tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50181589681704458392024-02-19T20:11:28.502-06:00THE FLEET FOXNicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.comBlogger197125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-42382489963304543002014-10-11T17:29:00.001-05:002014-10-11T17:29:26.377-05:00Formulas Are For Numbers, Not People<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglr_blH27ZGSgsyzP7DM0FkCvbJTCPg6oSnAwEjWbwsxzkGAiTCUOFfRNta7iPVm8f3mXer31SALlqVBtihY4ImrUPOwjWJz4eF24-2SRx5RKUiWA99Au_5lPEd3TVOGNetkpS8uxfkt1/s1600/london-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglr_blH27ZGSgsyzP7DM0FkCvbJTCPg6oSnAwEjWbwsxzkGAiTCUOFfRNta7iPVm8f3mXer31SALlqVBtihY4ImrUPOwjWJz4eF24-2SRx5RKUiWA99Au_5lPEd3TVOGNetkpS8uxfkt1/s1600/london-8.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bell MT";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT";">A + B = C.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1 + 2 = 3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these are equations, and simple ones at that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ask anyone who loves math why they love
math and you’re almost certain to get the same answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will say that the beauty in math
is that it doesn’t change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can
debate politics, economics, literature, film, history even, but not math.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One plus one equals two, period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you debate this you are… a
moron.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a sense of comfort
in that consistency, a sense of control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s still difficult, but it’s just a puzzle to be unlocked, and the
formula works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t get
the answer right then it is your fault.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All variation of outcome rests on your shoulders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The formula works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is up to you to fill in the blanks
and work the formula to its definite conclusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT";">It really does have its
own beauty, and the draw is real in a world that is ever changing and
complex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1 + 2 = 3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Formulas work… with numbers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What happens when we start to use
formulas with people?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT";">“Well, Nicholas, who
cares?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People don’t use formulas
with people really.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT";">Don’t they though?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT";">One of my best friends
recently got engaged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My friend
had been previously married and went through divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His wife cheated on him sexually and then abandoned him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was one of the greatest husbands I
had ever seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone who knew
him throughout his marriage would say the same thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His ex-wife concurred throughout the entire process of her
cheating and leaving that he was so wonderful that it made her sick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It irked her that she had no real leg
to stand on and get upset, to blame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She would talk about how good he was with complete vitriol as she
spiraled away from goodness and from him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Time passed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I said, he
is now engaged to a woman he has fallen in love with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should be a time of celebration, and joy, and in most
ways it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT";">However, there has been
enormous surprise though in the form of doubt from his fiancés friends and family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pre-divorce, this man was the man all
parents and friends wanted to marry their daughters, their friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Post-divorce, he has been doubted at
every corner, every turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
after people get to know him, there is doubt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, SHE cheated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>SHE left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, there must
have been a reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There must be some unsavory secret lurking in the closet. That is always
the thinking that comes from the people who doubt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter how many times he recounts the tale of what
occurred he is always asked skeptically, “What did you do?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he asks them to clarify they
always say something like, “Well, you talk about what SHE did, but what did YOU
do?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT";">Question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why must he have done something?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why must her leaving be his fault in
any way at all?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Is she not a human endowed with her own free will?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT";">Let’s take a look at
another story for the answer.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT";">Another friend of mine
recently walked out in the middle of a sermon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pastor at her church was giving the second sermon in a
five part series on marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sermon one, a week earlier, had been on men and their roles within
marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was sermon two, and
was dealing with women and their role.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The pastor came around to the subject of divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He urged everyone that was in a struggling
marriage to stick it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
talked about God’s design for marriage, talked about how those that did go
through divorce that there was forgiveness, redemption, and hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My friend, who divorced her husband due
to sexual infidelity and drug addiction nodded knowingly through all of
this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t until the pastor
started talking about how women could, through certain actions, bring about the
change they wanted in their husbands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The list began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the
first item she nodded, thinking, “I did that.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then the next item.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She did that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did that too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On and on it went until she just
couldn’t take it any longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
walked out of that sermon knowing that she did all of those things and it did
not change her husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She knew
them throughout her marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>People told her that if she just loved her husband better then he would
change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her actions would melt his
heart. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> They didn't.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT";">That pastor was doing
his best, but he had no idea that he had done something very dangerous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He put people into a formula, and while
formulas work with numbers, they don’t work with people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything he had told those women to
do was spot on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no
trouble there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trouble was
telling them that such actions could, indeed WOULD, change the actions and heart
of their husbands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My friend is
the prime example of how that is not true.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT";">People are not
numbers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Numbers do not
change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Four is four is four.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People change constantly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We change so much we aren’t even always
sure what is going on inside our own selves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is how stupidly complicated we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT";">This concept is not in
any way limited to marriage and divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The idea of simplifying humanity into a formula pops up in the
Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Check this out…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">LUKE 13 </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">There were some
present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate
had mingled with their sacrifices. <sup>2 </sup>And he answered them, “Do
you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans,
because they suffered in this way? <sup>3 </sup>No, I tell you; but unless
you repent, you will all likewise perish. <sup>4 </sup>Or those eighteen
on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were
worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? <sup>5 </sup>No,
I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-outline-level: 3; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT";">Read that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people talking to Jesus saw these
horrible things happening to these people and instead of seeing it as
injustice, instead of putting the blame on Pilate and the Romans whom had mixed
their blood with sacrifices, or in the case of the tower, gravity, they assumed
that those who were killed had done something to deserve such misfortune.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="heading" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Jesus Heals a Man
Born Blind</span></div>
<div class="heading" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">JOHN 3</span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span class="reftext"><span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/john/9-1.htm">1</a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">As he passed by, he saw a man blind
from birth. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/john/9-2.htm">2</a></span>And
his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he
was born blind?” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/john/9-3.htm">3</a></span>Jesus
answered, <span class="woc">“It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but
that the works of God might be displayed in him.</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/john/9-4.htm">4</a></span><span class="woc">We must
work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one
can work.</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/john/9-5.htm">5</a></span><span class="woc">As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”</span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/john/9-6.htm">6</a></span>Having
said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he
anointed the man’s eyes with the mud <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/john/9-7.htm">7</a></span>and said to him, <span class="woc">“Go, wash in the pool of Siloam”</span> (which means Sent). So he
went and washed and came back seeing.</span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Here it is
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time it isn’t just
people, but Jesus’ disciples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
come upon a man who is born blind and instead of seeing it as misfortune they
assume that either he or his parents had sinned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a loooooooong heritage of people oversimplifying in
the Christian faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve known
people who were battling cancer and instead of receiving encouragement were
instead chastised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see, they
would be healed if only they had enough faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were still sick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ergo, they did not have enough faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Nick, that’s
crazy talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some outlandish people
might do that, but not your average Christian.”</span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Maybe not about
healing sickness, no.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About
marriage and relationships?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
bet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We need to feel
we’re in control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need things
to be understandable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In church,
we feel we need to have answers, definitive ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we don’t have an answer for everything then somehow that
might mean we’re not worth coming to?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Answers must
be had though, and so we reach to that same place of peace we find in math.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We think, “God loves marriage and hates
divorce, ergo, he would not let a marriage between two God following people end
in divorce.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hey, God also hates
death, but it is still coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God
hates sickness, but no one lives a perfectly healthy life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Most Christians
have come to see the prosperity gospel as silly, yet we have adopted that
gospel, not with money, but with our families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely, if I love God and my wife loves God then there is no
chance for failure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely, if I
raise my children in the way of the Lord, they will grow to love Him as I love
Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, we all know that when we
get beyond the fantasy and look at life, at our experiences, we know
differently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have we not all known
someone amazing who has been left?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Have we not all known an amazing set of parents who had a child become
wayward?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve read the Bible and
have yet to see a verse promising such things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where
is the verse that promises that “if you love your spouse how you should they
won’t leave and will become the spouse you wish them to be?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The verse that says, “if you raise your
children as the Bible says that you are guaranteed that they will grow up to be
as you hoped” is where?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For that
matter, where is any verse in the Bible that says that your obedience in any
way is guaranteed to alter the actions of another person ever?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">I’ll give you a hint…
there isn’t one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Okay, that’s not
a hint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You caught me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Nicholas, no.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It says in Proverbs 22:6 says, “Start
children off on the way they should go, and when they are old they will not
turn from it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boom!”</span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">That is not a
promise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a Proverb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A proverb is defined as a brief popular
saying that gives advice about how people should live or express a belief that
is generally thought to be true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thus sayeth Merriam and Webster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Before you tell me that you don’t care about what some secular source
says a Proverb is, here are some resources, all gotten from the first page of
Google with “Are proverbs promises” in the search bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Feel free to go see your self.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are some of the sites…</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/parents-beware-proverbs-are-not-promises">http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/parents-beware-proverbs-are-not-promises</a></span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://magazine.biola.edu/article/07-spring/proverbs-226-a-promise-to-parents/">http://magazine.biola.edu/article/07-spring/proverbs-226-a-promise-to-parents/</a></span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/quest-bible/2012/10/02">https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/quest-bible/2012/10/02</a></span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://www.gotquestions.org/proverb-Bible.html">http://www.gotquestions.org/proverb-Bible.html</a></span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://counselingoneanother.com/2013/07/23/are-proverbs-sure-fire-promises/">http://counselingoneanother.com/2013/07/23/are-proverbs-sure-fire-promises/</a></span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://drjamesdobson.org/Solid-Answers/Answers?a=a4651318-9f2a-4a75-87c7-4da7b76e3ede">http://drjamesdobson.org/Solid-Answers/Answers?a=a4651318-9f2a-4a75-87c7-4da7b76e3ede</a></span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://www.growingchristians.org/devotions/proverbs-are-proverbs/">http://www.growingchristians.org/devotions/proverbs-are-proverbs/</a></span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">These
articles weren’t written by hippies here, with John Piper and James Dobson
amongst the writers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
article written by Dr. Dobson he expounds on not just this one proverb as not
always being true but goes through a list of others, as he says, </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"Lazy
hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth" (10:4). (Have you
ever met a diligent--but poor--Christian? I have.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"The
blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it" (10:22).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"The fear of
the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short"
(10:27). (I have watched some beautiful children die with a Christian testimony
on their lips.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"No harm
befalls the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble" (12:21).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"Plans fail
for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed" (15:22).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"Gray hair
is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life" (16:31).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"The lot is
cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord" (16:33).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"A
tyrannical ruler lacks judgment, but he who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a
long life" (28:16).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">There is no
promise that you can manipulate another person through your obedience or
faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each person is accountable
for only their sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deuteronomy
24:16 says a parent is not to be executed for a child’s sin nor vise versa, as
each is punished for their own sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How can this be true if Proverbs 22:6 is a promise?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would that not make the parents
culpable?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, were this a
promise, then you, not God, would be saving your child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be your works that saved them,
not God’s grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know this to
be false.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Point is that all
of these situations are formulas, and all of them fail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t just fail the people who
have them hit them directly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
hurt everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How much better
would our marriages be if we didn’t rest on this fake formula?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mightn’t we be more active in our
pursuit of our spouse?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would we
not be infinitely more capable of encouraging those who have been left by their
spouses, had children go astray, are estranged from their parents, a friend,
are dealing with illness or some other life horror?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
is no doubt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There may be a sense
of security in trusting the formula, but it is false security, as people aren’t
numbers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">If we got rid of
trusting these stupid formulas…</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">…my friend could
be simply celebrating his engagement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The people around his fiancé would be ecstatic, as they would see that
their friend was about to marry one of the best men alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They would meet his story with empathy
instead of doubt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">…the blind man
would have been met with help and empathy instead of judgment, as if his life
had not been hard enough.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">…those who died
at the hand of Pilate and under the tower in Siloam would have been mourned
properly instead of their legacy being invoked with shame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="regular" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bell MT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">…we will not
doubt God’s goodness when the formula fails, as we will already know the
formula was fantasy and not from God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We will love our spouse as we ought and God will still be good
regardless of their response, as we will now know there was never a guarantee
of change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will be evermore
patient when our child doesn’t respond to our Godly parenting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will not hate ourselves, nor God, as
it was never in our power to control another, even one who is in our
stewardship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will go to God,
not our own actions, to change the hearts of others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-41080439383884560882014-10-02T20:56:00.000-05:002014-10-02T20:56:36.409-05:00Country Boys and the Coors Light Conundrum<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Frank chewed so much tobacco his lower lip bulged even when it wasn't carrying it's usual payload. Sweat trickled all across his face from the hot Texas sun. His, covered in dust and cow dander, were shaking from the strain of his work. It had been a long day. His stomach growled with hunger. With long, bow-legged strides he mozied his way up across the pasture, through the gate in the fence, across the yard and into the house. He every step kicked up dust that lingered in the motionless air. In a matter of seconds, Frank managed to wrangle off his boots. His steps changed to a series of slides across the linoleum floor to the kitchen. <br />
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
"Hey, Dad." Frank's eldest son, Charlie, was standing over the oven. Steam and smoke billowed around him up<br />
into the fan above. </div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<br />
"Smells good. What's for dinner?" Frank said softly.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<br />
Charlie whipped around, pan in hand. Steam rose up from the pan into Charlie's face, steaming over his glasses entirely. So caught up was Frank in laughter that he didn't see what was being slid off the pan by Charlie's spatula onto the plate in front of him. With a coo, he stopped laughing, fumbled around for his fork, then looked at his plate. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Frank's face twisted with disgust. "What in the heck is this?" </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
"Asparagus," Charlie quipped over his shoulder as he continued to cook.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
"I know what it is."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Charlie turned around, "Good, then why ask."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Frank dropped his fork. "Look, Charlie, I know that you're all into your health and all eating that vegan crap, but I need some real food."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Charlie blinked. "Have you tried it? I cooked it like you would a piece of meat. It's quite hardy and tasty, and for the last time, I am not vegan. I just like asparagus. It's damn good."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
"It's city food," said Frank sternly. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
"Dad, what the heck is city food? It was grown down the road. I bought it in town. It's delicious. You should try it first."</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
"I don't want to eat city food. You may be all about your health but I like to eat like a man."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Charlie frowned and shook his head. "Fine, eat like a man all you want, but you'll have to cook it yourself."</div>
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<br /></div>
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"Suits me just fine." Frank rose and headed over to the fridge where he pulled out the package of bacon. "This," he said with a drop in his voice, "is how a man eats. Men, son, do not care about calories or being vegan or organic or any of that sissy crap. We eat what we want and don't care about that diety stuff."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Charlie shrugged, "I want to eat asparagus, and live past seventy."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
"Watch it," Frank pointed as he spoke. "I am still your dad."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Charlie nodded. "Yes sir. Want a beer?"</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
"What we got?"</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
"Hmmmmmmmm Guinness, Shiner Bock, Real Ale, and Coors Light."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Without skipping a beat Frank replied, "Coors Light."</div>
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<br /></div>
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Charlie shook his head. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Frank noticed. "What?"</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Charlie gave his head one more slow shake. "Nothing. You're right. Real men eat what they want and don't do that diety stuff. Cheers." With that, they raised their cans, Charlie with his Guinness, and Frank with his Coors light, and toasted.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-54114794654501199882014-05-22T08:52:00.000-05:002014-05-22T08:53:41.579-05:00Music Review: Ghost Stories by Coldplay - Is Coldplay Dead?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtMl1wjzVqWTflHIxR211KyraD0KZVi-kFt6PPjVq9U8STzQAoNFNegvfS47tADRrObNN3uGD0N5ZPdMCAsqZ9mPnWBrY9i5EPdNr1dDDDo8i0AYN3A1sAV-OM2JY26GVSSgPIFabRKx3/s1600/ghost-stories-1400095149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtMl1wjzVqWTflHIxR211KyraD0KZVi-kFt6PPjVq9U8STzQAoNFNegvfS47tADRrObNN3uGD0N5ZPdMCAsqZ9mPnWBrY9i5EPdNr1dDDDo8i0AYN3A1sAV-OM2JY26GVSSgPIFabRKx3/s1600/ghost-stories-1400095149.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Coldplay - Ghost Stories</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Coldplay</span><span style="font-size: large;"> is, for whatever reason, a polarizing band. People either love them or love to hate them. I am the former. I love Coldplay. For a decade now they have been my favorite band. As a storyteller at heart there has always been something uniquely cinematic about Coldplay's songs. They often manage to evoke feelings of intimacy and grandeur at the same time. They aren't just singing about an emotion but also what that emotion means in the grand scheme of the universe. It has been as one of the singles from their new album Ghost Stories is titled, Magic. That Magic has brought me to attend two Coldplay concerts, one in Belfast and the other in Dallas. They are the only band that I have anticipated release dates and bought the album the day of their release. A couple years ago, I looked at the number of times in iTunes I listened to Coldplay by song. I had listened to over a dozen of their songs over a hundred times. I love Coldplay. They are indelibly the largest contributors to the soundtrack of my life thus far. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I feel it important to share where I am coming from, because I feel it important to this review. All too often when I am reading a review it becomes apparent to me that the reason that the author doesn't like the work being reviewed not because the work isn't an good, but because there is something they are comparing it to and it fails to live up to that comparison. This happens most often when movies are remade or adapted from famous novels. An acid-tongued critic will wax poetic about how the movie doesn't do some lofty blah blah blah that Tolstoy did in his epic novel blah blah blah. Then, I, being one who has never read said epic novel, I watch the movie as a stand alone work and love it. There is a disconnect between my experience as one who comes to the table fresh and one who brings baggage and affection with them. The same is true here. That way I can explain why I would write a title insinuating Coldplay might be coming to an end. (Beyond the fact that such a catchy Title might get you to read this. Hey, it was either that or "Man Writes Scathing Review of Coldplay's New Album Ghost Stories, You Won't Believe What Happened Next!!! OMG!!!) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">So, answering the question, is Ghost Stories any good?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Sure. For those of you who don't know me, "sure" is not a good word. The word "sure" holds the same feeling with me as saying "f@#$ you". My girlfriend, Tabitha, is chuckling and nodding next to me as I write this. I hate the word "sure." </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In a vacuum, if we could wipe out all memory and history and come to this fresh then we might be befuddled a bit, but we could answer the question of this album being good with a yes. Ghost Stories is clean, moving, pop. Compared to what else is out there with a similar sound it is above average. It is a cool mix of techno beats, ambient strings and synth, and Chris Martin's one of a kind vocals. There are sure to be a couple songs that become hits, particularly the heavily pushed "Sky Full of Stars". </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">So, why would I insinuate that Coldplay might be dead? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Well, because I think they just might be. We'll see. As one who comes to the table not in a vacuum, not fresh, this album sucks. Before I answer why, I am going to tell you why not. Ghost Stories doesn't suck because it is different from their past work. I have always been a man that gives room to my favorite artists. I am an artist. I get it. Artists grow. We change. We evolve. We can have this great thing, something people love, are willing to pay us (us being artists, not me obviously) millions to just KEEP DOING WHAT WE LOVE YOU FOR. Yet, again and again our favorite actor leaves their famous roll on our favorite TV show because they are bored and they promptly disappear from fame, leaving us thinking, "Why couldn't they just keep doing what made them famous and rich?" Because they are artists, and artists change. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Coldplay has been changing since the beginning and I have not only not begrudged the change but embraced it even if it is not always best. Parachutes may still be my favorite album of theirs, but I have loved every subsequent album a ton. Mylo Xyloto, Coldplay's last album before Ghost Stories was a far cry from Parachutes and I loved it. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">This album disappoints not because it is different from the past, but because it isn't even a Coldplay album. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">What do I mean?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Just listen to this album. As I did kept thinking how the album would have been good... if it were not a Coldplay album. Were Chris Martin to have gone solo and this been his first offering, I would have enjoyed it enormously. Coldplay has been aggressively and openly trying to be the greatest band of all time since the beginning. Whether they have or have not come close is debatable, but what isn't is that they have always been a great band, emphasis on the word BAND, as in a collective of musicians who play different instruments in concert with one another to produce something special... hopefully. Ghost Stories is not the work of a band at all. It shouldn't be a called an album by Coldplay, but indeed Chris Martin and the Machine, as that would be more accurate. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Ghost Stories is an unintentionally cautionary album that reveals just how much we can over value vocals. It is easy to appreciate the uniqueness of someone's voice. We have a harder time appreciating the value of a truly amazing guitarist, bassist, or drummer. It can be tempting to think they are replaceable, that they are not artists but instead technicians. If it is just about plucking a string just find another string plucker. Listen to this album after listening to the rest of Coldplay's incredible work and you are left feeling this odd void. Close your eyes next time you listen to Ghost Stories and just try to imagine the band performing these songs. Good luck. I did it, and I saw Chris Martin singing while some technician hits play on a Karaoke machine. The outcome wasn't the Beatles or U2 but Beyonce or Bieber, vocal performers who sing along with music made by a computer. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I don't begrudge music made by computers. It has a place, even in a Coldplay album, as it has augmented the last three Coldplay albums beautifully. AUGMENTED. With Ghost Stories it takes over. When I close my eyes, I see Chris Martin doing his thing while drummer Will Champion, guitarist Jonny Buckland, and Bassist Guy Berryman are chilling out doing nothing. They are almost no where to be found in the album, and when they are, THEY, not the computer, are the ones augmenting. That amazing chemistry that makes a band a band is no where to be found. It leaves me wondering if Coldplay is dead. Chris Martin's vocals alone does not a Coldplay album make. It is sad when the day comes where you have to hope your favorite player, artist, band fails to some extent so as to be pushed back on track. My fear is that teenagers will flock to this album in droves. They'll recognize the sound from all the Miley Cyrus albums that filled their ears and think, "Coldplay is Kind of Cool." </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">No. No they aren't. Not anymore. Here's to hoping this is a mistake and not the new norm.</span><br />
