Thoughts

Does God Hate?

May 8, 2012
by Gayle

When I was a child my mother taught me many things. She taught me about Jesus and how her accepted people that no one else did. She taught me that we were to love everyone because that was what God wanted us to do. She taught me to love my country and to understand the rights of others. A favorite saying was that ‘your rights end where mine begin.’ She taught me of the separation of Church and State and how the State should not interfere with the practice of religion. I also learned from my mother how in the United States we do not have one governmentally sanctioned church (like the Church of England) and that we have the ability to choose which church entity we embrace.

 

I have no doubt my mother is disappointed because I took her teachings to heart! I believe that the government has no business obstructing religion or religious practices (even the ones I disagree with). Conversely, I believe the Church has no business obstructing the work of the government.

 

I become exasperated when I hear ‘Christians’ complain about a ‘welfare state’. WHY? Because Jesus commanded Christians to take care of the poor; Not the government! A welfare state exists because Christians have shirked their responsibility!

 

Today is a voting day in North Carolina. It’s a day when voters go and exercise their right (and obligation) to participate in our governmental process.

 

It is my sincere desire that those who vote today will remember that voting to deny rights to anyone is not Christ-like but is hate filled. My Jesus commanded me to love all people and love does live in a heart filled with hate.

 

: Thoughts

Live and Let Live

September 28, 2011
by Jenn

Some nights, the bed that I share with Gayle just isn’t big enough for the two of us.  For whatever reason, one or the other of us can’t get comfortable.  When this happens, I usually move to the spare bed and all is well.  The other night, she got up and moved to the uncomfortable couch.  When I realized she was gone, I was upset.  ”Why didn’t she just poke me and tell me to move?  She knows I don’t mind and then we both could have been comfortable in beds, instead of her fighting with the couch for a few hours and waking unrested.”  So I got up, told her to get back in bed and I moved to the spare bed, causing bad feelings all around.   Later I found out that she had tried repeatedly to wake me because she couldn’t get comfortable and finally gave up.

So what is the point of recounting this little “marital squabble”?  Because it made me realize that by just assuming that you know what is best for other people and trying to orchestrate your ideas in their lives, you run the risk or just making things worse for everyone.  I think as Christians we do this with regularity.  We try to force others to conform to our ideas about what is best.

Matthew 7:1 extols us to “judge not, lest we be judged’. It is important that we know all the facts before we attempt to ‘fix’ someone else. I must admit my hackles are raised when ‘they’ try to tell me who I should and shouldn’t love and what we should and shouldn’t do.  I could comply with their beliefs, but I would be miserable, uncomfortable and downright angry. This is even true in Churches, we believe we know to whom the preacher is speaking; or we hope we do. We have predetermined someone’s motivation for their actions when in reality we have no idea.  From the large theology issues to the small ‘embrace or deny new technology in the service’ issues. We as a people love to finger point and tell others how “God would want it”!

1 Corinthians 2:11 tells us, ‘For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.”  As people and especially as Christians we must remain vigilant to know the difference between our wants and desires for others and truly God’s commands for their lives. It’s something we all need to recognize and work on.  No two people are the same; we all have our own personal ideas.  And the only way to live peacefully is to let others live with their ideas and not try to force our thoughts into their heads.

: Thoughts

Be Still

September 19, 2011
by Gayle

“Be still, and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10

The word translated “be still” comes from the Hebrew term raphah. This word is found in various forms in the Old Testament, with different shades of meaning. It refers to that which is slack, or to let drop, or in some instances, to be disheartened or weak. When used of a person (as opposed to some inanimate object) it often has a negative connotation.

Sunrise or Sunset?

I had the pleasure last week of taking time to be still. I used some of that time to sit and reflect; to watch the ocean and the rhythmic waves and to enjoy the antics of seagulls and be mesmerized by the sway of sea oats. I learned so many things from that experience. Paramount was the need I have to be still. I have an aching need in my soul to be still and commune with God.

Many of my life’s biggest missteps occur when my life is out of balance. I begin to press too hard. I am struggling to find my way and I forget that the words of the psalmist ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth do change’ (Psalm 46:1-2a). Instead I begin to count on me and my ability to achieve and attain.

According to the very popular Dr Oz;  ‘Meditation has positive effects on immunity, stress management and sleep. The state of your body and the state of your mind are inextricably linked.’ But I believe God told us that generations ago.

Now, how do we go about meditating? Being still doesn’t just happen. You must plan. Does this mean taking a trip to the ocean? Not necessarily. It does mean making a priority time to stop and clear your mind, to balance your existence and to commune with God. We can meditate almost anywhere, on our beds, at work, washing dishes, or walking in the field like Isaac.  It is probably best to find a quiet place, ideally in the natural setting.

These are some tips I suggest for controlling your thoughts:

You control your thoughts not the other way around. It is you who can decide which thoughts to pursue and which to reject. Never feel a slave to your own thoughts, even if at times they seem powerful.

