Friday, August 24, 2012

~ Bible Roulette ~

I've decided to do Scripture studies for my blog every so often, and I don't want to commit to every week. I've just failed really bad at that. So I thought instead of setting a specific book to study, I'd play Scripture Roulette.

Basically, I will go to http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/English-Standard-Version-ESV-Bible/#books and pick a chapter with my eyes closed. Whichever one I hit, I will study in depth. I will always use the ESV, it's my favorite version because it seems the most poetic.

Hope you enjoy reading my thoughts!

~Lydia Joy~

Monday, August 20, 2012

He still believes in you...

It makes me sad to be an American sometimes. Most of the time this sorrow overwhelms me when I am caught between the rock and hard place of being a Christian with so many friends who are not. I have never been one to shove my beliefs onto others, but I feel that I have reached a point where I am not satisfied to never say anything about my faith and my Lord because it may make someone I love uncomfortable or offended. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 16:24: ~ 'Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."'

It is not easy for me to make stances of faith. In fact I think for many American Christians it is easier to hush up and never say anything, because, after all, Christ says in Matthew 5:38 '"You have heard that it was said, 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."' In Romans 12:18, Paul tells us that as Christians 'If possible, so far as it depends on you live peaceably with all.'

So, we know the scriptures. Luke 4 tells us that the enemy does to. [Can I interject to say calling the enemy Satan or the Devil makes me a bit uncomfortable? I think that referring to him to him by his name makes the battle real, so from hence forth I will refer to him as one of these...] In Luke 4, Satan meets Christ during a 40 day fast in the desert. He quotes scripture to Jesus in the hopes of causing the Lord to stumble and sin, which of  course would take away Christ's blamelessness, making him a less then perfect Sin Offering.

What's my point? Satan knows scriptures. He knows we are commanded to turn the other cheek. He knows we are to live peaceably with others. And the same serpent who had the audacity to turn the Word of God against the Son of God would be more than happy to turn it against the followers of Christ. He, after all, hates us. We are the reason he and his are damned to hell.

Here is the crux of the matter, here is my point.

First and foremost, I believe in Jesus. I believe that, as John 1:1 states, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.'. I believe that the bible is the Word, and as a part of God, it is Holy and it is truth. The words of the bible apply to my life on a daily basis.I believe that it will never be out dated or old fashioned.

Secondly. I am a sinner. If my sins were held against me, the list would be long and damning. But I believe that when Christ died for my sins and rose from the dead, his blood was stamped over every one of my sins, marking them paid in full.

Third. This is hard to say. Romans 6:23 says 'For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.' Jesus says in John 14:6 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me.' In Revelations 20:15 it says without a doubt '

You may ask why God would do such a thing. I hear people say "I can't imagine a loving God would do X, Y, or Z." One of the most common ones is "If God was a loving God, why would he damn people to hell?" Here's my answer. He is a loving God. He is also a perfect God, and a just God. He cannot dwell with imperfections. In his flawless justice he must condemn sin, he must purge the imperfections.

This is where His love steps in. Instead of writing us off, not only did He send his son to die for our sins, and freely give us access to Him, freely offer redemption, Psalms 66:10 says 'For you, oh God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver.' When silver is tried, it is purified. It is made beautiful and flawless. It is tried within fire, and all impurities are burned away. In His perfect love, God purifies us.

It is so easy to accept! I recently described it this way to a friend: Could Jesus have been the son of God? If your answer is yes, and John 1:1 says 'the Word was with God and the Word was God' and in verse 14: 'And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only son form the Father, full of grace and truth.'. So if Jesus was the Word, vs. 1 says 'the Word was God.' If Jesus was therefore God, does God not have the power to raise himself from the dead? Romans 10:9 says 'because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.'

All it takes to escape an eternity of separation from God is confessing that we are not enough, and confessing that Jesus Christ is. I will not deny my Lord. He gifted me Salvation, and I will honor Him in thought, word, and deed. I'm sorry if this makes you feel uneasy, but maybe that uneasiness is based on a subconscious (or even fully conscious) realization that this is truth.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

On the Topic of Chick-fil-A

I have had a friend in the gay community block me of FaceBook and call me a bigot because of the fact that I like Chick-fil-A. I don't really want to be political at all in my life, but apparently I have offended people so I am going to talk about this situation.

#1) My sister Julia is married to a wonderful lady, Sally Jackson. If we have a boy, we're naming him Jax Abraham after my sister-in-law and his father. I have many dear friends as well as quite a few relatives who are attracted to and/or are in committed relationships with people of their own gender. I love these people dearly and as far as I know have never discriminated against them or treated them any differently than family or friends who are hetrosexual. 

