creationfallredemptionconsummation.

Creation.
Fall.
Redemption.
Consummation.

Creation: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. God saw that the light was good and he separated the light from the darkness. And God said, 'Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.' And God said, 'Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.' And it was so. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.' And it was so. And God saw that it was good. And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.' And it was so. And God saw that it was good. And God said, 'Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.' And God saw that it was good. And God said, 'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to their kind.' And it was so. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, 'Let us make man in our own image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. So the Lord God cause the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up teh place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man and the woman were both naked and they felt no shame." (Genesis 1:1, 3-4, 6, 7b, 9, 10b, 11, 12b, 14-15, 18b, 20, 24, 25b, 26-27, 31; 2:7, 18, 21-22, 25)

Fall: "Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did god really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden"?' The woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, "You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die."' 'You will not surely die,' the serpent said to the woman. 'For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this you have done?' The woman said, 'The serpent deceived me and I ate.' To the woman he said, 'I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.' To Adam he said, 'Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, "You must not eat of it," Cursed is the ground because of you; through the painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. But the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.' And the Lord God said, 'The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and life forever.' So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden." (Genesis 3:1-7, 13, 16-19, 22-23a)

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world god's invisible qualities-his eternal power and diving nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Althought they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Threfore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen." (Romans 1:18-24a, 25)

Redemption: "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born." (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful men, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. The word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you wil be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.' For there is not difference between Jew and Gentile-the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" (Romans 8:1-4; 10:4, 8b-13)

Consummation (to come): "When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:4)

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' 'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?'" (1 Corinthians 15:51-55)

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth has passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'" (Revelation 21:1-5)




This, brothers and sisters, is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is Truth. This is the message the world needs. I love Psalm 71:15 which says, "My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, thought I know not its measure." We cannot ever mature beyond the gospel. We only grow in our understanding and love of it's richness and mystery. David said that he would tell of God's salvation, though he knew not its measure. If we understand, trust, and believe in everything above this, then we know enough to proclaim. Just because we do not know its full measure doesn't mean we should refrain from telling of it. Sometimes we feel like we need to know all the details that are very useful but not central for salvation, and then we forget the gospel itself. So let us tell of His salvation all day long, though we know not it's measure.

prone to wander, Lord I feel it.

this is my most recent song. feel free to leave thoughts.

O Holy One, though I ought not,

I know your truth I have forgot

So I will ask again in prayer

That you would come and meet me there

Where Satan tempts and threatens me

Where my cold heart would turn from Thee

So let your power and strength abide-

Gifts from that blessed, crimson tide

O Risen Lamb, whom I have shamed-

Teach me now to bless your name

Reveal your Word; to me impart

The grace I need to bless your heart

For you have loved and purchased me

Now I stand by blood redeemed

So hold me fast and comfort me

As I'm tossed by life's raging sea

O Father God, though I have strayed

Your grace has saved me from the grave

And though I'm prone to wander still

Your strong right hand will guide me till

You come for me and those you've called

Unto your glorious rest above

So let your Spirit work in me

Until I'm blameless at your feet

the "L" word.

If you're a Christian, you've probably heard the "L" word more times than you can count. The world I'm talking about is lust. Now, if you're a Christian female like me, when you've heard it, you've probably mentally checked out and thought something like, "Well when I see guys, I don't undress them with my eyes and imagine having sex with them, so I don't need to worry about this." I can't even count the times I've thought that exact thing. But what about when we go on Facebook and see an attractive guy and proceed to look through ALL of his pictures, as well as the one's he's been tagged in? What do we call that? Granted, we probably don't imagine having sex with these guys, but aren't we still allowing our minds to wander? What's the point of looking at atrractive guys? Is our goal to honor God or to satisfy the physical cravings we have? I'd say it's the latter. Just because we're not "sexually wired" like guys are does not mean that we are not wired sexually. We have been made by God to be sexual beings, but the Fall has us playing with fire. Although we are females, we still have sexual temptation, even if it's something like staring at guys on Facebook. We also need to guard ourselves from letting our eyes and minds wander.

Another thing I'd like to bring up is that lust is not just a sexual thing. Yes, lust can be an "intense sexual desire or appetite", but it can also be a "passionate or overmastering desire or craving" (dictionary.com). The second definition could be used to talk about money or power, etc. Now, if you read the second definition, it probably reminds you of how the Bible says we should seek God, but I don't think we'd refer to it as a lust. Lust usually has bad connotations. Girls: Perhaps you don't struggle with letting your eyes wander when you see attractive guys, but may you let your hearts go astray. It is SO easy to get wrapped up in wanting a boyfriend, that you may not even realize that your relationship with God is simultaneously getting bumped down on your list of priorities. This is a form of lust. Every single movie you see has some kind of a romantic story in it, even if it's a movie about transformers taking over the world. Why is that? Because that's what people want in the core of their being- a lover. Well guess what? The Lover of our souls seems to have been drawn into this petty competition with the world. There shouldn't even have to be a competition! Nothing on earth could possibly compete with the majesty and love of God! And yet we've allowed things to come to that. Let us ask the Lord to renew our minds and reestablish His place in our lives. God wants to woo your soul, but are you letting yourself fall in love with him? Or are you too busy looking for love elsewhere? God promises to give us the desires of our heart if we seek him, but we must remember that he is the one who created those desires. Let's trust him to work it all out.

restless feet.