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<br /></div>
Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-41283719138075114652014-03-21T23:06:00.003-05:002014-03-21T23:06:44.174-05:003 Thoughts on How to Love Those Who Have Endured Divorce.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">It would be sad
enough if it were simply one person’s story of feeling unloved by the church
during or after divorce, but it isn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What makes it truly sad is that I hear the same story over and over and
over, and not from people at one church, but many churches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This tells me it is not a problem with a
church, but the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;"><span style="font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">Some of it is simply
people believing lies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that in my
own experience much of my hurt was my own sensitivity filling in the blanks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, many, many, many people treated me with
the utmost respect and kindness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most
people, actually, were ridiculously fantastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet, at the end of the day, when every single person I know that has
gone through divorce comes to me with the same stories, it says something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It says what most of us already know, that
we don’t, as a church, do a great job of loving those who have gone through
divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;"><span style="font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">Thing is, I know it
is not the intent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know in my heart of
hearts that divorce is tough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
complicated, messy, fraught with misperception, and so scary to most that not a
lot of thought is actually given to it, apart from the fact that it is scary
and we hate it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just like anything, it
is very tough to love what we don’t understand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you haven’t already, you need to take some time to ask yourself some
questions about divorce, what you believe concerning it, and how you
communicate that in order to achieve what you desire, to bring glory to God by
loving those hurting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">Here are some ideas
that I have on how to love those like me whom have gone through divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are my observations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are not scientific, nor definitive, but
they come from experience, both my own, and that of many others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully you will at least be provoked to
thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, with no further delay, here
are some thoughts on how to show love to people whom have gone through divorce.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><u>1. Don’t define them by their divorce.</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">Notice the wording in
the title above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Notice I didn’t say “Divorced
people”, or “The Divorced.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sounds like
zombies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>THE DIVORCED.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dum dum dum!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why did I do that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did so
because, even though the term is grammatically correct, it is definitive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me give you an example of what I am
meaning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">I recently visited a
church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just like pretty much every
other church, this church greeted and invited all visitors to fill out an
information card so that they can record your attendance and reach out to
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I filled out the card with the
usual information: name, address, email, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the bottom of the card was a section on marital status.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had five boxes: married, single,
separated, divorced, widowed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I checked
the box for divorced, but immediately found frustration in the question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just kept thinking, “When do I get to not be
defined by this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does this thing that I
did not do not want get to be my label?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I tried to reason with myself that perhaps they were wanting the
information to reach out to those in need, but that didn’t make sense
either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are thousands of issues to
address; yet none of them are asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There wasn’t a box for cancer survivor, infertile, drug addict,
alcoholic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There and then I decided that
unless it is a legal document, I am going to be checking the single box,
because while I have gone through divorce, that is not my definition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Single is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;"><span style="font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">Hear me say it
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This may sound silly to you, but
the point is one everyone can understand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Words have power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your words have
power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This church meant zero ill
will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t have to intend to hurt
someone to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>True affection desires
to be considerate of the feelings of others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is impossible to do completely, but it is the heart that counts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a lot of value in trying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;"><span style="font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">The other way that we
don’t let people move on is by hurting for them beyond what is
appropriate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a season of hurt
that is reasonable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, after a certain
point that expression of sorrow no longer comforts but constricts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember how much it meant to me those
first few months when people would hurt with me, mourn with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They would see me, and their hearts
grieved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It showed on their faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It let me know I was loved, that people cared
enough to hurt for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;"><span style="font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">After about nine
months though, it started to get a little weird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had healed a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was ready to move forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A smile was on my face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Contrary to popular Christian myth, divorce
is not death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life was filling with good
things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was ready to move on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some others were not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certain people in my life kept giving me the
face of grief even after I had told them many times how happy I was, how life
was good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know if they just
couldn’t believe it, or what.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t
know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do know that it made me feel
like they weren’t okay with me moving on, like they wanted me to still be sad,
still defined by this awful thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps they did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One or two
people seemed downright incensed that I was not miserable “only” a year after
being left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let it go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe you would be miserable for years if it
happened to you, maybe not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no
arbitrary number of appropriate grief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;"><span style="font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">When the person shows
they are getting better and moving on, LET THEM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not doing so tells them you are defining them
by that occurrence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Replace it with any
other hurt and it makes sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
wouldn’t make a rape victim check a box on an attendance card, nor would you
make them feel like they hadn’t hurt enough when they showed signs of
healing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’d praise God and let it be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: GeosansLight; text-indent: -0.25in;">2. Use the word “convinced” or</span><span style="font-family: GeosansLight; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: GeosansLight; text-indent: -0.25in;">“believe” instead of “is”</span></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">You might think that
divorce, separation, and remarriage is straightforward Biblically, especially
if you’ve stayed in the same church or church denomination for most of your
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most churches don’t come to the
table with much humility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think there
is a pressure to have answers, and we start to use the word “is” when we
shouldn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are some things in the
Bible that are abundantly clear, and there are many things that are not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Divorce is not an easy subject, no matter
what you’ve been told.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;"><span style="font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">Saying that is like
saying the issue of God’s sovereignty and free will is simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can say that only with a great sense of
arrogance, for it is simply not true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
am convinced of what I believe on all of the above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not advocating being wishy-washy, but
simply being aware of my own limitations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I do not have the definitive answer on divorce, separation, and
remarriage, nor God’s sovereignty vs. free will, but I am convinced in what I
do believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also hold that belief with
an open hand, meaning I am willing to be shown I am wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;"><span style="font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">If you don’t believe
me, just go ask fifty different people what they believe is Biblical on any of
those above subjects and you will likely get fifty different answers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no idea how complex it was until I was
under the gun myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Counseling was all
around me during that time, as there should have been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the most vexing parts of that time was
trying to decipher what God wanted, as literally everyone was telling me what
was Biblical and not, and the funny thing was no one agreed completely, and
everyone was even using the same verses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a beautiful time of honesty between God and I, where I eventually
had to take in all the wisdom given to me, and take it to Him and listen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;"><span style="font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">If you want to tell
someone what you believe, great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please
do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People who are in the throws of
it will likely seek much counsel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
a tumultuous time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tell them what you
think when it is appropriate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is
good and right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, I challenge
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you do this, use the words “convinced”
and “believe” instead of is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They share
the firmness of your belief alongside the humility of a limited being that
really doesn’t know the answer 100%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Your words will be received so much more fully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if you are right, by lacking humility
your words will likely fall on deaf ears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><u>3. Admit that you don’t know what is like, nor do
you know what you would do.</u></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">If I had a dime…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Man, this happens so much!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Happened to me, and happens to every person
thus far I have spoken with who shares my experience, and it hurts deeply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because there is such a wide array on what
the Bible says and doesn’t on the issue, there are going to be disagreements,
and that is okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re not all going to
have the same belief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of the
beliefs shared will be deeply held, and it is always personal with
marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one takes it lightly, nor
should they.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This doesn’t mean it is
okay to be rude.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">A friend recently
told me how he was considering joining a church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, he has struggled to do so, as he doesn’t
feel welcome there due to the pastor’s rhetoric over divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This particular church has a very tiny
window, almost not, of when it is acceptable to divorce and remarry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My friend married a woman who was sexually
unfaithful, and abandoned him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, in
one sermon the preacher shared that he didn’t care, that he was tired of
hearing from those who have gone through divorce and were wanting to
remarry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They would come to him seeking
favor and such desire, and he had no intention of giving it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“People always come to me and tell me that I
don’t understand,” he said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I tell them
the same thing, ‘You married her, bro., now deal with it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;"><span style="font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">Does that sound
loving at all to you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If not, this kind
of attitude is espoused regularly at churches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If he wants to believe what he does, so be it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My issue isn’t about his beliefs, it is about
love, and how to express it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is not
tough love, that is rude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Truth is, he
doesn’t know, and if you’ve not experienced the person you love change on you
and leave you then you don’t either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is hard to fathom, but there weren’t any warning signs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you imagine that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is hard, but it isn’t like when I married
Kathleen there was a sense of danger to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She was a pastor’s daughter, and I felt one hundred percent secure in my
marriage all the way up until right before she actually left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one that knew her, no one, would have
thought it even remotely possible, not in a million years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, those same people all watched in horror
as it unfolded, she changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every good,
Christian marriage holds such trust, yet statistics show that trust is only
well placed half the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think about
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t be arrogant and think that
everyone who has been left are idiots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you met the people I have, your jaw would drop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the Godliest, loveliest, most devoted
people you will ever meet have been left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;"><span style="font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: large;">You don’t know the
pain that accompanies being abandoned by a spouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not just hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When listening to others, I find a common
expression of the feeling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is that of
violation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a molestation of the
heart and soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, when you thump that
Bible and tell that person that just went through that hell that they need to
go hunt down, wait for, and cling to the one that left them, realize that what
you are asking is asking them to want to sleep and be with the person that has
violated them most deeply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t make it
sound easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heck, maybe don’t say
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can get into thoughts on the
Bible and divorce another day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For now,
approach those who have gone through divorce with humility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to share a belief, go for it, but
do so with meekness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do so especially if
you are telling them something difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you believe the person doesn’t have Biblical freedom to remarry, then
you are surely free to express that, just do it in love, and really feel the
weight of your words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You just speak
them and walk away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For them, it is a
decision that affects everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t
let your dogma trump your ability to show love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-60724406813354781932014-03-03T17:38:00.001-06:002014-03-03T18:02:28.893-06:005 Ways People Who Have Been Through Divorce Can Love The Church.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">“I think it's impossible
to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love
them the way they love themselves." </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Ender Wiggin
– “Ender’s Game” 1985</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Understanding others
doesn’t mend all fences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will
still disagree, still struggle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet, I have found that few things give me the power to act lovingly than
the ability to empathize, to put myself in another’s shoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if I come through the process
still disagreeing with that person, my heart towards them has changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s take a look at these five ways we
can do that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Remember The
Reason You Know What you Know</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">It is really easy once
in the thick of something, once things get real, once you’ve been given
perspective, to be angry at those who speak from a place lacking knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t know what they are talking
about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Question is, did you
know better before you went through divorce?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I honestly didn’t know a ton about
divorce, separation, and remarriage until after I was left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Previous to that, I simply toed the “company
line.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a pastor said something,
I likely believed it without much scrutiny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew that I valued marriage, and only believed divorce to
be acceptable in the most outlandish circumstances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t talked about often, but when it was, I just
spouted the dogma fed to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was easy to do, as I felt it protected me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tough parts were for others to deal with so whatev.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had less to do with others and more
to do with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I, like everyone,
wanted to feel safe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The idea of
being strict, maybe even ugly at times about divorce was born out of my own
fear that it would happen to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps
if I could make marriage this steel trap, maybe even add things if necessary,
it would be worth it, okay, if I could protect myself from having mine fall
apart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I could build a
construct and find another who shared such a view, surely it would prevent
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It never occurred to me that I
was being hypocritical, ignorant, or that I could be hurting others in the
process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It never occurred to me
that I was going beyond the Bible, adding to it for my own sake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am going to bet many of you are
probably the same, that your understanding of divorce has shifted as your eyes
have been opened by experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">So, let’s remember that,
and let it give us some room for other’s not knowing, their lack of empathy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This doesn’t mean that we can’t admonish
or correct, or that we shouldn’t try to open eyes and hearts to truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just means we should do so with
understanding and loving hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We should see ourselves before life taught us what we know and speak to
that person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I meant no harm
before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was trying to protect
myself and I bet they are too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Cut Them
Some Slack</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Divorce is beyond messy
to deal with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember one of my
best friends, Tanner, respond when I told him my ex-wife was leaving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He spoke what I needed to hear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He told me he had no advice to give,
that it was all beyond him, but that he loved me deeply and was there for
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most lack such wisdom and humility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve all gone crazy hearing from fifty
people fifty different views on what is “definitely” Biblical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve been told by dozens people “what
they would do” or how they “could never do” blah blah blah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all know that they have no freaking
clue what they are talking about, that they’d probably act very differently
than what they “know they would do.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is even harder when it comes from the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember hearing a prominent pastor preach a sermon on
marriage and divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end,
after admonishing everyone that divorce was not an option at all for
Christians, that, should his wife ever leave him he would spend the rest of his
days pursuing her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You and I know
that he doesn’t know what he is talking about, that that response is born of
affection of a loving relationship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He can’t fathom the hurt that comes from thinking you know someone but
they change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s like they think
we all should have seen it coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They don’t know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The sad truth is that
without experiencing it, there will always be ignorance on it, and no one wants
everyone to have to go through it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That ignorance is regrettable, but in a way it is at least born of good
intentions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This doesn’t make it
excusable, but it should give us understanding as people who have been through
this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Recognize
Why You Scare Them</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">We have to see where
they are coming from, that they are scared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We scare them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The reality of our lives scares them, as they hope not to share it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a matter of fact, the more like them
you are, the more you love God, the more they will fear you, and are likely to
react harshly with you, for it makes them realize that their being good, their
loving God does not protect them from having a failed marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It breaks minds to see someone really
love Jesus get left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It shakes
their worldview, breaks apart the prosperity gospel they hold for
marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That breaking stirs up
denial, anger, fear, and it makes us tough to love at times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s stupid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
should change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, let’s do our
part though and love them anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let’s not let satan win by having bitterness take root.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to be aware of what our lives
are doing to their worldview and wade through it lovingly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Show Up and
Share</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Much of the way we are
treated isn’t going to change until we stop acting like second-class
Christians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of us walked though divorce in
sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many have not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless, we have to go to church, be
in the thick of it, and talk about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, we need not talk about it all the time, lest we become labeled,
defined by it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, when the subject
comes up at church, the only people I hear talking are those have no experience
with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is usually said is
pretty ignorant, frankly, and those false walls of protection by those that are
scared just get stronger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">They need to know that
divorce is not always mutual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
just because you went through a divorce doesn’t mean you wanted it or even
consented to it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many just assume
that if you were divorced you are FOR divorce in some broad sweeping way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You get lumped into that group of
“others” who don’t respect marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They need to see differently, see that you do respect marriage as much
as they do, that life is just messier than they know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will help them be slower to judge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They need to hear your story, how
complicated it was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe they
won’t change their minds completely or at all, but at least they will have
knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They need to see that
life goes on, that divorce is not life defining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have stopped checking the box for divorced on attendance
cards, and have started checking single instead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well,
because while I have been through a divorce, divorce is not my label, my
status.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an event and not
one that gets to define the rest of my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My marital status is single.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I want to share about that event in life I will do so in
the appropriate context.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">They need to see that
even if you were wrong in divorcing your spouse that there is forgiveness, that
one season of sin doesn’t negate your love for God nor your ability to serve
Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of this is going to
happen if we who have been through it aren’t around and aren’t a part of the
conversation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Start talking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, it is hard, and it will get ugly
at times, feelings will get hurt, but so be it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good things are often born through difficulty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Understanding such a complicated and
tempestuous subject as divorce and remarriage is guaranteed to be so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be brave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be loving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be
gentle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be bold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Show up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speak up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Be Okay With
Differing Beliefs About Yourself</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">No matter what you
decide to believe about your situation, someone will differ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you believe you are not free to
remarry, there will be people who think you are legalistic and Phariseeic for
not allowing yourself something they see you to be free to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you believe yourself to be free to
remarry, there will be people who think you are not free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They might even call you an
adulterer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There will be people
who will agree that divorce is acceptable for certain reasons, but will
challenge yours should you have been the one who initiated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the day, you are not
going to change everyone’s minds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All you can really hope for is love, and that does not mean
agreement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People can love you and
not agree with you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They do it any
way about a myriad of issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
just probably haven’t taken it so personally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">It hit me that right now
I disagree with most Christians about something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are so many things to believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I meet any believer I find much
common ground, and much not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is why we have so many churches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are almost all reading the same book, yet we see certain details
differently, whether it be predestination and free will, infant baptism or
immersion, views of communion, the pope, the role of women in church, music,
and on and on it goes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Divorce and
remarriage are but one cog in the wheel of difficult subjects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">If we take it personally
every time someone disagrees with us we are petty and will always be upset, as
there will always be someone to disagree with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s let it go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Speak your mind in boldness and gentleness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Listen when others speak theirs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let iron sharpen iron, and love those who you disagree with
anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re called to love
everyone, not just those who see the world as we do, who agree with us on what
is Biblical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Admonish them to
share their views in meekness and love too when they are harsh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I am sure there are many
other ways we can show love, but that is more than enough for now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope that your hearts and minds have
been encouraged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As always, you
are welcome to write me and talk, or to leave a comment as long as it is spoken
in love and gentleness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-69585423003955490712014-02-10T04:14:00.001-06:002014-02-10T04:17:53.317-06:00Why I Still Go to Church, Even After It Hurt Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Not long after my ex-wife first
intimated her struggle to want to leave, I did exactly what my church had
always told its members to do, and I got them involved. They walked with her and I through the
process of trying to keep her from leaving.
