In Support of Marriage--One Man, One Woman

 There is neither Jew nor Greek, 

there is neither slave nor free, 

there is no male and female, 

for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

Galatians 3:28 NIV

Hello Precious Girlfriends!

My post today is going to be a little different than usual. The photo below started me writing a Facebook post this morning that turned into a full page! So I decided to share it here as well because I think the issue is important. So here it is:

As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one,

  there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God^.

 All have turned away,
    they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
    not even one.”

Romans 3:10-12

I have to say that other than myself, only five of my Facebook friends in my news feed have changed their profile picture for the reason the funny graphic above refers. Three changed one way and two the other way. So I guess including mine, it is 3-3. I think that accurately reflects the split in this country, which I project will also be reflected in the split among the Supreme Court Justices. I am sure others will disagree and say their news feed definitely is swayed heavily one way, showing support for changing the definition of marriage by law in the US. 

Well, to that I would reply with a quote from one of my friends. "Why do we Christians remain silent on this issue?" I do not know why most Christians do, but I believe for myself, it is because I do love and care about other people. As Christians, we do not change our profile picture, or if we do we are very careful what to put there, because we do not want to hurt or offend the people in our lives whom we love but who disagree with us on these types of issues. Funny thing, however, those same people whom we love DID change their profile picture and do not seem concerned about offending us. So why are we so sensitive?

The sensitivity comes from Christians in America being labeled "haters" and "discriminators" and "bigots" for believing in a value system that honors God (and His statement on the nature of human union, or marriage, which is one man and one woman.) What a misconception that has been allowed to exist and spread!! I do not hate anyone; I do not discriminate. I act and interact out of love, respect, and faith in God. I simply believe in preserving the institution of God's statement about marriage. Regarding that institution of marriage, God also states that the marriage shall be free from adultery. Am I a "hater", "discriminator", or "bigot" for believing that God's statement on adultery should also be preserved and honored? I do not think so.

The truth is we have all sinned and fallen short of God's standard in one way or another. We are all in need of mercy. The point is to recognize that fact and address it with the Lord. I am not "judging" anyone by a different standard than I "judge" myself. I simply have different sin than others have. I do not expect them to condone my sin anymore than they should expect me to condone their sin. We should all support and encourage one another, in love and forgiveness, such as that we have been given ourselves by God. 

But the truth is we have to hold one another accountable to God's standard while on this earth. Accountability is not synonymous with judging. The first is motivated by the desire to see the other person move toward a positive outcome, and the latter is motivated by the desire for our own definition of justice, not God's. Yet, accountability sometimes hurts. Being told you are not living right with God stings and shocks the soul, as it should. The response to that stinging is crucial. PRIDE will harden the heart and defend the sin. HUMILITY will soften the heart and acknowledge the sin. One way or the other, that sin will be dealt with, and the sinner is in complete control of the way--heaven or hell. Eternally with God or eternally separated from Him. Pride closes the door; humility opens it. But God will allow you to choose. 

So in the end, yes, this all comes down to choice--and I choose Heaven. I choose to support a society that honors that path. My desire is for all of us to unite in Heaven. I need you to help me get there as much as you need me. This desire is not "hate" but "love". This desire is not "discrimination" but "inclusion". This desire is not "bigotry" and "closed-mindedness" but is "fairness" and "broad-mindedness".  

Although I changed my profile picture (see above), I really do not like this kind of behavior on Facebook because it promotes an "us" vs "them" attitude; we are in this life together, each of with our own sin, and that is actually what unifies us. Maybe every Facebook user should take a deep look into themselves and for one week change their profile picture to state their own sin--now that would be constructive and hopefully productive!

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. Romans 3:22-25(a) NIV
 
Blessings to ALL of my Girlfriends!

God's Remote Control

Google image.

For God alone, 

O my soul, 

wait in silence, 

for my hope is from him. 

Psalm 62:5 ESV

Hello Girlfriends!

How is life in your little part of this world? Are you enjoying peace and quiet this weekend? Are you out amongst the crowds at a mall, in a restaurant, or on a bus full of energetic teenagers traveling across country on a class trip? (For those ladies on the bus, my heart goes out to you, and surely you will be rewarded extra chocolate in heaven for your sacrifice! See you tomorrow in DC!)

Turn Off the Noise

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10

Can I share a secret with you, one that my husband says is weird and I should not tell? I am still in my Friday pajamas at 9:30 pm on Saturday night. While a few of you may be shocked, I know for a fact that my true girlfriends out there are extremely jealous and want my life today. (You know who you are, and I love you so much that I would willingly trade a day with you, but suggest you bring your own pj's--I'm rocking the Minnie Mouse polar fleece bottoms with a pink hoodie. Not every girl can pull off this look!)