After talking with a good friend about her struggles at home along with potential colleges, I gave her a simple piece of advice. I said, "I'd encourage you to not run away from something, but to run towards something." See, I think that more often than not, we're so focused on running away from our problems that we neglect running towards the one thing that we need the most: Christ. My life--case and point.

Several of you may know this, but for those who don't, I'll give a brief overview. My mom died last April, and it wasn't even a week before my dad began a relationship with another woman. It wasn't that he cheated on my mom while she was deteriorating or anything; he and this woman had been friends since college. In fact, my parents and her and her ex-husband had all been friends since college. Because of the timing of all of this, I was naturally upset, hurt, and extremely angry. Last summer was filled with yelling, crying, and constant arguing. After my phase of rage passed, I moved into a phase of just simply being upset. My dad told me that they were planning on getting married...in the near future. I asked him to wait till the coming summer; that way, I'd be done with school and wouldn't have to worry about finishing my senior year with an awkward situation at home. My suggestion wasn't taken, however, and they got married this January. I wasn't ready to handle it just yet, so I ended up living with a good friend and her family for three months. By the end of April, I felt comfortable enough to move back into my house, so I came home on April 23rd.

Over the course of those three months, God not only changed my heart towards my family situation, but He totally transformed my view on college. Prior to this last semester, I was dead set against even looking into Covenant College. I had no reason except that it was only 45 minutes from my house. I was never someone to want to stay close to family for college, so there was now way I'd want to be less than an hour away. I had decided to go to Union University in Jackson, Tennessee back in December, and everything was pretty much set in stone for my enrollment there. Still, I didn't feel really draw to the college, and I reluctantly prayed that God would show me where He wanted me to go if it wasn't Union. Well, He placed Covenant on my heart, but I pushed it aside, convincing myself that it was just because it was normal to have doubts about your college decisions. There was no way I would go to Covenant, especially now that there was so much stuff going on with my dad getting remarried and all. But God didn't stop bugging me about it. Eventually, I gave in and talked with my dad about it. Obviously everything fell into place, because now I'm going there.

Now's when I tie everything into the first paragraph. There were other reasons why I originally decided on Union other than the fact that it was four hours away; however, the distance was very convenient for running away from my problems. I was so set on just getting away from it all, not wanting to have to deal with any of it, that I prevented myself from running towards God and what He wanted. God has really worked on my heart since January. He's shown me the importance of family and family relationships. I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't be honoring God if I was knowingly a part of a broken relationship, yet did nothing to fix it. This woman was now my stepmom; she was now a part of my family, and I wasn't capable of changing that. I knew that I needed to develop a relationship with her, but I also realized that it wouldn't happen overnight. This would take time, and I needed to allow for that time to be taken. Running away gave me no fulfillment. Not only did it accomplish absolutely nothing with my family, but it caused me to make a foolish choice of college. As soon as I threw up my hands and changed the direction I was going, I saw that in running towards God, I was actually running right through the things which had previously chased me away. I believe that sometimes God changes our circumstances, but I believe His greater intention is changing our hearts to respond to our circumstances in such a way that give Him the most glory.

Shortly before his death, Jesus prayed this for his disciples: "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." If we have believed by faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are no longer of this world; therefore, we should not handle our problems in the same way that those who are of this world do. We should be more set on running towards our Savior than running from the tough stuff.

When Jesus' friend Lazarus had died, he went to comfort the sisters. He said to them, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life; this means that he has conquered death, the greatest consequence of the Fall. If he has gained the victory over the greatest consequence, didn't he then also gain the victory over the other curses that sin brought upon us? Should we not then live and believe that in His arms we are in a much safer place than running away, constantly looking behind us to make sure our problems are getting farther and farther from our sight? For if we do this, we will never die. I ask you the same question that Jesus asked the sisters. Do you believe this?

three states of time.

Time can be such a hindrance, can it not? Rarely do I meet someone who has a proper hold on each of the three--past, present, and future. One thing I have noticed, however, is that no matter which one a person is too focused on, his or her present will always be negatively affected. I'd like to us Paul's take on things from Philippians 3:12-14 which says, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."