It was a gut wrenching process where I laid my soul bare before men who,
for the most part, were little more than strangers to me, men I’d said hi to,
shaken hands with, and had seen preaching, praying, or giving announcements. They knew my face and name and little
else. I gave these men my trust,
confessing my every sin. They
learned my deepest darkest secrets.
It was humiliating beyond words, but I did it because I wanted to do
whatever I could to keep her from leaving, to love her as she wanted. Even though the church is a mega church
in Dallas, they have a plethora of pastors, and were great about infusing
themselves into the situation.
They did not overlook me simply because they are huge. It moved me.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Time passed.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">She left.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: large;">From the moment I called them and
told them she left, everything changed.
Their sweetness shifted to frustration with me. I was devastated, a wreck. A decade plus of depression followed
swiftly by divorce had ravaged my heart and soul. Nowhere to live, and my heart shattered, I moved to
Brownwood to be with my family.
I found a deep comfort and peace in the love of my parents. There, their daily affection and encouragement healed me in a way that
was miraculous. God brought me to a
group of people through Coggin Avenue Baptist Church in Brownwood that were
heart healing and loving to me.
Pastor Tim will go down as one of the most influential people in my
life for the time he took to meet and encourage me. </span></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">During this time of healing my
greatest fear wasn’t her, what she might do next, it was my church in
Dallas. They had put me in contact
with a young man, one of their pastors, whom I had only met once or twice with,
to be my contact with the church.
In the following months after I moved to Brownwood this young man called
me once a week and told me how I had to move back to Dallas to be involved in
the plethora of programs they had.
When I reminded him I had no where to stay, he, to my shock, simply replied I needed
to get it done. I could barely
wake up in the morning at first, and he not only did not lighten my load, not
help, but threw the weight of finding a new job and place to live, and just so
they could be a part, could be the ones in charge of my healing. I told them
that wasn’t necessary, that I was healing in Brownwood. I shared how I had gotten connected,
was meeting with the Pastor himself in counseling. The young man did not believe me. He went so far as to call the pastor, without asking me,
just to make sure I was being forth coming. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: large;">Again and again and again this young man would call me,
every time I would dread his call.
It was a broken record. He not once asked me what the Holy Spirit was telling me, never regarding me as having any wisdom, never accounting for the fact that I have the Holy Spirit, that he talks to me directly. He simply repeated again and again that
“the elders” none of whom I knew nor knew me, had come to the mind-blowing conclusion that I had to leave the comfort of my family and the church I had gotten involved in to come
back to Dallas so they could make sure I was reconciling with God and her. “As a covenant
member, Nicholas, you are to submit to the authority of the elders. You signed a covenant. Are you willing to engage in this
reconciliation process or not?”</span></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I would remind him that that
covenant he was abusing says I have the right to move churches, it is in print on the very covenant he was wielding, that I am not
bound at that church forever, that I was growing with God in Brownwood, that
she threatened to never speak to me again should move back to Dallas to try to
win her over, that should she want to meet or reconcile I was a whopping three
hours away. If she called me at
breakfast I could be there by lunch. My last ditch chance was to heal, become better, and not do anything to sever the last bit of communication I had with her, that maybe with time she would change. All this time, she was attending the church unabated. </span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: large;">The young man didn’t even pause
to act like I he was considering what I said. Immediately he would repeat his power play. “Nicholas, you need to submit. Are you going to submit or not?” This went on for months. Every time I dreaded his call. The weight put on me was so hurtful. Finally, the young man seemed to
understand. “So, it seems you are
going to be staying in Brownwood and working on things through Coggin.” </span></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Yes, that is what I have been
saying for months. I am growing a lot here. I have my family, good friends, and am involved at church, still meeting with the pastor. She barely talks to me, but I keep trying. Should she ever want to meet or talk, I can and will be in Dallas in a couple hours.”</span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Okay.”</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">That was that… or so I
thought. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: large;">She did not come back, nor did she
ever open herself to reconciling.
She made up her mind, and that was that. The next time I saw her was when I was served papers. I made friends and began healing in Brownwood, and although
difficult, it was a truly wonderful time to see the affection of my family,
friends both old and new, and many more comfort me with amazing love. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Six months went by without them calling. Peace, finally. My sister, who lives in
Dallas and attended the church I used to, was getting baptized. My family and I drove up to Dallas for
her. It was my first visit back to my old church. I had no idea what to
expect. It was difficult, but
ultimately many of the pastors came up and said sweet things to my face and
hugged me. Whew. The weight I’d felt put on me by them
felt like it was slowly lifting. A
week later I received a very long email from the young man explaining to me that these elders had decided that she had not been
found to have had Biblical cause to divorce me. YET, because I had failed to obey the church leadership’s command
to move back to Dallas, I was considered to be unrepentant, and that while I
was always welcome to attend, should I do so I was not welcome to take
communion until I repented. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: large;">I have experienced a lot of pain
and suffering in my life, so many hurts.
This one is unique.
I say is because, even though I have reached out and much time has
passed, there has been no change, no apology for such an incredible abuse of
power. </span></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">A year on, and I am not healed of
it. Much of that is my own
fault. No one makes me sin but
myself. I am to blame for my own
hardness. Yet, what they did surely
has been a stumbling block like no other.
Where I used to treasure church I now dread it. Pastors were once trusted. Now I struggle when I see a pastor to
not think of them as bullies. Were
it not for the humility, patience, and friendship of Pastor Tim Skaggs I don’t
know where I would be. Anything
“churchy” makes my skin crawl.
This place where I once felt accepted and loved is now I place I
struggle not feel tainted, pariah-like in. Again, this is my own fault. No church makes me do not good things, and most of it is lies. I share this not to point fingers, but
because I want you to see just how much it has hurt me. I have come to empathize so very deeply
with all my brothers and sisters in this world who struggle with church, who
feel like pariahs, judged, condemned.
I feel it too. I want for
you to know that when I say the church has hurt me you can believe it and
understand, and see and feel just how hard of a time I have with church so you
will follow me when I say that I still go to church, even though it hurt me
deeply. I still go, and here is
why…</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Because I am a Christian</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: large;">The definition of a Christian is
one who follows Christ, not one who follows other Christians. Is there some authority in the
church? Sure, but only some, and
it is supposed to be there to help you… follow Christ. Jesus is the one who bore my sins, not
Pastor Ray Still, Tim Skaggs, Matt Chandler, or Tommy Nelson. Jesus is whom I praise. He is whom I go to hear about. Church is where we as a group of
sinners go to tell God thank you, tell Him we love Him for saving us. God deserves this small token of being
around these other sinners. God
deserves my time, my money, my heart, my everything, and Christians aren’t
going to get in the way of that.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Because not going would make me a
hypocrite</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In my life, usually, whenever I
hear people talk about church and complain about the people, they usually say
they don’t go because church is filled with judgmental hypocrites. This is my reason too. Thing is, saying those words is
self-referential as in that moment of saying it we are being judgmental ourselves. How is that more tolerant and
open-minded, accepting, loving? It
is not. It is petty and
spiteful. Everything in me wishes
it weren’t, as I weekly find myself saying in my head with flares of bitterness and
anger, “If I go to church and hear anymore churchy words I swear I’ll…” Even though I’ve said a million churchy
words. The problem is mine to deal
with. Am I not a sinner too? Do I not struggle? Would I do better? I’d hope so, but honestly I doubt
it. I am surely not the answer to
the world’s problems. I just hope
people feel loved by me as much as possible, that I care for them. I’ve certainly got my own log in my
eye.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Most of all… Because the one man
who actually could have not gone for that reason went</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;">Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had
been brought up. And as was his
custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood to read.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: large;">Every time I think about church in
general, when I think about how my old church wronged me, and my heart gets
hard, this is what I think of.
When I see a pastor and my teeth start to grit with idiotic prejudice,
this verse calms and softens my heart.
It gives me room to forgive and move on, to keep coming to worship. Jesus, the only perfect man ever, the
only man who could actually say he didn’t want to go to church because of the
people in it…went to church. He
worshipped and prayed with the same people that betrayed and killed him. My hurts, though real and important,
are nothing in comparison, and thus I am motivated to daily lift the weights
off the scales of justice, to no longer need them to be even. Would I love for my old church to apologze? Very, very much so. It would bring me to tears and lift a
weight off my heart. Yet, that
wrong will not stop me from praising my Jesus. When I think that his actions weren’t based on my goodness,
how can I not do what he wants me to because others don’t live up to mine? </span></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Praise be the name of the
Lord. Churchy, I know, but I mean
it. Church may not always be good,
but He is. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-91575848623062588932013-12-03T11:08:00.000-06:002013-12-03T11:08:31.380-06:00Some Thoughts on Advice and Love, and The Perceived Marriage Bias Within the Church<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Before I get to what I actually wanted to talk about, I want
to mention why I have not written a blog in a really long time. Truth is, I have just been taking a
step back and thinking. </span></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hdKgelBYXSv_3fSQmlPKCKgdR1MqqqVVCi8kQ679jtuObyU3UOShX2Bf97Z985B2jX7qPhnRjLPI11UuQzDGV6fdJ4hlhrYRpZ2c63Z04EVCceaDfe-KzxyEibaWanJPpfBUoOnRe_2h/s1600/20071119_0213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hdKgelBYXSv_3fSQmlPKCKgdR1MqqqVVCi8kQ679jtuObyU3UOShX2Bf97Z985B2jX7qPhnRjLPI11UuQzDGV6fdJ4hlhrYRpZ2c63Z04EVCceaDfe-KzxyEibaWanJPpfBUoOnRe_2h/s320/20071119_0213.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Thinking! Huzzah! No? Oh. Okay.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You see, a couple of months ago I was browsing around some
Christian blogs and websites, which is something I enjoy doing. As I did, it hit me that there was a
common theme. They all were filled
with articles telling people what to do and how to think. You’d have a movie review here, or a
news story there, but they are sparse.
Almost everything out there is one big theological Op Ed. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I understand this in part, as I am an ENFP, a champion. When I learn something new, when I gain
something I believe to be wisdom, I really do yearn to share it. It has nothing to do with thinking I am
better. I just want to help. If you are in a maze and you figure out
how to get out, it is a natural thing to want to start shouting the directions
out to those back in the maze. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">However, I also hold this belief that Christianity isn’t
just some niche thing. It is
supposed to encompass life. In
that, why then is it that all we can do is share wisdom? Tell others what is good, what is
real? I believe that is a huge
part, but is it really all we have to share? Somehow, it came across to me a feeling smug and shallow, as
if we as Christians are incapable of loving in other ways. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There is this very weird line in serving as a
Christian. If you go and serve
people physically alone, never sharing the gospel then there is ultimately
something missing. Same though is
true if you are so focused on sharing the gospel that you don’t know how to
live with others, how to love them.
Advice is one small part of helping. When I am hurting I want someone to hurt with me, sympathize
or empathize. I want them to give
me real physical help. Spend time
with me. If all someone does is
give me advice, then I have no real affection or respect for that person as a
helper. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is definitely how I felt during the healing part after
being left by my wife and going through the divorce process. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As such, I have just been kind of letting it all sit inside
me and trying to focus and think about what it means to really love. I don’t know if I have anything great
to share, I just know I want to be someone that does more than give advice
(which again, in love and in the right time and place, aka tact, is
essential). </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hopefully that makes sense. I don’t have any answers. It’s just what I have been thinking about and
pondering. Maybe I am a fool. I don’t know. That is just how it has felt to me. I’d like for us Christians to be more
broad, and better about speaking to people’s needs instead. I feel, perhaps wrongly, that there is
a lot of self-service going on in this advice giving. I suppose that’s true about anything. Whatever the case, that is why I have
been silent. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What I actually wanted to touch on was a little bit of what
it is like to be a divorced person in church. Dabble a bit, as there is much to be written.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have posted quite a few articles on how people whom are
not married are treated in the church, whether single, divorced, widowed,
etc. The most recent, and my favorite is by <a href="http://www.christenacleveland.com/2013/12/singled-out/" target="_blank">Christena Cleveland</a>. I recently had a friend ask
me if I had actually experienced this, and if so, what it was like?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sadly, I most assuredly have. For starters, there is no unilateral response. I have received both love and
bitterness, trust and leeriness, understanding and prejudice, burdens both
light and heavy, all within the church.
