Finally mine...

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 18

2008-11-08T15:53:00.006-05:00

Wow, I started this entry 7 months ago. Time to get back to it so we can finish it up and move on!

Wisdom of Solomon
I find myself on a quiet weekend. Lots of things to do - I'm so lucky. Went and spent some time with Amber, downtown, helped her get a prescription, then we bought some lunch for a few people. Always wish more could be done, you know? I was just thinking about that - I suppose I should count myself lucky in being able to say that I've spent my best years helping others.

Hey wow, only one more chapter to go after this one. We should celebrate.

We left off with the Roman occupation, ghosts, and a lesson in philosophy. Let's see what we've got for today.

"Their enemies heard their voices but did not see their forms, and counted them happy for not having suffered, and were thankful that thy holy ones, though previously wronged, were doing them no injury; and they begged their pardon for having been at variance with them."

Interesting conclusion of the occupation - their enemies seem a bit wonderous that only they were afflicted and were surprised at the behavior of their "victors." Imagine that, if all wars ended that way - imagine if the Japanese were like, "Oh, sorry we bombed Pearl Harbor."

"Therefore thou didst provide a flaming pillar of fire as a guide for thy people's unknown journey, and a harmless sun for their glorious wandering. For their enemies deserved to be deprived of light and imprisoned in darkness, those who had kept thy sons imprisoned, through whom the imperishable light of the law was to be given to the world. When they had resolved to kill the babes of thy holy ones, and one child had been exposed and rescued, thou didst in punishment take away a multitude of their children; and thou didst destroy them all together by a mighty flood."

Interesting how this speaker is now suddenly speaking to God. The audience seems to have shifted. I wonder how it sounds to an outsider when you're talking to God. There either seems to be more history here that I'm not familiar with or stuff pulled from random places - imprisonment of Jews, scurge of Hebrew children (we've seen that before a few times!) - is he referring to Moses being rescued? Jesus? Then there's a reference to a flood - The Flood? Or another flood? I'm confused here. What's the point though? That the enemies deserved to be punished, but God had grace for them and even gave them useful gifts - more unmerited grace. And a little throwback to the Lord clothing Adam and Eve on their way out of the Garden.

[6] That night was made known beforehand to our fathers, so that they might rejoice in sure knowledge of the oaths in which they trusted. [7] The deliverance of the righteous and the destruction of their enemies were expected by thy people.

Prophecy is an interesting subject for me. I don't follow others' prophecies blindly, especially when they're self-fulfilling, unless they really feel supernatural. I have a friend who is afraid prophecy is more like the fortune telling he did back when he was into witchcraft. Anyhow, forknowledge of your for sure destruction is another thing. Reminds me my other friend's father is dying - but the doctors haven't come up with a reliable time frame for that either. At least Christians already know the end of the story. The deliverance of the righteous and the destruction of our enemies is on its way - even non-Christians can speak of their own sure descent into hell. Boggles the mind how they don't care or are trying to get validation from you.

[8] For by the same means by which thou didst punish our enemies thou didst call us to thyself and glorify us. [9] For in secret the holy children of good men offered sacrifices, and with one accord agreed to the divine law, that the saints would share alike the same things, both blessings and dangers; and already they were singing the praises of the fathers.

Reminds me of Jesus...by the same way the Lord allowed him to be destroyed and beaten in every way, he used that to call us to himself and glorify us through the blood of Christ. Although I don't know who the "fathers" are. "Fathers of faith..."? The fathers of the "holy children of good men"? The gift of an innocent child...reminds us of the gift of Abraham laying down Isaac, the small children coming to Jesus, and the baby Jesus, later tattered on the cross.

[10] But the discordant cry of their enemies echoed back, and their piteous lament for their children was spread abroad. [11] The slave was punished with the same penalty as the master, and the common man suffered the same loss as the king; [12] and they all together, by the one form of death, had corpses too many to count. For the living were not sufficient even to bury them, since in one instant their most valued children had been destroyed.

If God was able to sacrifice his only child, we must be able to do the same, willingly. Letting go for me isn't an issue - it's getting it in the first place. Perhaps I should take comfort in the "blessed is she who has not borne children." Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. Ah, to love with reckless abandon. I can only love my God like that. And my cat, if he'll let me.

[13] For though they had disbelieved everything because of their magic arts,yet, when their first-born were destroyed, they acknowledged thy people to be God's son.

Woah...there's some kind of grammatical error here. Reminds you of the final plague of pharoah even though this worlds away and generations later. Thy people to be God's son...like...Moses...? Like...the Jews were God's people/children/child - like the church is Christ's bride?

[14] For while gentle silence enveloped all things, and night in its swift course was now half gone, [15] thy all-powerful word leaped from heaven, from the royal throne, into the midst of the land that was doomed, a stern warrior [16] carrying the sharp sword of thy authentic command, and stood and filled all things with death, and touched heaven while standing on the earth. [17] Then at once apparitions in dreadful dreams greatly troubled them, and unexpected fears assailed them; [18] and one here and another there, hurled down half dead, made known why they were dying; [19] for the dreams which disturbed them forewarned them of this, so that they might not perish without knowing why they suffered.

A very powerful and poetic passage but, the WORD leaped from the royal throne of heaven - the authentic command of God - filled things with DEATH!? Ok, now I can see how from an enemy's apocolyptic view one might see things that way, but certainly not a victor of Christ's blood. Interesting how God continue to show us why we suffer and yet we refuse to acknowledge or believe it. Sometimes, however, the knowledge is worse than the suffering, so we persist in the pain of one rather than the other. Like a family member of mine and her father.

[20] The experience of death touched also the righteous, and a plague came upon the multitude in the desert, but the wrath did not long continue. [21] For a blameless man was quick to act as their champion; he brought forward the shield of his ministry, prayer and propitiation by incense; he withstood the anger and put an end to the disaster, showing that he was thy servant.[22] He conquered the wrath not by strength of body, and not by force of arms, but by his word he subdued the punisher, appealing to the oaths and covenants given to our fathers. [23] For when the dead had already fallen on one another in heaps, he intervened and held back the wrath, and cut off its way to the living.

Sounds like someone was daydreaming about the Savior before the Savior came. They did think he would be some great warrior. They almost get it right. The experience of death does continue to touch the righteous. But we have not lost our Champion. He still does all the things in v. 23. Praise Him!

[24] For upon his long robe the whole world was depicted, and the glories of the fathers were engraved on the four rows of stones, and thy majesty on the diadem upon his head. [25] To these the destroyer yielded, these he feared; for merely to test the wrath was enough.

I'm still confused here about the roles being played here. The Word comes and brings death, but there's some kind of Savior/Champion who bows to the "glories fo the fathers"? How Hellenistic! The voice switches here again to speaking to God - "thy majesty". The helmet of truth - the majesty of God covers all who wish to be covered.

Fascinating, and enough for today. Hopefully I'll finish 19 in the next 6 months. *LOL*!

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 17

2008-10-31T15:03:00.004-04:00

Wisdom of Solomon

Well, friends, I'm ready to restart this "I'm bored at work and need something to do" project. Also known as my "working out my salvation" effort. You might think I never have anything to do and work at boring jobs, but no, I always have something in the fire and am very grateful to have time to work at each of them!

So, whoever you are, ("to an unknown audience,") since we last left off I am coming to you from work in a different city! Nashville, the Belt Buckle of the Bible Belt. Oh how joyous it is to be a Christian in this city. It's so much easier for me to be friendly here and unsuspicious. I'm spreading my wings here!

So back to the work at hand. Let's pick up where we left off on fake Bible Books - Chapter 17!

"Great are thy judgments and hard to describe; therefore uninstructed souls have gone astray."

I really like verse 1 - very interesting. His judgments are great and hard to describe on many levels - their magnitude, their purpose...and if we do not learn our lessons we are surely uncorrected in our evil courses. Though I would argue that the two parts should be switched, "Uninstructed souls have gone astray, therefore great are thy judgments and hard to describe." It is certainly interesting how the Lord corrects us in ways that we can understand if we choose. There are some however that are just plain terrible - those are just meant to get our attention, I think. I think we always know in some way what He really wants us to do - and leaves the rest up to our discretion. (Free will, baby!)

"For when lawless men supposed that they held the holy nation in their power, they themselves lay as captives of darkness and prisoners of long night, shut in under their roofs, exiles from eternal providence."

Sounds like what's going on in the Middle East with Israel. God bless the Holy Nation of Israel!

"For thinking that in their secret sins they were unobserved behind a dark curtain of forgetfulness, they were scattered, terribly alarmed, and appalled by specters. For not even the inner chamber that held them protected them from fear, but terrifying sounds rang out around them, and dismal phantoms with gloomy faces appeared."

Okay, could I have picked a better day than Halloween to restart this blog and have this passage in here about darkness, fear, weird sounds, ghosts, and phantoms?? Yes, the haunting of people outside of the protection of the Lord! If believers are tormented, how much more non-believers! And yet, many are not even aware of it.

"And no power of fire was able to give light, nor did the brilliant flames of the stars avail to illumine that hateful night. Nothing was shining through to them except a dreadful, self-kindled fire, and in terror they deemed the things which they saw to be worse than that unseen appearance. The delusions of their magic art lay humbled, and their boasted wisdom was scornfully rebuked."

Methinks this refers to the Roman occupation, although I'm no historian - I just gleaned that off a cutting of an article from Encyclopedia Britannica. Ironic last line about their wisdom being rebuked. Example of the separation between man's wisdom and God's referred to in this text. Although one (me) might argue, in too many places they overlap here.

"For those who promised to drive off the fears and disorders of a sick soul were sick themselves with ridiculous fear. For even if nothing disturbing frightened them, yet, scared by the passing of beasts and the hissing of serpents, they perished in trembling fear, refusing to look even at the air, though it nowhere could be avoided."

Make no promises to cure or heal! That's sound. Only God has that power. How frightening is that? Refusing to look at the air! Perishing in fear! Talk about a "dark night of the soul."

"For wickedness is a cowardly thing, condemned by its own testimony; distressed by conscience, it has always exaggerated the difficulties. For fear is nothing but surrender of the helps that come from reason; and the inner expectation of help, being weak, prefers ignorance of what causes the torment."