The past has the potential to be such a snare. Our past experiences, heartbreaks, and successes all contribute to where we are now, but they can easily engulf our purpose for the present and prevent us from making progress. Broken relationships, family abuse, abandonment, devastating news, death, and many other painful things that have marked our pasts not only prove to cripple our present, but determine our future. Patterns are often seen among men who, as boys, were abandoned or abused by their fathers. Sadly, those fearful, wounded boys, many times grow up to abuse or abandon their own families. Their hearts have already been stolen by a fear that determines their future actoins. And those men are just one example. Good things can also have a potentially bad affect. Many parents attempt to relive their high school glory days through the lives of their children. The once captain of the cheerleading squad, now mother, can wrongly push her daughter to embrace the world's love of status and popularity because she doesn't want to see her success fading away.

Paul says that he is forgetting what is behind. So what does that mean? Should we erase our past from our memories? Okay, well obviously no, because that's impossible save the aftermath of brain damage. Perhaps Paul is talking about his individual past, filled with murder, rage, and rebellion from God. But Hebrews 12:1 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." If Paul held on to the sins that he had committed , they would have entangled him and prevented him for fully living for Christ in the present. When he talks about forgetting the past, I think he's talking more about an unloading process. Not only have we all committed sins, but sins have been committed against us, and those are sometimes the hardest to get by. Christ's sacrifice on the cross 2000 years ago forever released us from our pasts, yet sometimes we still try to drag our burdens to heaven with us. We need to lay our crowns at the foot of the cross. Some crowns may be made of thorns that have left scars on our hearts, and some may be adorned with the jewels of our achievements. Whatever they may be contrusted from, they all belong to Jesus.

Planning for the future is something that we should all be doing, but we must not neglect our present statuses and responsibilities. Being a seventeen-year-old girl, I can say that I think about the future, particularly marriage, quite often. I envision what it will be like, and before I know it, I'm in a virtual Home Depot picking out lighting fixtures for our living room. Now, I don't think it's wrong to envision things for the future, but I believe that it can quickly become something that we stake our lives on. If I was set on marriage, and thoughts of a husband filled my mind all the time, what good would I be as a single high school senior? Right now, God has given me a single friend, student, sister, and daughter. I have four jobs. While I can think ahead, I cannot ignore my present responsibilities. God knows the plans he has for me, and he knows what I need and want even better than I think I do. I must obey his Word in the present while I wait for him to reveal what my future holds.

Paul says he is straining toward what is ahead. He has his sights set on his heavenly home and the glorious fullness that he will experience there. But he is currently living so as to attain all of that. He knows that God is deeply concerned with how he lives in the present, so he strains for the future, yet his focus remains steady.

So many people live in the moment, they don't want to think about their past and they don't want to have to plan for or worry about the future. You can't escape the inevitable: the past will shape you. Denying it will only increase the length of the process you'll have to go through in dealing with it. Sometimes we're just too scared, too hurt to dig up things that we've buried in the deepest places inside of us. We don't want to relive and remember things. Or maybe we've had a pretty good life thus far, but we just want something new. In casting aside the blessings we've received, we fail to recognize the goodness which God has lavished upon us. With no concern for the future, there is no regard for the consequences of present actions. An example that pertains to our nation now is our economy's current state. There are those who disregard the instability of finances and live as though there is nothing wrong. They will wish they had planned and used their money more wisely when a bank, stock market, or employing company takes a turn for the worse.

Paul says, "but I press on." Yes, we have had painful wounds and heartbreaking devastation. But I press on. We want the future to come all too soon. But I press on. We must live in the present, acknowledging our past but free from its chains, looking ahead towards the future but fully completely our duties now. Christ's past sacrifice secured my future. With eyes fixed both on the cross and the glory of heaven, I should live well for Christ in the present.

other than.

One of the first things we need to establish before diving into talking about a relationship with God is that he is other than us. I, along with many other people I know, used to think that God was merely a bigger, smarter, stronger, better version of me. But God is so much more than that. We cannot fathom anything that has no limit; therefore, it is impossible for us to fully understand God in the fullness of who he is. I think that he purposely created our minds to be finite not only for the purpose of him being exponentially greater, but so that there would never be an end to the awe we should have of him. So much of the tension created in the relationships that others have with God is their failure to realize their inability to comprehend everything. Our definitions of things are tainted by the sinful world that we live in, and if we encounter something that fits God's definition and not ours, we immediately assume that God is wrong, unjust, unfaithful, cruel, etc. For example, good is often meant to be something that makes us feel satisfied, happy, wanted, complete. While what God sees as good can very well be something that we see as equally good, it can also be something that does not make us feel so warm and fuzzy. We are like the children who complain about having to receive insulin several times a day, claiming that it's pointless and it hurts; only farther down the road do we begin to have a clearer vision, the bigger picture. Diabetes, like sin, is not something that just goes away--it needs constant maintenance and control. When we have a better understanding of the problem at hand, the steps required to deal with that problem are also better understood, and even valued. The Fall is our massive problem at hand; it has been the main problem since it happened. I believe that seemingly bad things, which we seldom understand, are necessary steps in the process of transforming us into people who are progressively farther and farther from where they started.

