I probably should have made this post part 2 of a post I published a few
months ago, but chose not to. It may also be one of my least well written
(English wise). Now, let me ask you a question. Have you ever seen the play or the movie, Rent? I have always wanted to see it, not having a clue about the storyline.
A few months ago my youngest son said, "Mom, I am auditioning for the musical Rent at our local playhouse in the park." I was thrilled. He came to me one evening about a week later and said, "Sit down. I am going to show you the play." And that he did. We had several interruptions and I didn't actually watch it all, but was left with a terribly uneasy feeling after watching it. I just couldn't quite figure out why.
I have since watched the movie and things which might have been unclear were better understood, but knew by then why the uneasiness. My knot in the stomach was due to the seemingly hopeless feeling the characters seem to portray.
As I write this post, the play only has three days left to view for our community. Last week, just before opening night, my son asked me to come by and see a little of their run-through. I was greatly impressed with the talent found in a small town!
Now, why would I talk about this musical in a Christian blog post? If you have seen the musical and read most of my previous posts.....you probably understand. The musical puts Christianity to shame. Now, at first glance, many Christians would proclaim the musical to be absolutely sacrilegious, BUT WAIT!
The main characters of the musical are: a gay couple, a lesbian couple, a stripper, drug abusers, homeless and oh yeah, almost all of the characters have HIV. The musical also has a priest (or liturgical pastor) and multiple people who are doing well financially, but those people turn their nose up at the main characters. (After an HIV death the priest won't allow the funeral in the church, because they can't pay for it.)
For me, the really bad part of this situation is that these events surround.....Christmas! The time of year when Christians are celebrating the birth of our savior, Jesus,.....you know the man who LOVED all men? He loved so much that He died for everyone.
Christmas. A time for gift giving and loving our fellow man. So how can we, as God's children, just cast the homeless, the hungry, the disease ridden, hurting people of our society away? Shouldn't Christians be THE VERY FIRST people to reach out to all people, especially the ones who need it the most? We, as Christians, should be the ones who see everyone through the eyes of God!
If you live in Calloway county and have the time, please check out this musical tomorrow, Friday or Saturday, (April 23-25, 2015) at the Playhouse in the Park, 8 p.m. each evening. I URGE Christians to attend and let God speak to your heart about how YOU can make a difference in the lives of ALL people around you daily. Do not look at the outward appearance of a person, but get to know their heart. Do not let your fellow human beings go through another day without hope and feeling unloved. We are the hands and feet of our God.....so GO and DO! Shalom!
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Timing Is Everything (Part 2)
Sorry that I have been so long in the continuation of this topic, but before I continue I want to remind you of one very important tidbit. If we say we are followers of Jesus, shouldn't we know what He taught in it's fullness? In order to know what He taught, we should start by going back to the 1st century and look at what the Rabbis of that day were teaching and how Jesus responded. Just a little something to keep in mind.
Now, have you taken the time to think about the things I said in Part 1? Timing is so important to most of our lives, is it not? What about giving birth? When a child either arrives long before the proper time or wants to wait way too long, complications arise. When we arrive at a doctor's appointment and we have confused the days, complications can arise.
What about timing and preparation on our part? Have you ever attended an event dressed improperly? Perhaps it was a black tie affair, but you didn't read that part on the invitation only to arrive in shorts and a t-shirt. Or have you ever attended an event where it seemed everyone else knew the proper protocol, but you were as lost as an Easter egg?
In life, major events require practice, practice, practice. Most weddings have rehearsals, as do plays or music performances. We would never think of sitting down with an orchestra, taking our high school band instrument and proceed to join in on a piece we had never laid eyes on while the others had practiced for weeks or months. There we are with our clarinet and a broken reed. A beautiful masterpiece is being performed while our squeaking and improperly timed notes are heard above it all. I can just see the look on the conductors face....not good.
You all know what I am talking about. You have probably seen those people, on videos or in person, who think they can dance like Michael Jackson or Rudolf Nureyev, yet to all those watching they look like a flailing fish out of water.....oh my! "I'll just wing it. How hard can those dances be?" Right.....
I have a feeling that as Christians, this will be us during the Messianic era. If those festivals will be held during that time, how will we know what to do? "Well, the Holy Spirit will give us that information!" Really? Can you give me a chapter and verse on that????
What about those festivals? "We, as Christians, don't have to observe them!" While it is true that we aren't required to observe them here on earth, do you really want to look like a fish flopping around on the floor during a highly choreographed dance? Every year as the festivals come around, the Jews are practicing and rehearsing for the GREAT FESTIVALS that will take place in the Messianic kingdom. Wouldn't it be great if we knew what to do at that time also? Just asking.
More than rehearsals, these festivals along with the Sabbath are special in another way. They are called moedim in Hebrew. Moed is an appointment with God! Did you know that God has a day planner? Read the book of Exodus and Leviticus.....you will find all the important appointment dates. Did you have a clue that God, before the foundations of the world, had set up appointments just to meet with you? (See how special you are!)
"Well, we can celebrate these at any time we choose, can't we?" Sure, but just like that doctor's appointment, it would be nice to meet with him/her on the correctly scheduled time. More importantly than that is something so amazing!!!! As we stick to God's calendar we find out how special these days truly are, because we are unified with millions of others at the same time!
Think about this; you have sent out invitations to your children and grandchildren and other family about celebrating Christmas at your house on December 25th. A few show up, but the majority aren't there. Kind of lets the air out of your balloon, doesn't it. Then the rest of your family straggles in days or weeks later for a quick meal and shove a gift under your nose, ask where their gift is and out the door they go. As a mom I can tell you that I absolutely LOVE to see my children and grandchildren any time. I will never turn them away, but how special it is when the entire family is together at the same time in one place! Unity! It causes one to wonder just how much those children care about their parents, doesn't it?
God says, "I have set appointments for you to meet with me. Not just you, but all of my children both Jew and Gentile. You have your invitation and it is a standing one for that same occasion at the same time every year," and only a few show up. Among His adopted children, almost none show up. Do you suppose God thinks, "I gave my Son's life in order for them to become my children, my heirs with my children by birth and this is how grateful you are?"
One more perspective and I will let this subject rest. If you are a Christian you know that every time you pray God hears and answers you, but what is it like to pray at Church with a body of believers all beseeching God and praising Him at the same time?
In my home town we have a July 4th celebration every year. The only problem is that, for convenience sake, the city now celebrates it on the closest day to the weekend. That is like saying that we are moving Christmas Day to the last Saturday in December. Yes we celebrate Independence Day, but not necessarily on the same day as the rest of the nation.
There is just something about unity that makes all the difference in the world. As citizens of the USA, we know what day is Christmas Day, Independence Day, New Year's Day and Valentines Day. We may celebrate them on different days from time to time, but when we celebrate them all on their appointed day they are even more special.