Thick and confusing here. Wickedness is indeed cloaked fear. Interesting connection to being distressed by conscience - sounds like Paul in Romans 2:15. This is a lot of great psycho-babble. Well, the Hellenistic Athenians were great philosophers. This is almost like a direct quote from Epicureanism! (I wonder if it is! HA!) Although the negating attitude is leaning toward Stoicism! I have an image of a British chap looking down his nose and down his pipe saying, "Really dahlin, if you'd just be reasonable, you'd stop being so fearful." Hehe :)

"But throughout the night, which was really powerless, and which beset them from the recesses of powerless Hades, they all slept the same sleep, and now were driven by monstrous specters, and now were paralyzed by their souls' surrender, for sudden and unexpected fear overwhelmed them. And whoever was there fell down, and thus was kept shut up in a prison not made of iron; for whether he was a farmer or a shepherd or a workman who toiled in the wilderness, he was seized, and endured the inescapable fate; for with one chain of darkness they all were bound. Whether there came a whistling wind, or a melodious sound of birds in wide-spreading branches, or the rhythm of violently rushing water, or the harsh crash of rocks hurled down, or the unseen running of leaping animals, or the sound of the most savage roaring beasts, or an echo thrown back from a hollow of the mountains, it paralyzed them with terror. For the whole world was illumined with brilliant light, and was engaged in unhindered work, while over those men alone heavy night was spread, an image of the darkness that was destined to receive them; but still heavier than darkness were they to themselves."

This reads like a Shakespearean prologue. Very descriptive and imaginitive, but where is it going? Perhaps we'll find out in Chapter 18! But seriously, we have changed tones here - another reason this is not a true prophetic book. We've gone from Proverby advice and prattlings about the importance of Wisdom to a history book! What's going on here? Be wise...but not too wise...what is Wisdom without action? Oh, yeah, this was written by a Stoic. Know all, do nothing! Oh, wait, don't get too passionate about that.

Ok folks, Happy Hallowed Eve and All Saints Day - I'm looking forward to rejoining you soon for our next installment! (I feel like I'm announcing Masterpiece Theatre...or is it Tales from the Crypt!!?!!?) *Insert Evil Laugh*

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 16

2008-01-02T16:21:00.000-05:00

Wisdom of Solomon

Welcome to another exciting installation of the fake books in the Catholic Bible. (Tee hee - ouch.)
Right now, I come to you live from the scanner at work, where I am scanning in another 1,000 pages of boringness. My pages are being "rasterized" - is that related to Zionist prostylization? (Oh my good Lord, I spelled that right on the first try. Yes, this English teacher uses spellcheck.)

Let's take a look at Chapter 16.

The first verses reveal the Lord's kindness to the Egyptians (notice this author never uses names likein other parts of the Bible when history is being invoked to prove a point?) It also refers in verse two about the quail the Lord provided in the desert. We were joking about this recently about how the Lord says, in essence, you want quail? I'll give you quail until it's coming out of your nose, you ingrates." Seems like the Lord expressed anger through this "blessing" of "lovingkindness of delicacies" - completely different message.

It is true the Lord gets our attention in myriad ways - we are often "troubled for a little while as a warning." Thankfully His grace and mercy and lovingkindess are seen - often as an afterthought to this flesh. We forget Him so easily when we do not get what we want when we want it. When we heed His warning, however, and remember His benefits and promises aloud, our enemies can not use our flesh as argument against God. Indeed, one who uses one of His servants complaints as an argument against Him does not know Him indeed. But, you know, we must show our humanity at times, or our faith would not be real. They must wonder, why do they keep going back for more? Even though they suffer, they love Him. They must love Him awfully far above and beyond the suffering they have endured. Ah, but those who love Him, do love Him far above and beyond anything and everything. This world has nothing for us. No joy, or pain, comes close to the joy and sweet pain of knowing Him.

The language becomes a bit muddied here and the history criss-crossed. The memories of the Lord's warnings seem to be reminiscent of the prophets, and the punishments of the Israelites in captivity w/ Egypt. The Lord did not punish His faithful in Egypt - He delivered them. And it was only because of their disobedience that they were "reminded" of the Lord's power. Strange stuff indeed. Unless the author wants to categorize Egyptians and Israelites in the same category - which is even stranger - that concept only really comes in the new Testament - after argument!

Haha - verse 13 gives it all away when it refers to God leading men to Hades and back. Our cultural reference points give it away. There are earlier mentions of Sheol and "the depths" but this is clearly a Greek location and concept.

Verse 14 is a pointer ahead to the purity of Jesus. Only a perfect man/god could bring life in death and set free souls. And we, in the vine of the purity of Jesus can do the same.

"To escape from thy hand is impossible..." (verse 15) truly true.

The next verses muddle together several stories - manna from Heaven, the fire and rains in Egypt? Maybe I'm not clear on my Israeli history, but this author isn't any more so! It mentions something about everyone eating the taste that suited himself - where is that? I have no clue. This might be a made-up part about the flavor of the manna, because, as far as I know, they got so bored with it they cried out for meat! If the manna changed flavor, why wouldn't they imagine it to be meat?

Verse 24 is a mind-boggler. Creation serves the Lord, it "exerts itself to punish" and "in kindness relaxes" - that's way too much personification of the Creation. While the Creation has the Breath of Life, it does not have the Mind of the Creator. The Lord does seem to punish various areas with natural disasters and yet modern man will not accept that idea. What do you think? I'm still blown away by the connections I see - yet the words will sometimes not leave my mouth. Was Louisiana punished by God for its sin? Did the Towers fall because of the sin of the financial world? Do the mudslides and earthquakes come upon the heathen in Asia so they might see the Hand of God? I am not the one who decides this, but I do take note. Hopefully I take action too - Lord strengthen me.

Deuteronomy is quoted in verse 26 - a verse that Jesus speaks aloud to Satan in the desert.

I don't really know what the fire, sun, ray, and ice refers too - I should reread some chapters and do some research on that for you. The last line of this chapter is thoughtful - "the hope of an ungrateful man will melt like wintry frost, and flow away like waste water."

Lord, I am grateful for my friends, my family, those who rule justly, for the basic needs you have more than covered, for the prosperity I enjoy. For ample food, protection, service, and that all my needs are taken care of by you. You serve me well. I wish I could serve you a fraction of how well you serve me. But I can not, as you made me to need you. So, I am your friend, your bride! AMEN.

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 15

2007-12-26T12:08:00.000-05:00

Wisdom of Solomon

Well, hello again! A very Merry Christmas to you! And a lovely, wonderful New Year.

I came across this line while I was terribly bored at Christmas Eve service - a guest pastor preached and performed quite terribly. I tried not to be offended by the message. :) Anyway, I took the opportunity to pray through Psalm 32 (since I'm 32 years old,) and to re-read 1st Corinthians. It was God's Holy Spirit that drew me for I found this line that makes total sense in regard to the "Wisdom of Solomon" having been written by a Hellenic Jew.

1 Corinthians 1:22 "Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom..."

Doesn't this put the whole thing into perspective? Amazing how the Bible knows itself and tells on other pieces of literature that aren't authentic. We must be well-versed in being able to tell the difference and listen to varying opinions about history and interpretation, letting God's Holy Spirit reveal His truth.

On a semi-related side note, I'm thinking of blogging the Psalms next year - praying through them "aloud" as a demonstration of my approach to them. Amazing literature. I read them through a couple summers ago - one a day - it was great practice. I have a friend, Bruce, who reads five a day and a Chapter of Proverbs - every day! I'll have to work up to that.

Let's look at Chapter 15 - only a few more to go!

The first three verses remind me of 2nd Peter and Romans.

2 Peter 1:3 "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."

Romans 6:15 "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!"

Remarkable, this trickery of sin that we may not realize we are involved in until it is too late and our weak flesh presses forward into it. There were times I knew I was moving toward sin and felt myself walking further out on a thin limb of a tree - feeling myself very alone. Thankfully that has caused me to take precautions and move back, away from the edge. He has spoken to me repeatedly, warning me of pending danger and whispering His desires for me in my ear. Oh how He knows me and cares for me!

Verse four and the following verses are a bunny trail about idolatry again. I think we get the point. There is one line of note - verse eight where he talks about an idol being made of the same material that he is made of - earth. This is a good argument for those who think God is in everything around us. How can someone create something from scratch that he is already made of? The latter end of that line is somewhat strange and unbiblical - "required to return the soul that was lent him." Makes you think of all sorts of strange arguments. If the soul is not the personality, what is? Of course we are fashioned by God, but having been given free will and autonomy, surely we do not have our souls on loan, having these bodies on loan is a more popular argument.

A beautiful line about the lifelessness of someone who does not believe in the fullness of the one true living God, "His heart is ashes, his hope is cheaper than dirt, and his life is of less worth than clay, because he failed to know the one who formed him and inspired him with an active soul and breathed into him a living spirit." (Verses 10 & 11.) This is purely poetic, but we appreciate it very much.

I do like the metaphor also in verse 12 about our existance being considered an idle game. Some days it does seem like that. It is only when we are actively engaged in His work that we have our usefulness and our joyful purpose, whatever He set us to do.

Verse 16 also talks about a borrowed spirit. I see the poetic imagery, but let us not delve into facts here. Interesting discussion may ensue, however, about the basis of the personality - spirit, soul & body or just soul & body...my pastors are divided on the issue. Paul feeling it is the two and Alex feeling it is the three. Paul mentioned he was so disappointed to discover Alex's thoughts on the subject. I'm glad they don't always agree and have active dialogue.

An excellent and beautiful idea there too, at the end of 16, "no man can form a god which is like himself." That is an argument for those who feel God is "made up." Of all the gods that have ever been made up, who compares to the true living God who makes up Himself? One can not devise the mysterious nor fashion anything that is not a reflection of Himself. So if we are honest, could we have truly fashioned the Lord God and His gift of Jesus? That is hardly a reflection of the ways of man. Truly, His ways were not our ways, so how could we possibly have made Him up?

The last verse is somewhat confusing - about less desirable animals not having the blessing of God. We do say something about, "having been blessed with good looks." It was the weak and poor that the Lord blessed - the cripple son of the predecessor of David, the bleeding woman, the prostitutes and tax collectors. Every "gift" has its responsibility. For those of us who know our weakness, the greater gifts are given.

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 14

2007-12-20T16:30:00.000-05:00

More snow, more free time at work this afternoon. I see the end in sight too, so my pace as picked up. I am a runner at heart, trying to run the good race.

Wisdom of Solomon

More language at the beginning here about the inefficacy of idolatry. An idol being no more helpful than the wooden ship made to carry the sailor.

Great imagery here about the Lord giving us "a path in the sea, and a safe way through the waves." He does have a good plan for our lives if we but trust Him. Out of the noise of the hustle and bustle of commerce, business, greed, and gain, one can hear the calling to a higher life. The day to day grind often drowns it out and we are lost again and so easily distracted to have completely forgotten Him.

The next part focuses on the abomination of idols, the wood, being created by God, were twisted by sinful man. This is true of many things in our world. Our flesh is corruptable. We were given such minds so as to do great things-great things that quickly become small and become "traps for the souls of men and a snare to the feet of the foolish."

Verse 12 doesn't make sense to me. Although I understand and note the power of sexuality throughout the ages, and how fertility is intertwined with it, I'm not sure of this line. Verse 16 then talks about how these things are handed down generation to generation. One might say the same of the Jewish law.

The next verses talk about the power of the visual upon men. One might say the same about Catholic statues. Worshipping the power of the Virgin Mary slab of concrete is more disrespectful to the mother of Jesus than disrespecting the statue.