Everyone is different. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Each
church is different… accept with marriage. This point alone I think is a strong indicator of the
prejudice toward marriage and having kids.
If you are married and have kids, you can feel safe knowing you will be accepted if not celebrated in 99% of all mainstream churches in the USA. You don’t ever have to walk through the doors wondering what
this church believes or that church believes, or whether you’ll be welcome as a
married person with kids. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">However, those whom are single, for any of the reasons
above, there is a question. Will
there be anything for me? Will I
be alone? Singlehood is, as Christena Cleveland put it, often viewed as junior varsity to
marriage being varsity. I’ll go a step further
and add this. It is freshmen
football. Being married is
junior-varsity, and being married with children is varsity. Seems you aren’t really considered
whole, adult, mature, trustworthy, until you have been married with kids. I felt that prejudice when I was
married, and many of my married without kids friends did too. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Any Church I go into I wonder what they are going to believe and think about singleness and divorce, as it varies much, and I have been treated both amazingly and poorly depending upon the theology and attitude of these different churches. It is a big deal for me. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Having been married and left I feel confident in my
singleness, even if it does not last.
I also have been a part of this, by the way, talking to singles as if I
had achieved something. Looking
back I feel a certain shame, especially since my marriage failed. Yes, I know that does not nullify
wisdom. Many of the things I said
were true and good. It still
stings, whether it should or not.
It is in that brokenness that I now know something though. It is that being married does not make
you better. Married people share
more with other married people. In
that confidence over the years I came to see that very, very many of Christian
marriages are stretched, fraught with turmoil like mine during the end. These marriages may carry on, but the
point is that my life was not better as a married person. I was not closer to God, more
righteous, wiser. It was just
different, much like the author of the article said. It is a different sport, one that, as far as we know, Paul,
every single apostle, and some guy named Jesus all saw the right path for them
to take toward righteousness. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Marriage is great, and something I have would like to
possibly be a part of again, but I wonder if we haven’t made it more than it
is, much like we have with children.
I wonder if in our desire to preserve the family we haven’t overstepped
like those who were so afraid of drunkenness that they imposed a false burden
of complete abstinence where there is freedom. Perhaps? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Again, this is one man’s perception. It is one shared by many people. That does not make it true. Take it for what it is worth. I’d love to hear any thoughts or
experiences you’ve had.</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span></div>
Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-17877842709412191212013-09-23T14:34:00.000-05:002013-09-23T14:34:22.108-05:00You Know What Assuming Does Don't You? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The memory of Ms. Bronk teaching us the true meaning of the
word assume is one of the most vivid I have of high school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can see her standing on that podium at the
front of the band hall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone had,
foolishly, used assumption as an excuse for why they hadn’t done
something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ms. Bronk asked if we knew
what assuming did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either none of us
really knew, or we could tell by the expression on her face that answering
would only draw her frustrated gaze upon on us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple of seconds passed before she broke
the silence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“No?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, let me show you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chalk clicked and clacked against the
shuttering blackboard behind her as she swiftly wrote out the word “ASSUME” in
all upper case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She continued,
“Assuming makes a…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BOOM, her hands
covered all but the letters ASS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“…out
of…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BOOM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then they covered all but the U in the
middle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“…and…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>SHHHH she slid her hands over to reveal on
the the letters ME.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took me a second
to say it altogether.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To assume makes an ASS out of U and ME.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t the only one that took time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The delayed collective chuckle said as
much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #999999;">Assuming is a dangerous action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only does it make and ass out of you and
me; it also usually hurts you and me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Assumption’s sting is always profound on the back end once we’ve been
shown the consequences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Assumption’s
acerbic bight comes from the knowledge that with just the slightest bit of
inquiry, if we had only kept an open mind, a dash of humility even, we might
not be reaping the current drama our assuming had sewn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We think, “All I had to do was ask… or seek a
little more.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, assumption isn’t filling in the blank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m a writer, a storyteller.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mind fills in blanks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watch Castle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His storytelling mind helps fill in those blanks the cops can’t, and
that’s why New York is a safer place, people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No, I don’t think we can help hearing news like, “Hey, did you hear that
Sally left Johnny?” without having out minds instinctually fill in the
blanks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was he abusive?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Were they that unhappy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was there another man?</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of this happens in the blink of an
eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #999999;">Assumption is when we take those fleeting thoughts and
actually believe them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t know
Jack, and until you do, you should act like it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Have the humility to admit you don’t know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hard part is that our beliefs are rarely
spoken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Us and our American
passive-aggressiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s in our
non-verbal language we let people know what we really think, while our mouths
flap out something sweet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That southern
influence lingers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Example: being left by my wife brought out all sorts of
assumptions, and almost none of them were spoken to my face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’d have a friend come up and tell me they heard about me being left and
they’d begin to tell me how they heard I was “this awful thing” or that I was
“terrible in this way or that.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My eyes
would widen, and I’d try to calmly explain what ACTUALLY happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then their eyes would bulge as they’d realize
they had just spread a… yup… assumption.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Somewhere along the way, someone who knew nothing talked to someone as
if they knew something, and voila… two asses were born, and in the end I was
deeply hurt, and my reputation was scarred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It hurt greatly knowing that people were going to assume I had to do
something terrible if my wife left me, that I must be awful, that something
must really be wrong with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
things wrong with me, but in truth, nothing out of the ordinary for a
human.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another assumption made about me would
be revealed when I would first tell someone about my being left and being
divorced and their faces would look not sad but grim, disgusted even.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it was their turn to speak they would
share how they were disappointed in me, that they thought I loved God, how dare
I that I would go through with a divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They’d start spouting scripture on how God hates divorce, and blah blah
blah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, their faces would change
when I was able to share that they held an assumption that many people hold,
and that is that it takes two to get divorced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It doesn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If someone wants out,
the state of Texas will let them out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
didn’t even check.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They just… assumed
that it took two, and so held in their minds false information about me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #999999;">Sad truth is that it happens a lot, particularly in
divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So many people who have gone
through what I have shared the same experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>People judged them based off of nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There was a blank in the narrative and they filled it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thing is, that blank is there because it’s
not your business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not everything is
meant for public consumption.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is in humility and patience we find the maturity to say
to ourselves, “I don’t know what happened, and I am okay with that.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, when someone asks if you’ve heard about
how Johnny left Sally you can say yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You’ll start talking about how sad it is, how you wonder what happened,
and here is where victory is had… at this moment you’ll already have admitted
you don’t know, and that’s what you’ll say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“I don’t know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could be a lot of
different reasons.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you leave it
what it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then when they say what they
think, you can ask them where they got their information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You won’t just take it as gospel, because for
all you know they are falling into the same trap of filling in blanks, of
assuming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they say they just think
so, or they pieced it together because of blah blah blah you can just say, “So,
you don’t actually know?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they
admit they don’t you will have loved your brother or sister well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only will you have protected the one
being gossiped about, but you’ll be blessing the one gossiping by ending the
line of destruction their assumption was blazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your
thoughts hold value in your brother’s and sister’s eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cannot tell you the damage done hearing the
third hand assumptions made about me during this past year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It broke my heart, and made me feel
sub-human.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To say that I did not feel
loved was an understatement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #999999;">Don’t be an ass (the donkey-kind, not the other).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t assume.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Love your brother and sister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Assumption is judgment based on ignorance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We condemn someone based off of guesses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How could that ever be a good thing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: inherit;">Proverbs 16:28 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: inherit;">“A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates
close friends.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: inherit;">Proverbs 26:20</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: inherit;">“Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies
down.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-74484129446380675212013-09-06T12:49:00.003-05:002013-09-06T12:53:43.292-05:00How Being Judged Hurts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilq3x2yUAgEfbaOORyJ1WRYo-brlmMjsUX4YsZdgHS5x3sw3wF75AqJPihHhg6_l1sqLKk1DArzAGJHFU91en2rjxkL3E-AJ97AfgSZLgyEA15WqkdjuWXqb6rpC9-flD3nh7syhqB7KH/s1600/A+gavel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilq3x2yUAgEfbaOORyJ1WRYo-brlmMjsUX4YsZdgHS5x3sw3wF75AqJPihHhg6_l1sqLKk1DArzAGJHFU91en2rjxkL3E-AJ97AfgSZLgyEA15WqkdjuWXqb6rpC9-flD3nh7syhqB7KH/s320/A+gavel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A lot of people think that John 3:16 is the most ubiquitous
and well-known verse in the Bible.
I disagree. It may be
the most well-known Bible reference, but in spirit I believe there is one that
is far more ingrained in the minds of mankind. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Check this out…</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged” ESV</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Every human knows this. Heck, dogs probably know this. We just can’t hear them in their minds saying, “Don’t judge
me, okay. The cat did it. Okay? You don’t know me. Don’t act like you know me.” If an atheist knows ONE verse it is this one. It is everyone’s way of saying, “How
dare you point out my sin to me!” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are two Biblical definitions of the word, judge. One is to discern. The other is to condemn. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We know that we are supposed to admonish
one another, that discernment is good. We will know one another by our fruit. Yes? The idea that Jesus
was saying, “Don’t see other people’s sin ever. If someone is stealing something, just let it go. If your loved one is showing
destructive patterns, how dare you admonish them. How dare you reveal what you see that they might stop.” We all deep down know this. None of us live out the opposite
either. We all say something when
we see our loved one about to put their hand into the fire. We all say, “Stop!” To let that person touch the fire
unwarned is not even remotely loving.
No one let’s their kid wonder into the street for fear of judgment, nor
allows their kid to keep lying.
Both are very dangerous, and to leave it to that person to just figure
it out is silly, and no one does that.
We all share what we’ve learned, and discernment is part of that.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So what is the issue if it isn’t discernment? </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Condemnation. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the greatest pieces of wisdom outside the Bible I’ve
ever read was on the difference between condemnation and conviction. Both sting at first. Being told we are wrong ALWAYS
hurts. It is a practiced
skill and sign of maturity to get better at hearing that you are wrong. The difference is that conviction
always promises life, and there is a sweetness behind it. It is about freedom. There is now therefore no condemnation
in Christ Jesus. We are free. However, sin hurts, and we need to be shown from time to time that we are hurting ourselves. On the other hand, condemnation brings
about death. It keeps us trapped
in our sin, focused on the past.
It is a tool of satan.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Until this last year, I had never really felt the sting of
condemnation so heavily, nor seen how destructive it can be. It makes since to me now as I read that
the number one reason for the rise of the “Nones,” those no longer affiliated
with any church, is judgment. I
don’t think I ever really saw that judgment goes beyond words. It isn’t just proclaiming, “You are
going to hell.” It is a posture of
the heart and spirit, one that overflows into our actions.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A year ago my wife left me. I have no desire to go into detail. I have worked hard to preserve a relationship
of some kind, however trivial, with my ex-wife. All I care to say is that I did not deserve to be left. She had no Biblical right to leave me. I did not want her to leave. I did not want to be divorced. Beyond that, I am not going to say
much. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Since then, I have
experienced a whole new side to the church I have never before known. Note that when I say church, I mean the
church greater, the body of believers, not one church in specific. What I have experienced is judgment,
and hear this, it has hurt me worse than I can possibly admit. There just are not words. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I said, I have learned much about judgment. Let me go back to what condemnation is
versus discernment. The main
element of condemnation is not speaking words to people. That is the overflow. It is in the heart. In order to judge someone in the verb
sense you must first become a judge the noun. In order to become a judge you are placing yourself as a
dispenser of the law. Think about
that. It is an act of
self-elevation. One doesn’t have
to elevate to be a part of admonishing and conviction. Who better than a former thief, or someone who still even battles the desire to steal to tell see the pattern in another thief and say, "Don't do it. I know. This road only leads to pain." Is not the lustful man or woman the most qualified to warn of the false promises lust brings? It surely is. Notice that the fellow criminal is still aware of the law. There is an acute awareness, a discernment, of the law and can see when someone else is breaking it, and still warns to obey it. I say that to again show that discernment and admonishment are not bad.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I want you to think about this... Being judged, condemned, has given satan so much power for
lies in my heart it is amazing. I have never
felt so useless, so unloved, or so dirty in my life, and I wasn’t even the one
who left. I was
wronged, and yet I have been made to feel like dirt, like I am not pure, not
true, not a real Christian anymore. I have become a second-class Christian. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ultimately, that feeling is my own fault. No one controls my heart. These are lies that I have believed. That is on me. I should have been stronger, more
faithful. How many times has the
Holy Spirit reminded me that Jesus was an outcast by the religious institutions
of the day? Many. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yet, I have struggled like never
before, and in doing so I now see the power of condemnation. If I, someone who has devoted their
life to Christ, has struggled so mightily under the burden of condemnation from
the church then what effect does it have on someone just peeking through the
door? We already know the
answer. Unfortunately, sometimes
you just have to experience something to really understand it. I never understood how I could condemn
people with my actions, with my looks, with my posture. I never saw how my feeling like I was
better than someone would pervade through my mask and show in a hundred little
ways, or come back around through gossip.
How many times have I heard mean things said about me by my brothers and
sisters in Christ. Even an
amplified sense of pity can be a part of it. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I realize there are a ton of trails and loose ends to be
discussed in this. For now, I just
want you to meditate on the devastation a spirit of condemnation has. Even though I have suffered it’s
burden, I still struggle to not think myself better than others, to go beyond
lovingly and gently calling someone out, and instead wreak havoc upon them,
making them feel awful and unloved.
Perhaps that is the key.
Perhaps we forget that Jesus loved us BEFORE we were clean, BEFORE we
loved Him. Yes? Maybe? We too ought to love others BEFORE they become clean, as we are not clean either, really, not in action. That is the beauty of the gospel, to be seen as clean when we are not. God takes those weights and measurements of judgment and tosses them away. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The counteraction to this has been the redemptive, the
restorative, the understanding love of so many others. It has been through the tenderness of
those who have not condemned (but have sometimes admonished). They gave counsel. They hurt with me. They reminded me that I am not somehow
less of a person, that divorce is not a super sin, that it doesn’t define
me. I may be someone has been
divorced, but that doesn’t make my definition the divorced guy. It is not my label for life. I am the redeemed guy, the Christian, the mess of a man made Holy only by grace, the guy that keeps screwing up and keeps getting taken care of by Jesus anyway. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They helped me move past my own
condemnation of myself. It is
amazing how when people start to treat you a certain way you struggle not to
feel that way. It is through the
guidance of others I am reminded that I did not do wrong. I didn’t leave, that you can’t make
someone else obey, or love you. I
have been reminded constantly that good parents have children go astray, good
spouses get left, and good people suffer.
Job was innocent yet suffered.
