Spiritually Flabby

It's been a while since I posted here and since I am rapidly picking up other writing venues I think it behooves me to get something out on each of them as regularly as possible. That said, I noticed a piece of news on Yahoo! about fixing the flab on the back of your arms. Now, if you're a skinny person who's never had to hold your arm steady so as not to get smacked in the face, then this probably wouldn't be an article that drew your attention. I, on the other hand, have some seriously problematic arm-droopage; therefore, I was intrigued. 

Apparently they did a study on several different arm toning exercises. They even used "...electromyographic electrodes on the back of each subject's upper arm to record real-time muscle activity." The results revealed (sorry if you were going to go read the whole article) that the triangle push-up is indeed the best way to shape your arms (or at least eliminate some of the jiggle). That set me wondering, what if we were more concerned with our Spiritual flab than our muffin-tops and cellulite? What would that "exercise" look like?

Perhaps the better question there is, how do we know if we are Spiritually flabby? If we are allowing the fat of the world to encompass the muscle of His Word? I suspect the answer is easier than we realize. Here's a checklist to help you ascertain your level of Spiritual flabbiness:

1. When I wake up in the morning my first thought is about God.
2. I pray throughout the day even over little things.
3. I am eager to open His Word daily.
4. I don't just attend church I worship and engage there.
5. Verses pop into my head and I find myself quoting Scripture in regular conversation.
6. I feel lost if I haven't been actively engaged with the Father each day.

Someone who answers Yes to all six of these questions is eligible for the World's Strongest Spiritual Human Award. However, if you noted some No's, then your Spiritual being is in danger of rolls, cellulose that will keep you externally warm but Spiritually cold. He's not down with that middle ground either; remember He'll vomit out those of us who test on the luke-warm level. So how do you get your Spiritual life back in optimal health? Well, just switch up the language in the checklist:

1. I will make God first on my mind when I wake up.
2. I will pray without ceasing, even over minute stuff.
3. I will open and read my Bible each day.
4. I will make church attendance more about Him and less about the social aspect.
5. I will familiarize myself with Scripture so that I can think His thoughts.
6. I won't miss an opportunity to spend time with my Savior.

As a chubby lady (I'm trying not to offend) I realize the value in physical well being; but as a follower of

Christ, it seems infinitely more important to me to be with Him. Besides, when we start letting our lives and worlds revolve around Him, the worldly pleasures (i.e. chocolate chip cookies and Reese's cups) become less important and distracting. Therefore, it's quite probable that if you'll do a lot more time lifting your Bible and doing prayer push-ups your jello might dissipate too.

Our children will be slaves

When looking for something to write about, this piece of news caught my eye. Now, the article is extremely short as I suspect it's more of a snippet about the photo found on the page, however there's one line in there that is particularly poignant. So much so that I am better off quoting it so that you get the gist, "One of the worst droughts in California history has prompted the state and federal governments to severely cut water supplies to farms and cities..." Here's the thing, I suspect a good deal of people will breeze right on past that to what the author intended as the focus, the potential for gold discovery due to depleted waterways providing access to previously too deep riverbeds. In fact, if you read the first few comments you'll find instructions on proper panning and gold claim techniques rather than utter disgust with the governmental ability to cut water supplies! Which, by the way, you'll note that farms were getting cut first; that's just moronic! Let's cut our ability to grow food but make sure the decorative fountains still work!

I wonder, pretty frequently (especially since it was my propensity toward conspiracy theorizing that 

led me back to Faith), why we stand idly by and allow our government, that was supposed to be for the people, by the people, to control our every move. They are allowed to spy on us, via phone taps and website analyzing (or the like - I try to avoid getting into all the theories these days); they're forcing us to purchase health insurance or else be fined, they are creating a world in which Christian organizations/businesses must shut down in order to maintain integrity! Not that I'm complaining about the fact that we are moving closer to the return of the Savior, but I am bothered by our complacency as a nation and even more so as a body of believers. I think we waste our time arguing about movies (look at all the face-time on Facebook about Noah, God's Not Dead and the Son of God) rather than trying to fulfill our calls. Yes, we are all called, we are indeed here for a purpose and I suspect it is far greater than the Siskel and Ebert positions we are currently embracing (though these stances are tremendously safer than preaching the Gospel so that everyone hears).

I don't know about you, but I'm certainly not too keen on having my water rationed by a government I don't trust any farther than I can kick them (I played soccer, but I don't think I'd get too far with that massive conglomerate of evil). I guess I just needed to vent about how irritated I am over the control we are allowing ourselves to succumb to. I don't need a government telling me how to do anything and I certainly don't want them determining that I have used too much water to bathe my children. It just makes me want, all the more, to build a recycled home that is totally off the grid, our own well and rain water collection set-ups. Yeah, sometimes I think that's the answer, the further I can get away from control, the more I can focus on what matters (maybe). Anyway, I hope you'll consider what you're handing over to them, what you're allowing them to dictate for you because our children will really be slaves if we don't do something soon!

