We will understand it better by and by!

One of the hardest things for anyone to do is to accept things we don’t understand. Like many of you, I was ‘forced’ to accept this axiom and its application to life on many occasions. Accepting some things while admitting we don’t understand them doesn’t happen overnight, but, like most adults who have lived long enough to have wisdom, our ancestors would often chant this tune: “By and by, when the morning comes, when the saints of God are gathered home, we'll tell the story how we've overcome, for we'll understand it better by and by.” (Text: Charles Albert Tindley Music: Charles Albert Tindley; arr. by F.A. Clark) Both Elizabeth Elliott and Amy Carmichael have been credited with the phrase, “In acceptance lies peace.” Those are some hard words to even ‘accept.’ The Serenity Prayer puts it this way: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen.” (Reinhold Niebuhr) When you really think about it, accepting things we don’t understand really means that we voluntarily and willingly acknowledge our finite capacity, admit there are transcendent truths that will always be larger than life, and ask and allow God to be Sovereign and Provident-as He is and will always be. Finally, Proverbs 3: 5-6 states: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. Only by doing this can we have the, “Peace that surpasses all understanding,” while we are here on earth. (Philippians 4:7) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYxihV4IjSw

Things I don’t understand and probably never will!

Will the REAL MEN please stand up!

Ok, I need to vent. What is all this ‘tone’-speak and ‘style’-speak coming from the men of the RNC? What the hell is Boehner talking about, “Republicans need to learn to speak to all Americans.” WHAT? How about we already know how to speak to all Americans-IN ENGLISH! Thanks to the feminization of masculinity, more & more men have taken on feminine attributes & characteristics. Talking about the ‘tone’ and ‘style’ of communicating is generally a feminine attribute, owing to the more emotional side of a female. Masculinity generally focuses on results, logic, process, etc, not how ‘good’ or ‘sensitive’ something may sound or look. Give me a freakin break! In the femi-nazi’s efforts to ‘change’ men and ‘make them understand us’ and certainly, ‘make them more sensitive,’ masculinity has fallen by the way-side for a lot of men. Newsflash to the real men: There are STILL feminine women who are not ashamed of their femininity and who LOVE masculinity. We want our men to be able to change our tires without worrying about their nails getting dirty. We want our men to come get the bags out the car-5 or 6 at a time. We want our men to take of his jacket and place it around our shoulders on a chilly night. We want our men to walk on the outside of the pavement while we’re walking down the street in case the cars splash gutter water. We want our men protect us, provide for our family, and still be loveable, firm, and good lovers. We want our men to take their rightful places in the town squares and stand against the shenanigans of any political machines. We want our men to jack-up our boys when they buck at their mothers. There’s a time for a man to wear make-up: When he’s performing on stage or in front of the press, but, dammit, when the curtain closes or the cameras have stopped flickering, TAKE-OFF THE MAKE-UP! You should not look better or be more concerned about your ‘looks’, ‘tone,’ and ‘style’ than your woman or any woman. Get a grip. Go do some push-ups. Go shoot the breeze with the guys. Go run some laps or something, but for heaven’s sake, be masculine!

An open letter to family and friends: It's not you, it's me!

If Conservatives never understand anything else about the left, we must understand this!

Why we need national holidays-Oh, let me just say it-Why we need Christmas!

Uniformity Is NOT Unity

For the past few weeks, the concepts of Unity & Uniformity have been on my heart. After a few times of being quiet, I still could not understand why these words were stirring in me.

Now, I think I know why.

The word ‘Unity’ is mentioned in the Bible 3 times, and two of those times the same Greek word is used (in Eph 4:3 and 4:13; Henotes, from root word Heis).  Like the Hebrew word (In Ps 133:1; Yachad), both words denote ‘one-ness,’ ‘joining,’ or ‘alike-ness.’ But, as far as I can understand, none of these words have anything to do with physical looks, talents, abilities, or other skills and gifts. All these words connote a sense of one-ness of spirit and of mind (beliefs). (1 Cor 12: 4-11)

What does this have to do with anything? I think we in the Church get these concepts confused, too. According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, ‘Uniformity’ is not even mentioned in the Bible, yet, we often either believe or unwittingly and unintentionally ‘impose’ the standard of ‘Uniformity’ for ‘Unity.’

Nothing could be further from the truth. God is a God of diverse abilities with an inexhaustible depth of creativity. This same God has given each of us skills, talents, and abilities in all shapes, sizes, and styles (Rom 12:6). None of us has to work to ‘fit in,’ but, we are instantly a part of the Church at the moment of salvation.

The tapestry of the Church is colorful, vibrant, and bright. Each of us is important to the whole and the only one-ness of spirit and mind we must press to obtain is that of Christ (Phil 2: 1-7).