The line is drawn - where do you stand?

A blog is a place to express your opinions, thoughts and feelings.  So, today, I am going to utilize it for such.

I have Facebook and have seen posts all week about equality, equal rights, gay marriage, etc.  I have kept my opinions to myself and just overlooked the comments and debates.  Yesterday, I saw a picture I liked about how marriage is God ordained between a man and a woman.  I shared it and within 3 minutes someone commented on it.  Seriously?  I have nto shared my opinion in this matter at all and the moment I do (which is against the world views) I am targeted.

You want my opinion?  Well here it goes.......

Marriage was created by God for man and woman.  In the Garden of Eden, God looked at Adam and said it was "not good for man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18) so he created a suitable helpmate - a woman, Eve.  God says that when a man leaves his mother and father, he takes on a wife. (Genesis 2:24)

God instructed Adam to "be fruitful and multiply", meaning to reproduce to fill the earth with people.  A man and a woman have the correct "parts" that fit together by God's design to procreate and have children.  God created the family unit - a man and a woman in order to have children.

Homosexuality is mentioned on numerous different occasions in the Bible - in Old and New Testament.

• Sodom, Genesis 19 - Lot was in the city of Sodom and God sent two messengers (aka male angels) to Sodom, Lot took them into his home and the men of Sodom beat on his door demanding him let the men out so the could have sex with them. Lot begged the men not to do this "wicked" thing and even offered up his daughters to them because he knew what an abomination it was.  In the end, the men were struck blind and Sodom destroyed.

• Leviticus 18: 22 calls having sex with a man as you would a woman "detestable".

• Leviticus 20:13 again, calls it detestable and the two should be put to death.

*Note - in Old Testament, homosexual acts were associated with cult prostitution.  The word "abomination" used in the King James translation of both scriptures of Leviticus is a translation of the Hebrew word tow' ebah which means morally disgusting.

• In Judges 19:22 it speaks of "wicked" men that demanded to have sex with the men inside the house.

• In Deuteronomy and 1 Kings and 2 Kings it mentions homosexual acts as cult prostitution.

• In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 is says - "Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

• Romans 1:26-27 speaks of women giving over natural desires for unnatural ones and men committing shameful acts with other men.

• 1 Timothy 1:8-10 states - "We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine."

 *Note - in the King James the term "whoremongers" is used in the Greek is translates to into pornos-paramour/male prostitute - this is used many times throughout the New Testament (Eph. 5:5, Heb. 13:4, Rev. 21:8

In the New Testament, Jesus doesn't pin-point homosexuality, per say.  He speaks of all sexual immorality as in Mark 7:20-23.  There are 44 references to sexual immorality - including adultery, bestiality and homosexuality.

With that being said.....

I strive to be Christ-like even though I have no hopes of being who he is.  In doing so, I love the sinner, hate the sin.  I am a sinner like the next person.  I sin daily on many different levels.  However, I do not condone my sin.  I have a temper and lash out at times.  I know this is an issue (being angry isn't a sin but how you act in that anger can be).  I do not say "that's just the way I am".  No, I recognize it as a sinful act and strive to overcome it.

I have gay friends.  I also have several friends that were gay but found Jesus and now are not.  If homosexual acts were not a sin, then once people find Jesus, why do they turn away from it?  You do not hear straight people finding God and becoming homosexual.

I love all people just as Jesus would, or I try to.  I do not condemn, for it isn't my place to do so.  However, I do not condone sinful actions.  I have friends that lie - you are my friend by I don't condone your lying nature.  I have a brother that is a murderer - he is my brother but I don't condone his act of murder.  I have friends that steal - you are my friend by I don't condone you stealing.  I have friends that are promiscuous - you are my friend but I don't condone sex before marriage.  I have friends that are gay - you are my friend but I don't condone your lifestyle.

It is not my place to cast judgment on you or your actions.  I am a sinner just like everyone else on this planet.  I had sex before marriage, I have lied, stolen and been disobedient.  I have done drugs and been drunk, I had sex outside of marriage - I am a sinner.  However, I am a new creation in Christ and while I have done those things in the past, I recognize them as sin and no longer do them.  I am not saying I never do anything wrong but I strive to be holy and consecrated.

With that being said, I hope those that read this don't lash out about my thoughts on the subject.  I figure you have your freedom to say what you want, I have mine.  I try to share my thoughts in a loving way as the Bible states we should. 

I look at the world today and realize there is a shift happening that people don't even realize.  We are legalizing abortion, we are legalizing sexual immorality, we are creating a world where "let's all get along" is a tag line.  Let's all get along as one world - ONE WORLD.

I am a Christian, I do not hide this fact.  However, I fear that the line is being drawn and persecution is on the horizon.  I will not compromise my relationship with Jesus to make the rest of the world happy.

Romans 12:2 - I will not conform.



 

I once was dead.....

8 years ago today, I was on my way to hell.

It's true.  It was this day that God plucked me from the very cusp of the drop off into sulfur and brimstone.  Over dramatic?  I don't think so.

I was on a path of destruction with no hope in sight.  My kids were going to church with their Grandpa and a week prior, my daughter asked us to go in which I replied "No".  I may have used some colorful adjectives that would make a sailor blush with shame but will leave those to your imagination.  She pestered me as most 8 year olds do until I finally agreed to go the next Sunday, in hopes she would forget.

When you promise a child something, they will NEVER forget it.  I learned this lesson.  The following Sunday soon came and she asked us again to go to church in which I gave a resounding "No!".  With her doe-eyed look she simply said "But you promised".  And so I was busted.  Disgruntled and against my will, I got dressed and we all went.