Now imagine how much more God could and would do if ALL His children were reading the same scripture on the same day, every day, and were celebrating His Sabbath and appointments on the same day. Just as the Israelites marched around the walls of Jericho and shouted in unison, what would happen if we did the same? What walls might fall if we realized how important timing really is?
Shalom!
Now, have you taken the time to think about the things I said in Part 1? Timing is so important to most of our lives, is it not? What about giving birth? When a child either arrives long before the proper time or wants to wait way too long, complications arise. When we arrive at a doctor's appointment and we have confused the days, complications can arise.
What about timing and preparation on our part? Have you ever attended an event dressed improperly? Perhaps it was a black tie affair, but you didn't read that part on the invitation only to arrive in shorts and a t-shirt. Or have you ever attended an event where it seemed everyone else knew the proper protocol, but you were as lost as an Easter egg?
In life, major events require practice, practice, practice. Most weddings have rehearsals, as do plays or music performances. We would never think of sitting down with an orchestra, taking our high school band instrument and proceed to join in on a piece we had never laid eyes on while the others had practiced for weeks or months. There we are with our clarinet and a broken reed. A beautiful masterpiece is being performed while our squeaking and improperly timed notes are heard above it all. I can just see the look on the conductors face....not good.
You all know what I am talking about. You have probably seen those people, on videos or in person, who think they can dance like Michael Jackson or Rudolf Nureyev, yet to all those watching they look like a flailing fish out of water.....oh my! "I'll just wing it. How hard can those dances be?" Right.....
I have a feeling that as Christians, this will be us during the Messianic era. If those festivals will be held during that time, how will we know what to do? "Well, the Holy Spirit will give us that information!" Really? Can you give me a chapter and verse on that????
What about those festivals? "We, as Christians, don't have to observe them!" While it is true that we aren't required to observe them here on earth, do you really want to look like a fish flopping around on the floor during a highly choreographed dance? Every year as the festivals come around, the Jews are practicing and rehearsing for the GREAT FESTIVALS that will take place in the Messianic kingdom. Wouldn't it be great if we knew what to do at that time also? Just asking.
More than rehearsals, these festivals along with the Sabbath are special in another way. They are called moedim in Hebrew. Moed is an appointment with God! Did you know that God has a day planner? Read the book of Exodus and Leviticus.....you will find all the important appointment dates. Did you have a clue that God, before the foundations of the world, had set up appointments just to meet with you? (See how special you are!)
"Well, we can celebrate these at any time we choose, can't we?" Sure, but just like that doctor's appointment, it would be nice to meet with him/her on the correctly scheduled time. More importantly than that is something so amazing!!!! As we stick to God's calendar we find out how special these days truly are, because we are unified with millions of others at the same time!
Think about this; you have sent out invitations to your children and grandchildren and other family about celebrating Christmas at your house on December 25th. A few show up, but the majority aren't there. Kind of lets the air out of your balloon, doesn't it. Then the rest of your family straggles in days or weeks later for a quick meal and shove a gift under your nose, ask where their gift is and out the door they go. As a mom I can tell you that I absolutely LOVE to see my children and grandchildren any time. I will never turn them away, but how special it is when the entire family is together at the same time in one place! Unity! It causes one to wonder just how much those children care about their parents, doesn't it?
God says, "I have set appointments for you to meet with me. Not just you, but all of my children both Jew and Gentile. You have your invitation and it is a standing one for that same occasion at the same time every year," and only a few show up. Among His adopted children, almost none show up. Do you suppose God thinks, "I gave my Son's life in order for them to become my children, my heirs with my children by birth and this is how grateful you are?"
One more perspective and I will let this subject rest. If you are a Christian you know that every time you pray God hears and answers you, but what is it like to pray at Church with a body of believers all beseeching God and praising Him at the same time?
In my home town we have a July 4th celebration every year. The only problem is that, for convenience sake, the city now celebrates it on the closest day to the weekend. That is like saying that we are moving Christmas Day to the last Saturday in December. Yes we celebrate Independence Day, but not necessarily on the same day as the rest of the nation.
There is just something about unity that makes all the difference in the world. As citizens of the USA, we know what day is Christmas Day, Independence Day, New Year's Day and Valentines Day. We may celebrate them on different days from time to time, but when we celebrate them all on their appointed day they are even more special.
Now imagine how much more God could and would do if ALL His children were reading the same scripture on the same day, every day, and were celebrating His Sabbath and appointments on the same day. Just as the Israelites marched around the walls of Jericho and shouted in unison, what would happen if we did the same? What walls might fall if we realized how important timing really is?
Shalom!
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Timing Is Everything!
Well folks, we are in the middle of March Madness! I hope your favorite college team is in the playoffs in the NCAA, NIT or CIT. My beloved Alma Mater had the best season ever this year. They won the season conference title with a 26-4 record. As of their last conference game they were rated 25th in the nation. Then came the conference tourney. Their conference is one of the nations smaller conferences, so they knew going into it that a loss meant there would be no chance for a NCAA bid. Bummer!
All was well until that final game........ The school? Murray State University. The opponent in that game? Belmont. With 4 seconds left in the game, Murray was up 87-85 and Belmont had the ball. Belmont called a time out and when play started up the ball was passed to a young man named Taylor Barnette. With only 3.2 seconds on the clock, Barnette sailed the ball from the top of the key into the basket to win by 1 point.
Just like that, a record season was over with one swish of the basket. No NCAA bid for Murray, but then came an invitation to the NIT. The first game was played at Murray against UTEP (University of Texas at El Paso.) Murray had no problem making this game count with an 81-66 victory. Next came a match up between Murray and Tulsa. Once again Murray (a 3 seed) proved themselves worthy with an 83-62 victory over Tulsa (2 seed).
Two days later they played Old Dominion (1 seed). Murray was down by a few points throughout the entire game until the very end. With 3.5 seconds left, Murray hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 69. Wow, we might be able to pull this one out in OT, but as soon as OD got the ball in their hands they called a time-out. As the ball came back into play it was passed to OD's Trey Freeman who immediately let it fly a fraction of a second before the buzzer to sink a 3-pointer and win the game. ARGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
I would like to say that just a few years ago Murray made it into the NCAA tournament by winning their conference tournament. They faced Vanderbilt in the first round and Murray won that game at the buzzer by making a shot much like the Belmont and OD shots. Those kind of things go both ways. Sometimes you are the victor and at other times you are the loser. It is just a matter of timing.
So, what does all this basketball hype have to do with God? EVERYTHING! This past year, MSU had a near perfect record. Fabulous, but the entire season and the 26-4 record (16-0 in their conference), meant ........... nothing. Well, not exactly, but all that work and in 3.2 seconds it is gone. MSU did everything right except for that one loss in the conference.......in the finals of the tournament. If only their loss to Belmont had been during the regular season and the win against them in the tournament.......well who knows!