Today was one of those lazy winter days, sitting around the house reading and relaxing. At least, I was following that plan. My son however, in typical fourteen year old boy fashion, rolled out of bed and into the family room around noon, promptly blaring some cable programming from the surround sound. After calling his name five or six times so that I could request the television volume lowered, I noticed the noise canceling headphones on his ears, attached to an ipod. How did I miss that fact considering when I stopped hollering, I could hear nearly every word and beat from across the room? So much noise! Suddenly, I discovered my husband had also at some point plopped down in the family room, but he was too immersed in something on his ipad to notice me screaming at the top of my lungs at our son. Boys. Men. How do they successfully and consistently tune out the rest of the world and focus on only one thing? I could have hopped up on the table and started my own Harlem Shake, and I do not think they would have even batted an eyelid. (Lord knows I was wearing the proper attire for such a dance!)

Calling my husband by name, and I mean his first name and not something more colorful, I finally got some attention and had them turn the television down. After all of that effort, I swear I was ready for a nap! But instead, I immersed myself once again in my reading, soon losing track of time and my surroundings--an indication of a good author! Abruptly, loud sound boomed from the television once again, shaking me out of my story and back to the kitchen table. Can't a girl in her pajamas just get some peace around here for a couple of hours?

Once again I called out for my son to turn it down. Once again I got no response. As aggravated as a mama bear awakened from her mid-winter slumber, I pushed back my chair and stormed the living room only to find it void of any male life whatsoever. No husband. No son. Only the Discovery Channel screaming at me through the Smart TV. I grabbed the first remote I saw, scanned it for the MUTE button, which I pushed emphatically while shaking the entire unit at the tv, then the cable box, then the speaker base. No dice. Fuming, I threw pillows around on the couch until I uncovered another remote, which I also directed at the tv stand while mashing the button with a line across a little speaker. Still Mike Rowe's voice continued to reverberate off my walls. Spying a little black corner peeking out from under the coffee table, I drop to my knees and extract yet another remote from its hiding place. MUTE. MUTE. MUTE. No response. Still on my knees, I begin to pray, "God, please do not let my hand swing forward and please do not let this remote go flying from it into the television screen. Please, just shut Mike Rowe up. Please." Then I remembered...we have a smart tv. My son is constantly yelling, "Cancel" at the tv whenever the sound sporadically turns off during a show. It works for him. 

So, I crawl across the room on my knees, speaking nicely to the television...."Mute." "Mute." MUte." I am inching closer. Maybe it cannot hear me. "MUte." "MUTe." Now I am losing it and I am directly in front of the tv, red-faced, out of breath, carpet burn on my knees, shrieking "MUUUUUTE!!!" at an inanimate object. Smart TV my foot. If it were so smart, I would be able to reach out, turn a knob or push a button, and voila, silence. Instead, I have to knee walk my way back to the sofa and decipher which remotes turn off which electronics and how. After an exasperating fifteen minutes, I fall back into my chair at the table and finally relish the sound of silence.

And then the dog begins to snore....

God's Mute Button

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. Mark 4:39 NIV

Girlfriends, hours later on the same Saturday, I am sitting here at my computer contemplating my Mute fiasco. Jesus makes it look so easy when He wants peace and quiet. I mean, He got up. I got up. He rebuked the waves. I rebuked the television, and the remotes, and the speakers, and Mike Rowe (sorry Mike). He said, "Quiet! Be Still!" I said, "Mute" and "MUTE" and "Muuuute!" and maybe some other words. For Jesus, the wind died down and was calm. For me, the noise did not die down, and I did not have calm until I completely lost control and turned everything off. Ahhhh, maybe that is God's point to me. I wanted silence so I could concentrate, hear my thoughts, focus on the words on the page, contemplate without outside distraction. God wants the same for us as well, and we have to give up the controls and turn down the volume.

“Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong." Job 6:24

Ladies, our world is so full of noise, drowning out the One true Voice we need to hear constantly in our lives. I cannot help but wonder if God is pointing a remote at us and mashing the MUTE button, but by our own will, we are not answering. Like my smart tv, we "smart" humans do not always respond as we are created to do. Much of the time, we think we have life under control and know the words to say. We think we are writing the script, directing the show, amassing the rewards. Truly, God will teach us the right way, show us where we have been wrong, if only we will be quiet. Stop talking. Stop listening to the wrong sounds. Cancel out the noise and hear Him. This is my prayer for you today...silence. peace. quiet. (And if it is enjoyed in your pajamas, all the better!) Listen...the Lord your God has something to say to you. Be silent.

And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
  
It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:26 ESV

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Psalm 37:7