Patience - Don’t expect a silent mind after the first few attempts. We have been thinking all our life; to change a habit of a lifetime requires persistence and perseverance. Meditation, like any worthwhile activities requires dedicated and focused intensity.

Detachment - If you keep rejecting thoughts, what happens is that you may be aware of thoughts, but, they have much less intensity. A thought bubbles up, but, it becomes easier to detach from it. You start to see thoughts as independent and outside of yourself. This is a good sign; it shows you are developing the capacity to separate the sense of self from your mental thoughts. From this point it becomes easier to stop your thoughts completely.

Concentrate on something - It is hard to control our thoughts through the power of the mind. To achieve inner silence it is advisable to choose something to focus our attention on. This may be the use of a simple mantra; it may be concentrating on the ocean (as I did) however a candle, flower or other inanimate object will do. I like to concentrate on my heart beat; it is after all ever present. If you can consciously leave the mind, it becomes much easier to reduce the power of thoughts.

Intensity - If we are satisfied with outer life, we will feel no aspiration to meditate. Effective meditation requires an aspiration to discover inner peace and inner happiness. It is an opportunity to come closer with God.

The process of meditation is the process of becoming detached from the controlling and hindering influences of the world and attached to God and his creation. There are those followers of Christ that would say meditation is a time for study and reflection of the Bible. I am not discounting their opinions, and I certainly believe we need to take time to study, reflect and learn from the Bible.

In 1Kings 19:11-12 God come to Elijah …Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:. And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Finding God requires that we still ourselves and be prepared to hear. We need time to be still and listen for God’s still small voice.

 

: Thoughts

Does God Love Me?

September 14, 2011
by Gayle

For as long as I can remember I have been told that God loves me.  I learned songs like ‘Jesus Loves Me’.  I learned scriptures like John 3:16.  Yet, in equal measure I was told that God hated me. That I was an abomination.

It seems to me that if  the greatest example of love available to all of us is found in the scripture from John: ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.’ (John 3:16.). If Jesus died for me and that act is the greatest of all acts of love and by this supreme sacrifice, God set the pattern for love, then why am I so unsure of God’s love?

God demonstrated to me, all humankind,  that His love was and remains unconditional. Gods love is sufficient to encircle every person. It is the humans who have difficulty accepting and loving one another. We use God as a shield. We humanize God and put our opinions and fears onto his shoulders. By using God this way, we can pick and choose who we believe God has called.

In Matthew 28:20 Jesus tells us ‘I am with you always, even to the end of the age’.  and in John 13:34-35 Jesus says “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I tell you today that you should stop doubting Gods love and start to love one another.

: Thoughts

Do you Serve God or Mankind?

September 12, 2011
by Gayle

I didn’t go to church yesterday. It was a conscious choice. I believed that because it was the tenth anniversary of September 11th that the service had a strong potential to be political; Political as in partisan politics.

I believe that God loves all his creations; both those who have the good fortune to live and worship in the United States of America and those who live and worship else where. I believe that our goal as followers of Jesus is to seek and save the lost. Unfortunately, because Americans have grown up as Americans we see the world through our Americanized ways.

We believe that we are ‘We the People’ and that we have a right and a responsibility to do things ‘in order to form a more perfect union’.  However, as followers of Jesus we must set aside our Americanization’s and pick up the cross of Jesus. In Romans 13:1-7, Paul deals directly with the Christian’s attitude and conduct with respect to governmental authority. vs 3 In particular, Paul addresses the Christian’s relationship to civil government.vs 4 There are a number of reasons Christians and civil government might be at odds with one another, and Christians might wrongly twist these into excuses for disrespect and disobedience to authorities.

First, civil government is secular in nature while Christianity is spiritual. Christians are aliens and strangers, just passing through this world (see 1 Peter 1:1). Their citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). Second, the state can look upon Christianity as competitive, even hostile to its authority. The Christian’s highest authority is God. In Rome, Caesar was “god.” Because of this, Romans considered Christians as atheists. Christianity was eventually seen as treasonous. Third, at times Christians were required to “obey God, rather than men” (see Acts 5:29), which openly confirmed the government’s suspicions. Fourth, government officials, either unconsciously or willingly, used their authority to actively oppose the church and to persecute Christians.

In Luke 9:49-62 Jesus admonishes his followers to put away their concern for earthly things. We MUST put our eyes toward heaven and not look back at the world around us. Jesus had no place for followers who were duel in purpose.

What about you? Are your eyes on Jesus or the world in which you exist?

 

: Thoughts

Hang Your Dirty Laundry for Judgment

August 1, 2011
by Gayle

A young couple moved into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they were eating breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside.

“That laundry is not very clean,” she said. “She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.”

photo via wardrobeadvice.com

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband, “Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?”

The husband said, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”

Via Doc’s Daily Chuckle.

