tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31790311407071296362024-03-21T18:07:02.291-05:00I'll tell you how the sun roseA ribbon at a time...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-62958984672744203492013-08-15T09:18:00.001-05:002013-08-16T08:23:11.772-05:00Once upon an August morning...<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I was jerked awake at precisely 5:27 by a squirming knot in my stomach. Its cause was this dreadful realization: I had parked in a place where I could get a ticket... or possibly towed. Rushing outside with an impending sense of doom, waves of relief washed over me as I saw my fabulous, enormous, wood-paneled wagon still sitting in the lot (next to a tiny smart car, which gave me quite a laugh) completely ticket free.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Praise the Lord!</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">—Not even for sparing me a headache and inconvenience, really, but for this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I was dragged out of bed in a frenzy, fully expecting the worst, only to step out the front door and literally have my breath taken away by one of the most glorious sunrises I've ever seen. Vivid magenta clouds illuminated the horizon, ribbons of crimson and gold reaching their spindly fingers up into the retreating darkness. And in that moment, I was struck by the overwhelming mercy of my Savior.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So I drove to Cup of Joe, </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">got some chai, </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and sat on the river,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">drinking in God's word and the splendor of His creation. </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But this I call to mind,</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>and therefore I have hope:</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>his mercies never come to an end;</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">they are new every morning;</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>great is your faithfulness.</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“therefore I will hope in him.”</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: #741b47;">[Lamentations 3:21-24]</span></b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-43998886664525757942013-08-01T09:32:00.001-05:002013-08-01T11:45:01.878-05:00how Iowa is a picture of Truth<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I had a dream one of the first nights of being in Jacksonville, and it went something like this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Meandering up a country road, the wide horizon of a Midwestern landscape stretched out before me. Pale yellow gravel crunched beneath my feet as I stepped onward. Smooth hills rolled up to meet me, enormous waves of earth too lethargic to ever crash like the surf on Neptune Beach. As I walked, the world around me came into crisper focus; tall black-eyed susans gained prevalence among the wild, unkempt grasses growing in the ditches and I watched the dust around my feet, agitated by movement, stir up in purposefully chaotic wisps, carried away in the breeze. Glancing beyond a faded road sign standing askew, I became aware of a hazy light reaching over the crest of the rising ground ahead. I pressed on up the incline to the prize of gaining the summit; a broad, fruitful valley opened up beneath me, the patchwork quilt of farmland laying out as in a hammock under the sun. </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Details previously overlooked became obvious; the farms yielded alfalfa, beans, and corn, and I discovered deer tracks and a thin, twisted stream cutting through the Earth— nuances found only by those who walk this path with purpose. </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The road wound down into the valley, and I spotted it in the distance, a narrow golden thread stretching over the opposite brim, reaching on and on toward what I know only to be a beautiful Mystery.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Comprehension of the gospel, I'm beginning to think, is not a destination that I reach, but rather a road upon which I have walked, am walking, and will continue to walk into eternity. My inability to fully grasp the majesty of God's sovereignty and grace, then, is not an inconvenience, but a joy and a gift daily given; the longer I walk, the sweeter His revelation.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-48220944912656545322013-04-21T22:49:00.000-05:002013-04-22T11:38:33.208-05:00OSTRICHES: [the Reconciliation]<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This post is the third of a three-part documentation of the journey my overly-analytical mind took while hitting the replay button on the song below. Please give it a listen in its entirety before diving in; I've written out the lyrics for your convenience. Click <a href="http://grastephe.blogspot.com/2013/04/ostriches-myth.html" target="_blank">here</a> for part one and click <a href="http://grastephe.blogspot.com/2013/04/ostriches-questioning.html" target="_blank">here</a> for part two.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">— — —</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="font-size: x-large;">My False</i><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">by Matt Corby</span></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/hFHz1Ta9dkI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You see, I don't know where I'm running to</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's become quite hard to see</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There's a guilty weight on my conscience</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Of all my wrongful deeds</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's time to reconcile</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's time to reconcile</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Oh, if I walk into the darkness I'll be lost</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But if I try to stay, the light will show my false</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I will keep my head in the sand, dear</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Let the grains block out the sun</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">With shame as my companion</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It will stay close til I'm done</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i><i>It's time to reconcile</i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's time to reconcile</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b><b>Oh, if I wal</b><b>k into the darkness I'll be lost</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But if I try to stay, the light will show my false</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">— — —</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>[the Reconciliation]</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I met a guy named Donovan who talked about this constant, unfulfilled, dissatisfied, restless longing that every human carries with them every moment of every day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">He said, </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;">"If someone offered me eternal life, I'd say </span><b style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">No thanks—</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;">unless something is gonna be </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: large;"><i>radically different</i></span></b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;">."</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I agree.</b><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cause if I pay attention, I don't see people thriving.</b><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems like the ache of this song is echoed in the hearts of everyone around me.</b></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>And maybe you've noticed, too.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Maybe, as hard as you try,</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>a purposeful, beautiful, joyful life just doesn't seem to be in the cards.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Honestly? No. Of course I don't want eternal life——<b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">IF ETERNAL LIFE IS LIKE</span><span style="font-size: large;"> <i>this</i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>This</b></i> life is <b>miserable, painful, difficult, and hopeless.</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We've all felt it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But why?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">—Cause we, as human beings, have a voracious appetite </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">for pleasure and acceptance </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">which we can never quench. </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>These constant desires prevent us </b></span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">from ever being satisfied by anything in this world</b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But </span></span></b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm telling you, there is something <span style="color: #bf9000;">AMAZINGLY, RADICALLY DIFFERENT</span> for you.</b></span></div>
<b style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>I t ' s t h e G o s p e l .</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">AND THIS IS WHY IT'S SO AMAZING:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">God doesn't shrug his shoulders at all the stuff that's wrong with this world and me in it</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">and decide he can tolerate all the shortcomings.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's not about acceptance; it's about reconciliation.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">He doesn't accept me 'as I am.'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>He doesn't leave me to remain in this current state;</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>HE RADICALLY TRANSFORMS ME WITH HIS LOVE.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"The Gospel is <span style="font-size: large;"><i>better than unconditional love</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="font-size: x-small;"> </b> The Gospel says, ‘God accepts you just as <b><span style="font-size: large;">Christ</span> is</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">God has ‘contraconditional’ love for you.’</span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"> </b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>CHRIST BEARS THE BURDEN YOU DESERVE</b></span><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"> </b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Christ is fully pleasing to the Father</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: #741b47;">and </span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #741b47;">gives you His own perfect goodness</span></b>.<b> </b></span><b style="font-size: x-small;"> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Christ reigns in power</span>,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">making you <b>the Father’s child </b>and coming close to you</span><b style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">to begin to <span style="font-size: large;"><i>change</i> </span>what is unacceptable to God about you.</span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"> </b></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>God never accepts me ‘as I am.’</b><b style="font-size: x-small;"> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">He accepts me ‘<span style="color: #741b47;">as I am in Jesus Christ</span>.’</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">THE CENTER OF GRAVITY IS DIFFERENT</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The true Gospel does not allow God’s </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">love</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">to be sucked into the vortex of the soul’s lust</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">for acceptability and worth in and of itself.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">"</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"> </b><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>[C.J. Mahaney]</div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Your guilt, lostness, and shame aren't yours to bear.