This is probably going to be a weak attempt at making a point, but hang with me here for a minute. What if we are doing everything right, but it is at the wrong time? Belmont and Old Dominion obviously did the right thing at the right time and that one year in the NCAA Murray did the right thing at the right time. What if your team can hit 3-pointers and free throws 100% of the time during practice, but in the game they can't hit the broad side of a barn? Doing the right thing at the wrong time can have devastating effects. Equally as devastating is doing the wrong thing at the right time....
As I have studied the Bible from a 1st Century Jewish point of view for the last 4 years, I have come to see Genesis through Revelation with a different set of eyes. As my new eyes have looked at the Scriptures, I have also listened to the words of songs differently as well. This is not a post about contemporary or traditional worship, but I challenge you to try and find very many songs that are about God and God only without mentioning Jesus. Go ahead......try.
Well what is wrong with songs about Jesus? Nothing, but listen to the words. They are fabulous songs, but have we put the cart before the horse? Do we have the right things, but our timing is off? What about those buzzer beater shots? What if those young men had waited 3.6 seconds to let the ball leave their hands? Timing is everything. God is a god of order and he has an order to the entire world; even to the plans for the future of the world.
Are the songs we have placed in the forefront of today's church suppose to be sung in this day and age or should they be reserved for the time Jesus is crowned king?
I am just going to let you think on this one for a day or two. I will get back to this thought in a few days. Shalom!
All was well until that final game........ The school? Murray State University. The opponent in that game? Belmont. With 4 seconds left in the game, Murray was up 87-85 and Belmont had the ball. Belmont called a time out and when play started up the ball was passed to a young man named Taylor Barnette. With only 3.2 seconds on the clock, Barnette sailed the ball from the top of the key into the basket to win by 1 point.
Just like that, a record season was over with one swish of the basket. No NCAA bid for Murray, but then came an invitation to the NIT. The first game was played at Murray against UTEP (University of Texas at El Paso.) Murray had no problem making this game count with an 81-66 victory. Next came a match up between Murray and Tulsa. Once again Murray (a 3 seed) proved themselves worthy with an 83-62 victory over Tulsa (2 seed).
Two days later they played Old Dominion (1 seed). Murray was down by a few points throughout the entire game until the very end. With 3.5 seconds left, Murray hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 69. Wow, we might be able to pull this one out in OT, but as soon as OD got the ball in their hands they called a time-out. As the ball came back into play it was passed to OD's Trey Freeman who immediately let it fly a fraction of a second before the buzzer to sink a 3-pointer and win the game. ARGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
I would like to say that just a few years ago Murray made it into the NCAA tournament by winning their conference tournament. They faced Vanderbilt in the first round and Murray won that game at the buzzer by making a shot much like the Belmont and OD shots. Those kind of things go both ways. Sometimes you are the victor and at other times you are the loser. It is just a matter of timing.
So, what does all this basketball hype have to do with God? EVERYTHING! This past year, MSU had a near perfect record. Fabulous, but the entire season and the 26-4 record (16-0 in their conference), meant ........... nothing. Well, not exactly, but all that work and in 3.2 seconds it is gone. MSU did everything right except for that one loss in the conference.......in the finals of the tournament. If only their loss to Belmont had been during the regular season and the win against them in the tournament.......well who knows!
This is probably going to be a weak attempt at making a point, but hang with me here for a minute. What if we are doing everything right, but it is at the wrong time? Belmont and Old Dominion obviously did the right thing at the right time and that one year in the NCAA Murray did the right thing at the right time. What if your team can hit 3-pointers and free throws 100% of the time during practice, but in the game they can't hit the broad side of a barn? Doing the right thing at the wrong time can have devastating effects. Equally as devastating is doing the wrong thing at the right time....
As I have studied the Bible from a 1st Century Jewish point of view for the last 4 years, I have come to see Genesis through Revelation with a different set of eyes. As my new eyes have looked at the Scriptures, I have also listened to the words of songs differently as well. This is not a post about contemporary or traditional worship, but I challenge you to try and find very many songs that are about God and God only without mentioning Jesus. Go ahead......try.
Well what is wrong with songs about Jesus? Nothing, but listen to the words. They are fabulous songs, but have we put the cart before the horse? Do we have the right things, but our timing is off? What about those buzzer beater shots? What if those young men had waited 3.6 seconds to let the ball leave their hands? Timing is everything. God is a god of order and he has an order to the entire world; even to the plans for the future of the world.
Are the songs we have placed in the forefront of today's church suppose to be sung in this day and age or should they be reserved for the time Jesus is crowned king?
I am just going to let you think on this one for a day or two. I will get back to this thought in a few days. Shalom!
Sunday, February 15, 2015
What do we do with those people?
My Sunday School class was quite different today. Whereas most Sundays the discussion is pretty well agreed upon, today was not usual. I really think were it not that the people of this class get along very well, we would have drawn a line in the sand. We are all very discerning of the feelings of other class members and try hard to neither embarrass nor offend each other, while at the same time being careful to not water down the scriptures. We think before we speak and choose our words carefully. So what was the subject matter which so quickly seemed to divide us? One word - homosexuality.
A friend and I have this same discussion quite often as well. What do we do with "those" people? "Don't they know that homosexuality is a sin?" It seems that this "issue" is the topic of the century. The debate is whether it is a choice or if one is born that way? Christians are quick to jump in with, "If we don't fight to keep gay marriage illegal, what's next? Gay marriage hurts traditional marriage."
A particular co-worker and I had a serious debate one afternoon about a year ago. This man, who is a Christian, became angrier and angrier by the moment as I calmly defended them. (Let me just say that I am not saying gay people are committing a great sin, neither am I saying they aren't. I will explain this further later on.) My defense was that the Church bullies people within this group. We tolerate other "sins" while saying this "sin" is absolutely unacceptable and these people need to choose heterosexuality.
What disturbs me greatly in the disagreement with my co-worker is that, as a man, he is adamant about how disgusting and disturbing it is to think about two men while I have overheard several of the men make comments about how they love watching a little "girl on girl" action. Say what? Isn't that even more discriminatory? It's okay for two women to be lovers, but not two men?
If you insist on calling out sin as sin, then apply it equally to ALL sins. When a man comes to work and shares with his buddies all about his sexual exploits with his wife from the previous night, how is that not degrading his wife? I know gay men and women who would never talk about their sexual exploits or the proficiency of their partner. So why must straight men, who claim to be God's child, think this is okay?
What I don't understand, and guess I will never understand, is why many of us are so quick to judge others without first judging ourselves. Jesus, himself, told us to do that. He says in Matthew 7:1-5, "You shall not judge, lest you be judged. For with the judgment that you judge, you will be judged and with the measure that you measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you notice a chip that is in your brother's eye, and you do not observe the plank that is in your own eye? Or how do you say to your brother, 'Let me cast out the chip from your eye', and behold, a plank is in your eye? Hypocrite! First cast out the plank from your eye, and then you will see to cast out the chip from your brother's eye."