Although it is important to know that we can never fully comprehend God, I believe we must long to understand all that he allows. Fortunately for us, God does not just leave us hanging; he has given his children the Holy Spirit, who works in hearts and minds, transforming them to be more able to understand. God reveals himself through his word, creation, and many other things. There is much that exists to be understood, and we are free to desire it. God did not make us to be lazy human beings who just sit around waiting for things to happen. I believe that God wants us to be eager in pursuing him, getting to know his character, his heart, his desires.

I believe that prayer is a crucial part of a relationship with God, though it is one of the elements with which I struggle the most. When I think about it, it's so foolishly ridiculous for me to not take advantage of any moment I have to talk to God. The Creator of this entire universe is free to spend time with me anytime, but it's up to me to take hold of that. Too often, I am convinced that I am created for this world. We are not created for this world, however, but for eternal things. As C.S. Lewis said, "We are souls; we have bodies." When we live with that earthly mindset, our first instinct will always be to run to other people instead of God, to eat a pint of ice cream instead of casting our cares on the Lord, to post unnecessary Facebook statuses about our anger instead of telling God about it. If we believe we have been created for this world, that we are home on this earth, we will do all we can to gather up all that it has to offer; that includes talking to people in place of God.

can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.

After 17 years and 9 months of experience and some studying of the Bible, I've come to conclude that family relationships were designed by God to be the most significant interpersonal relationships. I read over the sentence that I just typed and I can't believe I'm saying it. Coming from someone who was never close with her family and never really enjoyed time spent with family, it seems almost absurd.

I'm not really sure why my family was never as close-knit as others. My parents have never been my best friends; I've never gone to them with my darkest secrets or deepest problems. I've rarely shown my appreciation for what they have done, or for their mere existence for that matter. My brother and I spent the majority of my seventeen years as barely something more than people who see each other while they're eating breakfast. The thing is, my mom was so passionate about our family. She always planned things for us to do, brought up things to talk about at the dinner table, wrote little notes of encouragement to each of us. My dad attempted to conduct family devotions several times, but my brother and I just cast it aside with the attitude that we could better spend our time doing something else. I can sit here today and tell you that the reason for our distance was the spiritual immaturity of me and my brother. When we each reached the point in our lives when we realized there was "more to life" than family, we were eager to leave. Other relationships with friends (and for my brother, girlfriends) became the priority. Why? Because were were spiritually immature.

I used to hold to the belief that it was perfectly fine for a child (usually a teenager) to pull away from their family and treat their friends as the most important people. Why did I do that? Because I did pulled away, and I replaced my family with friends. I carried that view with me as justification for what I was doing. It wasn't until God took my mother from my life in the April of 2009 that I realized how twisted I was.

If you read the Bible at all, you'll probably notice that there are two main relationships to which God compares himself to us: father-child and groom-bride. I don't think it's chance that those two relationships exist within the family. The father-son relationship exists within the perfect relationship, that is the Trinity. Why was it so heartbreaking for God to sacrifice his Son? Because the cords that bind families together are the most painful to untie. I believe that God created us to be effected most deeply by what goes on in our families because He wanted us to see the gospel so clearly. Unfortunately, sin has tainted those relationships here on earth, and families are not how they were intended to be. But the fact remains: whether good or bad, present or nonexsitant, family relationships have the most impact in the life of an individual. Why do orphanages exist? Why aren't there homes for people whose friends have died or left them? Why don't ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends all have a place to live when their hearts have been broken? Because the family is the most important relational institution. It's been created that way, and we don't even notice it because it's just the natural way of life. Think about it. If a child is being mistreated by a parent, they are removed from the situation. When a child is betrayed by a friend, nothing happens. It's ingrained in who we are: our families, or lack therof, shape us.

I was very surprised to experience what it was like to lose my mom, since I had never been extremely close with her. It's true. When family relationships change, so do you. Thankfully, God used my mom's death to reveal the importance of family. About a year and a half prior, he had already begun to work on me when my brother recommited his life to Christ. When we found out we were moving in 2006, God used that huge transition to bring Matthew back to Himself. That, in turn, brought him back to our family, and he became my brother again. Your family is more a part of who you are than you may realize. I believe it is God's desire that earthly families seek to emulate the heavenly family relationship. What does that mean? It means we're supposed to sacrifice for others, love them unconditionally, discipline them in love, serve them, encourage them, teach them obedience, etc. As a Christian, I don't think that you can toss aside the importance of family and still consider yourself to be honoring the Lord. It took me 16 years and 8 months to learn that. I hope you don't wait that long.

there are two options.