Verses 23 through 26 comes close to a description of modern times. Reminds me of when I read Jeremiah and mourned for the state of sin I discovered our poor American was in. She has certainly dirtied her undergarments and stained the pure democratic bed she was created in. Can we be rid of the sin? Only through repentance and Jesus' healing.

Our peace: "all is a raging riot of blood and murder, theft and deceit, corruption, faithlessness, tumult, perjury, confusion over what is good, forgetfulness of favors, pollution of souls, sex perversion, disorder in marriage, adultery, and debauchery." And we are happy and satisfied with this? No, we are drunk on the wine of the world! Dear Lord Jesus in Heaven save us!

"For the worship of idols not to be named is the beginning and cause and end of every evil." What are our idols? From there we will see the birth of our evils. Let us destroy them, you and I.

What a great couple of lines: "Because they trust in lifeless idols they swear wicked oaths and expect to suffer no harm. But just penalties will overtake them on two counts: because they thought wickedly of God in devoting themselves to idols, and because in deceit they swore unrighteously through contempt for holiness." We have no idea our idols are idols because we have no learned better. We have fashioned our own holiness in the day of the "Higher Power" - we have not learned to trust or to have faith in the unseen.

Lord, change our hearts. We want to be like you.

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 13

2007-12-19T20:53:00.000-05:00

Wisdom of Solomon

Lucky number 13! Okay, right. I don't believe in numerology. Although, numbers are significant, I am unsure divination are their purpose.

Anyway - digressing again! (You've caught on already that I like to follow bunny trails.)

The first line gets you right off the bat. This claims that "all men who were ignorant of God were foolish by nature," but the New Testament tells us that our nature is foolish. Our natural state of flesh is utter foolishness. It wants what it wants and will do whatever it takes to get it. With knowledge of God, however, we gain all we need for a life independent of our desires. The second part of the line is important, however. How can one, while continuing to look at the Creation, not recognize or acknowledge the Creator? And I agree with verse two - how could one assume that the Creation were better than the Creator? Who could be so foolish?

There are thoughtful prayers in verses three and four, "let them know how much better than these is their Lord,for the author of beauty created them," and "let them perceive from them how much more powerful is he who formed them." Verse five contains a most excellent point as well, "For from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator." How can we not understand the nature of the Creator by viewing the Created? How can we rightly love the Creation while ignoring the Creator? It is certainly a disrespect of the Creation itself, let alone the Creator.

It is empathetic in part to its understanding to even today's seeker with "hopes set on dead things." Interesting to not that the idolator prays - just as much as the believer - and for the same things - "his marriage and children, for life...for aid...for a prosperous journey...for money-making, and work and success," - and then the illogic of it all - to pray to something that can not love, has never experienced sickness or sin, or has never taken a step, nor can work. And excellent line, "for life he prays to a thing that is dead." Asking for something from something that can not give it - what a colossal waste of time!

We must know our Lord is one who has experienced our life and has experience in the things we ask Him for. We may know through the life of Jesus that He knows us and our experience intimately so that He is the right one to ask for help from. He has loved, He has created a child, He has made journeys, He has been prosperous and poor, He has experienced our sin and sickness in His suffering and death, and He has worked - worked so hard to gain our attention. He, Lord of all, must know - and not merely through observation, but practical experience. We do not go to an uneducated, inexperienced "mentor" for help, but seek out those who demonstrate they know what they are doing. How much has the Lord demonstrated? We can trust Him.

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 12

2007-12-17T14:43:00.000-05:00

Wisdom of Solomon

And now for Chapter 12.

Wait, what, no greeting? Sorry...what? I got busy. What, you never been busy before? :)

Okay, so back to blogging.

We've only got 7 more after this!

Again, Chapter 12.

Right off the bat, verse one we've got an issue. "For thy immortal spirit is in all things." This is reminiscent of naturalistic pantheism, so we've got to tread lightly. Those who have received the Holy Spirit have been endowed with the very spirit that was in Christ Jesus. Those who have not, simply, factually and actually don't have His immortal spirit. Now one might argue that a bit of the Creator is in all His creation, but that is as true as my saying that a piece of me is in a piece of pottery I've molded. I may leave my mark on it, but I have not given it my spirit, although it may reflect my thinking and my heart.

Keeping the "rule" for who has the spirit and who doesn't, we can go forward and agree with verse two that it has the effect of ongoing sanctification. And thankfully, it is "little by little" - too much is simply too much.

Verses 3 through 7 refer to the worshippers of Baal written about extensively in the old testament. Verses 8 through 11 describe the Lord's grace and "sanctification" with even those who do not belong to Him. It is a wonder to think on that issue. I know the Lord was working before I knew He was. The Arminian calls this "prevenient grace" - grace that came before we knew about it. The Calvinist says that those who are called are predestined and always called. (Feel free to disagree here, these are but generalizations.) Amazing that we who are His own are sometimes so worried about being rejected by Him that we forget how much grace He has for those who care so little for Him. How much more should we who already love Him so and experience His presence delight in and feel safe in His shelter?

An interesting Messianic line in verse 12b - "Or who will come before thee to plead as an advocate for unrighteous men?" God so loved the world, that He gave such an advocate. I read recently that Jews believe that Satan is "The Accuser" and actually "works for God." If that were to turn out to be true, (which I don't believe it will - Satan is underestimated in that view - and the rest of evil unaccounted for in the definition,) then Jesus is the ultimate defense attorney. And, if it were so simple, why wouldn't a Jew take Him at that?

I do like the description of (which, who could rightly, truly understand God's reasoning - even Jesus said the only one who knew the mind of the Father was the Father, ) the judgment of God in verses 13-17. Summary: God cares for all men; we can not prove that God has judged justly or unjustly, and it is foreign to God to make an error in judgment. We must accept His final say, and when we are at our wits end to understand the many "whys" we burst forth with in this life, come to acceptance of this fact. His rule over His creation causes Him to spare it. Anything less would prove a smaller God.

I love verse 18b, "for thou hast power to act whenever thou dost choose," because it reminds me of a conversation I had with someone I loved a long time ago, the hostess of our young adult Bible study. God has all eternity to answer our prayers - whether in advance, after the fact, or at the very last second beforehand.

This demonstration of grace is our model.

The final verses speak of the comparison between the way the Lord handles those He loves, His Sons, and those He is enemies with.

Look at how He treated His own Son and how He has treated His enemies? He has been tough on the Son to show more love to the enemy. And the enemy has not understood it. Why is it so blind? How he shall rue the bitter day he discovers what he has rejected.

How is the Lord treating you these days? It is always interesting to peer into the stories of other people. To read the books the Lord is writing with their lives and see how He handles them. Sometimes I question certain chapters, Lord, but you MUST know best. I trust you do and that all your purposes will be made plain one sweet day.

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 11

2007-10-22T22:52:00.000-04:00

I'm back - so soon? Yes! Praise God. Chapter 10 was fun. Let's see what 11 brings us.

Wisdom of Solomon

Back to Moses and the history of the Israelites wandering in circles in the desert. (On a side note, I think Jewish humility and oversensitivity comes from the embarassment of some of their behavior in the Old Testament. Not sure why anyone would think they would purposely brag about being God's chosen people. They're responsible for all the wrath.)

I don't even know what verse one means. "Wisdom prospered their works by the hand of a holy prophet." The prophet being Moses, of course. Another personification of Wisdom with power. I guess wisdom was given to Moses that helped them survive? I hardly call a 40-year circular journey in a desert marked by complaining and idol worship prospering.

Verses 9 and 10 are true, and popular concepts. I like verse 11 although I'm not sure of their subject. "Whether absent or present, they were equally distressed." How true of God.

Verse 14 is surprisingly Messianic in flavor. I'm not sure of who this author is referring to though.

"One is punished by the very things by which he sins." This is true - He doesn't ask us to give up that which is good for us! I am certainly punished by my sins and the sins of others.

What's the deal with the dragon imagery in 18 & 19? That's weird.

Verse 23 is a a great and accurate praise - also full of the truth of Jesus. "Thou dost overlook men's sins, that they may repent." I wish people in my life knew how to do that. I pray I may continue to do that. Some may call it perverse masochistic passivity. I call it walking like Jesus.

I think verse 24 falls a little short in poetic language though. It's not terribly sophisticated. Hardly the words of a wise poetic, educated King - more like the logic of a pre-schooler. "You love everything you made because you wouldn't make anything you hated." I suppose it's comforting in a time of need, when you're feeling low in self-esteem. We've all got faces and souls only the Lord could love.

The Lord loves the living and the dying. He is ever renewing us so we may press on, persevere, and preserve abundant life. He is a good God.

Praise His name!

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 10

2007-10-16T16:46:00.000-04:00

Wisdom of Solomon

Chapter 10.

Sorry it's been so long...been busy at work. And at night - teaching ESL, discipline, accountability group, Fire, social events...awesome! All good things. Praise and thank God for gainful employment! Working as unto the Lord...

I re-read my last post and just praise God for answered prayer. Lord, you are good, and your mercy endures forever.

Even though I have been under emotional and physical attack (and sometimes verbal!) the last few weeks, I feel as though I my foundation is stronger, my feet more planted, my heart more at peace with Him.

Miss our talks about the Apocrypha? Let's have another...

This chapter is whack. Yes, I said it, "whack."

Following the theology/logic of the opening verses, Adam was protected by and delivered by Wisdom - who can not be God as "she" is notedly personified female. (Although we see the same in Proverbs 1:20 as well.) Let us not be confused by this - the Lord God gave Adam his work to do, (subdue the earth and rule it,) forgave Adam, and delivered Him to a new land. This is a mis-attribution of blessings and power.

Also, Cain did not perish after he slew his brother, he (Genesis 4:16) "went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden."

Laughing at verse four; I'm quite sure Noah's ark was larger and more well constructed than a "paltry piece of wood." He built it over 100 years.

Not sure, but perhaps verse five refers to Abraham and Isaac? The beginning of Wisdom and Knowledge is fear of the Lord, (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 1:7,) so perhaps Abraham's fear of the Lord won out over his compassion for his child so that he was willing to sacrifice his child? My best guess...makes sense though! (At last!)

Perhaps the author is boasting of his knowledge of Scripture by generalizing the use of Wisdom across the ages with the most popular of Bible stories. (I'm not impressed.) - Verses 6 -8 refer to Lot and his wife. Although it is quite funny to imagine a pillar of salt being a monument to an unbelieving soul - it would have wasted away quite quickly with the elements - not really a lasting tribute.

There is a redeeming note here "because they passed wisdom by, they...were hindered from recognizing the good." Wisdom is the knowledge of good and evil. We must know both. Ignorance does not bring pleasure.