Oh boy! That scripture puts it very simply that if we spend every day judging ourselves, we won't have time to judge others. Our problem many times, is that by judging others who commit such "atrocious sins", we don't look quite so bad ourselves.
So, what do we do with those people? You know, the "gays"? The same thing we do with all those other people who "sin", (which includes all of us). We love. We simply love them without expecting anything from them. Why? It is because WE are not the judge. Say what? That's right. I hate to burst some bubbles here but, we are not the judge nor the jury. Truth is we are also not the Saviour. His name is God.
But, even in this we do not quite understand judgment. Judgment, in the Bible that is, means something very different than we have been taught. The word translated judgment in the Bible is defined as "realignment." God himself will realign all of us. I cannot realign anyone, because I also am out of line. I must focus on getting myself realigned with the help of God, blessed be He.
What would happen in our world, if all the people who claim to be Christians would stop judging and start loving. My Rebbe said something last week that has given me cause to pause and think. The sages tell about a disciple who asked his Rebbe, "Master, why is there war?"
The Rebbe replied, "Because at some point in the past, in a remote area of the world, in a family, the father yelled at the son and the ripples began to waft out."
The disciple then asked, "So, how do we stop it?"
The Rebbe replied, "When a mother wakes her daughter by saying, 'Good morning, my beautiful child. You are loved and cared for and will be a blessing to all in your lifetime.' "
And the ripples will carry out and go on and on and on.
Several months ago I was in a large grocery store in my town. My town is relatively small with a university that actually doubles the population during the fall and spring. As I turned into an aisle I saw an old friend. The two of us stopped to chat and while standing there someone walked by us pushing a cart. I looked up to see a man, (it was quite obvious), dressed as a woman. He looked to be in his mid 50's and was wearing a dress, high heels, a wig and makeup. I have no clue if this man was a cross dresser or transgender. I didn't ask. He smiled at me and said, "Excuse me," as he tried to maneuver his cart around ours.
I hurried to move out of his way as I do for everyone else while trolling down the aisles weekly. I looked him in the eye, smiled and said, "No problem, have a wonderful day."
The friend I was conversing with turned to me and said, "Well you don't see that every day in this town."
I replied, "No, you certainly don't." Yet in my mind I was thinking, I wonder how many people are kind to him? I would bet he gets more hateful looks and snide remarks than kindness. I have never seen this man again. Could he have really been an angel in disguise to see how I would react?
One can simply not go wrong with kindness and love. Later on in that scripture from Matthew, Jesus says: "Therefore, everything that you wish man would do for you, thus also you do for them. For this is the Torah and the Prophets." Matthew 7:12.
Those people deserve love. They deserve kindness. They deserve to meet people who are 'Torah made flesh.'
Love, love, love.....that is what we do with those people. Shalom.
A friend and I have this same discussion quite often as well. What do we do with "those" people? "Don't they know that homosexuality is a sin?" It seems that this "issue" is the topic of the century. The debate is whether it is a choice or if one is born that way? Christians are quick to jump in with, "If we don't fight to keep gay marriage illegal, what's next? Gay marriage hurts traditional marriage."
A particular co-worker and I had a serious debate one afternoon about a year ago. This man, who is a Christian, became angrier and angrier by the moment as I calmly defended them. (Let me just say that I am not saying gay people are committing a great sin, neither am I saying they aren't. I will explain this further later on.) My defense was that the Church bullies people within this group. We tolerate other "sins" while saying this "sin" is absolutely unacceptable and these people need to choose heterosexuality.
What disturbs me greatly in the disagreement with my co-worker is that, as a man, he is adamant about how disgusting and disturbing it is to think about two men while I have overheard several of the men make comments about how they love watching a little "girl on girl" action. Say what? Isn't that even more discriminatory? It's okay for two women to be lovers, but not two men?
If you insist on calling out sin as sin, then apply it equally to ALL sins. When a man comes to work and shares with his buddies all about his sexual exploits with his wife from the previous night, how is that not degrading his wife? I know gay men and women who would never talk about their sexual exploits or the proficiency of their partner. So why must straight men, who claim to be God's child, think this is okay?
What I don't understand, and guess I will never understand, is why many of us are so quick to judge others without first judging ourselves. Jesus, himself, told us to do that. He says in Matthew 7:1-5, "You shall not judge, lest you be judged. For with the judgment that you judge, you will be judged and with the measure that you measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you notice a chip that is in your brother's eye, and you do not observe the plank that is in your own eye? Or how do you say to your brother, 'Let me cast out the chip from your eye', and behold, a plank is in your eye? Hypocrite! First cast out the plank from your eye, and then you will see to cast out the chip from your brother's eye."
Oh boy! That scripture puts it very simply that if we spend every day judging ourselves, we won't have time to judge others. Our problem many times, is that by judging others who commit such "atrocious sins", we don't look quite so bad ourselves.
So, what do we do with those people? You know, the "gays"? The same thing we do with all those other people who "sin", (which includes all of us). We love. We simply love them without expecting anything from them. Why? It is because WE are not the judge. Say what? That's right. I hate to burst some bubbles here but, we are not the judge nor the jury. Truth is we are also not the Saviour. His name is God.
But, even in this we do not quite understand judgment. Judgment, in the Bible that is, means something very different than we have been taught. The word translated judgment in the Bible is defined as "realignment." God himself will realign all of us. I cannot realign anyone, because I also am out of line. I must focus on getting myself realigned with the help of God, blessed be He.
What would happen in our world, if all the people who claim to be Christians would stop judging and start loving. My Rebbe said something last week that has given me cause to pause and think. The sages tell about a disciple who asked his Rebbe, "Master, why is there war?"
The Rebbe replied, "Because at some point in the past, in a remote area of the world, in a family, the father yelled at the son and the ripples began to waft out."
The disciple then asked, "So, how do we stop it?"
The Rebbe replied, "When a mother wakes her daughter by saying, 'Good morning, my beautiful child. You are loved and cared for and will be a blessing to all in your lifetime.' "
And the ripples will carry out and go on and on and on.
Several months ago I was in a large grocery store in my town. My town is relatively small with a university that actually doubles the population during the fall and spring. As I turned into an aisle I saw an old friend. The two of us stopped to chat and while standing there someone walked by us pushing a cart. I looked up to see a man, (it was quite obvious), dressed as a woman. He looked to be in his mid 50's and was wearing a dress, high heels, a wig and makeup. I have no clue if this man was a cross dresser or transgender. I didn't ask. He smiled at me and said, "Excuse me," as he tried to maneuver his cart around ours.
I hurried to move out of his way as I do for everyone else while trolling down the aisles weekly. I looked him in the eye, smiled and said, "No problem, have a wonderful day."
The friend I was conversing with turned to me and said, "Well you don't see that every day in this town."