I remember Tim Skaggs, senior pastor at Coggin Avenue Baptist in
Brownwood reminding me that Jesus stood outside of Jerusalem and wept because
he had called them to Him and they would not come, that if Jesus couldn’t make
them come how could I believe I could make Kathleen come to me? I couldn’t. We as the church can help or hinder so much. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My prayer is that we can all see
ourselves as we are, sinners redeemed by God. May we not condemn. May we not remember we are fellow criminals all coming together in praise of the fact that the actual judge decided to let us go free despite our criminal action. May we not make a mockery of the court, and as criminals, climb into that judges chair, grab the gavel, and start waiving at the other criminals just like us, lest we be held in contempt of court. All glory be to God. Amen.</span></span></div>
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Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-63794479638510351112013-03-11T10:34:00.000-05:002013-03-11T11:26:10.294-05:00"Allow myself to introduce... myself." (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blog)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2FDWuvODIBEV8ToJsmzMpciIQnTXv9hvQYgkxmnMmgsQWxPfi2kXgs0W14bzJXUGb30FyqKZn2CXzlM9zRhnajjcRG47hmpDlfdOXmmleaq56AGwx6q4IHw0hUyv2LdtLjSWlTxTqQIc/s1600/The+Fleet+Fox+Logo+II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2FDWuvODIBEV8ToJsmzMpciIQnTXv9hvQYgkxmnMmgsQWxPfi2kXgs0W14bzJXUGb30FyqKZn2CXzlM9zRhnajjcRG47hmpDlfdOXmmleaq56AGwx6q4IHw0hUyv2LdtLjSWlTxTqQIc/s1600/The+Fleet+Fox+Logo+II.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I am not oblivious to my own nature</span>, neither my strengths nor weaknesses. So, don't think that I am unaware that I can be a serious fellow. No no. It's true. If a heart attack and I were to get into a Contest of Seriousness I would beat him so solidly he'd have a coronary. (scratches head)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here's the story. So, my family just went through the process of taking the Meyers-Briggs test. For the uninitiated, the Meyers-Briggs is a personality test. Yes, if you are wondering, I failed. Okay, kidding. It doesn't work like that. The test is meant to, in a general way, evaluate your personality and help you understand it better. It is actually an incredibly effective to tool to help you gain a bit of perspective on yourself. The results are surprisingly accurate. When reading mine, I wondered if perhaps it was a prank played by those who know me<span style="font-size: large;">. </span> <span style="font-size: large;">I</span>t was as if the test makers had not asked me questions and evaluated me, but followed me around for a week. (Looks over shoulder, checks under lamp for bugs) </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Getting the results was a ton of fun. My brother, Jason, was an INTJ. This personality type is also known as the "Mastermind" personality type. Shocker that this is the most compatible personality type with mine. My brother and I enjoy serious conversation. Serious is fun for us. Every now and then it is fun to cut loose, BUT on the whole, the most fun things are things with purpose. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: large;">I am an ENFP. A somewhat common personality type... for women. ENFP males are rare. Yes. Shut up. Moving on. Our personality type is called the "Champion". This is the El Cid, Advocate, fight for a cause kind of champion, as in "one who champions a cause," champion, not a "we win" champion. We ENFPs are not satisfied unless we are fighting for a cause, sharing the human experience. Yes, exactly, they bugged my room. I will find them eventually. For example, we ENFPs and INTJs think solving world hunger is more fun than dancing<span style="font-size: large;">...</span> <span style="font-size: large;">because it</span> is. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I know you probably don't agree, that is why I am revamping my blog. Apparently, most people find dancing more fun than solving world hunger. (Under my breath: "Weirdos") I am going to be doing my best to continue sharing my heart, keep trying to glorify God, but do so in a way that those who don't think that solving world hunger is more fun than dancing can read this blog and be blessed and entertained. The two are surely not mutually exclusive. I mean... (clears throat) ...it will be totes hilar and so awesome! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So, my new guid<span style="font-size: large;">elines are...</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><u>Keep it funny. </u></i></b> </span></span></span>Yes, I am serious<span style="font-size: large;"> as a heart attack, but </span>that don't mean I ain<span style="font-size: large;">'t never funny. </span>Sometimes I is.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><i><b>Keep it short.</b></i></u> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">This <span style="font-size: large;">one will be hard<span style="font-size: large;">, as I have a <span style="font-size: large;">penchant for verbosity. Tis true </span></span></span>and I know it. I will do my best. (sheepish grin, crosses fingers behind back) </span>I want this blog to be accessible<span style="font-size: large;">, a<span style="font-size: large;">s</span> apparently <span style="font-size: large;">most people these days have li<span style="font-size: large;">ttle to <span style="font-size: large;">no </span>attention span <span style="font-size: large;">and struggle to<span style="font-size: large;"> focus for W<span style="font-size: large;">ow<span style="font-size: large;"> the biggest geck<span style="font-size: large;">o just crawled across my window. Or is it a sala<span style="font-size: large;">mander?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><u><b>Keep it real. </b></u></i> I am still an<span style="font-size: large;"> ENFP. M<span style="font-size: large;">o</span>re than that, I am still a child of God. I still want to bless you<span style="font-size: large;"> and be blessed by you, exchange thoughts, </span></span> </span>share hidden human experie<span style="font-size: large;">nce and insights, <span style="font-size: large;">try my best <span style="font-size: large;">to glorify God above all else. This life has not ceased being short, and we can all help each other in living more fully<span style="font-size: large;">. My hope is that<span style="font-size: large;"> God's gift to me, my ability to communicate, <span style="font-size: large;">will be <span style="font-size: large;">used to His glory. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #666666;">So, come back and keep reading. A<span style="font-size: large;">nd <span style="font-size: large;">hit the little <span style="font-size: large;">"like" button i<span style="font-size: large;">f</span> you did in <span style="font-size: large;">fact like. Takes two seconds<span style="font-size: large;">, and despite your ADD<span style="font-size: large;">, </span>surely you can manage to<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> NICE! <span style="font-size: large;">Email from the Prince of Jordan! Gonna be rich. Check y'all later. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-32786751007580192042012-10-17T12:24:00.000-05:002012-10-17T12:27:21.753-05:00Are Short Lives Incomplete Lives?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">"He left us too soon."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">"She was robbed of life early."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">"His story was cut short."</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2FDWuvODIBEV8ToJsmzMpciIQnTXv9hvQYgkxmnMmgsQWxPfi2kXgs0W14bzJXUGb30FyqKZn2CXzlM9zRhnajjcRG47hmpDlfdOXmmleaq56AGwx6q4IHw0hUyv2LdtLjSWlTxTqQIc/s1600/The+Fleet+Fox+Logo+II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2FDWuvODIBEV8ToJsmzMpciIQnTXv9hvQYgkxmnMmgsQWxPfi2kXgs0W14bzJXUGb30FyqKZn2CXzlM9zRhnajjcRG47hmpDlfdOXmmleaq56AGwx6q4IHw0hUyv2LdtLjSWlTxTqQIc/s1600/The+Fleet+Fox+Logo+II.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Almost every time</span>, <span style="font-size: large;">maybe every time, someone young dies some form of the above notions get tossed about. Death is always hard for us mortals, as it should be. Death's permanency is surely horrifying. Yet, we seem to have formed some sort of unspoken gradient by which we feel we can measure the completeness of a person's life, and thereby we can also judge the level of tragedy that goes along with that death. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">If someone is a hundred, and they die, we <span style="font-size: large;">don't even bat an eye</span>. We marvel at their age. We say, "Well done." Some might even say, "I hope I don't live that long." Most of us nowadays see the eighties as expected. Reach eighty and all bets are off. We'll shed a tear for you, but you've gotten your due. Sixties are when things start to hurt, where the questions start. Someone dies in their sixties and we can't help but wonder why they didn't make eighty. There is a sense of loss, of tragedy, but at least there is the notion that they lived somewhat. Children were probably had, maybe grand kids. Not a total loss. If someone is thirty and dies, we are floored. Twenties, we're gutted. Teens and below, forget it. Our minds don't even know how to handle it. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">When people die young, we feel they have been robbed. So short was their life. So little did they experience. So much more was left for them to do and see and feel. The loss is overwhelming to us. It is not just for ourselves we mourn, but mostly for them. We view their lives as tragedy.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Question is,<span style="font-size: x-large;"> "<i>Is a short story an incomplete story?</i>"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Absolutely not.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">Go read the story, "To Build a Fire," by Jack London. It is a literary masterpiece. You will be moved. You will torn. You'll feel elation. You'll feel loss. All of that, and the story is only fifteen pages long. That's it. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Compare that with a Harry Potter novel or one of the Lord of the Rings books. Those are hundreds and hundreds of pages each. Thousands of pages to complete the story of each series. Yet here we have "To Build a Fire" at fifteen pages, and it is a masterpiece. It does not need anything else to tell it's story. As a matter of fact, more might even ruin the story. It's brevity is part of it's power. We've seen it again and again, particularly in movies, where a beloved short film is taken and extended, only to show us just how perfect the story was in it's short form. Adding things simply ruined the story.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Now, let's read this:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;">All the days ordained for me</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;">were written in your book</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;">before one of them came to be.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">(<a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Psalm 139.16" data-version="niv" href="http://biblia.com/bible/niv/Psalm%20139.16">Psalm 139:16</a>)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">Do you see what I see? Our days are ordained. For those who don't know what ordained means, it means numbered, given, set up. Not only that, but they were so before we even were! <i>With that in mind, there is no such thing as a life cut short. </i>No one has been robbed of life early. There is an author, and he doesn't make mistakes. Every life ends exactly when it should. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This doesn't mean we don't hurt. We do, but for us. We hurt because we miss those who have gone before. BUT, the beauty is that we are now free to see the beauty in those lives. We need not feel they were robbed of life. <i>There lives were masterpieces, written by the ultimate author. </i> Sometimes those stories leave us sad, much like "To Build a Fire," but they are still masterpieces. They still move us. They are still complete. There are long lives that end sad too. Long life is a good thing. We know this. But, let us no longer judge the lives of those whom have lived briefly as lesser works. It may feel like we are sticking up for them, like we are for them, but we disrespect their lives. It would be like judging "To Build a Fire," not based upon its prowess as a literary work, but simply for its length. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">This way we get to revel in the beauty of a short life. We get to take it in. Yes, it leaves us wanting more. All stories do. Yet, we will be revering the beauty of the work, and respecting that life as we should. That is the real way to honor those whose lives have ended in youth.</span></div>
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Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-52333234062753148342012-09-04T16:11:00.000-05:002012-09-04T16:11:37.872-05:00My Soul at Hazard<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
was sheriff of this county when I was 25 years old. Hard to believe. My
grandfather was a lawman. Father too. Me and him was sheriffs at the same time,
him up in Plano and me out here. I think he’s pretty proud of that. I know I
was.</span></i></div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Some
of the old-time sheriffs never even wore a gun. A lot of folks find that hard
to believe. Jim Scarborough never carried one. That’s the younger Jim. Gaston
Boykins wouldn’t wear one up in Comanche County.</span></i></div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
always liked to hear about the old-timers. Never missed a chance to do so. You
can’t help but compare yourself against the old-timers. Can’t help but wonder
how they’d have operated these times.</span></i></div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“There’s
this boy I sent to the electric chair at Huntsville here a while back. My
arrest and my testimony. He killed a 14-year-old girl. Paper said it was a
crime of passion, but he told me there wasn’t any passion to it. Told me he’d
been planning to kill somebody for about as long as he could remember. Said if
they turned him out, he’d do it again. Said he knew he was going to hell. Be
there in about 15 minutes.</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I
don’t know what to make of that. I surely don’t. The crime you see now, it’s
hard to even take its measure. It’s not that I’m afraid of it. I always knew
you had to be willing to die to even do this job. But I don’t want to push my
chips forward and go out and meet something I don’t understand. A man would
have to put his soul at hazard. He’d have to say, ‘OK. I’ll be part of this
world.’”</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6; margin: 0.1pt 0in 0.1pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">—<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Sheriff
Ed Tom Bell from No Country for Old Men</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">I’m
just going to shoot straight here and tell you that life has been pummeling me
as of late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not just one
thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a general barrage of
first world hardship and disappointment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, when I say first world I’m just giving some global context, not
saying that my pain hurts less because of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Job’s been hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People’ve
been hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as usual, I've been less than stellar at making things better myself. It’s just the times for
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">And
I have to say, that because of it my fingers have been slower to flip through
the word of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Haven’t even
wanted to say His name out loud much. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;">It isn’t that I’m
angry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If anything I am disturbed
by how calm I’ve been, how easily I’ve turned over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a caution inside me when I
start reaching for the Bible, a catch in my mouth for words of praise towards
Him. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m just so tired of being
pummeled that I’m downright scared to shake the hornet’s nest anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can hear inside me being whispered,
“Just keep it to your self.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
can love God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just hold it inside
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Gospel is great, but let
other people share it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take a
breath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Focus on getting by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t put your soul at hazard any
longer.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;">Each passing day has
seen pieces of me flake off out of necessity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shed that optimism in order to cope with the
disappointment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Slough off that
hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just leads to more
pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;">The whole thing has
just about shut me up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
doesn’t feel to be a whole lot left of me in there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But… there are some things, some good things, no, great things, things too
good, that keep rattling the cage that seems to surround my heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They shout inside me, “Wake up!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fight!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;">So fight I must, for
I cannot bear to disappear any further.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hope must be and grow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And,
my passion to share the gospel will not be curtailed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stopping telling people about God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Might as well die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What’s the point otherwise?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’d be like never saying I love you to those you love ever again, and
that just isn’t going to happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I'm going to double up and believe it'll be okay, that there is a purpose to this mess. After all, I was warned by God himself. Shame on me for ever thinking it was going to be anything other than hard. God didn't let the cup pass from His own son, Jesus. Why would I think he'd pass this cup, an infinitely smaller one, from me?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: GeosansLight;">Strength may not be
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right now it’s mostly bark,
but I’m swinging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m swinging for
hope, for a life that’s more than just okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This weight need not crush me, nor will it… in Jesus’
name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I invite anyone who feels
moved to do so please pray for me in this, that my heart would not fail, that
dreams would not cease, that disappointment would not overrun me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like the Psalmist, may I press on in
faith, trust, and hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will
pray the same for you.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="color: #6aa84f; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">Psalm 84:8-12</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #6aa84f;">
<span class="versenum"><span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">8</span></span><span class="versetext"><span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"> O <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="14"></a>LORD
God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #6aa84f;">
<span class="versenum"><span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">9</span></span><span class="versetext"><span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="15"></a>Behold
our <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="16"></a>shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #6aa84f;">
<span class="versenum"><span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">10</span></span><span class="versetext"><span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"> For a day <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="17"></a>in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather
be <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="18"></a>a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents
of wickedness. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #6aa84f;">
<span class="versenum"><span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">11</span></span><span class="versetext"><span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"> For the LORD God
is <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="19"></a>a sun and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="20"></a>shield; the LORD bestows favor and
honor. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="21"></a>No good thing does he withhold from those who <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="22"></a>walk
uprightly. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="versenum" style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";">12</span></span><span class="versetext" style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"> O LORD of hosts, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="23"></a>blessed is the one who trusts in you! </span></span><span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"></span></div>
</div>
Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-13969908770485818142012-08-29T18:11:00.002-05:002012-08-29T18:11:30.632-05:00Kingdom Now!!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9H0LfAqECX7D4pJxzffDCFw4peCsOR4_s0dn84XuCSceBazheSqRX1qGkVtVrsHcXa_4k23ukzVcf1BlHjjZHqAk2nNC5LTToOjzO9MGVHQvnKm8VP1gej0-QYRrWEKUeUIMm6sdl1uS/s1600/IMG_9096_5401+sun+ex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9H0LfAqECX7D4pJxzffDCFw4peCsOR4_s0dn84XuCSceBazheSqRX1qGkVtVrsHcXa_4k23ukzVcf1BlHjjZHqAk2nNC5LTToOjzO9MGVHQvnKm8VP1gej0-QYRrWEKUeUIMm6sdl1uS/s200/IMG_9096_5401+sun+ex.jpg" width="133" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Every time I say this phrase in my head I hear it in the way
George Costanza from Seinfeld famously shouted, “Serenity Now!” Only, I am not shouting “serenity now,”
but “kingdom now.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Why am I shouting this?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Well, because it is what we are all shouting all the
time. Now, we’re not actually
shouting it directly. However, we
are shouting thousands of different things that all say the same thing,
“kingdom now.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Alright Nicholas,” you may be thinking, “You have
introduced your cute, little catchphrase.
Now explain yourself, or off with your head!”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Calm down first, then I’ll explain.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Okay, so, now to explain my little catchphrase. Why Kingdom now? Because we are obsessed with this life
we are currently living. And,
rightly so, as it takes faith to think that there is anything beyond it. We know we are alive now. It takes faith to believe that there is
something beyond this. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Most Christians, at first, will say they believe that there
is more to our existence than this life.
We’ll talk about heaven of course, and rightly so as well. Oddly enough, pretty much every single
culture almost ever has had an idea of an afterlife. This is a massive question for the belief that there is
nothing more, for why would we believe such a thing. Some say it is genetic. Okay, why is it genetic? How and why could nothing become something, and then evolve
into something that wanted more than that something? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Rocks do not, as far as I know, long for anything, much less
to be something other than a rock.
Although, rocks are rather laconic, so maybe I am just not listening
hard enough. We humans, however,
are burgeoning with desire. We
don’t even know what to do with it all.
So much so do we desire that this life quickly reaches its limits in
meeting our desire. Even those who
have everything that we all think would make us happy are left searching for
more, often more so.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Thus, every man wrestles with the idea of the afterlife,
with something more. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">As Christians, we definitely believe this. At least we think we do. I say “think” because we don’t really
act like it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">God, through the Bible, has time and again told us that this
life is no longer our own. We are
to take up our cross. We are to
die to ourselves. Our lives are
now God’s. We believe that we are
sinners, saved by grace. God
decided, out of love, to pay the price of our sin for us, as we are powerless
to do so ourselves. In return, we
are to obey Him, and it will not be easy.
The Bible sucker punches only those who not read it. It is very open and honest about
suffering and that we will have desires that we will not get to give into. God says He’ll change our hearts. Our desires will slowly meld into His. Our reward for doing so is the Kingdom
of Heaven. A place of
perfection. No sorrow. Eternal bliss.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">As I said, we know this in part. Only, we are constantly battling the desire for that kingdom
not to be in heaven, not wait, not to give up who we are. We want our kingdom now. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Every day I struggle with this. My life doesn’t look like I wanted it to. This is not a Christian problem for
sure. Lots of people struggle with
this. Only, as Christian, the
chances are so very much higher.
You see, this is because we often blatantly choose to go against tour
desire now for what lies ahead.
Our desire to build up our material wealth here is strong. Our desire to keep everyone alive is
strong. Most give into it
fully. All of us give into it
somewhat. We are faced with a
decision to live for God, and build toward heaven, or for now, and we win some
and lose some. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Thankfully, they are not always at odds, just often. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">God may not give you something you thought you’d have,
perhaps a spouse, or children.