</span></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">[it's time to reconcile]</span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>†</b></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-8897509658855652512013-04-12T15:24:00.001-05:002013-04-21T22:50:54.124-05:00OSTRICHES: [the Questioning]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This post is the second of a three-part documentation of the journey my overly-analytical mind took while hitting the replay button on the song below. Please give it a listen in its entirety before diving in; I've written out the lyrics for your convenience. Click <a href="http://grastephe.blogspot.com/2013/04/ostriches-myth.html" target="_blank">here</a> to read part one.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">— — —</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">My False</span></i><span style="font-size: large;"> by Matt Corby</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/hFHz1Ta9dkI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You see, I don't know where I'm running to</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's become quite hard to see</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There's a guilty weight on my conscience</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Of all my wrongful deeds</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's time to reconcile</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's time to reconcile</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Oh, if I walk into the darkness, I'll be lost</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But if I try to stay, the light will show my false</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I will keep my head in the sand, dear</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Let the grains block out the sun</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">With shame as my companion</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It will stay close til I'm done</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i><i>It's time to reconcile</i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's time to reconcile</span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b><b>Oh, if I wal</b><b>k into the darkness, I'll be lost</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But if I try to stay, the light will show my false</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Oh, if I wal</b><b>k into the darkness, I'll be lost</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But if I try to stay, the light will show my false</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">— — —</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: left;">Songs are funny, cause the narrator might not necessarily be the guy who wrote it. But when I first heard the lyrics of this song, I immediately wished I could talk to the person whose sentiment they convey. There are so many things I'd want to ask... Questions that, if I'm being transparent, I would like to pose to most people I meet; there are some things that nobody spends time thinking about, and those tend to be the things that <u>everyone</u> <i>should</i> think about.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">[the Questioning]</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;"> —ask yourself—</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Do you feel a lack of direction?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Why?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And why are you running when you don't know where you're going?</span><br />
<div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"> —ask yourself—</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Is guilt something you should just try to shake off?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Cause it's a tangible thing; You feel it. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But do you think you should?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Is guilt something we deserve?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Why or why not?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And where does it come from?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"> —ask yourself—</span></b><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Are you more afraid of the stuff you do, or the idea that other people might find out?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What do you do with the shame you feel daily?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Is that something you just have to accept, or is the goal to try to ignore it?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Letting yourself be ignorant of your circumstances</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">—colloquially 'keeping your head in the sand'—</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">does that make it any better?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you think you deserve to feel better?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Why?</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"> —ask yourself—</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What would make it better?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What is reconciliation?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">To what or whom are you being reconciled?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">How do you achieve it?</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">— — —</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div>
<br />
<div>
<div>
<br />
<div>
<br />
<div>
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I pay attention, I don't see people thriving.</b><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems like the ache of this song is echoed in the hearts of everyone around me.</b></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>And maybe you've noticed, too.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Maybe, as hard as you try,</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>a purposeful, beautiful, joyful life just doesn't seem to be in the cards.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>So here's my question:</b></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Is this as good as it gets?</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
And if it isn't, why is everybody ignoring that fact—<br />
—like ostriches with their heads in the sand?<br />
It this isn't as good as it gets, then why is everybody pretending that it is?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Click <a href="http://grastephe.blogspot.com/2013/04/ostriches-reconciliation.html" target="_blank">here</a> for part three</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-83494014054883853452013-04-08T23:29:00.001-05:002013-04-21T22:50:06.853-05:00OSTRICHES: [the Myth]This post is the first of a three-part documentation of the journey my overly-analytical mind took while hitting the replay button on the song below. Please give it a listen in its entirety before diving in; I've written out the lyrics for your convenience.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">— — —</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>My False</i> by Matt Corby</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/hFHz1Ta9dkI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You see, I don't know where I'm running to</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's become quite hard to see</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There's a guilty weight on my conscience</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Of all my wrongful deeds</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's time to reconcile</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's time to reconcile</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Oh, if I walk into the darkness, I'll be lost</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But if I try to stay, the light will show my false</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I will keep my head in the sand, dear</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Let the grains block out the sun</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">With shame as my companion</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It will stay close til I'm done</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i><i>It's time to reconcile</i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's time to reconcile</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b><b>Oh, if I wal</b><b>k into the darkness, I'll be lost</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But if I try to stay, the light will show my false</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Oh, if I wal</b><b>k into the darkness, I'll be lost</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But if I try to stay, the light will show my false</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">— — —</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Songs are funny, cause the narrator might not necessarily be the guy who wrote it. But when I first heard the lyrics of this song, I immediately wished I could talk to the person whose sentiment they convey. Seems like a guy without much direction, doesn't it? But onward he rolls, despite the blindness, guilt, and shame that seem to be of a crippling nature.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>But let's be real for a minute: if I were in a dark and unfamiliar room, I wouldn't be running. Would you? I'd be taking cautionary, investigative baby steps. I'd be doubled over, arms outstretched, checking that I'm not about to bash my shins on the corner of a metal coffee table or something heinous like that.</i></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: start;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>YET THIS WORLD IS FULL OF PEOPLE</b></span><br />
<b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">MOVING AT 100 MILES PER HOUR</span></b><br />
<b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">WHO WOULD READILY ADMINT</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">THAT THEY'VE GOT NO IDEA</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">WHERE THEY'RE GOING.</span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">[the Myth]</span></b></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Here's how it's done: pay thousands of dollars a year so you can sleep and drink your way through college to get that degree which will enable you to w</i><i>ork nine to five at a job that doesn't engage your mind but pays enough that you can buy the best phone, clothes, tv, car, house, whatever, and, if you're lucky, retire to a condo in Florida</i><i>. It's a wonderful life...</i></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Silly, right? Satirical. Absurd.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Except that's what people do, isn't it?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">That's the American Dream.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">That's our society's definition of success—</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">—society just uses shinier words.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I pay attention, I don't see people thriving.</b><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems like the ache of this song is echoed in the hearts of everyone around me.</b></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>And maybe you've noticed, too.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Maybe, as hard as you try,</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>a purposeful, beautiful, joyful life just doesn't seem to be in the cards.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>So here's my question:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Is this as good as it gets?</span></i></div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
Ostriches don't really stick their heads in the sand, did you know?</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