I can not agree with verse 9 - Wisdom rescued from troubles those who served her. Wisdom (misused) and knowledge (misused) has been the devil's instrument, and our worship of it, instead of our worship of God, has gotten us into trouble. Also, the Lord is the rescuer of His servants, most notably Jesus, who suffered the most, (for our sake,) - his troubles did not pass Him by, but He walked through them for us. What Wisdom is that! Only Divine, which confounds the world. (1 Corinthians 1:25)

Further on in the history of the Jews - I believe 10-12 is about Jacob, 13-14 is about Joseph. 15-20 is about the Israelites and the Lord using Moses to lead them through the Red Sea and the aquatic death of the pursuing Egyptian enslavers. Again, this fantastic feat is attributed to the female Wisdom and not to our Father God. So strange. The language in 20 and 21 isn't even clear - perhaps a translation issue. "They sang hymns to thy holy name...because wisdom opened the mouth of the dumb..." Again the separation of Wisdom and the Lord. Why not just say God, all-wise, or the Omniscient One?

Further proof of this "bunk-ery"!

(Yes..."bunk-ery.")

God bless us with His wisdom and His mercy - truly sufficient. Our cups runneth over.

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 9

2007-08-20T20:14:00.000-04:00

Wow, been a long time, eh?

(Not that anyone's noticed...)

Finally moved and somewhat organized, have a night off, so I'm here with ya.

Spending some QT with the Lord tonight. May He bless my reading of His Word, and that which is not, so that His light and gospel message may be clearly spread.

Quick update, I drew a picture at sketchfu.com - an animation of John 1:1-14. (Link here: http://sketchfu.com/drawing/30341-john-1-1-14-finished-) Now it's been viewed 14,631 times. Call it a mustard seed. (Enjoy!)

Okay, on to the business at hand.

Wisdom of Solomon

Chapter 9 is a great and beautiful and true piece of literature. (I guess a surprising departure from previous chapters.) The Word of God? No, pretty obvious stuff, but well written, as usual. If only all leaders would rely on the Wisdom of God to rule...how much the earth could be rid of evil. We must have godly leadership!

"For the reasoning of mortals is worthless."

I love this line, "We can hardly guess at what is on earth, and what is at hand we find with labor;" we are only ignorant pioneers, sojourners, innocent, until we are taught what is Truth.

Ah, to be taught what pleases God! This is my favorite line, as nothing makes me more happy than to think I have brought glory to God. I have many shortcomings, vices, and bad habits. But, I should not judge myself, nor fear His judgment to paralysis, else I should nothing learn nor mend in my life.

What pleases God?

1 Chronicles 29:17
"I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity."
Romans 8:8
"Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God."
1 Timothy 2:1-4
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
Hebrews 11:6
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
Hebrews 13:16
"And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

So, integrity, holiness, prayers, thanksgiving, living a peaceful and quiet life, having faith, doing good, and sharing with others please God. This seems so hard for people to do.

Without God...it is not possible.

Lord of love, mercy, honor, holiness, peace, and grace, please continue your work in me to increase my integrity, help me to pay my bills on time, and to be a woman of my word. Help me to guard my heart, mind, and spirit so it may be pleasing unto you. Please send your Holy Spirit that I may not rely on my own strength to bring this about.

Lord of cleanliness, purity, and righteousness, cleanse me and make me new in your vision once again, Lord. Every day, may your sanctification process take place unhindered in me.

Thank you Lord for putting your words in my heart and mind so I may pray them aloud and for putting holy thoughts in my mind that I may use them for intercession. Thank you for the ministry with International Christian concern, for those I am praying for salvation, for the ministry for commuters and at work. Lord, increase my prayers. Thank you for answering them and being faithful in hearing me.

Lord, please increase my gratitude. Please let me not be lax in giving proper thanks to you for all things. Thank you for my health, family, wonderful home and roommate. Thank you for my job which allows me to excel and to support myself and others. Thank you for the heart to tithe and to help care for your Kingdom. Help me to be more generous.

Thank you for this quiet and peaceful life. Thank you for the freedom to have it.

Thank you for revealing so much of yourself that I can not help but believe and know that you are my good Lord, sweet Savior, and precious Holy Spirit. Please forgive me that I have taken you for granted nearly every day of my life. I love you Lord, I love you Jesus, I love you Holy Spirit.

Lord, do I do "good" and "share with others" in a manner that pleases you? I have always struggled with "enough" of these things. I can never outgive you, Lord. Thank you knowledge and wisdom as to these things.

Good and faithful Father, I adore and worship you! You are so beautiful!

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 8

2007-07-16T13:08:00.000-04:00

Well, whereas yesterday there was nothing worth repeating, today I feel as though I could comment on each verse.

Wisdom of Solomon

Let me start out by saying this author has quite the obsession with Wisdom. (Yes, capital "w.") It is definitely an idol before God. He seems to have sold his soul for it.

There is so much in here that is "counter-Truth" (ironically the ultimate in "wisdom," if you will,) it's just...well...not even funny. It's a bit of a disturbing chapter as the author personifies and romances wisdom before our eyes. Either the intimacy is awkward in this, "public arena," or the over-sexualization is just plain inappropriate, or both. Anyway, this is icky. (To use a technical term.)

"She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other,and she orders all things well."
This sounds a bit like the creation story. Wisdom is not the creator of the Earth. The Lord is. And, it took a heck of a lot more than just wisdom to create what we enjoy (or don't) today.

"I loved her and sought her from my youth,and I desired to take her for my bride,and I became enamored of her beauty."
Okay, stalker. This is just idol talk. (Idle talk?)

"She glorifies her noble birth by living with God, and the Lord of all loves her. For she is an initiate in the knowledge of God, and an associate in his works."
Pretty language but just awkward in idea. The only way the first sentence would make sense to me would be to say, "God is the Father of Wisdom." This makes it sound SO Greek/Roman though. Which is how I feel too about the second line - reminds me of Zeus and Athena. So continues, "In Praise of Wisdom."

"And if any one loves righteousness, her labors are virtues; for she teaches self-control and prudence, justice and courage;nothing in life is more profitable for men than these."
I like these lines as they do not further define "wisdom's labors." We may learn in so many ways - often from doing the wrong thing.

"Therefore I determined to take her to live with me, knowing that she would give me good counsel and encouragement in cares and grief. Because of her I shall have glory among the multitudes and honor in the presence of the elders, though I am young."
This is such a weird Proverbs thing for me. Proverbs talks about Wisdom for the first 30 chapters then ends on Proverbs 31, the "Wife of Noble Character." Sounds like this author is wedded to his ideal wife. I suppose any man (and woman) would want this. When I initially read the second line I just thought, what a vain and insecure man. I suppose we are all that way. I don't think this author is seeking Christ-like godliness though. He goes on to talk about being desirous of power, and to create fear in foreign kings. Now, this may be a king's duty, but for your average Joe, this kind of attitude isn't going to cut it on a daily basis. This guy wants to exploit her, while Christ/God uses Wisdom to serve. Again, the lack of humility here is somewhat disturbing to me. This text continues to be so not God-spoken.

"Because of her I shall have immortality, and leave an everlasting remembrance to those who come after me."
Yeah, no. First, this isn't what a Christlike person desires, and, being smart doesn't get you eternal life. An everlasting remembrance? In the light of Christ, nothing like this matters.

An inserted side-note here, it is important for me to say that I don't expect all old-Testament authors to have the complete revelation, but if you are going to put yourself out there as the smartest man ever, than you need to prove it. This author expresses bright ideas, none of which haven't been expressed before, but seems to be lacking in so much Godly wisdom! He's not a "Paul" for sure. There is no direct revelation here. It bothers me that some folks continue to think this is God-breathed. It's so misleading and does not add anything to the Canon.

"When I enter my house, I shall find rest with her, for companionship with her has no bitterness, and life with her has no pain, but gladness and joy."
First, this is the sexualized comment I think goes too far. Second, to me, wisdom is often very painful. Awareness and knowledge are more painful. Wisdom into alleviating the problems and sin brought up by awareness and knowledge, into alleviating ignorance, is great, but at least in today's culture, "ignorance is bliss." Unless you take sadistic, Pharisaical pleasure in knowing pain and use it to separate yourself from others - if you are of course - also not interested in being Christlike.

"When I considered these things inwardly, and thought upon them in my mind, that in kinship with wisdom there is immortality, and in friendship with her, pure delight, and in the labors of her hands, unfailing wealth, and in the experience of her company, understanding, and renown in sharing her words, I went about seeking how to get her for myself."
Yeah, the grass seemed greener, didn't it? Solomon died when he fell away from the Lord. If indeed this is somehow his writing, we must note where in his biography this took place. If you read Ecclesiastes, his ultimate conclusion was that even this was just "chasing the wind." Ever elusive - God always knows more than us. That is what makes him God.

"As a child I was by nature well endowed, and a good soul fell to my lot; or rather, being good, I entered an undefiled body."
WOW. I don't even want to touch this. It's so not even scriptural. UGH...wow...yeah...

"But I perceived that I would not possess wisdom unless God gave her to me--and it was a mark of insight to know whose gift she was--so I appealed to the Lord and besought him,and with my whole heart I said:"
Yes, indeed, a mark of insight, at last, you've said something true! So weird how this chapter ends mid-sentence.

This chapter makes me want to vomit.

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 7

2007-07-15T13:00:00.000-04:00

Wisdom of Solomon

Lucky number 7! (Yeah, I don't believe in luck.)

Well...nothing quote-worthy in this Chapter, believe it or not! If it were to be named, I would suggest, "Ode to Wisdom."

Methinks this chap (where did this accent come from?) is suffering from self-admiration. The pomposity in this section is thick despite it's feigned humility

Here is what the rest of the Bible says about being wise in your own eyes.

Proverbs 3:7
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
Proverbs 26:5
Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.
Proverbs 26:12
Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Proverbs 26:16
The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.
Proverbs 28:11
A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him. Isaiah 5:21
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.

Wisdom is not the same as discernment. Wisdom is its own end. Discernment is aid from the Lord - the light to your feet to make choices in keeping with His will.

Do not be fooled!

There is a wonderful a cappella piece by Randall Thompson called "The Peaceable Kingdom." In it is a movement called, "Woe Unto Them." I sang this in HS in the District Music Festival in...oh...1992?

I'll let you listen. (No, not to us - the American Repertory Singers - an Amazon.com link.) There are other Randall Thompson pieces on this CD as well.

This is the whole movement - the one mentioned above is the second piece. I'm not terribly impressed with this recording, however. If you want to listen to my tape recording I'm happy to lend it to you. Great stuff!

I can't find the whole set of lyrics online - here is what I can glean from the recording (which gives me giant goose bumps.)

Lyrics: "Woe Unto Them"* - Randall Thompson (1899-1984)
Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity
And sin as it were with a cartrope
Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil
That put darkness for light and light for darkness
And put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter
Woe!
Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes
And prudent in their own sight
Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine
Turn men of strength to men of strong drink
Woe!
Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning
That they may follow strong drink
And continue to night 'til win enflame them
And the harp
And the pipe
The tabyreth
And fife
And wine
Are in their peak
Woe!

