Something Biblical for a Change (Wink,Wink)

I don't often share things I learned in Bible study, but I don't often feel as challenged and inspired as I did this past Sunday. I learn, but it's been a while since something hit me right in the gut. So here goes.

We're reading through Genesis when Lot fled Sodom. Skipping other tricky topics, we dwelt on the fact that he offered his daughters to a mob. Back up a bit, and we see Abraham and God referring to him as "righteous." Hmmm.

Later, we read how Abraham lied to a king (for the second time) about Sarah being his wife and not his sister. God appears to the king in a dream and basically says You stole a prophet's wife. You're screwed. The guy stammers I didn't know, then lets her go.

We talked about how Lot could possibly be righteous, and how could Abraham be a prophet. We judged based on the dirt in their lives, because that's what we do.

Yet, in this passage and in Hebrews, God sees these people not where they are in those moments, but where He will bring them. He's quite tenacious like that.

I don't see this as a justification of mistakes. We do that to often with our list of Biblical characters' flaws. Well, Peter was a piece of work so I can be, too. Yeah, but Peter grew up eventually. Don't forget that part.

It may take a while, but God has that point in mind for us. Others may see us in the moment, but He won't settle for that, and neither should we. We may have more entertaining names for those around us, but in the end His is better.

Taking God's Name in Vain Part 2: Why Are You Yelling at Me?

I recently watched a top ten list of popular videos on the internet. Somewhere on the list was a message by a well-known preacher on abortion. The video showed text corresponding with his message. As he began to increase in volume, the text got bigger. By the end the whole video was pretty much screaming.

Since the list site was secular, I scrolled curiously through the comments. Some were uncalled for, but one jumped out at me. The gist was, yeah, the "shrill yelling" approach should work.

Snarkey commenter had a point. Am I pro-life? Yes. Do I think yelling is a good way to make a point? Less than ever.

I'm searching through convictions and scripture and finding that many of the preachers I railed against had some good points. Why did I argue in the first place? Because they were yelling at me.

Another comment said, "Preachers like him are the reason I stopped going to church." Why does this turn off so many people, including me? It's all in the tone.

"Why are you mad at me? I'm just telling the truth." I've said this to my wife in moments of spectacular foolishness. The moment I "speak the truth" by blurting it out like machine gun bullets, I'm wrong. As a friend likes to say, "You can be right but be wrong at the top of your voice." Am I making this some sort of competion to see who's right? Then I'm wrong.

Some would argue that's just a style of effective speaking. Don't get me started on that one. In interest of keeping on topic, I'll just say style aside, shrill yelling may not be the best approach. It tends to drown out the truth when you bellow it out.

Let's stand up for what's right. Speak up on life-and-death issues, but let's do it the right way. Support adoption as able. Sign petitions that back up your convictions. Speak up when appropriate. But don't yell at people, especially when they're not present to answer. That's cowardice.

Songs for a Rainy Day

There's something about a rainy day that makes you want to crawl back into your blankets and die for a day. Saturday's a good day for that, but this particular one was booked. It was on my calendar, on the announcement board, and on Facebook. We were going to the Grandma House, rain or shine.

There's a strange correlation between weather and moods. Why does it affect us so much?

We went, and I later decided cleaning windows was the best way to spend that morning. If you went with us and you happen to be reading this, thank you. You were a big help.

After cleaning, we sang a few songs for the residents. Thank you to those who helped with this as well. We sang songs in English that we knew would be familiar to the ladies there. When we sang "Come Thou Fount", I could see eyes light up in the audience. There's something about that song. Every time I sing it, I feel changed. I can never get past the last two lines without something welling up.

Let Thy Goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering soul to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O , take and seal it
Seal it for thy Courts above

The imagery of the fetter gets me every time. If it doesn't until then, that last part always becomes a prayer.

We finished with a Korean hymn. Everyone should try singing in a foreign language at least once. You end up latching onto one word you understand and singing that part loudly. It helped that the one word was Hananim, God. Some of us half-hummed, but the words were clear nonetheless.

By the time we left, the rain had lessened to a drizzle. We broke for burgers, then headed home to continue enjoying our day.

Inventory of Values

This seems a logical conclusion to my Q&A series on what followers of Christ are for. It's logical, yet I'm doing it anyway. It can happen.

I'm including a list of things I am for. It's not meant to brag or self-inflict, just to be honest. From it, I hope I can measure where I am and where I need to be.

Things I am for:

1. Strong Coffee.
2. Ordering aforementioned coffee in Korean.
3. Praying over world news.
4. Using the same expression to say "cute" and "no ears".
5. Rock, Paper, Scissors.
6. The poor, downtrodden, and overlooked. Sharing Christ with them through word and deed.
7. Learning another person's definition of "a good sense of humor" before making a joke (learned that one the hard way).
8. Sippy cups. If I spill one more cup of coffee...
9. Taking care of stuff.
10. A well-made sandwich.

Q&A Round 2

Last post I asked what believers in Christ are for. I got a couple of great comments, both with the gist that followers of Christ are for following Christ. This is my wording of course, but that's basically it, right?

We're not following Him as one would follow Ghandi, so don't confuse what I'm saying. No one (I know of) would argue Ghandi is equal to God in any way. Those who follow Jesus believes what the Bible says about Him.

This brings me to the next part of my question. We strive to be for what Christ is for. This is where Christians tend to diverge. Christ's name gets attached to pacifism and torture ("when it's necessary", of course), and to refuting the lie of global warming and environmentalism. The list goes on, but the arguments continue.

Now the question. Again, I have my convictions, but I would rather listen to others. What did Christ show us He was for? And, are we truly for that?