I replied, "No, you certainly don't." Yet in my mind I was thinking, I wonder how many people are kind to him? I would bet he gets more hateful looks and snide remarks than kindness. I have never seen this man again. Could he have really been an angel in disguise to see how I would react?
One can simply not go wrong with kindness and love. Later on in that scripture from Matthew, Jesus says: "Therefore, everything that you wish man would do for you, thus also you do for them. For this is the Torah and the Prophets." Matthew 7:12.
Those people deserve love. They deserve kindness. They deserve to meet people who are 'Torah made flesh.'
Love, love, love.....that is what we do with those people. Shalom.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Post Christmas Blues....
Are you one of those people who goes into a depression when Christmas is over? Perhaps you are like me and it isn't the fact that all the hoopla is over, but more about things and events which did not turn out the way you wanted.
I remember one Christmas when I was about 12. My nephew was about 6 and we had an aunt, (his great-aunt) who always came to open gifts with us. She had asked his mom what she could get him for Christmas. The mother told the aunt that he could use some underwear. I will never forget the look on his face when he opened them. He was so disappointed and cried. My aunt looked at the mom and said, "How could you do this? His little heart is broken. I will never give them anything other than a toy again!" With that she reached into her purse and pulled out a $5 bill for him. (Hint, back in 1970, $5 was a big deal!)
My husband tells of his Christmas gifts while growing up. They were a very poor family and he had three siblings. Every year he received the same thing; socks and a bucket of toy soldiers. He too had an aunt that gave them all gifts. It was from her that he received the toy soldiers.
I, on the other hand, had grown up in a family who was a little better off financially. Every year I received several toys, games and clothes. I was always thrilled with the things I received. Christmas Eve was spent with my family having a fabulous evening meal then gift opening. The next morning I would awake to gifts from Santa. The rest of the day was spent with a noon meal at my maternal grandparents home, surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins.
My dream was to someday be a wife and mother, surrounded by my family and bestowing wonderful gifts on all of them. This is the way Christmas went for me until 10 years ago. My oldest son had just married and my dad was in the last stage of his life. As my son and daughter-in-law headed four hours north to be with her family, my dad was hospitalized with pneumonia. He would be in the hospital for two weeks. As my family gathered to eat and open gifts, I spent the entire evening with my Daddy. We talked the hours away as he told me about his salvation and things he regretted in his life. He also told me the things which were of the utmost importance to him. Some of those things were personal between him and me and aren't things I want to divulge. It would be only one month before we would say our last good-bye.
Less than 5 months later my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Surgery, recovery, an infection.....months of recovery. All the while I had a husband and an 11 year old at home. My son and his wife moved to Louisville. The first to leave home, I had no time for grieving his move, I had my mother to care for. Christmas was way different that year. No Dad, Mom sick, son away from home with no plans to spend the time off with his family. My first Christmas without my dad and my oldest son.
The next year was filled with more "stuff". The doctors planned a hysterectomy for me at the beginning of June. Two weeks before my surgery, my son called to say that they were moving to Colorado. My husband, youngest son and I headed to Louisville to help them load everything up on a U-Haul. The day of my surgery, they headed toward Colorado Springs.
Colorado was just a little too far to travel to or from for the next Christmas so again the time was spent with the remaining family, missing my son and my dad. In April we received the news that we would become grandparents right about Christmas that year. Excited was an understatement, but just a month later my mom lost her battle with cancer. Christmas would NEVER be the same again.
As Christmas drew near, the son and wife had moved in with her parents four hours north of us. They had left the jobs in Colorado due to some ugly circumstances on the part of the employer, but this also left them without jobs or income and a baby on the way. On Dec. 23 we received the call that labor had begun and we headed toward the hospital. Late that evening we laid eyes on the little bundle of blue. Bittersweet emotions ravaged me. Joy over the birth of a grandson, but heartbreak that my parents didn't live long enough to meet him. On Christmas Eve we headed back home to a house full of family at my brother's. Joy spread as I let everyone view the pictures of the newborn grandson.
Great expectations from me over what the next several years of Christmas celebrations would be like. Those expectations have never been realized though. We have never spent a Christmas with our son and his family. Every year I expect, but those expectations never come to fruition. Each year about the first of November I go into a horrible funk and become depressed. My birthday also falls in this time period.
As my youngest son began to come of age he has made sure to remember my birthday and Christmas. He tries to plan something special for me and is very thoughtful with his gifts. But now there is a young lady in his life and her mom lives on the other side of the United States from us. The girlfriend always goes to her mom's the day after Christmas and stays until after the first of the year. She is a precious young woman and I know she only sees her mom about twice a year, so I don't begrudge her of that.
My son and his girlfriend try to spend one evening with us at Christmas, but this year due to a special circumstance that had to fly out on the Sunday before. This year it was just me and the husband, all alone. I tried to keep up my spirits and made it okay until Christmas night. As I sat there looking at my decorated tree with absolutely no gifts under it, depression began to set in. The next day would be a work day for me and I was just flat out angry about it all.
Thanksgiving and Christmas have always been the most important and special time of the year for me. There is just some magical quality about it. If you are all alone or wish to just simply let Christmas pass you by for a year it is almost impossible. Everywhere you turn there are lights, trees, commercials and programs. Church is transformed into this "joyous" place. Dinners at work, cards arriving in the mail and questions.....lots of questions; "When are your grandchildren arriving?" "Are you cooking for your family?" Questions which leave me in a terrible place. At first I feel hurt, then anger as I struggle to explain why I won't see any of my children at Christmas.
Last Thursday evening I went to bed so angry. I vented my anger as my husband lay there in bed listening. Then as he drifted off to sleep, I vented to God through lots of tears. I knew I should be thankful. After all, just two days before Christmas a co-worker had buried his 55 year old wife, (also a co-worker). I should be thankful to be alive and well. I should be thankful that I have two healthy, wonderful sons. I should be thankful that I have two healthy precious grandsons. I should be thankful that, as far as we know, my husband and I are healthy, but I was hurting and angry. Why had God allowed this to happen to me? Why couldn't I feel grateful and thankful? There were people much worse off than me. Just this past February my great-nephew and his wife had buried their 9 month old daughter. My heart ached for them, but I couldn't get past me.
Today, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014 I opened my Sunday School book to look over the lesson as I drank my coffee. The title of the lesson was: The Shelter of God's Encouragement. Across the page was a question, "When do you feel like singing the blues?" I took the book to my husband and said, "Look at today's lesson in the book." The scripture was from Psalms 42 and 43.
In class the teacher asked a lot of questions. I, along with many others, commented on his questions. One thing that came from those conversations was the fact that when we are hurting or angry, it is okay to vent to God. He is our shelter and we are safe with him. When we finish, He says, "Well, do you feel better? Are you ready to hear what I have to say now?"