Perhaps he gave you a spouse, only not the one you wanted. Maybe you want a big house, and God
wants you to give up the high paying job to share the gospel. Perhaps not. But… perhaps. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Point is, we’re all screaming “kingdom now,” when the truth
is the kingdom is later, like it or not.
Your goods will not go with you when you die, and every single person
you know and love will die. All of
them. Don’t be fooled into trading the fleeting scraps of this life for an
eternity of bliss. There your
treasure will never end. You loved
ones will never die. You have to
get there first. And more importantly,
in this life, God’s glory is to be shared. The gospel, that we were sinners, and yet were saved, must
be told to everyone, and you are the on to do it, and so am I.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">May we actually live like we believe what we say we believe. May we lay it down, even though it is hard, even though we struggle to want to build up this life now. May we not over do it and let go of this life as a whole either, swinging the other way in extremes. Amen. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Corinthians 8-13-23</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext highlightThenFade" id="ro8-18"><span class="versenum">18</span>
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time <a class="highlightThenFade" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="11"></a>are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="ro8-19" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="ro8-19" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"></span></span><span class="versetext" id="ro8-19" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">19</span>
For the creation waits with eager longing for <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="12"></a>the revealing of the sons of God. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="ro8-19" style="display: inline;"></span><span class="versetext" id="ro8-20" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">20</span>
For the creation <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="13"></a>was subjected to futility, not willingly, but <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="14"></a>because of him who subjected it, in hope
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="ro8-21" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="ro8-21" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">21</span>
that <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="15"></a>the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="ro8-22" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="ro8-22" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">22</span>
For we know that <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="16"></a>the whole creation <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="17"></a>has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="ro8-22" style="display: inline;"></span><span class="versetext" id="ro8-23" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">23</span>
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="18"></a>the firstfruits of the Spirit, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="19"></a>groan inwardly as <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="20"></a>we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="21"></a>the redemption of our bodies.
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-84356689902836133832012-08-06T13:45:00.002-05:002012-08-06T13:45:44.324-05:00Matthew 5:3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It seems like there is this notion that being a Christian means knowing what to say or do at all times. There feels like an onus to know what God is thinking, what He is doing. Truth is, we don't always know what God is doing and thinking. We know the result, but not the process. Even the most ardent of us, those of us who know that pain and God coexist struggle with why at times.<br />
<br />
Lately, I have been struggling with this myself. I have been weak. All I have been able to "bring to the table" is to cry out and ask for help. Half the time I am doing so with anger in my tone, with a twinge of bitterness in the back of throat. The only thing I can do is continue to cry out for help. My rest comes in the verse, Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Well, I am bankrupt in spirit. <br />
<br />
This morning I arose, and ceased to complain verbally. In the face of my pain and struggle, I have taken my voice to God, like Job, David, or Habbakuk. In the end, like Job, all I can do is trust that He does in fact love me, that this present suffering is not in comparison to the joy ahead. I don't want to be like the ones in the parable of the seeds that stop believing in the face of persecution and suffering. So, I am just singing in the face of it. All morning long praise has been on my lips, and in doing so, my heart has softened. I have had to remember the many good things, remember God's goodness, and all that He has done. <br />
<br />
I share this to let you know that you are not alone in hurting, that though my life has been devoted to God, pain still hurts, and struggle is still real. Praise be to God that He is faithful. I don't know why He does everything the way He does them, but I don't have to. I'm just a man. I am making a stand in my weakness, and will continue to cry out and sing His praises, and my hope will grow, as it has been all morning. May our eyes ever fix on what is eternal, on Christ Jesus, and His love for us. Amen.</div>Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-23707729297172579692012-07-26T13:49:00.002-05:002012-07-26T13:57:37.587-05:00Where was God in Aurora? ...and other Questions.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-Q80NN65Jk0iSo-udGPN831HVy4xRHl9vk-yxSh34_qv1WC7nIClWxSczTICMeui5J206otu4CUSMznfrgt4CXh7YAKHWTwxQOHMie9V1mQfonxFzT7g-cLUg7e4xhk46xG-7Ib7t0Yq/s1600/KW+FB+I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-Q80NN65Jk0iSo-udGPN831HVy4xRHl9vk-yxSh34_qv1WC7nIClWxSczTICMeui5J206otu4CUSMznfrgt4CXh7YAKHWTwxQOHMie9V1mQfonxFzT7g-cLUg7e4xhk46xG-7Ib7t0Yq/s200/KW+FB+I.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicholas L. Laning</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Where was God in Aurora?</span> So big has this question been that the other day cnn.com had an article with that question as it's main story. So many people wonder, "what happened?" And I understand the question. Everyone has wrestled with this question, and we don't come up with the same answers.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Where do we get the idea that God is good, loving? </i></b><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #666666;">
I am going to lay one truth down. God's being loving and evil's existence is not incompatible at all. Think about the fact that you got the idea that God is loving from the Bible. You may think it is universal. It isn't. It is Judeo-Christian. Most eastern religions don't have a god at all. There is either illusion, or nothingness, or something else, but no god. Hinduism has millions of gods, but they are all a part of the illusion of life. They aren't a loving supreme being. So, you are getting your idea of God being loving from Judaism and Christianity. It is not an innate belief. If it were, it would have played itself out in other cultures. God being loving is very unique, not common.</div>
<br />
<b><i>Must a supreme being be loving? </i></b><br />
<br />
No. A supreme being doesn't have to be loving. I am not talking about the Bible. I am simply saying that something could have created everything and not be loving. They do not have to go hand in hand at all. That is illogical. That is like saying that everyman that walks through the door will be able to whistle Dixie. What does whistling have to do with walking through a door? Nothing. A man CAN walk through a door and whistle Dixie, but it isn't necessary. Neither is necessary for a being be able to create our universe and have to love. It is simply that Judeo-Christian influence you have if you feel that way. You may not like it, but it is true.<br />
<br />
<b><i>So, we get our idea of God being loving from the Bible. Does it then say suffering isn't real?</i></b><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #666666;">
Umm, no. Not even close. You could pretty much take a Bible in your hand, close you eyes, open the Bible to a random page, and you will find suffering, probably a lot of it. Read Job. Job didn't even do anything wrong, and God allowed him to suffer. Moses, David, Noah, Adam, every prophet, everybody in the Bible suffered. Matter of fact, most of the Bible is about how to deal with suffering. Think about that now. This is the same book that gave you the idea of God being loving. So, the same book says that God is loving also says that suffering is very, very real. So then, God's idea of love includes allowing suffering. Is that illogical? Nope, and we know it. Suffering can exist with love. </div>
<br />
<b><i>Is it possible for suffering to exist with a loving God? </i></b><br />
<br />
It isn't illogical for God to be loving and allow pain. It is simply unpleasant. We just don't like it, and as much as we like to think of ourselves as rational, we are prone to believe with our feelings. If we don't like it, we don't WANT to believe it. This is why when a MAN goes into a room and shoots people we get mad at God. We don't want it to be about man. If it is about man, it could then be about us, and we want to believe we are awesome. We ain't. All of history speaks volumes about how not awesome we are. We think that because we haven't killed someone that we are good. Never mind that we are selfish, greedy, prideful, arrogant, etc. etc.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Even if it is logically coherent for suffering to exist in world created by a God who is loving, why did that God choose to do things this way?</b></i><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #666666;">
I don't know. I have about eight different theories as to what the answer <i>could</i> be, but they are just that... guesses. In the end, what we take heart in is that the God of the Bible, unlike any other deity ever put forward, took part in our suffering. Think about that. God allows evil, allows suffering to exist, but He did not stay up in the heavens and laugh from a distance. He became man, and took on more suffering than you or I have. He was tortured on our behalf. That is loving. He delved into the pain, and thus proved that pain can exist, and that He is still loving.</div>
<br />
<i><b> If not God, then what?</b></i><br />
<br />
This is where most people I have seen fall short. We don't like what God has chosen to do, so we choose to reject Him. However, it is very rare to ask the question, then what? Judaism and Islam both have suffering and a loving God. You can't get away form that there. Eastern religions don't have a loving god, usually not a god at all. There is justice. Most run to atheism. Question... if matter is all that is, then what is evil? The answer is nothing. Evil is just another chemical reaction. Your "life" is nothing but matter trying to stay in a certain form. There is nothing transcendent, nothing eternal about evil. The shootings in Aurora, Colorado are nothing more than a chemical and physical reaction. Does that sound better? Does that comfort you? Is that freeing? It is truly awful. It is the death of anything transcendent, the death of justice. The death of love. All is simply chemical.<br />
<br />
<i><b>How do you come to peace with God and evil?</b></i><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #666666;">
Read the Bible. If you read the Bible, you will cease to be surprised by evil's existence, as it is everywhere. You will see that judging God on being hypocritical can only be done by rejecting His own description of Himself. If you do that then you have to realize that you are getting your ideas of God from somewhere else, and you cannot judge the God of the Bible with the Bible.</div>
<br />
Here are two pieces of scripture to leave you with...<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;">
<u><b>Job 7:1-21 </b></u></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<span class="versetext" id="job7-1" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">1</span>
"Has not man <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="1"></a>a hard service on earth, and are not his <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="2"></a>days like the days of a hired hand?
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-2" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">2</span>
Like a slave who longs for <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="3"></a>the shadow, and like <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="4"></a>a hired hand who looks for his <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="5"></a>wages,
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-3" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">3</span>
so I am allotted months of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="6"></a>emptiness, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="7"></a>and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-4" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">4</span>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="8"></a>When I lie down I say, 'When shall I arise?' But the night is long, and I am full of tossing till the dawn.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-5" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">5</span>
My flesh is clothed with <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="9"></a>worms and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="10"></a>dirt; my skin hardens, then <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="11"></a>breaks out afresh.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-6" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">6</span>
My days are <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="12"></a>swifter than <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="13"></a>a weaver's shuttle and come to their end without hope.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-7" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">7</span>
"Remember that my life is a <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="14"></a>breath; my eye will never again see good.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-8" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">8</span>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="15"></a>The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more; while your eyes are on me, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="16"></a>I shall be gone.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-9" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">9</span>
As <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="17"></a>the cloud fades and vanishes, so he who <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="18"></a>goes down to Sheol does not come up;
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-10" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">10</span>
he <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="19"></a>returns no more to his house, nor does his <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="20"></a>place know him anymore.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-11" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">11</span>
"Therefore I will not <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="21"></a>restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="22"></a>complain in <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="23"></a>the bitterness of my soul.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-12" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">12</span>
Am I the sea, or <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="24"></a>a sea monster, that you set a guard over me?
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-13" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">13</span>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="25"></a>When I say, 'My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint,'
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-14" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">14</span>
then you scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions,
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-15" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">15</span>
so that I would choose strangling and death rather than my <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="26"></a>bones.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-16" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">16</span>
I <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="27"></a>loathe my life; I would not live forever. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="28"></a>Leave me alone, for my days are <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="29"></a>a breath.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-17" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">17</span>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="30"></a>What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him,
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-18" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">18</span>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="31"></a>visit him every morning and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="32"></a>test him every moment?
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-19" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">19</span>
How long will you not <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="33"></a>look away from me, nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-20" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">20</span>
If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind? Why have you made me <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="34"></a>your mark? Why have I become a burden to you?
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="job7-21" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">21</span>
Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For now I shall lie in <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="35"></a>the earth; you will <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="36"></a>seek me, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="37"></a>but I shall not be." </span></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;">
<span class="versetext" id="job7-21" style="display: inline;"><u><b>Romans 5:12-18</b></u></span></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<br /></div>
<span class="versetext" id="ro5-12" style="color: #38761d; display: inline;"><span class="versenum">12</span>
Therefore, just as <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="5"></a>sin came into the world through one man, and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="6"></a>death through sin, and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="7"></a>so death spread to all men because <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="8"></a>all sinned--
</span><span style="color: #38761d;">
</span><span class="versetext" id="ro5-13" style="color: #38761d; display: inline;"><span class="versenum">13</span>
for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="9"></a>sin is not counted where there is no law.
</span><span style="color: #38761d;">
</span><span class="versetext" id="ro5-14" style="color: #38761d; display: inline;"><span class="versenum">14</span>
Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="10"></a>like the transgression of Adam, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="11"></a>who was a type of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="12"></a>the one who was to come.
</span><span style="color: #38761d;">
</span><span class="versetext highlightThenFade" id="ro5-15" style="color: #38761d;"><span class="versenum">15</span>
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through
one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift
by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for <a class="highlightThenFade" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="13"></a>many.
</span><span style="color: #38761d;">
</span><span class="versetext" id="ro5-16" style="color: #38761d; display: inline;"><span class="versenum">16</span>
And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="14"></a>the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="15"></a>justification.
</span><span style="color: #38761d;">
</span><span class="versetext" id="ro5-17" style="color: #38761d; display: inline;"><span class="versenum">17</span>
For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that
one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the
free gift of righteousness <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="16"></a>reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
</span><span style="color: #38761d;">
</span><span class="versetext" id="ro5-18" style="color: #38761d; display: inline;"><span class="versenum">18</span>
Therefore, as one trespass<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="a"></a> led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="b"></a> leads to justification and life for <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="17"></a>all men.
</span><span style="color: #38761d;">
</span><span class="versetext" id="ro5-19" style="color: #38761d; display: inline;"><span class="versenum"></span></span><span class="versetext" id="job7-21" style="display: inline;"></span><br />
<span class="versetext" id="job7-21" style="display: inline;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="versetext" id="job7-21" style="display: inline;">Hopefully this has found you well. I am not perfect. I am fallen. My heart's desire is to share the love of Christ with you. If I have not done that, then please write me and admonish me. </span></div>Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-48816785967246549392012-07-20T12:15:00.001-05:002012-07-20T12:17:02.551-05:00Greatness is HardGreatness is intrinsically linked to difficulty. Nothing great has ever been wrought from ease and comfort. All stories of lasting greatness, the stories that move our hearts toward love, that transcend, are all stories of overcoming hardship. <br />
<br />
Thus, when hardship, evil, oppression rain down upon you, recognize that all hardship is an opportunity for greatness. It may go unrecognized by other people, but God knows. Greatness does not need to be seen to be great. The person who pushes through hardship and still loves, still fights for good, continues in love, has surely achieved something great. <br />
<br />
Take heart, and aspire to greatness. Fight. By the grace of God, who is indeed faithful, your life, though hard, can be great.Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-26270742975037950172012-07-11T22:07:00.001-05:002012-07-11T22:08:26.489-05:00Key West, Fun, Purpose, and the Matrix...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6Kybwtr39vIf4RBpA7ip_URRmXXCzRR5qCYcJSNF5sQD6FRrsJiytee7yRxEtBFdIkgSlYs0WqIIoBGIYlEN4c5cJO07CXdO2k3pjWPdUVOIIiCyHIRF2p2TkQq8ye5frUutK_qeuA9N/s1600/IMG_2688_1871+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6Kybwtr39vIf4RBpA7ip_URRmXXCzRR5qCYcJSNF5sQD6FRrsJiytee7yRxEtBFdIkgSlYs0WqIIoBGIYlEN4c5cJO07CXdO2k3pjWPdUVOIIiCyHIRF2p2TkQq8ye5frUutK_qeuA9N/s200/IMG_2688_1871+FB.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicholas L. Laning</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">Just a couple of hours ago I did something incredibly uncool. One day back from family vacation snorkeling the reefs just off the Keys in Florida, I couldn't help myself. After doing some recon to make sure the pool was empty, or at least close to it, I broke into action. My contraband was hidden underneath the towel hung gently over my arm. There, in the middle of my Uptown Dallas apartment pool, I broke out my Darkfins (rubber gloves with webs between the fingers to help you swim faster, and my dive mask, and I swam. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="color: #666666;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The differences between snorkeling in my glitzy apartment pool and the ocean were stark. The water being sans salt meant I couldn't float anymore, and the water that bubbled into the nose part of my mask did not burn. There was no swaying of the tides. And, most obviously, there is nothing interesting to look at. No ethereally painted fish or eels that remind one of some far away planet in a sci-fi movie. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And yet, despite all of that, I found myself very, very pleased. My pleasure has nothing to do with my pool or anything outside really. The truth is, as great as vacations are, there is something incredibly unnatural about them after a while. It hit me that, while on vacation, you are prone to think of yourself even more than you already do, which is quite a feat for such a self centered lot as we humans. The name of the game is pleasing yourself. At first this sounds great, but inside, the more we indulge, something dies. What dies is purpose and love. <span style="font-size: x-large;">We are not meant to think of only ourselves. </span> God calls us to love others. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">All day I have been meditating on <b style="color: #38761d;"><u>Corinthians 13.</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="versetext" id="1co13-1" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">1</span>
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="1co13-2" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></i></span></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="versetext" id="1co13-2" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">2</span>
And if I have <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="1"></a>prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="2"></a>so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="1co13-3" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></i></span></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="versetext" id="1co13-3" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">3</span>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="3"></a>If I give away all I have, and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="4"></a>if I deliver up my body to be burned,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="a"></a> but have not love, I gain nothing. </span></i></span></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="versetext" id="1co13-4" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">4</span>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="5"></a>Love is patient and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="6"></a>kind; love <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="7"></a>does not envy or boast; it <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="8"></a>is not arrogant
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="1co13-5" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></i></span></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="versetext" id="1co13-5" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">5</span>
or rude. It <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="9"></a>does not insist on its own way; it <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="10"></a>is not irritable or resentful;<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="b"></a>
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="1co13-6" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></i></span></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="versetext" id="1co13-6" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">6</span>
it <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="11"></a>does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="12"></a>rejoices with the truth.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="1co13-7" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></i></span></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="versetext" id="1co13-7" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">7</span>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="13"></a>Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="14"></a>endures all things.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="1co13-8" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></i></span></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="versetext" id="1co13-8" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">8</span>
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for
tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="1co13-9" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></i></span></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="versetext" id="1co13-9" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">9</span>
For <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="15"></a>we know in part and we prophesy in part,
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="1co13-10" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></i></span></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="versetext" id="1co13-10" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">10</span>
but <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="16"></a>when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. </span></i></span></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="versetext" id="1co13-10" style="display: inline;"></span><span class="versetext" id="1co13-11" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">11</span>
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I
reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="1co13-12" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></i></span></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
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<div style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="versetext" id="1co13-12" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">12</span>
For <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="17"></a>now we see in a mirror dimly, but <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="18"></a>then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="19"></a>I have been fully known.
