Stop Blaming God for the deterioration of the Earth and our relationships (Thoughts from Thomas L. Friedmans reminders of our generation's Breaking the Earth NYTIMES)

Revelation 7:2  

And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

Revelation 7:17  

For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

 

The Earth Our Gift?

God said it was GOOD.

Spending all of it’s resources upon our own lusts, seems to have been our continual race, from the very beginning.

1. Man’s disobedience, a. Eve wanted a promotion to God.  b. Adam wanted to promote her.  c.The demotion of the race to below Satan. d. Jesus ready stands to save us.
2. Now Jesus changes our self centered interests into other centered interests, Namely not destroying the planet, in our tirades like Cain killed his brother.
3. Cain really thought it was the purpose of God for him to get away with that and built a religion around his covering of his sin, while in actuality Abel’s blood was crying out and every martyr’s blood cries to God. In the self serving religious acceptance of murderous and planet killing piety lives to shake his and her impious fist in the face of the merciful blessings of God’s good gift of the earth and the relationships that we have in it.
4. No, Eve didn’t receive her promotion to God status that she intended through eating and disobeying as the Serpent had promised.
5. He proved a liar.
6. Instead of tracing their steps back to the relationship that was lost, we march through the wilderness of self promotion and consumption, instead of repentance and restoration.

God shows us the way back to Himself.  Salvation of our souls and Joy to the world in true piety and commitment to our relationships.  Stop killing your brother by dumping those polutants in the water.  Stop blaming your wife for your lack of leadership in the grand scheme of your physical footprint upon the earth.  These are the ways that we today blow up our parts of the earth.  Lets try taking the part of the serpent and tempting ourselves to promote God to His own right place in authority over us.

“While rocks and hills and plains will also repeat the SOUNDING JOY!”


Lets start eating the fruit of obedience to God and its reminders in the HYMNS.

Faith is the Victory

Encamped along the hills of light,Ye Christian soldiers, rise,And press the battle ere the nightShall veil the glowing skies.Against the foe in vales below,Let all our strength be hurled;Faith is the victory, we know,That overcomes the world.
Refrain:Faith is is the victory!Faith is is the victory!Oh, glorious victory,That overcomes the world.
His banner over us is love,Our sword the Word of God;We tread the road the saints aboveWith shouts of triumph trod.By faith they, like a whirlwind's breath,Swept on o'er ev'ry field;The faith by which they conquered deathIs still our shining shield.
On ev'ry hand the foe we findDrawn up in dread array;Let tents of ease be left behind,And onward to the fray;Salvation's helmet on each head,With truth all girt about,The earth shall tremble 'neath our tread,And echo with our shout.
To him that overcomes the foe,White raiment shall be giv'n;Before the angels he shall knowHis name confessed in heav'n.Then onward from the hills of light,Our hearts with love aflame,We'll vanquish all the hosts of night,In Jesus' conqu'ring name.

Orcs or Storm troopers/ Let's grow together

Brain Development vs. skill development

If we are reared as though we are made in the image of God: to have communion with Him and communicate with Him, that has ramifications in our educating.

If we are creating show dogs, who can perform this or that task and yet have no ability to engage in relationship, that is far below God’s letter of intention in and for our lives.

We are coming Up from Slavery as a World!  We are learning the inherent greatness of being made in the image of God, every one of us.  We are learning not to take people into our service as slaves and not recompense them for their services.  This is a great leap.  We are learning that no man is below any other man.  We who have much have responsibilities that others do not.

The War with the Orcs is this battle.  Fighting with and for people who cannot see the way out of the system that they have been socialized.  Skill development have a place, but each persons brain and mind and body is purposed by God.  We must engage them to see that as their highest priority.

whether Orcs or the Stormtroopers in Starwars, I am talking about people who are committed to their service to a system of education that is developed to create and extend the disparities that are already created.

We don’t want people to get to where we are, economically or relationally with God.  We cut the cords of our climbing.  Jack and the Beanstalk?  kill the plant so no one else can get to this place?  

Ezra and Nehemiah took their captivity and gave their people a way to grow in their minds to the place of thinking where they were.  Learning to think is important, even to the captives.

Thoughts on Gulliver

Notice that I placed an attachment to Gulliver's Travels as a link on the sidebar of the Blog today!

I love that story and this is not the first time that I have seen the relationship between Gulliver and the 1689 confession.