I was raised Southern Baptist.  There are a lot of things I had never witnessed so you can imagine my surprise when I sat in on a Pentecostal service.  The worship was good although I couldn't name one song that was sung because my thoughts were on what I was going to have for lunch.  It was then that things went amiss and just plain nuts, to put it lightly.  I had never witnessed a move of the Holy Spirit.  Granted, I knew who God was and believed in Him and knew all about Jesus but that was as far as my Biblical knowledge went.  There was no relationship; there was no realization that God wanted to be part of our lives.  So, as I sat there and the Holy Spirit moved through that sanctuary, I began to get a bit freaked out.

Now, the day before was my son's Pinewood Derby race.  Even though we were not "church goers", our kids were actively involved so we went.  We had went out drinking the night before and were not too pleased to be up so early.  Matt had thrown up twice on the way and even though God was not part of our lives, that didn't mean we were bad parents.  In our minds, we still wanted to be there for our son.  While there, the Pastor tried to befriend Matt, who wanted nothing to do with it and the Pastor's wife wanted to get to know me on a level that I didn't want her on.  So, we gritted our teeth and made it through the day.  Funny how God orchestrates things once you look back on them.....

That following day, Sunday, was the day I was sitting in the pew and people were dancing, singing, laughing and speaking in a language that made me think they were from another planet.  With wide eyes, I glanced at Matt as if to subconsciously say - let's go.  It was then that the Pastor's wife sat next to me and asked me one question ---

"How is your relationship with Jesus?"

I sat there, speechless.  I tried to grasp an answer.  I tried to even lie.  As I thought about it momentarily, I realized I didn't have an answer because I truly didn't know.  Tears welled up and slowly rolled down my cheek.  She kept asking in a loving tone and tried to explain how amazing it was to be in the family of God.  I didn't want to hear it.  Words escaped me but I continued to shake my head as if to shake the words she were speaking off of me.  She continued to coax me to go to the altar and lay it before God.  I was stubborn.  Matt had been mentioning church for years and I refused to give in.  I enjoyed my sinful life.  I enjoyed going down the path of destruction.  Why would I want to give all that up for rules and regulations?

God had other plans for me.  Before my brain could compute what my feet were doing, I was up and heading towards the front.  The Pastor turned and smiled, as if he was expecting me and through prayer, he probably was.  I felt sick, weak and light headed and I could only hear him say "go to your knees".

Excuse me?  You want me to do what?

Not gonna happen.  I refused to go to my knees in front of God and everybody.  How embarrassing to show that kind of weakness.  I.  Am.  Not.  Going.  To.  Do.  It.

Isn't it funny how we are like a spoiled child and we cross our arms and say "nuh-uh".  Well, God decided to use His fatherly authority and while no one touched me, I felt a hand on my shoulder that gently, yet firmly, pushed me to my knees.  It was there that I laid it all on the altar.  The shame.  The disobedience.  The guilt. Everything.  I heard a voice that was barely audible, almost a whisper say - "Welcome into my kingdom, for I am with you."  I look up and Matt was on his knees, sobbing and accepting Christ in his life too.

That was 8 years ago.  I have never looked back.  The Bible says we are a new creation - the old is gone.  I am the example of that.  I have a long list of alcohol, drugs, self harm, black magic, abuse.....that day, March 6, 2005 - God delivered me from all of it.

I have rough days, it hasn't always been peaches and cream.  But now I don't have to deal with it alone.  I am grafted into the family of Christ.  He saved me from death, physical and spiritual.  He welcomed me despite my short comings and embraced me with a love like no other.

I can not imagine going back to that person I once was.  I look at pictures or talk about the things I have done and it seems as if I am speaking about someone else.  I share my testimony often, not to glorify it but to show others that if God can radically change this sinner, He can change them.

Becoming a Christian is not saying that hardships don't come.  I still have days where the thought of drugs or alcohol or even self harm creep in.  The enemy is good like that.  He has no new tricks.  He just repeats himself and likes to bring up your past to trip you up and create confusion.  He is an enemy of our soul and has one job and one job only - to kill, steal and destroy.  He is the father of lies and anything that comes from his lips is nothing but deceit.  Sometimes though, he is crafty and I fall into the notion that it is truth.  Before I had Christ, I would just do what felt good whether that was drugs or self-mutilation.  The enemy of my soul would tempt me and direct me and I would follow without hesitation.  Now, I recognize it.  Although, sometimes I fall into a funk where before I would self medicate, now I just ask God to see me through.  And ya know what?  He always does.

So, I am not the person I once was but I have not become the person I want to be.  I am continually on the path of self evaluation.  I can always do better and be better.  I will strive for righteousness until the day the trumpets sound.  My eyes have been opened.

I was once dead; but now am alive.

March 5, 2005 - the day before God got a hold of us!

March 6, 2013 - 8 years of salvation and we have never been happier.

Shaken, Not Stirred......

This blog is going to be short and sweet.

As I sit near my window watching the snow fall with a warm cup in my hand, I can't help but be content.  Any anxiety, anger, doldrums....any negativity that threatens to engulf me melts away.  The snow falls so silently and peacefully that my eyes grow heavy just watching it.  It is as if I am inside a freshly shaken snow globe.

God is truly a mastermind.  While others are complaining about the wintry precipitation and some are wishing for spring, I am content to sit near my window and watch it fall in silent admiration.  God has created this wonderful world we live in.  He demonstrates His power in a storm, His love in a rainbow, His creativity in a platypus, His playfulness in the ocean tide, His affection in a cocoon......

Don't be in such a hurry to move on to the next season.  Enjoy the one you are in.

The view from my chair - good book, warm drink and an affectionate cat in my lap. What more do I need?