It's just a myth.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Click <a href="http://grastephe.blogspot.com/2013/04/ostriches-questioning.html" target="_blank">here</a> for part two and <a href="http://grastephe.blogspot.com/2013/04/ostriches-reconciliation.html" target="_blank">here</a> for part three.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-47612761085990914162013-03-27T14:44:00.001-05:002013-05-09T22:48:20.356-05:00You will most likely find this to be at least a little bit offensive.<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">[but stick with me anyway]</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I struggle with pride.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">...That seems too nonchalant a statement. Let me try again:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Every single day, hundreds of thoughts that cross my mind are saturated in sinful pride. It was many years into my Christian faith before I actually labeled what I was doing as sin, and it was many years before I realized the extent of that sin in my life. Having repented and asked for forgiveness, I still struggle with pride daily. It's my vice— my own personal poison. I didn't choose it. It's a root that runs deep, but I know that by Christ's power I can overcome all temptation and sin in my heart, because I have been convicted about my sin by the Holy Spirit, and God has promised to conform me to Jesus' righteousness. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There are a lot of people God placed in my life who could probably see with vastly more clarity than I just how deep in sin I was. But those people didn't inform me of how despicable my pride was. They didn't pass judgment on me; they recognized that this wasn't their job. Their job was to show me love, and that's exactly what happened. They heaped friendship and grace and encouragement into my life by the truck loads. My sanctification process took a long time to begin, and it's still not even close to completion, but you know what? That's been God's plan all along. It was only ever going to be accomplished in <b>His perfect timing</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If those Christ-followers in my life had instead spent years trying to convince me of the sin in my life, making me feel dirty, worthless, and unholy— how effective do you think that would have been? If those people had spent our time together throwing scripture at me, outlining the flaws in my character and lifestyle— do you think I would have responded favorably? Even if I saw my pride for the despicable thing that it was, do you think their judgment would have spurred me toward actual, genuine repentance?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Highly unlikely.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"<i>...do you not know that God's </i><b><span style="color: purple; font-size: x-small;">K I N D N E S S </span></b><i>is meant to lead you to repentance?</i>"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">[Romans 2:4b]</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">— — —</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Is everybody tracking with me? Are we all in agreement?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>OKAY.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So, now I want you to go back and read that again— but any time the word <b>'<i>pride'</i> </b>appears, I want you to read it as <b>'<i>homosexuality'</i></b> instead.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Seriously. Go back and read it again.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">— — —</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Did I lose any of you?</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">All of a sudden, there's an issue. Christians being homosexual? And not being immediately and openly rebuked? I can hear the objections being raised: "Christians have to hold one another accountable!" "We're called to lives of righteousness!" "We shouldn't allow our brothers and sisters in Christ to continue in sin!"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I fully agree.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Did you hear me?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I f u l l y a g r e e .</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The church— <span style="font-size: x-small;">NOT THE GOVERNMENT, BUT THE BODY OF CHRIST</span>— must be accountable to one another, pushing each other towards righteousness and coming alongside one another in order to strive to follow Christ's commands.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Let's not make the mistake of thinking, however, that it's <u>our job</u> to change people.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">That's the Holy Spirit's job.</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mankind has been historically unsuccessfully mandating morality. If there's one thing I've learned from studying the past, it is this: <b><span style="color: purple;">obedience in the hearts of men cannot be achieved through laws.</span></b> When religious institutions or governments have tried, the people either openly oppose, disobey in secret, or adhere out of fear— never freely, genuinely, or willingly.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If you want our government to adopt God's law,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">do you also want your salvation to come from how well you follow it? </span></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">—because if we think we can moralize society through legal means,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">we are removing Christ from Christianity.</span></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Have we forgotten our first love? We, too, were lost in sin before Christ washed us clean. And yet every single believer— who has been born again and made new— still struggles with sin.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I am simultaneously disobedient and righteous.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">At the same time a sinner and a saint.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Already and not yet.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This mystery cannot be fully understood by men, let alone accomplished through their efforts.</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm pleading with you: never place morality above the scandalous grace which we have all found in Jesus Christ. It took me years of being a Christian to truly acknowledge my sin for what it is and begin actually desiring for it to be eradicated from my heart. This is a process of sanctification that all believers go through.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So why is it okay for you and me, but not okay for homosexuals?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We preach love and mercy and grace,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">but where is its tangible manifestation?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Step back from this heated political debate for a moment and honestly ask yourself: Do I really believe that judgment and legalistic mandates of my religious beliefs will win anyone to Christ?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Isn't bringing people to the Kingdom our ultimate goal?</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This world is broken.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My heart aches for the sinful condition of our culture.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's riddled with pain, immorality, grief, violence, and hatred.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But let us never make the mistake of assuming that manmade institutions are the solution.</span></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This world doesn't need moral laws;</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">THIS WORLD NEEDS </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">JESUS</span><span style="font-size: large;">.</span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The law brought death.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">LIFE COMES THROUGH SACRIFICIAL LOVE.</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I know it's hard to love people who don't seem to deserve it...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But, more often than not, those are the people who need it the most.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We've been recipients of completely undeserved forgiveness and grace.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We've had judgment entirely removed, though we did nothing to earn it.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We're daily given second, third, and four-hundred and ninety-eighth chances.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>forgive as he forgave</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>comfort as he comforted</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>serve as he served</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>encourage as he encouraged</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>bless as he blessed</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>sacrifice as he sacrificed</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>withhold judgment as he withheld judgment</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">LOVE AS HE LOVED</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"This is the practical, tangible working of the vision</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">that forces us to see, oppose, and cast out</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>not the people who oppose the gospel</b>,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>but the spiritual strongholds that possess them to do so</u>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You want to know how to bring people to Christ?</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Identify the spiritual strongholds that stand between them and God,</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and tear them down with <span style="font-size: large;">pointed, intentional love</span>.</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Overwhelm the lies of the enemy in a person's life with </span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">such</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">a powerful, observable manifestation of God's love</span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> </b><b>that they cannot help but see who they are</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>in God's eyes</b></span>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>This is the love of the Father</u>—</span><br />
<i style="font-size: xx-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">intentional love</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> —and this is <i style="font-weight: bold;"><u>the only love</u> that will beckon people to salvation.</i>"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">[<u>The Vision</u> by Mattie Montgomery]</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">†</span></span><br />
<div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-9196326914757874102013-02-20T14:09:00.000-06:002013-02-20T14:12:03.197-06:00ALL CAPS<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
make things seem more important, wouldn't you say?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-60414989834113026262013-01-28T21:18:00.000-06:002013-01-28T21:19:01.290-06:00At the Castle in the Air<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~bcohen/phantom_tollbooth/princess.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~bcohen/phantom_tollbooth/princess.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> "You must never feel badly about making mistakes," explained Reason quietly, "as long as you take the trouble to learn from them. For you often learn more by being wrong for the right reasons than you do by being right for the wrong reasons."<br /> "But there's so much to learn," Milo said, with a thoughtful frown.<br /> "Yes, that's true," admitted Rhyme, "but it's not just learning things that's important. It's learning what to do with what you learn and learning why you learn things at all that matters."</span></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
[The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster]</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: right;">
</blockquote>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-64256965898658794102013-01-24T01:18:00.000-06:002013-01-24T01:18:17.365-06:00bleach + caramel<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I was spending my Tuesday afternoon cleaning the sink in my dorm room, causing my hands to smell profusely of clorox. Naturally, after all my hard work, I sat down to enjoy a Dulce de Leche scratch cupcake. I took one bite and—</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> BANG.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I'm eleven years old, sitting on a big, super-hot cement block next to the baby pool outside Ames High with Mary Schliesman. The sun is shining on my face, with the scent of pool water wafting through the humid air and a caramel apple pop stuck to my molars. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">____________________________________</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Except it's -2 outside, I haven't seen Mary in 6 months, and I can't remember the last time I had a caramel apple pop. What is it about tastes and smells? I haven't thought about our summer escapades in years, yet the combination of bleach and caramel triggered the strongest flashback I've ever experienced. The human brain is such a mysterious, marvelous thing.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhykwd5UnbhNIZZ7N9AmcX2XEXPOKlI-nEu2x4EEEhVsdTvQEtRo4NjOjeTvPC9vzmh4j7G_OQ9UtyBEIgnZblXL1TvbFhYrPMncilfRsgliR6bIs-Sv3T3ptMHbvK-RKhIVJ7Z58pPskWm/s1600/debugger.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhykwd5UnbhNIZZ7N9AmcX2XEXPOKlI-nEu2x4EEEhVsdTvQEtRo4NjOjeTvPC9vzmh4j7G_OQ9UtyBEIgnZblXL1TvbFhYrPMncilfRsgliR6bIs-Sv3T3ptMHbvK-RKhIVJ7Z58pPskWm/s1600/debugger.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