Death is sometimes tragic

 

I guess that title might throw you off a little as most people would think that the use of the word sometimes is inaccurate. I get that, but I am also looking at things from an eternal, Spiritual perspective. Yes, there are deaths that will hurt tremendously when they occur to those who are treasured in my life but a vast number of those same deaths will not be deemed, at least by me, as tragic. Maybe that shocks you, but as a Christian, and not just one who goes to church but one who really desires to follow Christ, to live more like Him and to bring Him glory, I rest in the assurance that many of those I love will only be gone for a short period of time and then when it is my time to close my eyes in what the world sees as finality, I'll open them again in eternity and be with all those who know Christ as Savior. Death is sometimes tragic and let me therefore share with you when it most assuredly is tragic. The moment a death becomes a tragedy is the moment an unsaved, non-Christian, unbeliever, atheist, agnostic, buddhist, hindu, mormon, muslim, etc dies. This is indeed tragic. It is truth that death is not the end all be all of the universe and though some of these other religions might have their own concepts of what occurs upon the moment we take our last breaths, the fact is, there's only one TRUTH and it's not interchangeable, negotiable, or any other compromising concept. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no man will enter the Kingdom or see the face of God without salvation through Christ's perfect blood and sacrifice.


Maybe you're wondering why I suddenly got on some evangelical kick. Well, I'll tell you, I just read an article on the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman and while I can't say that I was a big fan, I was deeply affected by the picture in the article. I'd like you to go look at it as I don't think I can use it here (too many legalities to risk it). There's such a depth of sadness and just absolute duress in his eyes. This was a man who hurt. He was an Oscar and Academy Award winner, a Tony Award nominee and yet even those accolades could do nothing to take the misery from those beautiful blue eyes. This man was in so much emotional and spiritual pain that he'd succumbed to the demon that is heroin. They found him with the needle still in his arm, fifty bags of heroin on hand and twenty-three already empty. He must have wanted out of this world and therein lies the tragedy! The enemy, the lying deceitful enemy, the father of lies, convinced him that there was no hope here, that there was nothing worth sticking around for and when you look at Philip's eyes you can see he believed those lies. I'm not placing judgment on him, I can't say where he ended up Spiritually (though I know people that believe suicide - if indeed that's what this was - is a guaranteed Hell ride; I don't, however, agree). I always hold on to the precious hope that in his last breath he asked for forgiveness from the only One who can offer it to him. I hope that for every single human being, but I know that there are people who will not repent, who will not relent, and who will, unfortunately, burn. I so hope that Mr. Hoffman is not one of those people.

More than that, I hope that if you are reading this you will take the time to discern what your eternity holds. Death is final only in the sense that you won't live another human life on earth but it is definitely not the end of being. You will either enter His gates with thanksgiving or you will enter the everlasting fire where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. I hate that people have been so programmed to believe that if they think something is not real, then somehow their thinking will make it so. Heaven and Hell are real and you will really end up in one or the other. The great thing though is you are given the opportunity to choose whom you will serve. Do you desire utter darkness or would you prefer to walk in the Light as He is in the Light? It seems like a no-brainer to me but I suspect there are a lot of people out there who'd prefer to logic their way into eternity, the bad thing is, that logic won't get you anywhere good; you can't manipulate God. He set up the rules before He created mankind and His rules don't change, they don't bend and there are no exceptions or grading on the curve. Friend, if you need Jesus, if you don't have an intimate relationship with Him, if you've never surrendered the mess that is your life to Him, do it now, you never know when death will come knocking and then it might just be too late. Death is sometimes tragic, but yours doesn't have to be!

Honor the face of an old man

Maybe you saw this piece of news somewhere else, or perhaps you're seeing it for the first time here, but recently, a three story retirement home in Canada caught fire and burnt down. The firefighters were able to rescue some but there are still 22 unaccounted for. Unfortunately, because it is winter, the water the firefighters were using has turned to ice, some of it two feet deep, all over the building. Thusly, anyone who might have survived the fire is now stuck in the ice! The police chief doesn't hold out much hope that anyone is still alive in there but he can't declare them all dead until the bodies have been recovered. I know I am sounding pretty point blank here but I just wanted to catch you up on the situation before I veered into a more emotional writing style.