This time, I have seen the beauty of the Irish people's ability to see the true beauty and power of a thing in its inception. I think that is what happened to Swift when he saw the 1689 confession.  I thought this of myself, but I don't think I have ever met anyone else who put it quite as beautifully as Swift did.

I know that you disagree with me, but let me get my argument out before you shut me up.

God took us from a far country in our thinking to love and embrace the 1689 confession.  We were privy to several seasons, at least 3 different times learning the confession in Sunday school.  What a beautiful experience.  How truly stimulating in mind and spirit to study issues that great men actually agreed on!  Often we study things that made people disagree.  But this is an exercise in coming to a common thought on several subjects, through the scriptures.

We realized just how very hard it was when someone in our church suggested that we attempt to come to agreement on some contemporary subjects and create a 1989 confession.  We couldn't do it.  We never did accomplish that Herculean task and so we suffice it to place our hands in and agree with the people in 1689.  Leaving our contemporary issues to flail in the breeze of disagreement.

There is safety and life in learning to submit yourself to elders and to a confession, in your thinking.  It gives you a view of issues in your own day that is from above.  Not in the same way that praise takes you above your calamities, but in a more intellectual way.  I would love it if we could go through the book together and write our observations in relation to the 1689 or Heidleberg, which is your own chosen confession, of late.  In any case,  I am looking forward to the discussions on this train of thought.


Your Obedient Servant,

Mom

Easter Sunday Sky!

Samuel’s heart was born out of Hannah’s vow?

Where is the passion that sees the loss of our generation and commits to point her children in the direction of the spiritual conflict?

It is a passion that is born of loss?

it is a passion that is born of grief and pain?

It is a passion that is born of non-negotiable obedience to Christ and not the mores?  

Help, Lord!

She Laughs at the time to come, after she has mourned at the present state of the Church…

Christ showed me that in the clouds this morning.2 eyes and 2 i’s  in the sky and chicken little blowing the trumpet.  Usually I see just the sound coming out of the horn, today it was who was blowing it.

the  same little forlorn chick who misread the apple on his head as part of the sky had grown into the mighty Rooster who shows the power of Jesus coming in the clouds of glory is a victorious occurrence for Christ’s Mighty Church and bride!  It made me laugh.  It was too funny

Hushed was the evening hymn

1 Hushed was the evening hymn,
the temple courts were dark,
the lamp was burning dim
before the sacred ark,
when suddenly a voice divine
rang through the silence of the shrine.
2 The old man, meek and mild,
the priest of Israel, slept;
his watch, the temple-child,
the little Levite, kept;
and what from Eli's sense was sealed,
the Lord to Hannah's son revealed.
3 O give me Samuel's ear!
The open ear, O Lord,
alive and quick to hear
each whisper of thy word;
like him to answer at thy call,
and to obey thee first of all.
4 O give me Samuel's heart!
A lowly heart that waits
where in thy house thou art,
or watches at thy gates
by day and night, a heart that still
moves at the breathing of thy will.
5 O give me Samuel's mind!
A sweet, unmurm'ring faith,
obedient and resigned
to thee in life and death,
that I may read with childlike eyes
truths that are hidden from the wise.

Thank you Lord Jesus for being late in judgment on the subject of our tongues!  We see your mercy upon us daily and yet we inflict the deepest of judgments on the subjects of our considerations.  Do we let them slide, as you have let us slide, in development of our encouraging others and being kind in our speech, not to mention our articulations.

Do we live up to the glory of the speech that we articulate?

Judges 12:6 

Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

You, Lord who allowed 42000 Ephraimites to be slain for their inarticulation, give us mercy in our inconsistencies.  Help us to be those who articulate well the truth of the mercy that we have received.  Please, Lord! In Jesus' Strong Name.  Amen.

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken...

Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee;
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou, from hence, my all shalt be:
Perish ev'ry fond ambition,
All I've sought, and hoped, and known;
Yet how rich is my condition,
God and heav'n are still my own!

More than a decision to follow Christ,  a determination to consider His life and accomplishments as my highest attainment, is what is becoming a Christian.  It may not cost you all, but it will cost you the consideration of your all as nothing in comparison.

Everything that I was before is truly Destitute, despised and forsaken.  If I was these things I am rich now.  If I am these things, the possession of Christ makes me truly rich.  We have cheapened the reality of what we own as a Christian.  We have negated the significance of owning Christ and following Him in His life of sacrifice.

