Visitors!!!

With three blogs I'm actively participating in, and now going basically full-time at work, it's amazing I have any time for anything. But the weekend is coming (my last Friday off) and my sister and neice are on their way for a visit! Mercy is not the only one excited about finally checking out "Frog Legs Inflatables" here in Opelika. Her Aunt Minnah just can't wait to see her and her oh-so-preggo mama.
We're also going to be heading up to B'ham all together for an A Cappella Choir reunion at Samford. I've been back and forth on going, but will be glad to be there with my sis, who was at least 1/2 the reason I tried out for and participated in A Cappella, something I certainly am thrilled that I did.
I'll be sure to get some pics while they're in town and while we're all travelling together in B'ham, and will post a nice photoshow when I return.
Happy weekend...

Anah

After changing my blog for Easter, I took off the verse that I used to have at the bottom of the screen. Many of you may never have noticed the verse. Perhaps I ought to edit my blog so that T.S Eliot's quote will be placed at the bottom and this verse at the top. I just might do that when I have time later...
Anyway, the verse is a big time favorite of mine:
"You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great." Psalm 18:35
This morning I started an online Bill Gothard Bible Study on the Commands of Christ with a group of ladies. This morning's lesson was on repentence, but something in the additional reading caught my attention. It said:
"Several Hebrew words are translated humble. One is anah, which means 'to stoop, be downcast, bow down; to be afflicted; to weaken oneself; to mishandle'.” When God stoops down to make us great, he humbles himself in the manner of this Hebrew word "anah." What greater example of humility do we have than that of Christ, who as Paul says in Phillipians, "who being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but instead made himself nothing, taking the very form of a servant, being made in human likeness; and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!"
God stooped down all the way to earth. And he didn't settle for being a king in all of his glory - he stooped down to the level of servant, he weakened himself, he gave himself up to be afflicted. And for what purpose? Well, certainly for His own glory. But also so that we could be made heirs with Christ our brother!
Yesterday morning I sang and played violin in an Easter sunrise service. The song we sang reawakened me to the love of God. If you haven't heard "Who am I" by Casting Crowns, I suggest you check it out, thinking about the God who humbled Himself, not even stopping short of death, who stooped down to make us (YOU) great.

New Recipe

I've posted my March recipe of the month. This soup is great for a quick lunch - it literally takes no time at all and is very very tasty, even with mostly no-sodium ingredients. The book it came from is a new favorite of mine "Meals in Minutes" from the American Heart Association. Bon Appetit!

A New Look for Easter

My blog has a new look in anticipation of Easter. I'll post a new recipe in the next day or two. In the meanwhile, happy reading and Happy Easter.
He has risen indeed!

The Business of Church

Isn’t it sad when the business world is a safer place than the church world?

[DISCLAIMER: The contents of this post have been edited, I hope in a manner that will still allow it to be meaningful to readers. If you find yourself at a loss to understand the context, either ignore it or email and ask me for more information…]

Sometimes it feels right to be very, very angry when it seems you’ve been placed by God right in the path of destruction – especially destruction created by a person who has set himself up as someone to be trusted, or as a spiritual leader. It can be just as bad to have to stand by and watch people you love suffer – seemingly for no reason at all! And all people can say is "let go and let God" and all of that trite baloney?!? Or how about this whopper: "wish we could do something to help... but we don't know what to do that would not harm the good work and the reputation of our church or our pastor." Or the simple: "we are praying for you and wish you the best of everything in this life" unaccompanied by any genuine assistance.

I’m reminded of scripture: "Oh you foolish Galatians! Who has deceived you?!" "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10 "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" Galatians 6:2. It is amazing how God's word is ignored by "His people!"

God’s true people are being persecuted by the church, and what for? For their honesty. Where are the church staff members, the church deacons, elders, members who will stand up for truth? They have been told not to seek the truth; they’ve been hushed by “you don’t want to know.” And maybe it’s become true – they don’t want to know. Their comfort has become more important than sacrifice. They have shown where their allegiance truly lies.

I blogged awhile back about triumphal Christianity. We are told to accept that "it's not about you," and then (if we accept that it isn't about us), God will reward us with all the lovely things this world has to offer. Wouldn’t that just make it all about us? Our acceptance that “it's not about us” is considered our sacrifice?! WOW!

What kind of Christianity is this? "We don't want to know [the truth];" gosh I just keep thinking, "oh you foolish Galatians! Who has deceived you???" God's mission for his church will not/cannot go on unhindered without the Truth.

More on this to follow...

More Observations from Dallas Willard

{Material from a long-ago chat with mom re: Dallas Willard's Hearing God}

Willard says (in Hearing God) that scripture can be divided one way into incidentals and principals. Take the parable of the rich young ruler, for example. Is this incidental or principal? Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all he had and follow Him. Was Jesus’ statement intended for the entirety of the human race to use as a dictate? Should we all go and sell all that we have and follow Him? This, Willard says (and I agree) is an incidental story. The rich young ruler was told to sell all by Jesus, because Jesus saw that this specific man needed to deal with this specific area of his life. That doesn't mean that all people are supposed to sell all they have, but it may mean that there are other rich young rulers out there who will be convicted to sell all and follow Him. It’s not a principal, it’s an incident; an instructive anecdote, not an anecdotal instruction.

But plenty of Christ’s words are principals. "Love the Lord your God with all your mind, soul and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. Do unto others…" There is a fairly big difference between the commands of Christ (the principals) and the incidental stories in scripture. Both are intended to instruct us in how to live, but only some are meant to be taken as true dictums that are one-size-fits all of Christendom.

It seems that a lot of what you read in popular (instructive) Christian writings are incidentals being written as principals. In the human quest to figure out the “perfect (easy) method to find the perfect walk with God" some “theologian” finds an obscure verse that can “de-code” the rest of scripture and allow you to prosper in the Christian walk like never before. The Prayer of Jabez. An incident, not a principal. That prayer was meant for Jabez to pray. Should others pray similarly? Some people, some of the time. But when Jesus tells us, “this is how you should pray…” it is a principal, meant to apply to all people all the time.

What happens through this “Christian” writing is that people entirely MISS the principals because they are wrapped up in the incidentals. As responsible, intellectual Christians, we debate whether or not to attack these “Christian” works, because there is no doubt that they have some merit; they espouse some truth. The problem becomes that people MISS the big truths because they are focusing on these lesser things. People would rather read The Purpose Driven Life for thirty days, than read the bible every day for the rest of their life on earth. It’s easier. So they miss God, but gain religion...

Comments welcome.