There are a couple of things to think about here: the number of lives lost and just what we are doing to the aged. First, this is a three story facility that was home to about 52 people, thirty-seven of whom were thought to be over the age of 85, many of whom were in wheelchairs or using walkers and dealing with Alzheimer's. Ten of them have already been declared dead, twenty-two are missing. That means that there are only twenty of them
left! It's pretty sad, for sure, but what's more sad than that, in my personal and slightly humble opinion, is that they were living in that institution in the first place. We've become a world that does not care about our unborn children or our elderly relatives. We'd rather relegate them to death before arrival, or death away from us; either way, we're killing them, it's that simple.

When I was in college, an elderly lady (in her 80's) whom I adored, ended up in a nursing home after she'd fallen and broken her hip. I prayed that she'd be able to get out and back to her old, very independent (she still drove) routine but laying in that residential facility, smelling death every day drained every ounce of gumption she had left. The sadness was palpable on her face at every visit and I desperately wished I could do something to light a fire of hope in her but it couldn't be done; the dismal nature of a home for those sent out to pasture is just too much even on the lightest, sweetest of spirits. We kill our grandparents, people! They don't have to die tragic and fiery or icy deaths, we kill them slowly as soon as we place them in a nursing home. We tell them, essentially, "You're too much of a burden for me, someone else is gonna have to deal with you."

Listen, I know that most of us aren't nurses and that we aren't perhaps physically or emotionally
equipped to deal with someone in the throes of Alzheimer's disease but if we are Bible-believing, Christ-following people, then it doesn't matter what we think we can or cannot handle. Listen to what we are told in Leviticus, friends, "“You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD." (19:32 - ESV). Fear God, do you notice that part of it? We aren't just respecting our elders we are doing it because He is our King and He told us to and we fear Him. If you've got an elderly person in your family who is struggling or in need, reach out to him or her, don't push him/her off on your other relatives, don't stand idly by while he/she gets carted off somewhere to die. Save him/her; God will see the things you are doing and He'll provide all you need to do what He's directed; and that's the truth.

Murder- Supremely Selfish

I live in Florida, as many of you know, and so when there's a murder in a movie theater in a pretty decent area of town I have to tell you, I'm appalled. I don't personally frequent the theaters namely because they are expensive and generally the movies are full of subject matter and/or language I'm not interested in exposing myself or my family to. That said, I have many friends that do enjoy a Sunday afternoon flick. Thusly, a murder over texting and popcorn throwing has me a little bit alarmed for the sake of those I hold dear.

If you aren't familiar with the headline, the Bradenton Post put it this way: "Retired Tampa police captain accused in Wesley Chapel movie theater shooting." Please note that the
person accused of the fatal shooting is a retired cop! Let me recap the incident for you: Seventy-one year old Curtis Reeves is accused of shooting 43 year old, Chad Oulson. Reeves told Oulson to stop texting (I guess the glare from the phone was bothersome). Oulson informed Reeves that he was texting with his three year old daughter! Words were exchanged. Reeves got up and walked out, everybody assumed he went to complain to the management. After all, silence is golden in a movie theater. But, you know what's more golden? LIFE!

When Reeves came back, Oulson confronted him from across the theater wanting to know if Reeves

had told on him. At that point an eyewitness says popcorn was thrown, though he wasn't sure who threw it first. Then, according to that same witness, Reeves pulled out a gun. Oulson's wife put a hand on her husband's chest and WHAMO Reeves shot through her hand and into Oulson. He died in the hospital and her wounds aren't life threatening. So, let's consider this shall we? This 71 year old man, who was also at the theater with his wife, will now serve jail time. I assume his wife is probably in the same age bracket. He didn't consider what his action would do to her at her age. On top of that, he allowed a minor irritant to enrage him to the point he became supremely selfish.

Murder, my friends, is supremely selfish! It dictates that someone else's life is of no value. It screams: My happiness is worth more than everyone else's heart. I mean seriously, Oulson's wife and daughter are now without him, and over a cell phone and popcorn argument? What is wrong with people? Well, I can tell you: the world is a desperately wicked place, one in which it's dog eat dog, look out for number one, if I'm not happy no one else is. This is such a me oriented planet that we have lost all respect for one another, for life itself and not just for each individual person but for the expanse of people in which each individual's life comes in contact. Oulson's death is more than just his own, it's a loss to many people and Reeves, an ex-cop, should have at least had some concept of the severity of his actions. With cops like that, who needs bad guys?

We have been warned about the condition of the world and the degree in which it will morally decay. We are told: "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,"
2 Timothy 3:1-4 (ESV)- emphasis mine. Friends, these are true words, this is a real warning and all you have to do is watch a little of the five o'clock news to know that Paul was right. I hate to tell you to stay out of the theaters, and the schools and the airplanes and well, pretty much anyplace anyone else might actually be. So since that kind of paranoia is not useful, just be warned that the end is near and if you don't know Christ you'll be spending eternity with all the other bad guys who chose to reject Him too!