If God and Heaven are my own all the other ambitions that I may have are nothing.  I reach above the shadow of these earthly attainments to the true sunshine of the Grace of God, which is mine.  Halleluia, what a Savior!

Always in love with Amy!

Today is the day that the last girl came to us from the STORK.  We always celebrate that day.  My dad. Used to lament the day they said it was a boy.  I don't know why exactly, except that he didn't grow up with boys and his daughters had spoiled him rotten to listening.  We never questioned his authority.  We always trusted his word in spite of ourselves.  Amy celebrated daddy more than us all.  What a daddy's girl she was.  No girls ever enshrined their dad like we did, what ever he did or said.  We believed he was always right.  We just did.

Dad found Amy's Achilles heel for accomplishment was money and he used it for a really good purpose in her life.  In some ways he was like a mad scientist in child rearing perspectives.  He had all power and he used it to the best of his ability.  He made a lot of mistakes, but he had a great intention. I for one, love how Amy turned out and I love the love that she showed to my dad, all the way until the end.

When I walked into the room she was still talking to him and asking him questions.  No dad, don't leave us, I still have questions, she was saying. Tone boy was on the floor, exhausted, but Amy was focused on her dad.  She is really a great woman!   Happy birthday my Amy!

Come and Worship

  Angels, from the realms of glory,

Wing your flight o'er all the earth;

Ye who sang creation's story,

Now proclaim Messiah's birth:

Refrain:

Come and worship, come and worship,

Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Shepherds, in the fields abiding,

Watching o'er your flocks by night,

God with man is now residing,

Yonder shines the infant Light:

Sages, leave your contemplations,

Brighter visions beam afar;

Seek the great Desire of nations,

Ye have seen His natal star:

Sinners wrung with true repentance,

Doomed for guilt to endless pains,

Justice now revokes the sentence,

Mercy calls you, break your chains:

Saints before the altar bending,

Watching long in hope and fear,

Suddenly the Lord, descending,

In His temple shall appear: 

Come and Worship!

I didn’t grow up with this Christmas Hymn.  I remember when I discovered it the first Christmas in Trinity.  I felt that I couldn’t plumb the depths of its’ splendor in my studies.  Who wrote such observations of the reality of the wonder of what had happened at Bethlehem and how it impinged upon me in my sinful status.  I was in awe of such a beautiful word painting and explanation of what happens each time we meditate on the birth of the SAVIOR>…

Angels

You had a job when you proclaimed the creation of the earth.  Isn’t this a more amazing occurrence?  Could you ever have thought that God would come so low and condescend to save sinners?  Would you have written in the sacrifice of the only begotten?  Isn’t it a wondrous redemption? Doesn’t God write the best stories?  It is your turn to observe.  It is your turn to see what an amazing love that God has for His creation and especially for his people.  You told the birth and now each year as earth celebrates you must wonder at the accomplishment of the continual work that snowballs into a crescendo of AWE?

Don’t just come to the celebration!  WORSHIP God for his mighty works?

I learned a great lesson about that this past Lord’s Day!  We had come late and I was disappointed.  I was about to consider myself as having worshiped for the attending upon the Word, because it was “good eats” as usual.  I almost missed the worship to defer to my guests my dearest daughters had almost made me miss the Worship!  

Where's my antacid, TUMS? too good.

Last night was a simply fabulous FLA Christmas dinner.

It was held at FireBirds at the mall.  How many times have we past that beautiful restaurant and not even looked at it?  I can’t count how many times.  I would go back again, even though there is a very limited course to choose from.  They have a one page menu and the ambiance of like a TGIF or something.  Their prices were okay, although I didn’t have to pay, I was conscious.

I didn’t eat all day, except for tastes of the lunch and week processing of the veggies and fruit that were about to go bad in the house.  I tried to make a broth of the zucchini and celery and asked your father to get me a bag of Godiva chocolate chips because they were on sale at HT.  I was going to mix them into my Chobani to see if I could make the delightful confection that I always am in quest to find in my ice cream substitute desire.  Something to take the taste completely out of my mouth…I am almost there with this find.  I only tasted it, so I was starving by the time 5:30 pm overtook me suddenly.  I cleaned most of the kitchen(you know how a working Kitchen stays) almost clean and almost dirty!