*I know I have some of these lyrics wrong, but you get the point!

Notes to Self ~ 7/13/07

2007-07-14T00:33:00.001-04:00

I was reading at www.karma2grace.org a website maintained by my church an article comparing Chopra to the Bible. It's funny that I understand what Chopra is saying and nearly fell into its practice. It's such an empty, emotionless life. There are such Hindus and Buddhists who reached "Nirvana" or "inner peace" and felt themselves slipping away into anonymous non-existance. That is so not what the Lord wants. It's like extreme escapism and selfishness/self-centeredness as well.

I love what Oswald Chambers said in one of his daily devotionals in "My Utmost for His Highest" about how the Lord does not create Christians for museums, that we must have a living and active faith - we were created for the great adventure as that great Steven Curtis Chapman song goes.

Well, I have been very busy at work, as I mentioned in my previous post. I have three barbecues to go to this weekend, and hopefully we're signing a lease on our new place tomorrow (well...today really...being that it's after midnight and all!) So, we're excited. Tired...but excited. Looking forward to getting things wrapped up and a move date set.

So, I'm catching up on lolfrenz posts and icanhazcheezburger comments, then I'm off to bed!

Good night!

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 6

2007-07-13T23:40:00.000-04:00

Praise God for answered prayer - I have been so busy at work - it's been great! I've also had ESL and church every night, so it's been tough to keep up with this daily. I sincerely doubt I'm leaving anyone hanging anyway!

Stay tuned for tonight's episode...

Wisdom of Solomon

I just discovered my links were dead, so I had to find a new origin for the text for ya. I've just gone and updated all the previous posts, so you should be all set now. (Phew!)

"...he will search out your works and inquire into your plans."
I have been reminded lately that "to whom much is given, much is expected." I know that a large responsibility has been given me - care of myself, and all the assets the Lord has loaded onto my plate. I have to admit to being a somewhat careless custodian. The idea of being held accountable at the end of my life has the possibility of driving me insane. Sometimes it's like you feel like you've screwed it up beyond repair - FUBAR'd your life. The Lord is the Lord of second, third...however many chances His grace has in store for you. Praise His name. What kind of status report will we give the Lord today?

"For the Lord of all will not stand in deference to greatness; because he himself made both small and great, and he takes thought for all alike."
God does not bow down to us. He stoops... :)

There are some clear "Proverbs" wisdom references in verses 6:12-14.

"...and one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free fom care,"
Wisdom is the solution to our issues - of course, taking action on the knowledge is the end of it. It's not enough to think of the answer, but to work it out, daily. Sometimes it is worked out with much suffering, but since we can see the end, we press on toward the goal.

"...and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality and immortality brings one near to God;"
Ugh, so unbiblical. What does this nonsense even mean? It's poetic and all, but it's nonsensical. Especially in the light of Christ. We have eternal life in Him, through Him, and drawing near to God is only through Him. "I am the way and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." One might argue He is perfect wisdom, and He is, but He is a lot more than that. These verses suggest exclusivity of means.

Verses 6:21-23 are cryptic to me.

"...delight in thrones and scepters...so that you may reign forever." "I will tell you what wisdom is and how she came to be, and I will hide no secrets from you, but I will trace her course from the beginning of creation,"
This is just Satan talk! The author of this book clearly does not benefit from the full revelation. This is reminiscent of Gnostic secret knowledge. Granted, there is secret knowledge, for only God knows everything, but that is not our realm. Ah, for the days we shall know in full! It would only overwhelm us now.

"The mulititude of the wise is the salvation of the world,"
Wow, Satan couldn't have put it better himself. I wonder if he used these words in the Garden of Eden? (Get behind me, Satan!)

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 5

2007-07-10T22:48:00.000-04:00

Hi there!

Still with me, eh? Good for you.

Shall we?

Wisdom of Solomon

"...they will be amazed at the unexpected salvation of the righteous."
It is true that the Pharisees and Saducees were exceptionally amazed that Christ would die for the unrighteous and the early Fathers were amazed that Christ would die for the Gentiles - for everyone. I do pray for those who do not know His kindness, His gentleness, and His love.

"We thought that their lives were madness..."
Those who do not know Him do not understand. What is spiritually discerned to believers is as foolishness to those who do not have the Spirit. We often condemn what we don't know. We fear the unknown.

"So we also, as soon as we were born, ceased to be,"
What a sad description of those who are not in Christ. It is true - we are "born to die" - we must kill off the self and live for Christ - then we have fruit of our eternal life in Him. The search for meaning becomes a life of null and void. What is there without the Lord?

"...the hope of the ungodly is like thistledown carried by the wind,"
It is often heard, "I don't know what non-believers do." When the ungodly suffer, where is their hope? There are limits on everything. There is only so much money, so much hope, so much life, so much health. Everything runs out. The only permanent currency is found in a life lived with the Lord. Eternal life, unending grace, no separation from the author and perfector of our faith. We are fed from the riches of the Lord.

"...he will put on righteousness as a breastplate,"
This was an interesting find. The armor of God is a popular section of Scripture from Ephesians 6. In this case, the divine warrior is God, where in Ephesians we are exhorted to do the same - to be as Christ. You wonder how popular this idea was. Aha - reference is in Isaiah 59:17. Always good to do a cross-reference! The image is of God fighting the spiritual battle against evil. Evil is an opponent to be reckoned with. Good thing the victory is already won in Jesus!

Okay, beautiful imagery here. Definitely a sermon against ungodliness, but again, the overly judgmental condemnation does nothing to inspire me toward righteousness. It seems more self-gratifying toward those who would consider themselves righteous. Although, it would be nice to "yell at" all the evildoers, we'd have to yell at ourselves too. And of course, once again, I am grateful to Christ for His righteousness and the gift I am afforded in His death. If anything, these words inspire me to greater gratitude for His grace.

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 4

2007-07-09T22:28:00.001-04:00

Well, howdy neighbor...welcome back.

It's funny - I feel restricted in this blog. Even though it's "MINE," it's for any eyes to see. I cringe at the thought of putting up temporary feelings and thoughts - even ones more long lasting - for fear they will be used against me. Well, anyway, this post isn't the place for them. Just wanted to get out there though that I've got a lot going on in my head and heart these days. God be praised for His faithfulness and for providing me with Himself and with good friends to talk to - especially my precious roommate. Love you, Ally!

Wisdom of Solomon

Well, this certainly explains some Catholic orphanages and boarding schools. Ever see "The Saint"? This goes back to what we were talking about yesterday, about virtue and childlessness being better than a multitude of useless children. I can't imagine this is a good exhortation to holiness. It doesn't inspire me.

"...understanding is gray hair for anyone, and a blameless life is ripe old age."
I have to compliment the author here for the very poetic and image-rich language here. It is certainly very creative and beautiful as literature. Maturity definitely has its perks. Love to be "smart" and "mature" and still look good. :) (Ah vanity! Of that, I am guilty.)

"...the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good, and roving desire perverts the innocent mind."
Ah yes, too true. We have a saying for that: "Curiosity killed the cat." This is what advertising agencies and spammers count on!

(THIS ONE QUOTATION IS OUT OF ORDER - these are immediate prior verses.)

"There were some who pleased God and were led by him, and while living among sinners were taken up. They were caught up so that evil might not change their understanding or guile deceive their souls."
Why doesn't God still do this today? Is it because none please God enough? Well, it is true that all fall short...so why take any to begin with? He didn't even take up His Son of whom we know by Scripture, He was well pleased. I think this is a poor argument toward holiness. There's a false promise underwritten in it too, (e.g., if you're holy enough, God will rescue you from this life.)

"...God's grace and mercy are with his elect,"
And Jesus turned this upside down. His elect were the rejected sinners. "The first became last and the last became first." This is why I am staunchly Arminian. I can't stand the idea that God's grace is not available to everyone, nor can I stomach the thought of Jesus not dying for everyone. Isn't that the image from the wedding party that the guests did not show up to? That whomever wanted to come could? Yes, it is true that not everyone will come to the table, but it is a leap (departure, IMHO) to cry "limited atonement."

"The righteous who have died will condemn the ungodly who are living."
Alrighty, definite departure from Scripture here. Only used to promote the "righteous" - only God has the righteousness to judge - Jesus will come to judge the quick and the dead. This seems to be saying the exact opposite in every way!

"...the Lord will laugh them to scorn."
That's not my God. My God came to save the unrighteous, not ridicule them.

So, here we see two examples of Jew vs. Gentile values. To me, this book is pure cultural diatribe. Gentiles think old age and many children are signs of blessedness from God. This author claims virtue and martyrdom are signs of blessedness from God. Well, every good gift is from God. I think this is situational. You can't reduce this or life to,"only the good die young," nor can you take away the righteousness of Abraham who had more "children than grains of sand or stars in the sky" nor the righteousness of the old, old, old age of Methuselah.

However, we must take stock of what we venerate. We do value experience, but of what kind? We do value understanding, but of what kind? We do value martyrdom - don't we? Do we truly count it a blessing to suffer for His sake? Let us be careful of what "we - the unrighteous" condemn. It is not our place. Only God knows the heart of a man.

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 3

2007-07-08T17:22:00.000-04:00

Next...

Wisdom of Solomon

"...the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them."
This begs the question, in this case, what torment is. Persecution and martyrdom happen daily around the world. There is so much suffering all around us, all the time. When we are in Christ, we have a refuge from the storm. He has been a shelter for every generation. Our hope is in Him and we can ask Him to hide us in the shadow of the cross whenever we want to. He is so faithful in responding when we ask for help. The souls of the righteous are ever in His presence and we have peace in the storm. Often we do cause our own trauma, but there are definite times when trauma comes to us because of others or because sin is in the world. Will it touch our souls if they are in the hands of God? It may touch our flesh, our emotions, or our thoughts, but not our souls if they are truly in His care.

"...though in the sight of others they were punished, their hope is full of immortality."
Martyrs and those persecuted for Christ's sake are said to have been "disciplined" and counted worthy. What do these sufferings for a short time matter with an eternal perspective like this?

"In the time of their visitation..."
OK, this section weirds me out. Does this mean the righteous will walk the earth once more to rule with Christ when He comes? This does not flush out with the rest of scripture. Although it would be a blessing to be so ruled, I think it is more advanced metaphor and description, the idea being that those who are the righteous are blessed beyond measure. It would have to be divine revelation to be anything other than fiction. (This borders on Mormonism - what little I know if it.)

"...those who despise wisdom and instruction are miserable."
This is true - and I speak from experience. If we do not learn we do not grow and we do not become as God would have us be and we are stuck in our cycles of sin and death.