In regards to dating, my 8th grade teacher once said, "If you think about it, there are only two options; either you'll get married or you'll break up." Ever since that one simple statement sunk into my brain, I've been chewing long and hard on it.

Why do we date? What is our motive? Objective? Our culture tells us that dating should be all about you; you need to see what's out there, test things out, explore a little bit. Dating is mean for fooling around, having fun, and maybe getting into some trouble; save the serious stuff for marriage. Even so, today's view of marriage is tainted in terms of committment, but I'd say that marriage is viewed as a much more serious matter than dating. My teacher also mused that it's interesting that Christians' take on dating is often such that it revolves around them, when they say that marriage is about sacrificial love for the other person. After all, isn't dating supposed to prepare us for marriage?

Too often, we think that we can easily redirect that course our minds are on. We say to ourselves, "Yeah, I know that I'm not too serious about being a committed boyfriend/girlfriend right now, but when I meet The One, I'll never be unfaithful." What makes us say that? If we are the ones who are being disloyal, then what would change when a husband or wife comes along? We would be the problem, not the person we're in a relationship with. We think that there's a point in our lives when we need to start handling relationships with maturity, but before that point we're free to do whatever we want. Why do we think this way? I believe it's because we just don't trust that God really does hold our lives in his hands.

Think about how different marriages would look if we really believed that truth. So many couples struggle as husband and wife because of baggage they still have from previous dating relationships. Look at what Paul writes in Ephesians 5: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." I understand that this passage is talking about marriage, but what if couples who are dating took this to heart? Every girlfriend that you have will one day be someone's wife; every boyfriend that you have will one day be someone's husband. Should we then not help prepare them for their future roles for the sake of the gospel? I'm not saying that every dating relationship should look like a marriage, but I believe that it should possess many of the same godly characteristics.

Girls, if you decide to start dating at any point, please realize that you play a very important part in your boyfriend's development into a godly or ungodly husband. Encourage him in the gospel. Do not act as a stumbling block in his walk with God. You should seek to keep yourself pure and blameless for your future husband, and more importantly, your heavenly Father. Guys, if you decide to start dating at any point, pleaes realize that you play a very important part in your girlfriend's development into a godly or ungodly wife. Encourage her in the gospel. Do not act as a stumbling block in her walk with God by pressuring her to do things that she knows are not right. You are the leader in the relationship--atleast, you should be. Take responsibility. Do your part to keep her pure for her future husband, and in doing so, you will be remaining pure for your future wife. Both parties should be working together to keep themselves pure before their Almighty God.

Remember, there are only two options: either you'll get married or you'll break up. Be wise in your decisions about who you date. Don't wait till you start dating to get to know the person. Get to know the person first. I can't even count how many relationships I've seen fall apart because the people didn't know what they were getting into. They based their decision to date on pure emotion and physical attraction, only to find that the other person's character was not what they had first thought it was. Take note of how a guy/girl interacts with their friends and even others with whom they are not so close. So many times, my friends have ended up in relationships with two-faced people. It is not a bad thing to talk to trusted, godly friends about the person you would like to date. I understand that you will not marry every person you decide to date, but if you go into a relationship knowing that the guy/girl has no qualities that are appealing to you in the long run, then I don't see the point in jumping into anything with that person.

Overall, I'd say to guard your heart from making your boyfriend/girlfriend your idol. We forget that God still demands our devotion while we are devoting ourselves to our significant others. We cannot fall into the trap of thinking God knows best about everything except our love lives. He created us and formed us, and he himself was the One who placed that desire for another person inside of us. So then, does not the Creator know the creation best of all? Allow the Giver of your desires to give you what you desire, for he knows the longings of your heart.

the great fall.

Upon searching the online dictionary for a definition for "nation", the first result was as follows: "A large body of people, associated with a particular territory, that is sufficiently conscious of its unity to seek or to possess a government peculiarly its own." Would you allow me the liberty of changing that definition? Because if it was up to me, I would say that a nation is a large body of people, associated with a particular territory, that is sufficiently conscious of its unity to seek or possess a security peculiarly its own. Every country wants to be safe physically, financially, materialistically. When any of those things are jepoardized in the least, the citizens begin to panic. The world needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, I'm no politician; I don't have a strategic plan that will solve all of the international issues that are going on. But I know that the world needs Jesus.