#2) I like Chick-fil-A. I like their food. I like the fact that they are a Christian based organization. I like that when I go to their restaurants, I am always greeted warmly and treated better than any other fast food company I've been to, heck... better than even expensive restaurants that I have been to. They are a company that closes on Sunday to honor the Sabbath. I support that 100%. I haven't even heard the CEO's comment that was apparently anti-GLTB, but I must ask, no matter what it was, does it *really* shock you that a man who is not only a conservative Christian from the Southern States (fondly known as the Bible Belt) who is over 80 years old would say that (from what I understand) he believes in the traditional definition of marriage?

#3) I am registered at Target (another supposedly anti-GLTB organization) for my baby shower. I also shop at JC Penny, would shop at Macy's if Omaha had one, and I eat Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. These 3 companies are for the GLTB community. I purchase their products because I like what they sell.

#4) I will not be bullied into not liking something because people I know would be hurt by my support of it. I'm sorry, but if Chick-fil-A's stance offends you to the point of not going there, DON'T GO THERE. Don't try to force and coerce and guilt-trip people you love into not going someplace they would normally go and have liked for years because that's what you believe is right. I am a Christian and I don't cram my beliefs and ideals down others throats, and I expect the same courtesy in return.

#5) I think this whole topic is overblown. I think that the "famous" Christians in America and even the non-famous ones who take pictures of themselves eating and or drinking Chick-fil-A products is rather immature. But they have the right to speak their mind and the right to share pictures in public forums of them doing so. Eating food from a restaurant where the CEO has made a stance based on his morals and beliefs does not violate anyone else's rights.

That is all. If this offends you, please feel free to comment or whatever you feel necessary. I am not a bigot, and I am tired of having myself and fellow Christians being trampled on because we believe in following Christ's instruction to "turn the other cheek". If you feel my stance (as a Christian) is unacceptable and chose like my (now former) friend to block me and tell me "have a nice life", consider your own actions and ask yourself who is *really* being bigoted?

A note on Chivalry.

A forewarning... I am not sure when I wrote this, but I have an idea... the partner I refer to is not my husband, but I still find this applicable to life (even mine, though my husband does bring home chocolates and flowers!), so I am sharing it. Please take it with a grain of salt, as it was a young me who was the author of this piece. I have tweaked it, pre-posting, because I felt there were ways to make it flow a bit easier.  

Often I wonder about the idea of love. What is it exactly that makes women swoon at the idea of being romanced? I am a woman who finds myself in a place where I don’t need gifts to prove to me that I am loved. The idea of flowers and chocolates seems so cliché.

So why is it that the idea of receiving such tokens is appealing? As I ponder the worth of such gifts, I am forced to realize. Simply because it may not have monetary value, such offerings are not worthless. They are the beginnings of memories. A rose given to a woman might be pressed into a book, and years down the line, discovered by her children or grandchildren. Suddenly, it is part of a legacy.

I find myself caught up in the idea that perhaps it is more than just a simple gesture. What if it is a reflection of something thought to be long dead? What if, in fact, it is chivalry in its purest form? After the feminist movement, women began to shun men for being gentleman. While I am most grateful to the women who fought to give my generation a voice, I almost feel that more harm was done than not. 

No longer do men see us as treasures. We are independent, and strong. So often, we are not taken care of. I myself have laid awake at night, hoping that perhaps the man I am seeing would show up at my door simply because he missed me. On days such as Valentine’s where corporations push the idea of love onto consumers, I have found myself glancing at the doors of my work all day. Why? Because I hope that at any moment, those doors will open and I will be showered with gifts to show I am adored.

When such wishes are not fulfilled I am flooded with disappointment. How dare he not know what I have not told him? Of course I want flowers! I am, after all, a woman. But what good is it to rage inwardly, and later give a cold shoulder to a rather confused partner? Women no longer voice that we want those small things that make us feel like we are his world. Where does the fault lie? We cannot blame men for being ignorant of our desires.

I find myself humored at how little I myself know of the male species. So knowing that men are a mystery to women only leaves room to assume vice versa is also true. Women must assume that men do not know our inner thoughts and desires. It is time to voice the idea. Perhaps chivalry is not dead. True, it is an idea that had long been doormat, but with a little bit of effort, I believe it can be revived.

Please do not think I lay all the responsibility on men. Women have an equal share in the current status of chivalry. It is time for women to show to the men that they love that such gestures are greatly appreciated. It is time to reveal that in fact we do believe that such tokens of affection mean the world to us. We want romanced, but we need to show our men that it is, in fact, worth the effort.