This joke reminds me of the word of Jesus in Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV) when he tells us “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  ”Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Who among us isn’t guilty of judgment? It sometimes seems that as humans judging is beyond our control. We judge others on their appearance; their job; their language or accent. We put them in little boxes and decide who they are and what they should be doing based on our perception of their lives.

It doesn’t seem to matter how often we are surprised to discover just how wrong we are, we persist in our sin. Who are the easiest to judge? Those who are different. It is human nature to like and trust those who are like us. They talk like us. They have similar interests to ours. They look like us. It is easy to assume they also share our values. However, if a person looks different; or their interests are not like ours, perhaps they have a Northern accent. :)  It is easy to dismiss those people as freaks or unworthy.

I submit to you that conceivably we just need to clean the windows through which we see them. Wipe away the different. Wipe away the fear. See others through God’s eyes. They are not without blame, they are not without struggles. But neither are you my friend. Perfection belongs to God.

 

: Thoughts

Don’t Kill The Messenger

July 31, 2011
by Jenn

I grew up in a traditional, conservative, Baptist family.   My dad was a minister, we were in church every time the doors were open and even sometimes when they weren’t.  We were taught that the Bible was the inerrant word of God, completely factual and true.  And I bought in hook, line and sinker, without question.  In fact, it never occurred to me that there might be a different explanation, and those who brought up the possibility were obviously not truly Christian.

I like to think I’ve grown up some since then.   I believe I was made in God’s image and that includes the fact that I am gay.  I don’t believe I’m going to hell just because I don’t believe in a literal seven day creation story anymore.  But I still bristle when people espouse alternate theories about events portrayed in the Bible.

Which is why today in church I got my “panties in a wad” as they say.  The minister had just read the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 (which didn’t count women or children – a different post for a different day) with just 5 loaves of bread and two fish and dared to say that it didn’t matter if the story was literal or not, what mattered was the message to be gained from the story.  Well, to be honest, I’m not sure I remember what the take away message was, I was too upset that a minister would say – out loud – that the Bible might not be a true account of an actual event.  The horror!

I had to stop and remind myself that I was not still that rigid fundamentalist.  I’m growing and allowing others to have their opinion about things without freaking out.  In addition, I’m not sure I still believe that the Bible is a perfect accounting of events.

Unfortunately, what happened today was that I missed a good message that might have made me a better person because I got hung up on a petty little thing.  How many times in life does this happen to us?  We get lost in the fact that the person talking might look different, or have a different opinion on things and completely miss the importance in what they are saying.

 

: Thoughts

Who Would Jesus Friend on Facebook?

July 29, 2011
by Gayle

We live in a day and age when connecting with family and friends has never been easier. Social media is a term we hear constantly. We call, we text, we tweet and we Facebook. For many if not most, we carry a device in our pockets whereby we can connect with the universe of information and people.

How many of us have lost the connection to God because of our connection to everything and everyone else? Or is Social Media being rebooted by the new social interaction as this article Social media rebooting religion suggests. In the article the author asks “Are Facebook and Twitter changing religion? It seems clearer and clearer that the ever-growing dominance of social media – especially on mobile computing devices like smart phones and tablets – is bringing religion back into the daily lives of many, while challenging religious institutions to revise notions of spiritual identity and community in both online and face-to-face worship.”

Perhaps there are those for whom the hyper-social interactions are increasing their connection to religion. But are those interactions producing a closer relationship with God?

The religious noise I hear via Facebook and Twitter are the extremists shouting from the roof tops. They are those who give the impression they wish to create great divides in the body of Christ. They rant and rail against anyone who would dare to question their conclusions. I have little or no doubt they would be the first to condemn those who appear different and had the audacity to attend ‘their church’.  The part ‘they’ missed is that it isn’t ‘their church’ it is Christ’s Church.

Luke 19:10 tells us that Jesus came to came to seek and to save that which was lost.  I am here to tell you that we have seen that which was lost and it is us! We are the lost ones. The question my friend is who is we? Am I more lost today than I was 30 years ago? Yes.  Am I more lost because of my sexual orientation? Yes, but not in the way you might believe.

I am not more lost because God loves me less. I am not more lost because I am living as God created me. I am more lost because those who would lay claim to Christ’s Church have created a hostile environment whenever I attempt to come into the fold.

In June of 1987 Ronald Reagan challenged the world to ‘Tear Down this Wall’ as he encouraged the world to eliminate the divide between East and West Germany. It was a powerful and motivating speech; one that came with results, a mere twenty-nine months later, in November of 1989 when ‘the wall’ was indeed removed. I have no illusion that I am nearly as powerful as Mr.  Reagan. My suspicion is that I am more of a lone voice crying in the wilderness. However, my message is the same. Tear down this wall! Fling open the doors. Create an open and welcoming environment. It is what Jesus would do!

: Thoughts

Every Thing Must Begin Somewhere

July 19, 2011
by Two or more

: Borrowed Thoughts, Thoughts