courtesy of xkcd.com</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-27439568698480658472013-01-20T14:23:00.000-06:002013-01-20T14:23:55.393-06:00If it be true, I conclude something huge.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xnji4kU8yfI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>But in the end, God doesn't need a defense.</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>He is who He is.</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Amen.</b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-41746437395804919102013-01-17T11:31:00.001-06:002013-03-27T19:18:00.898-05:00THAT kid.<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I sat in the back row of an early-morning Humanities III class, trying to keep a low profile. Most of the 35 students looked as though this was the last place in the world they wanted to be.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "Have any of you read Frankenstein?" our professor asked us expectantly. Myself and three others raised our hands.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "Only four?" He blinked at us enthusiastically, allotting an awkward silence before gushing about modern day allusions to Mary Shelley's novel. He then held up a copy of the Communist Manifesto.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "I bet even fewer have read this one... Anybody? Anybody?" <i>I'm probably going to need more coffee to keep up with this guy</i>, I thought to myself, raising my hand along with one other student. He grinned at us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "What high school did you go to?" he asked me. Thirty-five heads turned my way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "Ames," I replied quietly, trying to suppress any part of my personality that might resemble Hermione Granger.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "Ah, yes. Well, a bigger high school would emphasize great literature..." <i>Okay, he is putting unnecessary amounts of effort into making me sound like a pretentious snob</i>. As he began to enlighten us on the cultural relevance and criticisms of Marxism, I hoped silently that the next book would be new to me. When he inquired about 1984, I may have grimaced before putting my hand in the air once again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "What did you think? Was it a happy book?" he asked, giving me uncomfortably extended eye contact.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "Interesting, but not happy," I responded. He got a chuckle out of that, which annoyed me a little because I was trying my best to be humorless. A discussion with the rest of the class of utopian and dystopian societies followed and I thought I was out of the woods.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "Now, I would guess that most of you have never even heard of this book. I'm the only Humanities professor that uses it... A Sand County Almanac!" He began to share with us the merits of this book, which Mr.Schuck, my 7th grade science teacher, read to us in its entirety. I gladly remained silent. As he didn't technically ask if we had read it— <i>and I wouldn't technically say that I had</i>— I was spared confirming everyone's suspicions that I am, in fact, THAT kid.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-19488643614940686322013-01-15T11:03:00.004-06:002013-01-15T11:10:26.633-06:00it's a bloody mess<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Well, today I found out that there are about 150 empty dorms on campus," my dad says.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I respond: "That seems like a lot... Do that many people just quit school?"</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"It's a small percentage of 30,000."</span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Wait," says my brother, "I actually thought the drop out rate was higher than that."</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"It probably is, but not all of them live on campus."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I know a kid who dropped out of college recently." I add, "Pretty sure he's in prison now... But hey, I guess there are a lot of different—"</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My words catch in my throat.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The list of reasons people don't finish school doesn't need to be discussed tonight.</span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I drop my gaze from my brother</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">as the reminder of his friend's fatal car accident sears yet another hole in my heart.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There are so many now, it's amazing I still have a pulse;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">That cardiac muscle of mine is beginning to resemble swiss cheese.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As my blood pressure drops, I try to scream.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It comes out hollow, weak and unconvincing, falling on deaf ears.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But I need them to understand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I need them to realize that life can be cut short in the blink of an eye—</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">that their <span style="font-size: x-small;">YOLO</span> world view doesn't cut it—</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">that their lives are worth more than that—</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">worth more than they could ever know.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The blood of God has been spilt willingly on our account.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So what am I worth?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What are any of us worth?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"Worth, value, and beauty are not determined by some innate quality,<br />but by the length for which the owner would go to posses them.<br />And broken and ugly things like us are stamped excellent<br />with ink tapped in wells of divine veins—<br />a system of redemption that could only be described as <u>perfect</u>." </b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>[Propaganda]</b></span></blockquote>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-60372987061845517832012-12-19T19:19:00.000-06:002012-12-28T01:00:29.056-06:00After seven minutes<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>of untangling christmas lights...</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>MOM:</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This is a recipe for frustration.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>ME:</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You do look pretty frustrated...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>LUKE, HOLDING A PIECE OF GREENERY AND NOT HELPING AT ALL:</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So, should we take a break and play scrabble?</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-59030047592562497662012-11-14T21:37:00.000-06:002013-08-01T10:17:53.840-05:00It's better than perfume.<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. </span></i><i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus said, "Take away the stone." </span></i><i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Martha, the sister of the dead man, </span></i><i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">said to him, </span></i><i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days." </span></i><i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" </span></i><i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So they took away the stone. And Jesus liften up his eyes and said, </span></i><i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, </span></i><i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me." </span></i><i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When he said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." </span></i><i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, </span></i><i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">and his face wrapped with a cloth. </span></i><i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus said to them, "Unbind him and let him go."</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">[John 11:38-44]</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As I view God as the Author of the universe, I like to think he is the ultimate expert at literary devices. I have to admit that I'm a bit of a nerd; I geeked out when I got to this passage in John. The foreshadowing, the metaphors... It's all so exciting! Partially because it's great literature, and partially because its implications affect the lives of everyone who has ever lived.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Right now I wanna hop out of this specific event in order to look at the broader implications, because I believe that this story isn't <i>just</i> about Jesus raising a man from the dead—which is awe-inspiring and incredible on it's own. I believe it's also a pre-game show for Christ's own death and resurrection— <span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GET READY, PEOPLE: IT'S GONNA BE BIG</b></span>— in addition to a picture of what it looks like when He rescues us from our sinful state of spiritual death. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I've got 5 bits of goodness. Ready?</span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"Lord, by this time there will be an odor,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">for he has been dead four days."</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You know, sometimes I think that God made decomposing things smell so revolting to us as a kind of metaphor in order that we might understand how despicable sin is in His eyes. Now, the only thing I remember learning about math throughout my high school education was this: if A=B and B=C, then A=C. In <strike>other</strike> words, if people are sinful and sin is death, then people are dead in their sin. </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yet Jesus</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> descended from eternal bliss into this sin-infested mire without blinking. He doesn't care about the hopeless, disgusting state of people when we're dead— no matter how revolting it is to him. The living people around him are like, are you sure you wanna go there? It's gross. Have you ever smelled something that's dead? Naaaaasssstyy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">BIT NUMBER ONE:</span> </b>Christ forges on into our filth anyway;</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">he cares about us <i><b>that</b></i> <b><i>much</i></b>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">__________________________________</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"Did I not tell you that if you believed</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">you would see the glory of God?"</span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Not if you do well enough in school. Not if enough people say you're a nice person. Not if you're successful enough at work. Not if you're a good enough friend, neighbor, child, sibling, or parent. Not even if you're a good enough Christian. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>BIT NUMBER TWO:</b></span> The prerequisite for seeing God's glory</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">is NOTHING MORE than <i><b>believing</b></i>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">__________________________________</span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me."</span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus is constantly chatting with the Father; I'm pretty convinced they have that whole telepathy thing going on... But I think the moments when Jesus decides to communicate with Him verbally are the sweetest, because we know that he's only doing it so that we can hear. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">R.A. Torrey said,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"The chief purpose of prayer is that God may be glorified in the answer."</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Isn't that beautiful? I mean, it's not like God is unaware of your needs until you tell Him about them. "Oh, good heavens— I didn't see you down there!" But when we ask God for things— and get them— we know that they came from God and can thank Him for them and give Him the praise and honor He deserves. Check out Jesus' prayer. He's thanking God and bearing witness that the miracle he's about to perform came solely from Him. What a classy fella.