"...blessed is the barren woman who is undefiled, who has not entered into a sinful union; she will have fruit when God examines souls."
It does not seem to be a blessing to not have children. Especially in this culture, not having children (or being a Eunuch) was considered to be a sign of displeasure and certainly not of blessing. My notes point this out - that virtue not success, is a sign of blessing and honor from the Lord. I can take comfort in this - as can the prostitute who has repented and been cleansed in the blood - that we are blessed not by having children, but by being His and having been called to know Him and take part in His death, through communion.

"...children of adulterers will not come to maturity, and the offspring of an unlawful union will perish. Even if they live long they will be held of no account, and finally their old age will be without honor. If they die young, they will have no hope and no consolation on the day of judgement. For the end of an unrighteous generation is grievous."
I just finished watching a movie on a teenage mother who decides to give her child to a childless couple who desperately wants a baby. Movies like that always make me cry. I am the product of an adulterous union - my birth mother having been 18 years old when I was born. She made the same decision. She chose life. This is the beauty of Christ - He makes all things new. He has given me life and honor in Him despite being the offspring of an unlawful union. Amazing how he (technically) did the same with His own Son. It is true that an unrighteous generation is grievous though. What generation has been righteous? None, according to Romans. This piece of writing clearly does not fit in with the whole of scripture as I understand it. Thankfully, even if it were, God has given us a Savior and we are no longer under this social rule any longer. Grace abounds!

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon 2

2007-07-08T00:20:00.000-04:00

And...we're back.

Welcome to Part II of our interesting read into "holy philosophy" as it were.

Wisdom of Solomon

"...they reasoned unsoundly,"
What do we base our arguments on? Words we have heard from others? Our own thoughts? Where is God's truth? But, one might say, how do I know the Bible is true? I can't read Greek, Hebrew, nor Aramaic - so how can I determine whether or not my stance is based in God's truth? Shouldn't we then just give up, for it will prove too difficult to determine? No, once you come to know God's voice, you can discern His truth. Read His word and His Spirit will speak to you through it. Every time we read scripture we learn something new, which is why we can never be in the Word often enough.

"...hereafter we shall be as though we had never been,"
It is easy to think that after we die, that is it. What proof do we have outside of the Bible that our lives have meaning? Does consulting a medium and spending time with the dead enhance our living? No, only reading His word does. God created us to want to mean something - He wants us to realize how much we mean to Him. We mean so much He gave us His only Son Jesus to die on the cross for us. We have no other greater gift, and through Him we shall be with Him always after we are "no more" here on the earth.

"...everywhere let us leave signs of enjoyment, because this is our portion, and this our lot."
The empty philosophy of a life with no afterlife. The classic, "Why bother?" and "Just do it." Not considering all the possibilities can lead us straight down the path to Hell. Are we leaving signs of our enjoyment? These are idols before God. I don't think I am leaving any lasting monuments in my honor today, but I am creating evidence of my enjoying life. I must keep an eternal perspective. This is so hard to do when I am so tempted. Keeping the perspective is helpful in leading me to repentance and freedom. The truth sets us free.

"the righteous man...is inconvenient to us..."
Is it perverse for me to say that I enjoy being a stumbling block to sinners? It is a joy to see people reverse direction. Being an evangelical Christian and putting myself out there as one tends to be power enough. Knowing who people are talking to often makes them change even their conversation with me. Acknowledging holiness in ourselves too can create the same effect. Aw, spoiling their fun? Which to them, is everything, since there is nothing else. It's such a shame and so empty.

"...the very sight of [the righteous man] is a burden to us,"
Just walking in the room, being who we are, bearing His name is enough to make a difference. Let people know you're a Christian and watch the power of His name come to life and change the dynamic. If Christ were not powerful, there would be no effect.

"[the righteous man's] manner of life is unlike that of others,"
The classic, "How do we look different from the world?" issue. How do I look different? I sound different, I act different, but I fall horribly short every day. I fear I am more talk than action. The Lord knows my heart and my limitations and He still loves me. I pray the Holy Spirit will convict me further of my shortcomings that I might allow Him to work in those areas - especially the areas of high resistance - for me, those are continuing to pursue relationships with family members, maintaining purity of mind and thought when it comes to men, guarding my heart when it comes to engagement, marriage, pregnancy, and children. I so easily become a ball of negativity when I begin those tapes - bitter, resentful, depressed, and desperate. This is not the "manner of life" of a righteous person. I want more. Lord, help me.

"Let us test [the righteous man] with insult and torture,"
Amazing that people would even bother, but this is the behavior of someone whose dearly held beliefs are in question. The "party-poopers" must be stopped! We are not to fear these people.

"...they did not...[hope] for the wages of holiness."
They hoped for the wages of sin - death. Or even if they did not hope for them, they accepted them without question. In Christ we have the hope of the wages of holiness - somehow to attain eternal life with the Lord. Let me say this, we are either on one payroll or the other. We are born into the system. Let us ask the Lord to put us on His employee list again today.

"...God created us for incorruption..."
Things are not the way they ought to have been, due to the entrance of sin in the world. Will we allow it further entry through personal promotion? Ah, these are hard words for me to hear, but so freeing. I want to move toward incorruption, (for I am already totally depraved, rather than toward corruption. Prevent me from leading others astray as well, Lord.

"...through the devil's envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his company experience it."
My envy will be the death of me too, I can see it now. Envy will not get me the things I want in this life. I am wary of negating the envy in an effort to force His hand. I am just not that powerful. Yet, God gave me the desires, and I must imagine that He who did so will grant them to me as well. Following the devil and being a member of his company is at least a short-term contract. Praise God for giving us the ability to bypass death. Once we have died to ourselves, we have already undergone all the death that is in store for us. Our mortal bodies may cease to function, but our soul lives on with Him in Heaven. Praise His Holy name.

Blogging the Apocrypha - Wisdom of Solomon

2007-07-06T23:08:00.000-04:00

And so, we begin!

After a (very) brief discernment process I have determined to blog my newest journey through "The Wisdom of Solomon." This book is considered one of the Apocryphya by Protestant churches. These were rejected as lacking divine authority and called Deuterocanonical. Looks like the Roman Catholics declared them divine in 1546. This is fascinating stuff, but I fear digressing.

Only the Holy Spirit knows what He has breathed. God is the source of all Wisdom and Truth, and we shall let Him speak to us through our study.

I am unaware of my audience, so I will assume nothing. Please understand I have been a saved Christian 10 years, and have read most of the Bible, (at least the whole New Testament, most of the Old Testament,) and have gone through numerous Bible studies and classes. I have not formally studied Apocrypha before, or any ancient languages, so please note, this is not "expert," but my personal reading of the most brilliant "advice" ever given.

Solomon was reported to be the richest, most intelligent, most handsome, most sexual, most industrious, and most bored man in history. He is the author of Ecclesiastes, the book about how everything is "chasing the wind" and "meaningless." We trust his experience and his logic because his reputation precedes him.

Quick note - I will be reading the New Oxford Annotated Study Bible.
And so we jump right in...

Wisdom of Solomon

From my introductory notes:

"...written...during the Greco-Roman era...many Jews felt hard-pressed to be loyal to the basic principles and practices of their faith."
How eerily similar to today's Christian!

"Although the author claims to be King Solomon...this ascription has been recognized as a literary fiction since ancient times. Instead, the author is an anonymous Hellenistic Jew..."
*GASP* And we trusted him! Amazing what people will do to promote credibility. Ironic that one of the major tenets in Judaism is to not lie.

"Love righteousness,"
Over the years I have tasted the sweetness of the righteousness of God, through Christ, through His justification and sanctification, and although it often hurts to be so refined, the result is holiness. As Pastor Paul once said, "Holiness is happiness." I exhort you to seek it in Him. It is the only thing worth chasing after.

"...he is found by those who do not put him to the test,"
How many times I seek Him in prayer by trying to pray the right words - as if my strength could draw Him. He loves me anyway though. I find Him when I let go most of myself, when there is more of Him and less of me. Oh, may I decrease so He may increase!

"...manifests himself to those who do not distrust him."
When we draw near to Him, (e.g., by trusting Him,) He draws near to us. How amazing is that, though? He manifests Himself...He makes Himself known to those who trust Him. How much more to release our doubts and ask Him for forgiveness. Poor atheists - they will never see Him. Even poorer agnostics who may wish to see Him and yet for all their distrust, never will.

"...perverse thoughts separate people from God,"
I am guilty of many a perverse thought, yet I choose to distinguish between them. There are some that pop up that are "old man" - meaning they are old tapes that naturally occur and I dismiss them. Then there are those that are purposeful, willful, evil, when I am tired, angry, hurt, and deliberately sinning. I have to let go and pray then, find a quiet place and take care of myself. I am most helped by quiet scripture meditation, rest, and the quiet companionship of my kitties or a gentle friend. Last are those thoughts put there by the Enemy - those that I know are of some deep sinful nature. In those I was frequently fearful - that somehow I were more evil than I thought. But I rejoice in those now for they were dark spots that were able to be touched by the sunshine of His truth and released to the Cross. In this act of confession and repentance, I re-enact my salvation through Christ and I am drawn into relationship with God instead of being separated.

"...wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul,"
If I am lying to myself or to others, I block all entry to Truth and we are at a standstill. What torture until I give it up.

"...or dwell in a body enslaved to sin."
Praise Jesus that I am no longer a slave to sin. I may be taunted by it, but I am beyond its grasp through the freedom in His blood! Because of that, I am teachable. When one's obsession is removed, more space is available for rent in the old noggin. Old tapes and wall-head-bangings, (i.e., insanity,) cease, and progress may be made.

"will be ashamed at the approach of unrighteousness."
I guess I am still more often ashamed by the approach of righteousness. Boyd once gave a brilliant sermon at UMCN about loving living in the darkness. We prefer to live in the sin - it's comfortable. I recently heard that you know you're on the right track because it's uphill. It stretches us. It is a slow process to forget all the sin you knew and continue on as the new creation. When confronted by unrighteousness, however, often we learn to recoil, naturally, because we hate it. Like we heard at Large Group last night - we learn to love the things of God and loathe what is not of Him. It is a process - one He is seeing through to the day of completion.

"...that which holds all things together."
This reminds me of my testimony last Sunday - about how the world is spinning, but in His control, in His hands. Everything is in His control - even us, even when we feel like we are "out of control" that is only a feeling the Enemy perpetuates. And, to re-state, it is only a feeling and perspective. It is not the ultimate truth that the Lord who ordered the stars and calls them by name is unchanging. We may still have evil to contend with for a time, but He will always be with us holding all things together.

"...the sound of grumbling does not go unheard."
I am a frequent grumbler. I pray against it getting me in trouble. I complain about being bored at work, being 32 and unmarried with no children, about my father not showing me attention, about people not responding to me, about having to "put up with" difficult people, and it will get me in trouble should I continue on in it. There is no need for me to complain. My perspective doesn't matter, really, but He will listen to me, nonetheless. Best to turn those complaints to earnest prayer requests and take action where able.