One specific question the teacher asked was, "What do you do when your expectations aren't met? Perhaps we have unrealistic expectations." Wow, was that my problem? Did I have unrealistic expectations? As I drove home from Church I thought about a time in my life when I realized that as long as I held on to the past I could not move forward. It's kind of like that child on the playground who is swinging. You tell them it is time to go and they start screaming, "No, I don't want to go," as they grab the chains and hang on for dear life. All the while the next stop is the beach. Oh my! I suddenly realized that I am that child! I have been hanging on to Christmas past and until I let go, I cannot experience the Christmas future.
Encouragement from God's Word and His people are both invaluable for us. It caused me to begin thinking again about an old poem I have always loved. The poem talks about us being like children who bring their broken toys for us to mend. We bring all our broken dreams, promises others have made and not kept, expectations, etc to God.....but the poem ends with the child screaming, "How could you be so slow?" to which God replies, "Child, you never let go....."
As I struggle to deal with how to let go of my expectations in order for God to give me greater expectations, I pray that you will learn to let go of the expectations in your life that are unrealistic or unmet. I will pray for all of you and I ask that you pray for me as well. And, as the New Year is upon us, let ALL your words be encouraging words that lead people TO God. It is not easy, believe me. I know all the right things, but find it hard to do on a daily basis. That is why it is so important that we pray for each other and you will find that on the days you are having difficulties, someone else has just come through that time in their life and can be a blessing and encouragement to you. In the same manner, as you come out on the other side, look for someone to whom you can be an encouragement.
"Dispatch Your light and Your truth, they will guide me, they will bring me to Your holy mountain and to Your dwellings. That I may come to the altar of God, to God, the gladness of my joy; and praise You on the harp, O God, my God. Why are you downcast, my soul, and why are you disturbed on my account? Hope to God, for I shall yet thank Him for the salvations of my countenance and because He is my God!" Psalms 43:3-5
Shalom!
I remember one Christmas when I was about 12. My nephew was about 6 and we had an aunt, (his great-aunt) who always came to open gifts with us. She had asked his mom what she could get him for Christmas. The mother told the aunt that he could use some underwear. I will never forget the look on his face when he opened them. He was so disappointed and cried. My aunt looked at the mom and said, "How could you do this? His little heart is broken. I will never give them anything other than a toy again!" With that she reached into her purse and pulled out a $5 bill for him. (Hint, back in 1970, $5 was a big deal!)
My husband tells of his Christmas gifts while growing up. They were a very poor family and he had three siblings. Every year he received the same thing; socks and a bucket of toy soldiers. He too had an aunt that gave them all gifts. It was from her that he received the toy soldiers.
I, on the other hand, had grown up in a family who was a little better off financially. Every year I received several toys, games and clothes. I was always thrilled with the things I received. Christmas Eve was spent with my family having a fabulous evening meal then gift opening. The next morning I would awake to gifts from Santa. The rest of the day was spent with a noon meal at my maternal grandparents home, surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins.
My dream was to someday be a wife and mother, surrounded by my family and bestowing wonderful gifts on all of them. This is the way Christmas went for me until 10 years ago. My oldest son had just married and my dad was in the last stage of his life. As my son and daughter-in-law headed four hours north to be with her family, my dad was hospitalized with pneumonia. He would be in the hospital for two weeks. As my family gathered to eat and open gifts, I spent the entire evening with my Daddy. We talked the hours away as he told me about his salvation and things he regretted in his life. He also told me the things which were of the utmost importance to him. Some of those things were personal between him and me and aren't things I want to divulge. It would be only one month before we would say our last good-bye.
Less than 5 months later my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Surgery, recovery, an infection.....months of recovery. All the while I had a husband and an 11 year old at home. My son and his wife moved to Louisville. The first to leave home, I had no time for grieving his move, I had my mother to care for. Christmas was way different that year. No Dad, Mom sick, son away from home with no plans to spend the time off with his family. My first Christmas without my dad and my oldest son.
The next year was filled with more "stuff". The doctors planned a hysterectomy for me at the beginning of June. Two weeks before my surgery, my son called to say that they were moving to Colorado. My husband, youngest son and I headed to Louisville to help them load everything up on a U-Haul. The day of my surgery, they headed toward Colorado Springs.
Colorado was just a little too far to travel to or from for the next Christmas so again the time was spent with the remaining family, missing my son and my dad. In April we received the news that we would become grandparents right about Christmas that year. Excited was an understatement, but just a month later my mom lost her battle with cancer. Christmas would NEVER be the same again.
As Christmas drew near, the son and wife had moved in with her parents four hours north of us. They had left the jobs in Colorado due to some ugly circumstances on the part of the employer, but this also left them without jobs or income and a baby on the way. On Dec. 23 we received the call that labor had begun and we headed toward the hospital. Late that evening we laid eyes on the little bundle of blue. Bittersweet emotions ravaged me. Joy over the birth of a grandson, but heartbreak that my parents didn't live long enough to meet him. On Christmas Eve we headed back home to a house full of family at my brother's. Joy spread as I let everyone view the pictures of the newborn grandson.
Great expectations from me over what the next several years of Christmas celebrations would be like. Those expectations have never been realized though. We have never spent a Christmas with our son and his family. Every year I expect, but those expectations never come to fruition. Each year about the first of November I go into a horrible funk and become depressed. My birthday also falls in this time period.
As my youngest son began to come of age he has made sure to remember my birthday and Christmas. He tries to plan something special for me and is very thoughtful with his gifts. But now there is a young lady in his life and her mom lives on the other side of the United States from us. The girlfriend always goes to her mom's the day after Christmas and stays until after the first of the year. She is a precious young woman and I know she only sees her mom about twice a year, so I don't begrudge her of that.
My son and his girlfriend try to spend one evening with us at Christmas, but this year due to a special circumstance that had to fly out on the Sunday before. This year it was just me and the husband, all alone. I tried to keep up my spirits and made it okay until Christmas night. As I sat there looking at my decorated tree with absolutely no gifts under it, depression began to set in. The next day would be a work day for me and I was just flat out angry about it all.
Thanksgiving and Christmas have always been the most important and special time of the year for me. There is just some magical quality about it. If you are all alone or wish to just simply let Christmas pass you by for a year it is almost impossible. Everywhere you turn there are lights, trees, commercials and programs. Church is transformed into this "joyous" place. Dinners at work, cards arriving in the mail and questions.....lots of questions; "When are your grandchildren arriving?" "Are you cooking for your family?" Questions which leave me in a terrible place. At first I feel hurt, then anger as I struggle to explain why I won't see any of my children at Christmas.
Last Thursday evening I went to bed so angry. I vented my anger as my husband lay there in bed listening. Then as he drifted off to sleep, I vented to God through lots of tears. I knew I should be thankful. After all, just two days before Christmas a co-worker had buried his 55 year old wife, (also a co-worker). I should be thankful to be alive and well. I should be thankful that I have two healthy, wonderful sons. I should be thankful that I have two healthy precious grandsons. I should be thankful that, as far as we know, my husband and I are healthy, but I was hurting and angry. Why had God allowed this to happen to me? Why couldn't I feel grateful and thankful? There were people much worse off than me. Just this past February my great-nephew and his wife had buried their 9 month old daughter. My heart ached for them, but I couldn't get past me.