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>BIT NUMBER THREE:</b></span> Every miracle is done so the people who see it will know</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>it came from God.</b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">__________________________________</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"Lazarus, come out."</span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What a boss! This one is short and sweet. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="font-size: small;">BIT NUMBER FOUR: </b>The nature of the universe, the laws of physics, life and death...</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus has authority over <b><i>everything</i></b>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />__________________________________</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"Unbind him and let him go."</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This, at first glance, seems like the least important bit of dialogue in the entire passage. Like, kay... Obviously we don't want Lazarus to be mummified now that he's up and at it. But hear me out for a second:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The strips of linen used to wrap corpses were soaked in oil, spices, and perfumes; this was a Jewish custom with no other purpose than to keep the body from stinking so much. The stench of death was disgusting to them... Sound familiar? Except, instead of trying to cover up the smell of death, Jesus <i>reverses</i> death. <u>He makes perfume obsolete.</u> Do you understand the implications of that? The first time I read it, I didn't.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In our sinful state, we do stuff to try to make us seem less filthy. We try to train ourselves to be kind, generous, and thoughtful. We toil after perfection and try to be "good people" in order to cover up the stench of our rotting, sinful souls. With half-hearted attempts, we wrap our crappiness up in failed imitations of good deeds, always tainted with selfishness and pride. Just like spraying perfume on a rotting corpse, we know we're fighting a losing battle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But Christ says, "unbind him and let him go." He doesn't bring extra-strength deodorant to the table; he wipes the slate clean, starting over from scratch. Christ makes us<i><b> new creations</b></i>. We don't have to constantly cover up our shameful sin, because <b>HE HAS SET US FREE</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>BIT NUMBER FIVE:</b> </span>We no longer have to strive after our own righteousness, </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">because</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Christ's</b> is <i>sufficient</i>.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[Hebrews 10:14]</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>For by a single offering, Christ has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">†</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-82127607344034616582012-10-25T16:07:00.001-05:002013-01-22T15:00:14.063-06:00I'm irrationally excited about this.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Tomorrow, I get to relive my childhood through</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>A HARRY POTTER COSTUME PARTY</u>.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Feel free to be thoroughly impressed with all of these wands Laina and I made</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">[Ingredients: chopsticks, hot glue, paper, twigs, wire, beads, paint, and love]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">They all have their own little personalities, and it makes me ever so happy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOp3n3Y2xlJULR8BkhXtDzPIlvjMVu7gEI-BFCX1l30Llm7-2-ERF4Adu2yXs7LNdyZ65xEFwwVJXGw-diV3n5WWJPaUNehq53fbGTAzURfjh8uKbTmdUyHIiivFItn2WOzuNh6j45x0Vp/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOp3n3Y2xlJULR8BkhXtDzPIlvjMVu7gEI-BFCX1l30Llm7-2-ERF4Adu2yXs7LNdyZ65xEFwwVJXGw-diV3n5WWJPaUNehq53fbGTAzURfjh8uKbTmdUyHIiivFItn2WOzuNh6j45x0Vp/s400/photo+(1).JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The entire collection:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gf1gMVKtavrdWYLAWxRyofq3kXUX5LI-xx6WD8V_0-e6cCGiefkwMVNACS1vcFt-Yvly9u498BMGOM4R28x0dNI8yaNUdevQXE42PgjGKzIFzOWHskGomIv6nAd2bmocpz_BU8fxpvT8/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gf1gMVKtavrdWYLAWxRyofq3kXUX5LI-xx6WD8V_0-e6cCGiefkwMVNACS1vcFt-Yvly9u498BMGOM4R28x0dNI8yaNUdevQXE42PgjGKzIFzOWHskGomIv6nAd2bmocpz_BU8fxpvT8/s1600/photo.JPG" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Favorites:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMXX9psztnS__DR20y6tfFUHrgdKOshse2vY7s1BWJyT3elJDDyn009YQIEd80i3UVHNE9ffvxxsTmR8wWjiml1g8jmiW52XgRXKzfNEE5i0uphmgnybKICswyPDxn3MXskIBfbHtv2ne/s1600/photo+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMXX9psztnS__DR20y6tfFUHrgdKOshse2vY7s1BWJyT3elJDDyn009YQIEd80i3UVHNE9ffvxxsTmR8wWjiml1g8jmiW52XgRXKzfNEE5i0uphmgnybKICswyPDxn3MXskIBfbHtv2ne/s400/photo+(3).JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I think that one on the left is the best, but that gnarly black one is mine.</span></div>
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[I'm going as Bellatrix Lestrange, I know you were wondering]</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There's also going to be a horcrux scavenger hunt. JUST SAYIN.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnWLLUid2WcA2f9GvCEtP0ZYdajNootII82RqxJ5Gj-KTcEXQPBD-U2orUBbvz1VNRpD3NjxfSL_VJZbWIOXlFA2NMzpCRsSAcD5kH2UkSSaLXaFBfUJ1pue6dhmS14IDoMRTfQcFNzvME/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnWLLUid2WcA2f9GvCEtP0ZYdajNootII82RqxJ5Gj-KTcEXQPBD-U2orUBbvz1VNRpD3NjxfSL_VJZbWIOXlFA2NMzpCRsSAcD5kH2UkSSaLXaFBfUJ1pue6dhmS14IDoMRTfQcFNzvME/s400/photo+(2).JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">#pleased</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-62986134370854970262012-09-25T23:29:00.003-05:002013-03-27T19:20:33.840-05:00Forgive me for asking.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">[by Propaganda]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/foWHfMDOm2I?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Question</u>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">(<i>And this is embarrassing</i>)</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">———<b>You ever been scared you had no idea what you were talking about?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yeah, me too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Honesty perplexed.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I've lied and so have you, Christians.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lying.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Like you never had questions?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Like you never had a moment</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">when your inner dialogues</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">were all of a sudden in third person like,</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"Are you really buying this?"</span></i></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You're lying.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Like your eyes are 100% always satisfied by your spouse </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and you don't need accountability</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">—neither of which is biblical, by the way.</span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>YOUR EYES ARE NEVER SATISFIED</u>.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Us, overgrown primates with egos, lying.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You quote the devil when you declare yourself okay!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You get it but you don't <b>get it.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Like you've never planted your Chuck Taylors firmly in the sinking sand…</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You're lying.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We for centuries sing hymns of grace,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">and <span style="color: #7f6000; font-size: x-small;"><b>THIS IS WHY IT'S AMAZING!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And if it's not, you don't understand…</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Or you're lying.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Which is why your friends don't believe you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>There is just as much Jesus' blood on your hand as there is his</b>.</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>You sure you understand the cross?</b></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Forgive me for asking.</i></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Forgive me for asking.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And Muslims— excuse my boldness— but what if you're lying, too?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Like you don't ever have questions?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As if you've never wondered why Allah's ears only hear directionally,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">and if you accidentally point it slightly north easterly then you've <i>blasphemed</i>?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As if the thought has never crossed your mind</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>that the Jihad has interpreted the Quran correctly</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>and you are what we Christians would call '<i>lukewarm</i>'?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Which makes you much more like my evanjellyfish churchianity would allow me to admit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And you call me on it; I'll deny it, just don't believe me</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">because I'm lying.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I strain at gnats; I focus on silliness; </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I act like God has joined a political party—</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">just like you</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As if you've never thought,</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"What if I was paralyzed and I can't make my pilgrimage to Mecca—</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">yet I follow the text better than my whole family? <b>Is there enough mercy for me?</b>" </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Forgive me for asking.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Forgive me for asking.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I know it's wrong for me to front like I understand your theology</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>as well as I think I understand mine,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">but I know we can agree on this: </span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Something is deathly wrong with us.</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And you, smarty pants— don't front—</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Like the little you know about our universe, </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">you ready to draw conclusions about it's origins?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Maybe we don't know as much as we think we do…</span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">———Science still can't explain yawning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Like you never took your world view to its furthest conclusions?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">>>>>> That if human behavior is just what protoplasm does at this temperature,</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">then there is no need for humanitarian effort,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">because these atrocities weren't <u>wrong</u>,</span></i></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>IT'S JUST THE UNIVERSE WEEDING OUT BAD GENES.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Them is fingernail-on-chalkboard words, ain't 'em?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You're lying.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Maybe I'm wrong, maybe you're right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Maybe we'll find out the day after the world ends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yeah, I guess we're all a little inconsistent,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>SO MAYBE WE CAN JUST SHOW EACH OTHER SOME GRACE.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Forgive me for asking.</span></i></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Forgive me for asking.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Forgive me for asking.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You ever bury yourself in self-righteous guilt?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">[Huh, me too.]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Are there fresh tally marks on the walls of your brain's prison,</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">[Mine, too]</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">hoping that the count of good deeds outnumber the bad ones?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Are your miserable failures your badges of honor?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And when you count those tallies, </span></i></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">and the day the good outnumber the bad,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">pat yourself on the back:</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">YOU HAVE JOINED THE REST OF HUMANITY.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You, too, are lying.</span></b></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Like you never thought, <i>"Someone might catch me in my contradiction."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yeah, me too.</span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You ever think to yourself, "<i>I have no idea what I'm talking about</i>"?</span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yeah, me too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Forgive me for asking.</i></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Forgive me for asking.</i></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: right;">