I was starving and dressed up and I did my hair and felt a little like Lucille Ball in Yours Mine and Ours, minus the eye lashes.  I wasn’t trying to catch anyone but myself, if you know what I mean.

We were presenting our secret santa gifts.  I got a 25 gift card to Red Lobster, maybe we will go on my birthday, or maybe we will wait for everybody to come home to use it. 

They had coconut shrimp for appetizers and Ms. Janet is always late, so I ordered one to share and the other appetizers that were going around, were a lobster dip with corn chips and a steak and pepper egg roll.  I had a little of each, except the peppered steak.  I was still starving.  

As we conversed about work and life, I was convinced that there was no way that I was leaving this place without eating the cheesecake.  I was starving!  I had eaten 3 tiny pieces of bread and a lot of water. Their bread was okay, but too crusty to cut without making a huge mess all over. (everybody knows a lady doesn’t spray bread and sesame seeds all over the table just because she is so hungry)  I could have picked up that little loaf that was beautifully brought to the table on a cutting board with a very, very sharp knife and bit it.  If I would have, I am sure that the few teeth that I have would have broken trying to bite through that very tough crust.  That is why the very, very(did I say very?) sharp knife.  Ruth would have told me to put the knife in my bag to take home.  “Your knives can’t even cut sliced bread”, she would have said.  Did you get a new knife sharpener, she asked me and you better think about getting something to open jars with, I noticed that you are having problems opening them lately.  See, aging is not fun, is it.  Shut up, Ruth, I said to myself as I argued with my hungry self, whether to act like my mother with the dainty slices of bread or like Ruth and put the knife in my bag…

Mrs. Janet, as usual was over an hour late and I was still so hungry after 3 tiny pieces of bread that I had managed to carve off of that tiny loaf on the table.  We are twice the size company that we were last year.  More people, more complications, but still as fun to look at the growth of this little baby company becoming a real daycare center.

They had ribs and steak and noodles and chicken this and the surf and turf had bacon in it, I wasn’t going to make any unusual requests that might delay my entre’.  I was drooling imagining the Sesame encrusted Salmon.  I know that I will like that.  I thought I was the only one who put sesame seeds on my Salmon.  

Your father came back 2 hours after he dropped me, as requested and we had just ordered.  He said, “I’ll be back” like Schwarzzenegar and left.  I was starving!  I ordered the desired entre and fried spinach and portobello mushrooms, which I thought would be maybe 6 or 7 tiny mushrooms in a sauce.  I got it anyway.  Oh my goodness! It was delish!  My Salmon was fat and plump and not fried, but crispy with a sufficient amount of sesame seeds to make even a sesame seed glutton like me happy.  I tried not to drop one of the seeds on my lap.  Waste not want not, Said Grandma Monica.  I am certainly not wasting those sesame seeds, even though my conscience was smiting me for burning that entire soup that I spent the day working on, zucchini and celery broth.  Oh well you can’t win em all, I said to myself.  “sorry Grandma!”

Camille would have been proud of the way I ate the bread, and I didn’t cut myself on those super sharp knives that were tempting me to steal them.  Ruth was angry with me that I was too siditty taunting the hair, too much.  Monica was sucking her teeth that I had wasted the zucchini, to get to this occasion and why didn’t you wear something more showy and ornate.  Christmas only comes once and you didn’t tell anybody that it was your birthday.  Sorry Grandma.

Did I say I miss them terribly in this season of the year?  It has been many, many years since I have seen them all together and I still navigate my life with those three stars bearing down on me constantly, but never more than when it is birthday time!

Did you have to make such a mess trying to combine the spinach with the sauce on the salmon? It was all over your face. The mushrooms can’t fit on the fork with the other items, why are you trying to get it all in your mouth at one time?  Okay, most of it made it… The stuff on your chin isn’t going to make your colleagues despise you any more than they already might.  Okay?

3 bites and I was stuffed, like a Christmas Turkey!  NOOOOO!  I want cheesecake!  I am not stuffed, this tastes too good.  Just one more bite. Okay now, I am too stuffed.  I have to stand up not to, spit up.  Okay.  I will not get to taste the cheese cake tonight.  But I am happy.

Call Ben,  He came.  Got home fell asleep, etc. etc.

Uh OH, How did that knife slip into my bag?