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<span class="versetext" id="1co13-13" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></i></span></div>
<div style="color: #38761d;">
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<div style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="versetext" id="1co13-13" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">13</span>
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. </span></i></span></div>
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<div style="color: #666666;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="1co13-13" style="display: inline;">Don't skip a single line. Read that and be amazed. We are nothing without love. Nothing! We are to be kind, not arrogant or rude, to have hope, to endure! What wonderful, incredible words!!! Amen!!! So much fun was had on our trip. I saw things that I will never forget. It was wonderful. Yet, I am excited to stop thinking about myself all the time, and get back to the truly great things, and start loving God, and loving people. I love to travel, and when I have thought about my travelling in the past, I have imagined it as a means of self indulgence most often. Now, I still long to travel, but as a means to love others, to share things, to connect with those whom are spreading the gospel around the globe. Hopefully, God will see it fit to allow me to love in this way. If not, then so be it. </span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="1co13-13" style="display: inline;">Something that my brother shared with me really helped me in my seeing this world for what it is. As we flew back home, he told me this analogy... believing in the Bible, or at least saying you do, and then getting so caught up in the minutia and tedium of this life, is foolish. Imagine that you have been brought out of the Matrix. You have been shown that your life in the Matrix is a lie. You are a slave to this trick. You decide you are going to fight the machines and bring about truth and freedom. Then, when you get put back into the Matrix for your mission, instead of remembering your charge, you get caught with the minutia of the life you once had in the Matrix. None of it ultimately matters in comparison to the truth, yet you are completely absorbed in rearranging your CD collection while the battle rages on. Now, I am not saying this life is an illusion. This is an analogy, and all analogies are limited. This life is incredibly important, but it is not important in and of itself. It is only truly important in light of eternity. And yet, we live as if this is it. That is not Biblical at all. According to God's word we are to live for that which is eternally good. That may mean not having everything go your way here and now. It may mean next to nothing going how you want it to here and now. It changes our view on money. Having a ton of it, while comfortable, may be your downfall eternally, a distraction from duty (though not necessarily). You may end up marrying someone who is not the person who makes you the most happy here and now, but in light of eternity, is the person God chose for you to glorify Him. You may not be healthy. You will only get to not experience everyone in your life dying if you die first. <span style="font-size: x-large;">If you believe what the Bible says, if I believe what the Bible says, then our eyes will see world completely differently. </span> We will be less likely to get caught enjoying what is temporary to the point where we stop fighting for the eternal. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="1co13-13" style="display: inline;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="1co13-13" style="display: inline;">My hope and prayer is that God would give us fresh eyes to the truth, that we would fight for what is eternal and good.</span></span></div>Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-66288937395239863302012-07-03T12:51:00.001-05:002012-07-03T12:51:33.903-05:00Is Freedom Why We Should Celebrate the 4th?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="header" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<h2 class="me">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">free·dom</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="pronset"><span class="show_spellpr" style="display: inline;"><span class="prondelim"> </span></span></span></span></h2>
<h2 class="me">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pronset"><span class="show_spellpr" style="display: inline;"><span class="prondelim">[</span><span class="pron"><span class="boldface">free</span>-d<span class="ital-inline">uh</span><span class="luna-thinspace"></span>m</span><span class="prondelim">]</span> <span class="pron_toggle" style="display: inline;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pg"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;"> </span></span></span></span></h2>
<h2 class="me">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pg"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">noun</span></span></span></span></h2>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="pg"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;"> </span> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="luna-Ent" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="dnindex"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">1.</span></span></span><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword"> the</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">state</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">of</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">being</span> </span><span><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/free" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">free</a> </span><span id="hotword"> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">at</span> </span><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/liberty">liberty</a><span id="hotword"> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">rather</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">than</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">in</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">confinement</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">under</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">physical</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">restraint:</span> </span><span id="hotword" name="hotword">He</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">won</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">his</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">freedom</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">after</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">a</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">retrial.</span></span><div class="dndata">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ital-inline"><span id="hotword"> </span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="luna-Ent" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="dnindex"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="luna-Ent" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="dnindex"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword">2.</span></span></span><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword"> exemption</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">from</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">external</span> </span><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/control">control</a>, <span id="hotword" name="hotword">interference,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">regulation,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">etc.</span></span><div class="dndata">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="hotword"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="luna-Ent" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="dnindex"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="luna-Ent" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="dnindex"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword">3.</span></span></span><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;"> the</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">power</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">to</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">determine</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">action</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">without</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">restraint.</span></span><div class="dndata">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="hotword"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="luna-Ent" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="dnindex"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="luna-Ent" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="dnindex"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword">4.</span></span></span><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;"> political</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">national</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">independence.</span></span><div class="dndata">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="hotword"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="luna-Ent" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="dnindex"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="luna-Ent" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="dnindex"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword">5.</span></span></span><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword"> personal</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">liberty,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">as</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">opposed</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">to</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">bondage</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">slavery:</span> </span><span id="hotword" name="hotword">a</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">slave</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">who</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">bought</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">his</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">freedom.</span></span><div class="dndata">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ital-inline"><span id="hotword"> </span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6Kybwtr39vIf4RBpA7ip_URRmXXCzRR5qCYcJSNF5sQD6FRrsJiytee7yRxEtBFdIkgSlYs0WqIIoBGIYlEN4c5cJO07CXdO2k3pjWPdUVOIIiCyHIRF2p2TkQq8ye5frUutK_qeuA9N/s1600/IMG_2688_1871+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6Kybwtr39vIf4RBpA7ip_URRmXXCzRR5qCYcJSNF5sQD6FRrsJiytee7yRxEtBFdIkgSlYs0WqIIoBGIYlEN4c5cJO07CXdO2k3pjWPdUVOIIiCyHIRF2p2TkQq8ye5frUutK_qeuA9N/s200/IMG_2688_1871+FB.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Americans are obsessed with freedom, independence, and liberty.</span> I can't help but wonder... are we really free? If so, from what? We are not a part of the United Kingdom. While I am grateful that we are our own country, that isn't really what everybody is celebrating, because Britian is a pretty awesome country. If we'd lost, and we were still part of the UK, life wouldn't exactly be horrible. <i>Our teeth might not be as awesome, but we'd sound cooler when we talk.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So, what are we really celebrating? We've already checked off definition four. We're certainly not celebrating number one. If you are reading this you are probably not incarcerated. And, if you commit a felony, you very well could in up so. So that's not it. </span></div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Number five is surely a part of it. We certainly are celebrating the end of our hypocrisy on touting political freedom for one set of people and yet denying it for another. Still, this is only a piece of the puzzle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We are left with two and three. Let's try two. Are we exempt from external control, interference, or regulation? I know, I chuckled too. The answer is a huge no. Our lives are incredibly molded by outside forces. Let's start with the government we'll be celebrating. It restricts us all the time. You can only drive so fast. You cannot yell "fire" in a movie theater or "bomb" on an airplane unless there actually is a fire or bomb. Haven't you seen meet the parents? You are not free to wear whatever you want. <i>If you walk around naked in ninety-nine percent of public places you are going to get arrested. </i> Your money is not completely your own. The government will take your money and do what it wants with it. You can vote, but that isn't the same thing as actually controlling the situation is it? You will pay your taxes or pay the consequences. That's just government. We start our lives under the rule of parents. Then we add teachers. Then we swap teachers for bosses. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;">There are the restraints of relationships. Any time you add a relationship to you life you add regulation. It may be done willingly, but because you desire to not be lonely. You are taking on the freedom of not feeling alone, of being loved, of having someone to something with. There are sets of things we cannot do because of each relationship we have. Just one little example, <i>you are not free to kiss your friend's girlfriend</i>. You may be physically free to do so, but you are not free to do so and expect to keep that relationship.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
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<div style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We craft our actions around those in our lives. If you don't think this is true, that you really do actually do whatever you want, I am going to just call you a liar. No one does whatever they want. We are all, to various extents, pushed and pulled by others, by peer pressure. No one acts alone. You cannot. Why? Because you are not free to do whatever you want and have friends! By definition, having a loved one means sacrificing for them. That means giving up one thing for another. I could keep going for a long time on this one, but the point is made. We are not free at all from external control, interference, or regulation.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So, our last hope is number three... </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">the</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">power</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">to</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">determine</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">action</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">without</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">restraint. This isn't all that different from number two. We surely are not able to determine action without restraint. We are restrained by the lack of time, money, ability, health, and on and on it goes. </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="dnindex"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword">We are lied to all through life that we can do whatever we want, to dream it and it will come true. HA! <span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>I almost broke some bones as a kid because I actually believed this and tried jumping off high stuff with the hopes of flying. </i></span> (I was five, so go easy on me here) I may be free legally to make it to the NBA, but I am not physically free to do so. My body will not what it takes. I am limited with what my brain can do. (stop nodding so vigorously!) Every human is retrained by faith in something. Christians, atheists, Buddhists, whatever. None of has the freedom to know the answers to the universe. We all must rely on faith, and whatever we choose to believe will change how we live. As a Christian I am free to do many things, but there is much restraint with following Christ. Atheists may be free from the laws of the Bible, but lose the freedom to feel eternal purpose. They are not free to be moral without being hypocrites, as all we are is matter. Every worldview has its freedoms and restraints.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="dnindex"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword">Lastly, we are not even free with ourselves. So many of struggle with God because we long for freedom </span></span><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword">from being told what to do. We long to "be free". Yet, the truth is that we are not even free in our desires. I was never asked to have the desires that I have. Not ever. <i><span style="color: black;">Like the Apostle Paul, I am constantly doing things I don't want to do, and am unable to do things I want to be able to do. </span> </i>No one came to me asked me if I wanted to be selfish, greedy, lustful. I was just born that way, and so were you. If I were asked what I want to be my desires, my answer would not be anything near to what I was born with, and neither would yours. We all long to be better, to be stronger, to love others more. It is often when we reject those desires that, ironically, we find the most joy and pleasure. Is that not true? Is it not in actually in restraining ourselves that we feel the most free?</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="dnindex"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="dnindex"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword">We are not free. Not wholly. All of us are captive to a great many things, both inside and out. It is with this understanding that I celebrate July 4th not because of freedom, as freedom isn't really there. No, I am thankful for God's provision. I am thankful that God has given me so much. I am thankful that God has given me the only true freedom to live forever with Him. He has set me free from sin, not that my desires are completely whole in this life, but they are better, and growing stronger each day. I am free from having to spend an eternity in hell, because God restrained Himself in human form, gave up so much. Jesus put himself under the restraint of government, a human mother, teachers, friends, the restraints of an earthly body. He allowed himself to be flogged and crucified unjustly so that I could be free from both hell, and my own sinful nature. So, tomorrow I will be celebrating my freedom, but not the freedom form Britain, or from government, or from others, or even the freedom to what I want. I will be celebrating the victory of Christ over death. and the freedom I now I have to come to him as I am and be delighted in when I don't deserve it. I will be celebrating an eternity in heaven where I will be free to love as I have not been in this life. To God be all glory. </span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="dnindex"><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="ga6-6" style="display: inline;"> </span>
<span class="versetext" id="ga6-7" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"></span></span><span class="versetext" id="ro5-12" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="ro5-12" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">Romans 5: 12-21 </span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="ro5-12" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="ro5-12" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">12</span>
Therefore, just as <a href="" name="20"></a>sin came into the world through one man, and <a href="" name="21"></a>death through sin, and <a href="" name="22"></a>so death spread to all men because <a href="" name="23"></a>all sinned--
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="ro5-13" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="ro5-13" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">13</span>
for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but <a href="" name="24"></a>sin is not counted where there is no law.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="ro5-14" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="ro5-14" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">14</span>
Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not <a href="" name="25"></a>like the transgression of Adam, <a href="" name="26"></a>who was a type of <a href="" name="27"></a>the one who was to come.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="ro5-15" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="ro5-15" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">15</span>
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through
one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift
by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for <a href="" name="28"></a>many. </span></span></div>
<div style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="ro5-15" style="display: inline;"></span><span class="versetext" id="ro5-16" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">16</span>
And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For <a href="" name="29"></a>the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought <a href="" name="30"></a>justification.
</span>
<span class="versetext" id="ro5-17" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="ro5-17" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"> </span></span><span class="versetext" id="ro5-17" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">17</span>
For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that
one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the
free gift of righteousness <a href="" name="31"></a>reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="ro5-17" style="display: inline;"></span><span class="versetext" id="ro5-18" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">18</span>
Therefore, as one trespass<a href="" name="e"></a> led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness<a href="" name="f"></a> leads to justification and life for <a href="" name="32"></a>all men.