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
[Free, legal download of this album <a href="http://humblebeast.com/downloads/excellent-download/" target="_blank">here</a>.]</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-29585624401372779812012-09-20T02:18:00.002-05:002013-08-17T00:53:16.074-05:00I NEED YOU TO HEAR THIS<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Because I need to hear it every single day.</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> — — — — — — — —</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> — — — — — — — —</span></div>
</div>
<b><br /></b>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>"Do you know Jesus?"</b> the woman asked me.</span><br />
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Yes, I do."</span></i></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Do you sin?"</span></b></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Yeah. Every day... Probably more than I realize."</span></i></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"<span style="font-size: x-small;">THEN YOU'RE A CHILD OF THE DEVIL AND YOU DON'T KNOW JESUS</span>."</span></b></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Well</i>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If you are anything like me</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">—and I know I am—</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">then there are two things you should know about this woman.</span></div>
</div>
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>The first thing</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> is that she is affiliated with a man who calls himself <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNAdSRxz6Ek" target="_blank">Brother Jed</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: italic;">"I don't know how the whorehouses in this town stay open—</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">all of you sorority girls are giving it away for free!"</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">His voice echoed through the courtyard in front of Maucker Union, met with mocking laughter and jeers, declaring that feminists, liberals, homosexuals, alcoholics, fornicators, and those who smoke weed and/or listen to rock and roll are destined for Hell.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I'll concede to three points:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> 1. His message was a call to repentance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> 2. His words were full of hatred, judgment, bigotry, and condemnation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> 3. His delivery was classless, tactless, graceless, and, most importantly, Christ-less.</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>The second thing</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> is that she believes her own lie.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Monday afternoon, this warped view of the gospel manifested itself in condemnations shouted at each passing college student:</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"You are all going to hell!"</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"You are living sinful, wicked lifestyles!"</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"<b>You have to</b> <b>stop sinning in order to be with God!</b>"</span></i></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I'm standing there, like:</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"That's not necessarily true..."</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"That's a pretty bold generalization..."</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"That's... wait—</span></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">—what?"</span></b></i></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>LISTEN UP:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> If you are someone who thinks you have to get your shenanigans together before God wants anything to do with you, you need to ask yourself two very important questions:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><b>FIRST</b></u><b>:</b></span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b> </b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?</span></span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </b><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </b><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> </b>[that you could ever get your shenanigans together on your own]</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>SECOND</u>:</span></b><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </b><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">WHO DO YOU THINK GOD IS?</span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </b><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </b><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">[that He couldn't handle your shenanigans at its worst]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I want you to think about something for a moment;</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>I want you to think about how wonderful it would be if there were <u>not</u> hateful, judgmental, hypocritical words being spoken every day by people who claim to follow Jesus Christ.</b></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>And I want you to think about precisely how you would feel if every church worldwide was calling out to you in a loud, resounding voice, saying,</b></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i><b>"COME AS YOU ARE."</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I mean, <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">COME ON</span></i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We are <span style="font-size: x-small;"><u>CHRIST</u>IANS</span>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Followers of that man called <span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>JESUS.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">AND THIS IS HOW </span><span style="font-size: large;">HE</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> DID CHURCH:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>Jesus was chilling in his house, hanging out with thugs and mafia members and prostitutes. And some really arrogant religious guys were like, <i>"What the what? Why is he eating supper with all those sketchy people?"</i> And Jesus was like, </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: #7f6000; font-size: large;">“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”</span></b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">[Mark 2:15-17, almost entirely paraphrased. Except for that part where Jesus talks... that part is legit.]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Okay, listen...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Listen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">LISTEN.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">LISTEN TO ME:</span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS!</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO YOU ARE, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">BUT I KNOW YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">I KNOW YOU NEED TO HEAR IT BECAUSE <u>ALL OF US NEED TO</u>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">IT DOESN'T MATTER </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">WHO YOU ARE, </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">WHERE YOU'VE BEEN, </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">OR WHAT YOU'VE DONE—</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><u>THIS IS FOR YOU</u>.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">T H I S I S T H E G O O D N E W S :</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">*</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For <span style="color: #7f6000;"><b>all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God</b>,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and are justified by his grace as a </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">gift</span></b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">through the redemption that is </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">in Christ Jesus</span></b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">[Romans 3:23-24]</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the wages of sin is death,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">but the </span><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>free gift</b> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">of God is <span style="color: #7f6000;"><b>eternal life</b></span> in Christ Jesus our Lord.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">[Romans 6:23]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">God shows his love for us in that</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: #7f6000;">while we were still sinners, </span></b></span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">Christ died for us</span></b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">[Romans 5:8]</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">by grace</span></b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> you have been saved </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">through faith</span></b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And this is not your own doing; </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">it is the </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">gift of God</span></b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">[Ephesians 2:8]</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If it is by grace, it is </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">no longer on the basis of works</span></b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">otherwise grace would no longer be grace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">[Romans 11:6]</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">confess</span></b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> with your mouth that </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">Jesus is Lord</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">believe</span></b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> in your heart that </span><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>God raised him</b> <b>from the dead</b></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">you will be </span><b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">saved</span></b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">[Romans 10:9]</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There is therefore now <b><span style="color: #7f6000;">no condemnation</span></b> for those who are <b><span style="color: #7f6000;">in Christ Jesus</span></b>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the law of the Spirit of life has </span><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>set you free </b></span><b style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">in Christ Jesus</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from the law of sin and death.