Today, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014 I opened my Sunday School book to look over the lesson as I drank my coffee. The title of the lesson was: The Shelter of God's Encouragement. Across the page was a question, "When do you feel like singing the blues?" I took the book to my husband and said, "Look at today's lesson in the book." The scripture was from Psalms 42 and 43.
In class the teacher asked a lot of questions. I, along with many others, commented on his questions. One thing that came from those conversations was the fact that when we are hurting or angry, it is okay to vent to God. He is our shelter and we are safe with him. When we finish, He says, "Well, do you feel better? Are you ready to hear what I have to say now?"
One specific question the teacher asked was, "What do you do when your expectations aren't met? Perhaps we have unrealistic expectations." Wow, was that my problem? Did I have unrealistic expectations? As I drove home from Church I thought about a time in my life when I realized that as long as I held on to the past I could not move forward. It's kind of like that child on the playground who is swinging. You tell them it is time to go and they start screaming, "No, I don't want to go," as they grab the chains and hang on for dear life. All the while the next stop is the beach. Oh my! I suddenly realized that I am that child! I have been hanging on to Christmas past and until I let go, I cannot experience the Christmas future.
Encouragement from God's Word and His people are both invaluable for us. It caused me to begin thinking again about an old poem I have always loved. The poem talks about us being like children who bring their broken toys for us to mend. We bring all our broken dreams, promises others have made and not kept, expectations, etc to God.....but the poem ends with the child screaming, "How could you be so slow?" to which God replies, "Child, you never let go....."
As I struggle to deal with how to let go of my expectations in order for God to give me greater expectations, I pray that you will learn to let go of the expectations in your life that are unrealistic or unmet. I will pray for all of you and I ask that you pray for me as well. And, as the New Year is upon us, let ALL your words be encouraging words that lead people TO God. It is not easy, believe me. I know all the right things, but find it hard to do on a daily basis. That is why it is so important that we pray for each other and you will find that on the days you are having difficulties, someone else has just come through that time in their life and can be a blessing and encouragement to you. In the same manner, as you come out on the other side, look for someone to whom you can be an encouragement.
"Dispatch Your light and Your truth, they will guide me, they will bring me to Your holy mountain and to Your dwellings. That I may come to the altar of God, to God, the gladness of my joy; and praise You on the harp, O God, my God. Why are you downcast, my soul, and why are you disturbed on my account? Hope to God, for I shall yet thank Him for the salvations of my countenance and because He is my God!" Psalms 43:3-5
Shalom!
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Ghosts and the unexplained! part 2
As I stated in my last post, I love the fact that Halloween turns people to thoughts of something beyond our realm of understanding. It is the most opportune time to talk about God, yet one of the biggest hindrances to our doing so is the fact that we don't know enough about life outside this one to comment appropriately. Oh people try, but without much success. Within Christianity we think we have a lot of knowledge of scripture, but probably 99% of Christians can't even adequately explain what happened on the cross.
The people of the world are highly educated in the sciences and language, but how educated are we on the words of our God? Do you know any more of those words beyond a first grade level? From my interaction with even PhD level theologians, they are only at a third grade level. Unless we can appropriately explain the meaning of the white spaces in God's word, we are no more than little children.
Ahh, do those words ring a bell with any of you? Little children does mean the same as a small child, but in 1st century Judaism it was also an idiom for people who were new in the faith. Those who were just beginning to understand the meaning of the words of Jesus.
I am an acquaintance of a young man on social media who is an Atheist. Until meeting him I knew relatively little about Atheism, other than they believe there is no such thing as a god. Although I do not agree with him on this issue, reading some of his posts in regard to this subject has been a true eye-opener. The people in his Atheist group on social media are very educated and their perspective on Christianity and Christians has changed my entire thought process. No, I haven't changed my religion, but I can suddenly see how others may view Christians and let me tell you, it is not pretty.
These people do not bash us, at least not in the way you might think, but they see us mostly as people who are swayed by emotions rather than facts. Through their eyes I have seen how egotistical and arrogant Christians can be along with how well we don't check out our facts before putting them out for all the world to see. I have been able to view Christianity from it's ugly side. A view of how much Christians persecute and harass those with different beliefs.
One picture truly caught my eye. It was the picture of a young woman holding a large Bible against her chest and waving a gun in the air with the words, "I am a Christian and you aren't taking my guns!" At the side of that was another picture, that of a woman dressed in a black burkha, holding the Koran to her chest and waving a machine gun in the air with the words, "No god, but Allah!" The caption below these two pictures was, "Is there any difference?"
I want those words to sink in. What image are we, as Christians, portraying to the world? Can they not see any difference in us and the radical Muslims? After seeing that picture I began once again to scroll through facebook and noticed many posts, by Christians, as they shared quotes or memes. I was appalled at the "in your face," elitist attitudes these conveyed. After several weeks of seeing these passed around I made a comment on my page about how offensive some Christian posts are and it appears I lost quite a few "friends" over it. Oh well.
Jesus never acted arrogant or elitist. For many of us, we have been taught that he snubbed his nose at the Pharisees and was arrogant with them, but folks we are soooooo wrong! Jesus, himself, said that when we know the truth it will set us free! He was correct! When we begin to learn the truths of the Scripture from the Hebraic point of view the pieces of the puzzle absolutely fall into place. The words come together to form the most beautiful and magnificent picture EVER!
The world says education is the key and it absolutely is. If we do not truly know and understand God's word, how can we ever hope to explain phenomena on this planet? The highly educated people in this world can tear apart our explanations in about 10 seconds and we are left with our mouths agape. We have the great fortune of being post Christ. If we learn the Bible from a Hebraic point of view and couple it with the knowledge that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah.......WOW!
The more I learn in this journey I have come to realize that the phenomena we can observe from time to time CANNOT compare to the reality of what IS there! Hearing "ghost stories" and tales of "haunted" places convince me over and over that there is so much more to my God than I could ever dream! Know the truth, learn the truth from God's own people, the Jews, and see if He will not throw open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings without measure on you! Shalom!
The people of the world are highly educated in the sciences and language, but how educated are we on the words of our God? Do you know any more of those words beyond a first grade level? From my interaction with even PhD level theologians, they are only at a third grade level. Unless we can appropriately explain the meaning of the white spaces in God's word, we are no more than little children.
Ahh, do those words ring a bell with any of you? Little children does mean the same as a small child, but in 1st century Judaism it was also an idiom for people who were new in the faith. Those who were just beginning to understand the meaning of the words of Jesus.