"...a lying mouth destroys the soul."
Lying is suicide.

"...invite death by the error of your life,"
The wages of sin are death. How stupid and foolish we are...denial is a powerful tool in the hands of the Enemy. We refuse to acknowledge that we have problems. We eat, drink, smoke, have sex, and do foolish dangerous things that cause our own untimely demises. No one has done it perfectly yet. Yet, did Christ's death prove an error? Did Christ invite death? Perhaps willingly, purposely, to slay it forever.

"...God did not make death,"
Although, God vanquished it at the Cross. We had this discussion in our Creation class at church this past spring. "Was there death before The Fall?" If I remember correctly, the answer was yes, that death is natural, things wear out, that is how we have new life, but there perhaps is a difference unstated here, about natural death and the untimely demise of something that, unmolested by evil, would have lasted longer. I wonder how many people die of sin versus "naturally" in our world? Don't we call kill ourselves and one another? It seems an endless, hopeless mess, doesn't it? We hide ourselves in the cleft of the rock in those times it seems overwhelming and renew our faith and hope in Christ so we may emerge again to carry on running the race toward the goal He has called us to.

"...righteousness is immortal."
Which is why Christ lives forever, and we only do on His merits by believing in Him.

"the ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death; considering him a friend, they pined away and made a covenant with him, because they are fit to belong to his company."
Interesting how when we are in sin, death seems to be a friend to us - a promise of release from the agony. And this is just what the Enemy wants - to destroy us. Eerie, "they are fit to belong." Conjurs images of zombies to my mind's eye.

Well, so far sounds like some interesting philosophy. It does have a ring of "spirituality" to it, but it doesn't jive with me as being, "divine," or even "divinely inspired."

Until next time...

Notes to Self ~ 7/5/07

2007-07-05T22:19:00.001-04:00

Last night I watched the most breathtaking fireworks display I have ever seen.

My friends and I staked out some prime real estate along the Esplanade right in front of the barge. It was very windy, cold, and rainy. (Yes, on July 4th. It's New England, what do you expect?) We walked around on some short excursions, talked, laughed, ate potato chips, did some serious people watching. I swear I saw the guy who gave me my pedicure the other day across the footpath from us. Ally came with "The Six" and I got to meet them all. Cute girls. It was so weird, I saw Josh's Sarah then I saw Alex and was like, "Weird, I just saw Sarah." He then tells me they haven't dated in two years. So weird. Not as weird as the multiple string bikinis and the girls who refused to put on coverups as they walked around in them. Not as weird as the guy in cotton flag shorts who seemed to be saluting himself. Definitely not as weird as the Storm Trooper who came by taking pictures with people. Certainly not as weird as the guy in the British Bulldog speedo who traipsed all up and down the footpath looking for attention.

Welcome to my hometown of Boston.

See the finale of the fireworks: Finale! Talk about your sensory overload! I wish there was a good version of the Sesame Street segment. They had color smiley faces, 3-D boxes, and numbers! Get that!? Crazy stuff. I felt like a little going, "WOAH!" and "NO WAY!!" It was awesome.

Moving on...

Another weirdo thing happened on the 3rd. I was on my way to meet Kelly and Colby for lunch and on the way there this homeless man with short dreds walked right next to me, leaned into my face and went, "DAYUMN." I was like whaaaa?! My friends and I have been laughing about it ever since. Thanks for the funny, homeless boyfriend of mine. Ah, I am so grateful for boundaries.

I'm thinking of blogging a book of the Bible. Pastor Seth essentially has been doing that with his daily devotionals as of late. (Although I haven't seen a new post in three weeks - I hear he's been traveling but also suffering from a kidney stone - OW!) Slate.com features a person who is "Blogging the Bible" but he's just finished in June.

Maybe I'll take up where he left off.

I couldn't get myself to purchase the $3 devotional at my church group tonight. So many devos, so little time. Nice to know what everyone else is reading and talking about though. I guess I'm just picky.

Off to continue reading my "jemima j" by Jane Green - loving it.

It's ALL GOOD.

2007-07-02T11:25:00.000-04:00

It's July 2nd, and today I celebrate my 32nd birthday.

In looking back over the last year I have grown in so many ways. I am so grateful for the people the Lord has put into my life and the stability and peace He has created in it.

I am in good health, good spirits, a good job with a good boss and a good salary, a good church, a good fellowship group, in a good family with good health, with good pets in good health; my cup runneth over.

I thank my birthparents for choosing life.

Thank you God for the opportunities you have provided and the strength you've given to take advantage of them. I pray I demonstrate my gratitude always.

You know my heart and passions and desires and I know you have a plan for my life - a plan to prosper me and not to harm me. I entrust you again, in this 33rd year of life to continue the work you have begun and me and see it further to completion. I thank you in advance for answered prayer.

You know what I daily pray for: salvation and prosperity of friends, family, and community, revival in your church, and in New England, my future husband and children and the ministries we will support with what you give us in strength, tithes and presence.

I trust in the name of the Lord my God, my Salvation, my Hope, my Promise, my Discipline, my Future, my Encouragement, my Music, my Word, my Voice, my Lord, my Master, my Father, my Mother, my Friend, my Husband, my Everything. I love you, Father. I love you, Jesus. I love you, Holy Spirit. Thank you for lighting my way, and being my eternal Companion.

May He bless you as He has so richly and obviously as He has blessed me!

Bumbo & Bumbo II

2007-06-30T16:09:00.000-04:00

Adorable!

Wish I could figure out how to embed them for you...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5dPMtuZsCw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRqMzSJMi64

Notes to Self ~ 6/30/07

2007-06-30T14:59:00.000-04:00

I studied "Experiencing God" with a small women's group once and it got me the habit, at least for a while, of writing down the things God was speaking to my heart and then re-visiting them after a set amount of time. The messages He was sending were clearer than I thought they would be.

I think this blog will enable me to do the same. It is helpful to learn from our own patterns.

This morning I had coffee with Robert. I love hanging out with Robert - he's so comfy to be around. He's a sweetheart. He seems to brighten up and have a good time around me too. I pray the Lord continues to strengthen him and build him up, one day at a time, toward the goals he has called him to in this life. Robert has survived cancer and lost his mother and lost over 100 lbs in his short life. He has been through much. Now he counsels addicts over the phone. He's a wonderfully caring person, and I am blessed to know him. I am grateful the way the Lord has done so much clarifying work in him in the last year or so to get him where he's at today.

Next I went to Dottie and Linc's and spent some QT chatting with them. How adorable are they? The squirrels constantly eating out of their birdfeeder, the kitty hiding in the closet, their onslaught of medical issues..God bless them. I was thinking how blessed they are to have each other - it will be 60 years soon, by God's grace. Linc's first question to me is always, "How's Dad?" He loves my father very much and I am grateful for their friendship. I'm glad my dad has a few men in his life his father's age that he can have fellowship with. It is truly a blessing, once one's own parents pass away or if one never enjoyed a bond with a parent to have spiritual parents. God is good to provide these things. I have been provided a cloud of witnesses to serve as "relatives in Christ" over the years. What a gift to me!

Speaking of gifts, I gave myself the birthday present of a Tea Tree Pedicure at ONI salon this afternoon. Picture this...aromatherapy...massage chair...silly gossip magazines...fresh cold water...spa for my feet...tea tree massage by this very gentle young Asian guy...ahh...I almost fell asleep! *BIGSIGH* So now my toes are gorgeously shaped and vehemently red and I feel great. Happy Birthday to ME!

I came home, did some dishes and clean up then fed the kitties a treat on the back porch. Funny - Gummi's in here on the living room carpet now. (Fancy that, he prefers my company to a sunny porch! Ah, I am so blessed.) I did some praise singing to the Lord and He directed me to Psalm 93. (1993 - the year I graduated High School, btw.)

I was struck by verse 1b which reads, "The world is firmly established; it can not be moved." I oft wondered what would happen if the earth were suddenly swung out of orbit and drifted off into the cosmos - we would all instantly die - no atmosphere - or what if everything in the universe just suddenly dropped from its hold and spun out of control? Ah, those random, strange fearful thoughts of a child. (I was plagued by "What ifs" when I was a child!) Interestingly enough, the world is spinning - but it is in God's control - at all times. It can not be moved. Some might interpret this verse as "the ways of the world," but I prefer the geological meaning - the physical meaning - in this context. It makes the song true to me, "He's got the whole world in His hands." I am safe in my Heavenly Father's arms always. Perfect love like His casts out all fear - He ever reminds me.

Oh yeah, hehe - forgot to mention that I awoke this morning to my wedding song, "Pachelbel's Canon in D" on the radio. Ally and I had a laugh over it. While I don't believe in coincidence, I'm not sure I want to read too much into the significance of awakening to this beautiful song. It sure started me off on a happy note though.

Babysitting Zane and Oscar tonight and I can't wait. It was sure challenging last time, but I think Oscar's getting out of "fetus" mode and ready to be a baby boy with us shortly. Hope we can play the nose game again tonight. "This is my nose...*pat*...and this is your nose...*pat*!) I love that game.

Well, one day, I pray, I won't have to live vicariously through my friends. :) May it all be to God's glory.

Notes to Self ~ 6/29/07

2007-06-29T21:21:00.001-04:00

So, I thought I'd write down some observations from the day...

On the way out of work today, I saw an area of the street where I work sectioned off by police tape. As I moved further up the street toward my bus stop I began to see police lights and police officers. There was a large Coke truck parked by the side of the road with a parking ticket on it and there were police men working in the road on something hidden by a strategically placed police car. There was a large black shield blocking the ground and I saw a gurney.

Someone said someone died. There were several unmarked cars within the surrounded area. I couldn't tell if someone had gotten runover. I thought of the oft drunk homeless man that usually hangs out in the entry way on the side of the street I was walking. I haven't been able to find any information online about it.

As I looked out the bus window on the way home, my co-worker and I saw a policeman start to roll up a black tarp. I think it was used to cover the deceased. Very shocking and very sad. There weren't too many onlookers, but I have to imagine they were there quite a while working on getting things straight. Ever reminds you that when it's your time, it's your time and that's the end of the story.

God bless his or her family, if there are any.

At ESL tonight my pastor conducted a conversation class on why he likes books. He read a lovely children's story called, "Marigold and the Dragon." It was very cute; his favorite from when he was a boy. He then pulled out his bright red, gold-embossed version of The Lord of the Rings and shared that this book was his favorite when he was a young man. He spoke about how he and his wife read the book to his four sons when they were children. They all became very engrossed in the story together, as a family. What a great bonding time for them. So different than just watching a TV show or even a movie together.