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">[Romans 8:1-2]</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-36908630597269472092012-08-18T21:10:00.001-05:002013-03-27T00:43:00.961-05:00Chicken Sandwiches and Whitewashed Tombs.<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have seen exactly one episode of Glee in my life, and all I can remember is each person receiving a t-shirt with their major insecurity written on it in large, bold letters. T-shirts reading, "FOUR-EYES" or "GINGER" or "CAN'T DANCE", and then there was some sort of happy message about how we should all own our flaws because they make us beautiful.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Put on your stretchy thinking caps, everyone</u>:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A fast food chain recently threw two groups of people into the spotlight— homosexuals and Christians— sparking a hateful, viral battle of opinions. And I gotta be honest, all I see are t-shirts donning either "<b>GAY</b>" or "<b>CHICK-FIL-A</b>".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gadzooks, it's Glee in real life!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> [Allow me, for a moment, to explain myself.]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Homosexuality is a lifestyle sin.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It forces gays to wear their sin like t-shirts for the world to see.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And, hey, this is also often true for prostitutes, thieves, and murderers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Theirs is a brokenness that shows on the outside.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Like a t-shirt. Get it?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's where it all falls down:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In my interactions with people whose sin is evident to me, I work <i>very</i> hard to show love and kindness and grace. I strive to withhold judgement and look past imperfections.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Every once and a while, despite my efforts to act impartially, I catch myself harboring arrogance that makes me feel sick to my stomach; I realize that even if I don't act like it, I'm positively filled with pride.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I read through the records of Jesus's life, it becomes very apparent to me that the sin for which he had the greatest distaste was pridefulness. <b>Jesus ate dinner with sinners</b>. He spent time with them and showed them real love. It was the Pharisees— <i>those who thought they knew everything and followed all the rules</i>— whom Jesus would not tollerate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Does it strike anybody else as cruelly unfair that, because of the different natures of our sins, I'm allowed to hide mine while others must parade theirs around on display, open to public ridicule? I let people see the 'good' things that I do and coast by on the assumption that no one can see my sin because it's internal. Who do I think I am?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="heading passage-class-0" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—1 Samuel 16:7—</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>"For the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, <sup class="crossreference" style="vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-7603B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></sup>but the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> looks on the heart.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My t-shirt is pearly white.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Which is great, except that it's covering up my rotting flesh.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So who do I think I am? In hindsight, I think I'm a moron.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">— — — — —— — — — — — —</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I saw a post on twitter a while back that said,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I LOVE GAY PEOPLE. Or as I sometimes like to call them, "people"</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And I don't know if that makes you laugh or shocks you, causes you to smile or to promptly close this window...... <span style="font-size: large;">But I think that's <i>beautiful</i></span>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Every person who has ever lived</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—apart from one—</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">has lived with sin that had the power to destroy their soul.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And the One who lived without sin?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He became sin<b> for us</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—<i><span style="font-size: large;">all of us</span></i>—</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">that we might be free from it.</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>FREE.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">"Because Jesus was strong for me, I was</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span><em style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">free </em><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">to be weak;</span><br />
<span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Because Jesus won for me, I was</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span><em style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">free </em><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">to lose;</span><br />
<span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Because Jesus was Someone, I was</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span><em style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">free </em><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">to be no one;</span><br />
<span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Because Jesus was extraordinary, I was</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span><em style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">free </em><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">to be ordinary;</span><br />
<span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Because Jesus succeeded for me, I was</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span><em style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">free </em><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">to fail."</span><br />
<span style="color: #414141; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase;">(-</span><span style="color: #414141; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; text-transform: capitalize;">Tullian Tchividjian)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And I <i><b>love</b></i> this freedom.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I <b><i>love</i></b> not being condemned for my sin.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I <b><i>love</i></b> that I am free from failure because of what Christ did for me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If I'm so in raptures at this freedom, shouldn't I extend the same freedom to absolutely everyone I encounter?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Uh, YES.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This starts with openness regarding my own sin, and real love in spite of theirs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm not owning my flaws because they make me beautiful;</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm owning my flaws because they show that He truly is.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">†</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-90680110915907705392012-04-09T20:27:00.000-05:002013-01-22T15:01:13.901-06:00caaaaamp.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Love.</b></i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-27919542664446889422012-04-04T00:34:00.006-05:002012-04-11T11:33:04.791-05:00Has it occurred to you?<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tonight, in the midst of an encouraging conversation, a thought floated through my mind:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Everything we experience in this life is a shadow of that which is eternal— who God is, the nature of His message, what He has saved us from, and the inexhaustible expansiveness of His sacrificial love.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.........Huh.</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Love</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Suffering</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Beauty</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Marriage</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Birth</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Growth</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Death</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Air</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Bodies</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Fruit</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Baptism</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Light</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(this was my list after about two minutes of pondering— it is not exhaustive.)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">— — —</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It occurred to me that the things in my life are glimpses of God, meant to instill within me a longing to be like my Creator and be in His presence. Which is all fine and dandy, but how do I break that down into small enough pieces that I can apply it to my life today?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Gear up, Christ-followers:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Someone wronged me this week. Not unusual— this happens to everyone around the world every single day. But it's easy to get upset and feel like that person owes me an apology. I feel somehow entitled to being treated with kindness, fairness and compassion. Erroneous, unrestrained thoughts tear through my mind: I would never do something like this to them— they need to ask for my forgiveness— how could they possibly not see that what they did is wrong?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The truth, if I'm being honest with myself, is that I constantly fail and hurt and sin against everyone in my life, often without even realizing it. I'm an incredibly flawed human being and I'm not inherently entitled to any manner of kindness— no one is. Yet I've been forgiven and cleansed of my all my sin by a perfect, loving Creator. When I look at the ways people hurt me in light of the innumerable sins I've committed against God, my pain is a fading echo of what sounds like justice. And even more so, when I compare the sheer volume of God's mercy and forgiveness, it seems too foolish to comprehend that I shouldn't be able to forgive anyone for ANYTHING they've done to me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the midst of hardships I compare my trials to the suffering of Christ. All at once, the things that troubled me so much are discovered to be feeble and decrepit. In view of the incomprehensible grace of an eternal God, it seems obvious that unabated forgiveness should flow freely from my life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Oh, how I long to live with an eternal perspective.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Oh, how I long to be worthy of my name.</span></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-28194824727238986732012-04-02T15:00:00.000-05:002012-04-02T23:58:12.406-05:00BANG!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(s)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>We thinks we like them but we isn't quite sure.</i></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-85439762098252443722012-03-29T13:38:00.000-05:002013-08-01T22:45:11.521-05:00GIRLS SO STUPID.<div>
I like feeling pretty and cherished; I think this can be said of every girl. There's something about knowing that you are valued by others that gives you self-worth and confidence. Girls thrive off of this— myself included. To a certain extent there's nothing wrong with that. It's when we<i> can't</i> find any sense of self-worth without getting that positive attention, and when we become slaves to the admiration of others, and when our desire to feel 'loved' creates a stumbling block for others, that it becomes a problem.<br />
<br />