I am an acquaintance of a young man on social media who is an Atheist. Until meeting him I knew relatively little about Atheism, other than they believe there is no such thing as a god. Although I do not agree with him on this issue, reading some of his posts in regard to this subject has been a true eye-opener. The people in his Atheist group on social media are very educated and their perspective on Christianity and Christians has changed my entire thought process. No, I haven't changed my religion, but I can suddenly see how others may view Christians and let me tell you, it is not pretty.
These people do not bash us, at least not in the way you might think, but they see us mostly as people who are swayed by emotions rather than facts. Through their eyes I have seen how egotistical and arrogant Christians can be along with how well we don't check out our facts before putting them out for all the world to see. I have been able to view Christianity from it's ugly side. A view of how much Christians persecute and harass those with different beliefs.
One picture truly caught my eye. It was the picture of a young woman holding a large Bible against her chest and waving a gun in the air with the words, "I am a Christian and you aren't taking my guns!" At the side of that was another picture, that of a woman dressed in a black burkha, holding the Koran to her chest and waving a machine gun in the air with the words, "No god, but Allah!" The caption below these two pictures was, "Is there any difference?"
I want those words to sink in. What image are we, as Christians, portraying to the world? Can they not see any difference in us and the radical Muslims? After seeing that picture I began once again to scroll through facebook and noticed many posts, by Christians, as they shared quotes or memes. I was appalled at the "in your face," elitist attitudes these conveyed. After several weeks of seeing these passed around I made a comment on my page about how offensive some Christian posts are and it appears I lost quite a few "friends" over it. Oh well.
Jesus never acted arrogant or elitist. For many of us, we have been taught that he snubbed his nose at the Pharisees and was arrogant with them, but folks we are soooooo wrong! Jesus, himself, said that when we know the truth it will set us free! He was correct! When we begin to learn the truths of the Scripture from the Hebraic point of view the pieces of the puzzle absolutely fall into place. The words come together to form the most beautiful and magnificent picture EVER!
The world says education is the key and it absolutely is. If we do not truly know and understand God's word, how can we ever hope to explain phenomena on this planet? The highly educated people in this world can tear apart our explanations in about 10 seconds and we are left with our mouths agape. We have the great fortune of being post Christ. If we learn the Bible from a Hebraic point of view and couple it with the knowledge that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah.......WOW!
The more I learn in this journey I have come to realize that the phenomena we can observe from time to time CANNOT compare to the reality of what IS there! Hearing "ghost stories" and tales of "haunted" places convince me over and over that there is so much more to my God than I could ever dream! Know the truth, learn the truth from God's own people, the Jews, and see if He will not throw open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings without measure on you! Shalom!
Monday, November 3, 2014
Do you believe in ghosts?
Last Friday was Halloween. It can be a fun day and evening or it can be the most frightening night of your life. As a teen I went to the local haunted house, paid my money and proceeded to have the frosting scared out of me, but as I began having children of my own I wanted them to experience good things on that day. I have gone through years of loving Halloween, (as a child getting all the candy), and also years I hated that day and wanted nothing to do with it. Now as a middle-aged woman I really, really love Halloween and I would love to share with you as to why.
About three weeks ago, our local television morning newscast spent one morning on each of the four states in our region noting stories about the most haunted places within those states. As one state in particular was mentioned I waited for the name of a certain cemetery, but it was never mentioned. I know this cemetery well, because my great-grandparents and other family members of that generation are buried there. I have heard the stories all my life and the cemetery has quite the reputation. I thought well, I guess I will have to bring it to their attention so I sent in a comment on their web page and they emailed me back. Before I tell you more about why I love Halloween, please go to the link and watch the short news video, then see me back here!
http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/story/27173546/spooky-lights-often-seen-at-weakley-county-cemetery
Now, what do you think? Do ghosts really exist? Are there extra-terrestrial beings living among us? Perhaps you are a naysayer. Come on, you have to admit there are a lot of phenomena around us we cannot explain, right? One part of the interview which didn't make it into the video is the fact that I have a very good friend who lives approximately three miles from that cemetery, (straight behind it), and she has one of those "things" occupying her house. The house isn't old, in fact she and her husband built the house from the ground up. She and her family are some of the most Godly people I know and they aren't pranksters. She told us the story and we all asked, "Aren't you afraid of it?" She replied that she had never been afraid of it and in fact had a picture of it. When she brought the picture, sure enough there it was floating over her sons shoulder, in the dining room with the lights on. An orb. A small ball of energy and light.
As I prepared for my interview I suddenly had this awesome peace about a subject which had left me in a quandary my entire life. A ball of light, in fact hundreds of balls of light. Hmmmmmm. Most all of us would agree there are many things for which we have no explanation. This can only mean one thing, there are other dimensions which we cannot enter, but those things which dwell there are able to cross into ours.
Every Halloween thousands or millions of stories are told about hauntings, ghosts and apparitions. One day per year, almost all Americans admit there is something beyond this life and what we can see, taste, touch, smell and hear. They admit there is something more than this life, but what? Aha! That is the question and one I will expound upon further on in a day or two! Shalom!
About three weeks ago, our local television morning newscast spent one morning on each of the four states in our region noting stories about the most haunted places within those states. As one state in particular was mentioned I waited for the name of a certain cemetery, but it was never mentioned. I know this cemetery well, because my great-grandparents and other family members of that generation are buried there. I have heard the stories all my life and the cemetery has quite the reputation. I thought well, I guess I will have to bring it to their attention so I sent in a comment on their web page and they emailed me back. Before I tell you more about why I love Halloween, please go to the link and watch the short news video, then see me back here!
http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/story/27173546/spooky-lights-often-seen-at-weakley-county-cemetery
Now, what do you think? Do ghosts really exist? Are there extra-terrestrial beings living among us? Perhaps you are a naysayer. Come on, you have to admit there are a lot of phenomena around us we cannot explain, right? One part of the interview which didn't make it into the video is the fact that I have a very good friend who lives approximately three miles from that cemetery, (straight behind it), and she has one of those "things" occupying her house. The house isn't old, in fact she and her husband built the house from the ground up. She and her family are some of the most Godly people I know and they aren't pranksters. She told us the story and we all asked, "Aren't you afraid of it?" She replied that she had never been afraid of it and in fact had a picture of it. When she brought the picture, sure enough there it was floating over her sons shoulder, in the dining room with the lights on. An orb. A small ball of energy and light.
As I prepared for my interview I suddenly had this awesome peace about a subject which had left me in a quandary my entire life. A ball of light, in fact hundreds of balls of light. Hmmmmmm. Most all of us would agree there are many things for which we have no explanation. This can only mean one thing, there are other dimensions which we cannot enter, but those things which dwell there are able to cross into ours.
Every Halloween thousands or millions of stories are told about hauntings, ghosts and apparitions. One day per year, almost all Americans admit there is something beyond this life and what we can see, taste, touch, smell and hear. They admit there is something more than this life, but what? Aha! That is the question and one I will expound upon further on in a day or two! Shalom!
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