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2014/01/13/4933981/officials-suspect-arrested-in.html#storylink=cpy

Products of their environment...

While several people in the article we are about to discuss would wholly disagree with the title of my piece here it is my belief that children are very often products of their environments. There are certainly instances in which children have faced great adversity and yet accomplished tremendous feats of heroism and moral fortitude. However, the vast majority of those raised in troubling circumstances are indeed troubled. When I was in college there was a statistic that blew me away (and frequently comes to mind) and that was: 80% of abuse victims become abusive themselves. I suspect you've seen the truth in this. Walking away from the negativity one has experienced, or been taught, is an intentional act; it is a conscious decision and when a two year old is bombarded with extreme obscenities and thereby repeats them upon the encouragement of adults, there is certainly a higher likelihood that such language will become part of his everyday discourse.


I suspect some of you are wide-eyed at the imagery therein and while CNN also posted the video-proof to support their article, I will refrain. I can tell you that as a mother of a two-year old I did not even feel ok watching such heinous behavior. Thusly, I did not play the video which apparently shows the two year old cursing and shooting birds at the adults in the room who are egging him on and cursing at him as well. He's two! Yet, there are people that not only don't have a problem with this behavior but are instead boasting about it by putting it on their Facebook pages. Thusly, when the Omaha Police Officer's Association posted it on their site as a warning that toddlers raised in such a manner might very well become the thugs their parents are laughing about now, it has received a lot of flack. I'm not going to pretend to know all the issues the Omaha Police Department has had with racial relations and I am certainly not insinuating that I am an advocate of government intrusions into our lives. What I am saying is that if you are going to publically post something that shows a young child acting in an offensive manner and enduring equal verbal offense, then don't get all riled up when someone implies you're raising your kid incorrectly.

That said, this particular article brought to mind the verses that imply what the world will look like as we close in on the end times. Here's the one that specifically screamed in my mind as I read about this poor kid's upbringing:

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."

(2 Timothy 3:1-5 - ESV) 

 

Scripture tells us to avoid such people...hmm...something to think about at the very least. I just want to conclude by imploring you to cautiously consider, carefully contemplate, every word and deed you say and do before your children; they are little imitators and they will (more than likely) become a lot like you. I mean, seriously, think about how many times you've said or done something and thought, "Ah, man, that was so my mom (or dad)!" I know I do it a lot; we have a great duty and responsibility to the children entrusted to our care. We do not own them, they are on loan from God and I believe we will be held responsible for any idle word spoken, particularly those that cause them harm.

Freeze us out of our insolence

CNN posted an article about the extreme nor'easter that's about to hit the continental United States. Apparently more than half the US will feel temperatures colder than they've felt in twenty years. I wonder what that does to the whole global warming concept? The article says that people have already died due to the unusual cold, be it in car accidents, street salt tragedies or simply freezing. It warns that things are about to get significantly worse as this air mass takes over.

I'm not gonna lie, I love the fact that I live in Florida! Especially since the article insinuates that the nearly 0 degree temperatures are going as far South as Alabama. I live in Central Florida and the low on Monday is 29! That definitely shocked me when I saw it posted on my lovely smart phone, I mean that's below freezing and I'm in Florida. So, when I saw this article it all made sense; we're getting hit too but not anywhere near what the rest of the country is about to experience.

Obviously the article is much longer than that paragraph summation but really, it can be packed into one sentence: It's gonna get really cold in North America and a Super Bowl prep game is providing free hot chocolate and coffee so people watching the game don't freeze to death in the 50 below wind chill! It's a long sentence, fine, but still just one sentence. I wonder though, if perhaps all the crazy weather and natural disasters we're experiencing on this continent are a direct result of the coldness and craziness in our hearts?

Are the decisions we the people are allowing in our government directly related to the decisions the King of Kings is making about the state of our country? Do these tragic moments reflect His heart as we murder babies, torture prisoners of war and walk all over marriage as He designed it? Is He showing us that all the things we think we know (like global warming and stem cell research) aren't squat to Him? Israel spent plenty of time walking away from Him throughout the Scriptures but there was always a point in which they went too far in their disobedience and disregard. Careful study of His Word will show that He always steps in, and it usually hurts.

I suspect that as we continue to move into icy territory within our hearts and minds, God is going to allow us to freeze in far more ways than we have ever imagined. Consider what will happen when our monetary systems freeze; when all the countries that we import our food from freeze their support? There are so many ways that our negligence, ignorance and down right middle-finger-flipping disobedience is going to land us in big trouble as a nation. We can't continue to disregard Him and His laws, it's that simple! It's time for a wake up call and if a nor'easter is what it takes, then let Him bring it! Perhaps He will freeze us out of our insolence.