a classroom.

But lately, I've been thinking more and more about what the Bible says regarding how we got here. Namely, that we were simply created...just the way we are. Frankly, it makes a lot more sense to me than the idea that we somehow evolved from prehistoric oceanic sludge. It especially makes more sense to me considering the fact that the "Missing Link" is still...well...missing.

I've been reading my A New Earth book that I told you about. The first chapter talks a lot about evolution and how when faced with a crisis, a species must sometimes "evolve or die". In general terms, I get the idea.

Now, I'm not saying that I don't recognize change when I see it. Sure - we've changed over the years. We're generally taller. We're generally less hairy. We're have a changing skin color as a population. We have changed. In the most general sense of the word, I suppose evolution could be defined as "change over time". Yes, we are changing.

It's the idea of an "evolutionary leap" that seems positively ludicrous to me.

So what is an "evolutionary leap"? In chapter one of his book, Mr. Tolle talks about an example...the classic example of a water animal making it's way to being a land animal:

"at some point, one of the sea creatures must have started to venture onto dry land. It would perhaps crawl a few inches at first, then, exhausted by the enormous gravitational pull of the planet, it would return to the water, where gravity is almost nonexistent...and then it tried again and again, and much later would adapt to life on land, grow feet instead of fins, develop lungs instead of gills." (A New Earth, page 20)

OK, great. Sounds fine. But HOW?!

First, how did a sea creature just venture on to dry land? Ever hear the term "fish out of water"?

Second, it kept trying to get out of the water an on to land? I think a little too much credit is being given to sea animals here!

And then, later, it just grows feet instead of fins, lungs instead of gills?! Huh?

So let's give this whole idea the benefit of the doubt for just a few minutes. Human beings are, by far, the most intelligent beings to ever inhabit the earth. Since there is already more water than land on the planet...and there is bound to be more with ice caps melting away...lets use our highly evolved brains to make an evolutionary leap and to go back to the sea. Seems like it would be easier than cramming more and more people onto less and less land, right?

Let's get to it people...ready...set...go...GROW FINS...ok...now...GROW GILLS.

I know, I know...this all happens over many years and generations. But again...HOW? Is there some sort of trigger in our DNA that must be activated in order to make an evolutionary leap? Do we need to put ourselves in the position of almost drowning repeatedly...maybe then that "leap" DNA will be activated and our kids or grand kids will be born with fins and gills? Or maybe if we jump off enough buildings, but still live to talk about it and to reproduce...will our offspring be born with feathers?

Folks...It just makes no sense to me.

I don't mean to be a brat about this...maybe I'm missing some key to understanding the idea of an evolutionary leap. If I am, please...someone comment to this post and help me understand why you believe this stuff. I truly want to understand how you make sense of this!

Again, maybe it's my simple mind (or my ego, according to Tolle)...but it makes much more sense to me that there is a supreme being (called God here), who created us. He also created the sea creatures. And the apes. And the plants. And if that's the case, maybe, just maybe, we all got here just the way the Bible describes?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this...

Answers To All Of Life's Mysteries According To Me!

How's that for an eye-catching post title, eh?! Let me explain...

Lately, when I open the page to this blog, my eye is drawn to my little "who am I" paragraph in my sidebar. I read through it to sort of remind myself what I'm doing. I've come to think of it as my own personal "mission statement".

I've also starting thinking more and more..."OK, so what does it mean...exactly?"

-Seek after the Lord
-Raise my kids in a way pleasing to God
-Live my life in a way pleasing to God
-Run my home in a way pleasing to God
-Love my husband in a way pleasing to God

All easy stuff to say, but again...what does it mean to do these things in practical terms?

As I've mulled this over during the past week or so, I come up with more questions than answers. So I'm going to start my own little blog "series", if you will. I'm going to try and define what that list means. I'm going to share the questions I come up with. I'm going to share the answers I come up with.

The questions I've been mulling over come from various sources. Some of them come from my own heart and head, and some of them are more general questions I've heard people asking, but that I don't have answers for. Here are some of them:

1. Why do bad things happen to good people?
2. Why does such a big God want anything to do with little ol' me?
3. What's with sin? Where did it all start, and why does God let this mess continue?
4. I seek after God, but still...disappointment, fear, frustration, pain...why? Why doesn't he protect me from all of this if he loves me?
5. How can I raise my kids to please God?
6. How can I run my home to please God?
7. How can I love my husband to please God?
8. How can I live my life...seek God...to please him?
9. Can we know what the future holds?
10. Does God want us to have all the answers?
11. Does the Bible have all of the answers?
12. Are Heaven and Hell real?
13. What is Heaven like?
14. What is Hell like?
15. Is the Devil real, or is it just man's simple way of dealing with "evil"?
16. Why did God make us?

I could go on and on and on.....

Do you have any questions that you'd like to see added to the list? Leave a comment, and I'll add it to the list.

Is anyone besides me thinking.."YEAH RIGHT! Like this little ol' housewife is going to be able to answer all of these questions! HA! She's going to make an idiot of herself!!" ??

All I can say is, I'm going to try. I'm going to research what the Bible says, what "real" Bible scholars say, and what my friends and family have to say about it. I'm going to take my time, and work on one question at a time. I'm going to screw it up from time to time...consider that my official disclaimer.

And at the end of the day...it's my blog...I reserve the right to make an idiot of myself! :)

What do you say? You up for this?

If so, stay tuned. I'll get to some of life's eternal and deep mysteries...right after I fold some underwear...