Instantly my biological clock went off. What books would I read to my children? Oh yeah, I don't have any. (You're invited to my pity party!) I'd read The Little House on the Prairie series with my girl(s), for sure. Maybe the boys, if they were into it. It reminds me now of reading The Wind in the Willows with my mom when I was younger. We never finished it. We did have favorite movies together though; The Swiss Family Robinson was our family favorite. I'm not sure how many times we rented it; at least enough times so that we would have saved if we had just bought a copy.

Then there was a copy of Top Gun that we "borrowed" (for ten years!) from the Hinds family. My brother and I watched that, (and "Road House") a zillion times.

Which brings me back to the beginning of my day, when I started it off with an early morning phone call to Jene to wish her a very happy birthday this 29th of June. I got to talk to Aidan on the phone; he gave me kisses and said "Hi" and "Byebye" - the clock didn't go off until later today though. I'm sure it was just waiting for another trigger.

Happy 32nd Birthday, Jene Marie K., and Happy 38th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Behavior That Builds Up Right Relationship

2007-06-29T13:43:00.000-04:00

THE HEART VIRTUES — courage, self-control, justice, prudence (wisdom) — give love its walking legs and feet. We can describe, sometimes even legislate, what their behavior looks like. Without these virtues, love as either emotion or intention probably will prove ineffectual. We rightly expect from each other a pattern of behavior that builds up right relationship rather than trespassing against it.
- Robert Corin Morris, Provocative Grace

From page 34 of Provocative Grace: The Challenge in Jesus’ Words by Robert Corin Morris. Copyright © 2006 by Robert Corin Morris. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved.

True New Testament Faith

2007-06-29T13:41:00.000-04:00

From: Grudem's "Systematic Theology" - italics his, underline mine

"...we may now appreciate that when a person comes to trust in Christ, all three elements must be present. There must be some basic knowledge or understanding of the facts of the gospel. There must also be approval of, or agreement with, these facts. Such agreement includes a conviction that the facts spoken of the gospel are true, especially the fact that I am a sinner in need of salvation and that Christ alone has paid the penalty for my sin and offers salvation to me. It also includes an awareness that I need to trust in Christ for salvation and that he is the only way to God, and the only means provided for my salvation. This approval of the facts of the gospel will also involve a desire to be saved through Christ. But all this still does not add up to true saving faith. That comes only when I make a decision of my will to depend on, or put my trust in, Christ as my Savior. This personal decision to place my trust in Christ is something done with my heart, the central faculty of my entire being that makes commitments for me as a whole person."

The Star Spangled Banner (All of it.)

2007-06-29T13:35:00.000-04:00

In preparing materials for my ESL class, I came across the complete version of our National Anthem, all four verses of it.

Seems as though we've lost something of the passions listed therein. These days it seems a "social crime" to be patriotic and God-fearing, except on 7/4.

Well, happy early 4th of July! Enjoy!

The Star Spangled Banner

Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wiped out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner forever shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Historical Notes on the Birth of our National Anthem

The Star Spangled Banner, the National Anthem of the United States of America, is a poem inspired by the Battle of Baltimore, fought September 12-14, 1814.

During the British campaign against Washington, D.C., an elderly and respected physician, Dr. William Beanes was arrested for unfriendly acts toward British soldiers. Francis Scott Key, a prominent lawyer and friend of Dr. Beanes was sent by President James Madison to obtain his release.

Following negotiations, the British agreed to release Beanes; however, since the British were next going to attack Baltimore, Maryland, they would allow no one ashore. The British made land on September 12th and engaged in a brisk land battle; however, they were not able to capture Baltimore. As part of their two-pronged attack, the British sent their naval fleet to attack and destroy the port city. The main defense of Baltimore Harbor was Fort McHenry. For 25 hours, the British fleet fired rockets and bombs at the fort. The fort's defenders bravely withstood the bombardment and did not surrender. When the British realized they could not take the city without paying for it with heavy casualties, they departed.

During the bombardment, Key, watching down river, was inspired to write a poem telling the story of the battle he witnessed. Thus it was the valiant defense of Fort McHenry by American forces during the British attack on September 13, 1814 that inspired the 35-year old poet-lawyer Francis Scott Key to write the poem which was to become our national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner."

When Key reached Baltimore, he finished the poem, written to match the meter of the English song, "To Anacreon in Heaven." The song slowly grew in popularity and was well-known and used by both the North and South during the Civil war. In later years, it was very popular with the military and was used as an "unofficial" national anthem. During World War I, the song became so widely accepted that a drive resulted in Congress making it the National Anthem in 1931.

~Adapted from http://www.twilightbridge.com/

"10 tips for women with an itch to lead"

2007-06-29T13:23:00.001-04:00

This is an article I read the other day in the "Administrative Professional" newsletter handed out by my company, along with some of my personal commentary, in italics. Enjoy! (Or comment back!)

"10 tips for women with an itch to lead"

Having become acclimated to encouraging male leadership in most arenas, as a conservative Christian woman, this article immediately set off my sensors! Please take into account this perspective as you read!

"IF YOU'VE EVER aspired to be in the corner office, here's the lowdown from women leaders who have risen to the top and seen it all:"

Hopefully you aspire to more than an office. I am dubious as to whether these women have really 'seen it all' - I'd like that qualified.

"1. Be competitive. You have to want to win, and you have to act on that desire. No need to be nice."

I don't know about you ladies, but I don't want *anything* enough not to be nice. Besides, I don't think these things are mutually exclusive. Some of the nicest people are our biggest successes. (I always think of the Jordan's Furniture brothers.) Also, I'm not too sure I'd want the regret of knowing I'd stepped on people to 'get where I got' either. Reminds me of a song...'I did it my way!'

"2. Don't sweat friendships. It's not about being liked. It's about being valued and delivering results. Friendship may come, or not."

I don't think this is wise relational economics. It is certainly the wisdom of what Pastor Seth would call 'the sharks of this world.' In the workplace, it's all in who you know. Friendships can be your greatest asset when you're out there networking, too. No one I know would recommend anyone who wasn't nice or wasn't a good friend, although you can't always rely on *just* those assets, of course.

"3. Defend yourself. Protect the interests of your clan. Think of Nancy Pelosi back in a Republican-controlled Congress."

Ok, I admit I had to go to Wikipedia to look up Nancy Pelosi. She's the democratic new Speaker of the House of Representatives. I'm not sure if 'defend' is the word I'd use here - seems like a defense is the result of an assumed offense. I wouldn't assume an offense anywhere. I'd merely say, 'Have a voice and be heard, where appropriate.' Assuming an offense is not helpful.

"4. Trust your gut. Consider what the naysayers are putting out. Then move forward anyway."

Yeah, no. Trust your God and trust those that know you well enough to ask the hard questions and speak the hard truths into your life. Yes, consider the source of all feedback - positive and negative. Don't move forward 'anyway' - move forward with caution! Do take ownership over your actions - they are yours.

"5. Radiate confidence. Present yourself as in control and happy, says Oscar-winning film producer Cathy Schulman."

Ew. Have you ever met someone you knew was fake like that? Real turn off, right? Exactly. I'd rather meet someone real. If you are praying in the Spirit at all times, you'll have every reason to be in control and happy. Radiate the love of the Lord, and you will draw the right people and situations. Don't question God!

"6. Wrap yourself around success. Dismiss fear and anxiety. Make decisions using your best judgments."

I don't know anyone who can do this. I'll leave you with scripture on that. Click on these for the verses that apply. Cast your anxiety on the Lord who cares for you. Only fools trust in themselves. Success is a worthless idol.

"7. Help other women. Otherwise, they won't feel good about you or you won't feel good about yourself. 'Create communities of support,' Schulman says."

Seemed like a glimmer of hope here for this article, but no. Help other women for selfish gain? And there are no instructions given on how to do this either. Just 'helping other women' isn't going to create community. This takes time, effort, give, and take. Community is for community's sake, not for leadership - that's what cults do. I don't think you want a cult of personality or to have a Paris Hilton-esque following. This seems to suggest being selective too about who you interact with. I'd rather let God bring people into my life than try to create my own universe. That's just plain psychotic unreality. God knows best and His purposes are good.

Meanwhile, hope you clicked on the Schulman link. This woman's claim to fame is one Academy Award for one movie I never heard of. So wait, why are we following her career and life instructions?

"8. Hold out for good money. It's not 'filthy lucre.' Men decide on their futures considering the bottom line. You should, too."

Oh my, this one is frought with errors. Few modern women would kill themselves just for money's sake, but would they kill others or kill the plans of God for it? Hold out for what God has for you. Where God is calling you is first - you may not understand why, but you must be obedient to His voice. If you are needed in a particular field, you must go to it! And secularly speaking, while financial concerns are concerning, there are so many other practical concerns to consider. Benefits, location, upward mobility, environment, community, workload, reputation, co-workers, and daily responsibilities/routines should all be considered. Ugh. Since when do you make a decision based on 'what men do'? Are they you? Are they happy? Are they godly? Who are your role models? So yeah! What would Jesus do? You can't serve Him and money anyway.

"9. Make mistakes. Give it your best shot. Take the plunge. Don't obsess."

How about, 'Do your best to avoid mistakes, and if you make one, or someone else makes one, show grace!' The best advice in this column is here - 'Don't obsess.' Agreed. This is not helpful. But, if you do find yourself with nagging feelings, pay attention to them! It could be the Holy Spirit talking to you. You should write down what you've been thinking and talk it over with someone you trust who will give you godly feedback. I find I never know what I truly think until I write it down.

"10. Solve problems. If something on Schulman's desk seems articularly dicey, she goes after that thing first. Big problems, she notes, are your best opportunities."

I think this is more like, 'Be pro-active,' and 'Don't procrastinate.' Break it down into smaller steps and don't be afraid to ask for help. Keep everything in prayer. Avoiding issues is not godly behavior, for sure.

If you are feeling an 'itch to lead,' consider the source. Examine your motivation. Is it because 'everybody's doing it wrong?' How can you help from where you are? Is it because you're feeling undervalued? Maybe you overestimate your worth and are being a little needy - or maybe you're not doing enough. These are real, hard things that may be true. Don't feel like you need to jump in and take over - you may insult existing leadership. Your best chance at promotion is when you jump in alongside at exisiting leadership and help out. You will be more valued and more cherished that way. A husband does not need his wife to 'wear the pants,' anymore than his wife needs her twelve-year-old to assume parenting duties. Keep it in godly perspective and keep your God-given place. You glorify yourself in a godly way when you do that, and you certainly glorify God.

Pleh! After reading this - to get to that pretty little corner office - I have to live and 'lead' such an empty, dry, existance such as that? Forget it!

At the end of the day, consider the very, very bottom line. When it's all said and done sisters, consider wise Solomon's biblical words: Toil is Meaningless.

First Post

2007-06-29T12:48:00.001-04:00

At last, my own blogging space!

I've been using Facebook to share some great thoughts (of others) and my own thoughts, but I think this will open things up a bit.

Well, me, enjoy!

(Happy Birthday!)