Every girl knows that getting attention from most guys is as easy as wearing a low-cut shirt or short shorts. It's hard for a guy to ignore a pretty girl who is showing a little too much skin; that's just the way guys are—that's the way their minds work. If you haven't yet come to this realization, you are:</div>
<div>
a) definitely not a boy</div>
<div>
and</div>
<div>
b) inexcusably oblivious<br />
<br />
Let's clear something up: I'm not here to bash guys in any way; they get enough grief. Men are called perverted and disgusting, constantly ridiculed for their apparent inability to keep their minds out of the proverbial gutter. Meanwhile, women dress with less and less modesty— making it nearly impossible for any men who actually desire to keep their thoughts away from sex to do so.<br />
<br />
I'm not saying the blame should be entirely placed on women; there are certainly men in the world who are perverted pigs who disregard women and treat them as objects to satisfy their sexual desires. This is a reality. But there are two sides to every story, and I'm coming out of the woodworking to tell you the one less favored.<br />
<br />
<b>STORY TIME:</b><br />
Last night I walked down a commonly-used staircase in my dorm that leads to both the laundry room and the mailboxes for every resident in the building. I live in a coed dorm. Before I made it to my box, my attention was arrested by a bulletin board loudly proclaiming, "Love your breasts!" There were random facts that I don't feel the need to repeat— mostly along the lines of body image and unrealistic standards created by the media, etc. And, don't get me wrong, I'm all for women being comfortable with their bodies and loving the way God made them. What appalled me was not the informative text provided, but rather the 10+ pictures of women in lingerie posted all over the board. I stood there for a substantial amount of time with my mouth hanging open, fuming. In a moment of disgust I paused to cross-check my fury against logic and principle, and after a quick glance down the hall I swiftly ripped off every one of the pictures. I threw them in the recycling bin. I left the facts on the board, unscathed.<br />
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It's not enough that the sunshine comes out, bringing with it short skirts and unnecessary amounts of skin... But women have actually felt the need, in the midst of pretending to fight unrealistic standards, to completely objectify women. Parading pictures of half-naked women infront of every guy that wants to do laundry or check his mail this month in the name of promoting good self-image? And yet we get angry with men when they stare at us. Not to mention that all this is occurring while women everywhere are crying out about the injustice of double standards.<br />
<br />
I'm furious.<br />
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I started this post a week ago and I had to let it cool off before returning to it. There are many things I'd like to say, but instead I'm going to let God's word speak for itself, as it is far more capable than I:<br />
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<b>Romans 6:12</b> "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything.<br />
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<b>Romans 8:9, 11</b> Take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak... by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, <i>the brother for whom Christ died</i>. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.<br />
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<b>Galatians 5:13-25</b> For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we love by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.<br />
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<b>1 Peter 3:3-4</b> Do not let your adorning be external— the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.<br />
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<b>1 Corinthians 6:19-20</b> Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So <i>glorify God in your body.</i><br />
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<b>Galatians 1:10</b> For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man?<i> If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. </i><br />
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<b>To the Christ-following men who may be reading this: I commend you for the daily battle you have with lust, and I sincerely apologize for my gender's complete lack of sympathy for your struggles. It is truly inexcusable. I pray that you, my brothers in Christ, would rely on God's grace and strength to pursue holiness and live a life pleasing to He who saved us from the punishment we all deserve.</b><br />
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<b>To the Christ-following women who may be reading this: I challenge you to look at the choices of your daily life— your words, your behavior, and the clothes you wear— as opportunities to uplift the body of Christ and glorify God. </b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-78532165870335722552012-02-01T11:51:00.003-06:002012-02-02T13:20:53.144-06:00I go to Paris every night.<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ah, isn't it marvelous?<br />What a lush lifestyle I lead...<br /><br />But let me clarify; it's not the clean, tourist-friendly, manicured part of Paris that I visit each evening. No, it's something much more robust– the seedy underbelly of a north-western Parisian suburb called Sartrouville. The place I go has some real character to it, and not the kind you see in the movies. This place has a story etched in the cracks of aging drywall and graffitied on stone walls older than the country in which I was born. This story was left out of the history books; it was neither glorified nor white-washed nor ironed out and put into picture books to be read at bedtime, followed by tucking in and exchanging bisous. <br /><br />———<br /><br />The place I go is where, upon first introductions, people kiss one another on the cheek; my temperament flourishing in this new, platonic sentiment; the memory of handshakes morphing into something disaffected, unfriendly, cold.<br /><br />Where everyone smokes cigarettes like the air they breathe; the once-appalling stench becoming strangely familiar— strangely comforting— like the unpleasant, musty spice of your grandpa's basement which carries you swiftly to a place of complete amenity.<br /><br />Where everything is more petite; the cars, the rooms, the beds, the classes, the people. Where the gaps between meals are unbearably massive, but each time you sit down to dine is an elaborate, prominent event, lasting for hours and hours...<br /><br />Where the world's best bakery sits happily on each and every city block, the neighborhood stretching out from the scent of fresh baguettes, fearful of establishing itself too far from the captivating smell upon which daily life thrives.<br /><br />———<br /><br />With a whiff of cigarette smoke, I'm suddenly descending the filthy, beautiful stairs of the métro, hearing a blind man pour his soul through a tarnished brass saxophone and clutching my purse like my life depended on it.<br /><br />Each night I catch the scent of my face lotion— the lotion I bought the night before my flight to the country that captivated my heart— and all at once I'm standing in a cramped 4x6 bathroom, emotions soaring, clouded by extreme jet lag, trying to figure out these unusual faucets and worrying that I'm taking too long; 'it's rude to spend too much time occupying the bathroom' I hear Madame Dobernecker saying in the back of my racing mind; I think it's so odd that the toilet is in a different room than the sink; I can't find "I think I have a fever" in my phrase book; wait, what time is it in Ames right now? Oh, what a day it's been; I wonder what we'll have for breakfast...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />———<br /><br />It's a fleeting idiosyncrasy, the ability of a particular smell— more than any other sense— to so rapidly transport you to a different place, a precise moment in time.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-45465952211771880342012-01-18T16:24:00.001-06:002013-06-12T23:15:02.880-05:00If I were God, I swear, I'd be so annoyed with me...<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I remember when I was a youngin'.<br />I thought college kids were SO cool.<br />They were so <i>adulty.</i><br />Independent. Confident. Awesome.<br />It was like, "Mannnn, I can't wait until I'm that old!"<br /><br /><br />Welp...<br />Here I am.<br />And some days I have to remind myself that I am, in fact, this old.<br />It's those days — the days when real life sneaks up, whops me on the back of the head and proceeds to run away, giggling — that I ask,<br /><i>"EY! When did YOU get here?!"</i><br />Ridiculous, really — I've spent so much time in the last few years sitting around, praying and asking God for things. Telling Him I'm ready for this and that; ready to be used by Him and ready for real life to begin. As though I knew better than He what I was and was not ready for; as though 'real life' was something I hadn't yet entered.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />He waited patiently for the day that I finally realized I wasn't in control; the day when I willingly handed over the reins to the One who actually knows what the destination is. It was on this day that I realized that I was far better off trusting in the Author of the universe with my story than trying to feebly construct something of beauty on my own— and oh, what a day it was.<br /><i><br />(a Tuesday, I think...)</i><br /><br />Up next was the period in my life where I asked God what the plan was. I had acknowledged my lack-of-control-ness; I was now ready for whatever He had in store. The mildly satirical summation of my mindset was as follows:<br /><br /><i>"Hey, God. I have no control over anything; You've completely got it covered. You're awesome and powerful and loving and in control and all that stuff. Mmm."</i><br />*thoughtful pause*<br /><i>"So. Since I fully trust you now and everything— where exactly are we going?"</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />Sarah Thvedt has given me some pretty brutal colloquial beatings to this effect.<br />I've grown to love it.<br />I've also grown from it; I've seen my capricious faithlessness and realized it takes more than that to truly hand my life over to my Creator.<br /><br />And some days I feel peace about leaving my life in God's hands. Some days I worry about the future and where I'm headed. Some days I feel ready to take on the world and I wish He'd hurry up and let me in on the agenda. Some days I feel entirely inadequate for the tasks at hand.<br /><br />Each and every day I feel blessed to have my life in His hands.<br /><br />My God is a god who guides.<br />My God is a god who is in control.<br />My God is a god who has a perfect plan.<br />My God is a god who gives me everything I need.<br />My God is a god who knows the right timing for everything.<br />My God is a god who loves me despite my constant second-guessing.<br />My God is a god who is way more patient with me than I would be with myself.<br /><br />...Thank God.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179031140707129636.post-72859679611694932762011-12-27T12:45:00.002-06:002012-01-17T00:14:00.551-06:00A change of major.<br />
I've mused over this for quite some time.<br />
And decided I don't want to get a teaching degree. Not anymore—<br />
<br />
I'll teach for the rest of my life.<br />
I couldn't stop that if I wanted to; it's what God has gifted me with.<br />
<br />
Now, our system has produced plenty of wonderful teachers.<br />
And there are those who will do brilliant things with teaching degrees.<br />
<br />
But I don't think I could handle it.<br />
I feel like my passion would be crushed by our educational system.<br />
<br />
I don't want to submit to it;<br />
if I do I feel like it'll use me to squander my students' potential.<br />
<br />
I'd spend my career longing for something more.<br />
Searching for what I'm missing, lacking the freedom to see it realized.<br />
<br />
Have we really found the most effective way to utilize gifts and passions?<br />
Have we really reached the plateau of education in our country?<br />
<br />
Bubbling up from my core is an emphatic, resounding, "No."<br />
It echoes through the whole of society.<br />
<br />
I want to tear down presuppositions about standardized, systematic learning.<br />
I want to break it apart and reveal it's flaws.<br />
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<b>More than that, I want make it better.</b><br />
<br />
I want to change what learning looks like.<br />
I want to reform how our society views education.<br />
<br />
I'm filled with an inexplicable desire.<br />
There's a fire burning within me.<br />
<br />
I can't put it out.<br />
I don't want to.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10609374227726449377noreply@blogger.com3