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For as by the one man's <a href="" name="33"></a>disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's <a href="" name="34"></a>obedience the many will be made righteous. </span></span></div>
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Now <a href="" name="35"></a>the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, <a href="" name="36"></a>grace abounded all the more,
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so that, <a href="" name="37"></a>as sin reigned in death, <a href="" name="38"></a>grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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</div>Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-47563759561490360492012-06-29T17:36:00.003-05:002012-06-29T17:37:29.363-05:00Coming Whole and True<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6Kybwtr39vIf4RBpA7ip_URRmXXCzRR5qCYcJSNF5sQD6FRrsJiytee7yRxEtBFdIkgSlYs0WqIIoBGIYlEN4c5cJO07CXdO2k3pjWPdUVOIIiCyHIRF2p2TkQq8ye5frUutK_qeuA9N/s1600/IMG_2688_1871+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6Kybwtr39vIf4RBpA7ip_URRmXXCzRR5qCYcJSNF5sQD6FRrsJiytee7yRxEtBFdIkgSlYs0WqIIoBGIYlEN4c5cJO07CXdO2k3pjWPdUVOIIiCyHIRF2p2TkQq8ye5frUutK_qeuA9N/s200/IMG_2688_1871+FB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I have come to realize that there things I know in my head, yet they aren't real to me. I used to think that having it in my head was the same thing as actually knowing. What I now see is that until becomes real in your heart it isn't truly known.<br />
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Grace has been on my tongue my entire life. In my head, the concept has been simple enough. I cannot save myself. There it is. I was saved by God and for no reason apart from it was His pleasure to do so. And yet, again, grace is becoming more and more clear with age. It is a process. I wouldn't say I didn't know it at all, but like a person, I have grown from being an acquaintance to a close friend ( I hope).<br />
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God keeps revealing His grace to me. And this time, He has shown me that I am a liar, and firstly to myself. Whenever I am shown to be a sinner, I have responded by trying my best to cut that sin out, not realizing that the sin is there not as branch, but there is an actual root to it. I have a sin nature. It is a part of me. To obliterate it as I have, is to lie. For example, I don't just occasionally lust. I have a lustful heart. I don't just feel anger, I have an angry heart. Knowing these to be bad, I never took them to God. Always have tried to clean up first, for how could God love me if I am not first clean? So, I would find victory over anger or lust or selfishness and think I had claimed victory once and for all... only to have those come back again and again. The cycle so exhausting I have sometimes longed for an end.<br />
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God is faithful. He has shown me that I need not lie. I don't need to clean myself up. If anything, He yearns for me to come to Him as I am. It is His good pleasure to take my weakness and use it. He loves it when I come to Him dirty, and I show Him what I am. As if He didn't already know? Is it not like finding out a best friend or family member has dealt with something enormous, and you only find out about it afterwards. Are you not hurt? Is it not your great honor to be a part of overcoming, of being there? Surely it is!<br />
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Now I do not lie, to myself or God about who I am. I have a sin nature, and it will not be obliterated in this life. It is a part of me. I need not kill it. I need only to take it, every day, and subject it in obedience. Oh how strange it sounds to say that freedom is real. There really is freedom in being who you are and simply asking for help.<br />
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The irony is that when I tried to clean myself up, I sinned all the more. Unnatural and off, my frustration and anger bore out a constant rebellion. Now, having actually accepted that I am unclean apart from grace, and come to God with my sin nature, my sin has been so much less. My ability to obey has increased a hundred fold, as I no longer feel any burden. Obeying out of love is so much better than out of fear.<br />
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Don't lie to yourself, or to God. We cannot cut out who we are. Every time I have done so, I die with whatever it is I am trying to cut out. Though my heart, my liver, my lungs are but parts of my body, and not the whole, take any of them out and I die. So it is with what we are inside. We must come whole and honest. Funny thing is, I have never felt that God delighted in me until now. I have said it my head, but never felt it true. Now I see that God delights in me now, dirt and all.<br />
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May you and I both be shown this truth and not turn from it. May the Holy Spirit ever minister to us. May all things bring us closer to God. May you feel the delight that God has in you today! Amen.</div>Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-46739313772574838162012-06-03T22:49:00.000-05:002012-06-03T22:49:26.385-05:00All that satisfies.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
God is all that satisfies. This is something that we Christians sing all the time. It is found in scripture, and we speak it as wisdom. It is also something I have struggled to grasp in my heart. <br />
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My heart has been struck by a nagging edge of disappointment since depression struck me some thirteen years ago. During that time I was emotionally paralyzed, and it was absolute hell. Like a paraplegic who can look at his legs, know he should be able to walk but cant, so was my heart. I knew I should be able to feel love, to cherish, to revel, just as I remembered being able to do, but could no longer do so. All this, and with no reason. And so, my heart has longed simply to long. My greatest want has been to want again. <br />
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So it has been my struggle. When I hear God only satisfies, my heart has rebelled. For one, I have not felt satisfaction. I have felt mostly pain in this life. There has been beauty. There is hope. Yet, there has been mostly pain. And so I balk. "There is something off about this," I would think, "as I am seeking God and am not satisfied." <br />
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Also, when this is said, I have struggled to feel there to be an underlying message saying, "Nothing else is worth messing with, because only God satisfies," and my heart longs to love others, to revel in creation and beauty. Never mind the amount of scripture talking about loving others, or spent talking about the beauty found in creation. Satan threw out the lie, and I swallowed it whole. In my head I know God wants me to enjoy His creation. He wants me to love others, to feel, to revel, but I my heart still struggles. <br />
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Over the last two weeks I have come to see that God really is all that satisfies. That is not a guarantee you'll be satisfied, as your heart and mine are still sinful and messed up. The promise of satisfaction is still only found in Him. Everything else, everyone else, can only satisfy inasmuch as they are lenses for Him. If they are the sum total of what we want, disappointment is guaranteed. In the short term , people and creation may disappoint, but through Christ, there is actually the hope of dwelling together with true hearts. Imagine getting to finally spending eternity with those you love the most, and not only are their hearts made whole, but so is yours. Have you ever felt that promise? I have felt it but a couple of times. When you feel that, you will be changed forever. <br />
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I look forward to it. Tired of being let down by my own faulty heart and mind, I long for the day when I am true and whole. But for a season, my heart has been in arrest. Yet, I have hope. All in all, I still believe, not just in the goodness of heaven, but in an abundant life here on this Earth, and I will keep that hope until I die. Moments may make it glow as but an ember, but an ember needs just a little wind to turn to a flame once again. <br />
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I will not give up, and I hope you won't either. I will mess up, as I keep doing. Still, I'll keep going. Even in the muck will I sing hallelujah... for He is... all that satisfies.</div>Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-78612646443589664962012-05-23T13:51:00.000-05:002012-05-23T13:54:47.191-05:00A Heavenly Lens<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9H0LfAqECX7D4pJxzffDCFw4peCsOR4_s0dn84XuCSceBazheSqRX1qGkVtVrsHcXa_4k23ukzVcf1BlHjjZHqAk2nNC5LTToOjzO9MGVHQvnKm8VP1gej0-QYRrWEKUeUIMm6sdl1uS/s1600/IMG_9096_5401+sun+ex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9H0LfAqECX7D4pJxzffDCFw4peCsOR4_s0dn84XuCSceBazheSqRX1qGkVtVrsHcXa_4k23ukzVcf1BlHjjZHqAk2nNC5LTToOjzO9MGVHQvnKm8VP1gej0-QYRrWEKUeUIMm6sdl1uS/s200/IMG_9096_5401+sun+ex.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicholas L. Laning</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">We sing, "Open the eyes of my heart, Lord," for a reason. </span> It's because we are blind. And, no matter how long you've been a Christian, no matter how sanctified you've become, there is always going to be some blindness. I wish I could say that once the truth is revealed to you that you will never forget it, but that's just not true.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Through the lens of depression, God showed me much. Through that immense pain I came to a place of release. I gave God my life. It had gone so far away from where I wanted it to go, there was no turning back. There was this beautifully reckless pursuit of God's kingdom and glory. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, as I have been healed, my eyes have turned from what is eternal, from what is heavenly, and become more focused on the here and now. It was impossible to get what I wanted when I was depressed, so just let her rip. But now? Now there is the temptation to build my kingdom here. My eyes have been pulled to the present. <span style="font-size: x-large;">And it has made me miserable!!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Why?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Because I want to get my way now. I am staking my claim here, now. When things don't go my way, when I don't get what I want, I haven't relinquished that to God. I haven't rested in the peace of knowing He has me. I know what I want, and either God will give it or He won't, and if not, then I become indignant, ungrateful, bitter, and angry. That is what my heart has been. Though I have much, there are things in my life that, if I am to build my kingdom here, to seek for my pleasure here in this life, that are way way off. If this life is about me, then it is wrong, terribly wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Praise God! It isn't about me. Just last night I was laying in bed, unable to sleep. With a bitter and heavy heart I cried out, "God, help me! My heart is so bitter, and I don't know why! Return my heart to one of thankfulness and love. Please! My heart is not loving right now, Lord!" And, faithful as always, where I once couldn't see, all of the sudden I could. My eyes have stopped looking to eternal things. They have been focused here, and I was shown just how much that has affected me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today has been a new day. The outside world is the same as yesterday. The outer problems are still there. Yet, my heart has been changed. Today, heaven is on my heart. I see those things that I wish were different and I just give them to God. I openly relinquish them, and in doing so all is joy. Why? Because it will be redeemed. Paul's dream wasn't to get pummeled, shipwrecked, imprisoned, afflicted and then some. Yet, he lived a glorious life, one we should emulate, for the sake of the gospel of Christ! If I remember correctly, every single one of the twelve disciples died horrible deaths. Yet, they are called blessed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Matthew 20:23-28</b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="mt20-23" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">23</span>
He said to them, <span class="WordsOfChrist"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="14"></a>"You will drink <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="15"></a>my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="16"></a>but it is for those for whom it has been <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="17"></a>prepared by my Father."</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="mt20-23" style="display: inline;"></span><span class="versetext" id="mt20-24" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">24</span>
And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.
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But Jesus called them to him and said, <span class="WordsOfChrist"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="18"></a>"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="19"></a>lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.</span>
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<span class="WordsOfChrist"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="20"></a>It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="a"></a></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="mt20-27" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">27</span>
<span class="WordsOfChrist">and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="b"></a></span>
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<span class="WordsOfChrist">even as the Son of Man came not to be served but <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="21"></a>to serve, and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="22"></a>to give his life as a ransom for <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5018158968170445839" name="23"></a>many."</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="mt20-28" style="display: inline;"><span class="WordsOfChrist">Jesus doesn't deny that people will be honored differently. He doesn't say, "Hey, once in heaven, who cares? We're all the same." He confirms that some will be honored over others. If you don't know, where someone sat in Jesus' time was all about honor and recognition. It was a big deal. And then He goes on to reiterate what He said to me last night. To be great is not to be powerful, to be recognized here on this Earth. It is to be a SERVANT, to put yourself at the service of others, to willingly put yourself under them. Wow! </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="mt20-28" style="display: inline;"><span class="WordsOfChrist">That doesn't sound at all like how I have lived my life these last few months. I have been entitled to the nth degree. Notice that the honor is to be near Christ in heaven. Well, by golly, I want to be as close as I can get. I want to be up there. I don't want to lose that because I clung to this brief little flash. Funny thing is, with my new lens of my heart, I am actually happier now, though that is not my goal. You have to love paradoxes.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="versetext" id="mt20-28" style="display: inline;"><span class="WordsOfChrist">My prayer for you and I is that we would not lose what we have in heaven for the sake of this wonderful, yet flawed, and brief moment in eternity we call our current lives. May our hearts understand what it means to live for Him. May we be crazy bold with out lives, forsaking all for His kingdom. May the Holy Spirit show each of us just what that means in our life. Amen. </span>
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</div>Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-89046512408040537542012-05-18T02:05:00.003-05:002012-05-18T02:05:48.867-05:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Song??? <br />
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Artist??? <br />
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Don't leave my hyper heart alone on the water<br />
Cover me in rag and bone sympathy<br />
'cos I don't wanna get over you<br />
I don't wanna get over you</div>Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-32397333912250318282012-05-11T11:50:00.002-05:002012-05-11T11:50:48.843-05:00What is Righteousness for? I Wonder.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Grace is hard. It's just one of the many things that makes Christ unique. You know? As hard as we try to make Christianity a system, a set of rules, things like grace tear it down. It brings us back to a living God who wants a relationship. Just like people, that means things are going to get complicated. There is no mom system. I can't do this, this, and this, and have a guaranteed relationship with my mother. I have to invest in her. I have to see her for who she is, otherwise, even if I spend time around her and with her, I can actually have not taken in her presence in any meaningful way.<br />
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I have struggled with grace and self-righteousness my whole life. My track is not unique. The start of my salvation saw me quickly shift over into self-righteousness. I would read about all these things that needed to be done and I couldn't help but do my best to do all those things. I have lived most of my life in fear, not of a loss of salvation, but of a loss of favor. It was as if I could see God saying, "Yeah, you're saved, but I'm so mad at you." Basically all the time. I mean, come on. Sometimes I have actually gotten closish to fulfilling the law, relatively speaking for a human. There are a ton of people who would probably think of me as self-righteous and a goody-goody, particularly those who knew me in High School. They were not wrong. I was doing my dead level best to be perfect, as I wanted God's favor. I was so afraid of what would happen if it left.<br />
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All that got smashed when my depression hit. I was so sure that this misery I had was because I had done something wrong, something to incur God's anger. Then I read Job and came to see that wasn't even how it worked before Jesus, nevertheless after Him. <br />
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Over the last couple of months I have been meditating on the verse:<br />
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[Life in the Spirit] There is therefore now no <span class="Highlight">condemnation</span> for those who are in Christ Jesus.</div>
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I had always pushed that lack of condemnation to being in the future, as in, "Hey, once you get to heaven, it's all good. However, God's favor is still up for grabs." The Holy Spirit led me to understand something life hanging. There is NOW no condemnation for me. God doesn't wait to not see my sin, He doesn't see it now. When asked about my sin, NOW, God the Father turns to His right, sees Christ, and sees His perfect life instead of mine. </div>
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So, then the question was, "What is righteousness?" I ask, because like many, once grace is felt even a little, it is quickly abused. Our hearts go, "No sweat, God's going to forgive me." Even if we know the verse where God entreats the Romans, "Shall we go on sinning that grace may abound? May it never be." Even if we know this, our hearts and minds can't seem to reconcile. What are we to do with righteousness?</div>
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It is only within the last three weeks that I have come to see that righteousness is actually good. What I mean is that I have, like most, felt righteousness to be a drag. If only I were free to do this sin or that sin. Man, wouldn't that be great? The truth is no. Righteousness is not about God's favor or salvation. You can't earn either. They are given in spite of your actions, not because of them. Your actions are as filthy rags, recall. No, righteousness rightly understood is about actually pursuing what is good. Funny thing, and I am in no way ginning this up, or psyching myself out. It is not wishful thinking that makes me say this. It is the comp[lete opposite. Righteousness, when done out of love, and not out of desire to win favor or salvation, brings life. It really does open up your heart. You find that your heart was made to work this way.</div>
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Righteousness is kind of like the laws of physics. Life is just better when you understand them and follow them. Gravity kills when not understood. We drive a certain way because we know that doing so will keep us alive and well. Righteousness is the same. It is a law written on your heart, and even if it is not the means for you to save yourself, or to make God love you more, it will still bring you joy. </div>
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I know that some of you are going to cringe at this. The very word "righteousness" is going to rub. You want to be "free." Only, there is no such thing. We are always a slave to something. We can be a slave to Christ, to light, goodness. We can be slaves to our own base desires. That isn't freedom. Did you choose your desires? Do you mold them? Do they really free you? Or, do your desires ensnare? I already know the answer, because i have given myself over to my base desires many times before. At first it felt awesome. But, only for a liver of time. Soon, I found myself quickly hating myself. With or without God, I saw that I was a self-centered punk. All purpose died. Was I really only about my own pleasure? Really!? Vomit. </div>
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I dare you, if you are struggling with this, to read the Psalms. Listen to David talk about how he loves righteousness. Listen to him extol the life of one who is righteous. Recognize that David sinned a ton too. He wasn't perfect. He stole a man's wife then had him killed. Have you done that? So, know he wasn't perfect. But, in the end, God called him a "man after His own heart." I dare you to ask God to show you what righteousness is for. Ask Him to change your heart. Ask Him. What have you got to lose? He's not going to do it unless I'm right. Righteousness will not save you, nor make God love you more, but it will make your life better. It will make your heart more like God's and in that place there is true joy... no matter what is going on around us.</div>
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I'm praying for you.</div>
</div>Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-58033355617209864352012-05-08T22:54:00.000-05:002012-05-08T22:54:34.981-05:00BEAUTIFUL PLACES<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Tall trees, white sand, and of course... the ocean. That's what I have been looking at these last couple of days. Every time I am near the ocean or the mountains I wonder within my self, "Why don't I live here? Or, at least some place like it?"<br />
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There is something incredible about being around such beauty. It doesn't get old. It may not always hold the edge it had when it first cut you, but it doesn't become dull. When I lived in Ireland, I woke up every single day in shock. I could literally sit up in my bed, look out the window, and see the Mourne Mountains cascade down to the Irish Sea. It was, in a word, incredible. <br />
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So, here I am again. I find myself staring out at the ocean and I wonder, "There are hundreds of thousands of miles of ocean coastline. Why don't I live on any of them? Or, why don't I live near the mountains? There are mountains all over the Earth."<br />
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Deep down I know the answer. It's people. My friends and family live in Texas, and thus I want to live in Texas. If I had the money to fly around when I wanted, I think that I would live elsewhere. It isn't that Texas isn't pretty. It is. Particularly, the my home, the Hill Country, is beautiful. Yet, Texas is a Jack of all trades and master of none. We have good beaches, but not great beaches. We have good mountains, but not great mountains. Even our deserts aren't that incredible. We have it all, but none of it is the best.<br />
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I don't really have an answer in my heart, just thoughts. People are more important than the place. That is for sure. I am not saying that Texas has superior people. Texas simply has MY people. Does that make sense?<br />
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Honestly, if I had the money to travel wherever I wanted, I think I would still live in Texas, probably the Hill Country, and just travel a lot. <br />
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Anyhow, it's a pointless, post of random musing, but I felt like sharing. God is surely good. Sometimes I think about other people and where they live. I wonder about what it must be like to live in France, to be French. It is odd to me. People live there. This is obvious in my head, but as far as feeling it, it is new. Or, to think that someone actually lives on some tiny speck of an island in the middle of the South Pacific. It is crazy. Then it hit me... someone out there is thinking, "Who is actually from Texas? How weird would it be to hunt deer and wear cowboy hats?"<br />
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Again, more pointless musings. If you have anything to add, leave a comment. I'd love to hear any thoughts.</div>Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018158968170445839.post-5374228601074613042012-04-30T22:05:00.001-05:002012-04-30T22:05:08.150-05:00Artist???<br />
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Song???<br />
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Dear Friend, what's on your mind<br />
You don’t laugh the way you used to<br />
But I've noticed how you cry<br />
Dear friend, I feel so helpless<br />
I see you sit in silence<br />
As you face new pain each day<br />
I feel there’s nothing I can do<br />
I know you don’t feel pretty<br />
Even though you are<br />
But it wasn’t your beauty<br />
That found room in my heart<br />
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Dear friend, you are so precious Dear Friend<br />
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Dear friend, I'm here for you<br />
I know that you don’t talk too much<br />
But we can share this day anew<br />
Dear Friend, please don’t feel like you're alone<br />
There is someone who is praying<br />
Praying for your peace of mind<br />
Hoping joy is what you'll find<br />
I know you don’t feel weak<br />
Even though you are<br />
But it wasn’t your strength<br />
That found room in my heart<br />
Dear friend, you are so precious, Dear Friend<br />
Nicholas Laninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02067827634378091473noreply@blogger.com2