In the movie Hotel Rwanda, which portrays some of the horror of the genocide in Rwanda, the following dialogue occurs:
"I am glad that you have shot this footage and that the world will see it. It is the only way we have a chance that people might intervene."
"Yeah and if no one intervenes, is it still a good thing to show?"
"How can they not intervene when they witness such atrocities?"
"I think if people see this footage they'll say, 'Oh my God that's horrible,' and then go on eating their dinners."

Sadly, that UN cameraman hit the nail on the head. I can't even count how many times that exact thing has happened in my own house, and I'm ashamed to say that. We've grown so numb to what is taking place right now, this very minute, in the other countries of our world. We've almost brainwashed ourselves to believe that our personal, familial, national security is the only priority. And heaven forbid that it be tampered with! Listen, I'm not here to say that every country should just cease its proctection. I'm trying to make the point that when we are so consumed with ourselves and our own fears, we watch people die, starve, kill, get killed, suffer, and the list goes on. What would happen in a world in which people's security lay in something that was not of this world? What if people placed their lives in the hands of Jesus Christ? What if people did not fear those who can harm the body, but the One who can harm the soul? I believe that, if people allowed the gospel to shape their lives, they would realize that we were not created for this world. As C.S. Lewis once wrote, we are souls and we have bodies. We are eternal creatures that live in a temporal world. What if we began to risk our own security to ensure the security of others? And what does that look like? I'm not exactly sure, but I'm fairly certain it requires more that money. As Christians, people know what we're against. But do they know what we stand for? And if they do know, is it because they've heard us talk about it, or becaues they've seen us do something about it? I think that, oftentimes, we spend so much time talking and even sending money, that we forget that we have been called into action to help those in need. I understand that not everyone is physically capable of going to a scene of injustice, but I definitely think that there should be more Christians on the front lines of what's going on in our world.

Our world needs Jesus. The nations need to place their security in the promises of the gospel. More Christians need to be risking their own security for that of others who are suffering. I know that "Jesus" is the sterotypical Sunday school answer, but I can't see this world being fixed without that solution.

what everyone wants for their kids.

Back in the days of one-room schoolhouses and ruler-slapping teachers, everyone was taught the same material. There seemed to be one curriculum that was universally followed with no boycotts, protests, resignations, and the like. Those were also the days in which almost every family attended the local church on Sundays. Should we then conclude that a way of education is in correlation with the spiritual state of the people? Maybe yes, but perhaps no. There are some who still believe that there should be a pool of what should be taught, and anything outside of that pool is ridiculously absurd. I believe that this is ignorance and pride. Now, there may be someone reading this who just got a huge smile on his or her face, thinking, "Finally, someone who has seen the light! I can't take those Christians and their creationism! They think it's science, but it's just a bunch of crap." Just hold it right there. Let's take this whole creation/intelligent design vs. evolution issue for example. Both sides of this argument have been guilty of exclusion and ignorance. Those who support intelligent design often do not want evolution to be taught at all; those who support evolution often say that the opposing view should be forbidden from the classroom. Both sides claim that the other perspective is not even science, and that is enough of a reason to erase it from the curriculum. But is it really a matter of what is science, or is it a matter of selfishness and pride? Personally, I believe in creation, but I am not at all against receiving an education that also teaches me about evolution. Last time I checked, education was intended to help shape the minds of individuals, enabling them to think critically based on knowlegde that they have obtained, and, most importantly, to think for themselves. It is not uncommon for teachers to present their students with articles holding several different opinions about a subject; in fact, some assignments require atleast one source that contradicts the student's viewpoint.

I'm not saying that any new idea that pops up should immediately be taught in the classroom; however, I am saying that, in order for people's minds to grow and develop in the search for truth, there must be a search. God has created our minds so intricately and intentionally to operate well while discovering, looking, and testing. Although I say this, I do think that institutions should be able to say what they stand for as a disclaimer. For instance, I think a public school should present both sides of the intelligent design vs. evoluation debate and still tell students that they hold to a belief in the theory of evolution. On the other side of the spectrum, I also think that students could be taught about evolution in a Christian school with the knowledge that their school and religion believes in creation.

I think one of the problems today is that people just don't know enough about the things which disagree with their beliefs. We get into our little bubbles of similar opinions, and we view anything outside the bubble as garbage. Granted, some things may be false and ridiculous, but we need to know the things we're dealing with. We also need to realize that the objective of education should not be to win people to a particular side, but to properly inform people so that they can make a wise decision. When I say this, I don't mean that parents should just send their children off to school and hope they make a right choice based on the information they take in. I believe that parents play a huge role in the education of their children; they need to teach them what truth is and how to discern it. That way, students will have a better foundation for receiving what they are taught in the classroom.

Education is supposed to make people aware of the world around them: political and social issues, religions, differing opinions in science, contradicting historical accounts, multiple interpretations of the same poem. We cannot be as informed as we should be if we are adament about only listening to one curriculum. As Christians, I believe that we must hold fast to Scripture, as that is where truth is found. Our Biblical mindset, however, should not give us reason to be ignorant; rather, it should stir us to learn even more about the world, in hopes that we might better shine the light of Christ in those areas which are dark.

what makes the world go round.

One day, while talking about money with a friend, it occured to me how absurd our obsession with our paper and metal curreny has become. Back in the day, money did not even exist; people bartered. They traded goods and services for other goods and services. Then, one random day, someone comes up with this grand idea of money, and all of a sudden, strips of paper and cirlces of metal become one some of the chief objects of man's desires. If you think about it that way, our want for money seems completely ridiculous. Many of us spend almost twenty years of our lives learning and studying and researching, just so we can get a job that gives us money. Think about how much of what we do revolves around that one thing that did not even exist a few thousand years ago! Not only do we desire it so much, but our longing is not for something that is concrete. Currency values are constantly fluctuating. Stock markets can crash overnight. Former employees can be unemployed in a matter of minutes. A totaled car can wipe out a family's bank account in a matter of seconds. It is no wonder that people make so much profit from writing books on how to deal with depression during a financial crisis!

Now, I do not want you to think that I am telling everyone to go burn all of their money, go live in the forest, and eat racoons and boisenberries. Money is important, but it is not something to be idolized, and it is not something in which our security should be placed. Money is something that God gives us, entrusting us with his blessings. The Bible is constantly referencing the dangers of wealth and the punishment that will be given to those who stake their lives on it. When we taint the gifts of God and neglect our responsibility to be good stewards of what we have been given, we experience the consequences of our sinful nature. Money is to be used wisely, yet cheerfully. I do believe that we should spend money on things that we want and not just that which we need. But we need to keep in mind that God is not pleased with selfish gain. All that we have is from the Lord, and we need to think of our finances with that mindset.

My parents never eluded to the amount of their income, and I am grateful for that. When a child knows how much money their parents have, it opens the door for the unhealthy thought that they can have whatever they want. I think it is important for parents to teach their children wise money handling methods, and perhaps even to tell their kids how much they make when they are older. Whatever the case, parents should always teach their families that immense value should not be placed on such an unstable thing.

originality.

Have you ever had someone in your life whose friendship made you think, "This must be how God intended it to be"? Well, if you've never experienced that, then I suggest you start exploring God's wonderful creation--get to know more people. Really get to know them. They're beautiful. Anyways, I have a friend like that. So often we get sucked into the idea that a best friend is someone who will always be fully engaged in every aspect in your life. They'll always know what's frustrating you, who's on your bad side, and what you're struggling with. That person will always have time to talk to you about you. Sure, a best friend should have time for you and they should be interested and knowledgeable about your life, but is that really all they're good for?I would say no. I think a best friend is someone with whom you can talk about life. And now you're probably thinking, "Isn't that what you JUST said?" No, it's not. I said life. Not your life. Life. Life is more than you. It's more than me. It's more than them. If all you ever talk about with your best friend is your issues and their problems, then I suggest you take some time to reevaluate where your focus is. Life is so much more than the things you're facing right now. We get so consumed with our tiny lives that we forget the big picture. There is a God who created the sun, and instead of complaining about how it turns our skin red, we should be praising Him for letting us see the vast ocean that we're sitting next to. There is a God who created the rain, and instead of moping around because it makes us "depressed", we should be praising Him for causing grass to grow so we're not staring at cracked dirt for our entire lives. My point is simply this: we've lost perspective. We have this crazy notion in our heads that people should be willing to tend to our every need, and that those people are called best friends. We've got it all wrong. I believe that while our best friends should care about us, they should help us keep the right perspective. We should be in awe of the miracle of this life, and we should surround ourselves with others who are in awe. So, next time you hang out with your best friends, take a break from talking about yourselves. Try sitting by a river, looking at stars, or just sitting in a car. Think about something other than your own lives. You just might be surprised with what pops into your head.

thoughts on sunday night.

Do you ever think about how many people you greet throughout the course of a day and how many people with whom you carry on casual conversation? There's probably tens, maybe hundreds. but out of those people, how many do you actually know? I'm not talking about whether or not you know their name, occupation, and town of residence. I mean truly know. I've been noticing that the deeper I get to know a person, the more I want to have a relationship with them. There's something about being open with another human being that provides this sort of bridge to that person. Maybe it's because we all long to go back to The Garden, the place where shame was nonexistant and concealment was not even a thought. I believe that we are meant to be real with one another, and I think that getting to truly know a person- their brokenness, their struggles, the things that they would wake up and hour early to do- is, perhaps, one of the greatest gifts that God has given us in this lifetime.

Hugh Walpole Sr. once said, "The most wonderful of all things in life, I believe, is the discorver of another human being with whom one's relationship has a growing depth, beauty, and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing; it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of divine accident, and the most wonderful of all things in life." For the most part, I can echo his words, but I'd like to correct one thing. I do not believe that those with whom we come in contact with are merely a divine accident; rather, I believe that they have been strategically placed in our lives by the Divine, and we are to seek to make his glory known through each relationship we have. I'd also like to add to the line that says, "It cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it." I agree with that, but I'll say that I've learned that it takes work and the love and grace of Christ to enable our earthly relationships to endure, granted the Lord wants it to continue.

So what am I saying? I don't think it's possible for us to become best friends with every single person we come in contact with; life's other demands does not allow that. I do, however, think that we need to be intentional in getting to know those around us so that we can better live out the gospel with those who may not know Christ, and so that we can deeply encourage those with whom we share the hope of the gospel. I think we can all agree that we fail in the area of relational investment.

In my Bible class, we were discussing the eye and how we often associate a person's eyes with who they are. It is said that when you look into a person's eyes, you can see their soul. I sat there and thought about it for a minute. When you look into someone's eyes, you are seeing the outside of a sense of humor, a personality, a soul, likes and dislikes. Let's look a little deeper, and may we look into the eyes of others with the eyes of Christ.

depth.

Upon my visit to New Jersey, a good friend's mother said, "Your true friends are the ones with whom you can just pick up where you left off, no matter how long it's been since you last talked." Now, my first mental reaction was to contradict that statement with something along the lines of, "No, your true friends are the ones that are with you through everything in life. You never grow apart." I hadn't even thought about that again until tonight.

Tonight, an old friendship was regenerated. Amanda Scotto and I were the best of friends for about six months during our freshman year. On the last day of school, she left for Florida, where she lives now. The last few months of her life in Jersey, she kind of withdrew herself from her friends. Perhaps she thought that if she left home with no attachments, the move would be easier on her. Whatever the case, we lost touch.

The friendship we shared was a very special one to say the least. We exchanged deeply personal experiences with one another--ones that we had never told anyone else. We discussed core elements of life and what life is about. We laughed. We cried. We promised. We talked. We listened. We supported. We loved. And then it all stopped. All except the love.

Many people's actions seem to be based on the belief that love relies on the frequency of contact with a person. While I believe that frequent contact with good friends is very good, I'm also making the point that love within friendships can be solid with lack of constant conversation. When you develop a love for and learn to love a person, I believe that that love can be tapped into for the sake of regenerating an old friendship.

So perhaps it is not how often you talk, but how deep you've gone.

trying times.

walking through fire and i can't see you anywhere. what ever happened to the day you promised you'd never leave? oh, i'm trying to see the good in all of this. what ever happened to when you said your burden was light? i'm blinded by this life and you don't seem to be shedding any light.

give me your eyes, that i might see traces of you among the blood and sweat and tears that i've cried. give me the faith to say that you are good, though you may seem to be much different than you are. help me to know this life is a vapor in the wind; two more days and i could be saying my last words. give me the strength to proclaim you are alive, for i can feel you breathing your life into me.

goodness.

Last night I came to a conclusion. I texted a good friend:

"The moon is orange tonight."
"That's how it was the other night! I loved it."
"Yeah, I love nighttime."
"Me too. But my favorite is in the summer around 6 or 7 o'clock on the beach."
"That's the best time to be alive."
"You're right."
"Life is good."

Life is good. What a flippant little phrase we just toss around. It's on bumper stickers, hats, t-shirts. But last night, after I texted that statement, I thought about what was just said. And I came to two conclusions.

One: Life IS good. "There is only One who is good." Jesus said it himself. "For by Him all things were created. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." Paul said it. Now, if we agree that "all things" encompasses the scope of life, we're getting somewhere. All things exist through the One who is good; therefore, life must always be good. Not always preferable, but always good. Just like getting a cut cleaned out--not always preferable, but always good.

Two: I made another pretty big statement just one text before that. "That's the best time to be alive." When I said that, I had not yet thought of everything in the paragraph above. But I thought about it afterwards. God is the same, today yesterday and forever. He never changes. If I can stand on the shoreline, mid-July, watching th color transform into a radiant canvas of lights, and conclude that it is, in fact, the best time to be alive, I should just as quickly jump to that conclusion as I am driving through downtown Chattanooga on a raining Monday afternoon. Why? Because, the same Lord that is on His throne on that mid-summer's evening is on His throne on that rainy, dismal day. Though our circumstances may be altered, God is constant. Therefore, I say it is always good to be alive.